If you find yourself in glorious & bright Southern California, do yourself a favor & check out San Clemente. Located between San Diego & Los Angeles, this spunky coastal town in Orange County has so much to do & see & experience. The San Clemente town slogan is "the Spanish Village by the Sea," which rings true once you start exploring. Look no further for things to do in San Clemente, California.

1. Walk down the San Clemente Pier

No stop in San Clemente would be complete without a walk down the pier. It's not very far & the wood is in great condition, so it's quite an easy journey. Once you make it to the end you'll see the remarkable blue green horizon of vast ocean.

2. Hang out at San Clemente State Beach

Heading to the beach is the very first thing you should do on a warm SoCal day in San Clemente. Take a dip in the water, wriggle your toes in the sand, watch the surfers do their thing, or just bask in the sunlight.

3. Stroll the San Clemente Beach Trail

Since you're already at the beach, enjoy the San Clemente Beach Trail. In addition to getting your step count up, you'll witness the wonderful views of the shoreline with a breath of fresh air. It's a relatively easy & tranquil trek. Soaking up the sunshine is one of the best things to do in San Clemente!

4. Browse the local shops

San Clemente has a lot of unique eateries, funky shops, & cool spots to enjoy. Walk down the main street & you're in the heart of all the businesses. There are clothing boutiques, delightful restaurants, & anything your heart desires.

5. Take a look at the houses

I had a blast just looking at the various houses & buildings in the area. Many of them have a very distinct Spanish inspired architecture. Some are brightly colored & others have beautiful front lawns with an abundance of succulents. Just take a moment to peruse & enjoy.

6. Go to the San Clemente Farmer's Market

Walk around & relish in the farmer's market on Sundays from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Get your locally grown fruit, aromatic & fresh bread, or maybe even a bouquet of surprisingly affordable flowers. The farmer's market can be done in 30 minutes or less if you're in a hurry.

7. Casa Romantica

I'm super sad I didn't get a chance to visit Casa Romantica during my trip to San Clemente. It sounds amazing but it was closed by the time we got there. It's a lovely cultural center & garden. I'd love to go on my next trip in the area.

Coachella here I come! It's finally time for Weekend 2 of the highly anticipated arts & music festival. Follow me on my journey because I will be updating this post LIVE throughout the fest! I will do my best to keep this going throughout the three-day experience. Check in on the blog every few hours to see what updates I've made.

+ 4:10 a.m. - En route to Indio! 101 miles to go.

+ 5:51 a.m. The sun is starting to rise! I love those cotton candy skies. Just a few miles away now.

+ 6:10 a.m. We're in the car camping line! Yay!

+ 6:24 a.m. Just heard a girl ask her friend "wanna start drinking after I put my makeup on?" I'm too old for that. Haha.

+ 8:12 a.m. - The car camping line is moving; waiting to get checked by security. It's hot already.

+ 10:06 a.m. - We are almost done setting up camp. Our next-door camp mates offered us a nice cold beer which we accepted gratefully.

+ 11:23 a.m. Fred & I have been drinking water because it's already nearly 90°. Currently checking out the information booklet they gave us upon arrival. Free blowouts & updos at the Beauty Bar & Barber Shop y'all!!!!

+ 1:24 p.m. - Woke up from a much-needed nap & now walking & exploring the camp area.

What Girls Wear to Coachella

Indio // OOTD

25th Birthday + Coachella

Coachella Outfit Essentials

Coachella Recap // Day 1

Coachella Recap // Day 2

Coachella, I Love You

I'm drooling, lying on the couch, eating a liquidy black bean soup, watching CSI: Miami on Netflix while the left side of my mouth is completely & utterly numb. How did it get here? Why is saliva falling out of my mouth? What's going on? Well, let me fill you in. Wondering about the gingivectomy recovery experience? How bad is the gingivectomy pain? Keep reading. 

DAMN YOU WISDOM TEETH! There I said it. Some of you may have experienced a wisdom teeth extraction. It's a pretty standard procedure to get them taken out since many of us don't have enough room in our mouths to keep them. If you do, you're lucky! The wisdom teeth are technically your third & final set of molars; they usually pop up in your teens & 20s. 

I got my wisdom teeth removed in 2013. I had three of them. My recovery was relatively easy. Of course, there was a bit of discomfort & some aching. I slurped on some soft foods & liquids, relaxed & let it all heal. There were no issues. Now fast forward three years. I'm not a doctor, so don't take this as medical advice. It's just my own gingivectomy recovery experience.

What is a gingivectomy? 

The gum tissue where my wisdom teeth were & my current molars are decided to heal up stupidly, causing infections & other issues. My dentist recommended getting the extra gum tissue or deep pockets removed. So I did. The surgery is called a gingivectomy, where excess gum tissue is removed to reduce diseased tissue & pockets that trap bacteria in the deep pockets. It is a surgical gum disease treatment. I split the gingivectomy procedure into two procedures because it was more most cost-effective through insurance. I already did my right side a couple months ago. Now for my left side.

