The Blog

My Birthday. 33.

Normally…I couldn’t care less about my birthday, or having a big celebration. But for whatever reason, I thought that year 33 needed something more fun. So I made it super fun. 🙂 I rented the most amazing cabin in the woods of Occidental, California. Everything about this cabin was SO magical. From the unique and eclectic decor to the fact that I had no cell service and there was NO WIFI! **GASP** Yep…for the first time in probably years, I was completely disconnected from social media/texts/emails/etc. I literally never go a day without checking email…so this put me off the grid. Not just put me off the grid, it forced me.

Day 1.

I rented the cabin for 2 days. For the first day I invited my closest friends that I have had literally since like 2nd grade. Somehow…through it all, we are still friends. Spending time with these 5 ladies was the best thing ever and we had THE BEST TIME.

We came PREPARED…with quite a few bottles of bubbly + Rose + (a lot of other things)…but also this AMAZING bottle of Three Sticks Pinot Blanc. If you hadn’t tried it…you are MISSING OUT.

Pulling up to the cabin with my bestie Laurel…we walked in and immediately felt like we wanted to stay forever. From the homey decor and the record player with numerous records to choose from to the giant fire place and honestly…even the smell. Isn’t that crazy how smells take you places and make memories in your mind without you even realizing it? The smell reminded me of the woods, patchouli oil and fresh sheets. Crazy I know…but there are times recently that I smell something similar and it takes me back to being at the cabin.

If I wrote this blog post and didn’t talk about this bathtub I would be doing the world a disservice! When I booked this Airbnb, the tub was what sealed the deal! The main bathroom opened up to this greenhouse style area where this inground bathtub was and it felt like a little piece of art…all in itself.

After a super fun evening of fun music, plenty of beverages, amazing food and even Sift cupcakes…all of us girls headed to the bathroom for a mini spa night. We all had on facemasks (some looked like american cheese with eye holes) and we dropped bath bombs into the tub and sat around with our feet in, laughed hysterically and also soothed our feet (mine especially from running around places barefoot I probably shouldn’t have). 🙂

Day 2.

We woke up the next morning (seriously in the most comfortable beds ever)…and my amazing friends made the BEST breakfast hash and avocado toast you can imagine. The slate floor was cold and I couldn’t find my shoes (that I threw off the night before…made me think of Michael Scott and the Diwali celebration :))…so I stole one of my besties slide on flats. Cause she obviously wouldn’t let me have both. We wrapped ourselves in the cozy blankets that they had everywhere…sat on the kitchen stools (while Kristine cooked her amazing hash) and shared that pair of shoes. Little silly memories that are my absolute favorite.

Later in the afternoon my girls left and my kiddos and niece and nephew came up for the next evening. They absolutely loved it! We played all the board games they had, did puzzles and played cards. We spent time focusing on each other…and not on screens or our phones.

We roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. We jumped on the trampoline. We hiked in the beautiful redwood forest. Basically…we did everything important and meaningful and didn’t pay any attention to work (it’s seriously so hard for me to take breaks from work) or social media. It was about relationships. It was about spending time together.