"Live! From San Antonio, Texas!!"

Reasons why I loved San Antonio:

1. Although I've never much cared for Spanish-influenced design, they pull it off. Old and new buildings have this sweet Spanish charm that just fits in so well there and almost makes you want to live in a little adobe hut- but not quite :)
   
2. San Antonio is a big city, with a small town feel. It is not dominated by skyscrapers and the lifestyle there is very much country still.
3. Despite how hot it is, there is still a lot of greenery. Most of photos seem to be dominated by bright green plant-life and it looks beautiful.
4. "Miss Congeniality," which was filmed here, is what first put San Antonio on the map for me. I couldn't help quoting it the whole time we were there and, much to Tyler's chagrin, for the two or three weeks before I left as well. We even tried to watch the movie one nite while in San Antonio, but alas, the hotel room had no DVD player :( No worries though, cause I bought the movie the day after I got back home :)
5. It is home to the first annual Lowe Girls' Trip!! Get excited, cause this will not be a one-hit-wonder!!

I filtered through my photos about seven times and I still posted way too many so, before continuing on, prepare for a visual overload. Okay.... go!

"Remember The Alamo!" - Emily, Amy and I all enjoyed seeing the small, old mission and I finally learned what actually happened there too :)

San Antonio LDS Temple - We all loved the stain glass windows and the views from the hill the temple was built on.


King William Historic District - Emily and I wandered around the old mansion district Sunday afternoon. The houses were absolutely gorgeous!


Spanish Governor's Palace - Emily and I also visited this tiny adobe palace Sunday afternoon. It was full of Spanish charm and in the back were some beautiful gardens.

Shelby May (6 mos) - Bibi tagged along with us and was such a trooper. It was about 104 degrees one afternoon and she was sweating up a storm, but she was fun to have around.

The Riverwalk

Alright, it appears as though I have way too many photos from San Antonio that I want to post, so I'm going to separate them into a couple different posts. The first one is simply 'The Riverwalk.'

Before I left for San Antonio my Pa told me to make sure that I went running along the water early in the morning before the crowds came in - Best. Idea. Ever. I headed out just a little after six in the morning and the run/photo shoot was easily one of my favorite moments of the trip (if only I could have gotten Emily and Amy out of bed to accompany me). It was already pretty warm, but not hot, and being right next to the water made it a little cooler. I first took a ton of photos because I couldn't help myself and I wasn't sure how soon people would start wandering about, seeing as there are plenty of hotels lining The Riverwalk. After I ran I had to go grab my camera again and get a few more photos of some of the places I ran by. It really is so pretty and so charming. I loved it!

Again, sorry that there are so many photos, but I really couldn't pick just two or three. Enjoy!

This little Mexican restaurant is the most photographed part of The Riverwalk, and where Emily, Amy and I ate lunch.

This is the stage where they filmed the swimsuit competition in "Miss Congeniality."

Soltice Canyon Hike

Last Saturday Tyler and I went for a quick two mile hike/walk up the Soltice Canyon Trail in Malibu to a little waterfall- or two or three. We invited Jordan and James and the babes to come with us and it was a lot of fun. When we got up to the waterfall we discovered that a huge mansion was once built there, but it burned down in one of Malibu's famous wildfires. The remains indicated that the house was HUGE though, and the family had used the waterfalls as a water source both inside their home,and outside with numerous fountains and pools.

Here are a few photos of the trail and a couple of the falls we saw.

There were signs along the trail that said beware of rattle snakes so I was kind of freaked out walking to close to the brush on either side of the trail. Tyler and James kept making it worse too, but I managed to step off the trail enough to get a photo of this random bathtub. I didn't get too close though cause I didn't want to find a snake party inside of it!!

I took a photo of these flowers because they reminded me of the flowers I painted on a card for my mom Mother's Day that I thought I had made up- I guess I'm really just a genius :)

Beverly Hills Apartment Tour

Tyler and I have finally gotten settled into our tiny Beverly Hills apartment. I was really excited to start buying our own furniture and decorations when we moved out here, having always lived in badly furnished Provo apartments and random Marriott hotel rooms, however, it is much easier said than done. I still don't feel like our apartment is perfect, but it is good enough and we like it :)

Our main room doubles as a living and dining area. Since we have very little space my new cruiser has inevitably become part of the decor.

