A Running Tour of Santa Cruz

Today was the best day.  I know I say that a lot, but today really was the best day.  Janae and I took it upon ourselves to visit Santa Cruz on what happened to be the most beautiful day in history.  Sunny, blue skies, and a light breeze.  

We wanted to do a run together on the beach, but we were torn because we also wanted to see the entire city.  (And by see the entire city, we mean stop at all of the Candy stores).  The perfect solution?  A running tour of Santa Cruz, complete with stops for pictures, seal viewing, candy and ice cream. 

We started out by running to the Wharf.   

I'm not sure if this was a usual occurrence, but there were tons of seals hanging out just asking for their pictures to be taken!  It was so much fun to see them splashing around.  

We then ran to the boardwalk and looked at all of the fun rides and amusement park foods.  I learned that they are now frying things like Bacon and Twinkies.  A perfect solution to the nationwide obesity epidemic, don't you think? ;)

Downtown Santa Cruz is lined with all sorts of fun restaurants, like this one:

We were sad to discover that all of the foods weren't cooked with Chocolate. A bit of a misnomer if you ask me.  If anyone knows of such a restaurant, please let me know.

Then came the fun.  Candy stores...

And $1 scoop ice cream.  I mean, can you turn that down?  Sometimes a lactose-intolerant girl has to live on the edge.  

Brooke was jealous of my treat.

Janae had been talking about a place that serves the best Fish'n'Chips in the world, so we drove up the coast to a cozy little town called Davenport.  It is situated across from a deserted, beautiful beach.

Love this little girl.

There are about 4 buildings that comprise this town, but the important one was Whale City Bakery and Grill:

We split the order which turned out to be just right.  I wish the picture did it justice.  Moist, flaky, buttery fish in a perfectly crisp coating.  Homemade fries were the perfect match.

Jake gets here tomorrow for graduation on Saturday, so I'm excited to take another road trip to Davenport for more deliciousness.  

If any of you have favorite San Francisco Bay area restaurants/day trips that Jake and I should do before leaving in 2 weeks.... please let me know!

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In case you didn't get enough puppy love yesterday, I wanted to share the cutest video ever that I took while visiting him.  I brought him a toy to play with and let's just say... he liked it.

So adorable. Only a little while longer until he gets to come home with Jake and I!  

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Meeting Our New Puppy!

This morning when I met Diego, it was like a slow-motion scene in a movie.  Diego came running down the dirt path as I ran toward him... and he lept into my arms...

Our first meeting!

Okay, maybe not quite so dramatic, but he did come running towards me and I definitely would not let him go for about 5 minutes.

So happy!

Has got to be the cutest dog in the world.  Don't you agree?

My favorite is when he makes faces like this:

And this:

He is a cuddler, but also likes to be independent and explore on his own.  He has the cutest white spots on his chest, forehead, chin, back paw and the tip of his tail.  He also is pretty much potty trained at 8 weeks.  I'm pretty sure that means he's a genius.  Couldn't be more proud of my lil guy.

It was so hard to say goodbye to him today, but I know we will be together soon!  I am counting down the days until we get to take him home for good.  It will be the best.

Hasta Pronto, Diego!!

Songza and Dress Shopping

Pandora has been my go-to music app for a long time.  Love it. However, is it just me or are they playing a lot less music and more commercials?  The other day, I reached my "month listening limit" and decided that it was time to search for other options.  

I stumbled upon my new fave app, Songza.  When you log on to the FREE app, the first screen asks what you are in the mood for based on the time of day



From there, you pick a genre:

Then a playlist:

If you're not a big fan of the choices, you can always just pick a playlist based on genre, your mood, or the activity you're doing.

Download it.  It will change your world.

After enjoying a run in the ridiculous heat this morning, I went to the mall for the first time in approximately 2 years.  Graduation is in 5 days and I have no idea what to wear.

I am not a big fan of clothes shopping, unless it is at Target or it involves running apparel.  I've always wondered why I don't love shopping, but today I realized it is because clothes like this are in style right now.

Since I wasn't planning on wearing a T-Rex shirt to graduation and couldn't find a dress, I did what any smart person would do.  Went to the candy store.

Hopefully I can find something soon, or it will end up being my stand-by dress that I've worn to the 5 years' worth of weddings, parties, and baby showers.  :)   If anyone would like to volunteer to be my personal shopper, I would love you forever.

Tomorrow is a big day.  I get to meet a new man in my life who I am already head over heels in love with (don't worry Jake, I love you to the moon)... it's Diego!

Be ready for approximately 50 pictures of puppy love tomorrow.  I know I am!

A Day in Monterey

Welcome to my happy place.

My classmate and I took a day trip to Monterey today for some much needed R&R.
And by R&R, I mean running and restaurants.

The morning started with a beautiful run along the Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Path.  I have been to this path a few times for long runs and it is definitely my all-time favorite place to run.

The Monterey Bike Path spans approximately 29 miles along the coast stretching from Castroville to Monterey peninsula and parts of Pebble Beach.

You run along the beautiful pebble beaches and are entertained by fellow runners, seals splashing in the Bay, and adorable families out for a leisurely bike ride.

My very own Creperie!

The Big Sur Marathon is tomorrow (good luck to all the racers!) and the race ends in Monterey, so the path was also crowded with lots of runners with their expo bags.  It took every ounce of my being to not run to the expo and buy a $275 race bib.  Looking back now, I should have at least stopped by for a free sample of goo/gatorade.  Oh well.  Next time.

After a nice long run, we went to the cutest restaurant ever on the wharf, Loulou's.

We had just missed breakfast, which we were both pretty bummed about, but I quickly forgot about that once we looked at their tasty menu.

Their salt & pepper shakers kept me entertained for the remainder of the lunch.  Each table has a different adorable salt and pepper shaker.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm still a 5 year old because I was thoroughly amused by all of the shakers.  It's the simple things in life.

After enjoying our delicious lunch, we walked along Cannery Row to window shop and visit my new favorite store in all of California.  Welcome to my other happy place.

Since I hadn't had enough sugar for one day, we made one last stop for delicious pie at the best hidden secret in Watsonville.  Gizdich Ranch.

Strawberry Rhubarb?  Yes please.

Oh, and a whole Apple Pie to go?  If I must.

Have you ever seen such a magnificent thing in your life?   

I am now going to slip into a sugar coma.  I hope you all had a great Saturday!