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Mad Style // Beach Style

Paddling season is up and running with the third race of the season happening tomorrow. One thing the paddling season brings are those at the beach all day kind of days.

Summer is upon us and in California we have been having some great weather, but we also get a huge marine layer in the am, June gloom and eventually wonderful warm nights. So what should a girl pack for a whole day at the beach? I am talking waking up at 3am and not getting home till 6pm kinda beach day. I know, not your average day at the beach, but they are the best!

These are my favorite essentials for spending a day at the beach with my paddling ohana and getting a work out in while I am at it!

Inspiration:
(once the sun comes out)

I love this...hat, chambray cover up and a comfy pair of shorts = perfect.

The faves:

*At 3am I have got my leggings and big jacket on. I usually stuff my feet into my comfy uggs, grab my beach bag and go. There is no time for hair, so I almost always have a hat on.

Jacket: Patagonia Down Sweater Full-Zip Hoodie
Leggings: Lululemon Wunder Under
Bag: Roxy Start Stop Bag
Hat: Rip Curl Island Fever Trucker Hat

*We race in the mornings, so it is still cooler with the marine layer, but I always make sure to have sunscreen on, along with my favorite bathing suit top. We are all about cross and racer backs when it comes to tops.

Bathing Suit: Patagonia Print Kupala Top
Towel: Land's End Dot Beach Towel
Sunscreen: Neutrogena Suncare

NAC surfing in Santa Barbra, CA:

Photo Credit: C. Silvester

*After our race it is all about showering off and getting some food before the guys get back. The sun is usually out by now and it is warming up so I love an outfit like my inspiration above or a good sundress. Fun sunglasses are a must.

Sandals: Rainbows - Expresso Leather
Chambray Shirt: J. Crew Selvedge Chambray
Sunglasses: Sabre
T-Shirt: Rip Curl X Heather Brown Tee Into the Sea
+ my fave pair of denim shorts!

Photo Credit

Now after completing this Friday's favorites for the beach, all I can think about is August! On my birthday, I will be off to Hawaii for a full 10 days...GET ME THERE!

Happy Friday!!!

Falling for Friday // 3-29-13

Happy Friday y'all!

Last weekend I was in lovely Ventura, Ca and I shared all my fave things to do in Ventura, check it out here! This week I am going to share my fave things from Craftcation! There are so many things I love about Craftcation, so I will be making this a series of posts through out the next couple of weeks, so I can share all of the goodness with you!

Craftcation :: Part 1
1. The location::
We were are the Crowne Plaza hotel right at the end of Ventura Pier where (1) you had a view of the ocean from any room, (2) you were able to head out for a walk along the boardwalk, which was as at our front door, and (3) it was in walking distance to everything: the beach, downtown, city hall and more. Ventura is all about the arts and was so welcoming to all of us makers...it is a real treat.

2. The community::
Markers was the word of the weekend and that is what we came away with, a community of makers. You can take a look at #makers2013 and #craftcation on Twitter or Instagram to see all the wonderful makers and creations that this community offers. This year I was much more prepared to network and make new friends because I have been longing to find my creative community close to me. Thankfully I have found them and I will be sharing most of them in my Craftcation series posts.

3. The workshops::
So many great workshops and so many ideas for new workshops next year that it is impossible to pick just one you want to go to! There were about 6-12 classes going on at the same time for four days straight! That is a lot of love and knowledge to be had and shared. So I will also be highlighting some of my favorite workshops and the craft classes I enjoyed while at Craftcation in this series.

4. Our fearless leaders::
Let me to introduce, Delilah and Nicole! There are no words to describe how awesome these two women are. They are so inspiring and without them Craftaction would not have been born and that is a sad thing to think about. Their own stories are amazing, as well as their story as a partnership in business with Craftcation and Patchwork. For sure check out their crafty businesses!

