a day exploring reno with my mom for her birthday 

Last week was my mom’s birthday & she turned a great age that doesn’t need to be named because let’s be real, she’s timeless. My mom is the most beautiful person I know & not to mention completely selfless. She’s kind, overly generous, completely understanding, & she’s been “mom” to whoever needed one for as long as I can remember. She loves hard & works even harder. This past year has been a rough one for her with her dad passing last October, but as strong as I knew she was before, I know how much stronger she truly is now. She’s helped me so much these past few months during my grieving process & I could never thank her enough for being there for me fully. I’m strong willed & sassy because of her, & I’ve learned so much about life just by having the privilege of being her daughter. I truly don’t show my appreciation or gratitude for her often, but she deserves more than even the slightest bit I could offer. She’s the coolest & the chillest & I hope to become even just half the badass woman she is one day. 

We’ve always been pretty close, but our communication has definitely strengthened a lot this year as we oddly bonded over my grandpa’s death. Whether it’s taking walks or making weekend plans, we’ve been pretty side by side since Halloween. We’ve gone on a few mini day road trips to Sacramento to explore & we’ve loved it. So when she said she wanted to adventure around Reno & do things we both had never done before to celebrate her birthday I was so on board! We went all over & had such a great time. 

We decided to start out our day getting croissant donuts at the local place Rounds Bakery. I’ve eaten them before at Old World Coffee, but never from their OG location. They are seriously so good. I’m a lover of all donuts & these ones are inching their way towards the top of the list! If you haven’t been, go & thank me later. 

Side story: my mom always jokes that she can’t go anywhere with me without someone recognizing me, & literally the first person we encountered shouts, “OMG, you’re friends with Camille & I follow you!”. Sorry mom that ya girl is Reno famous… Shout out to Sidney, girlfriend of Lucas from In-n-Out. 

Next on the list was to head to local baby boutique Stork (no pics, so sad) to look at some items for my niece that will be born next week! It has some really cool & unique baby items & even sells some all natural baby products from Pantry Products. 

We headed over to The Nest Reno after that because it’s one of our favorite local vintage shops, & though we’d both been there before we had to swing by! My mom picked up some vintage trunks to store things in & I got a vintage clock & nut grinder. My favorite display is the kitchen area that shop owner Tessa creates & one day I will have my own functioning kitchen fully loaded with all the vintage things from her store! I really am that obsessed. 

Just down the road from The Nest is Sierra Water Gardens. Neither of us had been there yet, so we had to check it out! This space is beautiful & right on the river & is filled to the brim with plants & DIY backyard inspiration. We cruised through the scene & I made her pose for a quick photo opp. Though she hates her picture being taken, she survived. My mom loved this place & wants to take my dad to see it soon. It’s a cool spot to take a nature break or pick out your next succulent you hope to not kill. Such a great hidden Reno gem.

Getting some food was the next task on hand, because food. We picked a place I had heard great things about, but hadn’t yet tried. Centro Bar & Kitchen served up some great American tapas, or mini “try” foods. We ordered sangria, open faced sliders, pork tacos, & some deliciously not pictured dirty fries. All of it was seriously so good & the corner space is beautiful. So hipster, so in. 

If you know my mom & I then you know we love sweets, it’s simple. So of course we had to find ourselves over at the new ice cream sandwich shop in town called Simple. It’s an add on business to the already favorite local midtown shop Junkee Clothing Exchange. It’s a cute & simple little space & so eclectic. I noticed a certain pattern in the decor, so if you swing by, let me know if you notice it too. You seriously can’t go wrong with a coffee ice cream scoop nestled between two warm chocolate chip cookies on a summer’s day. Such a simply good treat!

To end the day I showed my mom all that is The Basement Reno & told her all about the concept of bringing new to the old in the heart of Reno. After that we went to Bad Apple Vintage where I got some killer Mystic Pizza socks (love that movie) & talked with the kind owner Francesca all about the Reno Midtown Artwalk that will be happening next Thursday, July 28th, & the few artists that will be present in her shop. Haven’t heard of the event? Check it out because it’s killer & my brother, Darin Swest will be doing a live painting that night!

It was honestly so special to get to spend the day going around Reno with my mom. She was the cutest telling everybody we saw what we were doing for the day. In between & during all our stops we just chatted about life as she encouraged me along my Pokémon Go adventure asking “Did ya get it?” after every attempt. See, coolest mom ever. I can’t thank her enough for who she is in my life & I love her more than I could ever truly express. She’s a true joy to be around & such a light to everyone she encounters. 

Happy birthday month mom!  You deserve the world & so much more. Thank you for all that you do for me & your family. I’m so glad that you’re mine & I hope you enjoyed the day & exploring Reno just as much as I did! I love you so much! 

— abbey kay 

*brought to you by a girl who is proud to be more & more like her mother everyday