Travel Archives

Girls Weekend and Meeting a New Family Member

2020 is wicked hard when it comes to travel… just keeping it real.

It’s not the same but it is more important than ever. Seeing my parents, spending time with my girls and meeting the newest member of our family renewed my strength.

One of my closest friends lives in Texas. She’s had plans to come visit us this year. We booked her trip pre-COVID and then during COVID she canceled (free of charge) and we’ve been sitting on this travel voucher ever since.

This year, there’s always a reason why travel can’t happen, no matter how important the travel reason may be.

When it comes to health and safety, this is a terrible time to travel but when it comes to airlines and accommodations, there hasn’t been a better time! The airlines are so understanding, keeping everything as safe as they can.

We’ve been hesitant to book our next big trip but we finally did it…. and are so excited! We’re going to Tulum in January with Aiden and Dana! I am itching to be on that beautiful white sand beach by the ocean, in the beautiful town, and to go diving as well. If something happens or changes, we can make the decision then but we are done holding up the future waiting for the world to change. It’s important to keep going & stay safe while doing so.

We’ve been hesitant to book our next big trip but we finally did it…. and are so excited! These are our EXCITED FACES. We’re going to Tulum in January with Aiden and Dana! I am itching to be on that beautiful white sand beach by the ocean, in the beautiful town, and to go diving as well. If something happens or changes, we can make the decision then but we are done holding up the future waiting for the world to change. It’s important to keep going & stay safe while doing so.

Last weekend, we made the drive over to St. George, UT with Ansleigh to meet Acacia and go see my parents. In terms of COVID, Las Vegas and Southern Utah specifically is so different from California. From this little mini-trip, we see that each state is handling COVID-19 differently. It honestly made me nervous to see how Utah is doing, considering that Acacia and my Mom are both immuno-compromised. People were not wearing masks or socially distancing (not a shock, but still odd and frustrating to see.)

We locked ourselves into our hotel room and spent the weekend doing facials, making dinner, reading tarot cards, and watching movies. I was grateful to spend quality time with my daughters. I also got to play and fall in love with the newest member of our family, Lucy.

Acacia and Brandon recently bought a house, which is exciting in itself, but then they decided to get a puppy. Not just any puppy… a Great Dane puppy! Lucy is already growing like a weed and is so smart. What better time than now to get a new puppy, than during COVID? (Working from home has its rewards.)

We were able to make it up to Pine Valley, for a hike, and to Dammeron Valley to see my parents. I haven’t been able to see my parents in A LONG TIME, and it was difficult to not be able to hug. We were able to keep masks on and stay distanced, because safety is most important. It was so great just to be together.

Don’t be stopped by COVID. You may have to change plans a bit, but as long as you are staying safe and healthy, you don’t need to be stopped. Be smart about the moves you are making in 2020, but don’t let the fear stop you. Go ahead, follow your heart.

Life is Beachy

Travel

When I first came to San Diego, I came for the beach..,that’s just the bottom line. There are a lot of places to live in the world and what I have discovered is that we do best with zero elevation, a tepid climate and where the sun is shining 99.999 percent of the time.

When we moved to San Diego, we made a real commitment to ourselves to go to the beach every week, and that’s why I started the San Diego Beaches Facebook page. I wanted to have a place to chat about the beaches we were going to, as the beach is a way for me to connect with nature, myself & others, and with the beautiful landscape we live in.

Just to make it the best experience ever, we welcomed Beachy, my beach-going convertible! We got Beachy because we want more beach experiences, like having the wind in our hair. We love having Beachy for our date nights—- zooming to the beach is a weekly experience that really re-centers us.

These photos are from Mission Beach, right behind the rollercoaster at Mission. (This is Aiden’s favorite beach because it has the Baked Bear, the best ice cream sandwiches). In the words of Aiden, “not just any sandwich, but you can do cookies, or cookie-brownie, or cookie-donut, or donut-donut sandwich. Always with ice cream in the middle, yum.” As you can tell, these are true passions in life!

A lot of locals love Mission Beach because it is so family-oriented with the roller coaster, rock wall, and indoor surfing area. The shops, the park, the combination of the bay and the beach means that there is something for everyone! We had our friends come with us on a double date, and they took some great photos of us! We love being able to connect with each other while watching the sun set, at the beach. There’s really nothing quite like it.

