iPhone Photos of the Week

1. Abby and Binks are fast friends
2. Sunday Breakfast
3. Celebratory Champagne from Sarah
4. The Ring :)
5. Lizzie
6. The Best Weekend Ever
7. Little base runners
8. Rose petals to celebrate our engagement!
9. Facetime Love
10. White wedding roses

A Bath for the Birds

My mom got a fountain last summer and it took us forever to find a place where it looked right in the backyard. It is finally set up and we realized as an added bonus, the birds love it! These little guys come hang out all the time, aren't they sweet splashing around?

I am also excited to tell you all I am over at Cardigan Junkie today, posting for her What Every Girl Should Have series. My post is dedicated to my utter devotion to ballet flats and features some flats at the very top of my wish list. Come check it out!

What I Wish I Were Wearing Wednesday

The weather is warming up around here! Well, maybe not warm enough to leave a jacket or sweater out of this outfit but I am just so tired of outerwear I just couldn't put one in. This weekend I am hoping to relax (a little), get some long put off errands and chores done, and maybe go see some possible places for the wedding!

And even though I don't think it is officially time to bring out our summer whites (that's not until memorial day right?), I am completely embracing the spring weather and loving this white leather bag, watch, and pretty little ring.

Are you guys already planning the weekend as early as I am? What are your plans?

Sunshine and Summer Wines

Since I am totally uneducated when it comes to any types of wine or what you do with them, I am so excited to introduce you to my best of the best friend Sarah to fill you guys in on all the wines of summer! After you read this you will wonder to yourself, why doesn't this girl have a blog??? The answer is, I don't know, she should. But you can find her on Twitter and Pintrest so go say hello over there!

With the sunshine, spring flowers in bloom and longer days, I am beginning to shift my choice of wines from the full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignons and brooding Malbecs to the lighter, more refreshing wines of summer.  To me, nothing says summer more than sitting outside on the patio and enjoying a chilled Rosé or barbecuing at the pool and sipping on a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc. While I enjoy margaritas, mojitos and sangria, to me, nothing says summer like drinking a chilled white wine while soaking in the sun and heat. I recently took a trip to Paso Robles to run a half-marathon and wine taste (not at the same time) and want to share with all of the Love, Julie followers a few of the "summer whites" I tried as well as some of my all time favorites.  Wherever you are at in the wine scale - from a wino to a red-only drinker, or a wine connoisseur to a sweet wine only type of drinker (such as Julie), I hope you will be able to take away a few wine tips and be introduced to new wineries and blends to share over a summer BBQ, a dinner for two or even just relaxing after a long day.

Despite all the wine tasting the day before, I finished my half marathon with a new personal best time!

 

Rosé:  I recently became a Rosé convert after trying the L’Aventure Estate Rosé from Paso Robles. Each winery’s Rosé is unique and can be either sweet, dry or somewhere in between.  Rosé wine is made from red grapes (such as Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel, to name a few) that are processed like white grapes, meaning that the skin from the grapes is removed shortly after the grapes are crushed, creating the characteristic pink hue.  A chilled Rosé is perfect for sipping on a warm afternoon or can be paired with a variety of food, including seafood or even a burger (veggie burger for me!), depending on how sweet or dry it is.  I also recently discovered sparkling rosé – I brought a bottle over to Julie’s as a celebration for her engagement!

Almond Champagne: As odd as this wine sounds, this nutty champagne has almost a cult following for its distinct flavor.  I originally heard about almond champagne from some friends who ranted about it after wine tasting in Temecula at Wilson Creek.  I decided I had to try it for myself and found that Jan Kris for Veris Cellars in Paso Robles produces a similar styled champagne.  Almond champagne is very sweet – you would probably want to enjoy this for a celebratory toast or after dinner with dessert – and has a light, almond taste.  I generally like drier wines, but I definitely went out of my way during my recent trip to Paso Robles to buy a few bottles of this!

Almond Champagne from Wilson Creek

Riesling: This refreshing wine is known for its distinct floral aroma and combination of sweetness and acidity.  This cool climate grape has high levels of residual sugar (the amount of sugar left over after the wine has gone through fermentation) which gives the wine a sweet flavor, but it also has a high acid content, creating a light, energizing flavor.  Rieslings can be sweet, dry or a mix of the two.  I recently took a trip to Napa and tried the Riesling at Chateau Montelana, the winery showcased in the movie Bottle Shock which retells the story of how wine from a little-known winery in Napa beat out the prestigious French wines at a blind tasting in 1976 and put Napa on the map as a reputable wine region.  Besides a beautiful tasting room and a gorgeous pond complete with white swans and a gazebo, the wines at Chateau Montelena were outstanding (although, I was a little disappointed not to see the handsome Chris Pine pouring my wine, as I had imagined after seeing Bottle Shock).  Chateau Montelena’s Riesling is on the sweeter side and the tasting notes describe “rich flavors of honey, apricot and tropical passion fruit” – a great pair to spicy Thai food or even lighter brunch fare.   

