My favorite day in Yosemite: Day 3

Itinerary for today: Explore the other side!

Tuolumne Meadows: My favorite!

This was the day I was completely blown away by Yosemite! The park has some serious hidden gems! On our drive to Tuolumne Meadows we pulled over many times to enjoy the view.

One of the places we stopped was Tenaya Lake. I wish we would have known about this spot ahead of time bc it was not packed with people and it was beautiful! Like a natural resort!

We spent some time here and finally made our way into Tuolumne Meadows. This place literally took my breath away. We were at an elevation of over 9,000 feet that carried a crisp, cool wind. We explored here for several hours! The meadows were colorful and filled with various kinds of flowers, trees, grass, and critters.

In the distance, we witnessed a playful game of chase by a family of deer. It was the coolest thing. The meadows expanded throughout the mountains until your eyes could no longer see any further.

We stumbled upon a small lake where we braved the very cold water and walked along the slippery rocks into the flowing stream. It was an experience we were not going to let slip through our fingers.

Aside from Yosemite being magnificent and beautiful, I think what makes it so beautiful is that it’s an untouched beauty and there are so many hidden treasures inside the park. Once you enter the park, it’s like you feel protected by the mountains because they surround you from every angle and and are so tall and Humongous! Then, once you think you have found the most beautiful spot, you discover another place just as breathtaking or even better. I appreciated my body so much during this trip and thankful that I was able to see such beauty created by a magnificent God.

Yosemite: Day 2

John and I enjoyed being able to sleep in a bit this morning after so much activity over the past week. We started the day eating a delicious breakfast with the other couples staying at the B&B and were also given some great recommendations about where to explore by the owners.

First stop: Vernal Fall.

This place was like a hidden oasis! The hike was very very steep but deff worth it! Once we got to the top we made our way down to the fall and found a small little pool of clear blue water surrounded by rocks and a small island. Once again, it looked like it was something from a movie! It was so picturesque! Many people around us made there way into the water and experienced a truly once in a lifetime opportunity. We were very envious and regretted not bringing our suits. We lost track of time and ended up staying at the fall for four hours!

Once we returned from the falls, we took the shuttle over to where we saw the largest sequoia trees I have ever seen.

The elevation was very high and we both felt a little “off” so we took our time and strolled though the beautiful forest.

We wrapped up our evening by staying out pretty late to watch the sunset and take some night time photography!

Goodnight Yosemite.

Yosemite: Day 1

Next stop: Yosemite.

As we drove away from highway 1, I knew the closer we got to the park that it was going to be SO beautiful. The easiest way for me to remember and describe Yosemite is massive and overwhelmingly beautiful!

The first day we took it a bit easy and drove a lot around the park. We visited Mono meadow which is a small meadow located in the valley.

The first day of the trip my nerves deff. got the best of me, I was convinced that we were going to get attacked by a bear. Wish I was kidding but I’m not. My friend that used to live in Cali told me a couple of frightening bear stories she had experienced which totally set me up to have a distracted hike through the tall shaded trees. Luckily, John kept reminding me that if he saw a bear he would jump on it’s back and slit his throat with his newly purchased pocket knife 🙂 Next stop was glacier point. Ahhhh… Glacier point. SO BEAUTIFUL! And when I think of the overwhelming beauty part I think of this view.

My biggest struggle was being able to wrap my mind around how massive the mountains were. I kept thinking that God must have been trying to show off a bit, he created an amazing place! We stayed and watched the sunset and then headed back to our B&B.

happy saturday // 3

Hello!

I hope you all are having a great weekend! I am actually off today so I’m soaking up as much “weekend” time as possible.

1// I finally saw Gone Girl! It was SO good and dark! I am totally up for seeing it again.

2// John tells me I have too many kitchen appliances. I don’t think you can ever have too many 🙂 I’ve been thinking about buying a Keurig. I’ve been drinking coffee pretty regularly lately and you can only go to Starbucks so many times before you don’t have any money left. I like that Keurig has options in addition to coffee, like teas and hot chocolate. I’ve also teetered with the idea of just getting a regular coffee maker. Which one is better, that is the question?

3// I’m making this tonight. I’m really excited!

4// I’m a sucker for good quality (I can thank my husband for that one) usually good quality=  more $$$. I’ve been eyeing these  beautiful dishes for a while now… they are so pretty and colorful and would make my kitchen and my food and my blog look so much prettier.. 🙂 Well, I didn’t buy the entire set, BUT I did buy this one today for a great price! I am so excited to add this to my kitchen! I would love to get my hands on these too, a// Mini Cocottes b// Heritage Petite Au Gratin Dish c// 5.5 Quart Round Dutch Oven

6// I know I have several more months before I can think about wearing these, but… these boots… they are SO.PRETTY!

