LA JOLLA - SAN DIEGO 2011

photo cred: disposable camera film pics from the fellow kayak adventurers  

a few things I remember from our first vacation together celebrating one year anniversary in sunny san diego: we left our super quiet electric car rental running while running into target, lost my first iPhone upon arrival to the hotel, ate at our first In-and-Out Burger, realized it is a lot colder in "sunny" San Diego than we prepared, visited the San Diego Zoo, traveled up the coast while listening to Mumford and Sons, went on a hike in Torrey Pines, saw fields of tulips, ate a picnic on the beach, explored a cave in La Jolla

HEY, I'M OUTDOORSY | CALI 2012

We did some light hiking on the trails at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur.  I felt quite adventurous!  We actually had a lot of fun following the trails (without a trail guide/map --- I like maps but they didn't have any)!  I'm not really what you'd call a lover of actually being outside in the great outdoors, but beautiful California + cool weather + no bug or dangerous wild animal attacks + new places to see and explore = "Hey, look I'm outdoorsy" and brings out the best of the outdoor love that's somewhere in me.  (It was almost like the first and last time I was in a lake and proclaimed, "Hey everyone, I'm in the lake.")  Brian clearly feels right at home in the woods.

BIG SUR | CALI 2012

Since high school, I've wanted to visit Carmel/Monterey Bay, CA after seeing some super cute cottages.  I guess I put it away in the memory bank and remembered it when planning our last minute two year anniversary vacation.   

After doing my homework, I realized that Carmel was a good starting point for the famous Big Sur/Pacific Highway drive.  We drove south along the coast from Carmel to Big Sur. (And by we drove I mean, Brian drove and I navigated and took pics!)  

Amazing views in every direction.

Mountains and Valleys.

Rocks and waves.

Gorgeous coastal landscapes.

A waterfall at Julia Pfeiffer State Park that emptied into the ocean. 

Marine clouds and ocean spray!

Best afternoon drive ever.

PACIFIC GROVE GOLF | CALI 2012

Brian loves golfing. I like it. 

I especially enjoy it when the weather is nice, not too hot or too cold.

(which rules out most of the year when golfing in Texas/Louisiana)

And I'll even watch it on tv (well once for about an hour this year)

Bubba Watson's win at the Masters was pretty incredible. 

Instead of golfing, I grabbed my camera and attempted to stay warm. There were plenty of good things for a sight-seeing golf cart riding wife.  I didn't even need my Kindle.  

And two jackets, hot chocolate, and ocean views for the back nine holes didn't hurt either.

Here's another post about photography while golfing: Wildflowers and Worries

And posts from our trip to California: Cali Recap and Pfeiffer Beach

PFEIFFER BEACH | CALI 2012

On our drive back along the coast from Big Sur, we turned down a long and winding one lane road through the deep, dark woods and arrived at Pfeiffer Beach to catch the sunset.

The marine cloud made everything mysterious and beautiful.  

Crashing waves.

Long jump challenge.
I made a much smaller jump across the freezing water at a much more narrow spot.

Brian climbed some rocks.

For a moment I was sure the smoke monster from LOST might come say hello, 

if the smoke monster could be friendly and actually existed.

Since the road to Pfeiffer Beach is unmarked on the highway

...it was like we had discovered one of Big Sur's best kept secrets.

On my list of must-see was the purple sand beach I read about (It's purple because of amethyst),
but I forgot to write down where to find this particular beach or it's official name.

When we first walked down the beach, I didn't notice anything different about the sand.  

Later Brian noticed the purple-y goodness and I was one happy girl! It's the little things.  

I so enjoyed this particular little adventure with the hubs!

See the first post about Cali 2012 here.

CALIFORNIA 2012

Last week, Brian and I went on an anniversary getaway/vacation/post-spring semester trip to the beautiful California coast!    

Our trip went something like this:

Texas to Louisiana (family time) to Dallas [via car] 

Dallas to Phoenix --- then CALIFORNIA [via crazy plane]

San Jose to Santa Cruz to Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel to Big Sur [via sweet rental]

We did some last minute planning that led to an adventure all over the wild and wonderful coastlines of Cali on scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1. 

God makes beautiful things. He is an awesome Creator. He is a creative Creator. 

So very thankful for a wonderful trip with my awesome hubs!