Weekend Away
We went up to Ojai, CA this weekend for a wedding. Even though Ojai is only 90min north of Los Angeles, we decided to go up on Friday and spend the extra night away from home.This turned out to be a perfect idea.Not only did we need the change of scenery and time together, but our little adventure was so much fun. It was relaxing, easy-going, and really just fun. While our honeymoon was jam-packed with craziness, this weekend was more inline with how I believe we should vacation: pick a few things we want to do, and then wander.Friday-Drive up to Ojai from Malibu, CA. Gorgeous drive up the coast.-Check into adorable hotel. We stayed at the Capri Hotel. I didn't snap a photo, but our room is pictured above. Friends who also stayed thought it wasn't great, but I loved it. The only issue was super thin walls (and the obnoxious kid next door). We had room 108, which the manager said is he favorite.-Nap for a bit. Kiss for a bit. Lounge.-Head out for dinner. We walked the main street (less than 1 mile long) and chose to eat at the Ojai Pizza place. It was clearly a local joint. I don't recommend. For what we ate and paid, it wasn't worth it. But we weren't interested in a fancier dinner being on a budget, so it worked fine for us.-Eat a oreo ice cream-Go back to the room and pick out a movie. Try the hot tub first. It is luke warm at best. We last no more than 8 minutes in it and go back to the room. I brew chamomile tea.-Watch Alien, the 1979 science-fiction horror film on VHS. When H realizes he has to rewind the tape, he has a weird momentary flash-back to being in middle school. It's been on my mind to watch this entire trilogy and low and behold, the hotel had a copy.So for the extra $200 to be there a day early, eat crappy local pizza, and watch a movie on VHS, maybe it doesn't seem like it was worth it - but after having a roommate for the past 5+ months, it was exactly the quality time I needed with H.Saturday-I wanted to hike, but H forgot to pack sneakers (of course). He was exhausted anyways, so we walked into town instead. Ate breakfast at Bonnie Lu's Country Cafe. Again, nothing remarkable. Certainly not our local joint here in LA. The staff was extremely friendly, but the food was meh. It was so nice to just sit and chat with H about work and his ideas about stuff he's doing for grad school.-On the walk back we picked up a card and a toothbrush (I forgot mine). We wandered through a few thrift stores. We wanted to window shop more but walked the wrong way, distracted by another issue, and ended up back at the hotel.-We stopped by a garage sale that had a super old radio - the kind with dials and warm speaker sounds. It was $110. We didn't splurge on it, but we definitely contemplated it.-Back at the hotel, we reviewed the trail maps and headed out to the Old Baldwin Rd trailhead.-Walked a loop for about an hour. It was slow and easy (again, H didn't have shoes), kind of boring but better than nothing. Would love to go back and do a ridge hike.-Back at the hotel again, H naps. I play around on Instagram and try napping, but the noisy kid next door doesn't stop ALL DAY. It is super overcast or else I could sit by the pool. Finally around 2:30pm it clears and the sun comes out.-Sit by the pool for 45 min. The sun is strong and the pool area is quiet. Bliss.-Get ready for the wedding and head over-Enjoy the wedding, dancing, food and friends.Sunday-We eat breakfast in the lobby - they provide some small items, coffee and tea. I have a hot chocolate.-Shower, pack up and head out.-I drive so H can do work in the car-I am super sleepy. We make good time home and I promptly take a nap for the rest of the afternoon.It may seem boring but this weekend really was just what I needed. I thrive on quality time with H and easy-going traveling to new places like that. I love to wander, eat, window shop, nap, relax and read. The weekend had everything I could've wanted (well, more sun and quiet room, but close enough). Really happy we went.