After having quite an emotionally exhausting week, my husband dragged me to Santa Cruz to get away for a couple days. I didn’t want to go at first, but I’m really glad I did because I had such an blast being a kid again at the boardwalk.
I have frequent the beach many times in the past, but I can’t believe I haven’t been to the boardwalk since the 90s! The breeze of the ocean allows the scent of seawater to permeate the boardwalk and blends the old with the new seamlessly, providing countless games, munchies and rides. We indulged in ice cream, cotton candy, caramel popcorn, played games at the arcade, went on the rides and just laid in the sand to soaked in the warmth of the sun. It’s amazing how just a quick and simple getaway can do for the soul, but it’s the company that’s the icing on the cake…He sees the greatness in me, even when I don’t see it myself. :X
Photos by Nate Reed, me and my selfie stick | All swimsuits handmade via KTRSWIM
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Dear St. John,
You may be the smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, but you are a natural wonder of luminous crescent bays and miles of pristine parkland, fresh-scented hiking trails, and mossy peaks with panoramic views. We love all of your beaches, well at least the ones we’re able to visit on our lovely 8-day stay at the beautiful Gallows Point Resort, which was a short 3 minute walk to town. The quaint little town of Cruz Bay has everything from bars right on the beach, market to buy groceries, various fruits and rum stand on the streets, local pizza joints to fancy restaurants with jaw dropping views… but what we love the most was the chill and secluded feel where we can just unplug from the world (except for Instagram) and drift off into paradise. Well, until the rain came and brought the mosquitoes who sort of ate us alive every night. Sorry for cussing you, we still love you and we’ll remember to bring loads of repellent next time. :)
The Monterey/Santa Cruz area has always held a special little spot in my heart. The bike rides, the beach, the food, the sea life, the quaint little town with just enough things to do but never overwhelmed with touristy noise.
We made a spontaneous trip to this amazing resort in Marina (a small town just 20 minutes outside of Monterey) and stayed at Sanctuary Beach Resort in the Ocean Beach Front suite, which was more than perfect. I love being able to step out onto the patio and walk right down to the beach. The scenery was blissful and even in winter the weather was warm. I love watching the sunset each night laying on the patio as we fell asleep to the ocean waves crashing.
Went to Capitola a few weeks ago to soak in the last bit of summer, and even though the water was pretty cold (and quite dirty), the weather so amazing. Sometimes when life gets a lil’ hectic, all you need is a bit of downtime, some good o’ Vitamin Ds and a good book! Hope your weekend was fabulous and as much as I love summer, I’m kind of looking forward to fall and some rain already! :)
BEST…. DRIVE …. EVER. It’s been a while since we’ve done this drive. We usually drive the inland route on highway 5 whenever we head south for the sake of saving time, but since it was Labor day weekend and we didn’t have anything in particular planned, Nate decided to take me hostage on spontaneous trip along the coast on Highway 1. I was a bit nervous at first (I hate surprises) but it turned out quite wonderful.
Combining stunning scenery with roller-coaster turns, Highway 1 has to be the most amazing drive in country. Along the winding roads, there are spectacular views of the ocean on one side and beautiful luscious greenery on the other side.
Since I was riding shotgun, I had a wonderful time soaking in all the sights. Poor guy had to really concentrate on the road but enjoyed maneuvering the twists and turns (maybe a tad too much). I did offer to drive, but he was having too much fun and didn’t t trust my driving skills (I’m kind of an Asian driver). :)
