Travel | Style Me Senseless

A beautiful Cali sunset across the freeway on my way to the airport.

Whew I’m happy to be back in LA!! After two freezing weeks in England, then an emergency trip to Florida, I’m soooo behind on everything that I barely know where to begin. The good news is, my dad appears to be doing better. When my mom called during my trip to England, he was in really bad shape and we thought we might lose him. By the time I arrived in Boca, he was still in the hospital and still very weak, but he had been moved out of ICU. During the week I spent there, at first I wasn’t sure how he would fare, but by the time I left I saw a marked improvement and felt okay about heading home. It’s not easy to watch a loved one struggle and suffer, but I know he was happy that I was there to hold his hand, even if only for a while. I want to share just a few snaps from my trip. The truth is, I spent most of my time in the hospital, obviously NOT taking pictures. But since my dad spent a lot of time resting, I did have some free time, mostly spent outdoors in the beautiful spring weather, or otherwise meeting with family.

How I dress for a day at the hospital…in a floral dress and my favorite Report gladiator sandals.

How my brother dresses for a day at the hospital...in coated denim and gorgeous Dries Van Noten sneaks.

How my brother dresses for a day at the hospital…in coated denim and snazzy Dries Van Noten kicks. We live for fashion no matter what.

Of course I chilled out in the backyard I grew up in.

My dad is a lover of boating and fishing, so we’ve always lived on the water.

My grandmother lounging in the shade, looking so very Florida.

While digging through old photo albums, I found this gem of me as a baby, swimming with my dad ❤

My mom is an exercise nut and copes with stress by working out. (She’ll probably kill me for posting this pic.)

I joined her for early morning walks on the beach…something she does religiously.

Breakfast with my grandmother at the Broken Egg Cafe, on our way to the hospital.

And a yummy organic lunch with my cousin at Farmer’s Table, before I hopped on my flight back to LA.

If there’s one thing I love almost as much as fashion, it’s traveling. I absolutely adore the excitement of an adventure – whether it’s visiting someplace new, or returning to a favorite destination. I think I inherited the travel bug from my dad, who was born in Italy and traveled the globe before settling in the US and starting a family. He’s been to every continent including Antarctica!! I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I do have some exciting trips on the schedule for this year, which brings me to this post. I was just in Palm Desert last weekend. My hubby had a work retreat – the type where spouses are welcomed – so I totally took advantage. They booked us a suite at the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa, and I spent the weekend stuffing my face with free food and relaxing in the desert sun. The grounds at the hotel were absolutely lovely, with beautiful desert foliage galore. Our room was also super swanky and reminiscent of Palm Springs in the 60’s with deco furniture and a step-down sunken living room. Meals and drinks were comped all weekend courtesy of my hubby’s employer, so I went all out with the wine, cheese, coffee, and deserts! Friday night (arrival in paradise)… Saturday morning (attending very official work events)… Saturday night (after lots of wine and great conversation)… The Palm Springs area is one of my favorite local destinations. It’s just a short road trip by car, the weather is always lovely, and the environment is picturesque pretty. I like getting dolled up resort style for trips to Palm Springs, so wardrobe is always a consideration! My outfits definitely had an impact because loads of hubby’s colleagues were asking for style advice 🙂 We did attempt an afternoon hike not far from the hotel, mainly because I felt horrible for eating so much, but also because we do like hiking. Unfortunately, the wind was crazy fierce in the canyon where we were walking, so I didn’t last long with mounds of dust getting blown up into my face – I had a MAJOR (but thankfully short lived) allergy attack, with snot and tears dripping down my face. It was NOT cute, though the surroundings were beautiful. On the last day it started to rain, which is essentially unheard of out in the desert, duh! But I can’t complain because everyone knows So Cal needs the water. Before hitting the road, we stopped for brunch at the renowned Wilma & Frieda’s Cafe, and even though we had to wait an hour to be seated, it was well worth it. I had a plate of veggie soy-rizo, which was super yum, but the nutter butter cookie probably did me in. Wayyyy too much food for a tiny person, because I literally finished the cookie as well as my meal and was queasy the rest of the day. (I tend to overeat when on vacation, can you tell?) Other than the slight over-indulgence, I had an absolutely fabulous time, lol. Let me know what you think about this travel post!! If you like it, I can back track and post about my trip to Yosemite in January, which was also a lot of fun. PLUS, I’m heading off to London next week and will definitely do a recap of that trip upon my return. Annnnd I have more fabulous destinations coming up later this year, including Florida in May. Happy Friday!! Xxo