Search Results for “san francisco” – Page 3 – Snapshots & My Thoughts by Ailee Petrovic

Personal August 3, 2015

Week in Review

Happy Monday, everyone! I cannot believe that it was only one week ago that we were running around the woods of Houston photographing this hippie shoot. Last week was busy with lots of photography, which made me very happy! Meredith and I got together to photograph her Texan cocktail (‘The Lady Bird’) for 5 O’Clock Fashionistas, and then the next day, Brittany came over to shoot photos for her exciting Instagram launch this week! Between those three shoots and catching up with friends and running errands, Isla and I kept very busy.

I am grateful that on National Sister Day (do people just make these things up for Instagram?), I was able to spend time my three sisters (two by birth and one ‘in law’). Ivana was in town for work from San Francisco, so we spent the evening with her on Saturday and then had a pool party at Sasha’s cousins house on Sunday. I got to see both of my sisters at their birthday dinner celebration at Pondicheri on Sunday evening (that place is so delicious!).

Some other highlights from the week included:

Going to a surprise birthday party for my older sister – she genuinely had no idea all of her friends were going to be there, and I absolutely love surprises like that! It was a great evening.
Celebrating my best friend’s birthday with lunch at True Food Kitchen and then a girl’s get-together on Saturday. She hosted us at her place, and we had a gorgeous table full of the most delicious food – plus yummy blackcurrant drinks she made us! It was the best afternoon.
Worshipping in Bayou City Fellowship’s new venue, which is slightly closer to our house than the last, which is great. We ran into a few of our friends, which made my morning, and then ate at Ruggles Green after (my absolute favorite!).
Meeting two of the sweetest (and most beautiful!) mamas in Houston – Destiny and Kristen – after being Insta-friends. We met at a splash pad near Kristen’s house, which was seriously the most amazing splash pad we’ve been to. Truman, Mila and Isla were so cute together – they would come together, then go on their separate ways. The photo of Truman biting Isla’s doughnut is hilarious!
Catching up with my friend, Amanda, at her house and talking about interior design, as they’re in the process of updating some of their rooms. Scott and Amanda just got a new dog, Gilbert, who is adorable. He was being slightly terrorized by Isla, who is used to a much bigger dog, but was a great sport about it.
After being in Colorado for a month, I finally got back in the gym. I’ve been doing my BBG workouts at home, but it’s much easier to do it at the gym. I definitely missed Lifetime!
Given that we went from breezy, dry 80 degree weather to hot and humid 105 degree Houston, I felt we needed to reward ourselves throughout the week with fun treats, so we had TCBY twice, juice from Big Power Yoga’s new Big Juice bar and snow cones from Mam’s. Needless to say, Isla loved every bite.

What were the highlights of your week? Hope you’re having a great Monday! xo

Personal June 15, 2015

Week in Review

Remember how last week, I alluded to perhaps resting this week post-party? Well, that did not happen, and isn’t going to happen this week, as I head to Oklahoma City today to visit one of my bestest best friends and her daughter, Lillian, then come back to a few meetings and an exciting photoshoot with Sugar & Cloth that I’ll share details about later. I am bursting at the seams with excitement over our short ‘second generation of bestie’ trip, as I don’t get to see them enough and love them to pieces (Brett too, of course). Lillian is getting her first birthday photos taken on Tuesday, and we’re sneaking in for some bestie shots too! I cannot wait for this!

The past week was wonderful, as we got to celebrate Sasha’s birthday and spend lots of quality family and friend time. A few highlights from the week include:

