LATELY

Since I have so many instagrams from my trip to Martha's Vineyard, I decided to extend my lately post and include them all. Even though I've been going to the island for 24 years, I think this summer will stand out as one of the best ever. That has a lot to do with my wonderful travel companions, Phil and Afton. They love to explore and take photos as much as I do and their excitement about being on the Vineyard definitely transferred to me. We had all kinds of adventures and moments that I will forever hold dear in my heart. Our trip was full to say the least- we went to two beaches, a pond, took a boat to another island, eat lots of lobster and oysters, had dinner parties with old friends and new, sung karaoke, played running charades, went to a dance party, saw plenty of lightning, bought friendship bracelets at the flea market and eat far too many Backdoor Donuts {if you've never been, you must}. It was more than difficult to say goodbye, but this time instead of waiting a whole year,  I get to come back in one month for a wedding. As you can imagine, I'll be counting down the days. Here is a little look at my life of late and a few of the sweet things making me smile... 
Packing for our trip
Nautical details
The light and shadows
A photo walk around Menemsha
A dreamy dinner with friends old and new
Spending time with my parents
Adorable Swedish friends
A boat trip to Cuttyhunk & a 14lbs. lobster
Lobster, lobster & more lobster
Sunsets on the deck & island exploring
The sweet summer breeze
Fantastic meals & beaches
Gorgeous scenery everywhere you turn
My family's cottage

SNAPSHOTS FROM GIRL SCOUT CAMP

A few weeks ago I got to spend two wonderful days at the Ojai Rancho Inn with a group of 30 creative women, put together by the ladies behind Bash, Please, Fiore Beauty and The Life Styled. It was a sort of grown up version of Girl Scout Camp. We sat by the pool, drank Tacate, went on a hike and talked about life and business. I came away feeling relaxed, inspired and with so many new friendships. I'm ready to go back!

THE VINEYARD

Something happens to me around this time of year, where I get heartsick for Martha's Vineyard. It's kind of funny, because if you look back on the blog, I post about it each year. This year will be my 24th summer on the island. Crazy. One of the reasons I cherish my time there so much, is that it's so completely opposite from Los Angeles. The humidity, the scenery, the people- all different. I won't be heading there until mid July, but looking through these photos from last summer has me wishing it was tomorrow. This time I'll be bring a few friends with me, which has me all kinds of excited. Getting to experience a place you love with people you love breaths new life in to it. You suddenly get to be a tourist again, sharing all of your favorite spots and exploring some new ones. I can already tell, this summer is going to be one to remember.

SNAPSHOTS FROM OJAI


I am so sorry I've not being able to update Sweet Thing much these days. If you're wondering why, it's really that I've gotten so busy with shoots that I just can't keep up. I have not taken a day off in over three weeks and trust me, I'm overwhelmed and exhausted. More on that another time, but I promise I'll be posting more often soon.

A few weeks ago I spent a few days in my hometown of Ojai, shooting stills for my friend, Charlie McDowell's film. This time of year is pure magic in Ojai, as all of the orange blossoms and flowers are in full bloom. It didn't hurt that we were filming on one of my most favorite properties in all of Ojai- belonging to his family. Sometimes I just can't believe how beautiful it is. I feel so very lucky to have grown up in a place such as this. 

SNAPSHOTS FROM TAHOE

I meant to post these photos last week, but this moving thing is really getting the best of me. I have so many photos from Lake Tahoe that I decided to split them up into two posts. While most of our friends skied or snowboarded, my friend Jacqui and I wandered around taking photos of the gorgeous scenery. Her boyfriend grew up nearby so he was also a very handy tour guide. While I've been to Lake Tahoe before, I've never been in the wintertime and I must say it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. The sky is the most unreal shade of turquoise and the way the light hits the lake and the mountains is pure magic.

SNAPSHOTS FROM THANKSGIVING

I know I'm about a week late in posting these, but here are a few photos I took on Thanksgiving. We always spend Thanksgiving in Ojai, at the home of our dearest family friends. As I'm sure you can see, their home and property is stunningly gorgeous. The food, as always, was insanely good and the love around the table was palpable. It's not hard to see why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. 

SNAPSHOTS FROM APPLE PICKING

It feels like James and I have opposite schedules these days, so on his day off we decided to make it special and go on a little adventure. I'd been wanting to go apple picking for quite sometime, but the closest places are not actually that close. Since we had the entire day, we drove out to Riley's Apple Farm in Oak Glen, which is about an hour and a half from LA. The property is gorgeous and we spent hours wandering the orchards and gardens. The leaves were changing and it truly felt like fall. On our way back to LA we stopped at Mom's Country Orchards, which is the most adorable country store. I stocked up on apple cider, apple butter and the best pickles I have ever had. I highly recommend a stop at Riley's and Mom's if you ever travel to Oak Glen. 

**Sidenote: Now that I have so many apples, I'd love to start cooking with them. Do you have any favorite recipes? 

wearing: club monaco shirt, f21 trousers, banana republic hat

SNAPSHOTS FROM OJAI

My time spent in Ojai was completely dreamy. Since Teissia was busy working and my other guests were late risers, I got to spend lots of time alone, taking in nature with my camera in hand. It was such a peaceful escape from the city. It reminded me how much I love living in Los Angeles and being so close to the desert, mountains, forests and ocean. Ojai is only an hour and a half away, but feels like another world. 

Some of my favorite places & things to do in Ojai:
The best chai ever at The Farmer and The Cook
Pastries at Knead 
Bart's Books
Boccali Ranch to pick out pumpkins 
Coffee at Coffee Roasting Co.
The farmer's market for the most gorgeous produce and bread
Sunsets on Meditation Mount
A stop at Modern Folk Living & Hattie
Driving through beautiful upper Ojai

SNAPSHOTS FROM NYC

I kept putting off editing these photo because I had such an amazing time in New York, I almost wanted to preserve the memory of it. On this trip I made a point not to pick up my camera too often. I really wanted to take in the city and spend time with my sister and friends without it getting in the way. Of course now I'm kicking myself because there were so many amazing restaurants and charming streets to photograph. But I guess there is always next time. I just need to make sure another two years don't go by before I visit this fine city again. I strangely feel at home in New York. I hope at some point I get to live there, even just for a few months. 

**incase you were wondering, the people in the photos above are my boyfriend James, my sister Merry and my friend Sam.