California Dreaming-Vacation Recap

California, there's just something special about good old Cali. The picturesque scenery, delicious food, and abundant sunshine is enough to win me over. 

We love visiting Cali and wish we could make multiple trips a year. A family friend recently moved to the west coast and decided to have her wedding in her new state. Both Eric's brothers live in San Diego so we knew this trip was a no brainer and one we were looking forward to. 

This was also our first trip away from the nuggets. While we missed them like crazy and couldn't wait for their big hugs and sloppy kisses, it was really nice to have some alone time. Some thought we were crazy for leaving them and others thought we were awesome for venturing off on our own, but that's a post for another day.

So for now if you're up for extreme picture overload (that's a bit of an understatement) then please read along. If not, then I guess I'll jut be talking to the wind. But no, seriously, I know this is one of the longest.posts.ever.

I know I sometimes lose interest in travel series posts (oops just being honest) and I honestly would rather have everything all in one place. To each their own. So here we go...

The first few days of our trip were spent in San Diego. Every time we visit here we like it even more and more. There is just so much to do, so much to see, amazing views, different sections and neighborhoods, and fun beaches. It really is a fantastic place. 

The first day we were there Eric told me he had an early birthday surprise for me and rented us a fun car to drive around in for the day. When he pulled up in this Polaris, my initial thought was, wait a minute, this was an early present for me or for you? Haha, I didn't mind one bit though because he knows I'm up for anything and always enjoy an adventure with him. At first I wasn't sure if this was some kind of transformer car or bat mobile type thing (we'll just refer to it as that), but let me tell you, it sure turned heads and had people complimenting it everywhere we stopped.

If you follow me on instagram you might have seen some of these pics or my instasnaps (or whatever we are calling them these days). 

Driving around in the bat mobile, we stopped off for lunch and then drove around to several different look out areas like Mount Soledad, Sunset Cliffs and La Jolla Cove. My day was made when a seal swam up to us while I was sitting on the rocks. You definitely don't see that happening in Jersey. I would recommend all of these stops if you ever get a chance to visit.

Later on that night we went down to the beach to watch my brother in-law Chris catch some waves all while taking in the amazing sunset. Sunsets in Cali really are unbelievable.

We finished the night off with an unexpected trip to Mexico with friends to grab some food and drinks. Eric and I didn't bring our passports with us which lead to some interesting conversations with immigration into Mexico and them bribing us for $20 which got us across the boarder. That's about all I'll say about that. Oh, and those churros were totally worth it!

We ate some delicious food on this trip! But then again, what's a trip without good food? From Mexican to sushi, to burgers and seafood, we ate it all. Some of our favorite spots were the OB Brewery, OB Noodle House, The Waffle Affair, and Sushi Mori, just to name a few. The spots we checked out with outdoor dining also could not be beat. I mean palm trees and the ocean, I don't know if I could ever get sick of that. 

I always wanted to take pictures under a pier but we just don't have this type of scenery around us. We were visiting friends from high school who also moved out to Cali and they told me about Scripps Pier in La Jolla. I instantly googled it and asked Eric if we could make a stop before our trip was over. I recruited my brother in-law, Greg, to take some pics of us and I am seriously in love. I think I might even do a post of this on its own, but for now here are a few that I'm kind of obsessed with.

We stayed at my brother in-law Chris' who has this awesome little house that he's really transformed and made it his own unique space. His patio area is so serene and peaceful, you could seriously sit out there for hours.

Taking pictures with my brother in-laws always makes me feel so short (well it's probably because I am) but come on now, they are way taller than me #shortpeopleproblems. It was hard saying goodbye to them but we knew there was still more fun to be had on our adventure.

Our next part of the trip was off to Newport Beach for the wedding. Eric and I traded the bat mobile in for a stylish Rav 4 and made our way up the Pacific Coast Highway just in time to enjoy the sunset and make our way to Newport.

The wedding was the next day on a yacht that set sail (do yachts set sail? whatever) we cruised around Newport Harbor with some of the prettiest scenery and celebrated the lovely couple. I've never been to a wedding on a yacht so I was loving this new experience. It was also amazing to have three of my closest friends with me and enjoy a little mini vacay together. These girls are the best and I love making memories with them. I'm already looking forward to future getaways with them.

Before we headed home we stopped off at Balboa Island to pick up some treats for the nuggets. I got to have a little fun doing some boutique shopping and got a romper that I'm looking forward to wearing on our FL trip in a few weeks.

Cali, you have yet to disappoint. Thank you for all of the great memories, stories to tell, and that spark that keeps us coming back to visit. Until next time.