Inn at Discovery Coast Weekend + YouTube Channel Reveal!

How much do I love the PNW coast, you ask?! Infinity on infinity. We took a trip up to Long Beach, WA for a fun weekend with friends at the Inn at Discovery Coast! Matt and I have been photographing local area resorts + hotels for about a year now which means we have the inside scoop on some pretty out of this world places in Oregon and Washington. No complaints here.

I love trips with Matt but there’s also something special about traveling with friends. We were excited to have our buddies Candace and Maynard along for the ride this time. They’re both super talented photographers in Portland which made it even more fun when we all took turns shooting photos without being super annoying to each other. Bloggers, amiright?!

Long Beach is about 2.5 hours from Portland and there was a storm brewing the entire time! Winters on the coast can be pretty gnarly and the wind over the weekend was INSANE! It reached over 30 mph and was howling through the nights. I grew up in the land of tornadoes so high wind gives me the freak-outs. Our first night, we met up with our buddies and played games for a while. Laughed ourself silly (sorry room #17 in the middle of us)! We went to sleep around midnight and the wind was howling SO WILDLY that I legit could not sleep until 5 am or so. The ocean waves were said to be reaching 35-40 feet and the tide was scary! But we survived the night and awarded ourself with breakfast in bed. Yes, please! At 11 am! EVEN BETTER! I always will be and always have been a later sleeper. Just let me be, people. Just let me be.

Even though the weather was wild, we saw a pocket of sunshine in the afternoon and leaped on it to explore nearby Cape Disappointment State Park! Yall…..this place is a MUST SEE! Add it to your travel list. She’s a beauty! Matt and I have been a few times and each time I’m in awe. Good grief I love the Pacific Northwest. But I bet you didn’t know that, eh?

The hike to the lighthouse is a little over half a mile and we BARELY missed a downpour. But never fear! The best part about winter coast trips (besides less people) is the saunas + hot tubs + heated pools at a lot of the resorts. The sauna at The Inn was so cool!! And the pool was hot and divine! It was slightly cooler than a hot tub which made it perfect for a winter dip. How do I get one in my house?!

After that, we returned to the room for a hot bath in the jacuzzi tub before dinner at the onsite restaurant, Pickled Fish! IT WAS SO YUMMY! Clam chowder, sausage pizza with peppers, fish + chips (obviously!) and a couple of cocktails later had us drowsy and feeling so comfie. We ran back to the room in the rain but cuddled up in bed and fell asleep around 8:30 pm to Earth documentaries playing on the TV above our bed. Have you seen Our Planet?! IT IS DIVINE! One of the most amazing things I’ve seen! It will bring you to tears at the beauty of this amazing world. And the walrus episode will break your heart in a million pieces. Oh man. It’s good, ya’ll. So good.

Much thanks to the team at Adrift Hotel + The Inn at Discovery Coast for having us! We were gifted a stay in exchange for photos + sharing our experience and it was a great one! We also recorded our very first Youtube vlog during our visit and plan to keep this going with travels, reviews of things we love, marriage adventures and all the lifestyle goodness!
Check it out below!
And subscribe if you’re into that sort of thing.

Beach Days

The beaches of Tulum are way up there on the dreamy scale. We happened to be visiting during high seaweed season but it only took a few moments to scope out spots clear of those pesky ocean plants. Hopping over seaweed piles to enter the warm ocean waters happened to be our biggest struggle all week. I'll call that a win. The first day we snuck onto a private resort beach (ehhh....no thanks). The next day we explored the coast on our trusty scooter and stumbled upon the most perfect beach paradise ever - shady cabanas, clear water, non packed and free! We spent the rest of our days laying in the sand until the sun went down. And when it did?! That's when the real magic happened. 

We've collected so many other photos to share from Ecuador, Mexico and our current travels. I'll admit, we've fallen a bit behind lately. We've been spending the last week in our beloved Tulsa, OK visiting friends, eating at our favorite places and packing, selling and giving away our things. Want to know a true marriage tester? Purging your stuff. We're both learning to be patient with each other and I'm so thankful my husband is one of the most neat and tidy minimalists in the universe. And his packing skills? Unrivaled. He wins all the awards. 