5// My new favorite food store in Orlando: Bulk Nation. I scoped out the store the first week they opened and was very happy with the prices and selection. They have SO many options to chose from- Nuts, seeds, flour, coffee, tea, honey, soup mixes, protein powder, pb, ab, and candy. The best thing is you can buy as little or as much as you want!

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend! Let me know what you think about the Keurig VS. the coffee maker!

PCH: 17 Mile Drive/Big Sur/Carmel/Monterey

 
9/2

Today was by far the most beautiful place I have ever visited.

A year and a half ago I was browsing Pinterest and read about the most scenic drives in North America and the PCH was the one that caught my eye. Yesterday was the beginning of my PCH adventure .

We started the day driving along the 17 mile drive which took us through Pebble Beach and out of Monterey and into Big Sur and the Carmel Highlands area.

Last night John researched places to go in the area and today he took us to the most beautiful spot I have ever seen in my life. It was in Parkington Cove (Big Sur area). We hiked downhill to a small cove tucked away at the bottom of the cliff. The cove was secluded and untouched, it was perfect. I climbed up on one of the big rocks, crossed my feet, and watched the waves crash in. The waves were powerful and strong. I loved waiting for the big ones to roll in and crash on the rocks in front of me. It was a perfect rhythm.

We continued to hike through a small tunnel built under the cliff to the sister cove of Parkington cove and to our surprise we saw even more beauty as we entered a secluded small beach area, caves, big rocks, and the endless Pacific Ocean.

We did a lot of rock climbing and climbed nearly to the top to soak up all of the beauty. We kept saying how we wish we would have brought our lunch with us because it would have been the most perfect picnic. We rested in the rocks for quite a while and eventually made our way out of the cove and up the hilly path to our convertible.

We continued our drive on the most beautiful PCH. The drive is like no other. We were surrounded by water on one side and mountains on the other. Can it get any better?

Next, We drove to Julia Pfeiffer state park and headed straight to the waterfall trail. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away, as I am not a “sucker” for waterfalls but this spot… Wow. Falls closely behind Parkington cove. The beauty of this spot looked like it was straight up out of a movie. It is the only waterfall that runs directly into the Pacific Ocean and the area was so picturesque! We just couldn’t believe our eyes!

To wrap up our day, we hiked to another trail called canyon falls which lead us to a small waterfall.

 

I actually slipped on a rock next to the waterfall and instantly was covered in dirt! The dirt was very fine, almost like a powder. To say the least, The hike was rocky, hilly, and very dirty! John captured some beautiful shots of the waterfall.

It was the perfect day!

happy saturday // 2

1// Last week I purchased the most amazing smelling body wash ever! It seriously smells like comfort and cozy wrapped into a bottle. Thanks to my friend Jade for the recommendation-I discovered this body wash in her shower 2 months ago after a 12 hour day at Disney World.

2// I’m SOOOOOOO EXCITED about T. Swift’s new album coming out this month. Ahhh.. I can’t wait!

3// Gone Girl Movie. Have you seen it? I’m dying too! I read the book. Just wondering how different it is from the movie.

4// Surprise Visit from a close friend. My friend Charity had a pop up meeting in Orlando and called me up! I was really excited for her visit because she will be giving birth soon and I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to see her again before that. As always, we had a great time catching up into the wee hours of the morning.

5// Sunday morning we had our first “cool” morning in Orlando. I stepped outside and was so happy, I wore a jacket!

happy saturday // 1

I hope you all are having a great weekend! I’ve been spending this lovely Saturday with John and Bentley while embracing this cozy fall day of college football and grocery shopping!

01// I started working the overnight shift this month and Starbucks has been my bff. The first night I went through drive through and ordered a tall PSL and quickly decided I would not be making this a nightly routine after the lady at the window told me it would be over $4 for my drink. So, the next day I drove over to target and picked up a carton of Starbucks Discoveries and it has greatly helped me push through my night shifts.

02// This week I dropped off some clothes at Plato’s closet, while waiting for them to give me my estimate, I browsed the store and found 2 really cute fall shirts, a belt, and a pair of J. Crew shorts all for under $35.

03// I was really excited to see that my favorite kind apple was on sale this week! Honeycrisp apples are definitely a treat for me. I tend to eat them mostly during the fall season because the price is just right!