My favorite thing about our apartment are all the small details, but they are hard to get good pictures of. In the corner of the main room next to the plant are four gold & silver frames. They each contain a postcard-size print of a WWII era poster from Great Britain. I got them while visiting the war rooms in London, where Winston Churchill had his headquarters during the bombings, and I thought they were interesting.

I feel like our apartment ended up with travel as its theme without really meaning too. Along with the world map, and some British influence, we ended up with a few African animals- this elephant, a very skinny giraffe, and a pair of vintage brass alligator nutcrackers.

I think it is important to note that Tyler definitely had a say in the decor. Two of his larger picks were the red Panton S Chairs and this Castiglioni Arco Lamp over the dining room table. I think some of my interior design education is rubbing off on him since they are both very classic, and designer pieces. The Jacobsen Ant-style dining chairs are some of my favorites and the first thing we bought for our apartment.

I apologize that the lighting in some of these pictures is not that great, but I wanted you to see how every window is shielded by palm fronds outside. It keeps our place pretty cool and it feels a little more private and protected this way.

Our kitchen is very, very tiny. We knew the second we moved in we would need to find a way to add counter space and storage space, and when Tyler found this bright green, industrial metal table I fell in love with it- so much so, that we later bought an identical red one to use as the desk in our bedroom!

Our bedroom really doesn't have too much going on, but I like it this way. I think the sunburst mirror over the bed was one of our last purchases, but it was something I was searching for ever since we moved in. I finally found a really cheap one that I liked at Target and then I painted it gold to match the other gold accessories in our place.

In case you were wondering why our bed isn't made, it's because I like it that way. Not because I'm lazy, (please, I clean my bathroom like three times a week) but because it seems more comfortable and inviting this way- just a little mussed up :) I think the simple pillowcases and bedcover look a little stark all made up nice.

This painting of a fish pond is on the left wall in our bedroom. I like it because you can see the brush strokes, so it kind of has some texture, and that's my favorite kind of painting.

Like I mentioned before, the small details in our apartment are what I like best. The vintage brass alligator nutcracker above is one that my mom had sitting on our mantel while I was young and we still lived in Colorado. After we moved to Hawaii I never saw it and just assumed she had left it behind. I had always liked it though, so when I randomly found one online for sale I snatched it right up. I told my mom about it only to find out that she still had the one I had wanted from our mantel. She gave it to me when I went to visit last Thanksgiving, so now I have a cute little pair of them.


Some of the other little details I like are all on this cubed bookshelf. The dazzling, blue glass bowl that looks like a splash of water to set our keys in, the cute glass and gold-trimmed sugar & creamer my aunt gave me, and a white temple sunstone from Nauvoo that is one of our favorite pieces. I like having little things that have a story attached to it.

This photo from our wedding day hangs in our room and when most people see it it takes a minute for them to realize it is Tyler and I and not just the photo that came with the frame when we purchased it. I think that's why I like it so much :)

Sometimes I feel like our place is too cluttered and other times I feel like it's really boring, but I definitely feel like it has a little bit of both of us in it, so it works. Besides, if you know Tyler and I very well, then you know it isn't likely we'll be in Beverly Hills too long anyways :)

25

Last week I turned twenty-five. I know that means to to some people that I am still just a baby, but to others, and myself, I am soooo old. Lucky thing I can't complain too much about my life so far; though I am not at all where I saw myself being at twenty-five even just five years ago.

Because Tyler is the best husband this (and that) side of the Mississippi, he made my 25th birthday weekend one to remember. On Thursday (my actual birthday) I was able to get off work early and, after discovering a new swimsuit I ordered online had arrived (yay summertime!), we headed up to Malibu where Tyler had reservations for us at MoonShadows, a swanky seafood restaurant right on the water. We ate outside and the food, weather and pelicans flying by were all magnificent. Then we headed over to my favorite Italian gelato shop, Grom, before heading home to watch the end of the Lakers game, in which we ended the Hornets playoff run :)

The beach. Gorgeous.

