Wednesday, April 18, 2012

freedom!

Last weekend, 
my mom offered to take L & C camping.
I love my children
and enjoy spending every moment with them. 
However, 
when the opportunity arises for an
adult weekend,
I grab it!
So, while the kids were off with friends
and family at 
Dollywood
in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee ~


we snuck down to Atlanta.

First,
we went to 
Ann Mashburn.

agadabout.com

Loved it.

Then, we stopped by 
Sid Mashburn.

gq.com

Super loved it!

While we were in the area,
we checked out
JCT Kitchen for lunch.


It was the coolest.

offthebroiler.com

Let's just say...
I'll be dreaming about the 
parmesan truffle fries
for quite some time.


We found a great deal on 
Expedia for
The Mansion
on Peachtree
and decided to try it out.



It was crazy fabulous.


Staying at The Mansion
was definitely
our most pleasurable experience
at any hotel.
Ever.
The service was
impeccable.

Before long,
we were hungry again.
So we made our way over to 
Aria for dinner


using The Mansion's
complimentary car service.
(We loved that!)

atlantarestaurantblog.com

We began the evening with
Sparkling Rosé, Nigl, Brut, Kamptal, Austria 08.
It was crisp, refreshing, 
and a wonderful treat.



We lingered over dinner,
talking about the road less traveled,
the choices we've made,
our past,
and our future.

How precious
are those brief
moments in time
to reflect
on our lives,
as opposed 
to the constant daily
 treadmill
we are so busy 
racing on.

Thanks Mom & Joe




Tuesday, April 3, 2012

terranea



After leaving San Diego,
we drove to one of my 
favorite places
IN THE WORLD ~

Rancho Palos Verdes!


It's the location of my favorite coffee house.

Starbucks by the Sea

Seriously,
is there anywhere better to drink coffee?

Stopping by this particular Starbucks
compels me to 
 sit on the outdoor patio
near the fire pits 
and drink coffee overlooking the ocean.
I could do it every day.
(Until the cliffs fall into the ocean,
but that's another story.)

Anyhoo,
we stayed at 

Terranea is a gorgeous resort,
with great pools, 
a world class spa,
villas, casitas,
and charming bungalows.




I liked the fact that
'sustainable oceanfront dining' is offered on site.
(very Hampton)
Mar'Sel is supposed to be out of this world,
but we ended up 
(probably too often)
at Nelson's ~
a delicous, kid friendly place.


Where we sat outside
admiring the view ~


even on cloudy days.


Sunday, April 1, 2012

torrey pines

At this rate,
it'll take me a month
to write about our short week
of spring break.

We spent one day hiking in
Torrey Pines State Park.

We arrived to only a glimpse of the Pacific.


And we had our choice of hiking trails.


We just wanted to make sure we didn't choose
a path this guy was on.


The view was breathtaking


as was the hike.



I couldn't believe we could hike
all the way down to the beach



where we were rewarded with 
the warm sun,
cool breezes, 
rolling waves,


and playtime!