Welcome to the Ultimate Coffee Date! I actually missed my first ever coffee date last month (whatwhatttt)! You know my blogging’s been kinda sparse lately, but I’m back and hopefully here to stay!
This post is likely gonna sound somewhat disjointed because I wrote it at different times. (You’ve been warned!)
Ultimate Coffee Date: August 2019
If we were having coffee/tea today, I’d…tell you that I went almost a month without even touching my laptop. (I’ve been on my road trip (still on it until at least a month from now) and am currently in Colorado!)
In an effort to hopefully keep up with all the travel posts I’m gonna be writing up as a result of this road trip, I now have both Travel Tuesday + Travel Thursday for the time being. Since I can’t cook for at least another 1.5 months, my blog will likely mainly be about travel for the time being! If you have any questions regarding my road trip, let me know! :]
If we were having coffee/tea today, I’d…tell you that I did a quick weekend detour back to California for my friend (Florence)’s bachelorette party in Carmel (aka one of my favorite places on the planet).
I guess when the phrase “bachelorette party” is used, people tend to assume that all kinds of drunken debauchery will happen. What we actually did was rent out an Airbnb, become impromptu sous chefs/kitchen slaves where we helped my best friend create a ginormous feast.
We went on a walking food tour the next day (I’ll write an actual post on that sometime!), explored downtown Carmel, and had dinner at one of my newest favorite restaurants, Cultura! (If you’re sitting outside and it’s cold, they’ll bring you blankets! And of course the food was absolutely amazing, as was the service!)
One of Carmel’s secret passageways!
On Sunday, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! 6 years + 1 day ago, we went there in search of the mola mola (sunfish, aka ocean’s derpiest animal). Sadly, we were told he wasn’t on exhibit because he’d forgotten how to eat (…) and was being re-taught in another tank. That one has since been returned to the ocean via trampoline (he got too ginormous), and now they have two!
Please excuse the graininess. It was so hard to get a picture of them. :'(
…and we also did an escape room (my first one)!
If we were having coffee/tea today, I’d…tell you that although I’ve really been enjoying this trip, I’ve definitely felt the need/urge to treasure life and loved ones more. There was a shooting at the annual garlic festival last weekend in Gilroy, California.
My brother had called me the day before asking if I’d wanted to go, but I wasn’t going to be back until late Sunday evening, so I told him I wouldn’t be able to. My brother and his girlfriend did end up going…and they left 11 minutes before the shooter opened fire.
11 minutes.
I could have lost them both this weekend if they’d stayed for one more song by the stage.
The shooter was posting about a white supremacist book shortly before the attack. I try to keep this blog non-political, but this hit a little too close to home. I wish the current president would stop encouraging racist (and while we’re at it, misogynistic views), or at the very very least, admit that white nationalism is an actual problem.
But as that is unlikely to ever happen, I sincerely hope we will see (positive) change next year, for the greater good of us all.
See past ultimate coffee dates here!
(Link-up with Coco @ Got 2 Run 4 Me & Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner!)
- Have you ever taken a blog break? How long was it for and how did it feel? Mine was entirely unintentional and I’ve really missed blogging, but it was nice to unplug for a while too.
- What’s been on your mind lately?
(For updates in real-ish time with my road trip, follow me on instagram or facebook! For not-so-real-time, I have a road trip tag on my blog that you can follow!)
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Your travel adventures have been fantastic! I’d not seen blankets at restaurants until we were at a place in northern Germany two years ago. Pretty great idea. That sounds like my kind of bachelorette party. I can eat way more than I can drink. :-)
The shooting at the festival — when will it stop? It sounds like he was pretty determined to do harm, the way he snuck in. The more I learn about the white nationalism the more depressed I get. It seems to have strong roots that certain people won’t dig up because it serves their own personal aspirations.
Thanks for joining us for coffee!
It was definitely my kind of restaurant too! :P It was super nice of em, and the food was so good!
Same here. I thought it had been long buried, for the most part, but the amount of white nationalism that’s been popping up lately is disheartening and unacceptable.
All of your travel pics are so great! I am loving following along on all of your adventures. When in else in your life will you have time to do that?! Thanks for joining us for the coffee date
Deborah Brooks recently posted…The August Ultimate Coffee Date linkup
Thank you! It’s been so much fun so far! :]
That’s exactly what I told my future employers when I told them I wanted to start working in the fall! 😅
That’s so scary about your brother — and you could’ve been there, too.
On an up note, we love food tours and often do them when we travel.
Sounds like my kind of bacherlorette party (I didn’t even have one, and my husband didn’t have a bachelor party either).
Enjoy the rest of your travels!
Judy @ Chocolaterunsjudy recently posted…Playing with those intervals: Spilling over tea/coffee August 2019
Agreed! :[ I’m so glad he and his girlfriend are ok!
I’m definitely hoping to do more of em from now on! :] This is basically how I’d want my bachelorette party to go too if I ever get married!
You went a month without your laptop? Wow! I am impressed. I am currently in Colorado too – in Steamboat Springs visiting my son and his family. What a beautiful state! Sounds like a really cool road trip. Have fun!
Laurie recently posted…Coffee Run!
Aside from one day, it’s now almost been 2 months! I feel so free, haha.
I’ve definitely fallen in love with Colorado—I hope you had fun there! I’m definitely gonna need to go back someday!
I’ve enjoyed seeing all of your travel photos. I went to Colorado a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it – clearly I need to visit in the summertime!
Oh that is so scary about the shooting – I absolutely agree with you. I’m glad that you and your friends were safe!
I haven’t blogged nearly as much this year as I hoped, but I try to just go with the flow as best as I can!
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets recently posted…Ultimate Coffee Date – August 2019
I definitely want to go back again—there’s so much I still need to see!
I apparently fell off the wagon again, but I’ve been taking notes for a few billion future blog posts, so there’s that! :p
Thanks so much for sharing your adventures with us!
That is so so scary about the shooting. So happy that everyone is okay and safe. It’s just so sad because no place is safe anymore.
It’s definitely been a lot of fun!
Agreed. :/ Something really needs to be done.
I have loved seeing all of your travel adventures!! Aren’t escape rooms fun? We did one last year for my youngest stepson’s bday and we had a blast. That is so scary about the shooting. We definitely need some policy change asap!! Enough is enough.
They are! I had my doubts that we were gonna be able to escape but we ended up making it out with 5 minutes to spare!
Agreed. :[
Wow…glad to hear your brother is alright! I love seeing all your pics from your travels ;-)
Thank you! Me too!
It’s definitely been a lot of fun!
Sounds like such a fun time. I love visiting aquariums in cities I visit. I always learn and find something new. Sounds like a good trip
I’ve definitely learned way more on this trip than I thought I would! :o It’s been super fun—I kinda don’t want it to have to end!
Oooh, a walking food tour sounds right up my alley. I would totally be into that. I t sounds like you had a great time in California.
Sandra D Laflamme recently posted…It’s National CBD Day! What is it and how does it benefit you?
Right?! I definitely wanna do more of those in the future! :p
Carmel is one of my favorite places too! Such a beautiful town and I LOVE all the restaurants and shops!! Welcome back to the blogging world!!!
Agreed—it’s such an awesome place!
Thank you! I need to pop back in a little more often than I have been! 😅
It was great to hear about all your travel adventures! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by! :]