We headed to L.A. last month to visit Dan's brother for a long long weekend. We had a delightful weekend packed with several fun activities. Both kids were terrified of the ocean's waves, but they loved the beach, so we enjoyed our fair share of sand in our hair and between our toes. We hiked in Malibu, and I hit up a Dailey Method class in Venice. Combine all that with family bonding, and it was an all-around great trip. Thanks so much for hosting us, M&S!
^^first trip with her very own suitcase. she was so excited.^^
^^post-flight beach walk: getting our wiggles out + thrilled to see the ocean.^^
^^afternoon at santa monica beach followed by piggyback snoozes and smoothies.^^
^^tree pictures: can't stop. won't stop.^^
^^venice, i like you. after taking class at the dailey method there, a teacher recommended i try the bulletproof coffee at another kind of sunrise. it did not disappoint.^^
^^ICYMI: homemade fries are AMAZING. look at cam salivating.^^
^^in this moment, at venice beach, we learned that willa can write her name!^^
^^i was so excited to check out salt & straw since it's kinda a big deal on the national artisanal ice cream stage (that's a thing, right?) and i'd never made it to the portland location. venice to the rescue. i ordered a kids' size, per usual, but it was a legit small portion, so i had to indulge and order a second flavor. totally worth it.^^
^^dan and i snuck out for a late night dinner at cassia in santa monica. it calls itself a southeast asian brasserie. i love the things restaurants come up with! (seriously, i do.) to me, it had a definite LA vibe. luckily i'd packed one fancy outfit, ha! the food was really good and the martini i had was fantastic ("gin, imbue vermouth, blanc vermouth, lemongrass tincture, orange bitters, smoked quail egg" - the quail egg scared me at first, but it was just on a toothpick like an olive would be, and it was delicious!). the whole grilled sea bass was the best thing we ordered. fresh herbs!^^
^^there is an awesome playground at tongva park in santa monica. when we walked by it the first time, the kids were asleep, but we knew we had to go back. indeed, they loved playing there. there was also a water feature for hotter days. wish we had more of those in denver!^^
^^beautiful, BEAUTIFUL hike in malibu to round out our trip.^^