summer, as of late

the theme of my summer is officially "road trips." i'll tell you about them in pictures.

weellll. first, i drove up to Garberville by myself. it was a beautiful drive, more than i expected it to be. i met up with my aunt and my mom, and we found ourselves at this natural medicine festival. people were selling flowers and explaining the evils of wheat. so great.

the next day, my aunt and i explored caves!!

then we drove to Portland and stayed with Ramman and Laney for a few nights. we also got to see my grandpa on father's day, so that was special.

we walked around the japanese tea gardens and rose gardens for a while. these flowers were voted "most fragrant." they could win me over any day, really.

Ramman and Laney also had this kitty, Toro. he was a beast, doing all sorts of acrobat moves and what not.

next, we headed up to Newport, Washington where my aunt Karen lives in this tiny cottage.

it's the most quiet, peaceful place in the world. i enjoyed a lot of chai mate' and read with Shelby, the large yoga cat.

i also found out how granola my mom's side of the family really is. they don't eat gluten or dairy or meat, and they practice chinese meditations literally for hours a day. for a second, i felt like such a square-bear about my lifestyle, where i live, and what i am studying. but that passed quickly. i guess i just admire the fam.

this blog is going to go on forever! i should have been more consistent.

so, a week after that trip, i went to LA with my aunt and her husband. my dear friend Chelsea kindly took me under her wing. i stayed with her for three nights and we went to the Americana (soooo pretty and fun and bright and...iwanttogobackrightnow), Disneyland (my 2nd fav place on earth), and on the last day we lit fireworks. besides the drive down and the drive back home, it was a happy weekend.

i lovelovelove this castle so much. what i don't love is when darn Tinkerbell gets in the way and steals the show.

no matter how old i get, i think Disneyland will always be fun and magical to me. i mean, look at it. it's so pretty.

anyway, the day after i got back from Disneyland, my mom and i went to my number one favorite place in the world. but i think it deserves its own blog entry. so, more to come later :)