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Valentine's Day Goodness

Hello Loves,

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope it is filled with lots of love from your family, your loved one, or your cat! ;)

Paco getting some love!

Exciting News

I am so happy to announce that Jimi and I have booked our venue and have a lovely day set for our wedding. We are getting married one year from today, on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2014 (02.14.2014 -or- 2.14.14)! I am beyond excited and cannot wait to share our special day with all of our closest friends and family.

Valentine's Day Ideas for Everyone

I got this idea from Pinterest, and made it my own - all of our important dates in one pretty package. I think it is perfect for Valentine's Day, framed for a special someone. My Pinterest find was designed by Cindy of Inkstomp - check out her shop for some more great love prints!

Check out Sad Shop on Etsy for more!

With another Pinterest find, I started to think about Valentine's Day early this year and ordered my cards from Sad Shop on Etsy!! Katie's cards have great humor and are light hearted...but they still say I love you...which is what Valentine's Day is all about. I got one for all of my special someones, to send them a little note today.

Valentine's Day is not complete without Conversation Hearts, in my opinion! I love them, they are probably my favorite candy and thank goodness they are only around once a year (or else I would have a serious problem). I usually spend the first couple of days handing the ones I like to Jimi...to say I love you...I usually do this on Valentine's Day too. And then, of course, there is always chocolate...

I feel so lucky, because our garden is blooming roses...year round...so I always get to make a fun bouquet of roses (or two) at this time of year and place them around the house. They smell amazing and they are so gorgeous with all of their different colors. Plus, they always remind me to love.

What are the fun things you are doing for Valentine's Day to say I love you? How do you celebrate?

xo,

Moorea Seal // 52 Lists Project // Weeks 1-6

A jewelry designer and inspirational blogger that I love to follow is, Moorea Seal. She has great ideas for making 2013 the best year, yet, and a fun jewelry shop on Etsy...full of amethyst rings and chevron necklaces! Swoon. Moorea is such a great inspiration, so I am excited to share her latest project with you all.

Her latest project is The 52 List Project. A list per week for the entire year with prompts like your current and future goals and dreams, the ways you can show love to others and things you are proud of. A fun, free printable with the prompt is available each week, along with her list for the week and a place to link up your own list to share. Oh, I do love a good list!

We are now on week 6 and I have finally caught up on the prompts, so instead of sharing all of my lists in this one post, I will give the you the best from each week and the full list for this week at the end. Enjoy!

52 Lists Project

Weeks 1 - 3

Week 1
Words that touch your soul.
(side note: I absolutely loved this prompt and I think it is still my favorite.)
family
home
light
depth
adventure
play
create

Week 2
Your greatest comforts.
traveling to a favorite place.
coming home.
my pillow.
the sound of waves.
the warmth of the sun on my skin.
being embraced in a huge Jimi bear hug.

Week 3
Things you should be proud of.
myself.
the people closest to me.
my business progress.
the adventures I have had.
the time I have taken to learn.

Weeks 4 - 6

Week 4
Current and future goals and dreams.
start my own business, quit my day job.
find a creative community that I can be apart of.
grow old with Jimi, but first marry my best friend. :)
travel when I get the opportunity - more adventures.
create and learn new things everyday.
run another half marathon...I think I am crazy...

Week 5
What you are grateful for.
my family and childhood.
my passion for art, design, and history - knowledge.
the people closest to me.
the taste of rootbeer.
the ocean.
my adventures.
my pets.
paddling.

Week 6
The ways I can show love to others.
say I love you.
send them a note.
listen. care. be there.
be responsive.
smile. laugh. reward.
be grateful.
give praise and affection.
acceptance and understanding.
be kind. be thankful, grateful.
open my mind and my heart.
accept love from others.
spend quality time.
compliment. take interest.
communicate. connect.
be authentic.
thoughtful gestures.
practice patience.
pray. hug. kiss.

I love my lists in a notebook, so this is my 52 lists project book!

If you love lists (who doesn't?) and would like to participate head on over to Moorea Seal!
Happy listing!

The Wardrobe Code - 30 Days of Outfits

Remember My Style Muse Board in this post?

Well this is what came of it...my wardrobe transformed into something I love, a work of art and something that channels the things I want to say about myself. Authentic, casual, stylish, with a little bit of edge, and a feminine touch.

I spent all of January working with Nicole, of The Wardrobe Code, on my wardrobe (part 1) and closet (part 2 - coming soon!). If you are looking for some virtual coaching on your wardrobe...check out The Wardrobe Code's Becoming You: Personal Style Camp for more details! It is well worth the investment, because investing in your wardrobe is investing in you.

Part 1 - The Wardrobe - One of my homework assignments was to create outfits for 30 days (a whole month of outfits!). Here are a few of my favorite outfits I have come up with through my journey with The Wardrobe Code!

Red Cords: Mossimo, Target. Black Wedge Sneakers: Xhilaration, Target. Gray Sweater: Conversation Pieces.

Jeans: Jolt Jeggings, Nordstrom Rack. Flannel Top: Urban Outfitters. Scarf: Conversation Pieces.

Pink Cargo Jacket: Urban Outfitters. Grey Feather Top and Jewelry: Forever 21.

Black Leggings: Lululemon. White Top: Delia's. Cargo Jacket: Hurley.

Jeans: Mossimo, Target. Sweater: Urban Oufitters. Leather Jacket: ASOS.

Black Booties: Rebel, Delia's. Flannel Dress: Patagonia. Sweater: TNA.

Learn more about Conversation Pieces in my post here!

Stay tuned for the second segment of my Wardrobe Code journey - The Closet!

Enjoy,

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.