July Fourth // Huntington Beach

Friday on Abbot Kinney

Looking Back

This morning I woke up, made hazelnut coffee, and started writing my morning thoughts in my journal. I thought I'd share them.
I'm officially finished with my first semester of college classes after I take my two finals this week. The past four months have been quite the adventure and have shaped me more than I could've ever imagined. Moving away from my family, my hometown-from everything I've ever been used to has been the biggest change in my life thus far. I don't regret one second of it. There's no doubt I have questioned everything, cried, and experienced new feelings, but the knowledge I've learned is irreplaceable. Each and every day I discover more of who I am and the person I would like to be. Not only have I learned an abundance of information from my courses this semester, I have learned lessons that life teaches you...from having a dead car battery, experiencing a flat tire, insane traffic causing you to have complete road rage, making new friends, living with 3 strangers the first few days, dealing with homesickness, handling money, and ultimately laughing at things you can't control. My goals have changed and my perspective has been altered. I have made a life long friend who I'm more than grateful to have here. Sticking this decision out has been a pretty good decision.
I'm excited for what is to come, where I end up, and who I become.

"To live would be an awfully great adventure." -Peter Pan 

Life Lately; A Golden Weekend

Life is moving at a rapid pace and every time I look at the date it's hard to believe it's November. A month left of my first semester of college seems pretty crazy. It's time to study hard and give it my all up until finals are over and then... I'm home for the holidays! The cooler air and darker evenings are definitely getting me excited-and not to mention holiday coffee drinks, Christmas decorations already out while shopping, and knee high socks with each outfit.
This past weekend of mine was spent in many different cities of California. I had the opportunity to stay at a beach house with students from my school in Oxnard; we spent the day building up our teamwork, leadership and communication skills with activities on the beach. I must admit, falling asleep to the sound of waves was one of the best parts.
On Sunday, my mom, aunt, and I headed down to Balboa Island. Balboa is a quaint and gorgeous town that we all adore. Modeology, a boutique on the main street sells Wildfox Couture and other adorable brands. It's one of the cutest shops down there! I'd definitely suggest checking it out if you're ever down in Balboa. After strolling around eating ice cream cones and buying gifts, our next destination was Huntington Beach. Something about Huntington will always feel close to home for me. It's familiar and I've been going there since I was a little kid. Just simply people watching, checking out everyone's individual style in HB is why it's so great. Watching the sunset with our toes in the sand while eating french fries was a perfect ending to the day.
After my graphic design class on Monday, a spontaneous day trip was ahead...Santa Barbara. Downtown Santa Barbara is full of culture and shops. One of our favorite stores we came across here was called, "Plum Goods." It's a gift store full of unique and hand-crafted candles, cards, jewelry, bags, magnets, and books. We bought a traveling/backpacking mouse ornament which may be the cutest thing ever (his name is Hank). The foggy weather all day long and spending time with my mom put me in the best mood. Before having to drive to the airport, we made a quick trip about 30 minutes out of SB to a town called, "Solvang." It's a Danish Village and totally felt like a foreign land, it's a slow paced town with old architecture.

I feel lucky to have had an adventurous weekend! I'm really trying to focus on living in the present moment. It's hard at times to get caught up in thinking about the past; the good and even the bad memories with the particular longing to go back to those times. The future, where we hope everything will turn out how we envision it. What we all know, is that we have now. This exact moment in time to live our lives. Take in every second and be present in each moment. Spend your time with the people who make you the happiest. 

"The world is so much larger than I thought. I thought we went along paths- but it seems there are no paths. The going itself is the path." -C.S. Lewis 

Instant Adventure

When you find an old Polaroid camera in your garage, take full advantage. A 600 film Polaroid Camera was sitting in a box gathering dust and that's just not acceptable in my book. I ordered some film from Amazon and got this baby snapping memories right away. I'm in love with this camera. 

 

On Friday, I embarked on my first drive to California alone. Driving can get kind of boring after a while so you just gotta make sure you have your favorite music playing and plenty of snacks to eat! Those few days on the beach could last forever and I wouldn't mind at all. The beach is such a timeless place; nothing compares to being in the salty ocean with the warm sun soaking into your skin. My travel journal is filled with more incredible experiences and now some rad vintage looking Polaroids that fit perfectly inside.  

Adventure List. This is something new I started doing about a week ago. I have a bucket list-actually I've probably had about 8 bucket lists throughout my life-that I just haven't kept track of. With an adventure list, you can write down all of the awesome activities or crazy things you do that you haven't really planned or imagined yourself doing. Write down what you did, the date, and where you were. For example, I went white water river rafting about a month ago and I never thought I would ever do that. So it's now going on my adventure list! Every opportunity to live adventurously/try something new, I'm in! The idea of an adventure list is neat because you aren't limiting yourself, but instead exploring all this life has to offer.

I'm going to start ending my blog posts with a quote starting today! Have a lovely evening. 

"No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world." -Robin Williams

Foggy Daze

 Long wavy streets, foggy mornings, seafood restaurants, cable cars...I must have been in San Francisco. What a beautiful place this city is. It didn't even feel like we were in California, the weather was cool and it had a wintery almost Christmas-y feeling in the air. I won't give you a day by day run down but if you ever find yourself in San Francisco I suggest you eat at Boudin Bakery (you have to try their sourdough bread, I promise), visit the Ferry Building Marketplace at the Port of San Francisco (this may be my new favorite place), and ride in a cable car! SF is very liberal which is so compelling; everyone has their own unique style that you just want to watch all day long.

Gorgeous sunset in Yosemite

SF Day 1

Downtown//Chinatown

It's a must...right?

Too delicious not to share, Blue Barn Cafe.

Pressed Juicery located in the Port of San Francisco

Finally spotted street art! Anything is possible.

Shopping day with momma!

Carmel Beach,  California