a fun autumn weekend

ghostbusters in the park

friday night we grabbed a blanket, a few beers and some snacks to head over to the park for an outdoor viewing of ghostbusters. it was great! i realized that this was actually my first time watching a movie outdoors and hopefully the first of many. it's more fun in some ways than going to a theater because everyone sings along with the theme song or recites their memorized lines along with the actors. you don't have to be as quiet since it's a classic movie everyone has seen a dozen times.

oak glen california

a couple of friends told us about oak glen, ca when we first moved here and we've wanted to go ever since. it's best in fall because there are rows of apple orchards, pumpkin patches, press your own cider stands, hayrides, bee hives, petting zoos and all of the other quintessential autumn activities. it's about an hour and a half or two away from los angeles so it's a really nice getaway from the city. we took along a couple of friends and set out for a mini roadtrip on saturday.

autumn is definitely my favorite season and i really feel like i've relished it this year. i've done some baking, started working on a homemade costume, taken this roadtrip to oak glen and of course the movie in the park.

fresh pressed cider

we're scarfing down some delicious cider while watching some people press their own.  it was really fun and it's amazing how MANY apples it takes to make a gallon of cider. not pictured are the dozens of honey bees swarming around. 

comet the miniature donkey

i have dreams of one day owning a bunch of land and having farm animals - horses, chickens, and now a miniature donkey, obviously. this sweetheart was so cute i had a really hard time saying goodbye!

hawk's head publik house

we decided to try out the most popular and best reviewed restaurant in oak glen. considering this is a tiny town with only a handful of restaurants we weren't totally surprised when the hostess told us it'd be a two hour wait. yes, TWO hours. we put our name down and walked around a few of the farms in the meantime. 

it's a pretty neat place and overall if you visit oak glen i'd say you're not getting the full experience without eating here. the only lighting in the restaurant is the flicker of taper candles on each table and all of the employees are dressed in period costumes. it's an experience for sure.

happy fall!

i hope all of you are having a great fall as well. we've really been enjoying it and i'll be sad to see it go! luckily, christmas is right around the corner and we'll be going home for two and a half weeks so we have that to look forward to. can't wait!

xoxo, 

ashley

c a l i f o r n i a

lots of changes have occurred over the past few months in my life. as i was getting my business off the ground and adjusting to a new position at a salon in atlanta as a hairstylist, my world was somewhat turned upside down (in a good way) very quickly. i had only had this new position for maybe three weeks when my husband was offered a job working for nickelodeon in los angeles, california. the offer came toward the end of february and his start date was in the middle of march which meant one thing: hurry! i sold lots of things, planned the logistics of moving across the country, said my goodbyes to family and friends and hit the road in a matter of two or three weeks! it's been a complete whirlwind! 

i have wanted to live here for literally as long as i can remember. i'm a beach bum at heart and have always been completely enamored by the film industry with dreams of working in it in some capacity. (hopefully that capacity will be hairstyiling and makeup. fingers crossed.) in fact, benji and i have put off buying a house and "settling down" for several years to keep this dream alive and possible. to be here, to actually live here and be making a go of it...it's an odd feeling. very surreal. like, how the hell did this actually happen? 

my plan for ashley williams designs is to rebrand my website to be predominantly hair and makeup. i love event planning and decorating, but being that i'm in a new city with fewer connections than atlanta, i think it's best to keep my focus narrow.  i haven't come up with a definite timeline yet, but stay tuned. my blog will continue to cast a wider net and incorporate a little bit of all of my loves: interior design, event planning, hair, makeup, fashion, cooking, etc.

onto our adventures! i'm just going to post a little bit about what i've been up to since we have moved here.

i went with my friend amy and her son, johnny, to the LA zoo a few weeks ago. it was super fun despite every child in the tri - county area being there for spring break! i've always been an animal lover and would watch them all day if i could.

oh you know, just your average neighborhood road in southern california. the palm trees make me so happy! 

californians love their donuts! there's a shop on practically every corner around here. these are from a favorite of ours, the donut hut.

across the street from the donut hut, the perfect photo opportunity. who put this there?!

i know, i know. california needs to stop being so ugly right?! ha. on saturdays we have a ritual of going to the beach in malibu. the mountains and scenery are absolutely glorious up there. this weekend we're going to break tradition and see what laguna beach is all about. i'm excited! 

weekends are for exploring. a couple of weeks ago we headed up to santa barbara for some sightseeing, a good dinner, and a walk along the bay. it was beyond beautiful. i'm dying to go back and either go kayaking or whale watching.

i'd live in this house. happily.

boats on boats on boats.

meet ol' handsome. aka, my best friend.

we drove over to santa monica last sunday to see what it's all about. i didn't realize muscle beach was in santa monica. i thought it was on venice beach. also, i didn't realize that it consists of lots of circus, acrobatic type equipment. there was a lot of tight rope walking and hula hooping. not quite the scenery i was expecting! 

well, hopefully that didn't bore you to death! i'm making it my personal goal to update my blog more frequently.  hold me to it. also, stay posted for the new changes that are coming to my business and website! 

xoxo, 

ashley