Traveler's Notebook | Moms' Getaway to Palm Springs

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As luck would have it, on my birthday last month, Chevrolet invited me to Palm Springs. What a treat it was to go on a quick little trip and spend two nights at The Parker. It's one of my favorite hotels - you may remember this post of my first time there with JC, and this post when we took Jack for a night. This trip didn't include JC since it happened in the middle of the week, but my friend Rachel was more than willing to come along for the ride.

A Chevy Malibu Hybrid was delivered to my house just before 1pm. When I first got in it, I wasn't sure if I had turned it on properly as it was whisper quiet. You can sense my confusion in the vlog on my YouTube channel. I headed to pick up Rachel and then we snapped a selfie before hitting the road.

I was impressed with the ride and after Rachel got in, she was too. For the most part our trip was smooth, though we did encounter some traffic. Normally if you can head out of the westside of Los Angeles around noon, you can make it to Palm Springs…

I was impressed with the ride and after Rachel got in, she was too. For the most part our trip was smooth, though we did encounter some traffic. Normally if you can head out of the westside of Los Angeles around noon, you can make it to Palm Springs in about two hours. Since we left at 1:30, it took us about three hours, including a stop.

THAT PINK DOOR | One of the must-do's on our list was a visit to That Pink Door for some photos. You can even pull it up on google maps to find the exact location by searching "That Pink Door". 

As it turned out, JC and I were on the same street earlier this year when we went for Modernism Week (you can see the video here). It's just as amazing in person and when we arrived in the late afternoon, the lighting was good. You may feel a b…

As it turned out, JC and I were on the same street earlier this year when we went for Modernism Week (you can see the video here). It's just as amazing in person and when we arrived in the late afternoon, the lighting was good. You may feel a bit awkward standing in front of someone's door to take a photo, but we made it quick and then wandered a few houses down to see the lions.

These are great photo ops, but so is the hotel! We pulled up to the valet and since the lighting was good, we asked the valet to take our picture. It seems silly, but as a scrapbooker, I love having a variety of photos to document. 

These are great photo ops, but so is the hotel! We pulled up to the valet and since the lighting was good, we asked the valet to take our picture. It seems silly, but as a scrapbooker, I love having a variety of photos to document. 

It was Rachel's first time to the hotel, and it was fun seeing her delight at all the details around every corner. 

It was Rachel's first time to the hotel, and it was fun seeing her delight at all the details around every corner. 

We caught up on some work, relaxed for a bit in the hammock and then got ready for our al fresco dinner. 

FIREPIT | After our amazing meal and fun conversations with new friends, we hung around the firepit and had to call it a night at 11:30pm. It's the latest this mama has stayed up in a while!YOGA + BRUNCH | The next morning, we knocked out …

FIREPIT | After our amazing meal and fun conversations with new friends, we hung around the firepit and had to call it a night at 11:30pm. It's the latest this mama has stayed up in a while!

YOGA + BRUNCH | The next morning, we knocked out another must do on our list, which was outdoor yoga. It was a relaxing yet invigorating session, good for all levels. There was even a hummingbird that hung around for part of it and lingered for brunch too.

NORMA'S | The restaurant has an amazing brunch. My favorite dish is the huevos rancheros.

POOL TIME | Never underestimate how wonderful it is to sit by the pool. Even though we needed to get some work done, it was really nice to be able to do it on the lounge chairs. It was pretty warm so I enjoyed a little swim in the water. 

I also worked on my traveler's notebook using my Tombow markers and new HP Sprocket pocket printer.

SPA | A moms' getaway would not be complete without some spa time. My shoulders are where I hold all of my stress, so a massage was in order. I have tried many times to prioritize self-care and get regular massages, but it had been months. I arrived early thinking that I would indulge in the hot tubs and plunges that I enjoyed in 2013, but that part of the spa is under renovation. It was amazing years ago, so whatever updates they are making will be awesome to see next year. Love the decor and those pieces on the wall are string art!

Sometimes, we as moms need to take a little break and treat ourselves. Rachel ended up extending her massage because she could! Then sadly it was time for us to check out and head home.

In the car we had a little fun playing around with Apple CarPlay. We just plugged in my iPhone and many of the functions were displayed on the screen. When I received a text message, it would play it for me through the car's speakers and then ask me if I wanted to reply. I was really impressed with the fact it accurately transcribed what you said. It's also pretty funny when someone texts you emojis. I really wish the Honda Pilot I just got this summer had this feature. I also wish my car got the same impressive gas mileage as the Malibu Hybrid. We got 45 miles to the gallon!

DINOSAURS | Both of our boys are obsessed with dinosaurs, so we made sure to stop at the Cabazon Dinosaurs. We've spotted them before, but this was our first time stopping. Jack loved seeing these photos and roared when I showed him. Next time we will definitely bring Grayson and Jack. We missed our kiddos of course, and were excited to get home to them. 

We are usually so busy taking care of others that we sometimes lose sight of what is essential to our own well-being, and we can suffer and so can those around us. I'm guilty of putting off self-care too, which is probably why at my age I am still getting pimples (seriously?!) The stresses of owning your own business seem to always be creeping to the surface. Even when I feel like I am hitting my stride, there are just so many things on my plate that the juggle feels like a struggle. Rarely do I spend enough time pausing. It's something I am working on. I fill up my schedule and don't allow for enough downtime between trips/work/etc. I'm going to try and be better about giving myself grace. Rachel's a mompreneur too, so we discussed these things in detail. Sharing our stories about how it's often difficult for us to say no, or even to say yes to an opportunity like this one, out of guilt and other commitments. Yet taking the time for ourselves made us feel rejuvenated and reinvigorated. What a perfect realization to make as I turned another year older (and hopefully wiser)! 

We are so grateful to our moms and our men for holding down the fort at home. I got to spend the weekend with my guys. Jack even got to ride in the Chevy Malibu Hybrid after we moved his carseat into it. JC was impressed with the amount of room he had in the passenger seat (he's 6'4"). Jack kept saying, "Dada! Mama got a new car! It's all white!" And he must have heard us talking about how smooth the ride was and he added, "it's smooth! and white!”

Documented this gem of a journey in my traveler's notebook and also made a vlog. It's a long video, and this turned out to be a long blog post! Thanks for making it this far!

Documented this gem of a journey in my traveler's notebook and also made a vlog. It's a long video, and this turned out to be a long blog post! Thanks for making it this far!

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