girls trip 2012-monterey, ca

six of my college roommates "shanty girls" and i met up in monterey california a couple weekends ago for a girls trip. most of us graduated in 2004, so it's been 8 years since we lived together. there was one other "reunion" in rexburg in 2008, but my point is that we don't see each other often enough so this was a dream come true.


two of my roommates grew up in salinas, so that was our home base for the trip. and the itinerary was something like this scheduled around regular stops for diet coke, potty breaks, and phone nerding-INSTA!


wednesday:
monterey
a "nature walk" in big sur and time spent sittin' in a "crick"
an overload of comments about the landscape from me, you should have heard how many more rambled around in my head that i didn't say out loud...apologies. but it really is the most beautiful place i've ever seen.
san jose and super taqueria


thursday:
monterey bay aquarium-the best.
carmel-the most charming city on earth
casanovas-hands down the best meal of my life
the beach
17 mile drive-the lone cypress


friday:
corrina's birthday!
santa cruz
breakfast at gayles
shopping
THE BOARDWALK!
the beach
a late arrival into san francisco
the dodge caravan on lombard street and the golden gate bridge
a midnight dinner at the cheesecake factory
a pile of girls on 2 queens and 2 rollaways at the drake hotel


saturday:
san francisco
tartine-morning bun.
the ferry building
to die for cheeeeese and bread and miette bakery treats for lunch
a bay tour with hans on the emerald lady
new friends from indonesia
a photo op with a budding actor
in-n-out, duh.


it's a slow and hard detox after a trip like that.


and as fun filled as it was we've agreed to offset it with our next trip being at some all inclusive resort where the only traveling we do is between the hotel room and a towel on the beach.


these girls are some of the best of the best. it was a good trip.
and so begins the photo overload: 

where we stayed...basically in a picture book, those shipleys.

morning shanty babies

the handiwork of our incredible host.

stowaways, don't you just want to squeeze 'em

ainsley! the sweetest always smiling shanty babe

anderson, the newest shanty babe, he fell asleep while i was holding him one night. talk about fueling my baby craving.

bums.

yes, robin has pants on.

a candy shop in carmel...i mean.

pretty sure something mildly inappropriate was happening here.

my red headed friend of 18 years.

i can still smell the ocean in this picture-aubry and carrie

5 seconds after the big reveal the kids got there hands on the party.

eat here.

i think this was my favorite day of the trip. the santa cruz boardwalk and roller coaster.

i'm asking for an instax for my birthday

what's san francisco without the fog.

it's pretty much like this.

best $10 bay tour, even the ticket boy was cute.

and there's more here.