Here is a little story: I moved to Santa Ana almost three years ago and literally right around the corner from my house was this cute little store called The Road Less Traveled, this is Delilah's store. One day I had a little time to finally pop in and check it out...I was in love at the first step in. One side of the store had all these handmade goods made by local artists, and they other half was a classroom with a giant calender of workshops on the wall. Oh yeah, I liked this place. I signed up for the newsletter and low an be hold a few months later there was Craftcation in that newsletter and the rest is history. :)

5. The wealth of knowledge::
The wealth of knowledge at Craftcation about crafts, business, web, food and motivation is out of this world. With all the classes available and all of our favorite "craftelebrities" (as Nicole calls them...love it!) in one place - there is nothing you can't learn. They want to help and are so willing to share their expertise that you feel so welcomed into learning new things to make your business work. Then when you are ready to take a break from all the business classes you can pop into a craft class to just have some fun or learn a technique you have always wanted to learn! I am still processing everything I learned.

Follow along with this series under my craftcation tag in the side bar under Labels. It is going to be fun and I promise to share some of the good knowledge I learned from my fave craftelebrites!

Enjoy!
xo,

Falling for Friday // 3-22-13

(1) Pete's // (2) Busy Bee Cafe // (3) Betty Belts // (4) The Pier // (5) City Hall

Today I am featuring my favorite things to do while I am here in Ventura, Ca.
Right now I am in Ventura at the Craftcation Conference! You can find out more here.

Ventura, California
Ventura is located about an hour north of Los Angeles, Ca and about 40 minutes south of Santa Barbara, Ca. It is a beach town known for its great surf and their wonderful downtown area with great food and shops.

Here are my favorite things to do in Ventura!

1. Pete's Breakfast House
We always leave so early to go to Ventura, so the first thing on the list is always breakfast.
And it is always Pete's!

2. Main Street - Downtown Ventura
Shopping and Dining
Antique Stores
A good lunch - Busy Bee Cafe, Nature's Grill
Craft shops - Betty Belts, Superbuzzy
Fun retail stores

3. The Pier
Paddle
Watch the surfers
Enjoy the beach

4. The Architecture
Gorgeous buildings all around town that are so hard to miss.
The Mission San Buenaventura
Ventura City Hall building

If you ever get the chance to go or enjoy it as much as I do, you will find it is a great place for some R&R. Who doesn't love some of that?

Happy Friday!

Falling For Friday // 3-1-13

Hello March, Hello Spring. Since winter is coming to a close and we are heading into spring, longer days and lots of flowers...I thought I would share my winter favorites, what I love about the transition from winter to spring, and my excitement for spring today on Falling for Friday!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

I loved this Winter!

cinnamon pinecones.

beanies, boots and scarves.

peppermint mochas.

camping and bonfires.

home, cozy, blankets.

crisp morning walks.

1 // 2

Crazy about for Spring!

roses.

maxi skirts.

iced tea.

camping and the beach.

being out in the neighborhood.

morning light through the window.

1 // 2

This winter has been good to me, as it is every year. Such a busy time of year with all the festivities, but always a favorite, because I get to hibernate and get cozy with a fire.
What is not to love?

I like the changing of the seasons and even though we don't get extreme weather here in California, the one thing I love most is watching the seasons change here. The subtleties in the air, the turning leaves, new growth, and the smell...each season has that smell, when you first walk out your front door in the morning. Right now we are getting crisp nights, mellow mornings and sunny days...there is still that quietness of winter, but a new light coming through the window that only means warmer days ahead. My roses are/were trimmed back, and I am already seeing tons of new growth.

Spring means getting back into it, starting anew, and finally getting more sun in my life. I am always ready for the longer days...they are my favorite. The lighting at this time of year is amazing, as if it knows we need to be woken up, but does it ever so softly, slowly preparing us for the harsh light of summer. All the flowers and the birds start to come out, and I start to get back out on the water more. It is a good time to appreciate what I had been missing while in hibernation.

Happy Spring!

I finished my first half marathon!

Yep, I did it.

Not that I didn't think I couldn't do it, but I didn't think I would actually have that much fun doing it. So am I crazy that I will be continuing my training to do another half marathon in May? I don't know yet, but I do know that I can do it now.

