5 On Friday: Photography

Happy Friday! 

This was a busy week, I'm so happy we have a low key weekend ahead. Tonight we're going to a concert with Andrew's sister that should be really fun. The rest of the weekend I plan to hang out at home and get stuff done! I have a few craft projects I want to work on and the urge to start some Spring cleaning!

I had so much fun participating in the 5 on Friday post a couple weeks ago, I thought I'd join the fun again today with a photography edition! But first, I need to announce my Blogiversary giveaway winner!!

The winner is: Leslie! 

Congratulations! Looks like you'll have some shopping to do :) I'll be send you an email shortly! 

Thank you to everyone who entered! I can't believe this little blog is a year old already, your support means so much to me!

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Ok, back to 5 on Friday! 

I'm going into the fourth week of my digital photography class already. I can't believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. It's been so fun, I look forward to Wednesday every week, and really enjoy the time I spend working on my homework. Who knew homework was so fun when it's a subject you're passionate about?! 

This week was my favorite class so far. We worked on depth of field and aperture, so I'm really looking forward to the homework assignments this weekend. It's the one thing I was most eager to learn, and I'm excited to start practicing! 

I was lucky enough to receive some pretty amazing Christmas gifts that got me all set up for photography. But there are a few more items I would love to add to my collection... 

Leather Camera Bag

My camera came with a standard black camera bag, which has worked great for me. But I can't help but lust over beautiful leather camera bags. I found this one on Etsy and I can't stop thinking about it! I think it will be one of my next investments.

Fun Camera Strap

Shortly after I got my new camera, my mom got me a really nice camera strap. It is a neoprene type material so it's really comfortable and I can wear my camera around my neck for hours without it bothering me. But I love these fun tribal pattern straps I've seen on Etsy. Since mine is so comfortable, I was thinking it might be a fun DIY project to cover my strap with some fun, colorful fabric. Maybe in an aztec or tribal pattern like the one shown above.

Fixed 50mm Lens

This is the number one item on my wish list! Especially now that I've learned a little more about depth of field, and my photography teacher suggested that we think about investing in a fixed lens like this. Also, I've noticed many bloggers mention that their go-to lens for shooting blog photos is usually a fixed 50mm or 55mm lens. My Dad has a similar lens, so maybe he'll let me borrow it so I can play around and learn more about shooting a fixed lens before I make the investment.

Remote Shutter Release 

For Christmas, my Dad bought me this remote shutter release. I was so excited! I knew it would make taking outfit posts so much easier if Andrew wasn't available to help me. Sadly, my camera doesn't have the sensor it requires and we couldn't get it to work. Luckily, there are other options online, so I just have to order one and I'll be all set!

Gold iPhone 5s

Finally, I am in desperate need of a new iPhone! I still have the original 4 if you can believe that (slightly embarrassing) but it still works and there wasn't a need to spend the money on an updated phone. But I finally dropped my it one too many times, and the screen has a small crack. Between the crack, the incredibly slow speed, and terrible picture quality, I decided it's finally time to upgrade. Since I can't always have my big camera by my side, it will be nice to have a quality camera on my phone to snap pictures when I'm out an about, and when see something inspiring I want to share on social media.

Linking up again here!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

My Fitness Essentials

Fitness Essentials by fromfoothillstofog featuring asics shoes

Lately, I've been making a huge effort to really get in shape and live a healthy lifestyle. The Holiday's threw me for a loop, and it took a while to recover. But now, I'm back into my healthy routine and it feels great! These are a few of my favorite things, that make getting to the gym everyday a little bit easier. 

// I wish I was the type that could hit the gym or run without music, but I rely on my iPhone to get me motivated and push myself to train harder. I use skull candy headphones and they work great for me. I always find them at TJ Maxx and Marshall's for like $5. Although, I got these awesome wireless headphones for Andrew for Christmas, and I kind of want a pair for myself. //

// My absolute favorite workout tank is Under Armour, the discontinued the model I like, but have similar styles like I've shown above. I also love Old Navy for running tanks and capris! //

// It's always cold here in the city, so running outdoors and early trips to the gym requires an extra layer. My all time favorite is my Lole half zip. It's just like this, but a pullover. I got it Sports Basement here in the city, and I'm always on the lookout for another one. It's one of my most used articles of clothing! //

