Last weekend I drove down to Southern California to take a couple art classes. I have a cousin who lives down there and has been the sweetest to me by always allowing me to crash with him. Even now, just after moving into a new house with his partner Sara and their two young daughters, they welcomed me with open arms. I was never really close with any of my cousins growing up. But in my twenties I've been able to connect and forge strong relationships with several and it has made my heart just sing with joy.

I decided that on the way down I would take highway 1. I've never been to Carmel or Big Sur but have seen so many gorgeous pictures of the area on Pinterest and Instagram. Let me tell you, it does not disappoint in real life. There were so many pull outs to stop and take it all in and capture images...I must have stopped at least a dozen times, adding at least an extra hour onto my travel time. But I just couldn't help myself. It was gorgeous. And I've decided my next adventure will be to Big Sur to actually spend a night or two and explore more than just the views off the 1.

I finally stopped for gas and sustenance (side note: I feel no shame in admitting that I learned this word courtesy of Elle Woods) in a little town called Cambria. I ate at a sweet little cafe/restaurant called Harmony Cafe. Delicious chicken sandwich with a crisp pinot grigio. Then I wandered around their main street, popping in and out of shops.

I've written here before about my love for hawks. I felt completely touched and captured by them (and God) my entire drive down to Thousand Oaks. (They followed me home too as I took the quicker route of I-5)

The workshops I attended were awesome. I found Jenna Rainey through my recent joining of Instagram. She is an illustrator and calligrapher. I took a watercolor class and calligraphy class at her studio in Costa Mesa. Although I enjoyed the watercolor class, I was more energized and excited about the calligraphy class. It's been something I've wanted to learn how to do for a very long time now. And it felt really good to be stretched and challenged in an artistic way rather than just academically through my grad program. I bought a notepad to practice on right after the workshop. Hopefully I'll find time to practice between all of my homework because let me just tell you that shit is hard; there is definitely a fines to it. Jenna was a great teacher, and I would love to make the trek down to take another class from her. You can find her at www.monvoir.com

xxo