Once again, Happy August! Yesterday I shared my first post of the month – an organized pantry in honor of back-to-school season. But as I was looking through my camera roll, I realized I had so much to share from July. And had a window of time to get back in here to blog again. Let’s go!
We kicked off our month with a trip to Dallas to visit my sister followed by my annual summer vacation with the kids.
DALLAS
My sister and her husband moved to a town just outside of Dallas a couple years ago and we were finally able to visit. She travels back to CA for work every month for spans of 2 weeks. It’s been hard to pin down a time when she isn’t in CA and the timing works for a visit. They live in McKinney and have heard many things about this town. It was in fact cute and we spent a couple afternoons jumping around to see different spots. Their home is on a golf course and the sunsets were amazing!…
Downtown McKinney is adorable – nice shops and restaurants, a small square in the middle of the town and lots of American flags flying. Our country’s flag is one of my favorite things!…
We learned this is where Benji was filmed. And this is the original county prison…could you imagine?
Graham and I snuck out one morning to get in a workout at a local UFC gym. It was much-needed!…
We spent three nights enjoying time together and on July 3rd the kids and I headed to Mexico.
PUNTA MITA
I brought the kids here last summer over the 4th of July week and decided to return because it’s just too easy. And beautiful. And I happened to stumble on an available VRBO home that looked perfect. If you’ve never heard of Punta Mita or been here, it’s incredible! So easy to travel to, safe, beautiful, the people are friendly and kind, beaches are clean and gorgeous…sunsets to melt you…
The beaches are white sand and the water is warm. Our daily schedule was relaxing. The kids slept in pretty late so I had the mornings to myself to work a little and get outside. Last year I didn’t realize they had long walking paths. This year I walked every morning – sometimes 2 miles, sometimes 4 miles.
It was mid-80s and a little humid but tolerable. I would be dripping sweat after these walks but what a way to start the day. You can order groceries to be delivered and planned on that before we arrived. I made breakfast for us at the house and then we’d choose a beach club to hit for the afternoon. Kupuri and Sea Breeze are our favorite clubs. This is just a small view from Kupuri…
We would order in or I would make dinner at the house…and I’d always get out to see the sunset. There’s no filter on this photo! It’s truly amazing!…
The VRBO was comfortable … and the kids loved having a house this time with a small pool in the yard. Last year we were on the third floor of a condo building. We LOVED that location too, and it had a sitting pool, but this was sort of different.
One morning while walking, I was on a call with my sister. I stopped to grab a photo of the map to share with her. This kinda of gives you an idea of the area. We stayed in the Las Palmas area. Last year we were in the Tau area…
There’s two hotels within the gates – The Four Seasons and The St. Regis – but most everywhere else you can stay is a home, townhome, condo, apartment, etc. I wouldn’t stay anywhere but a place of our own…it’s reasonable and comfortable! Email me if you have questions or are considering a trip to Punta Mita.
Another highlight from my month of July was a LONG FaceTime call with one of my dearest friends from Little Rock. She saw that we were in Punta Mita and wanted to talk to me about it (she’s a travel agent) but also to catch up on everything. It was such a special call – miss her and everyone there. A lot.
This was the last sunset – walking away from the Sea Breeze…
While I didn’t want the trip to end, by the time it was our last day we had been gone for 8 nights. I was ready to get back to reality – felt somewhat refreshed.
Upon getting home there was a fair amount of client projects and the one home project I was excited to work on was my new desk and treadmill. The desk arrived and I assembled it quickly. Of course, with my little apprentice nearby…
She loves being in the thick of any project…causing all sorts of havoc along the way.
Sooooo, the desk was assembled and ready to go. But then the next day when I opened the treadmill – bad news. It arrived in used condition, covered in cat hair and missing important parts – like the power cord! As you can imagine, this is not a lightweight item. I hauled it inside, opened the box, pulled it out of styrofoam, set it up…only to realize when something was wrong I had to pull it all back together, haul it to the front porch and schedule a pick up. As I am typing this blog post – TODAY – the replacement arrived. Yay! Hopefully no issues this time around and by tomorrow morning I’ll be walking and blogging.
Stay tuned for a full blog post about this set-up – very very excited!
NEW ALO STORE
Had a hair appointment in downtown Walnut Creek and when it was over I decided to finally take a stroll through the new Alo store. It opened in June (on the day Aiden graduated) and had been looking forward to seeing it … and browsing / not buying anything. It’s beautiful!!!
You know I live in workout clothes about 98% of my life. I definitely view Alo as investment pieces in your wardrobe, BUT what I can tell you is they last forever. Better quality than LuLu. I love their edgier looks and their cover-ups and pullovers.
