I'm currently exhausted, but feeling so good. It feels like it's been days since I woke up this morning! Every time I am required to wake up early for something I am reminded of just how much I love being awake in the morning. This morning I drove my dad to the airport, saw the sunrise, caught up with a friend on Facebook, had breakfast, did some work and packed some orders, took Cody to meet a friend for a 1.5hr hike + lunch, shipped my orders, wrote a to-do list and watched an episode of America's Next Top Model. It's only 2:25pm. What?!
My sis feeding a goat at the petting zoo in Happy Hollow.
My sister visited for 8 days and my dad's trip overlapped hers by a day, so it was super awesome to see both of them and take a break from my normal routine. We saw the zoo here in San Jose (more pics here), tried some delicious restaurants (my favs were Jubba in San Jose and Falafel Stop in Sunnyvale - SO MUCH YUM), drove around the coast (Monterey, Carmel, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay), toured homes, took walks, test-drove Teslas, and had a great time catching up.
Monterey Bay
Half Moon Bay
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Pacifica
One of my favorite things on our trips to the coast was seeing the wildlife of course. There were ground squirrels milling about on Carmel Beach and at Half Moon Bay we saw bunnies, birds, cats, and skinks. We also saw otters and sea lions and deer. I was impressed at the beautiful, wide beaches - until now I'd really only ever seen rocky shores in CA so it was a pleasant surprise. The water is still too cold to play in but it's oh so beautiful and clear.
Getting braver with my plant collection, and by that I mean just having a few more easy-to-care-for plants in my possession. I scooped these up at a succulent nursery on Highway 92 on the way back from Half Moon Bay. On the left is Isabella, then we have Einstein (who looks JUST like a brain), Pokey, and Peli.
It's always nice to see family and I'm so glad they've been able to make it out from the East Coast. The break was much needed, and after it I'm feeling a bit refreshed and ready to get back into things. I am inspired to try sticking with an earlier schedule, to get my exercise and work done in the mornings and leave the afternoons open for play and exploration + keeping myself and the house in order. I saw Silence of the Lambs for the first time in my life yesterday, so I think I'll create a sketch based on that for my sketchbook this afternoon. I already want to re-watch it. For now, I'm off to find the perfect flower pot for my new cactus friends here!
Happy Monday!