Marin Headlands Day Hike

Let me preface by saying this is my favorite Bay Area hike SO FAR. I plan to go on many more adventures, but this hike is worth documenting, noting and sharing. 

Depending on your schedule and if you are driving or taking the bus sort of dictates where you start. Ideally, I'd recommend starting at Battery Spencer, making your way down to Kirby Cove and back up to Conzelman Road all the way to Point Bonita Lighthouse (4.4 miles according to Google). Now the only reason I recommend doing it this way is because Point Bonita Lighthouse doesn't open until 12:30pm. Keep in mind that PBL is only open Saturday, Sunday and Monday 12:30-3:30pm. I like to start my hikes early, so it made sense for me to start at Battery Spencer/Kirby Cove and end at PBL. Now, if you have already seen PBL and don't need to go inside the gate/see it again or you are a late hiker, starting at PBL and ending at Battery Spencer is an option, which was the route we took when doing this hike for the first time. Once you see PBL, you don't really need to see it again do you? There are already tons of other beautiful sights around you that the idea of trying to make it to PBL with a 3-hour window in mind is crazy annoying.

I'm going to share my route of starting at Kirby Cove and ending at PBL. Please feel free to do the complete opposite ;)

1. Start at Battery Spencer to get some pictures of the GGB, of course.  

Battery Spencer view. 

Battery Spencer view. 

2. From Battery Spencer, head down to Kirby Cove to get some more pictures of the GGB. You might also be lucky enough to swing on the infamous swing if it hasn't been cut down already. 

On the way to Kirby Cove. 

On the way to Kirby Cove. 

Hikers Club. 

Hikers Club. 

Kirby Cove. 

Kirby Cove. 

GGB at Kirby Cove. 

GGB at Kirby Cove. 

Kirby Cove. No swing so this tree will do. 

Kirby Cove. No swing so this tree will do. 

3. Make sure to check out your surroundings before leaving each spot; you never know what you'll find. Most places I visit that I have seen on IG aren't what I've expected or are too crowded with people that have the same idea in mind. I'm usually more impressed with other sights found off the beaten path.

4. Head back up to Conzelman Road and take it all the way until you hit Field Road. Make sure to stop along the way to take in those views! For instance, Headlands Lookout is one of my favorite spots to stop and snap a few pictures. Take a left at Field Road until you come to PBL. PBL is free and like I mentioned, only open Saturday, Sunday and Monday 12:30-3:30. We ended up going on Memorial Day which was probably the worst idea ever. There were a lot of people there and we had to wait in line to cross the bridge over to the lighthouse. Once we crossed, there really wasn't much space and we were out of there within 30 minutes. My favorite part about PBL was capturing it from afar, but it was nice to experience and see IRL.

Headlands Lookout.

Headlands Lookout.

Battery Rathbone McIndoe. 

Battery Rathbone McIndoe. 

Entrance to PBL.

Entrance to PBL.

Across the bridge at PBL in one of the buildings. 

Across the bridge at PBL in one of the buildings. 

Point Bonita Lighthouse 

Point Bonita Lighthouse 

5. Wander off. Head back up Field Road and take a left at Mendell Road to check out Battery Mendell. This is where I really enjoyed our hike. It was much more quiet and there were so many flowers blooming everywhere. Battery Mendell was pretty neat too (try prying one of the doors open, maybe you'll get lucky). Heading back up Field Road or Conzelman Road, you'll find two more Batteries: Battery Wallace and Battery Wallace 2. If you have time there are tons more to explore that I am leaving out, but that's for another time. For instance: Rodeo Beach, Tennessee Valley Beach, Muir Beach, Stinson Beach. 

Battery Mendell. 

Battery Mendell. 

Blending in.

Blending in.

California summer. 

California summer. 

We hiked down Rodeo Lagoon Vista Point for this shot. 

We hiked down Rodeo Lagoon Vista Point for this shot. 

Tyler looking fly. 

Tyler looking fly. 

An old Mercedes on Conzelman Road. 

An old Mercedes on Conzelman Road. 

6. Head up the trail to catch the 76x back to the city. You deserve a warm bath and a full glass of wine after the day you just had, so go make it happen. 

Until next time, 

Halee

Life Update + Our New Abode

It's been awhile hasn't it?! Life has definitely been a little crazy for us these last two months with new jobs, a new apartment and generally everything new around us! We've been trying to navigate our way through SF, especially our new 'hood, to become familiar with our surroundings.

Paul and I finally have our favorite grocery stores we like to go to; Trader Joe's for weekend trips when we need a lot of things, Le Beau Market for quality and specialty items (fruit and veggies etc.), Belcampo for meat, and Flatiron for wine. We have SO many good restaurants around us, but we try to cook at home at least 4 times a week, leaving us a few times to eat out (can you blame us?)

My job was located in the Mission, but we just recently moved offices closer to our apartment. Before, I was leaving our apartment at 7:45 a.m. every morning to get to work by 9 a.m. I would get off at 5:30 p.m and wouldn't get home until 6:30 p.m. My commute included about nearly an hour of walking every day and an hour of bus every day (2 hours total commute everyday). Now, it should only take me 20 minutes to walk to work, which really excites me! It takes Paul about 20-30 minutes to walk to work as well, so hopefully him and I have extraordinary calves, butts, and/or abs in the near future. 

