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Kennedy’s 2nd Birthday – Mendocino, CA.

A few months back I got this wild idea to invite my and Matt’s parents to come and stay with us in a cabin in Mendocino for Kennedy’s birthday. Matt’s parents flew in on Thursday morning from North Carolina and we spent most of their first day packing for our trip to the beach. Friday morning, Matt loaded the dogs and his dad into the old Volvo (odometer stopped at 189k), and I had Nana and the kids in my car. Overall, the drive was unremarkable and we arrived at the Bay House in about four hours. We arrived at the house around 3:00 PM and were completely taken aback by the beauty of it all. The front yard was perfectly landscaped and once you walked around the porch to the back of the house, you found yourself staring at a simple wooden bench on top of a cliff. Much of the rest of our Friday was spent settling in, cooking some fish on the BBQ, playing Spades, and staring off into the expanse of the ocean.

Saturday we woke up early (thank you Kennedy) and made our way into Mendocino to walk around the shops. Right off, Kennedy threw an epic tantrum that landed her on my back in the Ergo carrier. Luckily, it wasn’t long before I had coffee-in-hand from Moody’s and she was fast asleep. Having spent many summers in Mendocino, I tend to have my trip fairly well rehearsed and mostly look forward to stopping at Rainsong Shoes  (for shoes, obviously) and Old Gold for some of the most beautiful jewelry I’ve ever seen. After that, I’m happy just strolling through the shops until I get to have the most messy-great mango curried chicken pita from Cultured Affair Cafe. The rest of the evening involved some BBQ chicken, the dogs at the beach, and a late night Spades rematch.

Sunday was another early morning (again, thank you Kennedy) and her actual birthday. The afternoon was spent wandering Fort Bragg (I found a black pair of Miz Mooz sandals that I love-love and Kennedy had an epic slice of pizza) and sitting down on the sad, now-commercialized, Glass beach. In the evening, Kennedy opened her gifts and looked on in amazement and joy as everyone sang her happy birthday (my favorite moment of the weekend). Overall, the trip felt both calm and chaotic. It felt good to actually spend the weekend away with my parents (I cannot remember the last time I spent so much time with my father), and together as a blended family. I am hoping that the terrible parts of the terrible twos are gentle, and the rest is slow moving, or at least, that Matt is nearby and I can say, “Not it” when I need to.

GIngham Jacket | Gap, Yeah Sweatshirt  | Mini & Maximus, Skirt | Misha Lulu, Strawberry Shoes | Mini Melissa, Sandals | Saltwater

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Marin Headlands / Muir Beach, CA.

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I knew this was going to be a good hike, but I didn’t realize just how breathtaking it would be. It took a little less than 2 hours to arrive at Muir Beach from Sacramento. We parked, threw on some sweaters and headed across the bridge to the Coastal Trail. The first mile or so of the hike is uphill, so while we were initially a bit chilly, it really didn’t take long to warm up. Kennedy spent the first half of the trip on my back, and while it was cold outside, my back was a serious heater and she couldn’t have been more comfortable. Within the first hour she was cuddled up tight and snoring loudly. Of course, it could hurt that we put loud nature sounds on at nap and bedtime. The trail really was like one long scenic vista point. We walked until just after the giant “Dirty Dancing” staircase, and decided to turn around and climb down into Pirate’s Cove. After sitting on the little beach awhile we loaded up and headed back. Each way the trail was 2.3 miles and I can’t wait to go back. This was the most beautiful hike I’ve been on that I can remember.

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Doran Regional Park – Bodega Bay, CA.

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A few nights ago, Matt and I decided that since we only have one day off per-week together, and we rarely are able to escape for a vacation, we need to get out of town as often as possible for day trips with the family. While I have lived in Northern California for most of my life, there are many places nearby that I’ve never been, but have always wanted to see. We are going to try to stay within 2-3 hours of Sacramento, and are excited about all of the little adventures to come.

Yesterday we loaded the dogs and the kids up and headed to Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay. I haven’t been to Bodega Bay since I was a little kid and it was really refreshing to just get to our feet in the sand. We usually go toward the Mendocino area, but at only a 2-hour drive, Bodega Bay was a decent alternative. We picked up some deli sandwiches at Pelican Plaza Grocery & Deli and wandered the beach for a few hours. The beach itself is nothing remarkable, but the surrounding areas were really beautiful, and allowing dogs on the beach is always a win for us.