San Diego Trip | Part Two

As I'm sitting here writing this, I'm in the comfort of my childhood home, staring out into the familiar backyard full of trees that have now gone bare in preparation for the Winter. I wait now for the 28 foot trailer to be parked in the driveway, signaling the official and very real start of my coast to coast move.

Sigh.

I can't believe this is happening...

I'll share with you now the remainder of my trip out to San Diego, before it becomes home. [If you missed Part One, you can read it here!]

That Friday morning, I woke up and headed off to Apartment #3 which I had high hopes for! I was so excited after viewing it, that I filled out the application on the spot and had a nice, little chat with the landlord about life, theatre, earthquakes, and bugs... obviously. A girl's gotta be prepared! I drove around the neighborhood and surrounding area; checked out the nearby Target and Vons [gosh, I love Vons] and then picked up some sushi for lunch.

Later that afternoon, I had a fun sit-down chat with a San Diego-based jewelry designer which was a blast. On the way to her house, I certainly felt like I was driving the crazy steep hills of San Francisco! After the stop sign in the picture below, the street pretty much drops off...

After that, as I impatiently awaited the dessert date I had later that day, I received a phone call from the landlord that I was all approved and the apartment was MINE! Hallelujah! Yet another surreal moment, knowing everything was coming together. Doors were being opened. My path was being paved right before my eyes!

I could go and sign the lease the next morning. But, first... it was time for a dessert date with some awesome San Diego ladies! 

+ Hollie [from Hollie Takes Notes - now Hello Indigo]

+Tammy [from Lemons, Avocados, and the Bay]

+Jessica [owner/designer of Rose Rags]

and moi :) We went to a fun, little place in the ever-so-trendy and eccentric Hillcrest neighborhood. The place was called Chocolat and is the perfect spot to go if you're craving yummy crepes, gelato, or other desserts!

Hollie, Me, Jessica, Tammy :)

We went next door to a store full of sunglasses and I just had to pick up a pair! Then, we went across the street to probably the coolest thrift store I have ever seen. It was Halloween weekend in Hillcrest which definitely made for some great laughs, especially in that store!

I sure am lucky to already have a group of friends when I move to San Diego that I just adore. I can't wait for our next outing soon!

On Saturday, after SIGNING MY LEASE and getting my KEYS [!!!!] I spent some time in Balboa Park. It had been years since I had last visited so, while I was familiar with the area, it was still new enough to be a fun adventure for me. Balboa Park is a must for those visiting the area!

Balboa Park is full of museums, gardens, and even the world-famous San Diego Zoo. It is the perfect place to walk, explore, enjoy the beautiful Spanish architecture, and take in all the sights and sounds of San Diego. "Breathtaking" is a great word to describe this historical park!

As I walked through Balboa Park and explored the area that would soon become my home, I felt a way I had never felt before. Truly at peace. I felt as though whatever life brought my way, I would be okay. I felt a happiness so deep in my soul. I had never before been so excited for what my future held.

Moving to a new city where you only know a few people, is such an exciting thing for me. It's the times when you have to create your own world out of endless possibilities that really make me come alive. So, it was in those moments at Balboa Park... being a lone explorer in a park with so much rich history, so many people visiting from all over the world that I felt life.

I really can't believe I get to call this beautiful place HOME in only a few more days! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to visit San Diego and even more grateful for the chance I have to move there. 

Dupont & Occoquan Weekend

This past weekend was a great one! I really can't tell you how much I appreciate weekends. Work has been wearing on me and while I also worked most of the weekend [but on After Sunset jewelry!] I also had the chance to have a little fun :)

Saturday started off with a Metro trip into DC for the day. I used to take the Metro into work everyday for my first job out of college [and one of the best jobs I've had yet!] There's something about traveling alone in busy cities that I just love so much. The people watching, the chance to just chill out and listen to music...it's just nice for a change!

So, I put on my teal skinnies, grabbed my Metro SmarTrip card, and jumped on the train to meet up with Raquel! I just adore her and we always have a blast when we meet up! Delicious food and shopping are always involved. You can tell we are bloggers :)

We ended up on the same train and met up in Dupont Circle. Dupont is a fun little neighborhood in DC full of cute shops and eateries. The Metro station there also has the longest escalator. Note to tourists: If you are going to stand instead of walk, move to the right!

Yep, straight up into the sky!

We started off at Cosi for some yummy lunch outside. I got the turkey & brie sandwich... yum!

We chatted, caught up, and talked about Vampire Diaries. The usual :)

Then, we had to grab fro yo because that's just what Raquel and I do when we get together, ha. The place we went to was really not worth mentioning. They had more of a sorbet than fro yo and it kind of started to melt right away. It was tasty though, so it hit the spot.

We took our fro yo and headed across the street to one of Raquel's favorite little boutiques, Lou Lou.

DC ladies - if you love jewelry [like I do!] you must head on over to this adorable shop. It is filled to the brim with the cutest designs and organized by color. Perfect, right?

I scored these bad boys:

Do the pair on the right match my blog perfectly, or what? :) So sunsetty!

Raquel and I had a blast. Be sure to go say "hi" if you haven't already!

Here we are outside of Lou Lou:

Later, I took my dad out to dinner for his birthday [which was on Wednesday!]