Some other recent beaches we went to are Cardiff State Beach and Sunset Cliffs! Check out my little vlogs about each one!

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Sunset Cliffs were so great! We got to see our dear friends Anna and Areal since they bought their very first house 5 minutes from Sunset Cliffs! We saw a sunset yoga class, watched the sunset, and after the beach we got drinks to celebrate Areal’s birthday at King & Queen Cantina.

CARDIFF BEACH STATE PARK

What an awesome beach! Cardiff Beach is on the south side of Swami State Conservation Area. We liked it because it’s all one conservation area, but each beach is so different! Lots of families, lots of parking, and fun restaurants to visit! We went to Ki’s Restaurant for dinner, we highly recommend it! The sand is great, there are lots of kids playing, and overall a great night at the beach.

So there you have it! Our beachy adventures over the last two weeks. What do you think? Stay tuned for more posts like this, and if you like these posts–subscribe to our mailing list!

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Weekend Getaway to Sedona, AZ: LDW Travel Guide

Travel

Bekah was looking for a destination for our anniversary, as we usually travel for our anniversary and use the opportunity to reconnect and celebrate. Usually, the destination is international, last year we went to Panama and the year before that, to Mexico. Obviously, due to COVID-19 that is not a possibility, so we stayed domestic. Bekah was looking for a getaway that had good vibes, and she had been to Sedona before. Granted, that was 15 years ago but I had always wanted to go and Bekah was wanting to go back! So we went to Sedona to celebrate our anniversary. Here is our rundown of where to stay, where to eat, and what to do.

Something interesting to note about Sedona is that it’s considered to be a “vortex”, meaning that it is believed to possess several unusual energy fields in the city and surrounding area. There are four specific vortex spots, and we could feel the energy in the city. That’s what we mean when we say good vibes, you really do feel the energy shift there!

Accomodation

Bekah found Junipine Resort, which is luxurious but in nature. It is about 8 miles outside of Sedona, so the temperature here is lower than in Sedona, like 12-15 degrees lower on average. We are in the mountains, and from our balcony, we have a view of a massive wall of mountains directly in front of us! This place was so charming, the lobby had a s’mores bar, a great on-site restaurant and there is a creek running right behind our resort. Wildlife and locals alike come to this creek (basically river) to cool off. Staying here during Labor Day Weekend was crazy, people were hailing to this resort from all over so it was so great to have these trails in our backyard to explore during off-times.

The whole resort is comprised of cabin-like suites, and ours was a 1-bedroom suite with a balcony and full kitchen. We were able to cook most of our meals at home, which allowed us to focus more on relaxing, and doing things on our own schedule and not always looking for restaurants.

View of our cabin-style suite from the outside along with views from our balcony and a close-up of the creek!

Food

Sedona has great food in general, our resort included. The on-site restaurant is called “The Table.” All of the food is so fresh and delicious!

Whole Foods: I know, an odd thing to mention in a travel post, but I just have to mention this. The Whole Foods here is top-notch! Every piece of produce we bought here, we said “This is the best EVER.” You may not make a trip to Sedona just for the Whole Foods, but if you are here and happen to stop by, be prepared for some great produce!

Cowboy Club and Grille: This place was legit! Our server was definitely a cowboy by day-job, the food was outstanding and gave us the ambiance of being in the Southwest. Bekah had the steak, I had the chili and we opted for an extra helping of cornbread because it was amazing.

Nature

Oak Creek Vista, part of the Coconino National Forest: Located at the top of Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, this is a place you should go. Since this is a National Park, the signage displaying the history is informative and well written. The lookout point shows how 7,000 feet of elevation of rock sediment has been exposed and been formed by natural tendencies (like glaciers and tectonic plate movement), and the signs explain the different sediments and formations. Also, this National Park is sitting right in the crux a fault line, so you can see how the two different sides of the canyon traversed each other and formed to each other over time. Sedona is at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon, and you feel the Grand Canyon energy here! One of our favorite things about Oak Creek Vista was the Native American energy in the form of history and vendors that allowed us to experience the culture and the location even more. There are some great hikes at the top of the canyon, but you are also welcome to drive deeper into the canyon for more hiking.

Slide Rock State Park: a favorite for locals and visitors alike! Each time we drove past on our way to Oak Creek Canyon, the line of cars to find parking and enter the State Park was out the gate with standstill traffic. The state park is known for natural-formed “slides” that allow you to slide from smooth red rocks right into the canyon stream. Sounds fun, but too much traffic this weekend to even consider it!

