Travel Diary // Honeymoon in San Diego, CA

Years ago, before Brandon and I were engaged or had any wedding plans, we talked about wanting to go to San Diego, California for our honeymoon. We were obsessed with the idea of going to the San Diego Zoo, seeing the beautiful beaches, the weather, and the food. Thanks to wonderful parents, we were able to make this dream a reality!

We decided to book an Airbnb for the first time, rather than a hotel. We rented an apartment in the center of Little Italy. It was surrounded by wonderful food and a great atmosphere. Our favorite places we ate were Indigo Grill, Bluewater Seafood Market and Grill, and Petrini's. At Indigo Grill we would recommend the Salt and Pepper shrimp. At Bluewater Seafood we ate fish tacos and they were delicious. Petrini's had incredible Italian Wedding Soup. (we actually ate it twice during our stay)

We also visited the Maritime Museum. It was so much fun walking through all the old ships and submarines. We wanted to do the U.S.S Midway Museum but never got to it...it is on our list for the next trip to SD.

The day we spent at Coronado was probably one of our favorite days of the whole trip. The scenery is astounding. The atmosphere is calm. We walked a few miles to the beaches on the opposite side of the island that the ferry dropped us off at. The island is covered in flowers and beautiful homes which made the walk enjoyable. After the long walk, we found a shade spot (under a palm tree) and laid on the ground to enjoy the beautiful weather. It was the perfect.

The San Diego Zoo was everything we hoped it would be. There are so many animals and the enclosures are nice and large. We went in the middle of the week and got there a little before the zoo opened, which we would highly recommend! The normal 30-45 minute wait for the pandas was nonexitant when we got there.
My tips for the zoo: Take a few minutes when you get there to plan your route through the zoo. It is huge and without a plan there is no way we could have seen everything. Wear comfortable shoes because like I said, the zoo is huge. Pack snacks and lunch. We didn't know that you could do this, but we saw a bunch of people that did. Zoo food is so expensive...

We also enjoyed visiting La Jolla Cove and seeing the sea lions and otters. The beaches are absolutely beautiful!

I am so thankful to be married to my best friend and I am excited to start living life as husband and wife!

Travel Diary // South Padre, Texas

Unfortunately, my summer break is being cut short by summer school but I am making the most of my short break! You may have seen that I spent some time in Denver, Colorado (here) but I also had the chance to go to Texas and spend some much needed time with friends. My mom, two of my best friends, and I spent about 6 hours a day, for two days, laying on the beach. It was fabulous!

Between the perfect weather and the soothing sound of the ocean, it was easy to fall asleep which also meant that it was super easy to get sun burnt. Which leads me to my next point....skip the easy spray on sunscreen and go for the lotion! You will thank me when you wake up with an even sunburn rather than red strips all over your body ;)

One of my favorite things about the trip to South Padre was visiting the sea turtle sanctuary for injured sea turtles. It was so interesting to see all the beautiful sea turtles and learn more about what is being done to keep them from going extinct. 

If you visit the website you can watch live videos of some of the turtles!  www.seaturtleinc.org 

Travel Diary // Denver, Colorado

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the great city of Denver, Colorado with my fiance (I'm still not used to saying that!) and his family. Although the twelve hour drive was exhausting, the trip was great!

Also, much to our surprise, we woke up to about 4 inches of beautiful snow on Sunday morning! Luckily, the temperature warmed up and the day turned out to be beautiful. Over the weekend we saw some of the city, visited the Denver Zoo, and did some hiking in the mountains. I thought it would be fun to share some photos from our trip!

I am loving every second of being engaged to my best friend and I am so thankful to a part of his wonderful family!