places I love (nicaragua // san juan del sur).

nicaragua. 

everything about it was vibrant. 

people, beaches, sunsets, cocktails. 

but mostly the walls. oh, the walls. blues, greens, purples, pinks. my beige colored arizona brain could barely take it all in. how could a place filled with so much color ever be anything less than wholly buzzing with good vibes? 

everywhere we went. music. laughter. yucca. YUCCA.

because I took one million photos, and because I like to ramble, the story will come in three parts - one for each place we stayed. 

our first four nights were spent in San Juan Del Sur. down a dirt road, up a menacing hill, tucked perfectly away in the jungle. 

five days of swimming, wandering, consuming all.the.tacos. surfing (at least the braver of us). bare feet. howler monkey wake up calls. ceviche. all day. 

we catamaran'd here with a rag tag bunch of texans. watched the sunset from the middle of the ocean. we grabbed beers here and tacos here. slept here & here. practiced spanish with everybody. mostly, we just took our time. 

I could talk for days about the wonderful people we met. at the hulakai, a beautiful, 9 room (so far!) hotel on a hill I will tell everyone I know to stay at, we practically wedding crashed and spent three nights as the only guests who weren't friends or family of the bride and groom. dinner was served family style most evenings - and chatting with the epic (and widely different) bunch of folks gathered every night was something to be remembered. 

after all, that's what adventures are for. 

 

things I love (a great distraction // 36).

this is beautiful.

I cannot wait for the book to come out.

an ode to props. man, I love movies.

when the president loses his chill. ALLTHEFEELS.

are you guys watching this is life? it's worth it. 

things I love (a great distraction // 35).

this ad. so interesting. 

this adventure. come on. 

wine pairings for halloween candy. TRICKORTREAT.

same. 

you guys. make your own creepy beauty masks. 

people I love (my parents).

these two babies got married 34 years ago today. 34! that's no small feat. 

obvious biases aside, three decades in they are funny, adventurous, kind and creative.

they are always up for one of my crazy roadtrips and by the looks of it, they've always been cooler than me.  

and I love them. the most of all. 

happy anniversary you weirdos. xoxo

things I love (PODCASTS!)

maybe it's because I love road trips and long flights, but I can't get enough of a good podcast. sharing a few new ones I've been captivated by today, in the hopes that you'll find a great story in there for yourself. see other favorites here and here.

mortified. this one is hilarious. I'm so tempted to put a dinner party together and require that my friends bring their childhood journals for dramatic readings. essentially, mortified events are held all over the country, and this recorded podcast brings them to you. participants get on stage and read, word for embarrassing word, entries from old journals, letters, etc. I've never gotten through one without laughing out loud. neither will you. trust me. 

off camera. sam jones is a talented and well-known photographer who created this show/magazine/podcast and sits down for great conversations with all kinds of artists (actors, directors, musicians, writers, etc.). it's consistently one of my favorites, somehow he finds a way to make whoever he's talking to super comfortable, which results in a killer interview. if you need somewhere to start, Dax Shephard, Jon Hamm & Ellen Page are some favorites. check it out! 

magic lessons. author elizabeth gilbert (of the wonderful eat, pray, love) launched magic lessons to compliment her recent book. every session, gilbert takes questions from readers and chats with her superstar friends about creative challenges, what to do when you're stuck, and so much more. the podcasts are short, sweet, and always leave me feeling more than a little invigorated. 

things I love (road trips // monument valley).

finally seeing monument valley (on the UT/AZ border) up close has been on my dad's to do list for a really long while. when it was time to pick out birthday presents, we decided it was about time we checked that one off the list - and before I knew it we were off for a lauren & dad road adventure.

about 5.5 hours north from phoenix, the epic landscapes were well worth the drive. as we finally got close to kayenta, az (the nearest town), you could begin to see otherworldly rock formations popping up on the horizon. 

we opted to splurge a little (because as my dad says, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right...#dadisms) and booked a room at the EVER sold out view hotel. if you don't decide to stay there, you're looking at a night at a motel in kayenta and a 40ish minute drive to the valley floor. the view is the only hotel INSIDE the park, and while it's definitely not a luxurious establishment, you're paying for one of the best views I've ever seen. every room has an unobstructed patio facing the iconic monument valley mittens - and let's be honest, if my choices are getting up 40 minutes early to drive to the valley for sunrise or waking up, putting on my glasses and sitting on the patio in my jammies, we all know what wins. they even project old black and white john wayne westerns on the side of the hotel at night for added flair! 

we got up early and made the 2 hour loop around the valley floor, stopping to snap photos along the way. 

barely there for a full 24 hours, it was time well spent, and a trip I'd recommend to anyone who's visiting (or living!) in the southwest. nature's the coolest, isn't she?