Paul and I just recently joined a co-ed soccer team too! We have already played a couple of games, and let me tell you, the weather for soccer here compared to Texas is really incomparable. I do not miss that Texas heat (but I do miss other things including queso, bbq, and a handful of people). 

We have been living in our apartment for a month now (crazy!) and we finally feel like it has come together. We still need a few things, and still want to update some pieces of furniture in the future, but overall it feels like home. Here are some photos of our place for your viewing pleasure - I will also link some of our items so you know where we purchased them. 

Zhori Bar Cart from Wayfair

Zhori Bar Cart from Wayfair

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Pillow from Etsy

Pillow from Etsy

Zona 75" Etagere Bookcase from Wayfair

Zona 75" Etagere Bookcase from Wayfair

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Ottis Lianne Red Area Rug from Wayfair

Ottis Lianne Red Area Rug from Wayfair

Freestanding Wood Coat Stand from Wayfair

Freestanding Wood Coat Stand from Wayfair

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Banner from Matriarch Handmade

Banner from Matriarch Handmade

Pascal Dining Chair from Wayfair

Pascal Dining Chair from Wayfair

Regina in stuffed animal form

Regina in stuffed animal form

All the closet space!

All the closet space!

Ilkley map from Uncommon Objects

Ilkley map from Uncommon Objects

Hallway views

Hallway views

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Table from Stuff

Table from Stuff

Apron from Hedley and Bennett
Golden Gate to the left (even though I didn't get it in the picture)

Golden Gate to the left (even though I didn't get it in the picture)

Coit Tower to the right

Coit Tower to the right

And that's a wrap! Thanks for reading and scrolling through. I can't tell you what my next post will be, but it will have something to do with baking, traveling, or more updates on life in SF.

-Halee 

Artifact Uprising Prints

I have been a huge Artifact Uprising fan for years, ever since I got my first instagram book made by them. I believe my collection so far equals to 3 books, and now some 5x7 prints, that I am super excited about. 

Why am I excited you ask? Well, we will be moving into our new apartment in (hopefully) 3 weeks time, and I can't wait to showcase these photos throughout our new home. I plan on framing some of them and using holders for some of them too (check out these wood block holders on Artifact Uprising's site here). Of course I will be displaying the photo-books I have already, which I did at our old house, but I am excited to see how it all comes together in our new place. 

If you aren't familiar with Artifact Uprising, they are a team of individuals who decided that photos on our phones and laptops should be transferred to books or pictures that we can display in our home and therefore can never get deleted or lost. They truly believe in people and our ability to do great things. If you want to learn more about how they started as a business and become a fan like myself, you can read about them here

If you guys are interested in Artifact Uprising and ordering some prints, use code PRINT25TGS! This will get you a set of everyday prints (seen here), not including shipping. You can choose any size and the code is good until August 11th. Hope some of you get your hands on some prints! Leave me any questions or comments below.

Until next time,

Halee

Sandgrens Clogs

Lately, I have been more into shoes than I have ever been. I've always been the girl that wears Birks in the summer and Docs in the winter. But, I have been wanting to expand my shoe collection for some time now, and make my outfits a little more fun. 

I collaborated with Sandgrens Clogs, a Swedish shoe company founded in the 19th century, to showcase my new clogs and talk about my experience wearing them. 

As you can tell from the pictures, I practically wore my clogs everywhere since I got them. I tried to coordinate them with every outfit. When we visited San Francisco, I wore them almost everyday; even days that we walked over 10 miles! They really are the cutest shoes I own, and very comfortable too! You can wear them with jeans to make a casual outfit have a bit more flare, or you can wear them with a dress if it's date night. They really are versatile. 

If you are interested in the same shoe that I received, here is the link: https://sandgrensclogs.com/for-women/brights/madrid-low/.

Until next time, 

Halee

News, Photoshoot & Pop-Up

Last week was CRAZY busy and I just wanted to share some images, words, and my gratitude for those who support what I do. 

The beginning of my weeks are usually low key-catching up on trash tv, cleaning, prepping for my weekend of baking, and just taking it semi-easy. Last week's craziness started off with being on Kens5 with Anthony from Lick Ice Creams on Thursday (May 18th). We were invited to be on the news to talk about the pop-up were having that Saturday at Lick. I obviously get super nervous and weird with these types of things, and I end up psyching myself out when there is no need to. It didn't help that we needed to be there almost 2 hours before we actually went on. It ended up being completely fine and I really enjoyed the experience of being on tv again (this was my 3rd time!), especially with Anthony by my side. If you haven't seen the clip, you can watch it here (below). 

Great Day SA segment

The following day (Friday May 19th) I had a lot of orders to get through, including 2 cakes. After my donut orders were picked up, Jessica Giesey came over to shoot some shots and videos of me doing my thang. For the record, I just want to say that she is truly something special. She's not only good at what she does but we totally click and get along-so it makes things really easy when we work together. I couldn't believe the pictures when I saw them. They really are breathtaking. 