I never doubted myself, but I have to say the 13.1 miles was a little daunting and I had no idea what to expect. We were standing at the start line and my friend Kelly gave us some encouragement that came from our friend Bobbie. "Are you kidding me? Of course, you can do it! If you can paddle 42 miles for 8 hours, you can do 13 miles!" Yeah Bobbie, thank you! :)

We had a good group of girls..all different levels and all good friends. We go by team #nac4life! We did group workouts, and we have a great workout schedule created by the fabulous Eden, our supportive leader! I tried to keep up with the schedule as much as possible, but through Christmas, New Years and getting sick, I fell off quite a bit. I made sure to reach 6 miles of running at one point in my training which is the suggested minimum you need to be able to run to be prepared for a half marathon. I felt super under prepared but I was still going to do it. And I am glad I did.

Doing it with a group definitely helped...I had support, workout buddies and even though we didn't all run together the day of the race we were still all there in it together, cheering each other on along the way. Not only did we have a great group, but we had a beautiful day and gorgeous scenery! We participated in the Surf City Half Marathon that goes out of Huntington Beach, Ca. It runs mostly along PCH with the sun soaking through, the sound of the waves, the smell of sunscreen and salt, and stretches of beach to look at while running. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

It took me 17 minutes longer than the goal that I had put in when I registered months ago...but I wasn't totally attached to that number because, one, I did not train as much as I had anticipated and, two, this was my first race...I just needed to do it and get through it. Now that I have done it I see what all the hype is about. Holy cow, were there a million people down there. That alone was probably the biggest eye opener of the day. We took over PCH, and instead of lanes of cars, we were a sea of people weaving in and out of PCH like we owned the place. It was kinda cool being in the middle of a highway I have driven on most of my life, but running it, with not a car in site.

What? Like it's hard?

In January, I joined an online running group started by Raechel Myers, who writes at her blog, Finding My Feet, which I follow. The online running team consists of about 50 or 60 people from all over the US training for half marathons, or just needing help staying accountable. #TeamFMF really helped me keep up miles through the last month of training and even helped me get in some of my longest runs. Really supportive group there as well.

You wont see me doing a full marathon, probably ever, but I am going to tackle another half or two this year. The next one coming up in the San Diego Wild Safari Park Half Marathon which takes place in the park so you get to run and see all the animals.

I know what you are thinking - Maddie support a place full of "captive" animals? I know but, this park is far different from any zoo you have ever been to, and it is the only animal park I have supported in the past 5 years. What makes it different? According to a San Diego Travel website they are "a conservation facility. This establishment is designed for the study and preservation of wild animals and endangered species. The main goal of this facility is to provide a wildlife sanctuary where animals can live in a protected environment." They home a lot of endangered animals that are close to extinction...they are setup to re-populate these species, and have separate facilities for this. They have acres of land and most of the animals have a ton of room to roam...they are not in a normal cage you would see at a zoo. The animals are partnered up, they try to have two or more of each species for companionship. Although I still disagree with captivity, this park is set up for the right reasons, ones that I can support.

Thanks girls for a great first half marathon, would not have wanted it any other way! And here's to a few more!! ;)

xo,

Central California Roadtrip

One of the best parts of California, in my opinion, is PCH. Pacific Coast Hwy, or CA-1 runs along most of the coastline in California and is home to some of the best views in California. The section of PCH we ventured through this trip was from the Monterey Bay area all the way to Gaviota State Park area, so most of the central coast. I have not done that drive in awhile, since I was a kid, so it was almost like seeing it for the first time, from a different perspective (the front seat, rather than the back seat ;) ) and with new eyes. I got to say it is a must drive sometime in your lifetime kinda deal, especially if you are a Californian and you love the ocean which = a lot of us!

Friday
Monterey!

We got up early and packed up the car, to depart by 5:30 am, to jump on the 5 Fwy and head toward the Ranch House. When we arrived at the Ranch House Coffee Shop in Gorman, ready to eat, we were surprised with snow on the ground! The smell was horrible on the 5, so we hopped over to the 101 to complete our trip to Monterey.

