salt flats.

This is the last post in our series about our trip to northern California--although the Salt Flats are in Utah, not California. On the way out, we drove through the area after dark, so we were excited to see them during magic hour. We were a little surprised to find that the flats were covered in water, but it was still a beautiful sight. They stretch out in every direction and make you feel how big the world really is. Sam really wants to go back up later this summer to see the races they hold on the flats.

To wrap up our trip, I thought I might add a few random favorites from northern California.

If you ever find yourself in Arcata, California:

1. Luke's Joint- We grabbed a sandwich, and were pleasantly surprised at how crazy good it was. The best part was the little dish of house-made barbeque sauce. Grab a scone on the way out, and you will leave with a smile.

If you ever find yourself in Healdsburg, California:

1. Downtown Bakery and Creamery- It was perfectly warm and breezy when we pulled into Healdsburg. It felt so good after spending a week on the chilly, damp coast. We found ourselves at the Downtown Bakery where they make their own ice cream and sorbets from local fruits and cream, and imported chocolate. Do you need a suggestion? Try a scoop of sunrise with a scoop of meyer lemon.

2. 14feet- We fell in love with this place, and I am not exactly sure how I pulled Sam away. 14feet has the most beautifully curated collection of mid-century and industrial home furnishings. That is the word we kept thinking of, "curated." Every single piece was so carefully selected and placed. I think we ran our fingers along every single item in that shop, jealous that we couldn't afford such beautiful things at the moment.

northern california.

Rox and I just got back fom our week-long trip to northern California to celebrate our first anniversary. We had so much fun and it was a much needed break. Here is a little sneak peak of the trip courtesy of my phone. More pictures to come later.

eureka and ferndale.

This is the second post in our series about our trip to northern California.

If you ever find yourself in Eureka, California:

1. Eureka Books- A beautiful antique book shop in Old Town Eureka. You will get lost, I promise. In fact, I lost Sam for a good 20 minutes before I found him on the second floor balcony gushing over some design book. We left with a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee--one of my favorites. We wish that we would have gotten a portrait of the owner, who happened to be a friend of Ken Sanders.

2. Victorian Homes- Just drive or walk around town to spot some of the most ornate and colorful Victorian homes on the West Coast. They remind me of Betsy, Tacy, Tib novels. Anybody else? Or, was I the only one who was obsessed with petticoats and stockings when I was a little girl?

3. Shipwreck- A vintage shop, also in Old Town Eureka. We loved it because it was full of treasures, reasonably priced, and the shop itself was well-designed and friendly. And, hiding on a little shoe shelf, I found a pair of Joan and David oxfords!

4. St. Vincent de Paul thrift store- Yes, we hit every thrift store in Humboldt County. St. Vincent's was huge. They didn't have a huge selection of clothing, but they had a large room of furniture and household items. Sam found a vintage Tensor mid-century table lamp. I was a bit skeptical at first, because it looked like a piece of junk. But, Sam has applied some rubbing alcohol and a little elbow grease, and it actually looks pretty good now.

5. Rita's- Sam used to come here when he was a missionary, and we ended up eating here twice. Rita's has great taqueria-style mexican food, we could have eaten there every day if we hadn't had a little bit of restraint. Also, we had our very first spicy-dish that totally kicked our butts. Stay clear of the chipotle potato taco, unless you want to sear your internal organs.

If you ever find yourself in Ferndale, California:

1. go for a drive- First of all, you need to find yourself in Ferndale. It's a little out of the way, but it is well worth the trip. Ferndale is a picture-perfect, quaint town surrounded by farmland and big, red barns. Have you seen The Majestic? It was filmed in Ferndale. Oh, and so was Pet Cemetery.

2. Ferndale cemetery- We may be a bit morbid, but Sam and I love visiting cemeteries in small towns. Ferndale's cemetery looks like a picnic laid out on a hill. We spent a little time walking through the headstones carefully placed along the slope, reading names and dates. There were trees heavy with blossoms and entire plots covered with flower gardens--white calla lilies and orange poppies.

We have a few more posts planned about our trip, and so many, many pictures. I hope you are having a happy May!

road trip.

Sam and I are finally heading off to California today! We will be gone for about a week, or whatever suits our fancy. We have been planning this trip for awhile, as a celebration of my graduation and our first anniversary. I use the word "planning" quite loosely: Sam marks a few destinations on a map, we pack up the CRV, and wing it. It's great.

We're covering northern California, mostly around Humboldt County. This is the area where Sam served his mission for our church, and it's the first time he has been back to visit. He's been sending me pictures of the redwoods and the coast for weeks now, and I am excited to finally see it all. We are also excited to try out our brand new Kelty tent. Sam had to do some convincing for me to let him buy it, but I have to admit, sealing our first year of marriage with the purchase of a two-man tent feels like the real deal.

We are so excited to get on the road, see you later!

trinidad.

Trinidad is a little town perched on the edge of a bluff overlooking Trinidad Bay. It was a perfect place to relax and celebrate our anniversary (observed). I would love to retire there. (Sam and I have a long list of our favorite small towns that we want to retire to. Sometimes I feel like I am 23, going on 83.) Trinidad Bay looks like a bright, happy version of the pirate cove that Captain Hook takes Tiger Lily to. There is a perfect, little red and white lighthouse on the edge of the bluff, and empty fishing boats bobbing in the water. The boats remind me of sunflowers because every time you look out the window they are slowly pointing in a different direction, following the ocean current in complete unison. When we first arrived in Trinidad, a small crowd was forming across the street from our bed and breakfast, peering through binoculars at a family of grey whales circling the harbor.