Isla got new sunglasses in the mail from Blue Bison Designs – a friend from high school’s new Etsy monogramming business. I adore them! And she was cracking me up trying to put them on upside down. That girl!
Swimming every single day of the week, either at my parent’s house, in swim class, in our wading pool or in our next door neighbor’s pool. Isla is a total fish!
Meeting some of my favorite Houston mamas (all Instagram friends-turned-real-friends) at the Ervan Chew splash pad. Isla loved it (see fish comment above). See this photo’s tag for everyone included!
Getting fun packages from Cuteheads Kids and Willow Crowns – incredible businesses owned by two of the mamas I met at the splash pad! I first met both Esther and Megan when we were on Great Day Houston the same day, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. Love them both!
Attending a floral crown workshop hosted by Meredith of Cake & Confetti at Baanou (Houston’s coolest boutique!). More details and photos to come from the Get Crafty Workshop later this week (some pictures below).
Since we skipped Isla’s normal The Little Gym class in order to go to the splash pad, we went on Saturday morning as a family and loved it. Having Sasha there to flip Isla and walk her along the beam was so nice! She had a great time with Tata too.
Going to The Monogram Shop to pick out a cute little dress and bloomers for Isla to wear in an upcoming picnic shoot (details to come soon!). She was all over the place (walking is insane!), but I adore that store and it will always be a highlight to go and visit.
Celebrating Sasha’s birthday with TCBY and vegan cupcakes from both Crave and Sprinkles. Needless to say, my BBG workout/diet started on Thursday! Lots of time spent at Lifetime Fitness this week!
My dad’s retirement started a few weeks ago, and although he seems to be keeping busy with Board of Directors work, we have loved seeing him throughout the week. He dropped by quickly on Monday just to say ‘Hi’ (and to help pick Sasha’s gifts – whoops!) – it’s so nice to see him more often already!
Taking Isla to the doctor for her one year check-up, which she passed with flying colors. We ran into baby Pierce and his sweet parents as we were leaving (the day after I took his newborn photos!).
Finally going to get my eyes checked by my friend, Ashley (ahem, Dr. Bagwell) of West Houston Eye. She looked like a million bucks with the cutest Kate Spade/Anthropologie-esque outfit on – I wanted to snatch it right off her! I am in trouble for wearing my contacts too much and not letting my eyes rest, so I’m working on getting my 20/20 vision back. What a bad patient I am!
Spending time during the weekend with my sister-in-law, Ivana, who lives in San Francisco, but is in Texas right now for work (coolest job ever at Google – so jealous!).
Sipping tasty drinks at Julep for Cocktails with Creatives (an AIGA event) – I met my friends, Meredith and Brittany, and finally got to meet Ryann, the creative whiz behind Nine Zero Nine Creative.
Getting two of the most gorgeous paintings from my mother-in-law and her husband, Nenad, who is an incredible artist. I am dying to show photos of the two paintings soon! They’re perfect.
Meeting an old co-worker, Catherine, and her mom at Rienzi to take head shots for their new non-profit organization which will be empowering young women in Houston by matching them with female mentors. I’m so excited to share details and be a part of this!
Celebrating my friend, Judy, and her fiancé, Josh, at a stock-the-bar shower on Saturday night! They’re getting married in August, and I can’t wait for the wedding.
Getting trained before church to be a Sunday School volunteer in our children’s ministry (ideally the little babies!). Bayou City Fellowship has been so wonderful to us, and we’ve enjoyed having Isla watched while we worship, so it’s about time we gave back!

How was your week? What were your highlights? Please excuse the insane amount of photos below, but I couldn’t help but to overshare!

Personal June 8, 2015

Week in Review

Whew, what a week! We celebrated Isla’s first birthday on Thursday, then busied ourselves until midnight on Friday prepping for Isla’s confetti-themed party on Saturday. My sweet, sweet friend Meredith (of Cake & Confetti) had me over on Thursday evening to make the floral arrangements for the party, then was over until 11:30pm on Friday helping to set everything up (including our insane balloon arch!). She’s insanely talented, and I cannot recommend her enough to help design any event in Houston!

Now that her birthday and the party are over (photos to come tomorrow or Wednesday!), I’m finally taking a deep breath (and plan on catching up with all my favorite blogs!). There are tons of decorations that need to be put away (but where?), loads of thank you notes to write and lots of laundry and cleaning to be done. But for now, I’m trying to soak up the feeling of not having any trips to organize or parties to plan.

Other highlights from the past week include:

Isla getting her first ‘You’re a star’ type ribbon at her gym class at The Little Gym of Memorial. The semester is over, so all the kiddos got awards for their outstanding participation! Isla just wanted to steal other kid’s ribbons. She’s such a sharer (yikes!).
Seeing so many family and friends at Isla’s party. It felt like our wedding, but on a mini-scale (by mini, I mean there were 60+ adults and 20+ kids, so not far off our wedding count!).
Watching Isla transition from mainly crawling and sometimes walking, to mainly walking and sometimes crawling. So cute! And scary.
Seeing Isla play with her new baby doll(s). She adores pushing them around in their little umbrella stroller. It’s the best. I don’t know why she didn’t have one earlier!
Having all of our parents and my sister over for family dinner on Thursday to celebrate Isla’s first birthday – she was very, very tired, so the meal didn’t last more than 30 minutes (and no gifts were opened!).
Wading pool fun with Isla after unpacking on Monday. She then proceeded to hop in the pool days later with her clothes and shoes on. Lesson learned: never turn your back. Ever.
Taking photos of two adorable little babies – Tucker and Pierce – two friends who gave birth to boys just days apart! I love it! I cannot wait to share photos from Pierce’s shoot soon! I got to snap a few photos of my friend Julie’s kids, Evie and Kerr, beforehand – they’re too cute!
Celebrating my friend, Brittany, at her bridal bruncheon at Ouisie’s Table. She’s getting married so soon in Vail, and it’s going to be gorgeous!
Spending time with my sweet sister-in-law, Ivana, who came to visit for Isla’s party. She lives in San Francisco (so jealous), and we cherish the time we get with her when she’s in Texas!

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City Guide June 2, 2015

Paris City Guide

Four perfect days in Paris. Ahh, is it even possible to accomplish all you want to see in such a short period of time? Ideally, anyone going to the City of Lights would have weeks on end to stroll through this gorgeous city, but knowing that isn’t the case for many, I’ve decided to write a four day itinerary (longer than most of my other City Guides). During these 96 hours, I’ve included nearly all of the must see places you’ve seen in movies and heard about since you were little, like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, etc. I also added smaller gems, like L’Orangerie and the Place des Vosges. You can see everything on a map here – I’ve also embedded it at the bottom of this post.

