i was so eager to see my family again, that i just couldn’t wait for christmas. so we piled our stuff in the car for the long drive down to southern california on the most travelled holiday of the year. we set out after work on tuesday night and drove through the late night traffic to arrive at my grandma’s house at 5am. it was a rough drive, but it was worth it to spend time with the people i love the most.

these photos were taken in my grandparent’s back yard on saturday afternoon. we’d already had our thanksgiving feast and plenty of leftovers, but at the perez household, that’s never enough! my grandma decided to barbecue steak, chicken, and hot dogs for all of the family that had been coming and going, so i found myself lounging in the yard enjoying the southern california sun with a belly full of bbq. i have so many memories from this little yard in redlands. my great-grandparents lived in this house before my grandparents moved in, and my cousins lived next door. i will always remember running around in the yard going back and forth between the two houses and eating tangerines from the trees. it’s nice that even though so many things have changed, this small space in the world has still stayed the same.

wearing: vintage sweater dress from black & brown vintage in san jose, target tights in mustard, vintage mary janes from pretty penny vintage in oakland, orla kiely gold leather holly bag.