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

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 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!

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

no luck at lorelei but at least we got to see our mermaid friend and remember amazing times

at our secret new found spot

May 17, 2019

a saturday night in miami with good friends and Sheila Hicks

Claudia everyday life friends, Miami, My Art, Sheila Hicks, spring break, vacation 4 Comments

one of the things i have always loved about miami is the art

it is everywhere

in the architecture, painted on large walls free for everyone to see, in so many art galleries and museums….

miami is art

after a day at the pool with the girls, i dropped them off at Savannah’s house for a sleepover and had a big girls night out in southbeach

it started with the opening of Sheila Hicks at the bass museum and it ended with a walk down memory lane through the hotels on collins avenue where i used to hang out back in the day

i miss those kind of miami nights

i saw more art and color in one day/night in miami than i have living here in asheville for the past almost four years

thus the reason why my soul aches living here in these mountains

especially in the winter time

happy friday friends!

Ugo Rondinone, miami mountain. entering the bass. i want to go see these in the nevada desert

Sheila Hicks. she blew my mind. and to make it all even better, she was present at her opening

my good friend Jane and i

a wonderful exhibit by the Haas brothers

all beaded

with my friend and ex co-worker Jocey at the shoreclub hotel where i worked at a high-end retail store for six years

at one of my favorite hotels, the national where we had a drink, took in some live music and the color changing pools

May 10, 2019

miami. spring break twenty nineteen. part two

Claudia everyday life friends, life, Miami, pool, spring break, vacation 2 Comments

our first morning at our airbnb, was spent at the pool with Savannah

it felt like old times

it felt organic and how things should be

me with the girls in water

it is how i think of Lily with her miami bff

i always think of them in water

after some much needed pool time and vitamin d, we went and grabbed lunch at a very familiar place to us

also surrounded by water

which also felt organic and what the norm should be

because being surrounded by water is what feels organic and normal to me

no matter how long i live in these mountains for, not a day goes by when i don’t long for that to be the norm again

happy friday and happy mother’s day to you mamas!!!!

views i miss waking up to

lunch at our usual with amazing views

April 25, 2019

miami. spring break twenty nineteen. part one

Claudia everyday life Beach, friends, life, Miami, ocean, spring break, vacation 4 Comments

two weeks ago (already?) Lily and i got in the car at 7am and drove 12.5 hours straight from asheville to miami where we arrived at 7:30pm

even though the car radio/gps system did not work and only my phone was used, even though Lily’s i-pad did not work the whole entire drive, we are badass road warriors who made the trip in one day by only making three quick stops

because long car trips are something we have done with Lily since she was one month old, she has always been a great car rider

that said, as she has gotten older, she just keeps getting better and better and road trips with her just keep getting more and more fun

so yes, we arrived in miami at 7:30pm on thursday two weeks ago and eighty degree weather and car windows down never felt so good

neither did that sweet miami air

our airbnb was not booked until the following day so we drove to surfside where we spent the night with dear friends

we couldn’t have asked for a better welcome and a better way to start our spring break

ps- not pictured: our trip to publix after we left our friends’ home, checking into our airbnb and a much anticipated reunion between Lily and her miami bff Savannah as well as friday happy hour in our old hood

welcome to miami

i met these two lovely people in 2002 when i interviewed with Min for a sales position at a high end jewelry store. she quickly not only became my manager but a good friend. their daughter was the same age as Lily is now when we met. 15 years of friendship later, their daughter is now 26