// Water is key, when I'm at the gym I always have my Kleen Kanteen or another water bottle with me. For spin class, I love using sport bottles like this. //

// Capri's are my go to for all fitness. I get too hot in pants, and find shorts to be really uncomfortable when running or spinning. I love the Sugoi pair I have, they are high waisted which is a must for me, and have mesh fabric behind the knee to keep you cool. //

// Like I said, music is my motivator when I'm at the gym. I use an armband like this to hold my phone when I lift weights or run outside. //

// I am a huge SmartWool fan. They make the best socks, and while they're a bit expensive, it's totally worth it. Once you invest in nice running/fitness socks, you'll never go back. //

// When I was training for my first half marathon years ago, I was fitted for running shoes at the local shoe store where I'm from. After watching me run, they determined that I pronate and recommended Asics since they have great support. Since then, I've always worn them and never had a problem. I recommend finding a running store near you, and have them help determine which is the right shoe for you. //

// This is Lo & Son's O.G. Bag is my dream gym bag! I try to go to the gym before work, so I get it out of the way in the morning, and have my evenings to relax at home or see friends. I also find it keeps me motivated to eat well throughout the day. Since I get ready for work at the gym those mornings, I bring a lot of stuff with me. This bag would fit everything perfectly! And it's so cute, I could use it for an overnight bag as well! //

// Spinning is one of my favorite forms of exercise. A few years ago for my birthday, I was given a pair of Sidi cycle shoes. I probably wouldn't have invested in them myself, but I love having them! It makes spinning so much more comfortable and effective. When I switched over from running shoes, I could feel a huge difference. If you spin regularly, I definitely recommend looking into cycling shoes. //

What are your fitness essentials? Is there anything in particular that makes you excited to hit the gym and get a good sweat? 

If you're looking for fitness motivation, you should visit my good friend Kristin's blog. She is amazing! Her blog and Instagram always keep me inspired when I feel like skipping a workout! 

Happy sweating! 

Him & Her

Him: Snowboard & Surf

Her: Wakeboard 

Him: PB&J

Her: Cheese

Him: Meat & Potatoes

Her: Seafood & Salad

Him: The Big Lebowski & Point Break

Her: White Christmas 

Him: Impatient 

Her: Patient (mostly)

Him: Planner

Her: Spontaneous

Him: Padres & Chargers

Her:  Giants & 49ers

Him: Reddit

Her: Pinterest

Him: Beer & Whiskey

Her: Wine & Beer

Him: 6'0"

Her: 5'7"

I saw this idea over on my friend Kasey's blog last week and thought it was so fun! Since today marks Andrew and my three year anniversary, I thought it would be an appropriate day for my own version of a Him/Her post!

This awesome post idea originally comes from the lovely ladies over at Harley & Jane!

To celebrate, we have dinner reservations at a restaurant that has been on my SF restaurant list for a while now, so I'll report back if it's as good as I've heard. 

// That picture was taken 3 years ago today in San Diego //

Twosday: Up Close & Personal

Today's Twosday post with Stephanie is "Up Close & Personal." I don't have a macro lens, but I love using my macro settings and attempting to get unique shots of somewhat ordinary objects.

I've recently renewed one of my childhood obsessions, sand dollars. When my sister and I were younger, our Mom would take us to Dillon Beach on vacation. We would spend hours looking for shells, and finding sand dollars was like winning a gold medal. My sister always lucked out, but I could never seem to find the perfect shell, usually just broken pieces. Fast forward twenty years, and Andrew has started bringing me sand dollars from Ocean Beach when he surfs. The first time he brought me a handful and I was shocked! I always thought they were near impossible to find, and here he was with five perfect little shells! So when we were in Morro Bay walking along the beach, I was like a kid again, running along Dillon Beach collecting sand dollars. There were hundreds! I especially loved the imperfect ones with barnacles on them.

My Weekend

Thank you all for your sweet comments, tweets & emails about my Blogiversary! It's so fun hearing from you and getting your feedback. I'll post the winner of the giveaway this Friday! If you haven't entered, there's still time!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was great, and busy! We went up to the foothills Friday after work and spent the weekend visiting old friends and of course, spending time with my favorite little man, Phillip! He's so cute, I can't believe his 1st birthday is just a few weeks away. Where does the time go? Although I missed seeing my parents (they were out of town), it was great spending so much time with my sister and Phillip. 