Chateau Montelena

2009 Justin Chardonnay: I may be a bit biased about any wine from Justin (I'm a wine club member), but I really enjoyed the 2009 Chardonnay on my most recent trip to Justin.  I generally like my Chardonnays rich with the typical Chardonnay characteristics – vanilla, butter, green apple, oaky – and while this chard has all my favorite chardonnay expressions, it spent time in a stainless steel vat as well as oak barrels so it has a lighter, crisper taste that even Julie would appreciate.  If you are looking at your local grocery store, Trader Joe’s or BevMo for a lighter chardonnay, pick a wine from California’s Central Coast and Monterey areas or look for wines stored in stainless steel rather than oak barrels.  Chardonnay is very versatile and can be paired with lots of different types of food, but when I think of a good summer meal to pair with my crisp Chardonnay, I think of a spinach salad with salmon and mango salsa on top (Trader Joe’s has a great ready-made mango salsa). 

Justin Vineyards

 

Thank you so much to Julie for letting me guest post!  I would love to hear what some of your favorite summer wines are!

Love of Bangs

Since I got straight across bangs cut a few years ago I have had a interest in people's bangs that boarders on obsession. I made a huge deal about whether to cut these bangs or not and made all my friends sit on the phone with me and google people I may look like if I got them. Then once I first cut them I was religious about getting them trimmed and keeping them looking the perfect length (these suckers grow fast!). Now a days, I never get them cut and pretty much when they start to get so long I cant see, I ask my mom to take a pair of scissors and fix them. She usually does this while she talks on the phone or cooks dinner so sometimes the results are slightly less than salon perfection. But even with my lack of dedication to their upkeep, I love having bangs, I think it makes even a regular old ponytail or center part look just a little more fancy!


What about you, love them, hate them, have them, want them? What hair style are you rocking?


P.S. I wanted to thank everyone again for the sweet, sweet comments on all my engagement posts! You guys are beyond wonderful and I can't wait to get great ideas and tips from you over the next year as we plan the wedding!


Images:
1. Bumble and Bumble
2. Visualize
3. Fashion Bubbles
4. Nikology
5. Fashion Falsehood
6. All the Mountains
7. Sea Creatures
8. The Daybook

Things to Love Friday

A few things to love after such a lovely week

 

Framed Boxwood Wreaths

Hipster Babies

Inspirational Street Art

Party Sparklers!

Words to Live By :)

Images:

1. Suzie Harris

2. Flora and Henri

3. Colectivofuturo

4. Wedding Sparklers

5. happy2bsad

The Ring

A few people have wanted to see a close up of my ring and it is so gorgeous, I am happy to show it! I still feel a little shocked every time I look down and see it on my left hand.

Mitchell and I had looked at rings a while back and this is the ideal combination of all the ones we liked. I love the square cut diamond and I think the tiny white gold band is just plain perfect! I actually love the thinness of the band so much I don't I want a wedding band, I want to wear it just like this forever! I can do that, right?

What I Wish I Were Wearing Wednesday

This weekend both Mitchell and I are having family in town so it will be a whirlwind of impromptu celebrations and hopefully showing off my ring to a lot of people :) If I had a perfect closet, this is what I would be wearing. I love this JCrew ruffle shirt and bow ballet flats, I think they make a perfect party ready outfit!

Also, I wanted to apologize for my complete lack of responses and comments in the last few days in case anyone noticed. I have had a whirlwind of a week! I know I have had a few new followers introduce themselves this week and I haven't even had the time to check their pages out and show them some love. I promise I am not usually so neglectful!

Proposal Weekend Details

Let me start out by saying, I am so thankful for all the comments and congratulations yesterday! You guys are all so nice and I am so excited to tell you all about it!

All last week I though Mitchell and I had plans to go to Half Moon Bay to meet some friends. (I even mentioned it here!) Mitchell had told me the week before his friend had won two rooms at an okay hotel by the beach and they invited us to stay in their extra room.When Mitchell first told me about the free rooms I thought, that's sort of weird... but I have never worked for a big company so I really have no idea the type of things they give away!

All week I kept asking Mitchell where we were staying and what we were doing all weekend and he kept putting me off saying he needed to talk to Joe, he didn't remember the name of the hotel, things like that. It sounds totally suspicious now but I didn't suspect anything so it never crossed my mind not to believe it!

On the way to Half Moon Bay, Joe called three times along the way, claiming he was leaving soon and wondering if we wanted to meet at the Ritz Carlton for drinks when they got there. He called again in a few minutes and said they were stuck in traffic and he would meet us at the hotel. We pulled in and this hotel is ultra fancy you guys, over the top. We decided to kill some time by walking by the beach and taking some pictures. (I thought this was my idea but I guess not...)

