California Trip!

It’s been too long since I’ve written any blog posts! In my defense I was gone for a week and then trying to get back into the routine once I got back…adding in two more extra-curriculars for the kiddos…and hubby’s new job (putting him back in an office building = no more working from home, aka no more “all up in my business! LOL!). Top that off with some home improvements and hopefully you’ll understand why I’ve been MIA. First up…my trip to California! ………………………………………………………

When someone you’ve known for their whole life (or just about) is getting married, you make every effort to be there. Josh, whom I’ve known since he was two (I used to be his babysitter), was tying the knot with his beautiful bride to be, Carmen. They live on the CA coast which just couldn’t more be more perfect for an outdoor wedding (something good has to come of their drought situation…no threat of rain to ruin the wedding!).

My flight out of Maryland to California was very early in the morning, I flew through security which game me plenty of time for a nice breakfast. I arrived on a Tuesday nice and early and in time for Josh to pick me up from the tiny regional airport I flew into. We headed into Arroyo Grande and had lunch a cute little deli. I’m so glad we had that time to catch up just on our own before the wedding craziness began.

I stayed with my dear friends Jeral and Priscilla, but mostly spent my time over at Kristin’s (Josh’s sister…I’ve know her since the day she was born!) so we could visit and so I could see Riley, her adorable 9 month old. He’s changed so much since I saw him in April!

Wedding day was quickly upon us! I’d like to say that most weddings (behind the scenes) are kinda nutty, but this one may have gone a little above and beyond! haha! Suffice to say there was a late groom, left behind guest favors (which required an hour and a half to retrieve!), vows “erased” (aka not written in the first place!), a “gentle” breeze which kept blowing over the beautiful orchid center pieces and scattering the petals everywhere, a wrongly cut wedding cake, drunk/hands-y groomsman and no vegetarian food option-for the bride-who is a vegetarian! Despite all the crazy, to the casual guest, I know the wedding came off beautifully. The bride was absolutely stunning!! I thought the brunch food was great (but I’m not a vegetarian! LOL!) and the Cambria Lodge location was so pretty and fog free! Fog is something you can count on in that Cambria/San Simeon area in the early mornings (wedding was at 11 am), but this day was remarkably clear skies. On the way back to SLO, we stopped at cute little coastal town of Cayucos so we could grab some goodies from The Brown Butter Bakery…known for the brown butter sea salt cookies. Naturally I had to bring a ~~few~~ 2 dozen home with me! 😉

A few days later I had a the chance to Uber it downtown and did a bit of window shopping as well as caught up with Kristin and an adorable creek side cafe in San Luis Obispo. I made sure to grab a couple pictures of the famous “bubble gum alley” and yes that is exactly what it is…an alley where people have been squishing wads of gum onto the walls for decades. A quick bit of research tells me that it dates back to the late 40’s-early 50’s. It’s had a couple of full cleanings, but the alley quickly began filling up again. The last partial cleaning was back in 1996. Local politicians believe it to be an “eye sore” while the local chamber of commerce tout it as a “tourist attraction” and as an “art installation”. It’s become quite iconic and I’m pretty sure it’s here to stay.

As my California trip came to a close, we grabbed some last minute pictures before my super early (4 a.m.) flight back to Maryland. I love these people so much. They are as much family to me as my blood relatives!