palm beach + the best gluten-free sandwich i ever ate.

soooo let's just take a second to ignore the fact that i have completely neglected this little blog here for the past month or so (read: entire summer) and that i really, really meant to post this at some time much closer to july 12th. 

but you know my favorite mantra... better late than never, right? so we're just going to pretend for a second that it's july 12th, and i am wishing my darling cousin josie and her kind husband jeremy the happiest of first anniversaries! remember they're beautiful summer wedding photos i took in mesa, arizona last summer?

in honor of their anniversary, i though i'd share one of my favorite memories from our trip to australia to visit them earlier this year!

josie + jeremy were the perfect aussie-american tour guide duo and really showed us the best what sydney had to offer. one of our most picturesque australian adventures took place my second morning there (let's talk about jet lag, for a sec! the germany to australia time difference was a doozy). 

josie and jeremy took us on a hike to visit the lighthouse at palm beach in new south wales, and it was gorgeous. 

there was the most unique scenery combination at palm beach, with an almost-tropical vibe and plenty of unique vegetation. i loved the color of the water and how much prettier the views got, the higher we climbed. it was so cool to see where the waters nearly touched, too! 

we finished off our morning adventure by stopping at nourished. (in the local beach town of avalon) for an early lunch. we noshed with the (likely, according to my in-the-know australian sources) next prime minister of australia, which was the coolest. and by "noshed with the next prime minister," i really mean creepily eyed him from a few tables over, as he had also stopped in avalon for brunch while on his bike ride. but really, what's the difference? 

the food was to die for, and i was so excited for all of the gluten-free options! in fact, eating gluten-free in sydney was actually not too terribly difficult. in avalon, i ate the best gluten-free sandwich of my life... grilled cajun chicken on toasted gf bread. and jeremy even ate gluten-free... their blueberry compote pancakes were beautiful and so tasty. 

it was a perfect morning. i mean really, is there anything more ideal than family, good food, a nice hike, and the beach? oh yeah, and australia! perfect. 

twenty two.

remember how i went to san diego for new years this year?

to spend it with some of my best friends in the world?

and how i was so blissfully happy all the time?

well, this is why...

miss taylor swift was on to something when she decided to proclaim to the world how awesome being twenty two is. 

because really... it's the best.

post script: happy birthday to my best babe, whitney! 

hopefully this little video conveys my love for you from three thousand miles away.

besos.

oh, mexico.

so i'm currently loving peru-- it's true!
but i may be a bit under the weather and continually exhausted and terribly filthy,
so i'm re-living a little bit of last month in mexico.

isla mujeres really is paradise.
it's gorgeous and relaxing and a little bit cultural.
there are white-sand beaches and golf carts and feral dogs aplenty,
fresh grilled fish and street tacos at every restaurant, too!

i loved all of the sunshine, the plant life, + especially the TURTLES!
for those of you who know me, you know i'm really into turtles.
like, i can really relate to this little guy.

so let's talk about my dream day?
mexico + turtle farm + coca-cola light on the beach.
plus, i had the incredible company of my wonderful family and closest family friends.

but really... what more does a girl need in life than this?

now accepting applications for isla mujeres crew 2013! 

torrey pines.

so often, i look at the beauty of this world and wonder how one can not believe in god.
the earth amazes me...
the immaculate details and intricacies of it all.
they must call me a photographer or something!

i was reminded of this continually as i hiked torrey pines on new year's day;
every corner we turned, the sights just got more and more uniquely beautiful.

and after an afternoon of hiking and laughing and playing with sea anemones on the beach,
 we watched an incredible san diego sun set over the ocean.
talk about a happy new year.

torrey pines has snuck its way into my list of top-favorite locations (which is not easy to do!);

i highly recommend spending some time there, if you get the chance.

seriously, call yourself a transcendentalist for a day and make the hike. 

post script: thanks to my homies for letting me stop every 12.5 feet (you think i'm kidding!) to take a photo. this blog wouldn't exist without you!

pier perfection.

sometimes, you get really lucky in life.

you end up with two really incredible amigas,

who you've had plenty of adventures with...

all over spain and provo, utah (what a combination!) and a few places in between.

you eat endless amounts of... well, everything,

you siesta and fiesta and yolo so hard, every day,

and you have sleepovers under the christmas tree.

but then you realize you just haven't seen enough of each other,

so you head out to southern california, for a reunion of sorts.

and you find yourself at crystal pier on a sunday afternoon near sunset.

and your life, at that moment, is perfect.

i have a good feeling about the year 2013.