Depending on the severity, your gingivectomy procedure may include major gum removal or reshaping the gum line. It may take several visits to the oral surgeon / dentist office. Your dentist may use local anesthesia to numb the area. 

Gingivectomy Procedure Survival Kit

You'll need:
- Neosporin
- Q-Tips
- Face Ice Pack
- Soup
- Advil &/or Tylenol
- Reading pillow
- Aura Cacia Chill Pill essential oil blend

What can I expect after a Gingivectomy?

Day 1: Gum Tissue Removal

The procedure took about an hour to remove gum tissue. They applied a topical numbing cream & then injected me with something to ensure my gums were totally senseless. No pain. All I felt was a slight pinch. I was awake during the procedure & kept my eyes closed most of the time. That's the beauty of local anesthesia. It's pretty freaky to open your eyes & watch people with a scalpel hack away in your mouth's gum tissue. I could feel the slight discomfort & tension of the scalpel on my teeth as they removed excess gums. Mine used a scalpel, but your surgical procedure might use a laser to remove loose gum tissue. 

Now I'm lying in bed eating soup & avoiding chewing anything on my left side. My mouth is still numb but the feeling will go away in a couple hours. Today is all about icing my mouth & just resting & recuperating. The healing time for the gingivectomy procedure took a couple weeks. Soft foods for the next few days. For a surgical gum disease treatment, it didn't take too long.

Day 2

For the first 24 hours after the operation, I'm supposed to ice my left cheek with an ice pack for 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off. I didn't strictly follow this. Every four to six hours, I took two Advil & a Tylenol as ordered. I followed the pain-relieving guidelines after my numbness subsided & the aching came through. Some facial swelling. At night, instead of taking the Advil/Tylenol combination, I took two Tylenol PMs. Always read the label!

Oh my lord. My jaw is sore. I can open barely my mouth to a third of its capacity. So much discomfort it feels like someone sucker punched me in the face a few times. Rinse with a solution of warm salt water every 6 hours, or follow doctor's orders.

FYI: During my first procedure I received a cut right at the corner of my mouth/lips during the stitching part. Apparently, this is called angular cheilitis; thanks for the info Google. Any movement seemed to open the wound & keep it cracked. My advice to you is to specifically request for them to lubricate your mouth & lips to avoid this error in the future. I asked for Vaseline twice during my second procedure & this absolutely helped.

Since I woke up with an incredibly sore mouth, I did the Advil/Tylenol combination & iced my cheek. I felt better after a couple of hours. Today I'm supposed to do a warm saltwater rinse instead of the 15-minute icing intervals. I did a rinse in the morning & in the afternoon.

Day 3

I didn't take any pain medication today. I'm a little sore but nothing I can't survive. I'm sticking to mashed foods, soft foods, liquids, & soups because I can't chew on my left side. The foods & liquids are not delicious but what can you do when you're in pain?

Day 4

My gums are doing well. I did a saltwater rinse. Even though I'm not actively trying, I can feel the stitches in my mouth. As ordered, I've been using the Peridex solution every day & night on the gums rather than brushing them. Other than that I brush my teeth as usual, simply avoiding the affected area. Same foods & liquids. Can't wait to eat real food.

Day 5

My mouth & gums barely hurt at all, no pain! Yay! I can somewhat chew & eat.

Day 6

My stitches are coming out. My jaw feels funky though. I think it's a bit sore from being open during the procedure & having to exclusively eat with my right side.

Days 7 - 10

Everything is almost back to normal. Healing well. There's only a mild sensation of awkwardness in my jaw & gums.

Day 14

I feel back to normal. I visited the periodontist today & he said everything looks great. There's a bit of swelling & healing left, so he wants me to come back in two weeks. My tip to those who are getting a gingivectomy surgery: if you're healing well, schedule your checkup 3 - 4 weeks from your initial procedure to allow time to heal, so you don't have to keep come in multiple for a 5 minute check up. 

Day 21

Day 32

Have you had your wisdom teeth removed? :]

Clueless is a 1990s cult classic. If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to watch it as soon as you can. It's one of my top favorite movies ever; I've mentioned it a couple times: Halloween Costume Idea. There are so many wonderful & memorable outfits from the film, & they'll leave you lusting for your own version. I want to highlight Cher's black & white look from the beginning of the film because it's simple, approachable, & easy to recreate. 

In the film, Cher wears a choker necklace, a beaded cross necklace, & a simple ring. Keep the look clean & elegant with a darling beaded necklace. A beaded necklace can be used in a myriad of ways so you won't be left owning something that you never use.

Clueless has so many awesome outfits it's hard to ignore. Try to pull together this look with items you have in your closet. See how close you can get to the original & then you can integrate a couple pieces from your own wardrobe.