June 15th, 2020

The Preplanning

Chris and I had been itching for a weekend away AND for Chris to finally meet my parents! The pandemic had kept us “staying-at-home” for far too long. Chris found a quarantine-friendly Airbnb on the California coast in Half Moon Bay.  From the photos it looked beautiful, complete with ocean access, a fire pit, a huge lawn, and a hot tub. It was booked out for a month already, so we snatched the soonest weekend we could, about 4-weeks out.

It was about a 5 and 1/2 hour drive from Calabasas. We enjoyed the trip with clear skies and sun shining down on us in the brand new Benz convertible.

Half moon bay is known for being chilly and overcast, but this time of year the warm summer weather is at its peak. It was perfect for the beach; 75-80 degrees, warm and sunny.

The Stay

We took full advantage of the cooler morning hours by relaxing in the hot tub and ran down to the ocean as the afternoon heated up. I finally got the chance to breakout my favorite swimsuit (Chris bought it for me on our second date) for the first time this summer. My sister, Alyssa, and her boyfriend headed to the nearest rock climbing at San Pedro Beach in Pacifica for an afternoon activity.

We took a drive in the new convertible around the corner to the Ritz-Carlton to check it out. It was as if we stopped at a gorgeous, seaside castle. We weren’t able to explore the grounds unfortunately, as the rules were very strict on non-guest exlporation given the pandemic.

We played corn-hole and bocce ball out on the ocean-front lawn. Later in the evening, Mom made Arrabbiata linguine and I cracked one of my go-to bottles of CA Pinot. After sunset, Chris and my dad got the fire pit going and we all sat around it feeling warm and fuzzy.

In the morning, Mom made brunch and Dad made fresh coffee in the French press. We ate out on the patio to take in our last few moments of ocean views. We all knew we would remember this.

The Goodbye

The weekend gave us a much needed break from the pandemic monotony of feeling trapped at home. It was also the perfect way for Chris to meet my parents in a no-pressure environment. I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend.

On the way out of town, Chris and I spotted my Dad walking by the local market so we stopped and explored a charming, local Lavender emporium, Half Moon Bay Lavender, together. With a second round of goodbyes, we were back on the road. Sunburnt and homeward bound, we were ready to sleep in our own bed again.

With love,

Ashley Jo