Hey all! My friend and I went on a day trip to Half Moon Bay, CA on Tuesday, and it ’twas fun! Beautiful day, warm weather, not a cloud in the sky…it was a nice little getaway!
Half Moon Bay is south of San Francisco. These first few photos are from Casa de Fruta though, where they had a nice pumpkin patch set up! It was soooooooooo cuuuuute…
A PUMPKIN PETIT-FOUR. I am a huge fan and eternal lover of petit-fours!!! (Or as I call them, little fairy cakes).
Birds always think my hair is their home…
Ahi tuna with kimchi
Shirley Temple and a glass of water in a pretty blue glass
This beautiful sunset on Pacheco Pass heading home was the icing on the cake, and a great way to end such a beautiful, relaxing day. 💙💙💙
My friend and I went to Monterey, CA for the day – it was a blast! This post will be all photos, so enjoy!
From clam chowder to candy, it was a gorgeous day at the coast with beautiful weather. My favorite part was walking to San Carlos Cathedral (built in 1794!), which is the most peaceful place I’ve ever been in, so I made it a point to visit while I was in Monterey. I had the chance to admire the hauntingly beautiful statues and art in total silence, and it was exactly the peace I needed! ❤️
Hi!! As you can see, my blog post title doesn’t lie. Featured here is me with a random peacock that was hanging out in the shade at Casa de Fruta in Hollister, CA earlier today. 😀
My friend and I went for a drive this morning to have coffee in Modesto, then spontaneously decided to drive to Casa de Fruta. ❤️
I discovered a hidden river… 🙂
A dreamcatcher in a tree…
A GIGANTIC PEACOCK IN A TREE…
I match the grass…
💕 I paired the outfit with my pink heart barrettes, which I find myself wearing quite often. 💕
Today was really exciting, going for an out of town trip for the day! This past week was super quiet, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The greatest part was that my sister and I have been going for walks together (she uses a walker, so getting exercise helps her build muscle). It’s good for me too because it’s additional exercise, apart from my regular workout routine I do at home in the later evening. 😀
I went for my favorite tea at Teazers on Tuesday and Friday evening: tiger spice chai. Friday night, the shopping center its located in was bustling with activity; apparently, a new movie called Avengers came out. There were so many people everywhere, but not inside Teazers. I had the back seating area practically to myself for the longest time, while I read the above book and watched people go by next to the floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s lovely because I go in the early evening, and the sun slowly starts to lower in the western sky and casts a pretty golden glow onto everything on my table.
I’m reading D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose. I have waited SO LONG to start this!!!! I finally finished The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, which took me waaaaay less time to finish than I expected (it was 800 pages, and I started it in February. I thought it would take me like six months to finish, but nope, only two!)
Pass me my book…and my tiger spice chai pleeeeeeeeease
I really love Stephen E. Ambrose’s writing style; I’m familiar with his work, as he wrote Band of Brothers, which is one of my all-time favorite books (I love anything about the 101st Airborne Division). I’m only 65 pages into this one, but apparently there are excerpts in D-Day from Band of Brothers, so I know I’ll enjoy that. 😀
HOOKED. D-Day is an outstanding book thus far and I just can’t seem to put it down. The writing style makes me feel like I’m literally there in the action – like I can imagine hearing the C-47’s flying overhead. I also enjoy reading about the strategies and planning that went on behind the scenes from the perspective of the Allies and Axis Powers, which the book goes into. I’m a fast reader but I’m trying to read it more slowly so it’ll last longer!
Yesterday in Santa Monica was a blast. The drive down was quite an experience for me. I ended up in a gigantic downpour driving through the Grapevine, which are a strand of mountains you go through to get to Southern California. But I did it!!! 😃
It was collectively a beautiful day. 🌸
This cute pigeon walked right up to me and let me take some photos of it… 💜
Espresso Cielo! Very cute café in downtown Santa Monica!
Today’s blog post is all about my trip to Solvang, CA! I’ve wanted to go here for a long time, and I finally did. ♥
Everything about this place is beautiful! It was very windy though, unfortunately. Other than that, it was a perfect day. As you can tell from the title, this place is dedicated to letting you experience a taste of Denmark!
First stop was at a restaurant called The Little Mermaid, where I tried the one thing that everyone kept telling me to try, which is æbleskiver (traditional Danish pancakes):
I am so glad I did! These were DELICIOUS. They were very puffy and drizzled with strawberry jam. Yum!
Oh my gossshhhhhh. This place was so awesome; it is a year-round Christmas shop. There were so many cute ornaments! I was like a little kid in a candy store.
CLOCKS!!! I was obsessed with this. I’m a sucker for anything miniature and figurines. I think I literally stood in front of this display for like two minutes just staring…
Tiny little Danish people on the top tier! eeeee!
I went to Mortensen’s Danish Bakery. This place had the cutest pastries!
I have no idea what they were exactly, besides MAGICAL. I heard the words “chocolate” and “raspberry” and was immediately sold. That, and they’re adorable!
Overall!!! How could I not instantly love this little gem of a town? I’m so happy I finally got to experience it. ♥♥♥
It’s a good thing I dressed for the elements today and wore my romper with a cardigan. They’re shorts, which proved to be very practical considering the wind was blowing so hard. It’s a windy day even here in my hometown, with 20-30 mph winds!
My outfit color palette today totally reminds me of those little pastel mint candies!!! Pink and green? Yes, please!
