Our last day in California wasn't necessarily the most exciting one, but definitely, for lack of a better word, the most magical one. That morning we headed to Dana Wharf in Dana Point to go whale watching. To be honest, I expected to see dolphins, but I didn't believe we would actually see any blue whales as advertised. When we arrived and checked in, they had a sign that said they had seen forty blue whales that week, sparking a little bit of hope inside me. The large catamaran had about twenty other people onboard. We left the dock and continued out into open water where eventually we spotted some dolphins. The dolphins swam straight at the catamaran and then under it and continued to swim around us for a good fifteen minutes.

One of the many dolphins we saw on the cruise.

    Next we headed out to where the captain said they spotted a blue whale on an earlier cruise that day. When we  arrived, off in the distance you could see the top of the whale until it went underwater. We drifted closer to where the whale had been and waited approximately six to seven minutes before he surfaced, only to find that he had swam further away. We played this game of cat and mouse with the whale for about thirty minutes until we found a huge group of dolphins to distract ourselves. I have never seen so many dolphins in my life, there were at least forty of them at the surface at a time. The captain said that for every single one you see there are seven more underwater, meaning that there were a lot more than we could see. After this spectacular experience I had given up on us ever getting close to the whale, but either way we went back to where it was last seen and suddenly it arose from the depths and headed towards us. It seemed as though it had finally given up on running away as it made its' way past our boat. This was so incredible to see the biggest animal in the world in person. 

The blue whale finally decides to make an appearance.

    After our whale watching experience we had one final meal at In n Out Burger and got some cupcakes at Sprinkles. Then we went back to the hotel to freshen up for the evening. That night we went to the Shake Shack in Laguna Beach, which is located on a cliff overlooking the water. There were some beautiful bushes of bougainvillea that made the perfect backdrop for some photos. The view here was a perfect way to end our California adventure. 

Dress: Free People

Enjoying a shake and the view.

Our final image of California.

We woke up Wednesday morning and started getting ready to make our way to Hollywood. My sister got the whole family tickets to see a taping of Chelsea Lately at Universal Studios. It was a pretty painless process, we got there and waited for about 30 minutes until they started admitting the general audience. It was a lot of fun and interesting to watch the whole process of the show being taped and my sister and I caught one of "Chuy's balls."

Afterwards we ate at In and Out Burger and then made our way to Amoeba Records. Amoeba is the largest independently owned record store in the world. This store was awesome, not only did they have tons of records , new and old, they had tons of CDs as well. My sister bought a used Natalie Merchant CD, and I resisted the urge to buy the new Vampire Weekend album on  vinyl. 

                   

Browsing the records

Top - Free People

Jeans - Free People

Necklace - Free People

Our first stop in California was my choice, not necessarily because I was given the privilege, but because I had an appointment. I was able to go to Chi Nail Spa, which is located in Beverly Hills on Santa Monica Blvd. The nail salons in Georgia cannot compare to the service I receive here. The place had a chic atmosphere and a friendly staff that did everything to make sure I was comfortable. I knew that I wanted to get a gel manicure with rockstar gradation, but I didn't have in mind what colors I wanted. After browsing the selection of colors that were adorned with Hello Kitty duct tape, I finally came to a decision.

I knew that I wanted something cute and fun that was not over the top, so I settled on a light pink gel color and a reddish pink glitter. My technician Mie did a great job grooming my nails before applying the polish, and afterwards I receive a complimentary sugar scrub, ending the whole experience on a relaxing note. 

After my appointment we made our way towards The Grove. It was great to walk around and shop outside. Here in California I pretty much want to do everything outside because there is no humidity which is refreshing since I spend most of my summer days in Georgia wear the humidity is constant, or as I like to call it sometimes "weather you wear." We made our way to the Topshop at the Grove, pleased to discover that they were having a huge sale. I purchased a white dress that I am going to wear on Bid day during rush. 

Top - Free People

Pants - Free People

Windmill sculptures located in the middle of The Grove.

Next we went to Verameat. It's a jewelry store owned by the model Vera Balyura. Most of the jewelry is very simple, which I love. It was also pretty inexpensive. After looking around for awhile I finally settled on the feather ring that I can wear as a midi ring. 

The cute little box my ring came in. 

 On our way to the Sprinkles in Beverly hills I spotted a Banksy. It was incredible to see something that I have seen online so much in person.

 The last time I was in California my family made multiple trips to Sprinkles Cupcake, but at that time they didn't have ice cream. So of course I had to give it a try. I had the sprinkles sundae with cap'n crunch ice cream and the cinnamon cupcake. It was so good and the perfect way to end a great day.

My Sprinkles Sundae. 

If you're are in need of the perfect shirt for summer, I have just the thing. The LA Nite Tank from Free People is perfect for those hot summer days and makes a great addition to any closet. I've purchased it in three colors, black, white, and bright pink, and I continue to think of new ways to wear them. You can just wear it with some jean shorts or dress it up with a nice maxi skirt, the possibilities are endless. And you can have it for only $20.

LA Nite Tank - Free People

    I recently went on a family vacation to Florida. If you have never been to Orlando, it is a placed     filled with outlet malls. They have a nice selection of stores, one even has a Tory Burch outlet. Unfortunately I didn't make a purchase at the Tory outlet this time, but I did get plenty of other great
things.

    From Left to Right:

• This top is Free People. I purchased it at a Saks outlet when they had certain racks that were buy one get two free. The top was originally $89.99, but I got it for $62.98 accompanied by two other free tops.
• This shirt is Lacoste Live! I got it at the Lacoste outlet and I was super excited because I have been wanting something from this line for a long time. It was originally $69, but I was able to purchase it for a steal of $35.
• This Sweater is also Free People. I bought it a Neimans outlet. It was originally $118, I got it for $54. 
• And once again this top is Free People. I got it for FREE as part of the deal with the first shirt, unfortunately I couldn't find a third top, so my sister got the same one for free as well. 

    From Left to Right:

• This skirt is Hinge. I found it at Nordstrom on the clearance rack and got it for $35.90 when it was originally $58. I think this black skater skirt is a great basic for any closet. 
• This skirt is Free People. I can't find the tag because I wore it the second I got it, so I can only estimate how much it originally was. I believe it was in 100 dollar range, but that I got for around 60. I was so excited about this skirt, because who doesn't want to relive their childhood days and wear an adult tutu. 
• This skirt is Floreat. I found it at Anthropologie during there big summer sale, which I'm pretty sure is still going on and it is worth checking out if you haven't yet. It was originally $78, but I got it for $39.95.
• And last but not least these pants are Free People. If you haven't caught on yet I LOVE Free People. I bought them at the Saks outlet. They were originally $148. I got them for $69. I haven't worn them yet, but I cannot wait to because I have desperately wanted some fun pants like these.