Jimi has family in Monterey so we spent most of the afternoon exploring the bay, walking downtown and spending time with them. For happy hour and dinner we went over to the Cannery Row Brewing Co. for the San Diego Beer Invasion. It was pretty cool, even though I do not drink beer. They had all the big SD big hitters when it comes to beer on tap. The Cannery Row Brewing Company is this old brink building with tons of character, good vibes and friendly people.

Saturday
Big Sur!

We had a slow start..breakfast, play with the kids, packing up, grocery shopping and just taking our sweet time..the weather was so amazing that weekend that it was just nice to be outside enjoying no matter what were doing.

Around lunch time we hoped on the one and drove down to Nepenthe. Nepenthe, Big Sur has one of the best view in the house, a cool tree house like restaurant, a fun store and little cafe all set up into this cliff looking over the water on the central coast of California...doesn't really get better than that. The food is good, the vibe is hip and the nice weather and view made it a really popular spot that afternoon.

After lunch, we made our way to Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground and stacked our clam in the shadows of the some large redwood trees that climbed up this hill and opened into a nice grassy meadow across the way from our camp. It was quite a bit cooler in the shade, since the tress were so dense back in where we were, but the weather was so nice that it didn't matter much.

The rest of Saturday was spent walking around, exploring the river, building a fire, cooking up lots of food, eating lots of food, campfire conversations, s'mores (of course!) a lot of laughs and good times.

Sunday
Pacific Coast Hwy!

My Favorite!

After packing up and saying our goodbyes to everyone, Jimi and I were headed down to Pfeiffer Big Sur Beach which is 2 miles from the highway on this little one lane road. It was a beautiful drive into the park where you land yourself in on of the most gorgeous beaches! Tons of sand to walk on...a pebble stream running through the center out into the ocean, and gorgeous rock formations getting slammed by the crashing surf. We ate lunch here and Ozzie was having a blast finally being at the beach (his favorite place)! The sun was so nice warming us through. Then we got back on the road and had a major stretch of driving to do until we made it to our next stop.

This drive was (plus the drive from Monterey to Big Sur on Saturday) was just insane. There are no words to describe the beauty that is the central coast. large rock formations, large, expansive cliffs overlooking dark crashing waves with the sun shinning and clear air. I have so many pictures from the drive, I cannot share them all but these are the best of the bunch.

We finally made our way to Jalama Beach from CA-1 on a beautiful county road with rolling green hills and nothing for miles but green, lush land. It looked like we should be in the English countryside, rather than central California! Soon the road opens up to the ocean and this long stretch of beach with a little campground that was hopping because of the long weekend. In the park they also have a store and grill home of the famous Jalama Burger. It is huge and delicious. I can see Jalama being the perfect place for a beach and camp kinda weekend.

We made it to the end of PCH (that part of it anyway) where it hits the 101 at Gaviota State Park right at sunset. Perfect way to the end weekend. You can always follow along with our weekend adventures on Instagram @maddiedierkes.

Enjoy!

Adventuring

Over the weekend we took a day trip out to meet up with a few friends to explore and hike out in the back country areas of the Joshua Tree National Forest.

Crisp desert air, biting winds, calm stone pilings, stoic Joshua trees, snowy mountain horizon and the slight warmth of the sun in the clear, open sky is the perfect way to describe Sunday in Joshua Tree.

To celebrate our best friend's last weekend here in California, for a few years, we went "path finding," rock jumping, cactus dodging, cave exploring and off the beaten path trail blazing. No maps, no cell phones, no service (unless you are Jimi), just wide open land for as far as your eye could see.

^ Boy band cover shots ^

^ Views from around "home base" ^

I love being connected, social media and designing, but this is the kind of stuff weekends are made for...dropping service, getting out there and surrounding yourself in nature. Whether it is in the ocean paddling out, in the forest among giant trees, or in the mountains trail blazing.