Pink in Palm Springs

A couple weekends ago, Freddy and I drove out to Palm Springs to visit his mom, brother, sister and grandpa. What made it even more fun was the fact that we were surprising his sister and grandpa--I just love surprising people! We all hadn't spent time together in over 2 years, so it was incredibly long overdue and so needed! When we moved to Austin 2 years ago, we didn't really think about the fact that we wouldn't be able to see our families as often as we had been used to seeing them. As sad as it is, moving farther away really does make it harder to see our loved ones, with the cost of airfare, possible hotels, and everything else involved. 

When we knew that we were moving back to Arizona, we got so excited about the fact that we would be so much closer to our families and that we could spend more time with them! With Freddy's family being only a 4 hour drive, we plan on seeing them several times a year now which makes us so happy. You don't quite realize how nice it is to be close to family until you're not anymore, and that's something I will never take for granted again.

While we were in Palm Springs, we got to explore one of my favorite streets, El Paseo. Think of it as the Rodeo Drive of the Coachella Valley. They have a variety of art galleries and shops, including some designer boutiques such as St. John, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. This iconic street also features some of my favorite stores that I actually shop at (don't get me wrong, I love me some Gucci #champagnetastebeerbudget!) like J. Crew, Anthropologie, Sephora, and Loft. Not to mention it's lined with some fantastic restaurants as well. There's a new Wolfgang Puck restaurant that I'm dying to try, but we ended up eating at an amazing Italian restaurant named Mama Gina's, because let's be real, me and pasta are BFFS. Thankfully we took this pictures before we stuffed our faces lol!

You may have heard me mention in past blog posts that I'm trying to branch out and wear more colorful pieces, and our little weekend getaway inspired me to run with it. I used to wear so much color when I was in my teens and early twenties; I think over the years as I've grown in my career I've gravitated to black pieces because they feel more professional to me, but I'm really forcing myself to break that habit. It's been kind of fun actually, playing this game with myself and re-training my eye to be more open to color and to welcome it with open arms. Whenever someone would ask me what my favorite color is, my natural response was "pink!" even though I hardly ever wore it. And I must say, I'm really enjoying wearing this feminine color that I've called my favorite for so many years! Keep an eye out on the blog during these upcoming summer months as I experiment and let my "true colors" show ;) 

All in all, we had an amazing time in Palm Springs with family, and we can't wait to go back again really soon. I must say, I was also excited for another reason, because it was the first time Freddy and I had been in the city together since we had started dating! We have so many wonderful memories there from when he asked me to first be his girlfriend, to reading in the park, and walking around El Paseo. I felt very nostalgic driving by these familiar places that hold so many fun memories for us; it's hard to believe that it all happened 6 years ago. Time flies when you're having fun with your best friend! 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're having a great start to your week! xo

Blushfully,

Belle

SHOP THE LOOK

Top: J. Crew (old, similar here), Pants: J. Crew (old, similar here), Earrings: BaubleBar, Shoes: Nordstrom