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Half Moon Bay, Day 3

All the fellas were feeling happy to stay put, but I was antsy to get out and explore. I decided to drive south for a half hour to the little town of Pescadero. I am so glad I did. This is the kind of place my soul longs for. It’s not a touristy place. Just a little town tucked between the ocean, farmland, and rolling hills…it was quiet, quiet, quiet, and I had the roads to myself.

I walked their one block street and picked up TIP #2 from the HMB locals….fresh made artichoke garlic herb bread from Arcangeli Grocery/Norm’sMarket. Slices of artichoke hearts embedded in the bread. It’s incredible. I walked up a quarter mile to their historic cemetery and walked the grounds. Then went to their closest beach. It filled my senses in so many ways. I needed this quiet break from everything.

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Half Moon Bay, Day 2

While David stayed back with the dogs, I took the boys to HMB’s Main St. A couple blocks of cute stores. Many were closed while off season, but we managed to get a few hours in. The boys tolerated it. “Mom Shops” is what they call these stores.

The boys being silly, in front of the Feed Store…Ryan named the blonde cutout…Jessie….

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The “Chicks”…IMG_0488
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Lunch at Sushi Main Street, a beautiful restaurant. I had three delicious vegan rolls, Ryan had gyoza and beef skewers, and Alex had gyoza and uni sushi, one with a raw quail egg on it. His first time with uni. He loved it.
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After lunch, we walked into a barber shop for Alex to get his hair cut for the first time by a barber. The barber had been there since 1971. He was watching Lawrence Welk! I was smitten. He told us that he regularly plays accordion at the senior center dances.IMG_0505 IMG_0508

The locals are happy to share their favorite tips and places. While walking the dogs on the beach, I met up with two men sitting in chairs. One of the men had a dog with them. She cannot use her back legs. He brings her to the beach in a wheelbarrow and places her on the sand. She lets the other dogs play around her. They shared with me three tips, two of which we have done at time of posting. The day was Tuesday, and they said that Sam’s Chowderhouse has $1 oysters during happy hour. Alex and I have a tradition of eating raw oysters together. I could not let this opportunity pass us by. I took him to the restaurant and we each slurped a dozen oysters, then a soft shell crab salad, and finished of by sharing homemade soft serve ice cream topped with olive oil and sea salt. I prayed my stomach would survive, since I pretty much just eat plant based now. It turned out to be a sweet night with my boy and all was good.

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Night fell. A fog rolled in. The ending of a great day.
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Half Moon Bay, Day 1

From Eureka, we drove down to Half Moon Bay. We rented a VRBO property that is located right on one of the beaches. We did not realize that we are also located within walking distance to where the set of waves known as the “Mavericks” is located. If we were here in November, this place would be full of some of the best surfers in the world. There is an incredible movie called “Chasing Mavericks.”  If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth watching.

Getting ready to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in to San Francisco…Half Moon Bay is a little south.

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Other lodging ideas for future reference (more off grid):

Pescadero Creek Inn

Costanoa

One of my favorite races…Avenue of the Giants. They actually close a stretch of this incredible road and we get to run on it!! I ran the half marathon. There were a bunch of women from our run club running it as well; some marathon, some half, and some the 10k.

We stayed at the Carter House in Eureka. Our room has a great view of the Carson Mansion (now a private club called The Ingomar Club)…

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The night before the race, the boys and I met up with my running friends at the Eel River Brewing Company in Fortuna. After carbo loading, the boys joined a brother and sister they knew from martial arts and played corn hole for a while…

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The race….can you see why this is one of my favorites???IMG_0424 IMG_0425 IMG_0433IMG_0431

The Big 5-0!

It was a sweet day that just kept extending into the week! I got up and ran. My husband said I needed to be back by seven, but I did not know why. My friend Tina picked me up and took me to The Flower Farm, where there were a group of my friends who joined us for breakfast. It was a wonderful surprise. I feel so loved and blessed.IMG_0341 IMG_0345 IMG_0347
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Then, a few days later, I was surprised again by a joint birthday gathering with my friend Nancy (also turning 50) with a bunch of running friends! So special! This birthday is one I will not forget!
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I serve alongside with a wonderful team of women for an annual women’s retreat up in Nevada City, CA. The keynote speaker in Beverly Bradley. I serve as the Coordinator and handle communications and logistics.

This year the time was “Everyone Has a Story to Tell”. The focus was on our personal stories and how Jesus is/can be the anchor of our stories.

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We go on a lovely hike every year to this amazing vista. This is also the place where we throw rocks over the cliff of things we want to let go of/leave behind.

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Meet Annabelle

When my mom passed away, I inherited quite a few of her personal possessions. Many of them I was able to donate, but there were some that were to personal to let go of. One was this doll that she used to have as a child. She has sat in a closet for many years, and, truth be told, she’s a little creepy. I brought her out to decide what to do with her. Something sitting in a closet doesn’t do anyone any good. But, I can’t just put her in a charity pile. I decided to put her up on our mantel and see how long it would take to see if anyone noticed.  Alex freaked out when he saw her. Ryan thought she was adorable.  David did not notice her until we brought it to his attention.

I jokingly decided to call her Annabelle, which freaked Alex out even more.  Apparently there’s a horror film that has a haunted doll named Annabelle…
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I placed her in an armoire with the intention of coming back to her in a little while. I did not realize that was where Alex was storing his shoes. It gave him a good scare. Then, I decided to have a little fun and early one morning I placed her on the pillow in his bed, next to him. (See the poor picture below…) He awoke with her next to him. Fortunately, he’s a good sport about it. I told him I’d pay for therapy if he needed it.

Now, she’s a part of our home and we can’t possibly get rid of her. Everyone takes turns placing her in unexpected places.

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Run Rocklin 2018

Run Rocklin is a neat little race that runs through my neighborhood. They offer a 5k, 12k, and a half marathon. I have ran the 5k and the half marathon, but not the 12k yet.

I led a small group of runners to go from couch to a 5k. We decided to make Run Rocklin 5k the race to work towards. One of the runners, Jenn, discovered that the 5k only gets a ribbon and not a medal. She asked if she thought it was possible for her to run the 12k instead. So, we bumped up the training a bit. It was hard, but she did it! We ended up running the 12k instead!

since this race is local, we always run into other running friends. Its quite the party!

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Enjoying a lovely Spring day in our backyard…
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This guy is 15 years old. He’s starting to slow down a bit, but is still loving life. It will be hard when he passes away. I say this about every cat I’ve had that they were my favorite. This one certainly holds my heart and is definitely a favorite!
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Saturday 5+5

Five miles in the early AM with these lovely ladies, then another five trail miles with my friend Elyse. A yummy breakfast at the Flower Farm after. Elyse and I were gifted with a couple of deer at the beginning of our run. One ended up crossing right in front of us.
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