Hello from not-so-sunny California!

The joke is on me. I left Chicago, eager to get some sunshine and it’s raining every day this week.

I’m not too mad about it because California sure-as-heck needs it and we got some pretty decent weather for our short trip to the coast!

Plus, with family around, there’s not too much to complain about, y’know?

I was planning to do a “Scenes from the Weekend” post, but we went on our coastal trip (Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove area) Sunday to Tuesday.

So this is coming late and it’s mostly a photo dump of all the things we’ve done since the bumpy airplane touched down in California. (And when I say “bumpy airplane,” it’s not simply because Ishu says that. It was truly, TRULY a bumpy airplane experience).

So, we landed on Saturday.

Our little expert traveler slept for an hour of the flight and then we rotated through toys, books, snacks, and ice for the rest of it.

When we landed, he “nun-nun-nunned” all the way to baggage claim and was met with suitcases that DROPPED down onto the carousel and he was basically in heaven.

Every time a suitcase dropped, he shrieked and jumped up and down.

The simple joys.

We reached home and were met with ghar ka khana and Ishu was gifted so many things from his Dadi and Babaji and Chacha.

Including these amazing tiger shark Vans.

The next day, we got up bright and early to head to the coast!

The six of us + Rosie squished ourselves into a car and headed toward Pacific Grove for the cousins’ piano recital. COVID has made the reunions between all of us so infrequent. So it feels all the more meaningful to get together now.

We all went out for an early dinner after the recital. Long Islands were had. French Fries were enjoyed. And Ishu was squished and cuddled and snuggled more than ever before.

Evenings like this one make me – SO BADLY – want to live in the same city as my cousins so we can raise this next generation of kids alongside one another.

We all love each other so hard and I wish we all got to see each other more often.

The next day was our big outing. We had planned to stop at Point Lobos to see the tide pools. But they didn’t allow dogs. So we stopped at another place on our way to Big Sur. It was a Rose-friendly and Ishu-friendly hike to the beach. Aside from a few pick-ups by his papa, Ishu was able to walk the whole way to the beach.

“ISHU I-KING (ISHU HIKING!),” he screams.

This was Ishu’s first experience being so close to the ocean waves. We tried to point out the different shells and crab skeletons and kelp along the shore, but he couldn’t pull his attention away from the waves.

He loved seeing how the waves would crash up against the rocks, water inching closer and closer to our feet.

“O-teh paa-ti! (“Ocean paani,” which means ocean water).

We only covered a small strip of beach. Because, of course, this little guy froze every time the waves were washing up. He was so amazed and so excited and so in awe.

Once we piled back in the car, we were all a little hungry so we stopped at Big Sur Deli to get some sandwiches.

It wasn’t terribly cold outside and we were all bundled up so we ate them on the patio on top of the deli/taphouse. We also picked up a hacky sack for Ishu and Uno cards for us (which ended up being our entertainment for the night).

Before heading out on our next adventure, we drove the mile to Nepanthe to check out the views.

This place is always a must-stop. The food is whatever, but the view on their patio is so, SO beautiful. Especially at sunset. Even though the sun wasn’t out, it was still so nice to take it all in.

After taking some pictures and breathing in some Big Sur air, we decided to head back down toward Carmel and walk along the beach. It brought back so many memories. Pre-Ishu (and even pre-Ankur!) memories when I would come to Bhaiya and Bhabhi’s house for the weekend and spend many days/afternoons walking here.

I’m pretty sure this will always be one of my favorite places in the world.

We walked along Scenic Road, giving us a great view of the beach, but also the beautiful homes.

And, in the middle of our walk, we got a fun little surprise. The cousins popped over to drop off Christmas presents for Ishu and it was, again, a reminder of what life could be like if we all lived close to one another!

Ring-around-the-rosie, hugs and squishes, and reading books to each other.

We joked that we should all pool our $$$ together and buy a plot of land right there. Joint family home.

After a few minutes of dancing and prancing and playing together, we waved the cousins goodbye and walked back to the car before it got too dark.

As I mentioned, Uno was our entertainment for the night (once we put Ishu to bed).

And when I say “entertainment,” I truly mean it.

There’s something about board/card games on vacation when you’re a teeny bit tired, but not ready to go to sleep.

Nights like this are so full of belly laughs and uncontrollable giggling about the smallest of things.

I can’t even recall all the things I was laughing so hard at, but I just love that feeling so much.

The next day, before heading back home, we went to Pacific Grove to walk around Lovers Point.

Ishu played with the little boy statue, chased after seagulls, and climbed the rocks. After some time near the water, we walked toward Lighthouse Ave to check out the bookstore/coffee shop.

I love a good local bookstore.

And, per usual, we walked out with more things than we needed. But how can you NOT?

Next up, we had Thai food at Pacific Thai Cuisine – right next to the bookstore.

This was the place Bhaiya and Bhabhi used to order food from when they first moved to CA and were living in Pacific Grove.

I’m re-living all the old things.

But this time with a toddler in tow. I mean, I guess we had a toddler in tow back then. But this one is a toddler I can’t return to his parents. Because I’m the parents.

After our bellies were full, we piled back in the car to make the trek back home.

And, as we approached San Jose, the rain started coming down. As if we were being sent a message from the universe that our vacation was officially over.

Before we left our AirBnB, Ankur said, “I LOVE a vacation within a vacation!” Because, even though this vacation to the coast ended, we still have our vacation back at home with the fam.

And it’s true.

So the rain didn’t bother us too much. We are just really, REALLY happy to get these extra days in with the family.