He is a little glimpse of my weekend in photos...

Watching the sunrise over the American River canyon...up early for a productive day! 

Capturing the camellia blossoms in the morning light - practicing shooting in manual mode!

Treated myself to a latte after my morning run!

oatmeal with coconut flakes, walnuts, cinnamon and brown sugar

Breakfast & coffee with a view! It was so warm, I sat outside on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine for an hour! 

My friend Sarah's baby shower, her daughter is due next month! We've been friends since I was 4 years old!

I didn't get out my big camera because we were too busy playing!
It's hard to take a selfie and convince an 11 month old to smile at the same time! 

Could he be any cuter?

My photography homework was capturing motion - so Andrew brought his skateboard to act as my subject and Phillip wanted to get in on the fun. He loved it!

 // Not pictured: our sushi dinner on Friday with one of my good friends and her boyfriend, my 4 mile run Saturday morning, load after load of laundry, and a great night Saturday playing darts and pool in the "man cave" at my sister & Josh's house! //

It was a great weekend! I love spending so much time with my sister, Phillip and some old friends! I hope you all had a great weekend, too. 

A Look Back - From Foothills To Fog Turns One!

recipe and image found here

Good morning friends! Happy Friday!

Tomorrow marks one year since I started this little blog! It seems impossible that a year has already flown by. It's so fun to look back at all the amazing things that have happened in the past year, especially because this blog has become a scrapbook, documenting all the adventures we've had.

Consistently blogging, creating new content and learning more about photography, has been the highlight of the year for me. It is the creative outlet I've always been looking for, and has been the perfect hobby for me. I love that I have this place of my own where I can share my thoughts, recipes, style, and DIY projects.

Mostly, I am really proud of myself for pursuing my dream to start a blog. If you've known me for any length of time, you remember years ago when all I talked about was blogs. Before most people even knew what a blog was. I have always been captivated by the blog world. I love reading what people have to say about everything from weddings, fashion, interior design, to motherhood. I love listening to fellow bloggers share their experiences, there is always something I can relate to, or learn from. It's an amazing community that I'm so happy I get to be a part of.

But the greatest thing has been connecting with you. I can still hardly believe that I have readers from all over the world, and that people actually take time out of their day to comment and email me. I've made some wonderful friends through blogging that I talk to all the time. Some might think that it's strange, meeting friends online, but this blog helped me connect with some amazing girls that I would never have met otherwise. And I'm so thankful to call them my friends.

To celebrate my first year of blogging, I thought it would be fun to look back at my favorite posts from the past year. In the beginning, it was basically just my family and close friends reading, so some of these posts might even be new to you! And, I have a little gift for all of your support!

// Recipes //

- Green Monster // Morning Glory Muffins // Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich // Tasty Beverages - 

// DIY & Home Decor //

-  DIY Cork Letter // DIY Christmas Wreath // Reupholster Dining Room Chairs // DIY Step Stool //  Christmas Card Display -

// Style //

- Date Night // Stripes // Fall Wedding Attire -

// Memories //

- Letters to Martha // Love Story 1, 2, & 3 // Cabo // 4th of July in Tahoe //  Tuolumne 1 & 2 // Letters To Norene // Thanksgiving 2012 // Family in SF // 50 Heart Shaped Boxes // Friendsgiving // Treasure Island Flea Market -

// Entertain //

- Phillips Baby Shower -

In order to properly celebrate my first year of blogging, I want to thank all of you for being loyal readers and supporting From Foothills to Fog. And what better way to say thank you, than with a gift?! So today, I am hosting my first giveaway in honor of this milestone, and giving one lucky reader a $25 gift card to Nordstrom!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


I'll announce the winner next Friday! Good luck, thanks for all your support!

I'm so excited for the future of this blog, I have so many ideas and can't wait to see how it grows in the coming year.

THANK YOU so very much for reading, it means the world to me!

Jeweliq Love

On Valentine's Day, I got an email from Jeweliq that they were having a special, a free pair of pave earrings with any full price purchase! I had been wanting a pair of simple, stud earrings that I can wear everyday. And since I already had this necklace waiting in my shopping cart, I figured it was meant to be!

