June 26, 2020

#mamaandlilycrystalrivervacay

Claudia according to my phone, around here, everyday life auntie K, covid19, family, Florida, inverness, pool, quarantine, summer, summer break, swimming, three sisters springs, vacation 0 Comments

spring break in miami was canceled

two weeks in portugal with my family in early june was also canceled

so before summer is over and school starts again, Lily and i drove down to inverness florida where we quarantined at a house with a pool with our K

why crystal river area?

well, i have been curious about that area and wanting to visit three sisters springs for quite some time

i also didn’t want a drive longer than 9-10 hours

our airbnb in inverness was exactly what we had hoped it would be

maybe even better

a great house in a super quiet neighborhood with a screened in pool and big lanai

we spent most of our time at home in the pool however, we did get to venture out to three sisters (beautiful), went out to eat a few times and checked out a local produce market

it was the perfect quiet and relaxing getaway

happy friday friends

ps- i love this post so much because it’s filled with all the miami pool blue and it’s been a long time since it has had any of that color/feeling and it’s still the best and the one i love the most

waking up in inverness was the total opposite of waking up in asheville. it was quiet

three sisters springs

May 8, 2020

#mamaandlilycovidspringbreak2020

Claudia according to my phone, around here, everyday life Asheville, covid19, home, quarantine, Spring, spring break 0 Comments

i guess for the sake of having a spring break post like in the previous years, i should do one although, it was very much the opposite of all the previous years due to covid19

it was the same for everyone else

i am aware

a stay at home spring break

not worth much talking about but worth documenting and sharing i guess

happy weekend friends

there was baking

there was cake for breakfast

there was an easter folar

there were positive moments

and not so great positive moments

there were many slow mornings

there were creative mornings

there were safe outings

there was safe distance playing

there were healthy lunches

there were many walks around the neighborhood

there was a haircut

there was snuggling with all the loved ones

there was a stuffed animal chair project

there was golden light

and there was a super pink full moon in libra

February 26, 2020

carolina beach, nc

Claudia according to my phone, everyday life Beach, carolina beach, family, life, wilmington, Winter 0 Comments

one week ago today we packed up the car and drove six hours to carolina beach after we picked Lilian up from school

due to parent/teacher conferences and a teacher working day, she had a four day weekend so i planned a beach getaway for us all (foxy included)

i got a pet friendly airbnb right on the beach where we comfortably stayed for four nights

being right on the ocean was a must

for four days the first thing i saw was the ocean and the last thing i heard was the ocean

nothing better as far as i’m concerned

if i could go back to living in miami, before making the decision to move to asheville sight unseen, i would hold that decision and explore more places

like wilmington

a place close to the ocean that right away felt more like home than asheville ever could even four years after living here

but such is life

and in life mistakes are made

and lessons are hopefully learned

i now know that this is the farthest i will ever live from the ocean

but i also know that one day i will live close to the ocean again

because it’s what feels right and natural to me

and i may not always be certain of everything

but i am certain of that

it was night time when we arrived but, woke up to this. and regardless of how cold and rainy it was that day, i stood out on the balcony and took it all in

it was really cold and rainy that first full day there. but it didn’t stop us from going to the beach

because it was so cold and rainy, we took shelter for a few hours at the north carolina aquarium in fort fisher

favorite books and new author found at the aquarium’s gift shop

friday started out cold as well but i went on a morning beach walk regardless

while William worked at the apartment, Lilian and i drove to wilmington where we explored downtown and saw snippets of spring

afternoon beach walk and the beginning of a sunset

i woke up early enough to catch the sunrise both saturday and sunday morning. right off our balcony. no way better to start the day

my early morning beach walk buddy

beach treasures

a photo shoot in wrightsville beach after exploring wilmington all together

sunday. one last morning beach walk before we left

November 7, 2019

and then she turned ten

Claudia everyday life Lily 2 Comments

yesterday she was nine and today she is ten

i am trying to grasp how we got here so quickly

too quickly

ten seemed like such a far away number and here we are today

a whole decade

two full hands

double digits

too quickly

yesterday afternoon i dusted off my nikon and documented this girl on her last day of being nine

may she continue to shine brighter with every year as she grows

August 23, 2019

a drive

Claudia everyday life arizona, new mexico, summer, summer break, travel, traveling, utah, vacation 4 Comments

the drive from santa fe new mexico through arizona to monument valley utah was one of the most beautiful drives i have ever been on and everything i had hoped to see when i booked our trip out west

happy friday friends

hope you all had a good week

and keeping with the blue, this blue tongued girl in the back seat

August 13, 2019

bandelier national monument

Claudia everyday life adventure, bandelier national monument, family, friends, new mexico, summer, summer break, travel, traveling 4 Comments

i am writing this post from a couch in panama city beach overlooking the ocean

Lily and i have been here for almost a week (sadly today is our last full day here)

