Palmy's

The moment we walked up to Palmy's in Pacific Beach, I was smitten. 

I was also surprised: I wasn't sure where we were going to sit. I definitely wasn't expecting to battle a Sunday brunch crowd on a Monday morning. And yet almost every seat in the expansive outside seating area was taken. 

It was easy to see why: the breezy coastal decor, dappled light and beautiful people gave off the very definition of "good vibes." 

But mostly I was surprised I had never heard of what obviously had to be a PB institution before, especially given the steady hum of influencer-type patrons buzzing in and out. 

As it turns out, the thing is... they've only been open less than a month. 

Coronado Brewing Co.

It's hard to know where to start when you come back to a blog you haven't touched in almost two years. It's even harder when your life has completely changed... the last time I posted anything I was pregnant but not yet a mom, renting and not yet a homeowner. Now I'm a mom of two with a home in OB. Wild. 

The hardest, though, is knowing where to even begin when the whole world has changed. 

Rather than take on the daunting task of trying to navigate all of that in my first post back, I decided to start simple: with a little brewery review. Coronado Brewing Co.'s tasting room and kitchen in Bay Park isn't new or trending. But it is kid-friendly and that's what brought us there this past Friday afternoon. 

9 Months

I can't believe it's been nine months with our little dude on board. 

As of today, I'm officially 39 weeks. One week away from his due date. And I have to say... 

I'm not tired of being pregnant. 

Honestly? I have had the best pregnancy, which has genuinely left me stunned every single day. 

For most of my life I feel like I have only heard about fertility challenges, how terrible and difficult pregnancy is and the absolute horror show that is labor and delivery... not to mention how a newborn wreaks havoc on your life, how babies ruin your body and blah blah blahdy BLAH. 

Well.... eff all that. 

To be very clear here... I have deep respect, love and high hopes for those who are trying to conceive or adopt and meet the baby that's waiting for them. I believe the women who struggle through difficult pregnancies and pregnancy loss are to be hugged and taken care of and listened to as they grieve through their pain or loss. I am deeply sympathetic to and wish nothing but healing for anyone who has had a traumatic birth experience or a postpartum mood disorder. And to that end, if hearing about someone's positive experience with conception and pregnancy is triggering to you, I get it. If that's you, heads up: you probably won't want to read the rest of this post. 

But.. there are good stories too! And because I have one, I'm going to tell it. 

Where'd You Go, 2019?

pc: @katieiredalee

To say I've been neglectful of this blog over the past year would be a massive understatement.

Somehow I got down to single digit posts in 2019... only 7 posts all year! And there was so much I wanted to write about! I didn't get to post as much as I wanted about our wedding, my yoga teacher training, about another summer spent with Groundswell or, especially, about being pregnant...

The year just flew by and so far 2020 isn't much different. Take this post for example... usually I get my annual recaps up in the first week of the month. Yet here we are, more than halfway into January. I'll blame it on pregnancy brain while I still can. ;)

This year I want to get back to writing and connecting here more, especially as I start new chapters in my life, becoming both a mother and an entrepreneur this year. I have a (great) feeling this will be a wild start to this next decade and I can't wait for all of it.

But before I kick off all of the exciting adventures ahead, I do want to make sure I jot down a proper recap and farewell to 2019. So here goes...

Capturing That Wild Light

While we were in the early stages of planning our wedding, we asked a lot of couples what they wish they had done during their weddings. It didn't surprise me that the same advice kept popping up: I wish we had hired a wedding videographer. 

I knew our wedding day was going to go by in a blur. I knew we couldn't be everywhere at once. There were parts of the day (me getting ready, him getting ready) that we wanted to be there for and wouldn't be able to. And we wanted to be able to relieve our wedding day forever and have something to show our kids one day.



But videographers are a big investment. One that, honestly, we probably couldn't have done without help from my mom. When she asked what she could do to contribute to the wedding, I immediately told her that putting her gift towards our wedding videos would be the most necessary and appreciated way to help us and I'm so grateful that she agreed.

Not only did we hire a videographer, we hired the videographer of my dreams, Steven Kopacz of Wild Light Films in Los Angeles, CA. Steven did such an incredible job on our videos (including our Super 8 Film that I shared last year) that they blow me away every time I watch them.

Which, I have to admit, is more than is probably healthy.

Steven totally exceeded any expectations I had for working with a videographer or for our wedding videos. Also, calling him a videographer doesn't quite seem to do him justice. From the sound to the cuts, these videos really do feel like a work of art created around our wedding. He is the nicest guy and so talented it's unreal. We're endlessly grateful to him for capturing our day, us, our friends and family just so beautifully.

I know I haven't had a chance to post more about our wedding here yet, but if I could give you one piece of wedding advice: if you can invest in it... invest in a videographer Wild Light Films. I am so happy we did and I get to retreat to this amazing celebration and see so many of my favorite people in one video anytime I want. And for that matter, as you will hear me gush about again and again in posts to come, invest in an amazing photographer our amazing photographer Alex (if you can book her... she books up fast and far out!), because without her we wouldn't have found Steven or half of the other incredible vendors that made our wedding what it was.