Fashion

My Surprise Beach Picnic Proposal In Malibu

By Esperanza on April 30, 2025

Proposal, surprise proposal, beach proposal, engaged, engagement, engagement photos, engaged couples, El Matador, Malibu, California, family travel, family style, family blogger, beach picnic, The Urban Darling, engagement ring.

We are ENGAGED!! Andrew proposed to me on our second day in Malibu on El Matador beach with a surprise picnic that he planned with my sister. They had been designing the ring & planning the proposal since the beginning of January! We have been talking about getting engaged/married since we started dating, but because Andrew is from Colorado, I thought he would propose on our upcoming trip there, so I wasn’t expecting it. He and Sage “popped” the question together which was so sweet and special! After all the heartbreak I went through in my previous relationship, I’m so lucky to have found this man, and for a “second chance” at love. I can’t wait for the future for our little family!

Family Travel Style In Joshua Tree National Park

By Esperanza on April 24, 2025

Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree, family travel, family style, family trip, family vacation, travel style, California, California style, national parks, family blogger, travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, dad style, men's style, mom style, women's style, boho style, The Urban Darling.

We just got back from our first big trip as a family to California about a week ago. Our first stop was Joshua Tree! I wanted to explore the town a little more, and I also wanted to take Andrew to Joshua Tree National Park. I had already been there before several years ago with my family, and thought it was so beautiful. We were on a really tight schedule, but we had just enough time to drive through Joshua Tree National Park and stop at a few spots!

Staycation At The JW Marriott Desert Ridge In Scottsdale

By Esperanza on April 8, 2025

Scottsdale, Desert Ridge, JW Marriot, JW Marriot Desert Ridge, hotel review, hotel stay, hotel vacation, staycation, hotel staycation, Phoenix blogger, family blogger, family travel, family style, mommy blogger, lifestyle blogger, baby boy style, mommy style, retro style.

This past weekend, Andrew, Sage, and I did a “staycation” at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in Scottsdale. It was a much-needed getaway for our little family with lots of fun activities in a beautiful desert setting! This was our first staycation together, and I have to say, it’s a super convenient way of “getting away”. We may have to do another in the future, maybe in the summer here in the Phoenix area, to take advantage of the pool! I’ll be sharing more about the hotel, its amenities, and what we did during our quick stay.

My Life | My Style

Life Update: My New Relationship & Fresh Start

By Esperanza on October 16, 2024

I have been waiting to share this news for a few months now and I decided that I was finally ready to open up about my new relationship! Andrew and I met in an unexpected way on a dating app and hit it off right away. He was living in Portland but the app changed his location to Phoenix while he was here for a few day’s interviewing for a position (he is a chef/food consultant). It happened to be the day I created my profile otherwise we would have never matched! He came to visit me about a week later and we started officially dating.

My Life | My Style

My Passion For Supporting Small & Local Businesses

By Esperanza on

Small business, local business, passion, ethical, sustainable, local, Phoenix, Phoenix business, local Phoenix business, ethical style, sustainable style, desert style, desert vibes, boho chic style, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling, Redemption Market, Apolis, Paper Anchor Co, Leah California, Nomad Design Co.

I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. When I was 18 and going to college in Spokane, WA, I started an Etsy shop re-selling vintage clothing as well as my first fashion blog! I would share the photos I took for my shop on the blog. I was inspired by this small consignment boutique in downtown that I loved visiting and from there I started discovering record shops, thrift stores, and other small boutiques. They did not have these kinds of shops in the small farm town I grew up in! I think that’s where my love of small & local businesses began. I love sharing small & local businesses that I visit on my travels or here in my current hometown of Phoenix, AZ on my blog and socials. I like to think it’s my way of giving back and supporting those businesses, especially because I too am a small business owner as a blogger/content creator!

My Life | My Style

Life Update: We Moved Into A Modern Rental Home

By Esperanza on October 5, 2024

Open Spaces, Onsen, waffle towels, move in sets, kitchen organization, bathroom organization, Sezane, Sezane style, modern interiors, modern kitchen, baby boy style, neutral style, neutral modern, first time mom, single mom, rental house, Phoenix house, lifestyle blogger, Phoenix blogger, milestone, life update.

