california dreaming.

04/26/2019

Winter in Minnesota this year was especially cold, dark and dreary, but I didn’t realize just how much it affected me until Nick and I landed in sunny SoCal last month. As soon as we left the Orange County airport, we made a beeline for the beach near Balboa Pier to catch the sunset. And almost instantly, my mood shifted – it’s amazing what sand between your toes and warm sunshine on your face can do. And the Pacific? Pure magic. 

Also, can we talk for a second about how incredible California is? Aside from Hawaii and maybe my bike, it’s my happiest place. Salty air, the ocean, the light – THE LIGHT! – and no need for a calf-length down parka at any time during the year. I’m trying to figure out how we can be snowbirds so if anyone has any ideas, please send them my way πŸ˜‰ 

Anyway, Nick had a work conference in Newport Beach so I tagged along for some much-needed vitamin D recharging. Rule of adulthood going forward if we continue to live in Minnesota: a warm weather respite is a must at least once between December and March (preferably twice: once in December and once in late February / early March). Don’t get me wrong, I love Minneapolis, but enduring six months of winter darkness gets harder every year. 

Overall, our week was relaxing and wonderful and exactly what we needed. Here’s a look at what we did.

coeur sports tri camp

How’s this for timing: our trip happened to overlap with the last day of Coeur Sports tri camp! So bright and early Sunday morning, I watched the sunrise as I drove down Highway 1 to join the crew in Carlsbad (I cannot get over the light in California – absolutely stunning and for sure one of the reasons it’s such a great place to live). The day consisted of an easy bike ride down the coast (I didn’t take a single pic – gah!), a trail run and a quick swim in the sunshine, followed by an aΓ§ai bowl for recovery. A sunset celebration in La Jolla capped off the day, complete a massage by the ocean, dancing on the patio and sparklers at sunset. An incredible day for sure, but the best part: catching up with all the wonderful women of Coeur Sports. That’s what this sport is all about β™₯

all the running

Since I didn’t bring my bike this trip – or running socks or shirts πŸ€¦πŸ½β€β™€οΈβ€“ the week was all about running. It’s the best way to explore a new place, right? My biggest run week in awhile – 36 miles – was mostly along the coast with stunning ocean views, including running down to Little Corona Del Mar Beach and along the boardwalk in Santa Monica. Also awesome: post-run ocean ice baths. And running in shorts.Β 

date night in malibu

So, Malibu’s amazing. It was a bit of a cluster to get there from Santa Monica during rush hour, but so worth the gorgeous drive. We hung out on the beach for a bit and then had a drink a Nobu and dinner at Malibu Farm. The fresh watermelon juice and fish tacos were fantastic (and their cookbook is currently in my Amazon cart). 

a few of my favorite things in one pic: an airstream, white cylindrical planters, and pencil stick succulents.

other highlights + eats

It wouldn’t be a trip to SoCal without a visit to the Coeur offices. We spent a lovely couple hours visiting with Ash and Kebby, Bernie pups Gus and Beau, and checking out new designs(!). The laughter with the crew continued over dinner at Micheal’s – my face hurt from smiling! Seriously some of the best people β™₯

Kebby and Ash also set us up with a Tower 26 masters swim. I got my arms handed to me courtesy of Jim, but no matter – swimming in a salty pool in the sunshine felt amazing. Maybe I’d get my butt to the pool more often if that were my pool option (not complaining, though, because I do love swimming at St. Kate’s). 

And finally, it wouldn’t be a vacation with good coffee (Primo Passo), pizza (800 Degrees) and In-N-Out Burger (obviously).

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2 Comments

  • Reply Amy Lynn 04/27/2019 at 7:55 am

    This was such a mood-lifting post to read first thing this morning with all those gorgeous beach pictures…because we have a snow storm on the way tonight and I’m dreading it. I kid you not! I fell in love with fish tacos at Venice Beach-they do them RIGHT in California.

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