CALIFORNIA COAST // Part 2: Point Lobos

Here's part 2 of our trip to Monterey Bay/Big Sur! Photos are from the Point Lobos State Reserve

CALIFORNIA COAST // Part 1 : Beautiful Big Sur

Thought I'd post some pictures we took during a trip to the Monterrey Bay/ Big Sur area over Thanksgiving weekend (Pictures from Monterey and Point Lobos to come later). One of the highlights was hiking with our friends Chris and Julie in Big Sur. What unbelievable beauty! They took us on the Ewoldsen Trail and I kept saying that I felt like I was in some sort of surreal scene on Lord of the Rings, hiking through the cool crisp mountain air, listening to the beautiful sound of water flowing downstream, and watching the way the sun was pouring out through the giant redwoods. It's so crazy how these gigantic trees and rocky mountains all coexist within a few steps of the ocean and her crashing waves. I definitely hope to return again- maybe on a camping in the summer time!

ANNIVERSARY TRIP PART 2 // Joshua Tree During the Day

I finally finished putting together some of the photos from our trip. These are from the day portion from our visit to Joshua Tree. I thought it was breathtaking. The literal Joshua tree is such a quirky creature full of personality and was a great contrast to stillness of the massive rock formations spread across the mountain. At first the desert seems deathly silent with the heat of the sun bearing down, and the animals hiding away; but if you look close enough, you will find that everything is still alive, and in constant conversation with one another!

ANNIVERSARY TRIP PART 1 // A Night Under the Stars

Just got back from our trip to Palm Springs last night. These shots are from a day trip we made to Joshua Tree National Forrest.

I can't imagine anything more romantic than star gazing. After seeing Christina's pintrest page, I knew that I'd want to spend a night outside the city lights to see these beauties.

As the sun started to go down, we could see star after star appear one by one. At first I was kind of sad that it was a full moon, because it made the sky too bright to really be able to see/take photos of the stars at their full potential. But goodness, the moon is quite a sight to behold as well. When there are no other lights, it's unbelievably bright. So much so that we were walking around without flashlights and could even see our shadows as we walked!

Anyway, I can't believe I've been married for over a year now. It's a wonderful and surreal feeling and I am so thankful to God for my amazing husband.

MONDAY DATE NIGHT #4 // Pick Your Own Crops at Underwood Family Farms

We went to Underwood Family Farms  for our Monday date night this week. They are about a 5 minute drive from where Taylor works, so I finally convinced him to go with me.  The original plan was to pick a bunch of veggies, and then come home to cook dinner with produce picked straight from the farm. But to tell you the truth, I was so pooped after this, we ended up drinking jamba juice and eating pre-frozen hash browns for dinner instead!

I've been reading up/listening to podcasts on locavorism (both for and against) these days, so all the talk of delicious and unique local produce had me itching to pick some local produce and see for myself.  I don't think I know enough about the complexities of the food production system in American to fully determine my own opinion on whether or not locavorism is good or bad for our environment as a whole; however, in terms of a personal experience, I did find it quite theraputic to spend an hour or so picking vegetables and learning about crops.  (If it was about 5 degrees cooler, I probably could have stayed out there for a lot longer!) There were definitely a lot of veggies that I didn't even know existed, and I can't wait to come home from work tonight and experiment with what we picked.