When it rains in Southern California

I was a bit bummed when I woke up this morning. Why? Because I had plans. I got someone to cover my regular 7 AM on weekends job so I could wake up with the sun, go on a long walk with my pup and spend the rest of the afternoon reading in the sun, then I had plans to see a shakespeare by the sea play. But there was no sun. Instead, there was rain. To preface: California is in a severe drought. So once I got over myself and got over the fact that there was no sun. I embraced it. Rain is a great thing. It doesn't judge when you are lazy and still in your loungewear at noon and that's A-OK in my book. 

After, the hubs made me brunch. He's a trooper, he's cooked me meals everyday for the last 3 weeks.  I only thought it'd be fair to do the dishes. After I did dishes for what seemed like an eternity. I grabbed my pup and my camera and went exploring our little beach town. I love roaming the neighborhoods and seeing all the houses with character and the pretty gardens. Then I also love that I can walk to the beach. Today was lovely. I watched kids braving the rain and jumping in the water with their clothes on. I listened to the silence of hardly anyone on the sand. And I embraced the pounding of the waves and marveled at how blue the water was. 

At some point in time, I tried to take Buhle on a photoshoot, but she was being a difficult model. The pictures of her are the saddest pictures I think I've ever seen of her outside. So we moved on from that idea. ;) 

Overall, it was a great day. I love exploring my little beach town. I always find something new. I urge you to take a moment and look around your neighborhood. It may surprise you to find out how charming your neighborhood is. 

Happy Weekend, my friends. 

Summer Reading: Wonder

We've been busy lately. We had a whirlwind trip to Oakland. We got back. Then immediately, I went on a work trip to the central coast. All was beautiful. But by the time I go to my staff retreat, I had already been go-go-go and my ability to be social and be in a good mood hit a wall. I knew I was wanting to read. I wanted to be engulfed in a story and feel paper on my fingertips. I've been dreaming about reading a book for a while. The problem, I've been reading about 16 books now for the last year or so. I start them. Nothing else. So when, I went to retreat, I knew I needed to pick a different book. I found this book "Wonder" by RJ Palacio at the local library's bookstore a few months back. One of the girls I nanny for read it and really loved it. I thought I'd give it a try. 

Once I read the cover description I was hooked. I told everyone around me about this amazing book and how sweet the story was. I finished the book within a day and I felt accomplished. It was a good retreat and when I told me about my accomplishment and dedication with about 70+ around me, some were even green with envy. 

It's a great little story about a middle school boy who didn't let the way he looks stand in the way of who he was. He had his moments where his strength wavered but he prevailed. Middle school is hard, kids are cruel but then there are the ones that are kind and good. And it makes everything worth it. That's the type of story this is. 

Read "Wonder." It will melt your heart. It will make you want to be Kind. It's lovely.