In Town

Main St. of Sedona, AZ is known for “New Age” shops, spas and art galleries. We did all of those things! If you’re into what Bekah and I like to call the “woo-woo” stuff just like we are, Sedona is the place for you, especially Main St. A major perk of downtown Sedona that we were not expecting was how relatively inexpensive everything is! Here’s a breakdown of some of the highlights.

Namti Day Spa: This spa was awesome! We love spending time at spas when time allows, so Bekah found this place before we even got to Sedona. It is one of the highest-rated spas in the city, so easy to book online, great reviews, and the staff was amazing. During COVID shutdown, the spa took the time to remodel the space, and it felt fresh, clean and relaxing. Sedona is full of day spas, and you won’t have any trouble finding one to decompress. Namti even has retreats so we will definitely be back.

Mystical Bazaar: This is not quite on Main St, but worth the visit. It was relatively close to Namti Spa, so we popped in for a visit, and were blown away! Erin at Mystical Bazaar did our destiny readings, and we both got tarot card readings. Mystical Bazaar also operates as a storefront for collecting gemstones, rocks, energy stones, etc and the selection was HUGE. Bekah mentioned this was the biggest variety of gemstones she had ever seen, and everything was so organized and easy to find. In Mystical Bazaar we also did an aura reading. This was so interesting, because it’s an aura photography service that takes a photo of your face and full body, and then quickly give you a 23-page report analyzing your aura! It was spot on, and cost us $29 each.

Overall, it was so great to be able to have the balance of being in town in Sedona and also being able to escape to our resort in the woods. We binge-watched Alone on Amazon Prime (if you haven’t done this, this is your sign to do so), played lots of cards (unfortunately, Bekah really whooped me in cards), got our meditations in, and slept in every day. On our way back from Sedona, AZ we stopped in Phoenix for lunch with some friends and then flew back to San Diego! That night, we celebrated our anniversary in the San Diego Bay, and it was the best weekend.

Changes in Travel: Quarantine Edition

Travel

Our lives are centered around family, travel, and health. So, as you can imagine, COVID has taken a toll on us just as it has taken a toll on the rest of the world.

I feel so fortunate that we have a home we can safely live, where I can practice my yoga, where I can cook fresh meals, and be able to spend time in my yard and neighborhood. I feel especially fortunate to have enough space for the family stay with us, just like our son, and his girlfriend, did during the peak of quarantine.

That doesn’t mean that quarantine required a whole lot of sacrifice. Truth is, we lost about 60% of our event business. Everyone has had to sacrifice something, and for us, it has been travel. I really miss the warm water…

Travel is not just a hobby for me, it is one of the key pillars of my business. Business events and coaching be done virtually so we may never go back to our old travel schedule. In 2019, between the two of us (Bekah and I) there were only two weeks we did not travel. Utah, Minnesota, Arizona, you name it. We were on the go EVERY WEEK. On top of that, we would string cities together to ensure stopping for fun travel, too! A weekend in NOLA for a Saints game, a semi-annual international vacation, a week in Boston to see my son and walk that Freedom Trail, moving my daughter to college, the list goes on. My first thought was, how could we just give that up?

I keep telling myself that it’s OK to take time at home. We have time to start the home renovation now. We have time to enjoy our pool (which took way too many hours picking tile). We have time to have a group Facetime with the kids, every week. We have time to educate ourselves on what is happening in the world and find ways to engage in the community.

Now that we are slowing down our international travel, the ideal solution, for us, is chill at our own SD beaches. Our new pop-up is designed for just that! This year is for local travel! At first, I was frustrated that we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of our vacation memberships or new destinations, but we live in the most diverse nature in the world! Southern California has so much for us to discover– and I’m realizing that there is so much that I haven’t seen in our own country!

So, I made myself a promise. International travel is not possible, but domestic travel IS, so I WILL travel domestically. The beauty of our country is that you can drive anywhere, (unless you live in Hawaii or Alaska, sorry!) so let’s drive places! Bekah and I went camping in our new pop-up a few weeks ago, about an hour outside of Poway. It was absolutely stunning, and just the recharge I needed. My happy place is the beach, and I am determined to camp on the beach near San Diego! I challenge you all to pick a new place that you have not explored near your home. Think of a place, and comment below. We could have a whole list of places to go just in these comments!