I do love buying Amazon items – it’s all about high / low for any category of your wardrobe. It’s ok to splurge from time to time…and I definitely buy things that stand the test of time. Nothing too trendy.
The one thing that is difficult about this brand is their sizing. If I ever wanted to order something, I would order multiple sizes and then return what didn’t fit. Their sizing can be strange, at least I think, and a store employee verified that. So having a store here means we can walk in to try on something. Nordstrom only has a small selection of their catalog…this store is HUGE and has everything.
Really excited!
GRAHAM’S BIRTHDAY
We have a July birthday in our family and this little cutie turned SEVENTEEN!…
I can’t!
For his birthday, he wanted to see Morgan Wallen at Sofi…and so it was! I mean, how could I argue when MW has been on my bucket list for years.
We spent a weekend in LA celebrating Graham. I took him to a great shop to buy cowboy boots, jeans, a hat, etc. He looked absolutely adorable all dressed up for the concert…didn’t get a picture of him because he wouldn’t allow it but. What can I do!?
Weather was great so I wore a tank with shorts and cowboy boots.
I’ve never been to Sofi…amazing!
Morgan was incredible! I don’t have photos of him…only videos. But here’s a glimpse from our seats as we waited for him to come on…
Sold out show and a GREAT night! Taylor Swift is there right now. That girl can seriously perform. SIX nights here!? She was here in the Bay Area last weekend – only two shows. But at Sofi she is performing six…with a day off in the middle. Girl has some endurance!
The next day, which was his actual birthday, we went to the Angel’s game…
He’s heading into his junior year next week. I know these two years will fly, just as they did with Aiden – I’m planning to enjoy it as much as possible!
This outfit was comfortable at the game and on the way home that evening. All linked above…
NOVA
Nova was a cooperative kitty with our travels last month. A neighbor has been enjoying spending time with her…but she definitely loves having us home…
She’s getting back to herself and we’re over halfway through her FIP treatments. So grateful she’s ok and healthy!…
One of her favorite sleep positions / locations…and always while I’m trying to work or type…
HAIR
Maybe a bit random to end the post on this note, but I’ve been working really hard to get my hair healthy again. Over the last few years I have been through some VERY stressful situations / phases / periods. It’s taken a toll in a few ways, including on my hair. I have fine, thin hair but have always had a lot of it. With the stress, I noticed my hair getting thinner. About 9 months ago I reluctantly started trying Nutrafol. I say reluctantly because I thought maybe it was a social media trend that didn’t work. I also didn’t like that you have to take 4 pills – and they are the type that sticks in your throat if not swallowed correctly / with enough water. (Anyone else have that issue with capsules?)
Anyway, I changed my mind and went consistent with it after seeing my hairdresser started carrying the entire line in her salon…AND my dermatologist was using it after having her baby and dealing with post-pregnancy hair loss. I trust both of these women completely so seeing them both stand behind it – I gave it a shot. (By the way, you should follow my dermatologist on social! She has an amazing YouTube Channel and you can see her video here about her experience with Nutrafol. She talks about it in other videos…she talks about everything on that channel so I’d take a look. She’s got over 200k subscribers too. Just great free info and grateful I am one of her patients.)
This is not an overnight fix…you have to be consistent for several months before you begin seeing improvements but it’s definitely working. I snapped this photo at the end of July – I’ll get a video to share with you guys too (when I have someone to film it for me – lol!). My hair is getting thicker and fuller…I’ve always had long hair and haven’t trimmed my hair for a while so I can’t speak to it adding length. My hair grows quickly in general so the length benefits…I’d have to cut my hair and then keep track. I am noticing a real improvement with the density issues. I let my hair down one morning from an overnight bun so excuse the un-smoothed ends. But this is fuller hair…
I’ll continue updating you guys but I think it’s a great product – if used consistently.
I’ve made a few other changes in routine that are worth mentioning. I am only washing my hair 1-2x per week and when I dry it I try to put very little heat on it. My hairdresser said what actually is worse than the hot tools is the hair dryer. She said the consistent hair dryer heat for long periods when you are getting it totally dry is worse than a curling iron. Makes total sense! So I have been letting it air dry to a certain point and then drying it…or drying it to a damp finish. I also have been using these hair bands to pull back my hair AND sleeping with a satin pillowcase. The pillowcase was intended to help with my face and creasing I was experiencing, but turns out it also helps prevent issues you may be experiencing with your hair.
I’m planning to continue taking it and will snap more photos each month so we can compare!
Always more to share – like my workouts or client project highlights – but this has gotten pretty long! I hope you had a great July and that your August is off to a great start! I can not wait to get back to routine!!!
Back soon with more guys!
xo,
Sam
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