Palm Springs II

Some delayed photos from our vacation back in November- one of the perks of living in SoCal is the fact that Palm Springs is only a couple of hours away, making it a stay-cation I suppose? The desert has basically become our family's annual getaway. This trip was perhaps the first time in awhile where we didn't make any set plans for each day and literally slept in (as much as we could with a toddler) and cooked most of our meals in our little villa for the week. Each morning we made breakfast and sat out on the patio, watching Little J feed and chase after the ducks that loitered around. He's been developing his own little personality that packs a big punch, and it really has been a joy to see. I am thankful for these moments where we are able to spend time as a family (along with walk-ins from our extended family members!) without too many distractions from our daily routine. That is what I would define as the difference between traveling and vacationing, and sometimes it's good to have a balance of both.

Desert Photoshoot

As promised, here are some shots from our photo-shoot in the desert, courtesy of our creative and talented friends at f27 Photography. We owe it to them for making us look somewhat decent. They were basically our paparazzi for the day; sneaking stealthily around, as we hardly noticed them (the sign of a good photographer) while we "acted candidly." We had a blast, taking breaks in between to eat, drink, laugh, chat and drive through the desert, searching for sunsets, hotels, diners, cafes and more...

{ Vintage printed top, F21 suede shorts, gifted DV wedges, Rayban sunnies }

The colorful Saguaro of Palm Springs

The Viceroy, Palm Springs

{ gifted Foreign Exchange romper, gifted DV wedges  Bebe: Baby Gap onesie }

{ On me: T by Alexander Wang dress, Chelsea Crew snakeskin heels  Hubby: Banana Republic linen shirt,  Joe's Jeans, John Varvatos Star leather oxfords  Bebe: Baby Gap button-up, Jumping Beans shorts }

{ Osh Kosh B'Gosh overalls, Disney onesie, Baby Gap sunnies }

King's Highway, inside the Ace Hotel

Desert Mirage

Photo taken by our amazing friends from f27 Photography: We did a fun photo-shoot with them, will post photos soon!

We went for our first "official" vacay with Bebe a few weeks ago to the desert, aka Coachella Valley. Being only a couple hours away, I guess you could hardly call it a vacay. I had visited as a child, but never have I experienced it in this way. I guess things have changed over the decades, and traveling is always different once you're an adult. You see the world through "adult lenses," but having a child helps me bounce back into time to see the world through a child's eyes. Child-rearing may age you physically, but I think it keeps your soul young, and in the end, that's most important. 

There were many hidden gemstones we discovered- some were new, some were old. Palm Springs reminded me of a sleepier, 60s-70s version of Las Vegas (historically, this place was the Vegas of its time); minus the gambling, provocative women, clubs and add palm trees upon palm trees (which are not native to California btw), vintage shops, the most tastefully reconstructed hotels, barren sandy deserts and super friendly people. This place was definitely more of my cup of tea. 

My favorite part of our trip was visiting Joshua Tree National Park. I had been wanting to go since I heard about the gnarly-looking trees in college, but for some reason never made it out there (even though I studied in the other desert aka Riverside). We drove out there late noon, and hiked around the boulders while there was still light. Towards dusk, we went towards the lookout point and saw the most gorgeous sunset that overlooked the Salton Sea with rows and rows of mountain landscapes leading towards the watercolor sky. There was a cloudy haze that created a purple-ish blue glow that made the whole experience rather dreamy. Breathtaking hardly described the view, if only photos could do it any justice. Such beauty could only be painted by a Creator who creates to bring us delight. The best part? The view didn't even cost a penny. It's true, some of the best things in life are free.

We had planned to dine beneath the stars, so we packed food to have a picnic in the car. To the Hubby's dismay, it was a full moon and the glow was too fierce for us to see the glittering stars. However, we were still able to fine-dine in the trunk of our SUV, with a flashlight hanging as a chandelier. It started to get chilly, something we didn't anticipate. We rushed to finish our food and packed up to leave the park. As we left Joshua Tree, the sky turned dark and all you could see were the silhouettes of the Yucca trees, standing almost eerily with their claws, as if it were straight from a horror film. With no visible cars in sight, it very well could have been one. However, the stillness and serenity of it all gave me a sense of calm. Upon returning from our adventure, I declared Joshua Tree as the most beautiful site I have seen in California. We plan on returning, perhaps to go camping or "glamping," as my friend would say.

And here goes the photo diary...

- Fin -

Palm Springs, we'll be back for you!