On Friday and Saturday I spent some time relaxing at the beach (my favorite thing to do!), and then Saturday evening Tyler threw me a BBQ birthday party at his mom's house. The day was perfect and we even busted out some water balloons for the kiddies and me to play with. Tyler did an excellent job on the food and he let me decorate with streamers and balloons, which I love, so it was pretty much perfect. Not to mention all of my wonderful friends and family who came to help me celebrate and those who weren't able to come, but who shared a message in my birthday book!! I love you all!!

More streamer decor on Sunni's stable and fence. She recently had the gardeners put in some pretty summer flowers. I think they were a perfect addition to a summer-y BBQ party!

Tyler ended the nite by giving me a brand new beach cruiser and he did a fabulous job picking it out. I love it!! But I still love him more :)

The cruiser.

The Host, post-party. I think this was the first time Tyler sat down all day. Throughout the entire party I was constantly getting compliments on two things: What an amazing host Tyler was, and how good Jordan's coconut dip was :)

Ready to Run

Lake District, England (photo taken from my bedroom window)

I love running. I try to run on a regular basis, both to stay fit and to stay sane. One of my favorite things about running is the time I have to myself to just think/ponder. I love it. Lately (for the past three days), Tyler has gone running with me and I discovered that I love being a running couple too! Especially since I can still get all my thinking in due to ipods. Although, I will admit that often I run with my ipod to track my mileage and time, but I am secretly listening to absolutely nothing :) Sometimes I like to just listen to nature, or myself, while I run.

Anyways, as I was running this evening I was thinking about my surroundings and how location is everything. I always run better when I am running in a beautiful place. Beverly Hills/Century City is a nice place to run, but the park is small, the streets are busy and there are usually too many people around. I have always said that my favorite place to go running is along Hukilau Beach in Laie as the sun rises. It's familiar and quiet and gorgeous. I love how thick the humid air is, I love the smell of the ocean, I love the sand between my toes, I love seeing the sun floating in the water, and I love the sound of the crashing waves. However, I do have a few other places that I can add to my list of favorite running spots, including a new absolute favorite.

One, is along the country roads on the outskirts of Rexburg, ID. I know, what?!! I 'lived' in Rexburg with my sister Amy shortly after I graduated high school for a couple of months, and while I was there I ran a bit. I loved running in the early evening during the summer when it wasn't too hot, but just cool. I would run along the outskirts of of town breathing in all sorts of flower, dirt, grass and farm smells, which I loved!! The cows and horses were always very friendly too.

Another one is running through Hyde Park in London. While on my study abroad program in London, I had the opportunity to run here often since our home was only a couple of blocks away. I didn't always wake up early to go running, but when I did, it was awesome. I can't tell you how many mornings I wanted to run over to a bench and jump off of it just screaming for joy (and yes, I honestly had that thought, but I never did it). In the early morning there were less people in the park (although I crossed paths with Dr. MacFarlane a couple of times :), and I just loved that I could do a 2-3 mile run without ever leaving the park and without having to ever cross my path.

The last one I've added to my list is my new absolute favorite- the Lake District in England, once again, in the early morning as the sun rises. I think I have thought about running here just about every time I have gone running since. During our study abroad program we took an extended trip up to the Lake District. One nite we spent in a cute, little lakeside hostel. Luckily, I had packed my running shoes and clothes for the trip and I got up extra early to take a little run around the lake. All, I can say is, WOW! I almost want to start crying just thinking of it. It was just one of those moments when I just felt so blessed for my legs, my lungs, my body. I felt blessed to see, hear, smell, feel and taste the air as I ran. I felt blessed to be in England, to be in the midst of such beautiful creations. It was not my fastest run or my longest run, but I think it was my most exhilarating run ever. I am dying to go back!! I can't even begin to describe the bright pink flowers, the quaint country houses, the still lake, the mist hanging over the field, and the sun beginning to glint through the trees. Soooo, perfect!! And the silence- this is one of those times when I just listened to nature as I ran and I loved it. I can't say it enough- I loved it!! Best. Run. Ever.

If I am ever lucky enough to be in the Lake District in the spring again, you can bet that come 6am I will be lakeside- just running!! Until then, I will have to get use to running circles around Roxbury Park with the occasional early morning beach run in Hawaii; which really is pretty much perfect anyways :)