Jilly Does Cali, Part 4: The Sea Ranch

Thanks so much for following along on this trip and for all of your comments.  I'm a little behind on responding, but I'll get there!

Part 4 of my Cali trip recap takes us up to a little community along the coast in northern Sonoma County called Sea Ranch.  Throughout my trip, I had mentioned to many people I encountered that Sea Ranch was my final destination for a wedding and I was surprised that no one in CA had ever heard of it!  Admittedly, it is a very remote, non-commercialized locale, but I think that is the appeal for those who vacation there.

Ok we're on Day 9 of the trip now...

I am headed to SFO to pick up and reunite with two very special east-coasters: my sister and our mutual friend!

The girls both arrived around 1:30pm and since we had heard Sea Ranch was only a 2 hour drive from San Francisco, we thought we had all the time and daylight in the world to explore the city before heading up there.  [This turned out to be a false assumption, but at the time we were clueless and carefree!]

We headed north and ended up parking in a non-descript area of the city which had some interesting restaurants.  We walked for a few blocks to check out the food offerings and decide what we wanted to eat, all the while catching up, reminiscing and generally acting quite giddy.  We ended up with the most random assortment of food items: mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad, hummus/pita, and Mexican fish tacos. But then we had to find a place to eat these treats.  We located a park on our GPS and upon getting there discovered it was a DOG park.  My sister still thought it was a good idea to sit in the grass and eat our food.  For obvious reasons (ie. dog feces), the 2 sane people in the party rejected this idea, and we found some concrete pillars to sit on while we ate. 

After eating we headed back to our car, which was parked in a Safeway parking lot.  We had heard there was a market near Sea Ranch where we could buy groceries, but thought maybe we'd pick up a few things here just in case.  So by the time we left SF, it was around 4:30.  We still thought we had plenty 'o time!

We stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge lookout after crossing it so the girls could get a good view:

It was another clear, fogless day in SF.

And then we headed on our merry way up Route 101.  And hit complete traffic deadlock...for miiiiiiiiiiiiles.  It quickly became apparent we would definitely not be arriving at our destination in 2 hours.  After a couple hours on the road, we decided to make another random stop-off in a town called Cotati for some more groceries.  This turned out to be the wisest decision ever (because by the time we would arrive in Sea Ranch the only market near town would have been long closed), but then we got lost getting back on the highway, so it also cost us an additional hour of driving!

By the time we reached the coastal portion of Highway 1 it was completely dark and we couldn't see anything, a vast difference from when I drove the coastal portion of the same highway through Big Sur.  This portion was also fairly windy and it was late at night so I as the driver had to be pretty careful.  Meanwhile, the jet lagged girls were fading fast on me.

We finally arrived 5 HOURS LATER only to discover we had to drive to the nearest town of Gualala to retrieve the key for our rental cabin, and then backtrack to said cabin.  When we finally got in our house it was 9:30pm, pitch black and freezing outside.  There are no street lights in Sea Ranch.  But when we unlocked the door to our cabin we were in sweet, sweet heaven.  It was so nice and cozy!  We unloaded all of our bags and groceries, ate food and then proceeded to pass out.

Day 10, Sea Ranch:  We slept in and then ate our ration portions for breakfast.  This became a running joke because we only had so many eggs and sausages per person/per day! Hahaha  My sister did the math and made sure each person ate only their share every morning. She was always the math whiz.

We decided to take a little walk/hike around the area to see what we had missed in the dark.  Here are a few shots of the "neighborhood":

 

And just a random baby deer in our front yard!  We saw them roaming all over the grounds and even had a big buck cross right in front of us on a walk one day.

 

 

 



Cali girls

The coastal views from everywhere in Sea Ranch are amazing.  Luckily it was another blissfully clear day so these shots came out incredibly:

AMAZING!

Even our little cabin, which was one of the cheapest ones available, had an oceanfront view!

Later that evening, we were invited to a BBQ at the bride's family's cabin and so we finally got to see our friend and bride-to-be!!  I hadn't personally seen her in 2 years.  She usually flies back East for Christmas every year, but we missed her this past year.  It was great to finally meet her fiancé and 1 year old daughter.  The food at the BBQ was prepared by the family and was incredible.  We had such a good time catching up and meeting everyone else who had flown in for the wedding.  We even made new friends who drove us back to our cabin so we wouldn't have to walk back in the pitch dark, freezing night.  They saved us from running smack into some wandering deer or raccoons.

Day 11, Sea Ranch:  Wedding Day!  Our friend who was staying with us was a key member of the wedding party, and was also singing for the wedding, so she had to be out of the house fairly early this day.  My sister and I, on the other hand, had not a care in the world so we sat around drinking and tried out the hot tub.

And then took a nap.  VACATION MODE in full effect.

