California Dreamin'

The Sheps got to kick off the New Year by spending a weekend in San Diego. Since the minute we touched down back in Colorado, I haven't been able to get that trip off of my mind. We made the trip to celebrate a beautiful wedding of two people who deserve the whole world and then some. Even though the groom is Connor's friend, I've always admired both he and his lovely bride. So it was awesome to be a part of their big day. The wedding was Saturday night, so we still had pretty much all of Friday and Saturday morning to explore Mission Beach aka the part of San Diego we were in. Here are some of the highlights (read: things I'm still dreaming about) of the trip.

*cue California Dreamin' by Mamas & The Papas* (seriously, do it. it really sets the mood.)

I think the best way to do this is tell you all about the trip and inserting my favorite things along the way.

Since neither Connor or I had ever been to San Diego, I picked a flight pretty early in the morning so that we could explore on Friday. I think it's important to note that this was the first time Connor and I have ever flown together. Crazy, right? Anyway, we landed in San Diego at like 9 or 9:30 am and got our bags pretty quickly. From there, we had to decide what to do. There were 5 other people in our group for the weekend (God bless Air BnB) and we were the first ones there. Thankfully, the San Diego airport has a stellar USO. We decided to post up there for an hour and wait for another guy to arrive; and then another hour for another to arrive. After recharging both our phones and our souls at the USO, the four of us headed to Mission Beach. We figured we could find somewhere to hang out for an hour or so before the guy that booked the Air BnB arrived and then we could check in. Which leads me to our first stop: 

The Coaster Bar & Grill 

We needed a place to grab a beer, some food, and catch up. This place did not disappoint. I loved the breezy beachy feel of the bar, and our waitress was literally so friendly. If you make it here, you cannot leave without trying Latitude 33 Carolina Honey Hips Strong Blonde Ale. I wish I could get my hands on this in Colorado because I loved it. It's a California beer brewed in Vista. As far as food goes, I had some fish tacos. If you go to California and don't get fish tacos why did you even go??? Anyway, if you're looking for a laid back beach bar with great food and brews, this is your place. 

After that another (very gracious) member of our group got into town and drove us all to the Air BnB. That allowed us all to settle in and figure out what to do the rest of the day/night. I was so tired Friday evening/night that I honestly don't have too many exciting things to talk about. We did walk  down to the beach for sunset though, and it was then I decided I was never leaving Cali. Here are the perfect pictures:

#nofilter

We did go to PB Shore Club towards the end of the night, and it really was a fun place. You can get a vodka Red Bull slushie. I got one, but there was no way I could finish it. 

After a good nights sleep, I was ready for some brunch. Please know that I'm not lying when I say I'm still dreaming about this brunch. We went to the Duck Dive and if you're ever in Pacific Beach you have to go for brunch. Everything everyone ordered in our group looked phenomenal. There are $3 Bloody Mary's and the bottomless mimosas include a mimosa bar full of different juices and fruit to mix with your champagne. Some of the food ordered around our table included the dagwood, fruity pebble french toast (yes, there were really fruit pebbles on it), and biscuit & gravy sliders. I ordered the biscuit & gravy sliders and bottomless mimosas. Solid 10/10.

Seriously, I can't put in to words how amazing this place is. It was the perfect place to fill up before the wedding preparation began. We walked home from brunch and started getting ready to celebrate. Cigars were bought, beers were shotgunned, and I even curled my hair. 

The ceremony happened on the beach (gorgeous), and the reception was a short walk from there at Coaster Terrace. I'll share the like three pictures I took, but trust me when I say it was a great time.

Both of us at a wedding at the same time?? Weird. 

The next morning it was time to come back to Colorado. We flew into Denver, so here are some pictures of the Rockies and then the very strange Denver Airport. 

Like I said in the beginning, I haven't stopped thinking about our trip to San Diego. I loved every (warm) minute of it. Totally forgot to mention this, but the Thursday before we left and early Friday morning on the way to the airport, the weather was terrible. It was snowing heavily and the roads were super icy. So that made being in California that much more enjoyable. If you ever get the chance to go, do it. Stay longer than a weekend and soak in the good vibes. Definitely don't forget to go to the Duck Dive...and send me some of their awesome brunch.

So, that's how we kicked off the new year. We don't have any huge trips again for awhile, but I'm sure there will be some kind of adventure in between.

Until next time,

K. Shep