California: the ocean, old friends, baby love, and stunning sunsets.

I'm back from California, where I visited my dear friend Jen, her hubby, and little girl for a few days. I savored the glow that covered my face in the sun. I inhaled the ocean air as the weight of life slipped away for just a few moments. I rolled up my jeans and dug my melon-painted toes deeply into the sand. Life is made of moments like these.

A swing set on the beach in Newport...you know I couldn't pass that up.

Newport Beach...or Italy?

An open-air market just begging you to pick up some fresh oranges or perhaps a bouquet of orange tulips...

An ode to Jen and I, and all the growing up we've done in the last 7 years...

View from the cliffs at Palos Verdes...

Enjoying the ocean through a baby's eyes...

My sweet hosts, the Lee family...