I moved into Starcity’s Penmar location last October. It’s an airy, bright, brand new building in Venice, California, and I fell completely in love with it! I’m linking all of my decor and furniture below.

Tonight I found out that the guy I’ve been seeing for a few months was cheating on me and lying about it the entire time we were together. So, why do I feel ok?

Divorce is such a nasty word. People run away from it. People going through divorces are shunned, like lepers, because no one knows what to say, because no one wants to be around that kind of negativity, because divorce is a failure of love, it’s broken promises, it’s broken hearts. I used to say marriage is forever, that I’d never get a divorce.

A few weeks ago we visited one of our favorite cities - Seattle! We stayed at Embassy Suites in Pioneer Square, right across from Century Link Stadium. Tbh, prior to getting there, I didn't have super high expectations. Embassy Suites sounds old and fuddy duddy, right? I was so wrong!!!

Some of you may know that L.A. is like a second home to me. I go there as often as possible, and love every second of it. There is an inexplicable energy in La La Land - it's a creative mecca, where people go to pursue their dreams.L.A. gets a bad reputation for being fake, but there are actually an incredible number of amazing views, restaurants, museums, and neighborhoods to explore.

Check out some of my favorites from my last trip to the city of endless creativity!

The cool thing is, if I've learned anything in life, it's that there's never a reason to give up on your goals. Even if you fail at completing your goals for months, or years, or even decades, you can pick up at any time and JUST. DO. IT. Just do it. It's that easy (Nike got it right). It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be anything other than what you can put out there. But just do it. Because what's worse than failing? Never even trying.

This edition of Julia Recommends is ... (drumroll please) ... my nail salon! I usually just go for a pink/nude/grey color, but this week I was feeling extra saucy so I got this adorable (schizophrenic?) mixed canvas kind of deal. Take a look for yourself (and notice that pretty much anything I hold, ever, had to do with boba tea, obvs):

Some of you know that I eat Paleo, which means no dairy, no processed sugars or processed foods, no alcohol, no gluten, minimal grains. Basically it's mostly meats and vegetables, and some fruit. It may sound terrible at first, but it makes you feel great, is super healthy, helps you naturally lose weight, as well as other benefits like clearer skin and more energy, and honestly it's not that difficult once you pass the 1-2 month addiction/craving period. I can go on and on, but I'll save that for a later post.

I love working with new bloggers because I get to help them feel comfortable in front of a professional's lens for the first time, and to figure out their esthetic. Last week, I got the chance to photograph Dita, a young, super fashionable mom who recently moved to San Francisco from Stockholm (@sf.stockholm).

Funny story - I actually met Lauren at a previous tech job. Turns out she's a fashion blogger, and I'm a fashion photographer... match made in heaven! We started shooting at work during lunch - an easy and fun break in the routine. I'm no longer at the company, but we make it a point to shoot together anyway. ...