mendocino getaway

Shirt: Banana Republic; Skirt: Banana Republic; Shoes: Report; Sunglasses: Celine; Choker: H&M

This weekend was quite literally out of a movie [really out of a tv show- a la Big Little Lies]

11 friends- 9 Googlers [squad deep am I right?], 1 Facebooker and 1 dropboxee [is that what you call them?] loaded up in 3 cars on Friday afternoon and drove up to Mendocino County to celebrate our dear friend’s birthday. The catch- the whole weekend was actually a surprise for us. Only the drivers [clearly not I] and the birthday boy knew our final destination. I love surprises [seriously, I love surprises] and especially loved the idea of another weekend trip outside the city.

A pitstop for some yummy Puerto Rican food [sweet plantains are my jam], some windy roads along the coast, and a couple of redwoods later, we arrived at what can only be accurately described exactly as our airbnb host wrote - “La Puerta del Mar” [that is, The Gate to the Sea.] Our home for the weekend was a beautiful house hidden amongst the trees, sitting atop a cliff, overlooking a quiet beach and the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean.

What’s more- no wifi or cellular reception meant our days were filled with hikes along beautiful trails that end in water falls, walks along the beach, and strolls through the small town. And our nights were filled with stories, banter, jokes, and songs including one original-shoutout to the boys who wrote and produced a song that had the girls and I laughing for days.]

This getaway was actually on the same day as my 5 year high school reunion [yes, my high school.] I had every intention of attending reunion until this trip came up about 6 weeks ago, and I decided that I wanted to be here in California, celebrating the present not the past. One night, while lying near the fire, below the blanket of stars, the thought of my reunion popped into my mind. And it occurred to me that I never would have thought I’d miss my reunion because I’d be living across the country and on a fabulous trip with this totally new group of friends that I found.

I smiled to myself at the thought of embracing the new, caught sight of a beautiful shooting star, and then closed my eyes and let the warmth of the fire and the sounds of the ocean waves crashing on the beach surround me.