There's an old, little town down the road from my house called Occoquan that's right on the Potomac River and they have a delicious restaurant on the water, Madigan's.

Fun moment for me: As our waitress walked up to greet us, before she even told us her name, she said, "I love your necklace!" It happened to be one of the new designs I've been working on for After Sunset and it pretty much just made my night. She was the sweetest and who knows... maybe she'll be rocking an After Sunset piece soon ;)

Our meal there was amazing. I had to go with the coconut crusted Mahi with a pina colada sauce and my dad got the Rib-eye.

'Twas amazing. So was the crab dip that we got as an appetizer. Go big or go home, right?

I'm grateful for all the dad/daughter dates we've been able to have since I've been back on the East Coast and since my Mom passed away. We sure miss her.

It was a productive weekend but there's always more to do so it will be a busy week!

I am getting really, really excited to share my new After Sunset designs with you all!

[If you follow me on Instagram, you already got a sneak peak! @chelseasunset]

What did you do this weekend? :)

What a Washington Weekend

Did you have a good weekend? I sure did. It started off on the right foot with a fun, little date with Shannon. Go visit her now and say “hi” because we are quickly becoming close friends and you’ll most likely be seeing her around more often on the blog. 

We met at Whole Foods Market which, in case you've never been, has about fifteen different salad bars: a sushi bar, a bar bar, a wine bar, even a gelato “bar.” Something for everyone I’d say. So, obviously, we happily camped out there for the night where we chatted about anything and everything under the sun. Literally. So far, we’ve hung out twice and I don’t think there has been a silent moment yet!

So, get this. Shannon is good friends [in real life] with Kate from Every Mile a Memory. While at Whole Foods with Shannon, I check my email on my phone real quick and see an email that had just come in from Kate telling me she had just read my latest blog post and really thinks I should hang out with her friend Shannon since we have so much in common! We totally have to Photoshop Kate into this picture below :) Meant to be!

Then, Saturday started off with acting class which I rocked. Who knew I'd be good at playing an NYPD attorney? Next week I get to play a Jersey girl. I'll see if I can get a picture :)

Saturday afternoon I met up with someone quite special to me.

All I'll say for now is that I'm grateful for God's plan. That somehow, despite changing high schools, going to different colleges, and both moving to different states, He brings us back together. And the best part of it all? It felt like nothing changed although everything going on around us did.

And let me just say how much of a compliment it was to hear the countless times he told me, "You're definitely your mother's daughter." :)

That night, it was off to the WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs Atlanta Braves game!

My brother. Me. My brother's fiancee!

Bryce Harper is a big deal here. He's a big deal in the sports world. Period.

He was injured during the afternoon game on Saturday so we didn't think we'd be seeing much of him but toward the end of the game, the crowd went WILD to unexpectedly see him put in to bat!

We came back from 2-0 to win the game 5-2!

Ryan Zimmerman is my hero along with Michael Morse. [If you go to a game, pay attention to Morse when he goes up to bat! He has the funniest pre-bat ritual ever, known as the Samurai Cobra Snake.] The game was amazing! Plus, Nationals Park had the greatest wave going that I have EVER seen! And, to top it all off, The Wallflowers performed after the game. #90sperfection

Don't forget - 20% off all Double Stranded Bracelets in my shop, After Sunset PLUS Free Shipping with code FREESHIPJULY! :)

My First-Ever Blate

This weekend I went on my first-ever BLATE!! {aka blog-date!} I’m so excited to be back in the DC area so whenever I “meet” fellow DC bloggers, it pretty much makes my day. However, Raquel and I have been following each other’s blogs since before I moved :) We’ve been wanting to meet up since I’ve been back in the area and finally, this weekend we did! Raquel blogs over at Dream Out Loud, so, if you haven’t yet, go pay her a visit and say hi!

We met downtown in DC and started our blate off with lunch at Five Guys! Yum :) Five Guys started in Virginia so it’s always been a favorite local spot when you’re in the mood for something greasy!

Is she the cutest thing or what? So, while we were ordering food and gabbing away we realized that, sure enough, we were wearing the SAME nail polish! Get out of town, right?

See? True story. Great minds think alike :) Or, great bloggers perhaps?

After lunch, we did some shopping at stores like F21, H&M, and Zara {another first for me}. We were far too overwhelmed with the 3-story F21 to take any pictures but I promise you, we both walked away with some cute purchases after the shopping madness! The weather was absolutely perfect so we decided to just walk around and enjoy the beautiful city!

That church was built in the 1700’s. What a beauty!

Then, we ventured over to Chinatown :)

After about ten tries at getting a picture of the two of us with the archway, this was the best one. Please pardon the hair all astray :) It was a breezy day in the District!

We knew the weather was still too perfect to end the evening there, so we chowed down on some tasty fro-yo! I tried the pumpkin flavor and it was delish!

We were pretty tired from all the walking so, we found ourselves a nice place to relax – Ford’s Theatre {where President Lincoln was shot}

We walked back to the Metro station where we said our goodbyes {but, not for long hopefully!}

I’ve seen other “blaters” say it too – blogger turned real life friends are the greatest! It’s such a cool and unique thing to get to know someone through their blog and then as soon as you meet, you just click instantly!

Raquel is such a sweet girl {with killer fashion sense, might I add!} I had so much fun on our blate and can’t wait for the next one!

Have you gone on a blate yet?