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lifestyle

0 In home/ lifestyle

an effortless ladies’ lunch

We have teamed up with Wells Fargo! Thank you for supporting the companies that make LoveRavayna possible.

I love entertaining- hosting and feeding and welcoming people is one of my love languages. But honestly, my pinterest-perfect standards needed a major simplification after Asher arrived if I was going to keep my hostess apron on. I’ll soon return to my big-bash roots, but these days I’m all about curating relaxation wherever I can- and stressing over company does not make for a fun time. 

I’d been wanting to gather a couple girlfriends for a little lunch to catch up- sometimes I feel so wrapped up in my own family that I miss things. I kept putting it off because of scheduling craziness, social anxiety, and general overwhelm, but reminded myself that these babes don’t need excessive impressing, and emailed out some invites for a super casual afternoon hang. 

Prebaby, a major menu would have keen an entertaining must, but I don’t have time for all that these days. Delicious takeout to the rescue! I ordered two kinds of chopped salad and a big pan of mac and cheese, and just grabbed them shortly before the ladies were expected. I’ll own that we eat far more takeout that we used to these days, and that makes me so grateful for our Wells Fargo Propel® Card. It earns 3X rewards points on not only dining out, but also ordering in on takeout- it adds up so fast! 

I wanted to do something a little homemade though, so I did whip up some homemade chocolate chip cookies for dessert. 

I’m always a fan of mixing high-end and low key, and I did that here in regards to dishware. I always throw down for real glassware- the heft in your hand makes things feel fancy! These blush and blue ones are from my vintage glassware collection. Far less fancy, we ate off the ecofriendly disposable dishes we keep on hand for parties and food drop offs- they are heat pressed from fallen palm leaves, recyclable and compostable. 

Momming ain’t easy, and I know that firsthand nowadays, so I wanted to spoil the squad a little. So I hired a manicurist to come give mini massages, which went down a treat. That was a little splurge, so I also brought a nail art sticker kit for a little diy pamper time too. 

We had such a fun afternoon chatting and eating- I’m so lucky to surround myself with fabulous women like these.

Xx Ravayna

0 In life/ lifestyle

talking about our journey…

This post is part of a paid sponsorship with Ferring Pharmaceuticals, but this journey, story, and all opinions are my own.

As I shared, David and I are OVERJOYED to be expecting our first child. This pregnancy has been dreamt of, wished for, and frankly, pursued with persistence. I’m normally pretty emotional, but each moment of joy, whether getting that first positive test, seeing the little blob on an early ultrasound, telling a friend or family member, manages to bring me to tears. You see, for a long time we thought adoption would be our path to a family, that I’d be unable to have children naturally, so every pregnancy milestone celebration is exceptionally sweet, an experience I never thought I’d get to have myself. Grab a cup of tea or wine, this story starts a long time ago.

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14 In food/ lifestyle/ travel

new orleans neutrals

stella-and-dot-necklace cape-shirt-3

Man, oh man, it was good to be home in New Orleans.  The official excuse for the trip was a wedding, for one of my college roommates and sorority sisters. But we always want to spend time with David’s mom, have friends and family to love on, new babies to meet and kiss, so our weekend in NOLA was a long and busy one. Continue Reading →

0 In life/ lifestyle/ travel

a nyc street stroll

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I realized right before we left for NYC that all of the pictures David and I have had made look nothing like me- I have totally outdated hair color! Oh, unicorn life problems.  Fortunately, we were able to make a little time for a date with Paige Sovic to get some updated shots taken, so I wanted to share them.

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0 In lifestyle/ travel

wiw: a highline walk

i-heart-ny nyc-sky-line-hot-girls

Even in during the craziest of weeks, in the busiest cities, I do my best to find quiet time. Don’t get me wrong- I love New York City, but sometimes the tall buildings and the crowds can make me feel just a little bit claustrophobic. So I make time to catch my breath, like the morning David and I woke up early to walk down the Highline.

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0 In lifestyle/ style

shopstyle social house

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We are back from New York and the madness that was NYFW! I was pretty quiet about it during the lead-up, simply because it came together so quickly. But it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my career and life thus far and I’m so excited to share it with y’all.

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The Shopstyle Social House event was actually the first invitation I received for the week in New York, and I was so excited about it.  A blogger’s oasis in a gorgeous space, I was looking forward to connecting with amazing people and brands, and it totally didn’t disappoint!

