I was one of those people who went through college still feeling like I had NO idea what I wanted to do “when I grew up.” I originally went to Chico State because of their teaching program, only to change my mind during orientation that I wanted to pursue my passion of graphic design. Two years in, I had a roomie in my sorority house who convinced me my personality was better suited for events and hospitality, because I could combine all of my interests into one and didn’t belong behind a desk working a 9-5. Boy did she save my life…

So, my junior year I dove into a double major – Resort and Lodging Management + Event Management/Hospitality and Tourism, where I studied abroad in New Zealand where I had honors in International PR + Event Management, and went on to graduate with honors and earn a certificate in certified green event planning.

Upon graduation, I went to work for Marriott Vacation Club in Park City, Utah, where I was an Activities Coordinator. Wanting to move up in the company and dive into corporate and social events outside of the vacation club sector, I applied for an event supervisor position, where I was promoted within and moved to San Diego to work at the JW Marquis, San Diego in Event Operations. From there, the wind blew me to South Florida, where I worked as a bridal consultant before founding and running my event planning company, Better Half Weddings and Events. Eventually I got pregnant, worked my last wedding at 37 weeks, and when Tanner was born, I surprisingly put my career on hold to be a stay at home mama. I always said I would NEVER do that, but there was suddenly something magical about motherhood that trumped fancy suits and professionalism head to toe.

Fast forward to now, and Tanner is turning 3 this fall. With Seashells and Sit Ups blossoming, I’ve been lucky to work with some pretty amazing brands and PR companies as a subcontractor for branding + marketing. I also work with Estate Weddings and Events, the sister site of Venuelust, as a Regional Event and Location Manager. Balancing Seashells and Sit Ups, Estate Weddings and Events, and various emails that come in all day long for personal and professional life, working from home is a blessing. I still get to spend a lot of time with my love bug, and a lot of time enjoying the beauty of Encinitas while working remotely at times.

I always have the itch to work outside, but especially now that Tanner is so active. My house is really small, and we don’t have a backyard, so when Tanner wants to (constantly) play outside, it’s difficult to get anything done. That’s when it dawned on me to create an outdoor workstation. Laptops are obviously portable, so they can be taken in and out, so I just needed a nice spot to be able to bring my computer and smell the roses (and watch Tanner) while also being productive.

With this at-home outdoor work space, work/life balance is achieved, and in a beautiful, peaceful way. Here’s my breakdown of this DIY space…

Black table: Target

Coral chair: Target

Chair pad: Target

Blue whale chair pillow: Target

Vintage-looking wood: My neighbor, Taylor found them on the side of the road. His girlfriend is also a lifestyle blogger, so he gave one to her, and one to me. You could easily recreate by looking at local stores for something similar, or make it yourself from a hardware store

Blue shelf: HomeGoods; this is actually meant to be a floating wall shelf

Vases: Mason Jars, Target

Flowers: Fresh assortment from Trader Joe’s

White backdrop: Particle board from Home Depot painted with white semi-gloss indoor/outdoor paint from Home Depot