My son Sage and I recently moved into a beautiful new rental home, which is a huge milestone for me personally after living with my parents for a year while I was finishing the last half of my pregnancy, giving birth to Sage, navigating postpartum, and getting over a bad breakup. It’s been almost 2 weeks and we are finally unpacked, finished quite a bit of decorating, and had my parents over for dinner! It’s a 3 bedroom house so Sage has his own nursery, we have a garage, a nice sized back yard, and the interiors are gorgeous. The place has a neutral modern feel to it, the owner remodeled about 4 years ago and the previous tenant kept everything in great condition. It was by far the best place out of the 13 homes I toured. The minute I stepped in, I knew it was perfect for us!

Baby | My Style

Sage Wylder’s One Month Desert Photo Shoot

By Esperanza on March 5, 2024

Newborn, one month old baby, baby, baby boy, baby boys style, newborn outfit, newborn style, neutral style, matching style, mommy and me style, desert style, desert, sustainable style, Phoenix, Phoenix blogger, lifestyle blogger, The Urban Darling.

Sage Wylder is a month old?! It makes me so proud and so sad at the same time because I know he will never be this little again… Taking care of a newborn, especially as a single mom, is not easy but he is thriving! He gained 2 pounds and grew 2 inches at his one month wellness check, which makes me feel like I am doing a good job as a momma. I always felt I would be in my heart and now I feel validated lol! I’m going to credit it all to the breastfeeding and of course mama’s love 😉 Anyway, I wanted to take some cute photos in the desert to celebrate his first month of life!

My Style | Pregnancy

15 Outfits I’ve Worn During My Third Trimester

By Esperanza on January 23, 2024

Pregnancy, maternity, third trimester, third trimester style, third trimester outfits, maternity style, maternity outfits, maternity looks, chic maternity style, casual chic maternity style, chic style, casual chic style, sustainable style, fashion blogger, lifestyle blogger, first time mom, first pregnancy, The Urban Darling.

I would say the third trimester is the most challenging trimester to dress for because during the first and second trimester I could wear a lot of the clothes I was wearing pre-pregnancy but by the third trimester there was no way I was fitting into some of those pieces. I thrifted some maternity pants which really opened up a lot of options for me! Linen pants with stretchy waist bands and stretchy dresses became my goes to as well. I thought I would share some of the outfits I wore during my third trimester with links to similar and exact pieces in this blog post!

My Style | Pregnancy

My 3rd Trimester Maternity Lingerie Photoshoot

By Esperanza on December 19, 2023

Boho, denim, lingerie, boho lingerie photo shoot, denim photo shoot, lingerie photo shoot, maternity lingerie photo shoot, maternity style, maternity photography, maternity photo shoot, third trimester, boho bedroom, boho chic style, bedroom decor, home decor, boho decor, boho nursery, neutral nursery, boho interiors, lifestyle photo shoot, fashion photo shoot, lifestyle blogger, fashion blogger, The Urban Darling, Phoenix, Phoenix blogger, desert style, desert vibes.

I wanted to do a maternity lingerie style photo shoot inspired by one that I did last year while I was still living in Pittsburgh! I’ve linked that blog post here if you guys want to check that out but I wore the same lingerie set and Levi jeans. I did the same thing with a swimsuit photo shoot I did in Malibu a few months before my pregnancy began here and one at 6 months pregnant here wearing the same swimsuit in La Jolla. I thought it was a fun way of looking back at how much my body has changed during pregnancy and honoring my body both before and after!

Pregnancy | Travel Style

Maternity Swim Photo Shoot In La Jolla

By Esperanza on October 15, 2023

Maternity, maternity swim, maternity photography, maternity photo shoot, swimsuit photo shoot, maternity swim photo shoot, pregnancy, second trimester, swimwear, sustainable swimwear, sustainable style, fashion blogger, travel blogger, lifestyle blogger, La Jolla, California, California travel, La Jolla beach, San Diego.

While I was in La Jolla with my parents and sister, we found the dreamiest little cove where my sister shot some maternity swim photos for me! I was nearing the end of the 5th month of my pregnancy when we shot these and I am now about 25 weeks pregnant. I love how these photos turned out and I felt beautiful while showing off my baby bump! It has been truly astonishing watching my belly grow, especially in the second trimester where it’s really started growing rapidly. The first trimester I felt like I just look bloated lol but now it’s quite obvious I’m pregnant. What our bodies can do to grow a baby is so incredible.