queen mary connection

Well...the word of the day was definitely, by far, AWESOME. We started the day off exploring the amazing Balboa Island. What. A. Place. The picturesque little island is home to some of the most beautiful all american type beach homes that spell out: relaxation. Being surrounded by yacht clubs, marinas & harbour store fronts made for just the kind of vibe we were looking for. Afer breakfast at Wilma's Patio Diner, we took the ferry over to the peninsula and enjoyed the weather that even the locals were saying was nicer than most of their summer days last year. At one point it even got up to 80 degrees. You know what the calls for: a hat to protect my pastey skin. I bought one of those floppy hats that made me say "these...are the days of our lives." The houses that lines these shores were pretty amazing in the price range of $5 million and up. One can dream. As we trekked on...we got back onto the #1 hwy, went through one beach town to the next...all with their own look, crowd & vibe. Surfers. Hippies. Travelers. Locals. Joggers. Bikers. Tourist. Wanderers...and many moreeeee. Newport beach. Huntington Beach. Long Beach. Santa Monica. Malibu. All very amazing. We stopped for a while at Long Beach for Thai lunch and made our way for a photo op at the Queen Mary. There is a picture of my grama and papa w at this very spot several years ago very much in love and in their traveling glory. I found the exact spot they stood and even lined myself up with the very fence they posed against. I took in the moment with wonder. The moment made me so very full of love & gratitude. I felt grateful for where I've come from, who I've become & where I'm going. I felt grateful for having the opportunity to do the things I'm doing with the amazing people that have come into my life. I felt grateful for being clear on what my values in life are. For me its all about living a grateful life. Traveling often. Experiencing the world. Talking with people on a new kind of level. Living a life on PURPOSE. So can you tell I've been in california for 3 weeks??? Haha...and to think that 6 days in Sonoma wine country talking about living a life on PURPOSE is still to come. Oh the excitement of all the growing I'll be doing is unreal. Suppose I'd better finish this gushy blog post up...signing off from quaint as ever, Santa Barbara. Xoxo