We're on the road until February when we move into our new place. So excited I can barely stand it! We're saying bye to Oklahoma tomorrow (sniff, sniff) and driving 12 hours to Columbus, OH. We've got a car full of Trader Joe's holiday cookies to keep us hyped and sugared up. Living out of our car isn't so bad, really. 

(all photos taken by Matthew Arbo, my sweetheart)

Ruins of Tulum

The last couple of weeks have been a blur of motion, family, friends, hello's, goodbye's & travel. We left Ecuador a few weeks ago & then spent a week long vacation in Tulum, Mexico. Tulum is a DREAM!! It was the perfect stop for us to spend a week alone together. We stayed in a gorgeous airbnb, rented a scooter to get us from our apartment to the beach as quickly as possible, went to bed early, ate the most amazing food & cuddled a lot. One evening, we visited the ruins which are part of what makes Tulum so famous. They were GORGEOUS!! My sweet man documented our trip to the ruins & now we're sharing it with you guys! We love Tulum & have several photos to share over the next few weeks. 

We're currently in the beginning of a two month holiday road trip which will take us through Houston, Nacogdoches, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Ft Worth, Tulsa, Indianapolis, Buffalo & more on our way to New Hampshire for Christmas! We're crashing couches from here to the great north. And it's been a blast. 

Basilica del Voto Nacional in Quito

Because we only had four months living in South America, we spent as much free time as possible exploring the country. Downtown Quito is FULL Of beautiful people and places. It's hard to miss the grandness of the Basilica. It's massive and gorgeous and slightly haunting. This church is UNREAL! The construction started in the late 1800's and it still remains unfinished today. Local legend says that when the Basilica is completed, the end of the world will come. How crazy is that!? Located in downtown Quito, this is a must see if you're ever in the area. $2 can get you a (slightly sketchy) hike to the top and a view well worth the small entrance fee. Just a warning....leave the heels at home. I stashed my trustee Nike's in my backpack for the climb. Well worth it. 

We climbed all the way to the top and just stared out at this city we've fallen in love with. So much beauty. So much pain. I can't help but think of beautiful Paris when exploring gorgeous old buildings like this one. What is happening with the world, you guys? My prayers and thoughts are with all those hurting today in that beautiful city of lights. Quito and Paris will always be special to me in so many ways. Thankful to have had the chance to spend time in both lovely places. 

Today is our last day in Quito. Our bags are packed (that was comical...how did we end up with so much stuff?!), we've said most of our goodbyes and gotten emotional over leaving this place. We have loved every second of being here and will be back to visit as often as we can. Quito, you changed me. 

Before heading back to the states, we've scheduled a mini vacation with just the two of us! This is the first time since getting married that we've been away and all alone. I'm so excited! We're spending a week in Tulum, Mexico for some aloooooooone time and relaxation. Meow! I've been working part time with an amazing company (The Influence Network) and have also worked a few Instagram gigs since being here which has allowed us to save for a little getaway before returning to the states. I can't wait! If you've ever been, let us know all the things to eat and do. We'll be back in America on November 23 then the holidays begin! So many good things to look forward to in the midst of a sad goodbye. 

Quito....you beautiful babe. Thank you for changing us.

Arbos out! 

(photos by Matthew Arbo)

Exploring Teleferico (on horseback & stuff)

Matt has this gift for planning the best surprises! Neither of us are 'stuff' people so special outings are our couple love language. Is couple love language even a thing? Consider it a thing now. I can't compete when it comes to putting together day long dates full of beautiful moments BUT I'm taking notes. One day, Matthew. One day. 

If you're ever in Quito, Ecuador then we both highly recommend spending a morning at Teleferico. Only $8.50 for a gondola ride & a morning hiking above the clouds. The city is MAGNIFICENT from 13,500 feet. Plus, you can rent horses to explore the mountainside for 30-60 minutes. We've gone twice & both times I end up with the friskiest horse on the mountain. Thanks, mom & dad, for those early years of horse riding experience or I would have jumped off at the first annoyed side kick. All that to say, it was one of the top five experiences of my life. Matt grabbed a few shots while galavanting around. Husbands are so good to have around.