The next morning we walked down the bluffs to see the sea lions sunbathing on the rocks and slipping into the water to cool off. We also hiked along the beach and poked around in the tide pools. It was a rare minus tide, so the bases of the tall monolith rocks revealed a blanket of fat, fleshy starfish and sea anemones. We climbed along the rocks and the large stretch of wet sand, occasionally joined by dogs on leashes bounding along beside us. There is a sweet, salty fish smell that grows stronger the closer you get to the pier at the harbor. Wooden crates with rope handles encrusted in salt and sea are stacked along the pier. The town is quiet and comfortable, and watching the traffic to and from the harbor is entertainment enough.

If you ever find yourself in Trinidad, California:

1. Trinidad Bay B&B- A bright, red bed and breakfast owned by a man named Jason, a photographer from the area. Each room has a theme and an unbelievable view of the harbor from every window. For breakfast, we had the most delicious baked apple and eggs, and a delightful conversation with a lovely silver-haired woman from Oregon, named Valentine.

2. Moonstone Grill- It was our anniversary splurge, and completely worth it. From our table we could see Moonstone Beach spread out in one direction, and the sun setting over the ocean in the other. Get a cup of their seafood chowder-- soup so rich you might fall into a dreamy slumber right there in your seat. Sam had crab and halibut, and I had lightly-breaded abalone over vermicelli. It really was just dreamy.

3. Aztec Grill- Located in the corner of the Chevron gas station--we went there after we drooled over a burrito some guy was eating as he overlooked the harbor. "The best burrito you will ever get from a gas station," he said.

This is only the third post in our series about our trip to northern California-- so keep posted!

mendocino.

This weekend we took a trip up to Mendocino to celebrate our anniversary. We haven't taken a trip in awhile. I forget how important they are to me, and to us. I don't need to go far, but I do need to get away from the every day. Not because I want to "get away" from my every day- but, because finding myself in a new environment allows me to step away, look in, and make sure I'm on the right track. Also, I believe in seeing new things- even if it's only a couple of hours away!

Eliza tagged along for the trip, which made the views that much cuter, eh? A good friend was kind enough to give us her family's Kelty pack, and Eliza loved it! Lately, she hasn't been too interested in any of our carriers. But, the Kelty pack was perfect because she was comfortable, but could still get a great view. And, you really can't beat the Northern California coast. Crashing waves, cliffs dripping with succulents, and a whitewashed lighthouse. We had the greatest time at sunset, watching Eliza trying to walk around on a huge bed of plants. She couldn't get a footing, so she would tumble every couple of steps- laughing and laughing as she rolled around on her face. 

She had a ball on this trip! The beach, the fields, the inn where we stayed the night- endless new spaces for her to explore. She loves digging her little fingers into the sand, or pulling things out of our bags one at a time. More than that, she loves to clutch things for long periods of time. When we would hike, she wanted to hold a hunk of bread in her hand the entire time. She might take a nibble every once in awhile, but mostly she just likes to hold it.

We explored the tiny towns and cute shops, hiked around the coast, and stopped in a redwood grove on the way home. We also stopped at Sea Glass Beach! The beach used to be a dump, and is now covered in glass "pebbles" from years of waves- brown, green, white, and the rare blue. Eliza would squat down and dig her fingers in the sea glass with a huge smile on her face. We collected a few in our shirt pockets, and after she noticed us doing this she kept trying to help by dumping big rocks down my shirt.

I decided that Sam and I are old souls. We were pretty much the only people in the town under the age of 75. Every coastline and town was dotted with happy, old couples hiking out into the sunset and it made me smile. Every single woman I ran across would fawn over Eliza and say, "Oh, I have a granddaughter/son that is one year old, too!" And, to top it off- we stayed at the inn where Murder She Wrote was filmed. HA! But, you know what? We had a great time. I love beautiful, peaceful places. I love adventures. And, I love my family.

Also, I love Sam. I don't know if I've said it enough lately. I think it's easy for me to get wrapped up in gushing about how much I love Eliza. But, can I take a second to gush about my husband? It's been four of the most amazing years. I couldn't have dreamed up a more perfect partner in this life of mine. He is patient and kind and loving. He makes me so happy. I was getting all weepy the other day looking at old photos of mine, from our dating days and our wedding day and our newlywed days. It's my anniversary, so I can say this: I love Rox & Sam. We are pretty great.

Ok, I'm done now. (Until next year!) 

Thank you for whisking us away to Mendocino for the weekend, Sam. I love you!

Also, extra points for Sam for driving while I puked into a bag for the full length of the Richmond Bridge, and then pulling over and suppressing a gag while disposing of my plastic bag of vomit. (Now that's love!) Yep. Food poisoning from a taco shop in Cloverdale. Yikes!

we made it.

We made it!

The move went pretty smoothly, and we even got to spend an entire week in Utah with Sam's family while we waited for the moving truck. All of our stuff made it to Berkeley, with only a handful of (heartbreaking) breakables. All in all, a huge success. 

I am in love with the Bay Area. I was nervous and slightly unsure, but I can definitely say now that we were meant to be here. Our home is beautiful- full of potential and exciting ideas. It already feels like home, even covered in half-opened boxes. 

I have also never felt so healthy. Between the sunshine, the clean air, the fresh produce, and the genuine smiles around here- I think I may never move. 

Last weekend we spent Friday exploring Berkeley, Saturday all over San Francisco, and Sunday afternoon driving down the Pacific Highway to hang out at Stinson Beach. I tottered over the rocks while Sam jumped in and out of the boulders. Northern California really is beautiful and I can see many adventures on the horizon. Our little family is feeling pretty lucky right now.