Midwest to West: California Part 1

I've been such a negligent blogger lately! There have been a lot of transitions in my life, the biggest being a change in employment, and I have just been feeling as though I'm at a loss of time to create meaningful blog posts. Let's play catch-up, shall we?

A few weeks ago, Luis and I were so lucky to be able to travel to the sunshine state with his parents. We spent about six days in the Los Angeles area, visiting his brother who is living there to pursue a career in film score composition. It's so exciting because he's incredibly talented and we wish him all the luck in the world!

I couldn't believe how perfect the California weather is on a daily basis. The temperature never left the seventies during the day, and at night it cooled down and became so refreshing. I've grown so accustomed to the muggy, hot nights of Midwest summers.

We chose Santa Monica as the site of our main stomping grounds and spent the first day exploring the beautiful city. I noticed that people really value their time spent outdoors. As we walked towards the pier, people were sitting everywhere with picnics, reading books, or just hanging out. I loved it!

There were so many people on the pier with their families and friends. I saw Shailene Woodley walking around the pier, too! I was a little star-struck. I had silently told myself that I wanted to see at least one famous person while I was there, and I accomplished it on the first night!

We got to the end of the pier and looked out over the vast ocean that spread itself out before us. It was a beautiful thing. We stopped to rest our feet and listen to the (awesome) impromptu concert that was happening nearby.

Part of our Santa Monica exploration included the amazing Santa Monica Place mall (if you can call it a mall?). Chicago has some pretty intense shopping areas, but this was on a whole new level. Three levels, outdoors, every single store you can imagine? It was quite the experience.

This is the top level of Santa Monica Place: more stores! Not pictured: an amazing food court that included Mediterranean food (lamb kebabs!), sushi, and crazy good Mexican food. You can either eat inside or sit outside where they provided pretty awesome lounging tables. Also, the view overlooked the ocean. Insane!

Whoever made this wall of Converse shoes is my hero. That reminds me... I think it's about time for a new pair!

Where have you been traveling this summer? Stay tuned for more!