Spring Break 2013

The events in my life generally always relate back to Chi O, and spring break 2013 was no exception.  Five of my closest friends (all Chi O’s) came home with me to California where we explored the Santa Cruz Mountains and then relaxed in sleepy Carmel. 

Even though I live in California and have seen these places dozens of times, they never get old!   I brought my friends to my top five favorite spots, which are as follows:

1. Pebble Beach Golf Course
• Not to golf at, of course (college budget).  I love to sit and enjoy the sunny weather and view from the golf club restaurant, so naturally I needed to take my friends.  There is a $7 charge to get onto 17 Mile Drive but the cash is validated if you buy food from the restaurant.  In order to save money (and for the love of food), we ate lunch on the outdoor patio and soaked in the sun and the atmosphere.  
2. Big Sur
• Big Sur is arguably the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life.  The best of both world are combined when the vibrant green hills meet the perfect turquoise ocean.  My friends and I all love to be outdoors, so our hike from the top of a steep hill to the ocean was absolutely breathtaking.  It was a spectacular place to take my guests, especially the ones who had never been to California.  I won some of my southern friends over to the west coast with this spot.
3. Alice's Restaurant
• Alice's is my all time favorite place to eat when I come home.  Nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains on Skyline, its log cabin feel is homey and rugged feeling.  After taking my friends on a hike, we stopped over to this motorcycle pit stop for a lunch in the mountains. My outdoorsy friends ate it up.
4. Carmel Beach
• I love the white sand beach at Carmel.  My friends and I gladly tanned (even though it was REALLY chilly), boogie boarded, and surfed.  One of my favorite thing was teaching two of my friends how to surf in the icy cold Pacific.  By the end of the day, both of them could say that they successfully stood up on the board and surfed.  I'm not too good at surfing myself, but I was proud to say I successfully taught my friends! 
5. Stanford
• One night of the trip, we ventured to Stanford to visit some friends at the campus.  I love taking people to Stanford because it is such a beautiful campus.  Since it was finals week, we were able to experience the true Stanford studying experience (they have weird traditions at Stanford...).  I think that everyone was glad to be able to visit the Palo Alto area.

Even though we did not take the typical college Spring Break trip, it was one of the most enjoyable vacations I've ever taken. Also, as far as I'm concerned, the fact that we did not want to kill one another at the end of our 10 day trip is a testament to our friendship!

XO Love and Mine,

Kat