Soon it was time to get ready for the wedding.  It was being held at a vineyard up the mountain and wasn't really driveable, so they were running shuttles to and from the cabins.

It was surprisingly much warmer at the vineyard when we arrived for the afternoon wedding, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The sun was blazing hot and shining down on the outdoor altar, and the pictures I took of the ceremony came out unexpectedly with rays of sunshine filtering down on the bride and groom.  It was really neat.  It was as if their marriage was being condoned by the heavens!

The reception was also outdoors and the setting was gorgeous.

 

 

 



The wedding was a gooooooood time and I was so happy to be there celebrating with my friends and sister.  Something the officiant said during the vows stuck with me.  He said something along the lines of 'thank God Olivia decided to move across the country all those years ago, met her fiancé out here and made this day possible'.  You just never know what's going to happen when you make a leap of faith.  It made me have faith in possibilities unknown and what's to come!

 

After the reception, we waited awhile for a shuttle and then went to an afterparty for a little, but couldn't hang.  So eventually we called it a night.

 

Day 12, Sea Ranch:  Our last day!  ie. the day we realized tomorrow we'd have to return to reality.  We spent mid-morning doing some more exploring and hiking around Sea Ranch and found steps down to the beach, where I said goodbye for now to the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

 

Later, we stopped by our friend's cabin again to hang out and chill with her and tell old high school stories.  FUN!!!!!!  It was such a good reunion.  I can't believe we're all in our 30's.  Talking about high school doesn't seem that long ago when we are all together, but it really was.  It's mind blowing how quickly time flies. 

 

When we got back to our cabin, we sat in the hot tub drinking wine and talking about life, love and the pursuit of happiness for far too long.  Eventually, we got out and napped.  HUGE life accomplishments happening here.  That night we chilled out, packed and thought about how lucky we were to all be together for this event.

 

Day 13, Sea Ranch:  We got on the road early at 6am.  Ok we were late.  6:30am.  I had no idea how long it would take us to get back since the ride there was a bit chaotic.  Thankfully the return drive to SFO was much easier and since it was morning, we could now see the coastal views on Highway 1.  They were amazing, just like Big Sur.  We made it to SFO in just over 3 hours and then it was time to hug our goodbyes, and board our respective planes back to our homes.  And just like that, my 2 week trip to California was over.

 

It had been an amazing, epic, incredible trip for me and the ending could not have been sweeter.

 

I don't know if she knows this, but I will forever be grateful to my friend Olivia for inviting me to her wedding.  If it weren't for her, I never would have planned this incredible solo road trip up the coast of California.  Who knows when/if I ever would have made it out there.  If it weren't for her, CA would still be just a pipe dream and I would not have discovered all the people, places and things I did because of it.  We all miss her, but thank God indeed that she moved across the country and started the domino of events in her own life and in others'.  She is a true friend and a true inspiration.  Love you Olivia!

 

 

Have you ever gone to a destination wedding?

 

Ever heard of Sea Ranch, CA?

 

What is the longest amount of time one should stay in a hot tub?!

Sweet Georgia Peaches

Hey y'all!  I'm back after spending a week down south visiting my sister and her family and meeting my newest niece:

2 weeks old!

 

 

If you are anything like me and think there is nothing sweeter in this world than teeny tiny baby faces & hands & toes, then please accept these photos as my gifts to you:

 

 

 

 

 

My sister was 2 weeks post-partum when I arrived so she was still dealing with a fair amount of pain (from the C-section) as well as sleep deprivation!  So it was my job while I was there to step in and do as many of her duties as I could.  Mostly this meant taking care of my 1 and 4 year old nephew and niece, but I also tried to help out around the house too. 

Remember when I asked you all for easy recipes?  Well, by the grace of God and all of my sister's incredible friends we had meals to eat almost every night!  My sister has a network of mom friends and so many of them brought over cooked dinners while I was there.  Guaranteed I ate far better last week than I normally do at home.  I actually only cooked one night and I made tacos.  I know, I'm a real Betty Crocker.  But the kids and adults alike ate them and no one got food poisoning so that's a WIN!

I did a lot of running around for my sister since she couldn't really leave the house yet.  I think I went to the grocery store 3 times that week and to Target twice?!  [This is apparently standard for a family of 5?!]

Random grocery store finds:

The best vegan gelato I've ever had.  I wish I could find this up North.

 

 

I obvs did not buy these but came across them while shopping and wondered if anyone has ever seen these?!

 

Let me just tell you it is a far different experience grocery shopping with toddlers than when you go alone! Hahaha I'm sure all the moms out there can verify this but I sure do take for granted how easy it is to run errands by myself.  I dk how my sister gets anything done in a timely fashion.  My 23 month old nephew is obsessed with vacuums so every time we went to Target we had to visit the vacuum display so that he could try out at least 10 different vacuums (which we had no intention of buying).  20 minute derailment right there.  Good times.

