Calvin, Emet, and I took a quick trip to southern California at the end of September. Calvin was there for work, but we were able to sneak away and see a few sights during some of his downtime. 

This trip was not only during a time when Calvin was wrapping up his current position but also the week before his biggest conference of the year. I don't know how he did it but somehow he did. I swear he's a superhero of some sort. We were sharing a one-bedroom at the hotel, so he would wake up at 3am and sit on the bathroom floor or in the lobby to keep from waking Emet, and get in a 10 hour work day. He would get as much work done as he could by the afternoon then we would all hop in the car to a predetermined destination and get in as many of the sights as we could. 

Looking back, I can't believe how much we got in. We pushed Emet hard but he handled it so well. So much of his early years have been filled with travels of all sorts. I think the combination of all the travel along with us striving to create as much routine as we can in between has created a very structured but also ready-for-any-adventure child. 

It was a very special trip. We all grew closer from our time together. In this blog post I want to share the afternoon we headed over to the Abbott Kinney district.

I was immediately taken in by all of the wonderful plant life that marked just about every corner. The sun was warm but the breeze was cool. It was absolutely perfect. 

We came across the best little shop called Grow Venice. I think I spent most of my time in here, haha! There were so many great finds, I wanted one of everything.

I've heard so many things about this store, so I wanted to make sure to check out The Piece Collective.

There were so many awesome food spots and shops. We wish we could've visited each of them. Of course, we did make time to stop in at Blue Star and get a donut - SO GOOD!

We had the loveliest time in Abbott Kinney. I was glad we had the time to explore and experience new things while also relaxing and just taking in the day.

What are some of your favorite places to explore when you are on vacation or away from home? Share some of your favorites in the comments below.

|  Credits: Author - Jacintha Payne; Photography - Calvin and Jacintha Payne  |