california – Page 2 – Mackenzie Billington

Saturday in the City

July 11, 2016 by Mackenzie

necklace (sold out; linked similar) // layered crop top

Sausalito

red paisley dress // sandals // denim jacket (linked similar)

Hello, hello! It is most definitely past midnight here in California, but alas, I am awake. This weekend, my parents came to visit me in Northern California! We had a wonderful Saturday biking the Golden Gate Bridge with friends, exploring Sausalito, and enjoying sushi. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. I am so grateful that my parents got to finally come visit me this summer, and we had such a blast in San Francisco!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

P.S. riding a bike is much harder than it looks!

Sweet Summer Days with Modcloth x ShopStyle

June 29, 2016 by Mackenzie

Ahh summertime. Days filled with spontaneous road-trips, fresh strawberries, breezy maxi dresses, and sassy pool-side gems. If summer lasted forever, I would be one happy girl. I wish these warm days never had to end. During summertime, I love to stock up on easy-to-throw-on frocks and statement steals (can we swoon over this circle beach towel for 5 seconds?!). I personally think this gorgeous, red and blue maxi dress would be perfect for any summer night occasion. It’s incredibly flattering and comfy, and people were asking all day where I got it. Upcoming Fourth of July BBQ? You definitely can not go wrong with an easy graphic tank paired with little shorts. I love how my sister, Alexandra, knotted the tank at the waist for a laid back look! As for beachwear, I am all about the one-piece trend. This graphic one is perfect for your next vacay or lake-day getaway!

red/blue floral maxi dress

‘desert highway’ graphic tank

watermelon beach ball (on sale) // beach towel

watermelon beach ball (on sale) // printed beach towel

‘sun seeker’ one piece swimsuit (size small)

printed beach towel

watermelon beach ball // one piece swimsuit // printed beach towel

Big thanks to Modcloth & ShopStyle for sponsoring this post! I had so much fun snapping my favorite summer looks for Fourth of July weekend!

xoxo,
Mackenzie

p.s. here are a few other Modcloth goodies I have been coveting lately:

[desert glow lamp]

[pink & green resort dress]

[‘here comes the sun’ beach hat]

[palm tree sunglasses]

[flamingo pool float]

[cactus graphic tank]

[western booties]

[palm print jewelry dish]

[brown beach dream dresses]

[cactus midi dress]

[white dress]

[pineapple earrings]

[red maxi dress]

On Saturdays, We Sail

June 26, 2016 by Mackenzie

Mackenzie vs. the wind

My long-time BFF, Taylor

Angel Island

My family friend, Sheryl, ‘photo-bombing’ my picture

Golden Gate Bridge

*Trying not to crash the boat*

“On Saturdays, we sail”. Okay. Maybe not eveerryy Saturday (though a girl can dream), but on this particular Saturday morning, a few friends and I sailed off from Berkeley to the beautiful, dreamy island of Angel. Angel Island is a charming, seaside destination with the most breathtaking views. When I think of the perfect morning, I would definitely picture this one. Wind in my hair, bay water breezes, and good friends. I don’t think it gets better than this. Today, I realized how incredibly grateful I am. How grateful I am to have amazing friends out here in California that are so encouraging and inspiring. How grateful I am to have the opportunity to live in such a beautiful place that allows me to embrace God’s beautiful creation. Life is incredible and wonderful, and so often, we take it for granted.

“Can you believe we have about a month left here”, my bestie since 6th grade asked me today as we our sail boat pulled up to the shores of Angel Island. “I am in denial”. I am not ready to leave Northern California in August. Not even a little bit, and I tear up thinking about the fact that this perfect summer will have to come to in an end. For now though, I am taking full advantage of every day and every second. My goal this summer has been to ‘break out of my comfort zone‘. I am a creature of habit, and I love the familiar and the comfortable and the safe. It can be scary to do things that are ‘out of your comfort zone’, but those bold and daring adventures are what provide us with the fullest experiences and the most unforgettable memories.

*End emotional diary entry*. Long story short, friends, California rocks.

