{Greetings after a relaxing and happy 4th of July weekend!}

It’s been a few days since I’ve last caught up with you after my mini-summer holiday vacation, so I thought I would share the highlights of my 4-day-weekend before returning to our regularly scheduled (blog) programming.

The plan for this year’s 4th of July festivities came together at nearly the last minute. I knew I wanted to be at the beach, to indulge in a celebratory cocktail, sit up close to fireworks, and aim to get as much rest as possible. So I thought it would be the perfect weekend to kick-off beach season in Malibu, our first trip this year. This time of year finds me longing to be near the water with a book, some magazines, lights snacks, and good company as much as possible. After a lazy beach day, we’d head to Paradise Cove for a late lunch before heading home to freshen up for a night of fireworks. Ah, don’t you just love when you know that you have the perfect day planned?

Until, it’s not…so perfect.

Long story short, Paradise Cove didn’t work out (despite our reservation) so we made our way down P.C.H. looking for an alternative and landed at Duke’s. I want to keep things positive here, so I’ll just put it this way and move on – AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. I can’t think of a more terrible restaurant experience I’ve had in my entire life. Ever. The service was absolutely horrible, to put it mildly. What should have tipped us off was that this restaurant, located in gorgeous Malibu + right off the water + on a holiday = no wait time? The only redeeming quality was that my cocktail was divine.

Despite this hiccup, the rest of the weekend was magical – full of lounging, reading, hanging out with Ryan, funnel cakes, fireworks, and sunshine. Not a bad start to summer.

{Celebrating America’s Birthday on the gorgeous beaches of Malibu, California.}

{That redeeming cocktail by the beach I mentioned.}

{Mexican Food at my favorite place.}

{Seeing The Way, Way Back on a gorgeous Sunday Morning. A great film, by the way!}