Travel Time.

Rachael and Mom, deep in conversation @ Zinc.

Always taking inspiration from my oracle cards. 

We started off yesterday morning at Zinc Cafe in Solana Beach with the beautiful Rachael. Mom sipped on a pumpkin cappuccino, Rachael on some super rich hot chocolate (thats how she keeps her beautiful slender figure), and me on some chamomile herbal tea. The conversation flowed and then we picked oracle cards, obviously. You can't just "dive in", but take time to connect to whatever thoughts and emotions are pulsing through your body and then, with intention, pick a card. All of us picked the appropriate one, mine being the Emu : "This is a good time to go on a new adventure". I opened the booklet to see the full reading and it read...

"Your sense of adventure is calling you. can you hear it? Listen to your heart of hearts - the still, small voice that whispers to you of holy and exotic places and of pleasure in discovering the unfamiliar and novel, feeling confident and trusting in your instincts and intuition to guide you on your journey. Let this be a wandering pilgrimage, one where you can be appreciative of whatever circumstances you encounter and make the best of them. Have some idea of where and what you'll be doing, but don't be attached to the plan. Instead, be willing to adjust your itinerary as you are so guided. 

Dismiss the voice that says, "Yeah, sounds good, but I can't do that because..." This kind of thinking not only limits you by always keeping you in the illusion of comfort and safety, but also leads you to avoiding, the real life drama that comes from stretching your comfort zone. You need not do so in a way that puts you in any real danger, as there are many options where risk is minimal, yet the thrill and excitement of exploration is still there. 

So heed the calling, and first believe that its possible for you to act on it. And don't want too long. Life is too short. 

ASSOCIATIONS: Completion; Freedom; Innocence; Action; Attentiveness; Roaming; Wanderlust; Adventure; Pilgrimage; Restlessness; Protectiveness; Exploration; Lighthearedness; Playfulness

Full Days.

Whenever I'm away I usually manage to post even if I'm having an amazing time, because lets face it - you cant have amazing, outstanding fun all.day.long...right? There's usually a break sometime in the day where I unwind for a bit by writing a short blog. Well, this trip has not allowed me any down time. It has been jam-packed with running around visiting all of my favorite people, doing yoga, cooking, eating, beaching, playing, drinking...everything.

Saturday morning I hit up a super early hot yoga class and then met Breezie and Rachael for coffee @ Java Hut in Encinitas. We hung out and sipped coffee for three hours. These are my two most favorite ladies on the West Coast so three hours barely touched the surface of all that we had to catch up on.

Brie had some stuff to attend to, so Rach and I continued our date on the beach in Cardiff and even jumped in the water for a bit (which was surprisingly warmer than expected). Later that evening we all had dinner at Liz and Larry's house (where my mom and I are staying). I put out a spread, made two cocktails (a Gin + Basil Gimlet and Sangria), and cooked us up some dinner. It was great to have Jak with us also, Breezies boyfriend, because he's a spectacular human being (and was only back from the ocean for ONE night after 10 days away, and prepping for another 10 day trip).

Gim and Basil Gimlet (or Spritzer) with Meyer Lemons

• 6 Meyer Lemons, juiced
• Pre-bought unsweetened Lime Juice (about 1 cup)
• 1 lime sliced (as garnish)
• Gin
• Sparkling Water or Club Soda (optional: this is if you want a lighter more refreshing "spritz")
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

Make the simple syrup by combining a huge handful of basil with the water and sugar and cooking over a medium heat for a while. Remove basil. Add the simple syrup to the lime juice and juice of the meyer lemons. Chop a bunch of basil and add to the pitcher (reserve a few leaves for garnish). Two shots of gin plus one ladle-full of the lime/basil syrup concoction and you're good to go. If you want to make the drink last, and for it to be a bit lighter, add some club soda. This cocktail is deeeelicious.

• Big bunch of basil

After dinner we headed to Zenbu to dance for a bit and then made our way to a house party where the dance party continued into the wee-hours of morning. Funny enough, I ran into Mark Richards and Kevin DeFeo, childhood friends from Ocean City, at the party. It was a blast to reconnect with them and to share the dance floor after not having seen them for over 10 years. Insanity. Walked home to Edinburg Ave, went to bed late and woke up too early, and then met up with my Mom for some coffee. Rachael, Kira, Mom and I sat down at Cardiff and soaked up some sun and enjoyed the brisk ocean for a bit before saying our goodbyes.

Straight from the beach, to Grays house for one of his world famous smoothies, and then to Del Mar for a twisting workshop with my darling Lauren Duke. The class was a bit emotional for me, I was "weeping" throughout the class, but it was nice to get rid of some of the sadness I've been holding onto. I met up with Gray after class and we fell right into our old routine, a sunset walk up to the dog park with Marble. Back to the house to cook a feast for friends (Gray invited everyone to his house so I could see all of my friends, thank you thank you Gray!) and a feast it was! A dozen awesome people, a ton of great food, and a little bit of wine, dancing and foot massages. Boom. I love my West Coast family. Again, stayed up too late and talked so much - but it still seemed too little.

