Highlights from my visit to California |
A couple weeks ago, I headed to California for the first time in 9 months. It had been over a year since I was able to stay with my parents, hug and kiss my family, and see friends with any semblance of normalcy. The reason for my trip was to spend a weekend in San Diego celebrating my friend's bachelorette. Flying was easy and relatively stress-free. I'm so grateful to be vaccinated.
My best childhood friend and I drove from our hometown in San Jose all along the California coast to San Diego. It took us 12 hours but we had the best time. We started our journey at Big Sur Cafe, an absolutely darling cafe with beautiful views and even better pastries. As I blasted the AC in my face to keep my motion sickness at bay, we traveled along the winding Highway 1. The scenery was breathtaking. Northern California is such a special place.
After breaking for lunch in beautiful downtown Santa Barbara, we made the final journey to San Diego where we were greeted by house full of great friends--old and new--ready to kick back and let loose for the weekend.
Our first full day in San Diego was spent on the water where we listened to music, had good conversation, and soaked in the sun. After the boat ride, most of us took a nap (because we're old) and then sleepily assembled our hair and makeup for a night out. We had a delicious dinner and then ended the night with a very extensive photoshoot at the house.
On our final day, we had a relaxed morning and then spent the whole day going to different outdoor bars and restaurants in San Diego. We ended the night with dancing, which is something I personally haven't done in... a very long time. It was a lot of fun. It felt good to be with friends; to laugh; to share stories; and to just not be in the same space doing the same things and worrying about the same issues that have made up the entirety of this past year. We all laughed at the fact that every single one of us was in sneakers or slip-on shoes. Ten years ago, I'm almost positive we would have been in heels. I know people in their 30s aren't old, but we all agreed that going out looks and feels way different as a 30-something than it did as a 20-something...
After a delightful and exhausting bachelorette weekend, my friend and I spent one luxurious night in a beachfront hotel in Laguna Beach. It was breathtaking and relaxing. The food was pretty good, too! Finally, we packed up and headed home.
The rest of my visit to California was spent with family. My days were slow and I worked very little. Instead, I stayed present, prioritized exercise and family time, and just generally allowed myself to enjoy the unique opportunity to be with my family after so long. I can't tell you how amazing it felt to have a guilt-free, work-free visit home. It's so rare that I'm able to completely unwind, so I'm proud of myself for setting a hard boundary between work and life. As I had mentioned on one of my Instagram stories, it felt so good to just be "Natasha the person" instead of "Natasha the academic."
There's no doubt that my heart belongs in California. It was so refreshing and wonderful to visit my hometown and to spend time with friends and family. Nevertheless, DJ and my 2 pups were waiting for me in North Carolina and I missed them terribly. I'm finally back home with them and that feels good, too.
This was probably one of my best visits home since I left for the east coast in 2013 to attend graduate school. My approach to this trip has really set the standard for my future visits home and I hope reading this inspires you to embrace your next trip as a real break instead of a "working vacation" as we so often do. I've said this before and I'll say it again: we are so much more than our careers.
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