If you’ve been to Paris and think I’m missing some wonderful restaurants or sites, please let me know! I’d love to try new places when we visit next. Also, if you have any specific questions about this itinerary, please email me!

Bon voyage!

Day 1

Start your morning off early with breakfast and coffee at Les Deux Magots in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres area.
Walk by La Duree and stop in for a few famous macaroons on your way to the Louvre (cross over Pont du Carrousel) – the line may be long, but it’s worth it in order to see some of the most famous pieces of art in the world (the Mona Lisa may be underwhelming, but it’s still cool to see!).
If you’re hungry after walking around the massive halls of the Louvre, walk to lunch at nearby Cafe Marly or Claus (recommended by a friend who lives in Paris).
Stroll through the Jardins des Tuileries, and stop in at L’Orangerie for the most awe-inspiring Monets you’ve ever seen – this is one of my favorite museums in the world.

Personal April 20, 2015

Week in Review

It’s Monday, and for the first time in what feels like two weeks, there is a zero percent chance of rain all day long. During the entire weekend, Houston was hit with serious scattered thunderstorms that left the city like a swamp, threatening the family photos that I was supposed to take on Saturday morning. Thankfully, we were able to reschedule for Sunday morning, and after moving our location from one part of Memorial Park to another (the gorgeous Arboretum!) to avoid marsh lands, we managed to knock out some gorgeous photos of an even more beautiful family. I cannot wait to share more of Lainey’s photos later this week! She’s seriously a doll.

Other highlights from the week included:

Eating dinner at Tiny’s No. 5 with four incredibly talented ladies (Jenny Lake of A Fine Flourish, Meredith Staggers of Cake and Confetti, Brittany Williams of Makeup Texas, and Christina Frederick of Christina Leigh Events) to discuss an exciting project within the Houston creative circle – I cannot wait to share more details once they’re hammered out!
Another fun event at Blush and Brush, where six of us (Michelle of Michelle Able Photography, Jenny Lake of A Fine Flourish, Meredith Staggers of Cake and Confetti, Christie of KiKiMac and Uncork Events and Kim of Champagneista) got blowouts and makeup lessons while sipping on mimosas (how I want to spend every Sunday!)
Having one of my good friends, Joy, over for dinner and getting to meet her incredibly sweet and funny boyfriend, Kamyar – you’ve heard me talk about Joy before when I’ve shared my love of her company Priya!
Going to my best friend’s home for lunch and eating from one of our favorite spots – Cafe Brasil while gushing over the Pink Peonies ring that McKenzie bought me for my birthday! I am obsessed.
Wandering around Biscuit Home during their semiannual sale and lusting at everything in the whole store (I even Facetimed Sasha on the golf course to see if he liked this duvet, which was on sale – apparently it’s too girly? Ha). I found this colorful, eco friendly tea cup set, which we bought for Caroline, whose party we went to on Saturday at Wonderwild (I cannot wait to take Isla here when she can jump around!).
Catching up with two high school friends, Randi and Lauren, over lunch at our house from Corner Bakery Cafe – they both have gorgeous baby girls (Lennon, 4 weeks and Charlotte, 6 months – photos below). It was definitely one of the best moments of the week!
Isla’s swim class was canceled due to pool maintenance, so she kept busy with The Little Gym and Fundamentally Music, and other playdates that our nanny arranged with her friends.
Getting the most beautiful package in the mail from Shop Sweet Lulu filled with colorful pretties for Isla’s party!
Finally, at long last, starting our 2015 Shutterfly book. I’ve made an annual book for the last four or five years, and normally I keep it constantly updated, but that has not happened this year. I’m all caught up and feel so relieved about it!
Chatted to one of my favorite people ever, Andrew, about his new company – I was playing the role of a research participant and felt very official. It made me very grateful to have a healthy baby! I cannot wait to share more details about his company when they’re ready to launch!
Finally, at long last, our new bed arrived! We sold our old one ages ago and have been sleeping on the floor on our mattress, so we feel like kings now! You can see my inspiration post here. We’ve got a couple more things to do to the room, then I’ll share photos!
I finished Landline by Rainbow Rowell, which I enjoyed reading, but I’ll admit that I didn’t love it quite as much as Rainbow’s other books, Eleanor and Park and Attachments. I shared my reading lists this summer (here and here), and I’m back in the reading game. Suggestions welcome, please!
Visits from my little sister, Jill, Sasha’s mom and dad, and my mom – all of our family live in Houston, except Sasha’s sister who lives in San Francisco! I want her to move back or for us to move there (hint, hint, Sasha). She saw Julia Engel on Saturday walking with a friend – I would love this sort of ‘celebrity’ spotting!

How was your week? What were your highlights? Also, the winner of The Monogram Shop giveaway is Sydney A.! Congratulations!

Finally! Someone who thinks I’m funny.