being on the beach has been the best soul filling way to end this summer break

we miss William and wish he was here but understand that he doesn’t care for the beach the way we do

that said, we are thankful for the opportunity to be here

it’s after 9am and Lily is still sleeping

it has been that kind of summer but it will soon (too soon) be over when she starts 4th grade next monday

we have had a wonderful summer

two weeks at home, one week in the mountains of west virginia, two weeks in the desert of new mexico, arizona, utah and nevada, two weeks at home and one week at the beach

a little bit of everything

beach was a last minute add on but a must

for me it is not summer without beach time (it’s just the way i was raised. beach=summer)

while in santa fe, we drove out to see bandelier national monument

the 33,677 acre monument preserves the homes and territory of the ancestral puebloans of a later era in the southwest

most of the pueblo structures date to two eras, dating between 1150 and 1600ad

being there was a surreal experience to say the least and a once in a lifetime experience we will forever remember

if you would like to read more about it, please do so here

August 2, 2019

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Claudia according to my phone, everyday life family, friends, life, santa fe, summer, summer break, travel, traveling, vacation 2 Comments

this year for our family summer vacation instead of heading towards europe or the ocean, we headed west towards the desert

a little out of character for this ocean girl but for some reason, those desert vibes were calling me

and i am so glad they did

santa fe is filled with so much beauty!

i loved the architecture, all the details around it, the art, the colors, the food, the weather…. eighty five during the day, no humidity and cool nights

so many things to do in town and so much to do out of town too

hot springs, hikes in beautiful national parks, all under a gigantic blue sky!

and the best part?

our miami friends got to come meet us and we got to spend some much needed time together and as a family got to experience something new

it was a week filled with santa fe memories i will forever cherish

happy friday friends!

ps- i took a lot of pictures with my phone. this is a short instagram summary of our trip. we also went to the georgia o’keeffe museum and to Taos. we tried going to the georgia o’keeffe house/studio however tickets were sold out for the whole week we were there. next time!

our airbnb was pretty awesome

after dropping our bags off we quickly went out and stocked up the house with all sorts of fresh goodies

coffee mornings in santa fe

shopping on canyon rd

there are beautiful details everywhere you look in santa fe and i fell in love with every blue door i saw

fell in love with all the windows too

and all the details….

there were many matching outfits

celebratory times for being all together again

many delicious meals

a trip to the rio grange gorge

many outings around town

a trip to bandelier national monument

jemez hot springs

laundry down time at home

a night of amazing flamenco at el farol

and meow wolf

my santa fe souvenirs home in asheville. so many fun things to see and buy there!

July 24, 2019

west virginia

Claudia according to my phone, everyday life family, life, summer, summer break, West Virginia 4 Comments

hello, hello, hello!!!

you may have noticed that it has been very quiet around here

we just returned from a two week trip out west and i didn’t take my laptop with me (or either one of my cameras. shocker!)

anyway, we are slowly adjusting to our regular home life and the eastern time zone

i have tons of phone pictures to share and i hope that i actually get to because i’ve been pretty bad at that (i never finished sharing our trip to spain last summer….)

prior to heading out west, we had the most wonderful week with family in west virginia

it was the perfect getaway to start us on our summer vacation mode

hope you are having a great week and a great summer so far!

2.5 mile morning walks with my walking partner

morning raspberry picking

more morning walks

and afternoon pond dips

i painted some new pieces

reunited with her favorite sister cousin

pond fishing sessions

sister cousin photo shoots

rainy afternoons on the porch swing

good skin, good hair, no makeup

we had a great fourth

family picture july 2019

June 5, 2019

a morning in wynwood

Claudia ARTsy wednesday, everyday life Miami, My Art, spring break, travel, traveling, vacation, Wynwood, Wynwood walls 4 Comments

how about some amazing (and free) art on huge walls to brighten up the week?

you guys know how much i love wynwood

and even if it is just a quick drive by, i need to visit/see it every time we are in miami

on this particular morning, we started with acai bowls and took our time looking at all the new art and shops (not pictured)

hope you are all having a great week so far!

May 22, 2019

a sunday in isla morada

Claudia everyday life Florida, friends, Isla Morada, lorelei, pool, spring break, swimming, vacation 4 Comments

on this particular sunday, Jocey picked me up at our airbnb and then we grabbed the girls from their sleepover at Savannah’s house

we packed the car up with snacks and beach towels and headed south towards Lorelei in isla morada where we had spent many of good times kayaking when we lived in miami

once at Lorelei, we were told that no water activities were taking place due to winds and a storm that was in the horizon

we needed water

either a beach or a pool

two stops later we found the perfect little hangout place that from the outside seemed like the unlikeliest of choices

the girls swam in the pool, Jocey and i hung out in the sun, we ate delicious fried fish….

it was exactly the kind of sunday we had hoped for and needed