The Last Bit of Winter.

After a few rainy weekends got me feeling like maybe it isn't springtime just yet, I convinced my family to spend a Sunday searching for snow in the local mountains with me. It didn't take long before the raindrops turned into snowflakes, sprinkling down onto our windshield and little dusty patches of white made appearances along the sides of the road.

After a quick detour in a neighborhood where my dad used to vacation as a kid, we ended up just pulling off to the side of the main road and finding a calm and quiet spot to explore while the snow fell on us.

I think I've seen snow fall more in the last 6 months than I have in the last 6 years of my life haha.
(…which is only like 2 times, but still.)

I know the idea of wanting to (or let alone, having to) search for snow is ridiculous to most of the U.S., who is more than ready for sunshine and spring, but I'm okay with one or two more chilly, rainy, weekends before the sun comes out to stay around here, Mr. Weather Man. ;)

It's been a pretty long time since I made a little video, but here are some moments we filmed during our cold adventure today. It should probably just be called, "The O'Connell Family Experiences Weather." But maybe you'll think the snow is as pretty as we did. :)

Orchards.

In the last few months, I've caught myself nestled deep in a creative slump. Between all my other priorities and responsibilities, I find myself struggling to come up with content for this blog that didn't come from my iPhone and get clumped into some, large, "catch-up" post about what I've been up to after disappearing for months. What I'm trying to say is : it felt really good to have my camera in hand last weekend and I'm so excited to be sharing these pictures with you… If anyone is still reading this thing… Hello out there!

On Sunday, Weston and I drove out to Oak Glen to spend a brisk, cloudy afternoon exploring the orchards. As a born-and-raised Southern Californian, the slightest glimpse of fall excites the heck out of me, so as soon as red and yellow leaves started making appearances on the trees we drove past, I was pumped. This year, we made it in time to actually see some apples still hanging in the orchards too! Which was a success in comparison to our last apple picking attempt, ha! We browsed around a few different orchards and I even convinced Weston to stalk (get it?!) through an overpriced corn maze with me. Anything in the name of autumn, right?

^ the "my hands are freezing" pose ^

That last picture of me and Weston is proof that if some random mom, struggling to keep her two children from wringing each other's necks offers to take your picture as you walk back to your car…. you should say yes. No matter how awkward it is to smile at her while her boys literally throw each other in the street during a game of those-are-my-apples-no-they-are-mine. Because she may surprise you by taking a pretty good picture! 

Our first, highly anticipated, glimpse of the season has been wonderful. 

My room is always the coldest in our house (not to mention, I'm always the coldest person in our house anyway) and after our day in Oak Glen, I actually pulled my heated blanket out of storage! It is probably my favorite thing during this time of year. I mean, preheated sheets?! Come on! Keeps my little icicle toes warm all night! ;) 

Please, oh please, stay for a while, Fall.

No more heat-waves. I love you so.

The Getty Center.

Since my mom's birthday is coming up, this weekend we set aside a day to celebrate as a family. She mentioned that she had really enjoyed getting to visit the observatory when we went a few months ago and asked if there was anything else in LA that my brother and I thought she might like, so I suggested The Getty Center and it was a hit!

We walked around the gardens (although the spiral hedges were under construction - such a bummer!) and explored a few of the exhibits, admiring the architecture and people watching too, of course!

Also, just wanted to share this picture to remind my brother, that when YOU are the person who calls out, "funny picture!" 

and then you're the ONLY one who doesn't make your face look like a ridiculous mess… 

You're the one who looks like a fool, bro. ;)

Birthday Boating.

My brother turned 19 this past week!

I will spare you the paragraphs I could write about how proud I am of him and how much I love him and just say this : he's the most humble, considerate, and hard working kid I know and he deserves all possible happiness this year and always. 

For his birthday celebration, he wanted our family to rent a boat and ride around Balboa (stealing the idea from the me and the girls!) with some dinner and music. So with my dad as our boat's captain, we made our way through the water, enjoying a delicious dinner that my mom prepared for us, listening to The Beatles and just relaxing with bits of silliness in between. 

Oh, and house hunting - those huge beachfront properties sure are fun to dream about!

If you're wondering, that's a homemade dark chocolate and almond butter cup in my hand right there! Seriously, I know I say it all the time, but my mom is amazing when it comes to making sure I never feel left out during meals with all my restrictions. You're the best, mama - thank you!

After our little cruise, we strolled along the boardwalk, watched the sun set, and headed home. 

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Have a happy Sunday and a great upcoming week!

Family Field Trip.

My mom and dad have lived in California their entire lives, but there's an alarming number of local gems that they've yet to experience. My brother and I are always talking about how we need to remedy that and yesterday, we got them out of their little corner of the neighborhood to spend an afternoon at one of my favorite places in LA, The Griffith Observatory. Neither of them had ever been!

We made it just in time to watch the sun set before we toured the different exhibits inside and my brother and I shared tidbits of knowledge that we've picked up from college astronomy classes. Our parents (and Nicole, my brother's girlfriend) were so impressed. ;)

You just can't beat that view.

(here's a post from a nighttime visit!)

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

Hope you're having a happy Sunday! 

Ps. Thank you for the well wishes on the endo-update post! I'm currently just taking things a day (sometimes an hour) at a time.

But thankfully, for now, things seem to be continuously improving and I'm on a mission to fully enjoy it while it lasts!

We saw the new doctor last Thursday and were a little discouraged, but I still plan on giving her suggestions a try.

It's easy to get overwhelmed, but making the most of the good moments and relying on the people who love me makes it a much easier journey.

 Thank you again! xoxo