La Jolla

La Jolla is a magical place. We stayed in a gorgeous rental house just steps away from shopping, restaurants, and the beautiful ocean. My favorite part of where we stayed was that we walked everywhere! It was so nice not to have to load everyone in the car for every single meal.

Each morning, I went on a walk down to La Jolla cove. I either exercised, read, or just enjoyed the beautiful weather and quiet time. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. One morning I even got within just a few feet of a seal and her baby!! It was amazing.

A seal and her pup. I wanted to reach out and hug them!! 

We also went on a segway tour which was extremely dorky, but took us to places in La Jolla we may have not otherwise seen. We stopped outside of Mitt Romney's house, so now I know which neighborhood I want to live in! ;)

We ate at the Brockton Villa for breakfast twice during our trip. Their french toast is incredible!! My sisters also loved their cinnamon roll pancakes and their waffles. I definitely recommend eating here. There are great views of the ocean and it is a local favorite.

Streetcar donuts.

We also ate at Streetcar Donuts, which was a fantastic experience. First of all, how cool are the square-shaped donuts?! Secondly, they were all delicious. They have an extensive menu (they are also famous for their fried chicken and biscuits) and I wish we had been able to go back and sample more. The favorites of the group were Vanilla Bean, Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Sugar, Original Glazed, and Peanut Butter. I personally thought they nailed the simple glazed donut. SO GOOD.

We enjoyed brunch at the La Valencia hotel one morning. The La Valencia is a gorgeous 4-star Spanish style hotel that was originally built in the 1920s. Everything was gorgeous! I ordered the pancakes and was not disappointed.

Now, here is a list of some of my favorite La Jolla spots.

1. Duke's La Jolla - great seafood and a really cool atmosphere

2. Whisknladle - one of the BEST meals I've ever had. Get the butternut squash ravioli! Trust me! 

3. George's - kind of touristy but you can't beat their ocean views. Make sure to book a reservation during the sunset!

4. Puesto - fresh and delicious Mexican food. Everyone loved their tacos/bowls. 

5. Fresh Produce - contrary to the name, this is not a place for fresh produce. It's a really cute store, and although some of the stuff is very mom-ish, there are some hidden gems! 

Misty morning walk by the beach.

Thanks for the memories, California! 

The whole fam outside of George's. Spending time with them is the best. 

Disneyland Part Two

Day two greeted us with much nicer weather. After breakfast at Starbucks in Downtown Disney, we made our way to the gate of California Adventure. Our first order of business was going on Radiator Springs Racers, but after booking it there, we discovered it was temporarily not running. 

Outside of Soarin'

SO, we made our way to Soarin' Over the World, and I was so excited to see the new version of the ride! I grew up with Soarin' Over California, and it is one of my all-time favorite rides. I am happy to say that I LOVED the new version! I love how they stayed true to the original in terms of almost identical music and still had the great smells like they used too. I loved seeing the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, and other famous landmarks. It made me want to travel! 

We also met Olaf! 

Madeline, casually observing Paradise Pier. 

One highlight of the day was riding California Screamin' not one, not two, but three times. Amanda and I even sat in the front row, which is our little tradition. Best ride ever! I miss Tower of Terror, but I'm sure the new ride will be cool too. 

Amanda just chilling under the Ferris wheel. 

We ate lunch at the Wine Country Trattoria, and it was absolutely delicious. We sat outside under the ivy-covered trellises and enjoyed fresh pasta, pizza, and bread. It didn't even feel like we were in the middle of Disney (in a good way)! 

My cookie bits sundae... SO GOOD.

One of the best parts of the day was going to the Ghiradelli store. For some reason, we've never eaten there, despite our many trips to Disneyland. We each originally were going to order just a scoop of ice cream... but then we saw the back of the menu. Naturally, I went with the cookie bits sundae. Amanda and Madeline each ordered dark mint bliss sundaes, and my mom got a coffee ice cream sundae. YUM!! Obviously, this was a lot of food for a midday snack. 

We at dinner at Carthay Circle, which I highly recommend. I absolutely loved the ceviche. It felt good to eat something nice and fresh after gorging on ice cream! 

