I'm back back in Cali Cali

Whoa.....  Hey!  Yes, I'm back!  I've completely neglected this blog for the past month.  Life got busy and this took a back seat.  For about a week and a half I had extremely limited internet and TV access and I found it to be completely liberating and refreshing.  I'm slowly getting back into things and facing the reality that summer is almost over and I can't be on vacation forever.  Hmph.

I've discovered a lot in this last month.  Traveled nearly 12,500 miles (Wahhhht?!  Did I really add that up correctly?), took over a thousand pictures, ate countless desserts, and almost gotten eaten alive by a sea urchin (they're vicious, I tell you... with giant teeth).  After arriving home from a trip to Hawaii planned in just 48 hours and a subsequent short family tour of the East Coast, I found myself sulking around, a little depressed to be back in the monotonous swing of real life.  But yesterday, walking around outside in this gorgeous place I call home, I decided that I just need to take a look at life through the eyes of a vacationer.

I made a comment to Brendan on one of our first days in Maui: "We're so used to being locals in a tourist location, that it's funny being tourists in a tourist location!"  But we embraced it - posed for pictures, broke out the guide books, asked the locals for advice, and fully took advantage of everything the islands had to offer.  Why not do that when at home?  Santa Monica has so much to give and I find that I sometimes get into a "local" mentality, taking a lot of it for granted.

In fact, just this weekend, I went for my first walk on the beach here.  Sure, I've laid out in the sand and run on the beach path, but I've never walked along the surf and taken the time to admire how beautiful it is out there.  Silly, right?  I also find that I am noticing my surroundings more since being on vacation in Hawaii.  While there (and in wide-eyed tourist mode) I readily noticed beautiful flowers and scenic views.  And you know what?  As I went for a walk yesterday, I saw some of the same exact flowers around here for the first time as I did there.

Hibiscus in Pacific Palisades

Hibiscus in Maui

And when I saw some pictures that Roughly A Runner posted of her drive along the PCH, I noticed some uncanny similarities to the views in Hawaii.

View along the PCH from Roughly A Runner

View of the Hana Highway in Maui

It's all about perspective and allowing yourself to be open to new experiences and embracing all there is around you.  My new goal is to attack this town like a tourist - take the blinders off and open my eyes to the surroundings, seek out new adventures, and find the excitement in life!

Now, who wants to go ride the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel and roller coaster and scream like giddy teenagers??

Stay tuned for pictures, new food obsessions, adventures, and recaps of this summer's trips!