We are approximately 6 weeks from Christmas! Yeah, I can hardly believe it either. We put our tree up today and it's getting me in the spirit! We are trying to keep our Christmas gifting simple this year. We are following "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read," limiting our shopping list to 4 things. I will report back with how it goes! Do you have any gifting traditions? ​Here are a few things that I think would make great gifts...many of these I own and love or have gifted in the past! ​

We've rounded up all of our favorite gifts! Many of these things we own and love. A few are on a "hint hint" list that I sent to Ty. We just put our tree up yesterday and are eager to wrap some gifts to put under the tree!

Our master bathroom is officially done! More than anything, we were thrilled to say goodbye to the dingy yellow tile and dated tile countertops. We preserved the original mid-century light fixtures (which I've loved since the first time we walked through the home); everything else was replaced. This bathroom was an enormous project (lots of demo!), but the final product was well worth it. We love the light and airy feel, fun patterns, and ample storage, which is something we've not always had.

One of the greatest blessings in my life is having a wife who is down to try new things, and do so on a whim, when feasible. Naturally, when I pitched a wild 16 day road trip to her, about two weeks prior to our potential departure and she didn’t write me off as crazy-- it only reaffirmed that I married the coolest person out there.

After showing her on a whiteboard (see below) my thorough, bizarre transcription of what the trip would entail in thorough detail, she agreed it was the trip of a lifetime. When I told her it could be done under $1,850 for all lodging and food she was MUCH more interested. (We are fortunate enough to have free gas via a company car).

At the risk of being trite, I want to cut to the chase with this post. See everything. Drive the wildly windy roads that traverse many miles and stop at each pull off to take in new views of the coastline. Observe topography and landscapes you didn’t quite contrive to be possible. Walk down to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and catch a view of the sparkling turquoise water fall that cascades bit by bit into the ocean. Eat at Nepenthe, a restaurant high up in a canopy of trees, with an eclectic shop and bookstore attached. Stop at Bixby Canyon Bridge and be overtaken with emotion at how surreal a feat it is that there are bridges stretching across the jutting mountainsides. Most of all, take it all in. The PCH1 is an iconic road trip, and Big Sur might be the most magnificent spot you'll encounter.

Ah, California. The beach, the mountains, the city....they hog all the good stuff. SoCal is one of our favorite places on Earth. San Diego, Laguna Beach, San Clemente; we love it all. Luckily, Hannah has wonderful, hopsitable family in San Diego, so we see many SD trips in our future. Here are some of our favorite spots from our last trip in August!