After dinner, we went and saw World of Color. It was amazing! Even though it was a little chilly, I think it is a must-do. The way they sync up the crazy fountain stunts with the lights, music, and video is really incredible. 

Paradise Pier at night. 

All in all, we had an amazing time at Disneyland. After two busy days in Anaheim, it was time to head down to San Diego! More about that in my next post :) 

Disneyland Part One

Disneyland or "The Happiest Place on Earth" is truly that for me and my sisters. I grew up in Southern California, only 45 minutes from Disneyland. 

My first time on California Screamin' age six. You can barely see me behind that harness!  

California Adventure circa about 2003.

We went frequently and even held annual passes at some point. I have so many good childhood memories of Fantasyland, Ariel's Grotto, my first times on California Screamin' and Tower of Terror, and the Electrical Parade. 

However, I think Disney has gotten even MORE fun as I've gotten older. My sisters and I love going together, and always have a blast. My mom is the best for taking us, and my dad is a trooper for putting up with it. 

The "Small World Wall". Amanda was determined to get a picture here. 

At the beginning of March, we spent a few days in Disney to kick off our California Spring Break trip. Here are some of my favorite pictures from that trip! 

Our first day in the Magic Kingdom was pretty chilly and rainy. 

Luckily, we bought Disney sweatshirts the day before so we could remain festive and warm. 

Amanda did my hair and Madeline's hair and we wore our crowns! 

I love the sweatshirt I got and I wear it almost every day either to the gym, to class, watching Netflix, to the grocery store... there's really nowhere I don't wear it! 

I got this delicious white chocolate cookie in Pooh's Corner after we went on the Winnie The Pooh ride. They have the best treats ever! 

I'm obsessed with all of the cake pops, especially the Electrical Parade themed ones. The head/hat is made out of marshmallow. 

I LOVED this peanut butter bar from Main Street Confectionary. 

In line for the Alice in Wonderland ride!

Big Thunder Mountain.  How cute are my sisters?

One of the more sunny moments of the day! 

Emily enjoying a classic Mickey Bar. You can't go wrong with one of those! 

Enjoying our treats ;) 

Hanging out with Mickey in the Abraham Lincoln exhibit. The show always makes me emotional for some reason... #USA.

Small World wall once again

I love the magical changing windows on Main Street! So cool. 

Did anyone's parents ever let them buy one of these?? Ever??? 

One of my favorite Electoral Parade floats!

We got to see the Main Street Electrical parade which was AWESOME. I grew up with this parade and even owned it on VHS. Just hearing the music brought a wave of nostalgia.  

Overall, it was an amazing day in the park. I'm not sure I've ever been chilly in a Disney park until that day! There was something nice about being cozy in my sweatshirt all day. Stay tuned for part two: California Adventure. 

Spring in Nashville

Spring has finally sprung in Nashville! Matt and I had the best weekend soaking up some of its beauty. For the first time in forever, we had a free weekend. We wanted to maximize our free time, and I think we succeeded!

On Friday evening we worked out and then ate at Mirko. It's a bit of a trek from campus, but it is so worth it. We love how it is relatively cheap, and you get a lot of food for what you pay. We love starting with the fried mozzarella balls and I love the gnocchi!

On Saturday morning we went on a hike. We love going to Radnor Lake and prefer the South Lake trail. One time we saw a whole family of deer on this trail just chilling. 

After the hike, we went to Chick-fil-a for breakfast! It was the perfect treat. When we got home, we sat outside and read our books for an hour. It was so nice just soaking up the sunshine and not working on schoolwork! I am reading Rober K. Massie's book about Catherine the Great in preparation of my trip to Russia! 

Vanderbilt is absolutely blooming, and for some reason, I enjoy the beauty MUCH more without a heavy backpack on as I trudge to class. We decided to go to the Nashville Farmer's Market, because we had never been before and wanted to check it out.

We had a delicious strawberry + banana + Nutella crepe and a dozen of the most amazing mini donuts. The cutest elderly couple owned the donut stand and were handing out free samples. The sample was so good that we had to buy some! For only 5 bucks, it was a great deal. They were so warm and fresh! 

A great surprise was the history of Nashville monument behind the market. 

Such a perfect day! 

Wishing my dorm had room for a little garden...

Matt makes a cute broccoli!