This past weekend was our first taste of street festival culture in San Diego with Adams Avenue Unplugged, a two-day live (and free) music festival where 130 acts performed in restaurants, cafes, parks, bars, galleries and churches. Two double-decker buses transported people from one end of the street to the other, and food and clothing vendors filling out the day. But the coolest part by far was watching actor John C. Reilly (of my favorite movie Cyrus) perform with his folk band John C. Reilly & Friends.
There we were, standing on a pew in the back of a jam-packed church, watching a movie star jam with talented musicians on a Saturday in San Diego — definitely not something I expected to happen when I left New York for this small big city. Also, I now love the banjo.
Take a look at snaps from the festival. And check out my love for Adams Avenue here.
Mid-century. Vintage. Antique. Handmade. Thrifted. Do I have your attention yet? These are all words to describe the super-cool light fixtures crafted by Typewriter Boneyard, a company that specializes in vintage-inspired lighting pieces and pendant lamps. Started by Phillip Hansen in 2009, the company has grown organically and now includes the design talents of his wife Chelsea. The couple lives in downtown San Diego (in a rad industrial-style loft, by the way), each balance two jobs each and make it all look easy. Here’s what keeps them calm:
So what’s it like to raise a puppy while working at home? I’m so glad you asked! Today I’m sharing with you a day in the life feature.
You may come to realize that the entire day revolves around Teddy — and you’d be 100% correct. A new puppy requires attention pretty much every second of the day, which explains why we’re exhausted all the time. And even though I knew it’d be hard, you really have no idea just how hard until you have the puppy for yourself. Frankly, I have no clue how people with 9-5 office jobs do it. I guess a part of it is that we’re home to cater to his every need and the other part is that we’re really diligent about training because we want the coolest dog in the world. He’s already pretty cool, so he has a head start.
So yes, these days we don’t get to go out as much, and yes, we have to be on high alert whenever he’s out of the crate (pee? poop? play?), but he keeps us laughing, has that stinky yet cute puppy smell and is showing us different shades of his personality with each new day. Right now, I wouldn’t have life any other way. I mean, I waited 23 years for this!
Here’s how a typical day shapes up.*
*There were far more bathroom breaks for him than I documented here. You have no idea how often they need to go.
I may keep Twitter at an arm’s-length distance, but I’ve always been unabashedly in love with Instagram. Yes, it turns anyone and everyone into a photographer, but I can’t deny how wonderful it is to connect and share beautiful images and get behind-the-scenes glimpses at the lives of some of my favorite people.
Today I’ve combed through the 167 friends, celebrities, designers, bloggers and travelers I follow to share with you my four favorites.
I love living in Hillcrest, but my heart does a little happy dance every time I set foot in South Park, an up-and-coming area located just south of Balboa Park. It’s practically void of cars and instead filled with tree-lined streets, smiling families, drip-coffee vendors brewing on the sidewalk and an urban neighborhood vibe reminiscent of Brooklyn or Portland. It’s also home to some of the coolest local business including my favorite of the bunch: PROGRESS South Park.
The home/furniture/gift shop has a wonderfully edited selection of pieces — couches, jewelry and greeting cards, among other goodies — and includes 20 local vendors in its inventory. When you step inside, you feel more like you’re walking into someone’s home than a store, and the friendly atmosphere can be attributed to PROGRESS’ sweet owners, Bruce and Christy Jaynes. And today, Christy is sharing her rituals with us!
OK, in all seriousness, I find it mildly disturbing that Teddy is already humping my leg — rarely Eaman’s — so early on. I mean, he started as soon as we brought him home at the ripe age of 8 weeks! Some forums online say it’s just a sign of excitement, but Teddy’s vet, though not too concerned, thinks neutering earlier rather than later may be in our best interest.
We usually discourage his let’s-get-busy tendencies, but yesterday, knowing that Hump Day was upon us, we decided to let the little guy have one go to show the world. It sounds like I’m crying in the video, but I’m actually laughing to the point of tears. And just so you know, this wasn’t even one of his best renditions. Sometimes he starts, I back away and then he’s left humping the air.
I’d like to think that my first birthday in San Diego — I turned 28 on Friday — was a huge success. One of my best friends and her husband came to visit, I dined on my birthday food staples (brunch, pizza and cookie cake), clocked in outdoor time despite gloomy weather, went to my neighborhood farmer’s market and played around with Teddy, the ultimate birthday present — even though he’s begun to bite us like crazy.
The wonderful thing about moving from a big pond like New York City to a smaller pond like San Diego is that the creative community is less spread out, more tight-knight and very intertwined. Enter: Becky and Jesse Morquecho, the San Diego- and Orange County-based husband-and-wife team behind Limelife Photography. I met Becky at a Creative Connection event and once the business cards had been swapped and I checked out their beautiful photos, I knew I’d hear their names again. Lo and behold, they snapped the engagement pictures for previous {my rituals} contributor Jessica Packard. San Diego is the smallest big city, I tell ya.
Becky and Jesse met in Africa, wed in 2009 and have been collaborating on gorgeous images ever since. (Check out their About page for more fun facts about the couple.) Let’s see what keeps these shutterbugs happy.
