Before my wedding, I have never done gel nails before.  Now that I gel nails under my belt, I will never go back to regular nail polish.  By the end of the night my regular nail polish would be chipped off and nothing is more irritating.  Regular out, gels in!  My merlot gels held up for two and half weeks and now my hands can always look clean and polished. (No pun intended).   What color do I pick now?  I looked through my apartment for inspiration.  I have these tiny velvet pumpkins that I absolutely adore that I used for my inspiration.  I decided to go with a carmel yellow color.  This shade of yellow is perfect for the fall season, and easy to coordinate with my gold jewelry.  

Not telling anyone yet what my costume will be, but heres a hint. ORANGE.  Does yellow and orange clash?  Most of the time.  On Halloween, you will see how I make clashing colors fall in love with each other.  Tips and tricks coming your way! 

TGIF!  Enjoy some of these tunes!

• Peace Treaty - In Time (Singularity Remix)
• Eiffel 65 - Blue (Gordon & Doyle Quick Fix)
• Katy Perry - Dark Horse (PHYNX Trap Remix)
• Eddie Armando Feat Kimberly Cole Garza - U Make Me Wanna (Rock-It Scientists Remix)
• Pendulum - Encoder
• John Newman Vs Bad Boy Bill and Steve Smooth Vs Chris Lake - Love Me Again Switch (DJ Kontrol)
• Usher - Euphoria 
• Lil Wayne Feat Birdman - Fire Flame
• Icona Pop - Emergency 
• Jakesgarlato - Jaja
• Massive Attack - Teardrop

When in Big Sur with Greg, as we were heading back to camp to pack up and make our way up the coast to San Francisco, I hear Greg go "Look!".  Theres a deer eating.  It was cute to see but I've seen deer before so my mind wasn't blown.  Then comes another deer.  Okay, I have seen two deer before so again, nothing TOO exciting.  As we made each step forward getting closer and closer, they didn't run.  This was a little surprising because they are more than likely afraid of humans.  As we get inches away from them, we look behind a redwood tree that had fallen over and there lies a baby deer.

Not only did it bring a huge smile on our faces and give our tummy butterflies, but it was so remarkable and refreshing to see a family that sticks together through anything.  As frightened as the mommy deer and daddy deer were of Greg and I, they would not leave their baby.  Of course for humans, we would never leave our child in any danger.  That's a given.  Watching animals have that same sense of family and loyalty brings my soul joy.  This wasn't a learning experience or something that I needed to be informed on, it was simple LOVE that filled up my heart.  This was a definite positive boost for my MIND.BODY.SOUL.  As Thanksgiving is right around the corner, remember who has your back and who loves you.

Creating my wedding style was not an easy task.  I like too many things.  It was settled a long time ago that we were going to get married on Oct 03, 2015.  I naturally like to keep with seasons, colors and themes.  Season?  End of summer/beginning fall.  Colors? Blush, merlot w/ pops of gold. Theme? Rustic southern charm.  Why did I choose these options?  Besides the obvious reasons that I love these options, it was tasteful for our venue, highlights our families styles and tones bounced off beautifully with an late day/evening wedding.  Creating a relaxing, simple but elegant wedding was very important to my vision because it portrays Greg and I as a couple.  To create your ideal wedding or event here are some tips that helped me in planning my nuptials.

• Once you choose a date, don't stray too far away from seasonal themes.  Why?  Finding flowers out of season and color will be more difficult and more expensive.  Too much contrast of your overall vision can become an eyesore.  Example, a snowy winter wedding with bright orange and fuscia colors could look very tacky.  NOT ALL THE TIME!  Don't get me wrong, if you can win the battle with a funky, cool and eclectic wedding that nails a snowy wedding with bright pink, HATS OFF TO YOU!  Just know that you can never go wrong with in season themes because it feels natural and photographs beautifully.  

• When your picking colors for your event, YOU NEED A NEUTRAL.  Unless you are going for a colorful circus wedding (which by the way I have seen and they are awesome) neutrals balance your pop of colors.  Think of your neutrals as your hardwood floor and your colors are the furniture.  TIP: Go to the paint section of a hardware store and gather four color cards that meet your wants and BAM you have your color scheme.  

Hiking may not be the biggest calorie burner workout.  Hiking may not shed a bunch of sweat.  That is OKAY!  Hiking is a wonderful tool to clear your mind and enjoy nature and still provide movement in your day.  I did a LOT of hiking in Big Sur and Yosemite and learned to appreciate it a lot more.  Hiking makes you use muscles that won't be touched in your day to day life.  The different levels of rocks, tree trunks and soil makes your body move in ways that don't come as second hand nature.  I haven't been on a bike in two weeks but I am so happy and grateful that I got to experience a tiny workout and see jaw dropping sceneries.  

When doing our many mile hike through the woods, I am SO HAPPY that I brought these things with me in my backpack.  Hopefully this helps for your next journey.

• CAMERA
• CHAPSTICK 
• WATER
• ROPE
• BANDAIDS
• EXTRA SOCKS
• SWEATER
• CELL PHONE (ONLY FOR EMERGENCY)
• SMALL TOWEL
• LIGHTER/MATCHES
• POCKET KNIFE
• PEN
• PAPER/NOTEPAD/STICKY NOTES

Hello!  Don't be mad.  I know I went completely MIA but for a good reason.  I GOT MARRIED AND WENT ON MY HONEYMOON!  Greg and I are so blessed to have wonderful friends and family to attend our wedding and had a ball on our honeymoon. I must admit, I had some outfit FAILS.  I had to make a couple adjustments but it all worked out.  From the woods to the city and to gorgeous vineyards, I was comfortable, through in some statement pieces and even got some compliments.

ADVICE: Look ladies, especially you, I know that you want your feet to look cute.  Sometimes that cuteness will bite you in the butt.  Obviously try and find a pair for your outing that is cute AND comfortable.  When walking the streets of San Fran, I would have LOVED to put on a hot pair of wedges.  Blisters are inevitable if you go that route.  Be okay with wearing a 7/10 shoe if your walking long distance if it feels good on your feet.  Iv'e made that mistake before and did not on our honeymoon and let me tell you, my feet are loving me right now.

GUILTY AS CHARGED.  I was not able to submit my "Monday Blue's" yesterday.  I blame the two W's.  WORK AND WEDDING.  I leave tomorrow morning for my wedding and for the past three days it has been go go go.  No more excuses I promise.  Let's move forward:

MONDAY (TUESDAY) BLUES

I am overly excited to see this large DIY blue moon project.  Looks daunting but when you break down the details on how it's made, it's very simple!  

• Paint
• Marshmallows (YES... I said marshmallows)
• Wooden dowels 
• Glitter
• wooden round backdrop 

The multiple tones of blues, golds and creams really compliment each other.  I will proudly admit that I will be doing this when Greg and I get our first home.  I can see it will take a lot of patience and time but looks well worth it.  What would look amazing with this... A SUN.... hint hint hint....

For details on this project:  www.greenweddingshoes.com