The Land of Fruits and Nuts

It took me a few days to stop mourning the end of my trip before I could write a recap. I'm not even sorry for the cuteness overload that's about to ensue.

Sara and Caroline picked Laura and me up at LAX around 10 am and we headed towards Malibu for lunch. Our only request was that the restaurant have a view of the water, and Duke's certainly delivered. Driving down the PCH and having views of the water reminded me a lot of being in La Jolla, and I was more than happy to soak up the sun and the view of that gorgeous blue water.

The non-stop girl talk and chatter didn't end for the next couple of hours.

Sara's husband Jim is in the Navy, and they live on the naval base just north of Malibu. It was so fun getting to see their house for the first time! Sara had sent me a bunch of pictures when they first moved in, but it was cuter in person!

We hung out at the house for awhile and let Caroline nap before heading to the beach! And trust me on this, nothing gets a 2-year-old more excited than when you ask her if she wants to go to the beach!

The rock in the distance is Mugu Rock and is apparently a very popular place to film car commercials! We even saw a commercial over the weekend that featured this stretch of the PCH! Pretty cool that I've seen it in person now!

Shortly after we got back from the beach, Jim called and told us we should come to the hangar to watch the sunset. We loaded Caroline back in the car and raced back to the beach (less than a mile from the house, might I add) to catch the sunset.

So much happiness in these photos.

Jim had to go back to work unfortunately but the girls headed home, put Caroline to bed, and Sara made an amazing Thai curry dish that we devoured before spending the rest of the night looking through old college photo albums. We can't wait until Caroline is old enough so we can tell her incriminating stories about her mama!

Saturday we were up bright and early for gameday! We had a huge breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and mimosas of course, then headed to the farmer's market in Old Town Camarillo. We picked up lots of goodies to snack on during the Clemson game before we grilled burgers at the house.

We did switch to the Navy game once and awhile for Jim since he was outnumbered!

After we all took power naps, the girls went wine tasting while Jim took Caroline to the playground. We were lucky to catch the sunset again on the beach in Ventura, before dinner at Cafe Fiore downtown (such amazing Italian food).

Sunday was our last day, and since Laura's flight home was much earlier in the day than mine, we grabbed a quick lunch at Paradise Cove before taking her to the airport. Any restaurant with sand as its floor is an okay restuarant by me!

We spent the rest of the day frolicking around LA, visiting the Dodgers stadium (the game was sold out), seeing the Hollywood sign at the Griffith Observatory, and then taking a drive through Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive.

And just because my heart bursts every time I see pictures of my favorite little munchkin..

I'm imparting wisdom on children one selfie at a time.

I was determined to see a celebrity while I was in LA, and while I was boarding my flight back home (extremely depressed), there sat Paul Walker in first class ordering a whiskey soda. Swoon. He still looks just as good at 40 (!!!) as he did in the first Fast & Furious movie. Yum.

I'm so thankful for best friends like Sara and Laura who I've been friends with since freshman year of college (2006!) and now for little Caroline, who might be the cutest child ever.

The end.