What else did we do?  Hmmm, I took the kids back and forth to school every day.  I took them both for haircuts one day which was incredibly cute, and of course I forgot my phone that day.  So unfortunately I wasn't able to capture that priceless moment for each of them, but let me assure you they both looked ADORABLE sitting in the big chair draped with a cape. 

It was also still fairly warm down there so we went to the pool and naturally took a selfie:

Me & my niece/Jillyruns/IG

I took the kids for ice cream one day after school.  It should be noted there is a vast difference in terms of neatness in how a 23 month old and a 4 year old eat soft serve ice cream:

She remained this tidy throughout the entire process :)

\

This was about 1 second in.  He was completely covered approx. 2 mins after this

 

I also took my niece to t-ball one morning:

Tiny body x huge helmet = cuteness x1000

 

 

I got called by my sister's name at least 15-20 times last week.  I kind of just lost count.  When I was out at Kroger or Target I heard random people shouting "Lisa" at me, so now I pretty much just answer to my sister's name when I'm in ATL.  They all told me I looked wonderful for just having had a baby 2 weeks ago.  Yep, thanks!!!

 

In between all this madness, I managed to fit in just 2 runs late-night.  I went out around 9pm after the kids were in bed and ran 4 miles one night and 5mi another.  I now pretty much know my sister's new neighborhood like the back of my hand, even in the pitch dark.

 

In an unfortunate turn of events, I came down with a cold that I contracted from my NannyKid just 2 days after I arrived in Georgia so for the rest of the week, I had to keep my distance from the new baby.  I was so terrified of giving her the cold, but so far she has been ok. 



Last week was such a whirlwind, and as if I didn't already realize moms are pretty much superheroes this week of nonstop action pretty much sealed the deal for me.

 

 

 

With the addition of the newest baby, I now am an Aunt to FOUR nieces and nephews.  How did I get this lucky?!

Hope you all had a great week!  I'm off to tend to my other babies now :)

Parting Thoughts

Nope, not dying over here or shutting down the blog, butttttt I am going to be out of town for the next week meeting and greeting this little one for the first time:

 

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  That's right, I'm headed back to Atlanta!  Through the years, I've been fortunate enough to be able to be with my sister right after the birth of each of her children.  Being able to meet my new niece and nephew in those first few weeks of their life was indescribable and being there for my sister when she needed my help was the least I could do.  Soooooooo, this time around there are 2 toddlers in the mix which means non stop activity, of which I am already a huge fan.  The only thing that concerns me is that I'm going to have to feed a family of 4 (5?) each night and as we all know my culinary skills are abysmal.  In fact, today at work, I actually had to Google 'how to hard boil an egg' in order to prepare my NannyKid's lunch.  I'm outrageous.  So if you have any EASY to make dinner ideas for me (I mean, like they literally contain 5 ingredients or less and don't involve a recipe), please leave them below.

Ok, now for the random roundup of this week's happenings:

1.  I saw these in the lobby of my building this week - Didn't even know they still existed:

 

Does anyone use these anymore?!  And also, that's a lot of dead trees right there.

 

 

2.  I was mindlessly scrolling through my Facebook feed the other day, pondering taking the next BuzzFeed 'If you were a breakfast cereal, what would you be' Quiz, when this pops up and smacks me like a 2x4 to the head:

 

 

IT'S NOT EVEN FALL YET!  People need to calm the H down on the Christmas mania in September.  However, reading through some of the comments on this post was actually a highlight of my day.  They included such gems as "Do not get me started on the Christmas before Halloween stuff.  I will throw a pumpkin at the TV".  I am with you lady. 

 

 

3.  It's concord grape season!!

 

My grandparents have a grape arbor over their back patio that has it's origins in Sicily.  My great grandparents brought a sprig over from the old country and planted it in Brooklyn where they settled.  Then when my grandfather moved to Pennsylvania, he took some of the vine with him and started an arbor in his new home.  When I was a kid, the arbor was huge and concord grapes were everywhere.  These grapes are what (purple) grape juice and jelly are made from and they taste much different from normal red and green seedless grapes.  I think they are only in supermarkets in September?  Not sure, but it's a very limited window around here.  If you've never had them, I def suggest trying them!

 

4.  And finally, if I come back to Baltimore in a body cast, this is why:

 



 

My brother in law's suggestion for outdoing the popping-out-of-a-box entrance that occurred on my last visit.  COUNT ME IN

 

 

I obviously won't be blogging next week, but I will be reading!  I'm sure my IG feed will be full of baby/kid photos for the next 7 days as well if you're interested.  Chat with you all in a week :)

 

 

Have any go-to family friendly, EASY to make meals?!