And this video ^^^^ 

Saturday May 20th was the day I had been waiting for for so long. It started off suuuuuuper early in the morning (midnight to be exact), with me cutting out donuts and getting them into the freezer as soon as possible so that I could stay on schedule. My mom arrived at 3am ready to help me glaze, package, and clean up once we were done. When we arrived, I was thinking I'd be ready to glaze in 30 minutes, which made me think I was way ahead of schedule. We didn't start glazing until almost 5am and didnt finish until 6:30. We needed to leave no later than 7:15am and I still needed to box up the donuts and clean the kitchen. I definitely wasn't ahead of schedule anymore. After a lot of hustle, we ended up leaving on time. We arrived at Lick at about 7:35 and brought all the boxes inside. I set up and we talked logistics. The media group arrived at 8am and then shortly after people started lining up. It was the weirdest feeling, to see people line up waiting for your donuts (and Lick ice cream). I was trying not to think about it because I knew I'd get nervous or overwhelmed. The doors opened at 8:30 to the public and everyone started coming in. I couldn't help but smile as I talked to people while my insides were filled with butterflies. Loads of people asked for the maximum amount (6 donuts), and before I knew it we were sold out after 35 minutes (there's a debate on how long but I've heard 27, 30, 35, and 40 minutes ha!). I really couldn't believe it. To me, it felt like much longer. I can't thank the people who came out, everyone who helped me, and especially Lick for making this all happen and for wanting to collab with me. Here's some images and a video from the pop-up for your viewing pleasure :)

The line from the front.

The line from the front.

The line from somewhere in the back.

The line from somewhere in the back.

Overall, this weekend was such a blast and super rewarding. I feel like I accomplished so much in just a few days, and I got to work alongside some REALLY amazing people. I have a couple days worth of work this week (lots of donuts to be made), and then we are off to California for a week. At the end of every tunnel, there is light. California is my light. Be on the look out for some more blog posts after our vacay-and follow along on IG! (theginger_snap). 

Thanks for reading, see y'all again soon!

-Halee 

 

 

 

Modkat Review

I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Modkat, who create modern cat litter boxes. I know, it sounds kind of odd, but I must say that these things are beautiful. The reason I was even considering switching Regina to a different box in the first place was because she started displaying signs that were abnormal to her everyday behavior. For instance she started kicking litter everywhere OUTSIDE of her box and that's when I started to do my research. A few sites had recommended Modkat (and another brand I forget the name of), who have litter boxes that are top-entry, meaning the cat has to get into the box through the top. After heading to their site and having a look around, reading their story, and taking a look at theor products, I knew I had to have one. At first, I was skeptical, and I wasn't sure if this was going to fix or help the problem, but it was worth a shot. We have been using the Modkat for only 4 days and she uses it as if it was her old one. She also doesn't leave nearly as much litter behind as she used to. 

As they say on their site, "the top entry-lid allows for a fully enclosed base, keeping the mess inside no matter how vigorously they dig or where they aim." Regina doesn't like to be watched when she is doing her business, so sometimes when I need to be in the same area, she scurries out in a hurry. Before with her old box, the litter would get EVERYWHERE, but now, it relatively stays on top of the box or inside. I also haven't seen her actually kick piles of litter outside of the box like she used to. I think a lot of that comes from the way it is made. It would almost impossible for her to do that because of how tall it is and how she has to get in to do her thing. The dimensions of the Modkat are 16" L x 16" W x 15" H. It comes with a reusable tarp liner that you can wash and use time and time again until it's on its last leg. It also comes with a scoop, that elegantly hangs on the side of the box. Right now it comes in 5 colors, but maybe they'll add more in the future :) Another thing that I really love about it, is you can technically put it anywhere, especially if you live in a smaller apartment or studio. It is actually nice to look at and it reduces odors, so you and your guests may not even know it's there. 

Overall, I am super happy to have collaborated with this brand. Even though it has only been 4 days, I have already seen signs of improvement, which was ultimately my goal in the first place. If you'd like to take a look at Modkat's site, read about how they got started, and/or look at some of their products, the website is https://modkat.com/.

 

Thanks for reading! See you guys soon.

San Antonio Magazine Feature

In the latest issue of San Antonio Magazine (March), I and five other instagrammers were featured as "social media gurus". What an honor! When SAM messaged me about including me in the March issue, I was definitely taken back and all in. I love being apart of the San Antonio Community. Whether thats through instagram, baking, eating out, etc., I enjoy it all. The article briefly talks about how instagram is "famous (or notorious) for transforming iphone pics into envy-inducing peeks into what often looks not like the good life, but a perfect life." It then goes on to advise its readers to follow the six "snap-happy" instagrammers they feature. In my section, I mentioned that I would be selling my baked goods to our city soon enough (and here I am!) Others talk about what instagram means to them, what their instagram is about, and so forth. I am super happy I had the opportunity to work with SAM and the other ladies.