When some think of California they picture the long haired surfers living on a beach or possibly downtown Hollywood being packed with movie stars. Although that does makes up a small portion of this magnificent state, let me welcome you to Northern California and the natural beauty that comes with it!
This trip back was short and sweet, so I’d like to recap multiple visits. Simply click on any link below and viola, you’ll be directed to previous posts that go into detail of those magical destinations!
My hometown of Folsom. Yes, where the prison is from the Johnny Cash song.
A day in the bay of San Francisco!
Green + Sand + Blue = Lake Tahoe!
Downtown in the capital city of Sacramento.
River rafting (aka “floating”) down the American River.
Here’s a direct link to last years July celebrations including house boating and a cattle drive parade!
This July in California I was invited to several small gatherings that allowed me to pack in a variety of adventures.
I’ll start by recapping Yosemite with a few of my favorite photos. If you missed any of the detailed posts about this national park, click here.
For this 4th of July, I headed back to the houseboat on Lake Oroville to celebrate the day of America’s independence! What do you do while stuck (to be said with sarcasm) on a boat for a few days with great people? Play, eat, swim, nap, drink and play!
Check it out, my cup is a blog fan!
When waking up on the final day, my dear friend Crystal and I thought a yoga session was the perfect way to rise with the bright sun!
After thoroughly enjoying the natural beauty of the outdoors, I returned to town to partake in a few backyard events. Considering California broke heat records this year, I’ll start with pool parties and bbq’s!
Recognize this little red headed doll? That’s my cousin from Oklahoma that I wrote about during the tornado’s last month. Now he gets to see California blue sky, 100 degree weather and play with “Keka’s” friends!
This lovely couple is at the top of my “I want to be like you when I grown up” list. Maureen (aka Mo) and I have been friends since the days of finger paint, hair scrunchies and snack packs. Ben is her equally incredible husband that makes up the other half of this power duo. Ever wonder how many married couples still express their love through patience, consideration and open communication? Well, meet the Hillel’s and their newest addition (one of my favorite mini buddies) Cora.
Themed Parties! This one is called “White Trash” or “Redneck”. The Urban dictionary defines this group as uneducated persons that comes from the backwoods with little awareness of the modern world with moral failings. An individual that may or may not be poor, but is monumentally ignorant and quite possibly stupid.
Spam carving contest, arm wrestling and a whipped cream Twinkie hunt leads to duck tape prizes and dancing. Notice the can stacks? It’s a game in which each time you finish a beer, you tape it to the bottom of your “stick”. (Clearly I don’t mine losing that game).
Why we base an entire gathering celebrating this with costumes, games and prizes? I’m still trying to figure it out myself…
Moving on to a more “classy”” portion of my trip was visiting one of my favorite restaurants.
Sushi! For the sake of the fans out there, I’m going to share Mikunis and its enormous growth in popularity over the past 20 years. When I used to come here as a little girl, there were a few chairs in front of the chef and a couple tables that crowded a small dining area. With quality food and the dedication from the owner Taro, it has now expanded to a well known and award winning hotspot. Their menu website is also worth checking out if you’re in the need of growling stomach and a salivating mouth.
The large wheel is for the “grown-ups” to spin on their birthday. Prizes range from a bag if rice up to $100 gift card! I’ve spun this wheel every year since my 9th birthday and now have a collection of mugs, t-shirts and chopsticks. This summer, I was thrilled to watch Cora spin on her first birthday… Special.
Hungry yet?
I’ve done an abundance of hair to replenish some travel funds and I did the annual dig through my storage unit to repack for future weather changes. I’ve gotten to hug old friends and make some new ones. Now I’m off to Florida to love on my dear mother!
Have I mentioned lately how much I love my life? Well, I do.
We also took advantage of being surrounded by some incredible destinations and often took day or weekend trips to explore!
Santa Cruz!
Although Northern California has beautiful scenery, unlimited career options and some of my most favorite people in the world… it just wasn’t feeding our souls. A tough decision but a solid one as we decided to move to the Panhandle of Florida.
Her Happy Trails 