Seriously - don't flash.

While in California, I took lots of pictures with my new camera.  As in, over 600.  That's more than I took in all of 2010.  HOLY FUCK.

**Yeeeeeee!!!!  I got a new camera!!  It's a Nikon D3100 and I am currently just using the lens that came with it, but I have big plans for many more in the future ;)  Also, a camera bag...I want one!

As with all of our vacation photos, I am only in like, 3 of the California pictures, but I don't mind...I don't need to see a picture of myself to remember that I was there.  I would like more pictures with me and Saul at cool places we've visited, but until I can actually remember to ask someone to take one of us, not gonna happen.  I strive to be better in 2012.

Here are a few of our time in the Marina del Rey area - like I mentioned before, we just roamed aimlessly up and down the coast, stopping into restaurants when we got hungry, and stopping random places to get out and walk around.  It was awesome and relaxing and I got to see little pockets of my home state that I had never visited.  I was such a nerdy tourist, and I loved it.

Pretty sure this was somewhere near Redondo Beach...?

I hate solo pictures, but there was no one around to take one of both of us...boo.

Pretty boardwalk

 Where we ended up each night...right next door to our hotel.  

Yummy martinis!

 This one isn't on the menu anymore, but the bartender made it special for me - Chocolate Truffle Raspberry Martini.

Delish.

 Saul likes 'em straight up and dirty

 Our bartender friend, Jason.  He was a transplant from Missouri.

Our other bartender friend, Holly.  She wasn't from California, either.  In fact, most of the people we met  there weren't originally from the state...

 26 Beach.  The only place where I thought to take a picture of the awesome food we ate.

Saul was so embarrassed that I was taking pictures in the restaurant.

The post title comes from him asking me, in a hushed tone, to please not make my flash go off!

Chef Katsu's Original California Roll Burger - Angus beef, snow crab salad, avocado, pickled ginger, baby mix lettuce, tomato, nori & shoyu-wasabi-aioli

Seriously...the most amazing burger EVER.

Also, I had to use the flash.  Sorry, Saul, but the blogging world needs to know about this burger.

 It was 1/2 off wine night when we went in.  Basically, buy one bottle, get the other free!

Yes, please.

 Venice Beach

*I am still working on figuring out my camera, so the settings were all f'ed up this day.  These are crazy over-exposed, but I still like 'em.

 Beer Wine Food

 VENICE

 Even graffiti in CA is better than TX...

pout

 This way to the Polar Bear Park

 They see me rollin'...

 We stopped at the skatepark and watched for a while

 Gnarly, bro.

 Oh Venice Beach - you are so full of weirdos.

Ain't no shame in their game.

Homeboy with the beer at 10am, I like your style.

Have a good weekend!!

Californian?

Our trip to California has come and gone and all I want to do is go back IMMEDIATELY.  I was so sad to leave.  Usually after a vacation I am ok with heading home - looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, seeing Bella, cooking, and all that jazz.  Leaving California, though, brings out such different emotions in me.  For some reason, I always panic a little at the thought that this might be my last trip to the state (why?  no clue), and I get super bummed about heading home.  Seriously, had we been able to get Bella out to us last week, I might not have ever come back to Texas.

Is it weird/pathetic that I still kind of consider myself a Californian?  I lived there for 15 years.  I've been in Texas for 13, so I've been here almost as long as I was there.  Considering I had only planned to be here to finish high school, the fact that it's been 13 freaking years is kind of unsettling.  I wonder if I will never get back there.  Saul is down to relocate, but there is the ever-present issue of work and housing and since I am not too keen on the idea of living in a box under the highway, we'll probably stay in Texas for a while longer.  SIGH of all sighs...

Anyway, our trip to Los Angeles was awesome.  The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there, we got to see a bunch of family, and we spent a lot of time just the two of us.  Going to California, while always amazing, tends to be more about seeing family and doing planned activities and less about taking an actual vacation and just relaxing.  This trip we made sure to carve out a few days for just us and do whatever we wanted and oh my god, was it awesome.

First, we rented a convertible.
!!!!!!!!
It was completely unnecessary and I really was kind of resistant when Saul initially suggested it, but HOLY SMOKES am I glad we did it.  It was a blast!!  Cruising up and down the coast, top down, sun shining, with the wing blowing through my hair...bliss, I tell you.  PURE FUCKING BLISS.

We stayed in Marina del Rey for the first 2 days of the trip and ate and drank our way up and down Washington Street.  We ventured over to Venice Beach one morning and did some of the best/most insane people-watching of our lives.  Mostly, though, we spent our days just driving around aimlessly, dreaming of what our lives would be like if we moved to the beach.

Granted, that dream looked a lot like homelessness, but really - if you're going to be homeless, be homeless in Manhattan Beach!

Now for some photos...

 Objects in mirror might seem colder than they appear.
The 70 degree temps totally eff'd me up.

 Hello, convertible driver - take me for a ride?

 Headed up the coast to Malibu.
No plans, no timelines...not a care in the world.

 I miss cliffy coastline...

 Paradise Cove, in Malibu.  Found this place completely by accident.

 First beers of the trip - at 11:30am!  Why not?
Lobster approves.

Avoid the calamari tacos at all costs...


Depending how motivated I feel later on, you might get to see more pictures.  Maybe.  We all know I am awful at recapping.  It's just how I roll, yo.

Happy Thursday ;)