Here are some pictures I took before the big moment, isn't this hotel gorgeous?

We kept walking along the cliff above the beach and Mitchell convinced me to walk out to the edge. He told me our friends weren't coming and he weren't staying at a random inland hotel, we were staying at the Ritz and then he got on his knee and asked me to marry him! I cried and eventually managed to say yes. 

Right after, I called my mom but I was crying so much she thought we got in a car crash before I calmed down and told her the good news!

For the next hour we stood out on the beach calling all our family and friends and feeling totally unreal. We finally went back inside and up to our room which was amazing! They had champagne on ice, chocolate covered strawberries, and rose petals everywhere, it was a dream!

That night went went to an incredible dinner at the seafood restaurant downstairs and neither of us could stop smiling, it was such a happy day. The next morning we went downstairs again for breakfast and spend the morning relaxing and taking loads of iphone photos


Overall it was the best weekends I could have imagined and such an amazing way to propose! I am seriously on cloud 9 every time I remember that we are getting married! I will put pictures of the ring up soon too, it is gorgeous!


P.S. in case you missed it, I was honored to be Christianna's interview for this week in her, Any Friend of Mine, series! Check me out here!

We're Getting Married!

Mitchell and I just got back from a very fun, very surprising weekend in Half Moon Bay where he asked me to marry him! It was all very romantic and I can't wait to tell all the details and show some more pictures of the weekend tomorrow! 

Also, I am honored to be a part of Christianna's amazing interview series, Any Friend of Mine on her wonderful blog, The Girl with the Blue Bow! Check me out here!

Giveaway Winners!

Remember when I said I would announce the giveaway winner yesterday? Oops. But here I am, only a day late with not one, not two, but THREE winners!

The first winner is Karen from Ruby Tuesday! She will win her choice of any of Chelsea's 8 x 10 prints!

The second two winners are Drew from Coral Cafe and Haley from Cardigan Junkie! They each get to pick their favorite 5 x 7 print!

  

 

Congratulations ladies! Make sure you check out Chelsea Victoria's shop, pick your favorite print, and email me at lovejulieblog@gmail.com with your address and photo choice!

iPhone Photos of the Week

1. Twins!!
2. Farmers market tulips brightening up my apartment
3. Spring hydrangeas blooming in Santa Cruz
4. The first Giants game of the season!
5. Champagne toast over the beach
6. Hanging out with Gertrude
7. Abby
8. Homemade creme brule (thanks dad!)
9. Home of the San Fransisco Giants
10. Sweet messages via facetime (ignore the state of my hair in the lower left corner- I really have no excuse for why it looks like that...

Stay tuned - I will be announcing the winners of the Chelsea Victoria Photo Giveaway later today!

Wish List

I am loving all these gorgeous items from Cox and Cox. It makes me want to redo my whole house to be this light and pretty! I may just have to order myself a set of little birds and that lace tape, they are just too cute to turn down!

1. Little Love Birds

2. Mercury Glass Votives

3. Lace Tape

4. White Pottery Pitcher

Love, Julie

P.S. Don't forget, today is the last day to enter my giveaway!

What I Wish I Were Wearing Wednesday

I am back for another Wednesday dream outfit! Before you check out my What I Wish I Were Wearing Wednesday, make sure you have seen my guest post for the week and checked out Leslie's fabulous, laid back look.

I am going to visit some friends with Mitchell this weekend and this little springtime outfit is what I wish I were going to be wearing. I especially love the striped cardigan, it may somehow find its way from my dream closet to my regular closet soon. The sunglasses and JCrew tote are a must for a day at the beach and the sparkly gold flats are pretty lovely too, don't you agree?

What are your beach essentials for the upcoming warm weather?


Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway, Thursday is the last day to enter!

What I Wish I Were Wearing Wednesday {Guest Post: Leslie: Fresh Out of Lemons}

Today I am ultra-super excited to introduce one of my favorite bloggers, Leslie, from Fresh Out of Lemons!  Her wonderfully written blog is full of funny/touching stories and great advice! After you have seen her dream outfit, go check her out! Or if you are totally inspired by her look, go take a look at her style pinboard!

Great style makes my stomach flutter.  When I'm earning the kibble money (ie- in the office), my clothes usually have LOFT, Banana Republic, or J. Crew labels.  However, if I'm honest, I always wish I were wearing this:

In fact, this is pretty much what you'll find me in on the weekend.  I own that exact Dinosaur Jr. shirt and would love to add the blog-tee to my collection.  Abercrombie makes the best jean and shorts.  Substitute Jailhouse Brewing Company for the Heineken patch on the baseball hat.  Substitute the sunglasses if I'm not wearing the hat.  Old Navy flip flops on my feet.  Classic casual.