My Favorite Little Trip.

This year, just like last, I took a week off of work after my little loves graduated so that I could enjoy some free time before I head back to the preschool for summer session. Thankfully, Weston and I were able to sneak in our annual trip to Palm Springs before endo realized I was having too much fun and immediately had to shut the party down on Sunday night.

We stayed at Avanti which is our all-time favorite hotel but we had a lot of fun exploring The Parker too! It's mid-century style made me feel like we had stepped right into an episode of Mad Men. We got to try out some gluten-free pizza at Birba, downed some margaritas at El Jefe, and spent most of our time in the pool since it was about 105 degrees the whole time we were there. It was wonderful and I felt pretty well up until our last night, which was really amazing!

We had also planned a short getaway to Las Vegas this week since our last attempt a few years ago accidentally became a turnaround trip thanks to endo and I still haven't been! But what do ya know, we had to cancel last minute due to my pain. Again.

Endometriosis : 2
Las Vegas : 0

One of these days I will make it there! Until then, I will continue reliving these fabulous days in Palm Springs and keep counting down to my surgery. Less than 2 months, friends! Can't believe I might be pain free in 46 days! :)

Do you have any trips planned for this summer?

Also, I'm reading Necessary Lies for a book club with my aunts! Has anyone else read it? I'm excited to discuss it with all the ladies next week and would love to get your take on it if you've read it before. Have a nice weekend!

Huntington Run/Ride.

The other day my brother and I were browsing Instagram. Particularly, lurking around the profile of our cousin, Rachel, who is currently making her way through Italy. "Look at this!" Nolan said, regarding a gorgeous photo of one of the canals, "Can you imagine how amazing it would be to live there?" I sighed longingly at the picture. "I bet the locals take it for granted," I replied. I didn't mean it in a skeptical way, but I think many people stop acknowledging beautiful things in life once they've experienced them frequently enough.

Example? Nolan and I had this conversation on a gorgeous, 70 degree, sunny day in January.

We are clearly not immune to a lack of appreciation for our home. 

Now, don't get me wrong. California is no Italy… But it has it's moments. 

And sometimes, it hits me how much I love it here and I try to take advantage of what my home has to offer.

A couple weekends ago, Weston and I went down to the beach for one of our favorite pastimes - he runs, I ride my bike to keep up, and we rack up a few miles together. The sun set as we rode on the nearly empty trail - a path with sand on either side. The sound of the ocean and salty air in our faces.

Carlsbad.

My parents had been looking online for beach house rentals for weeks at the beginning of summer. To get close to the beach, we were going to be spending a pretty penny and it looked like we'd only be able to afford about one or two nights away from home.

That's when one of our sweet family-friends happened to mention his parent's beach house in Carlsbad to us.
And then offer it to us for a week. For free.

I can't tell you what a blessing this situation was. There was room for everybody to have their own bed, we enjoyed all of our meals on our rooftop which overlooked the ocean, we were able to bring Toby along for his first vacation, and we were only a few steps away from the sand on a semi-private beach! We felt (and continue to feel) incredibly lucky to have such generous friends in our lives.

We were fortunate to have beautiful weather while at the beach house, too. Up until our last day it was nothing but sunshine, blue skies, and gorgeous sunsets. We all took part in some sunset swims, getting in to watch the sun disappear behind the ocean. I also almost drowned during one such swim because the waves were really rough and the tide was super strong… A little excitement for our otherwise relaxing trip haha, but that's a different story.

And after our long days of swimming and enjoying the sunshine, we'd all walk back to the house, get comfy and watch movies or play games together. It was so nice having us all there to enjoy each others company - with schedules these days it's not super often that we are all relaxed and in the same place. I think it was probably my favorite family trip we've ever been on. :)

Big Sur : Part II

After our first day in Big Sur with all the hiking and adventuring, my body was pretty beat. So the next day, rather than go back up into the State Parks or do much more walking, we decided to spend the morning at Sand Dollar Beach (seriously lacking in sand dollars, by the way). We parked along the main road and wandered through some grassy fields that led us to this little dirt trail. Which led us to some stairs. Which led us to the beach.

And there we sat, on soft warm sand, enjoying blue skies, foamy waves, and what was practically an entire beach to ourselves. 

The beach kind of reminded me of some scenes from Lost! With the big green cliffs overlooking the ocean.

After the beach, we started the trip home. We stopped in San Luis Obispo along the way so I could take Weston to High Street Deli, where a friend of mine took me a few years ago and I ate what I still consider to be the best sandwich of my life. Thankfully, Weston loved it just as much! We made another brief stop in Santa Barbara, then finished the final stretch and made it home. 

I am so thankful for this trip and these pictures and these memories. 

And obviously super thankful for my travel partner.

Can't wait to visit Big Sur again someday.

Big Sur : Part I

Last Friday morning, Weston and I took off to spend a brief two days up north in Big Sur. We have attempted many road trips over the last few years, so to make it all the way to our destination, stay the whole (albeit short) trip, and return home without any huge catastrophes to speak of… is a pretty giant accomplishment.

Since I am a beach lover and Weston is a mountain lover, Big Sur couldn't have been a more perfect place for us to visit.
It is a flawless blend of the two locations that we usually have to decide between!

Here's a peek at our first day.

Disneyland.

Thanks to a sweet friend of mine who works for The Mouse, I was able to spend a beautiful day at Disneyland last week. My endo flared up a bit, so it became a pretty easy-going trip with lots of rests between walking, rides, and lines. We actually stumbled upon some really beautiful places in the park that we wouldn't have seen otherwise when we stopped to sit for a while! Sometimes it's nice to slow down. 

Especially with a Dole Whip.

One Week Off.

Last Friday, the Pre-K littles graduated which is always the most bittersweet part of the year.
The only bitter part being that I will really miss them. The sweet being everything else.

Although I'll be working through most of the summer, I took this week off. And I am turning it into a mini summer break, with several adventures condensed into the next few days. Yesterday, the kick-off took place in Laguna Beach. Jessica and I relaxed on the sand, explored the tide pools, befriended some little crabs, wandered through rock tunnels and ended our day at The Rooftop Lounge for happy hour.

I brought along my 50mm lens for our day since it's the smallest and most convenient thing to carry…

But in return, you get our giant faces haha. Yikes.

Laguna is just the most beautiful beach. The bluest water and the softest sand.

Thanks for sharing a fabulous day with me, Jess!

PS. Lately, I've been getting the "how are you feeling?" question a lot, so I thought I would answer that here, too. 

These days, my endo pain is less severe, but more constant than it has been in the past. It's inevitable that several times a day, these sharp spasms occur, lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. They happen so quickly, come out of nowhere, and after they pass, my body often feels like it got run over. I don't know if it's from my muscles tensing up during the pain or what, but it wipes me out! In comparison to bi-monthly hospitalizations and constant pain meds, these weird, daily flare ups are definitely the lesser of two evils. They're much easier to cope with and they hinder my life much less than the flare ups that used to happen every few weeks, confining me to bed for days at a time. In other words, Endo is still throwing punches, but lately, I've been coming out of most rounds on top. ;)

Thank you to everyone who continues to check in and send words of encouragement and prayers! Means the world to me!

LACMA.

Every once in a while, we sneak a whole day together into our schedules. It's my favorite thing.

On Sunday, after a delicious lunch at Cafe Gratitude, we wandered around LACMA.