It's no secret that I love Southern California. When your best friend's dad and step mom own a house with an ocean view, and a sail boat in the harbour, what else is there to do then vacation there and spend the 4th of July?! We left Ottawa on Canada Day, which is kind of funny, but it meant barely any wait times in the airport, so that was a bonus. This was my second time in Cali this year with Katie, but Alex hadn't been with us in exactly 3 years! I decided to not spend too much time with my camera, because I wanted to spend it with my girls instead. It's not often that we all get to hang out these days, I was so excited.
Cali for the 4th in photos
Day 1 - We arrived around 1pm and spent the afternoon sitting on the balcony, drinking wine, catching up and chatting. That evening we had a nice meal with the family and off to bed super early we went.
Day 2 - We woke up the next morning so rested and just plain happy. I had a perfect view of the ocean from my bed and the warm breeze coming from the open door was perfection. It still blows me away that there are barely any bugs there and people don't have screens on their doors or windows!
We went shopping at the Irvine Spectrum, which I love because it is an outdoor mall....hello, awesome! We ate one of my favourite meals at The Melt, the grilled cheese and tomato soup was so yummy!! Then we went back to the house and down to the pool for a little swim and relax.
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Day 3 - Beach day! We drove up to Huntington Beach, ate fries and milkshakes at Ruby's and then sat on the beach for a few hours. I can honestly say that the beach is my most happy place. That evening we went to one of our fav Mexican restaurants for dinner and margaritas, it's our little tradition! Then we went down to the dock and hung out there for a bit before going back to the house to get some rest for the 4th.
Day 4 - The 4th of July!! We spent the day down at the Dana Point Harbour, it was seriously so much fun! We had great food, drinks, met some new friends and hung out with old ones we hadn't seen in awhile. I actually went in the water and into the huge water fight they have going on all day long, it was crazy! I barely took any photos at all since I was kind of terrified to have my camera out, but it was such a good day and the fireworks were awesome!!
Day 5 - We didn't really have much planned for the weekend, more just to relax and enjoy our last couple of days. We went on a boat ride and I actually went tubing in the ocean, which was both terrifiying and so fun! I'm so happy I decided to do it, such a cool experience. That evening Katie and Alex took me out for a birthday dinner to one of our favourite spots, The Cheesecake Factory! It's our little tradition to go there every time we are in California since we have been doing it for 10 years!
Day 6 - Leaving day. I woke up not feeling so hot, so the girls were off to La Jolla for brunch and to drop off a visiting family member in Carlsbad. Once I felt better, I went to lunch with a couple of friends and then walked to the park in Dana Point. There was a big concert going on with hundreds of people. The sun was shining and I lay under a big tree, I could see the ocean and the gorgeous houses on the hills. I read my book, listened to the bands and people watched, it was the perfect afternoon. I spent a few hours in the park and then walked back down to the house to finish packing and have some dinner. Our flight was delayed, so we left the house around 9 to get to LAX.
I am so fortunate to be have the opportunity travel to one of my favourite places, and will always be grateful to A&MB for letting us take over their gorgeous home whenever we want!
xox nat