04// I’m always looking for ways to save money and a couple of months ago I decided to take up couponing again. It feels so good to see the number on the register go down as the cashier scans my coupons. I’m deff. no where near an extreme couponer level, but I love saving money especially on health and beauty products. These have been my go to sites: 1// Iheartpublix, 2// hip2save, 3// thekrazycouponlady, 4// allthingstarget.

05// My husband recently upgraded and got the new iPhone 6 and gave me his iPhone 5. This was an upgrade for me AND an opportunity for me to purchase a new case for my phone. I found this really cute Kate Spade red and white chevron case on eBay for a great price!

06// Last night my co-worker Jade and I arranged a double date with our guys to Cirque du Soleil La Nouba in downtown Disney. It was a great show filled with laugher and extreme talent. If you are in the Orlando area and are looking for a show, I highly recommend this one. Many thanks to my boss who gifted us with the tickets.

Hope you enjoy your weekend!

San Francisco: Day 3

8/31

Alcatraz day!

This was super cool! We decided to wake up early and take the first tour of the day. Once we arrived by ferry we were given a brief history lesson of the prison and handed audio sets to start our tour.

Apparently, every New Years Eve, the prisoners could hear women laughing across the bay. Prisoners on the island had an incredible view of the city, however, every time they looked across the bay they were reminded of what they gave up and the life they could have had.

 

Fun Fact: Once the prison closed, many of the prisoners were sent to the prison in my hometown of Marion, Illinois. Which used to be a maximum security prison! Pretty cool, huh?!?

Overall, I had a great time and learned a lot! I loved the creepy-cool feeling of Alcatraz.

Afterwards, we caught the bus over to Land’s End Trail and spent several hours hiking and exploring the area.

It was so beautiful and was one of my favorite trails in San Francisco. I am very fortunate that I have my own personal photographer to document my trip. One of the pictures he snapped of me has caused us many laughs, we like to call it my suicide picture 🙂 AKA- me trying to do a cool jump in the air picture. Enjoy! 🙂

San Francisco: Day 2

8/29

Today we rented bikes so we could bike across the Golden Gate Bridge! We researched the night before to see where we could the best price for our rentals. While searching, John came across the option to rent electric bikes. At first I was all about the regular bikes, because I wanted to get a good workout in and they were cheaper. We ended up choosing the electric bikes and I was such a happy camper! I have so much respect for the bikers in San Fran, but when we were flying past the people that were struggling up the hills that had regular bikes I was very thankful that my hubbs had this great idea. We biked for about 3-4 hours around the area. This was deff. one of my favorite adventures in San Fran.

After bike riding we stopped in at the original Ghiradeli’s to split an ice cream sundae! It was so rich! I was disappointed in myself that I couldn’t finish it as I could eat sweets any given day of the week! It was yummy!

After our sweet tooth pit stop, we ended the day by watching the sunset. So beautiful!

San Francisco: Day 1

8/29/14

I’m finally in California for the first time! I can’t believe it. I see water, mountains, rocks, and I’m enjoying amazing weather. I love you already Cali.

Today was our first day in San Francisco. First off, San Francisco is really Really hilly!! I knew it was going to be hilly but not that hilly! It’s also very windy, foggy, and crisply cool. This is the time of year when my internal seasonal alarm clock expects the weather to start cooling off, so it was perfect timing. I loved it.

Our first adventure was the famous, Painted Ladies and Alamo Square.

It was my first real view of San Fran and it was really exciting because it reminded me of my favorite show as a child, Full House. When we ended our trip back in SF, we drove by the actual house, it was such an exciting moment for me as one of my favorite tv shows came to life! It was a little hard to recognize because it’s now painted purple. The address is : 1709 Broderick Street San Francisco, California if you are ever in the area and want to see it for yourself!

We also experienced many forms of transportation! One of them being the oldest operating cable car. What a fun experience! We waited in a pretty lengthy line to ride the famous trolly up the hills of San Fran.

The cable car was packed packed packed each time we rode. The men operating the machine were definitely not afraid to speak up and tell you what to do! They used the phrase, “Back to back, cheek to cheek”… we got to know our neighbors very well to say the least! It was fun!

We hopped off the cable car to visit Lombard Street and saw some incredible views of San Francisco. We also walked along side the steep street of 8 hairpin turns. <—- Learned what that was on this trip! It was really pretty!

Stayed tuned for San Francisco day 2 coming soon!