 

Do you still use a phone book?

 

Ever had concord grapes?

 

 

 



Interview with a First-time Half Marathoner - MY SISTER!

I have a special treat for you today.  You may remember I mentioned that my youngest sister was preparing to run her first half marathon this year.  Well I am happy to announce that a few weeks ago in the city of Brotherly Love, she successfully completed her first 13.1 mile race!  Laura participated in The Love Run in Philadelphia on March 30th and I couldn't be more excited and proud of her.  She just started running last summer and it's amazing how far she's come since then!  But, I'll let her tell you that story... Enjoy her interview!

Pre-race, looking fly

First of all, congrats on running your first half marathon! That is an incredible accomplishment and I know it's no small undertaking! Alright so here goes the fun part. All my readers want to know more about you so let's jump in to some questions!

Q1: When did you start running, and do you remember why you first started? What/who was your motivation? (No shame in mentioning your fave sister at this point! Jk)

A: I started in June. I wanted to do something active and have time for myself. I didn't want to join a gym because I didn't want to have to put my son in the daycare and I tried running solo but didn't feel safe or very motivated. I saw an ad in our community newsletter for a couch to 5k class over the summer so I thought I'd give it a try.

Q2: Did you have any goals in mind when you first took up running? Get in shape? Take time for yourself? Run a race?

A: Well the class was called couch to 5k so we all had to sign up for a 5k at the end of it to have a goal but I didn't have any plans after that.

Q3: Did you immediately like running?

A: Nope! And it was very slow at first, walking a lot the first 2 months until we were running each time. But that's what I needed, when I tried doing it myself I pushed too hard and got burnt out instead of building up to it.

Q4: Tell us about your training regimen - how long you trained, how many runs/miles week, did you train with a group or follow a program?
A: June, July and August we worked up from 0-3 miles
September, October and November were 3-6 miles
December - March were 6-11 miles
All 3 times per week with a coach and 6 other women

Q5: What have you learned or what has surprised you most throughout the process of training for this race?  What were some of the biggest breakthroughs and some of the hardest challenges?

A: I don't really have an answer for either of those questions. I guess it is surprising to learn you can run in single digit temperatures when you're eyelashes freeze but also very hard!

Q6: Ok now for the best part! Can you tell us a little about the race? You don't have to give a mile by mile breakdown, just how did you feel throughout, what were you thinking the day before/during the race? And how did you feel crossing the finish line?!
A: My biggest fear going in was getting separated from my group since I had trained with them and never ran solo. We ended up starting together, then at mile 3 we separated into 2 groups of 3. Mile 5 was the only hill and immediately my other partners stopped and walked which I didn't want to do so I took off on my own for the remaining 8 miles! Miles 5-7 were my best. 7-11 were really boring, 2 miles straight down and 2 miles back the other way. The beginning part running throughout the city was really exciting and had a lot of spectators cheering which I realized helps drastically even though you have no idea who these people are! On the 4 mile stretch by the river there were 0 spectators which was rough and it was at the point of the most pelting torrential downpour (3 inches of rain that day!) the last 2 miles all I thought about was seeing my son at the finish line, that's what kept me going, knowing he was sitting in the freezing cold rain waiting for me to get done. I thought I would get some mysterious burst of energy to sprint towards the finish line but that never happened. I drug myself up to it and immediately after stopping it was like a tidal wave of pain crushing you. My feet, my legs, the cold, the rain, I felt it all, it was awful and all I wanted was to get indoors, dry clothes on and warmed up. I didn't really feel elated about finishing until 2 days after.

Laura's pre-race fuel, not a pornographic image

 

 

Her son waiting for her at the finish line!

Q7: Do you think running will continue to be your new favorite form of exercise?

A: I feel a little burned out so I'd like to try yoga, Pilates or group classes but I definitely want to stick with it.

Q8: Are you planning any more races?

A: Half in September, hoping for better weather!

Q9: And lastly, is there anything you'd like to tell someone who is considering taking up running as a first timer?

A: Accountability. Having a coach and a group relying on you to show up at 5:15am, even on Saturdays!.  I would not have lasted if I was trying to do this on my own. At times we all needed to be encouraged.

DONE!!! She is officially a half-marathoner!

 

 

I want to thank Laura for taking the time to do this and share her story.  I hope other new runners see her as the inspiration that I do.  It's no small feat to stick to a 3x week training program for 9 months that meets at 5AM every morning - I know I definitely would never make that call time! 

 

 

**Note: My sister trained with the Run Diva program in Allentown, PA.  She raved about her coach, Alicia VanDerSluis, so if you are in the Lehigh Valley area and looking for a beginning running program, I'd recommend checking her out.

 

 

Any other first time half marathoners out there?! 

 

Has your running inspired any of your friends/family members to pick up the sport?