Woke up this morning, excited for the day and looking forward to our morning appointment at the Korean Spa. Yay!

Friday.

@ Stone Brewery in Oceanside, Ca.

The ingredients for dinner.

Artichokes. 

Lizs Blackberry Cherry Pie.

Mom and Me and Bubbles.

We got in late Thursday night and Liz had an awesome meal prepared for us, along with some bubbly. When we woke up the next morning we lounged around the house sipping coffee before setting out along the 101 to show mom the town (the last time she was in San Diego she was 18years old). Our first "meal" of the day was beers at the Stone Brewery in Oceanside...the place was beautiful. Then we had some sushi later in the day as we made our way back south down the 101. We picked up goodies at Whole Foods and then Liz and I got to work in the kitchen. It's great to cook and collaborate alongside someone in the kitchen...Liz and I have the same theory about food, but very different approaches - so it's great to bounce ideas off one another. Also, it was great to have my beautiful friend Brie join us at dinner, who also helped out in the kitchen. There is nothing better than sharing a meal with friends you love. 

Thank you California for an amazing trip. A special shout out to Bri + Jak who loved me and fed me and entertained me every day! Love you all :)

Bye Bye Big Sur

Brie's amazing lunch spread

Buzzards Roost Trail, STRAIGHT UP to the top.

Heading down through the redwoods.

We went out with a bang, that's for sure! In the afternoon we enjoyed an amazing and relaxing picnic by the Big Sur River and then we hiked Buzzards Roost Trail. It was only about 2 1/2 hours total..but a steady incline, climbing to the top of the mountain- with an epic 360 degree view of Big Sur. Once we made our way back, we stripped down and all hopped in the freezing cold river! GAH! We showered, found a new camping spot, and then we all got a little crazy. Music bumping, me in the kitchen cooking dinner, lots of Beverages (beer, wine, champagne, whiskey), star gazing outside and lots of conversation. We woke up early and started our journey South around 7am. I'm hung.over, and so is the rest of the crew. But we all have smiles from ear to ear. Stopped outside cayucas to see all the seals on the beach and now we are bee-lining it back to Cardiff. Big Sur...big gratitude for the amazing amazingness.

Seals in Cayucas

Big Sur 3

We found an awesome camping spot at Pheiffer, surrounded by beautiful Red woods. The size of these trees can only be fully realized by seeing them face to face. I was the first to fall asleep, as usual, and then was the first to rise. At 6am I made my way down to the Big Sur River and sat on a log for a half hour...wrapped in a blanket, sitting in some Zen meditation. The troops slept in, waking around 10am. We had coffee and a light breakfast and then took a cruise through the red woods.

Big Sur 2

After a long day in the RV, none of us were up for a proper hike, so instead we did a little jaunt down to the beach. We hiked down a long path, under an old tunnel, and climbed up some steep rocks...and that's just where the fun began! I would have taken pictures of the dangerous and totally insane climb that we did, but I was so paralyzed with fear that all I could think about was my next step. We found an insane cave and saw two humpback whales that were less than a hundred feet away!! None of us have EVER seen whales that close before, or that close to shore. It was a truly magical moment. It took a few hours for my heartbeat to come back down, but it was well worth the magnificent experience.

Big Sur 1

Cruising into Big Sur was pretty magical, and we got lucky because more-times-than-not its cloudy up here, but for us the sun was shining bright. We climbed some trees, took some photos and played in the cobblestones.

Dehydrated "Burgers"

Bri is a genius in the kitchen. Through her juicer (which is the rolls Royce of juicers....it makes everything a pulp and Then you press it for the juice) she ran brazil nuts, raisins, beets, carrots, herbs (thyme, parsley, cilantro, mint). Add minced red onion, flax meal and salt. Mix and make patties. Hit em with some ground black pepper. Dehydrate for several hours. Enjoy! Bri also made a tahini white wine spicy mustard and a macadamia nut "cheese". So epic. Best.Camping.Food.Ever.

Big Sur Bound

Made it just outside Ventura last night, pulled the Warrior over and fell asleep. Woke up to the sound of the ocean, checked the oil, then cruised to Carpenteria for some caffeine. We stopped at a super cute cafe, the Lucky Llama. Back on the road, drinking fresh juice, listening to good tunes. Boom.

Bri's Backyard

Here's some photos we clicked this afternoon in the backyard. Sunshine, flowers and friends.

Big Sur bound in da RV!

We packed up Jaks RV, Bri decorated...we loaded it with food and beers, with sarongs and guitars, with boards and potted plants. And now we are Big Sur bound...surfing our way up the coast. We're rocking out to the Tune Yards and laughing and enjoying all of the love and joy the universe has placed in our laps. Let the good times roll...