hang ten, west coast style

hang ten, west coast style

Hi it’s Stella again! I just spent two weeks on the West Coast and returned home feeling fully inspired by the laid back lull of the NorCal vibes.

I am glad to be home to Burton and Luna. Our castle wedding is in FOUR WEEKS, so it’s time to get down to some serious business!!

This week I wanted to share with you a mobile app that we really enjoy: Timehop. Channeling your social media accounts, Timehop allows users to reach back into time, where our memory may have failed us. I enjoy my daily updates to see what my adventure trio was up to years past.

Timehop Austin Bloody Marys

In Austin last March for SXSW

Check out Timehop here: www.timehop.com

Lastly, here are some photos from my trip to Santa Cruz & my roadtrip along the Pacific Coast. ENJOY!!!

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Santa Cruz Zen Treehouse Nestled in Redwoods

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Sunset in Santa Cruz

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Birthday Lanterns Off Into the Sky

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Brunchin’

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Those Teeny Dots Are People & Dogs

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… When You Know It’s Time to Go HOME 🙂

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My daily adventure photos are posted on my  SvetlanaMinx Instagram account.

XOXO

-Stella

let’s dream: housesitting vacation

let’s dream: housesitting vacation

Luna at beach

Luna

Hello Spring?? We live on a teeny beach island and this Indian Winter has me bundled up in the house. Even Luna #woof is restless. We miss long, romantic walks on the beach together, sprints through the surf, freckles melting, and sun sparkling off the sand.

As a pick me up, it time to dream about summer vacation trips. Are you with me??!!

Last year we spent almost a year traveling cross country. We were so lucky to land some housesitting gigs in Brooklyn, Charleston, Portland, Seattle, Austin, Bend and more. Most involved taking care of the family pets while the owners jetted off to travel themselves. It was SO MUCH FUN! We have taken care of amazing dogs, cats, chickens, miniature ponies, goats, horses, and one stinkin’ cute bunny named Elvis.

goats housesitting

Seattle Goats

Chewy housesitting

Chewy of Portland

There are many international housesitting websites, but here are the ones we signed up for:

HouseCarers  —> @housecarers
Mind My House —> @MindMyHouse1
Luxury Housesitting
Trusted Housesitters —> @Housesitting

To get your imagination running wild, take a quick look at their Twitter updates. Know that each annual membership costs less than 50 $USD. It’s an instant payoff for you and your family because instead of paying big bucks for accommodation, most housesitting gigs provide FREE accommodation. Each housesitting adventure changed our lives! All the families we met were so fantastic, it felt like we’d been friends forever. For more inspiration, check out this cute Canadian couple, Dalene & Peter, who sold everything to travel the world! Their blog is Hecktic Travels.

So when I am all bundled up underneath all the blankets in the house, I relish perusing the daily housesitting posts. I dream about New Zealand, Fiji, France … and our honeymoon destination: Iceland!!

Fiji Housesitting

6 months in Fiji

Brooklyn housesitting

Brooklyn for Spring Break 2013

Hawaii Housesitting

Variable Dates in Hawaii

Asheville France housesitting

Asheville or France?!

 

Where would YOU like to go this summer? Send me your dream vacation location in the comments box below, and I will respond with housesitting gigs to consider. Teamwork!!

XOXO – Stella

meet stella!