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Weekend Recap

June 20, 2016 by Mackenzie

golden gate bridge

‘local’ tee (size small) // Hawaiian shorts (linked similar)

‘tourist’ tee // yellow sunnies (only $20)

Presidio Picnic foodtrucks

yellow sunnies // sunflower romper

white off shoulder top

sunflower romper

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream [non-dairy PB & cookies]

“See San Fransisco” book

LYFE kitchen

layered crop top

palm print dress // sunnies (only $20)

Teaquation (in Redwood City)

graphic tank

Hi friends & happy Monday! My sister, Allie, flew into San Fransisco on Saturday. We’ve had such a fun weekend stumbling upon a food truck festival, snapping fun pictures, and exploring the city. I wanted to share some of our photos from the weekend!

I hope you are having an amazing Monday!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Music Festival

June 5, 2016 by Mackenzie

shorts (linked similar) // crop top // booties // bralette // sunnies // arrowhead necklace (linked similar)

Yesterday, I went to my very first music festival. I also tried to ride a Google bike, and as noted above, failed miserably. I have been living in the Bay Area for two whole weeks now, and to be completely honest, I couldn’t be more in love. My two weeks here so far have been incredible. The friendships and memories I have made already in just this short period of time are far greater than I could have ever imagined.

A semi-last minute, semi-spur of the moment decision to go to the BFD music festival in Silicon Valley created the most perfect Saturday filled with good friends, good music, and good beer. I got to see a bunch of my favorite bands, along with discovering a few new ones. I literally picked out my outfit seven minutes before heading out the door to pick up my friends for the festival. I threw on my favorite white shorts, a solid colored crop top, huge sunglasses, and my go-to fringe booties. I was really glad I opted for shorts and a tank because it was way hotter than we expected & my cold, post-festival shower was definitely much needed after the long, but fun, day. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Saturday! I am beyond excited for the future weekends ahead in the Valley.

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Succulent Heaven

May 28, 2016 by Mackenzie

After getting off work today, I walked to my car and a crazy, spontaneous idea hit me. “I am going to go find a succulent farm”. I searched on google for the closest succulent farm and found one about fifteen minutes from my office. Score. So I headed off on a journey towards Half Moon Bay in hopes of finding some new babies to add to my cactus collection.

As I pulled up to the Highway 92 Succulents farm, I knew off the bat that I had found heaven. Immediately as I walked into the cactus-filled nursery, I was greeted by the friendly owner, George. I am going to be 100% honest when I say this, I have never experienced more incredible customer service in my entire life. George helped me pick out some incredible cacti, and he even helped me plant and arrange them in a terra-cotta bowl. We chatted for about thirty minutes about everything and anything Cali-related. I left so incredibly happy, my new cactus garden riding shot gun in the front seat. To finish off the day, I, of course, headed to Chipotle.

Sorry this post is a little random, just wanted to share my fun adventure and the gorgeous cactus nursery I discovered today! In the morning, I will be up bright & early for a long hike in San Francisco with a friend. Couldn’t be more excited for this three day weekend ahead.

Happy Friday evening!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Cali Apartment Tour

May 26, 2016 by Mackenzie

“Hey MTV & welcome to my crib”. Lol. Jk. I kid, I kid.

Hello, friends & happy Thursday [unless you are on the west coast, like me, then happy Wednesday evening]! I’ve been settling into my new -and very first – apartment these past few days, and I am so happy that things are finally coming together. The apartment hunt was not easy, by any means, whatsoever. After weeks and weeks of searching the depths of the internet, I finally found the perfect home, nested in Redwood City. Because living in California is crazy expensive, I kept the decor very affordable. I found the majority of the pieces at Target, and I found several little gems at thrift stores around the city. Living by myself in an apartment for the first time has been such an exciting adventure so far, and I am looking forward to these next three months in Cali! I am so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to live & work in one of my favorite places in the entire world.

I wanted to share with y’all my new home for the summer! Without further ado or continued rambling, here is my new apartment:

[wooden giraffe // palm print dress]

[tassel pillows]

[bag tassel]

[candle]

[hair drier]

[shower curtain]

[gold wire decor]

Thank you for checking out my blog!

xoxo,

Mackenzie

Life Update: Senior Year + Summer Plans

March 23, 2016 by Mackenzie

lifeupdatecover

Hello, friends! I’ve realized it’s been a while since I’ve shared an update about what’s been actually going on in my life. These past few months have been totally hectic, but unforgettable to say the least. I wanted to share with you what has been going on in my life lately! I mentioned recently on snapchat that I officially have an internship, so I thought I would finally let you know what my plans are for this upcoming summer & a big decision I recently made about my senior year of college. I apologize if this post is something of a novel, but I have to procrastinate studying for my upcoming exam somehow!