Santa Monica sunset

Today I… Experienced a beautiful sunset in Santa Monica. I wish there was more to say, but staring at the photos just gives me so much peace.

I <3 La!

Hiking in SF

Today I… Couldn’t help but share some photos from a hike we did up in SF this past weekend. So gorgeous!! The trail we went on was called Lands Ends in the presidio area. At first it was a little foggy, but then.. It was as if the heavens opened up and a beam of sunshine pointed down on us and we all sang, “Aahhhhh!!” Just kidding, but it really became the perfect weather.

Baby girl did so well in the hike too!!

Can you see how the weather improved throughout the hike?? It was so beautiful! Ugh.. I want to go back now.

Miss SF already!!

Today I… Thought I’d share little tidbits of our weekend happenings in the lovely city of SF. First of all.. So much fun and chill… All we did was hang out with our cool and aca-awesome friend Ryan! 😉 (We made him watch Pitch Perfect too. Hehe)

Happy Birthday again Ryan!! We love you so much!

We did do some hiking, a lot of playing in the cool parks and jungle gyms, eating everything and anything bc that’s what we do best, and walking/exploring the city.

Oh! We also were able to meet up with some friends (who just became newlyweds.. yay! congrats!) for brunch before we headed to the airport! Thanks Steph and Chris!!

Mmm.. I’m getting hungry now. Happy Monday!!

First Trip to Disney!

Today I.. Wanted to share our first trip to Disneyland! (With a baby that is…) So, I wish someone told me that going to an amusement park with a baby (under 1) is so much more work than it is fun! Lol. But you can’t beat getting in for free! I will never turn down a free Disney trip! (Thank you Anavie and Rhia for inviting us!)

(Ave was not having it when we took that picture above.)
We went with 3 other moms and 4 other kids! We basically had to stop every 15 minutes and never even made it past Main Street! At least the fried chicken was worth it!

The kids enjoyed the tiki room, Ariel’s grotto, and the carousel. The moms enjoyed eating lunch and dessert at the new Ghiradelli spot in California Adventure.

It was a good mommy and baby bonding experience though.

Catalina Trip (Part 2)

Alright..I had to create a separate post to share about all the food we ate on the island. Soo..yummy. We got all of our meal suggestions given to us by our lovely concierge at the hotel we stayed at, Casa Marquita. We highly recommend staying at the hotel because the staff was super friendly, accommodating, and the room was spectacular. Most hotels required a 2 night stay, but we were able to only book 1 night at this place. Ask for Stacy..she was amazing!

Okay…I apologize in advance for these food pics. I can’t help myself.

First, for breakfast we stopped at Sambazon to pick up an Acai granola bowl. I had no idea what it was, but once I had a taste..I couldn’t stop. Basically, these 2 guys went to Brazil and discovered the Acai berries and it’s beneficial properties for our health. They came back and started a company! Inspiring to say the least! So, this store has a variety of items with the Acai berry and it is actually delicious! Kind of tastes like a fruity Popsicle.

Mango + granola + acai topped with coconut flakes

lox scramble with fries instead of hash browns

I’m a sucker for smoked salmon! Whenever I see it on a menu, I always convince myself to get it.

polish sausage and eggs with potatoes

Original Jacks came highly recommended.

chocolate chip pancakes

The Pancake Cottage was my favorite breakfast place!

chili omelet with Jalapenos

So basically, we ate and ate..and ate some more. Time to get off my butt now!

Catalina Trip (Part 1)

Today I..wanted to share about an amazing weekend I had with the hubs. First off…he totally surprised me with roses on Valentine’s Day. (He never gives me flowers!) Then…he told me that he was taking me somewhere on the weekend and to pack only a backpack and tennis shoes. I was able to get some hints out of him after a lot of nagging..hehe. To my surprise, he planned an entire weekend trip to Santa Catalina Island and even made babysitting arrangements all on his own. Whoa!

The last time we went to Catalina was 7 years ago…we were not even engaged yet. He was still in the military and had been on leave. So, it was bittersweet to be back there.

The weather was amazing on Saturday..in the high 70s low 80s..it couldn’t have been more perfect! Even the locals said this was a really good weekend to come. Score!

We mostly ate all kinds of food, walked around the town, reminisced about how old we are getting, and tried really hard to stay up past 11pm! Ha! We are so lame it’s not even funny. (We stayed out ’til 1am! Woohoo!)The most activity we did all weekend was take a 30 minute hike up a huge hill to witness this amazing view (supposed to be the best view on the island). Then, we went crazy taking photos and pretended we knew what we were doing. Ha!At the port when we were lining up to go home, this lovely Pelican was just chilling right next to us. Sooo cool.. I had to snap a picture and say hi to it.More photos of our trip to come…

Oh Hello Friend Grand Opening!

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of going to the grand opening of a new vintage/ craft store in downtown Fullerton called Oh Hello Friend. Danni Hong, the creative genius behind the cute brand, was one of the women whose blog inspired me to make my own. I don’t know.. The idea of a person pursuing what they love to do and making it their full time job is such an amazing dream! It is truly inspiring! I’ve been trying to brainstorm some ideas.. And, well, lets just say you’ll be the first to know when I come up with anything good!

She also had a dessert station and a DIY button station which was fun to enjoy while waiting in line. The store has a great location and is also surrounded by cute little vintage shops, delicious cafes, and unique stores.

I had to resort to my iPhone camera that day bc I had the baby with me and the idea of carrying my sister’s nice (but overly big) camera seemed impossible.. I don’t know how people do it! Anyway, it was a great morning and I enjoyed bonding with my sister and friend, Louise, who came with us. (Hi Lo!)