Weekend in Instagrams + Giveaway Winner

First, the winner! Random.org picked:

Kate, aka stinkydudette

Your username had me cracking up. Love it! Kate, please email me? Thanks! (use email button to the left, please)


So this past weekend, we took off on Friday afternoon to San Diego without a plan. No hotel was booked ahead of time. No guidebooks consulted. No Yelp research. Nothing. Which is so unlike me. I like to have at least a few restaurants in my must see eat list.

The Del from the beach.

We took off, and holy crap, the traffic was insane! It took us over five hours to cover the 120 miles that separate Los Angeles and San Diego. So I had a lot of time to find us a hotel. And we lucked into the Hotel Del Coronado. Also known as The Del. It was built in 1888 by the developers of Coronado Island. Which really is not an island, more of a peninsula, but what do I know!

My view from the poolside chair.

Our room was right off the pool, which was warmed to a 82F night and day. The kids were in love! We were also a few steps from the beach, but it was very overcast and blustery the entire weekend.  So we stuck to the heated pool, ate a lot, walked around the teeny village, took in the sites.

Nighttime, all lit up.

Inspired by all those his+hers drink shots. Him = cool microbew. Me = tap water.

Really really good pork belly noodle soup at Leroy's.

Cute paper store at night. I didn't get a chance to visit it while it was open.

My oldest wanted this shirt. What can I say? He's 13. I didn't buy it.

Love weekends spent as a tourist. I usually come home so inspired to cook, scrap, and travel some more. Currently plotting a trip to Ojai!

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Weekend In Photos: The Vulcan Edition

If you've watched Star Trek (movie #10 by J.J. Abrams), you will recognize these rocks as Vulcan, Spock's home planet. If you are a fan of the original series, you'll remember this as where Captain Kirk and Gorn were beamed to fight til death. No, I'm not a trekkie. I married one!

This is actually Vasquez Rock in Agua Dolce, about 45 minutes outside of Los Angeles. Otherworldly and beautiful. We were in the vicinity, and decided to take the kids there. The boys are huge Star Trek fans, so it was a happy moment for them. Alas, I was wearing the wrong shoes for this little hike. Plus, did I mention it's gotten warm around these parts, and rattlesnakes like warm weather? Uh, yeah. Next time, we'll have to come prepared with sunscreen and hiking boots (maybe some water and wider lens too!)

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Weekend In Photos: Central Coast California

A bit late, since it's Wednesday already. But I was lazing around yesterday with the kids. It's their Spring Break, so we are just taking it easy.

This past weekend, we drove up the coast of California to Cambria, stopping at a few cities along the way. The kids didn't bring their nintendos. So we had a chance to talk and take in the views as we drove up. Once there, we hiked, played games, watched movies, slept, ate. The kids had fun, we had fun, it was heaven!

Solvang / Cambria / Cambria / Cambria / Cambria / San Simeon / Cayucos

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Weekends in Photos: So Random!

I didn't take a lot photos this weekend. That's because I spent most of it in bed. Pretty much all day Saturday. Reading, napping, reading, napping. It does the body and soul good! So on Sunday, I forced myself out of bed, and we took the kids to grab some dim sum in the San Gabriel Valley. For you non-SoCal folks, it's an area in LA with amazing Asian restaurants. Did I say amazing? Yeah. I don't eat Chinese or Vietnamese food outside of that area. Really.

I had to bribe the kids with boba to get them to not do Calvin faces for this shot.

Later on, the little and I headed out to take some practice shots. I've been trying forever to take good panning photos, and it's a real hit or miss. A good friend of mine, who's race car photographer, was kind enough to explain it to me. It sounded simple enough... But it's not. So I did more googling, and found this article. The author suggests to practice by swinging a kid and turning with the kid. Well, my smallest kid is NOT small, so swinging him was out. But I did get him to hold my free hand, and we spun together, resulting in this photo, which I love! I love how his hair is taking flight, how happy he looks, how the background is swirling around him. Love this frozen moment of happiness. I need more practice.

We also have a new family member: Billy, the pacman frog. He's not the cutest critter around, but I'm beginning to warm up to him. I tried to pet him today. He tried to bite my finger. I guess we are not friends yet.

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Weekend In Photos: Hollywood Reservoir

I've been making a list of places here in Los Angeles that I want to explore. This Saturday, we had a nice brunch at King's Road cafe. And after our tummies were filled with pancakes, french toast, bacon, and soy latte, we headed to the Hollywood Reservoir.

Can't go wrong with bacon.

