Angela’s Lab | California Dreamin’

Angela and Christina Laguna Beach

Ahhh… Southern California. There’s no place quite like it. Sunny skies, swaying palm trees, sandy beaches, the vast glorious ocean, and the glamour of Hollywood. At 19, I moved to Northern California for my last two years of college in large part drawn by the first four things and to be a California girl. I remember going to the beach at Capitola (south of Santa Cruz) in February just to sit and soak up the California sunshine and enjoy the thrill of living in the Golden State. My roommate at the time, a native Californian, thought I was insane because it was cold out. Hey, coming from Seattle, it was far from cold and, more importantly, it was sunny. To this day, California still holds a special magic for me and there’s nothing quite like walking along the beach while the ocean waves crash nearby. So last week my family and I loaded up our boogie boards, wetsuits and sand toys, and ventured off to spend a week at the beach.

First stop: Newport Beach.
We stayed at the centrally-located Hyatt Regency Newport Beach where our daughter was obsessed with the water slide by the pool.

Hyatt Newport Beach slide

Another fun activity, I highly recommend renting a Duffy electric boat to tour around Newport Bay. Our friends had arranged the rental and brought a picnic — a fabulous time.

Duffy boat ride

We checked out the Sawdust Art Festival, which has terrific art classes for kids. Christina had a blast throwing her own pot. I also discovered a talented local jewelry designer, MerriJane Morrison, and bought some beautiful, nature-inspired “fern” earrings. These will go with everything. Watch for me to wear them soon.

Sawdust Festival throwing a pot

Next stop: Laguna Beach.
I love this quintessential California beach town, from the wonderful restaurants to the cute boutiques filled with casual chic clothing and the surf shops that have a yummy smell of surfboard wax, taking me back to my college days. We stayed at the Surf and Sand Resort, which was fabulous since we were steps away from the beach.

Surf and Sand Hotel

surf and sand chairs

We spent our days body surfing and boogie boarding.

Christina boogie board

I did have a little time to shop and discovered the Blue-Eyed Girl boutique. I found several pieces there, including a Soft Joie denim shirt, Velvet pleated silk blouse, a few lightweight tops, and a distressed “star & moon” sweater by Wildfox Couture (see picture below).

Angela sweater

Next year we’re going back and staying longer… the beach has this amazing ability to refresh your mind and replenish your spirit. And we all can use a little more of that in our busy lives.

Christina running on beach



4 responses to “Angela’s Lab | California Dreamin’”

  1. Hi, Just wanted to say thanks for mentioning me on your blog. I just found this while looking what was out there about me.
    Best,
    MerriJane

    • angela says:

      Absolutely! I love my earrings and your jewelry! If you ever have samples you’d like to share for editorial consideration, let me know. Angela

  2. […] then enter to win a trip for two to Laguna Beach! Spend four days and three nights in one of MSL’s favorite beachside towns. Includes hotel, airfare and […]

  3. […] then enter to win a trip for two to Laguna Beach! Spend four days and three nights in one of MSL’s favorite beachside towns. Includes hotel, airfare and rental. Special thanks to Brighton for the cool […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

YOU MAY LIKE