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Brands like Neiman Marcus, Marks & Spencer, Luisaviaroma, Sam Edelman and more all provided tons of clothes and accessories for us to choose from and borrow to wear for the week. Going through those racks was so fun… and if you follow my instagram (specifically my stories!) you saw the sneak peeks and know I went home with some seriously good stuff!

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The glass houses was so perfectly decorated for this event, with lots of little photo-ready spaces. Hallmark was providing the prettiest cards and mailing them for us, so I loved sending a little love from the big apple.

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Gigi NY was foil-pressing initials onto crossbody bags, while Sole Society monogrammed social handles onto denim scarves.  {use code NYFW16 for 20% off madison and catie bags at GigiNY }. Baublebar gifted us chokers, and I felt all pampered with makeup by Le Metier de Beaute  and hair by R + Co.

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They also had a photography team on deck, providing rooftop mini- shoots… pretty much a blogger’s dream, realized.  The below three images are by the talented Ugla Hauk.

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That black Trina Turk tote was one of the items i borrowed for the week- i really was glad

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I think my favorite part of the event was running into all the darling girls that I’ve gotten to know over Instagram!

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Jamie (in blue) was such sweetheart, and Abby (in that killer Milly sequined dress) is a good friend- we had a sleepover one night. It seemed like I ran into Kat and Taylor (with the gorge strawberry blonde mane) at lots of different events. And Stefanie is the cutest- she made her green outfit!

shopstyle-details tank || cape, under $70 || shorts || clutch c/0 August California || tote c/o Trina Turk and Shopstyle || heels || choker c/o baublebar || earrings  || ring

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We did so much in NYC- it was amazing and exhausting! Obviously, lots of good stuff coming soon to the blog…

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loveRavayna 

0 In food/ lifestyle/ los angeles

smorgasburg la

 

purple hair fantasy braid 

I was so excited for us to finally be home and unscheduled on a Sunday so we could go eat at Smorgasburg. I love food trucks and food halls and all delicious food, so I was seriously jazzed to get my fat little fingers into all the yummy offerings.  

smorgasboard-directions smogasboard market

During the week, this space is the wholesale produce market, so I’ve been before when shopping for jamming or a pie party.  Then, it’s been crowded with crates of produce, but I’ve never seen this many people at the Bay before.

food truck meet upsmorgasboard ramen burger smorgasboard ramen burger grill_ the ramen burger

We were hungry, so we beelined for a legendary ramen cheesburger.  It was INCREDIBLE- crispy and chewy and savory and it honestly disappeared in just a few bites and I was sad I had to share it with David and contemplated getting right back in line for a second round. It totally lived up to the talk.  

big mozz stickssmogasboard beer garden

We moved on to artisan mozzarella sticks and that was a very good life choice.  We skipped the beer garden, because I had left my ID in my purse from the night before. I wasn’t brokenhearted, because I’m not a beer lover and David was driving, so I wandered off to do a little shopping.

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I was pleasantly surprised at the caliber of the shops – there is obviously an application process, because all the vendors were diverse and quality. I went in for sunnies and caftans at Coast to Coast vintage, and eyed this holo swell for quite a while at beautiful things.

banh oui banh mi smorgasboard

Another sandwich round was up next for us, with a pork belly Banh Oui. I know fusion isn’t perfectly authentic, but this was one of the best pork belly sandwiches I’ve ever had, perfectly balanced and so mouthwatering!

smogasboard stuffed face cut out amaze bowls smorgasboard acai bowl smorgasboard

As we moved on to sweets, I had to go full out for the coconut bowl at Amazebowls. It was super gorgeous, but if i’m being honest I make tastier ones – some of the edible flowers were super bitter. And it was pretty tiny for the price, so I might hack these at home soon.

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I chose blackberry kaffir lime at Paloma’s Paleta’s, and it was both super delicious and very photogenic- and super refreshing, because it was so. freaking. hot. out there.

There’s a ton we didn’t get to eat, but we’ll be back soon, probably right after our next NYC trip! And I’m eyeing the soft shell chili crab sandwich, some biscuits, and a ramen burger repeat. So much goodness- if I wouldn’t outgrow my clothes, I’d go every Sunday!

purple hair braidbeauty in the breakdown

similar dress, 2, 3 (with tassels!), 4 (patterned), || sunnies  || kate spade bag- on sale!|| sandals || ear jackets|| cuff || rings: pearl, spiral || nails

purple-hair-hottie

loveRavayna

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