It's in between the 101 Fwy and Griffith Park. It was built in the 1920s, and once you are up there, you can barely tell you are in the city.

We drove until the end of the road, got out, and it didn't look like much. But after you walk past the chain link fence, you are welcomed with the best view of the Hollywood sign in the entire city. Ever!

Photos taken with my iPhone.

There's not much to do up there other than look at the sign, and look towards the westside of the city. But it's so calm and quiet and pretty.

That first cluster of buildings is Hollywood.

It's so far up (in LA-speak) that we could see Topanga Canyon.

The dam has since been reinforced on the inside (to make sure it won't ever leak into the neighborhoods below.) On the side of the structure, there are bear head gargoyles. Love the details!

Totally coming back here again. With a real camera next time! (And sunscreen.)

Someone had a real sense of humor when adding this control plate. Why not take the mundane and turn it into something happy.

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Weekend In Photos: Birthday Edition

We were in Palm Springs this past weekend for a little late summer/birthday holiday. It was my birthday last Friday, and we also really needed a break from our daily routine. So we booked ourselves a three-day weekend in a spa with a salt water pool and off we went.

It was a total success. We basically did nothing all day, everyday. Total relaxation. Well, I did go shopping on my birthday, but ended up buying nothing. It wasn't for the lack of shops. There were plenty there. It was because of the temps. At least 110F every single day. Not exactly inspiring me to buy Fall fashion.

But hey, we had that salt water pool and our poolside cabana. Hello, lap of luxury. It had a nice big bed, a cooler filled with ice, drinks, and fruits, and Nick, the poolside attendant who came by every so often to see if we needed anything else. I reclined on that bed for half a day, flipping through September's issue of Vogue. It takes half a day to do so. Have you seen that sucker? It's at least 700 pages.

And now, we are back and ready for the back to school season. Kind of. (The truth is, we are dying to go back there. But during a cooler month.)

I'm usually a super light packer. But when traveling by car, I can bring 4 dresses and a few blouses for a 3 day trip. Right?

Walking down El Paseo in Palm Desert. HOT!

We ate a lot of chips and salsa.

And tacos and iced tea too.

A blurry selfie in Anthro's dressing room. Tired, sunburned, but happy.

The view down from inside the gondola.

We watched a storm roll in from the mountaintop. Then went back down, and got rained on. For about 30 seconds.

Just about everything blooms in Palm Springs. Stuff that doesn't normally bloom around Los Angeles. Is it because of the crazy amounts of sun + copious watering?

More random flowering bushes.

Cabanas! Nice! (Yes, Jenn Olson, it came complete with a cabana boy. No, he did not look like Taylor Kitsch.)

They are happy!

More happiness.

1 pool + 3 boys = water fight.

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(Two) Weeks In Photos

Let's face it. I'm not good at blogging regularly. Just like I'm not good at taking photos everyday. But I'm okay with that. I want blogging and photography to be happy parts of my life. So I try not to pressure myself into having to do either. That said, I do feel bummed out when my favorite bloggers don't update their blogs regularly. Hahahah! I know, I know... the double standard!

Wandering our way to the Santa Monica Pier.

Walking around Third Street Promenade.

Ever since we've moved to Los Angeles (a total of 4 months), we've had visitors almost every other week. I love when friends and family come see us. But I am not a touristy person. Even when I am the tourist. And of course, all of our visitors want to do touristy things. My problem is that I'm a major germaphobe, so I worry that I'll catch some horrid disease from the large crowds. And guess what? We took my brother and his girlfriend to the Santa Monica Pier, and I came home with the worst stomach bug. Ever. I didn't even eat anything there. Sigh. I got sick a few days before I had to fly off to Tulsa to teach CKC.

Yes, we were having fun!

But in the end, it all worked out. I had a great time at CKC. People in Tulsa are so kind. Plus I got to meet the fab Deena Wuest. She's not only an amazing scrapbooker, but also a really nice and generous person. Kelly and Lorie were there too, so I got to hang out with them in the Studio Calico booth, and at dinner. The venue was right next to the nicest Target ever. I went there twice in four days.

Deena towering over me.

KP, Lorie, and I on our last night in Tulsa.

But the most important event in the past two weeks was my youngest turning six. I can't believe how time has flown. I knit him this cake with candle hat for his first birthday, and it turned out a bit on the large side. I'm so glad it still fits him, and that he will still wear it. Even if it's just to humor me.

Happy Birthday, not-so-little guy!

I'll be back tomorrow to share some layouts.

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