2013/30 Picture Perfect Day

It was a good day to get out of a rut. As restitution for something that I did for Brienne, she was supposed to let me take pictures of her. She finally made good on her promise, meeting me at work with Acki for a stroll along the beach and all the picture taking I wanted.

The weather, the sun and the sky could not have been any more perfect. The girls were so excited to be there at the edge of the sand, taking dozens of pictures by the minute. We had so much fun that it didn't even bother me that I didn't get hardly any good shots on my cellphone. It didn't matter anyway, I got some good shots on my DSLR and the girls got some excellent shots on their cellphones.

It was a picture perfect day.

2013/19 A Walk in the Sun

After days of uncommonly cool weather, the sun warmed the air making it a perfect time to head back out to the beach. I would have liked it to be a tad cooler which would have meant fewer crowds and easier parking, but it was so incredibly beautiful, it's difficult to complain.

There was barely an ocean breeze and the surf was strangely still when we arrived. There is nothing like the ocean to make me come to life. 

2013/12 A Good Tired

Tired myself out today, but it's a good tired. Would have loved to wake up late this morning, but Brie asked me to get her up early so I was up and at 'em at promptly 7:15am. I thought seriously about popping back into bed since there was a nice chill in the air, but the beauty of the morning kept me moving.

It was the perfect day to finally head out to Dripp, a coffee shop that I've been wanting to try out for the longest time. The temperature in Southern California was projected to hover around the upper 50's which is quite low, even for January.

I was more than delighted with the interior of the shop and even more pleased with the mocha that I ordered. It was more than a girl could ask for. The only bummer of the whole experience was the "No Photograph" sign that greeted me as I opened the door to the coffee shop. WHAT?!?!

That didn't stop me from taking a few surreptitious snaps of my most delicious beverage. When nothing was said, I daringly took a few more as casually as I could.

Afterwards, I headed west for a little beach time. Winter is one of my favorite times to head out to the Pacific Ocean. Parking is easy and the beach front is pretty much wide open. I was able to walk around the water and pier for almost two hours.

Now I'm worn out, but, oh, so happy. It was such a wonderful feeling to spend some time out at the ocean.

Seriously thinking of going back for another mocha tomorrow. Going to be another winter's day in California.

Everything I Had

It was supposed to be a team leadership summit. It was decided to include an overnight camping trip as part of our team building experience.

I was really looking forward to it. I've been missing the ocean so much.

The thought of falling asleep to the sound of crashing wave.

Gathering around a campfire and roasting marshmallows was something I couldn't wait to do.

Watching both the sunset and the sunrise in the beauty of the outdoors made me so excited.

But the night before, my back was hurting. It didn't feel any better in the morning as it usually does.

It took everything I had to be out there, moving through the pain, letting others do things for me.

But I needed to go. I needed to stand out in front of the ocean, watching the waves come forth and just as quickly retreat.

I needed to put my feet into the ocean and feel God's mercy and grace wash over me.

I needed to live.

Beginning and end

Beginning of the day...

And the end...

In Search of Sunshine

It was another grey day today. At times a slight drizzle fell. I almost wished for rain so the blue skies would come. But nothing changed. I stayed home at lunch, trying to hold fast to my resolve to reduce my spending.

By five o'clock I decided to hunt for sunshine. I headed towards Huntington Beach not intent on doing anything but seeing if the skies had broken in the West. While it wasn't all sunny skies, it wasn't a dreary gray either.

At first I wasn't going to get out of the car and then I looked around and there was no one there! I could park pretty much anywhere I wanted. I quickly turned the car around, filled the parking meter with $3.00 for two hours and headed towards the water.

It was a very good day. Pretty blue skies to start the day, french toast for breakfast, hanging out with Brie and my mom, watching planes land at Orange County airport, taking in the sunset at Laguna Beach with the bestest!

Knowing that next week I'm only working on Monday made Saturday morning coffee even more relaxing.

Earlier this week I planned to go out specifically to take some pictures. Even though the weather wasn't cooperating, I wasn't going to let that stop me. After I cleaned up my room, I packed up my camera, iPad and iPod and headed for Ventura.

I ended up in an area of Ventura I hadn't been before. It was drizzling on my way up the 101, but the clouds had cleared by the time I arrived at the beach. There were others out and about enjoying themselves too. Enough to give me a sense of security, but not so many that I felt impeded.

After walking around and taking pictures for a better part of an hour, I drove to Main Street with the intention of hanging out there until the golden hour.

I took this picture by mistake. For some reason I like it.

After lunch and coffee, I went back to the beach. It wasn't quite the golden hour and the clouds were starting to thicken up. After sitting in my car for about 15 minutes, I decided that the conditions weren't going to be worth the wait so I headed back home. I noticed this neon sign on the way to Ventura and made a note to myself to stop on the back back and take some pictures of it. I missed the exit and almost kept going, but told myself it was now or never so I pulled off on the next exit and back tracked. So glad I did!

But hands down, the best part of the day was hanging out with my baby girl. She spent the day at home watching tv and texting friends so she was ready for some company by the time I got home. Mom and I went to dinner while Brie stayed at home baking brownies. We were watching a movie when she got a text from a friend telling her to come over as some of their mutual friends were at her house. Even though we were having a good time, I encouraged her to go.

This one was in a playful mood so I took over for Brie as she got ready to go to Sierra's.