Life’s a Beach

Confession . . . I am not a beach girl . . .

I don’t like sand or salt water and the memories I have of beach days as a kid consist of being miserable because the sand ended up everywhere and in everything!

So when our son James asked if we could go to the beach I honestly wasn’t that excited. But since we were in California and only 30 minutes from the beach we headed out this past weekend to spend the day at Crystal Cove State Park – Los Trancos Beach in Newport California.

Y’all, it was the BEST day! The sun was hot, the water was cold, the sand was soft, and the laughs were many!

We had so much fun playing in the sand, running into the ocean, chasing mole crabs, and hunting for sea glass. The cute vintage beach cottages, funky seaside store, and popular cafe all added to the nostalgia. The location was easy to get to and there was plenty of parking. Once we parked was a 5-10 minute walk down a paved path to the beach or there is a shuttle you can take for a small fee. There are multiple public restrooms both at the beach and near the parking lot where there is also a outdoor shower area.

“Dance with the waves, move with the sea. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free”. ~ Christy Ann Martin

Crystal Cove State Park – Los Trancos Beach

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Viva Las Vegas

A quick road trip up I-15 took us straight to Las Vegas! We decided to spend Labor Day weekend exploring Sin City.

Carroll Shelby Heritage Center
We had no idea this place was even here until we drove into town. I immediately looked it up and added it to our weekend bucket list. If you are any kind of car enthusiast this is a must see stop. There is no charge for admission and they offer free guided tours of their showroom and garage (call ahead for times). If you can’t make it during one of their scheduled tours they also offer a free self-guided tour. We were able to make it to one of the scheduled tours and it was amazing. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and easily kept everyone engaged. You can’t help but leave here with an even bigger love and appreciation for Carroll Shelby and the amazing cars he built.

The Carroll Shelby Heritage Center

Count’s Kustoms
We have watched Count’s Kustoms for years so when we started planning our trip to Las Vegas we knew this would be on the bucket list. No, we didn’t see Count but we did see some amazing custom cars, trucks, and choppers. The talent and creativity is just amazing!

Count’s Kustoms

Public School 702
A good friend of mine lives in Las Vegas and I’m so glad we were able to meet up for some yummy food at Public School 702. As a lover of good food and self declared foodie I knew this place would be good as soon as I saw they had PB & J Sliders on the menu! AMAZING! Ya’ll they were so good I didn’t even get a picture! If your in Vegas and can get off the strip this place was great! They have an awesome happy hour menu EVERY day from 3pm-7pm!

Public School 702 – Las Vegas

Pinkbox Doughnuts
My favorite food EVER are doughnuts … with burgers being a close second. So when my friend (also a foodie) told me this place could rival VooDoo Doughnuts (Google them if you don’t know who they are) I knew I had to try them! We ordered a dozen of delicious goodness including: a Porky (maple glazed with bacon), Love My PB&J, Plain Face (glazed cro-nut), It’s Ya Birthday, Blackjack (filled with cookies & cream), The Carmelo, Key West (key lime pie filled), and more.

Pinkbox Doughnuts

Las Vegas
We also made a quick stop by Fremont Street to check that off our list and enjoyed dinner at Whiskey Licker Up Saloon. Freemont Street was what it is, there were too many people and I don’t have a need to ever go back. It was one of those stops that you check off and vow to never go back!

The Vegas strip was fun but also very busy! We really enjoyed the fountain show at the Bellagio and stuck around long enough to watch it twice. The Hershey’s World store was not worth the stop unless you want to pay $5 for ONE chocolate covered strawberry (thanks, but no thanks!). We also tried to stop at the M&M store and decided against it when we realized the line to get in the store was almost a city block long!