live your adventure {eddie bauer}

There's something to be said about returning from a vacation completely refreshed and relaxed. A newly acquired tan and perhaps a lingering buzz from one too many margaritas on the beach certainly doesn't hurt either (and gives you a little something to daydream about when you hit the office upon your return).

While I'm all for the camp of enjoying the above, I have to say, I'm a newfound fan of fitness retreats, which I had the chance to partake in just a few weeks ago with the folks from Eddie Bauer down in Baja, Mexico, testing out their latest Motion line for women. We started each day with a high intensity workout (thanks to Astrid Swan, who yes, kicked our butts each time), followed by either surfing or hiking some of the local trails, and rounded out the day with late afternoon swims or naps by the pool to rest our then sore bodies. If it sounds a bit exhausting, I have to say, while I ached each night when I was crawling into bed, I slept so incredibly well -- both my mind and body physically drained from a day spent well spent soaking up the sun and sea-kissed air. 

Huge thanks again to the Eddie Bauer team for having me and the Rancho Pescadero Resort for hosting us. We had a beautiful time! And for my New York based folks, be sure to check out Eddie Bauer's recently opened flagship store in Union Square. I'm already planning a trip there soon to scoop up more pairs of these guys. 

Here are a few of my favorite snaps from the trip...enjoy!

on the road {yosemite valley}

"Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space." -- Ansel Adams

I was first introduced to Ansel Adams in my Introduction to Art class, during my freshman year of high school. The assignment was to select an artist, from any time period and any medium, and write a report about them -- the hook being they had to share our birthday. 

Fast forward a lot of random Google searches later, I arrived at some of the most striking black and white landscape images I had ever seen, in particular, this one of Half Dome in Yosemite, with the moon rising ever so gracefully above it. I had found my subject, a certain Ansel Adams (Ms. Feeney made an exception for me here since his birthday is technically a day after mine), and subsequently, an obsession that would see me through to this very day. His command of contrast, lighting and composition are, of course, unrivaled but I think it was his uncanny ability to make a landscape appear more as a character: from brooding to ominous to downright joyful, that had me hooked. His images have always struck me more like portraits, than they do landscapes. 

Years (and many Ansel Adams calendars and prints) later, I still had never ventured to Yosemite Valley, which really is only a several hour drive from both Reno or San Francisco. Camping space reservations are admittedly hard to come by and it always seemed easier to head to Tahoe or to drive up the coast instead. That is, until a recent trip back to San Francisco, when my guy and I, on a complete whim, happened to snag one of the last camping spots left for the weekend, packing up just a few hours later to hit the road.

Granted, it was a whirlwind 48-hour camping trip, complete with snow and moody skies the first day and a crisp, clear blue summer day the next. We roamed around the valley floor, taking in everything as mere small observers in such a vast and grandiose space and then hiked up to Glacier Point, again, feeling smaller still, perched high above the valley below, with Half Dome and El Capitan flanking us on either side. 

All the while, I couldn't help but wonder, how Ansel Adams must have felt when he had first ventured to the valley himself -- how quiet and pristine and alive he must have felt, alone with these giants. These larger than life characters, at home in their perpetual sunrise of green and golden wonder. 

Needless to say, I think I'll be coming back to Yosemite for more. Very soon.

Photos by Tyler Graff and Krystal Bick

left my heart in san francisco {2100 post street}

On Krystal: Bonmot shirt (20% off with the code 'iheartsf'); Jeans: Abercrombie (old); Shoes: Manolo Blahnik; Necklaces: Jennifer Zeuner

On Elvis: Nothing! Just his amazing fur coat :)

I get oddly nostalgic about moving out of apartments. Even if I'm simply moving across town, there's something about that feeling of finality that hits me pretty hard. Will I ever walk up these stairs again? Will I ever see that downstairs neighbor that I never got along with but desperately tried to befriend? What about the nice ladies at the Starbucks on Fillmore who always remembered my order -- will I get to see them again? And don't get me started on the bay windows -- that perfect morning light will be hard to top elsewhere.

While I was moving out of my apartment last week, frantically cleaning, organizing and donating things along the way, I made a point to gather mental images of my most favorite and dear moments in this place. Because this apartment marked a lot of firsts for me. I brought my first dog home to this apartment. It was the first time I moved in with a boyfriend. It saw me through a few promotions, birthdays, anniversaries (and some heartache) -- it was my home base after countless trips and my refuge when I just needed a break from the world.

I loved that apartment.

Which then, got me thinking. Isn't it funny that we often christen a new apartment when we move into it, but we hardly ever give it a fitting goodbye? We'll toast the new beginning with champagne, but we skip the adieu part. Goodbyes are hard -- I'm not denying that. But it didn't seem right (to me anyway) to leave Apartment 15 without a proper send off -- a thank you and a celebration of sorts of all my favorite moments in that little one bedroom apartment on the third floor, tucked away in Lower Pac Heights. 

Given that my space was pretty empty for those last few days, Elvis and I set up camp on the floor with pizza (from Pizzeria Delfina, naturally), beer (Blue Moon!) and lots of magazines (or chew toys for him). I just love how Anna captured not only some great images but images that convey such a moment of transition. Bittersweet but with a heavy lean on the sweet side. We toasted the evening, shared stories of our favorite San Francisco memories and even ventured out to my fire escape, which I've been wanting to do for over two years now but never got the courage to do it. It was a lovely bookend to my California chapter -- just the right final notes to start my next one here in New York.

That also means, this is the end of my "Left My Heart in San Francisco" series. I hope you enjoyed following along as much as I loved revisiting and sharing places and memories that are near and dear to my heart. I know I have plenty more adventures to document in California, and the West Coast for that matter -- so we're not finished there just yet -- but I can't tell you how excited I am to embark on this next adventure. It's new and exciting and shiny and terrifying all at the same time. But I'm ready for it!

And in honor of that, my good friend Becky, the creative tour de force behind Bonmot (I'm wearing her marble tee here), is offering 20% off for This Time Tomorrow readers to put toward their next purchase. Simply use the code "iheartsf" at checkout.

Enjoy and I hope you all have a beautiful weekend, making memories wherever you are! 

Photos by Anna-Alexia Basile