My friend and I decided to take a short day trip to Casa de Fruta, which is a cute tourist spot filled with yummy fruits, candies, ice cream, coffee, etc. It’s a picturesque little place, to boot!
These little fruit bars are amaaaaazing. They’re mashed up fruits with coconut and sugar mixed in it! ❤
Funny how I said in my last blog post about being excited for the blossom trees to bloom. Spring has definitely sprung in these mountains! There were so many blossoms everywhere…it was like walking through a dream…
It was a lovely day! Nothing recharges me more than wandering around outside on a warm, sunny day. I haven’t been out of town in awhile, so it was a nice little break from the everyday norm.
Hello everyone! I went to the coast yesterday and wanted to share some photos I took along the way! I have a lot of photos to share, so sit back and enjoy. 🙂
Casa de Fruta
Casa de Fruta is a cute place nestled in Hollister, CA that largely sells fresh fruit and vegetables, and also lots of delicious candy to choose from (primarily chocolates). 🙂
I bought these things to eat, which look really weird but they were soooooo good!! These were mashed up peach, mango, and lemon (the long one) coated with coconut.
Monterey
Next stop was fisherman’s wharf in Monterey! I really love it here because the buildings are bright-colored and cute, with lots of restaurants to choose from.
Anytime I go to the coast, clam chowder is what I always gravitate to. 😉 This, and a side order of bread smeared with cheese and roasted garlic. Super delicious!
Dog in a Dress
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! Look at it’s little face!!! jfieowjfndkvmkdmvladjfifwfmkf
Secret Garden
I always tend to veer off the main path of the tourist sections and wander into the little hidden areas. Next to the busy walking/biking path that runs along the ocean were some small office buildings, and to my surprise, hidden gardens. ❤
Monterey is such a beautiful little city with lots of Spanish villa style buildings (my favorite style of building, next to Tudor), and beautiful, lush plant life. One moment you’re on the city street, and one turn can take you into a beautiful garden.
I hope you enjoyed the photos. 🙂 Have a great start of the week!
Hello everyone! So happy to write a post about my day trip to Manhattan Beach, CA. ❤
My friend and I left early this morning, and like I always do when I go to Southern California, I had to stop by my favorite little coffee shop gem: It’s a Grind, located in Castaic, CA.
I seriously love this place, because how could you not?! Look at those comfy chairs! And of course, the artsy vibe going on (that’s a painting of the lovely Josephine Baker in the background behind my shoulder). Their coffee is delicious to boot; that’s a Mocha Rush, with chocolate chips mixed in. Yum!
Southern California never ceases to take my breath away. I have always romanticized the area in general, and I blame watching Clueless and She’s All That a trillion times growing up and seeing so many iconic shots of the L.A. area.
For a late lunch, we went to an Indian restaurant in Hawthorne. It was soooo good! Indian cuisine is one of my top favorites, so naturally I loved the food. I was amazed by the beautiful artwork they had in the restaurant…
So gorgeous. ❤ It was such a great day! It’s always refreshing to get out of town and see the sights elsewhere.
Thursday and Friday, I went with a girl friend of mine to San Simeon, Morro Bay, and lastly, Pismo Beach! It was just a for-fun kind of trip, and the weather was gorgeous. I managed to get some good photos to document my trip…
Hotel room where we stayed, right along the beach. 🙂
I got up really early, around 6:30, and took a neat photo through the hotel curtain overlooking the beach. It came out pretty cool, in my opinion.
There was an awesome walking trail along the coast in Cambria, pictured above.
Awesome cave in Pismo Beach. I hurried to take the photo and get out because I was fearful that a huge wave would splash in there while I was in it, hahaha.
I saw this poster in Morro Bay and just loved it! Picture of a young woman who was a champion skateboarder in San Diego, 1965. I love the retro look!
Hotel room selfie. 😛
The weather was really lovely and warm, although I got a sunburn, haha! I hope everyone is having a fantastic Saturday! 🙂
On Friday, I had the pleasure of accompanying a friend to a baby shower she was attending in Red Bluff, CA. That’s like 5 hours north from where I live, so it was quite a drive, and we were staying overnight.
As you can see, I don’t pack much. The oddness of that, as my travel friend pointed out, is that I use so many products to doll myself up, and yet my packing was so minimal. The secret? I pack everything very tight and compactly – hahaha.
The drive was sooooo long and, quite boring on the eyes, to be honest. The scenery was very repetitive and seemed to go on forever. It’s not like driving to Los Angeles (my favorite place!) where the drive is broken up: the long stretch of highway 99, then it changes to the mountainous grapevine after you leave Bakersfield, then it changes to the hustle and bustle of L.A.
Me early in the morning, waiting around for my friend to pick me up and hit the road. 😉
This was the view from the house my friend and I stayed at. Loved how green everything was! It was a little cold with off-and-on rain, though.
We stopped at a store to get some groceries for dinner, and I happened to see this birthday card as I was perusing around aimlessly. I had to take a picture because I loved the message so much. Take it easy. Enjoy the scenery. Go with the flow. Often, we forget to do that! It’s funny, the random places you find inspiration.
It was a really fun trip, with lots of laughs and getting to meet new, fascinating people. I was around a lot of people the entire trip, which was good for me because I’m so used to spending a lot of time by myself. Not to say I don’t hang out with friends, I do, just not for super long. It gave me a boost in social skills, since I tend to get social anxiety very easily.
I hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend! It was good for me to get out of my comfort zone and do something spontaneous and different. Happy Sunday!
