Work & Play and a little Get-Away

Haircut.  Long overdue.

 Still dark outside but these two are heading out the door for school on Tuesday morning. By mid-morning, Aaron and I headed out the door as well - on our way to catch a flight to LA.

 I enjoy being the 'tag-along' with Aaron.  Especially when it equates to no cooking or cleaning or carpooling for a few days.

A quick January get-away (and birthday gift) has become a tradition we both want to continue.

 After landing at LAX, we drove to Santa Monica and found at our accommodations before grabbing a bite at what soon became my favorite caffe.  Amazing reubens!

 Any hotel worth staying at in Santa Monica is usually very pricey so we opted to try a new venue.

 This 100-year old beach/cottage room became our home away from home for a few days.

 Nancy lives in the house and rents out this back room to guests via airbnb.

 I have a thing for old doorknobs. 

Wednesday morning we walked a few blocks to JW Marriott Hotel where Aaron spent the day in his quarterly Strategic Coach leadership classes.

These old homes are certainly close together.

 I wandered back exploring new routes before arriving at our room where I spent a few minutes planning out a day - all by myself!

We had a separate entrance through Nancy's eclectic backyard.  

It didn't take long to figure out that she is an amateur artist of all types.

It was actually cheaper to rent a car than take a taxi to and from the airport but everywhere we wanted to go was within walking distance.  

Right across the street from where we stayed was a quaint little fire station.  

It was surprisingly quiet during our stay.

A block away - the Urth Caffe.  

Yep, the majority of my meals were spent right here.

 Inside/outside seating with heat-lamps provided plenty of options as did the menu.  The whole foods/organic emphasis ensured I enjoyed lots of healthy meals without doing any of the work.  What a perfect scenario!

Multi-grain flax seed waffle for breakfast - with real maple syrup and no added sugar - yum!

 Kale quinoa sweet potato salad for lunch - please.

See what I mean?

 After a run on the beach, a phone call with Tricia making plans for our East Coast trip in June and a few yummy meals, I later returned to the beach carrying a lounge chair and a book to read.  

 Until it got too chilly...

 By then, Aaron returned from an energizing day of classes and we drove to the nearby Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

 Thursday was our day together.

No commitments.  No appointments.  No distractions.

 Walking along the famous Santa Monica Pier - without sunglasses.

 I often remember that I forgot to bring sunglasses about 5 minutes after leaving home.  And I always say to Aaron - I'll be fine without them.  He just laughs...

 We bought a cheap pair along the pier and miraculously, I could see again!

 My hunk and a cool tree trunk.

 Another 'real food' option - True Kitchen.  

Southern California is not lacking in healthy eating restaurants.  Buffalo burger for Aaron and steak tacos for me (grass-fed of course).  I had to chuckle when the table next to us ordered a salad of some type and a bowl full of vegetables was brought out.  It didn't look like a traditional salad.  In fact, Aaron initially thought it was a centerpiece for the table:). Funny!

Walking around we saw plenty of orange and lemon trees in people's tiny yards.

Friday morning - getting ready to fly back home.

No garage.  No driveway.  We were given a parking pass that allowed us to park anywhere available within a 2-block radius.  That would certainly be inconvenient with all the comings/goings from our house - and especially after grocery shopping!

Good-bye California.  

We enjoyed your sunshine and warmer temps for a few days.

It was snowing when we arrived home Friday evening.  Aaron spent a good portion of Saturday on the 4-wheeler (again) clearing snow from our monstrous driveway.

Exciting things happened while we were away.  The new superstore opened up in town.

Quinn and Elsie were SO excited to check it out that we went before and after Quinn's basketball game on Saturday morning.  Elsie was finally able to use the gift card she received for Christmas. One happy girl!

 I did notice a few unique features to this super-sized store.

Is this buffalo to be a permanent guest?  I don't know.

 And I don't recall ever seeing a Community Readiness Center as part of a superstore.  

It contains all things food storage related, etc.

Hmm, I guess they know their market.