part one found here
carmel is heaven! its like visiting a fairytale world. i have been going to carmel at least every year since i was 3 months old and it will always feel just as much like home as newport. its so nice to get away and just relax. i travel a lot but its rare for me to take time and just chill out when i’m away. i love wandering the streets and walking on the beach and getting some much needed reading time in. i do yoga everyday in town at my favorite yoga studio which is the perfect way to make the most of my vacation and actually relax. we have our favorite restaurants that we go to year after year but its also fun to find new places. after coming here for so long, we always think we have tried everywhere but then a new place will open or we’ll find a hidden gem and we re-fall in love with this darling town. carmel is super dog friendly so its fun to walk around with colette and i’m sure its fun for her to meet new people and dogs. carmel, i love you!
cambria is a darling little town by the beach in central california. we usually stay here for a few nights on our family road trips but this time, we just stopped on our way to and from carmel. our favorite restaurant there is called robins and it has a great vegan menu. we ended up stopping there on the way there and back to grab a bite to eat. i got the coconut tofu curry and thai tofu lettuce wraps, both of which were amazing! we also love hearts ease, a garden shop across from robins. though it wasn’t as manicured as it usually is when we visit in the spring or summer, it was still as cute and quaint as i remember. though we didn’t stay long, cambria will always feel a little like home
coffee and great conversations with friends are one of the things i cherish most about being home. casey and i met at milk+honey, a great local spot, and chatted and laughed for hours. the best part about this coffee shop (besides my other best friend ellie working there) is how beautiful it gets at dusk. this was my new camera’s first run and i’m so glad i got to capture these moments
my computer is finally fixed! actually apple gave me a new computer but that’s a whole different story… but now i’m back and have tons to post about! i know the holidays have come and gone but here are some snapshots of my favorite time of the year
christmas eve
of every day of the year, christmas eve is always the one i look forward to most but this one beat all others. besides scurrying like a crazy person trying to get my semifreddo done in time to put in the freezer, it was a fun and delicious christmas eve. we went to five crowns, my favorite holiday tradition and enjoyed the good food and holiday cheer. there are carolers that come round to every table and its just not christmas eve without hearing them sing ‘the holly and the ivy’. afterwards, we went back to our house for a little dessert get together. it was a truly wonderful and magical night
christmas day
christmas day around here is alot more chill and casual than christmas eve. we usually gather at my grandmas and have mexican food and open the remaining presents. i made a quinoa mexican salad which was a nice alternative to the usual heavy, meat filled mexican dishes and a ricotta blood orange cheesecake which i plan to make again in the near future.
since i’ve been back from new zealand, life has been quite the wild ride! this week has been a whirl of christmas shopping, meeting up with friends, hot yoga, christmas parties and fun times, as well as not so fun times like my computer breaking and having to make nerve-wracking decisions about my future. despite the insanity, this may have been one of the best weeks of my life! i cant help but to smile when i look back at my instagrams since i’ve been home. christmas has long been my favorite time of year but the older i get, the more i appreciate it for what i can give and my time with loved ones instead of what i get (i literally don’t even have a christmas list this year!). but ultimately, i love that this is a time of year to meditate on Jesus’ birth and love for us. that’s what makes christmas most meaningful to me. while it’s great to be away, there is nothing like coming home to friends and family after being abroad. little things like hanging with my mom, movie nights and coffee with friends, playing with my dog and sleeping in my own bed seem so much more special. i’m so blessed to have two places full of people and things i love.
*ps: as mentioned above, my computer broke right when i got home. its getting fixed right now but all the posts i planned for this week are pushed back till i’m reunited with my computer. i still have pics from my last few weeks in new zealand to post, as well as some posts of my adventures from this week but this iphone post will have to suffice till then.