Volunteering.

Yesterday was my first day volunteering at the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society. I think I'm going to really enjoy it. Before I went my mom told me under no circumstances may I bring a dog home... But let me tell you about Bear, the dog I would bring home if I could!

Our job as volunteers is basically to take dogs out of their pens and give them play time in the yard (which is an awesome job! I played with dogs for 3 hours yesterday!). It was really funny seeing all the dogs personalities when you got them in an open space. Some dogs just ran back and forth as fast as they could, some were very interested in the other dogs playing at the same time... But Bear wasn't concerned about anything but me. He actually reminded me of Henry. He just desperately wanted a belly rub! So, if your looking for a dog... : )

Monterey/Carmel by the Sea

We've been wanting to go up to Monterey since we moved up here (it's now only like 2 1/2 hours away), so we decided to make a Christmas shopping trip out of it. We left at 8 to ensure plenty of shopping time :)

We decided to stop at Bubba Gumps for an early lunch. There were not too many people there so we got a table by the window. The view was gorgeous! The food was also really good. We had eaten at that Bubba Gumps once before on a family trip, but I had never seen Forrest Gump. So, this time I appreciated the ambiance more after finally watching the movie!

After lunch we took 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach. We stopped along the way to pick up sea glass. We were able to find some great pieces!

It was a gorgeous day!

After our beautiful drive through Pebble Beach we did some shopping at Carmel by the Sea. It was a perfect day!

Val's 3rd Trip!

Val officially wins the prize of friend to visit the most! This is her 3rd trip up!

The first night she got here we decided to go to dinner at New Frontiers (kinda like Whole Foods)... That's one of the reasons I love Val so much - she's up for anything! One our way to SLO we happened to witness a beautiful sunset! We pulled off the freeway and were able to take some pictures...

After dinner we stopped at Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream! It's become a tradition when Val comes. We had Honey Almond ice cream & I might argue it's the best flavor I've had there yet!
Saturday we had a harvest day! We went to Avila Valley Barn to see the animals, pumpkins, and general cuteness of the store!
Then we headed to See Canyon for all things apples! Val got to do an apple tasting too...

Then we headed a little farther to Pirate's Cove. Yes, we found out there is indeed a nude beach in Pirate's Cove, but rest assured we stayed away... There were some absolutely beautiful views & we met some interesting people :)

We were tired and hungry after our hike so we went to Thai Talay. It was SO GOOD! I absolutely loved it, and the people who worked there were so helpful...

Sunday morning we headed to Edna Valley Vineyards (don't worry we went to church Saturday night!). I think it's hands down the most beautiful vineyard we've been to so far. It was a gorgeous day!

It was such a fun trip. I can't wait for Val to come back & explore some more!

Ostrichland!

Welcome to Ostrich Land! We accidentally discovered this place on our way home from Solvang last week. There were a tons of cars in the parking lot, and it just looked too fun to pass up. The owners of Ostrich Land are very smart people, because to even see an ostrich you have to pay a $4 entrance fee. We decided it was worth it & bought some ostrich feed too. The rules were copious, so I didn't read all of them - but they were clear that an ostrich will bite you!
I actually thought they were kind of pretty. Some of them were HUGE! They had all different age birds, so we got to see babies through full grown adults.

The best part by far was feeding them! I've seen too many episodes of America's Funniest Videos, so I fully expected to be pecked by one, but they were super friendly. You had to use some muscle to hang on to the feed bowl though, they have super strong necks! So, all in all it was a very fun adventure! I always recommend feeding any animal you get a chance to feed!

Give Thanks...

We are having a rare extended family-less Thanksgiving, so we are hitting the road! We just made reservations to go to Yosemite! I haven't been since I was 2, so I'm looking forward to a trip I can actually remember. I've ordered hiking shoes & am hoping for some chilly weather. My favorite part of this whole thing is that Henry has to come with us! We have never vacationed with him before, but I think it will be SO fun...

Here's to hoping we don't encounter any bears... If we do, Henry doesn't stand a chance!

Southern California Trip...

I've spent the last week down in Orange County! We were just supposed to be down for a long weekend, but our trip kept getting extended - which I was totally fine with because it meant I got to see more people!

Thursday night I was able to do lunch & Pedi's with Val, followed by Starbucks/Target with Sarah & Deb! I love spending time with these girls... They are so much fun!

Then I headed to San Clemente with Shell & Kenz! We had the ultimate relaxing weekend! We watched great TV, had great meals, learned how to carve pumpkins & made caramel apples! Did I mention we listened to Taylor Swift over & over!

Finally, I got to go to Disneyland with Jeanna! It was hot, but so fun! We managed to laugh the entire time & embarrass each other greatly!

I also was able to do some shopping (yay anthro!), see my cousin Greg, and have breakfast & leisure world time with aunts, uncles, great aunts, 2nd cousins, and friends! It was so refreshing & exhausting at the same time... Can't wait for my next trip!