South Florida Vacation
Before heading home to the Cottage after Gainesville, we took a little mini-trip down to Miami leading into New Year:
We stayed at The Standard Spa in Miami Beach. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly (especially you, Frank Zapata), and Adam and I had such a relaxing 3-night stay.
A highlight from the trip was visiting The Walton House, where Adam's mother got married. The setting is a botanical-lovers paradise, and I couldn't stop swooning over the twinkle-lights and blue wooden doors throughout the grounds. It was such a perfect place for an intimate and extraordinary wedding.
Below are some of my favorite moments from Miami, including The Standard, The Walton House, and Whisk Gourmet (mmmmm, grits...):
North Florida Vacation
I love our Cottage, but as it's our live/work environment, it's always good to get out and adventure.
This Christmas, I decided to return to my childhood home in Gainesville, Florida for the first time in three years. Luckily my folks come to LA all the time, but nothing tops visiting in them here:
Sometimes I can't believe I grew up here. It's a wet prairie, surrounded by a live oak forest. This is my parent's immediate backyard. It was just as magical as I remembered it being, and at the end of the week-long vacation, I wasn't ready to leave. (I definitely won't wait three more years to return again.)
When I wasn't clipping botanicals from the garden to decorate our dining table and holiday gifts, I stopped by some gorgeous local sites with my 2½ year-old nephew, Finn. I'd definitely recommend the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens and The Florida Museum of Natural History to anyone staying in the Gainesville area.
If you're interested in seeing more photos of this region of Florida, I recommend checking out the work of my friend Mac Stone-- his Insta is one of my favorite accounts.