Later that afternoon, I received an email my package had already shipped, talk about quick service! At work yesterday, I got to open my little Valentine's treat to myself, and the packaging is almost as cute as what was inside! The necklace and earrings came inside a little velvet pouch and fun pink package filler! Inside, there was also a handwritten note, thanking me for my purchase and returning as a customer. I loved the image of the jeweled ice cream cone on the note, so cute!

This isn't a sponsored post, Jeweliq has no idea this blog exists, I just love their brand! For starters, they are a San Francisco based company, and I love supporting local, growing businesses. And their customer service can't be beat. I've emailed with them in the past with questions and they are always quick to respond and eager to help their customers. If you're looking for some fun new jewels for spring, you should look into Jeweliq. I know there are other great jewelry companies out there too, but why not support an affordable growing company with a great product?

Here are a few more jewels I'm still lusting over....

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 

Central Coast Camping

Andrew and I had a really great, relaxing mini-vacation on the central coast. We left work early Friday and started our journey down to the Cerro Alto Campground, where we would be staying for the weekend. The drive down was easy since we left early and beat most of the traffic. We got settled in our campsite, then made dinner and relaxed by the fire. A perfect start to the weekend. 

Saturday morning, we woke up and made breakfast before heading into Morro Bay. The campground is really close to both Morro Bay and Cayucos, so it's perfect for outings during the day. We started at the beach so Andrew could check the surf, and found a spot where all the locals seemed to be! So we planned to head back later in the afternoon so that Andrew could surf. We spent some time wandering around downtown Morro Bay, going into the shops and people watching. Then we headed up to Cayucos for lunch. My parents had recommended we try the smoked fish tacos (pork for Andrew) at Ruddell's Smoke House. It was obvious that it's a popular place, people were lined up outside waiting for their tacos. After about 15 minutes we were served and luckily a seat opened up out front. The tacos were really good, I ordered the smoked salmon. I had never tried a smoked fish taco, it was so unique, I definitely want to create my own version at home. Next stop was the Brown Butter Cookie Co. Man-oh-man, they were amazing! I wanted one of each! We got a little sample bag to enjoy over the weekend. Andrew loved the snicker-doodle, while the brown butter and sea salt were my favorite. The lemon was a close runner up. You must go there if you're in the area. After Cayucos, we headed back towards Morro Bay so Andrew could surf. I took some photos and got some reading in while he braved the cold water. The foggy skies and cold water didn't look appealing to me at all, but he had a great time! Once back at camp, we made dinner and spent the evening chatting by the fire. It was a really, really great day!

Sunday, we woke up to sunny skies. It was perfect for the hike we had planned that morning. Just a few feet from our campsite was the trail head for the highest point in San Luis Obisbo County. It was a six mile hike, that was pretty much straight up and down! It was such a nice day, and the breeze was appreciated once we reached the top. That elevation gain was no joke, we were tired once we reached the top, especially Louis! But the views were more than worth the effort. Since it was such a nice day, after our hike we decided to go back into town for a drink and dinner. We walked along the beach for a while collecting sand dollars and watching the kite boarders (PS, that looks so fun, Andrew and I really want to try it)! 

We were up early Monday morning so we could get started on the drive home. We wanted to take Highway 1 up the coast, which is a much longer drive, but also really beautiful. Our plan was just to get started and stop wherever we got the urge along the way. Our first stop was back in Cayucos. It was another beautiful day, so we got coffee and bagels and watched the surfers for an hour or so before starting our drive home. It was a beautiful drive, and we were lucky to have a clear day to appreciate the views. We were even greeted by a heard of Zebra when we passed the Hearst Castle turn off near San Semeon! Hopefully we'll make it back for a tour of Hearst Castle soon. My mom heard they're not going to keep the pool anymore because of the expense, hopefully that doesn't happen. We also stopped to see the elephant seals, sand dollar beach, and scoped out a future camping spot in Big Sur. The scenic drive was a great way to end our trip! 

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Morro Bay

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Cerro Alto Trail & Campground

We were in site #18, which was great and spacious!
We want to go back with a group of friends and take over both #18 and #19

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Cayucos

Smoked fish (salmon) tacos - my parents recommendation. 

Best.Cookies.Ever!

~ Highway 1 Drive ~

Zebras!! Hopefully we'll make it to Hearst Castle soon, I love that place!

I had to include this candid picture I got when setting up the self timer...hilarious!! 

I hope you all had a nice weekend as well!