Spring Break {2013}

i can't believe break is almost over already! it seems like i was just talking to you guys about trying to survive finals and here i am typing this up with only a few days left of spring break. 

it has been a truly amazing and much needed break, though! i wanted to share some photos with you guys, because i took lots {pretty sure one day my iPhone is going to explode with photos. juuust sayin'}. 

brunchin' with the big bro at corner bakery:

my crazy family is reunited {and to top that off, we went to the happiest place on earth!}

and of course a little kid's souvenir cup at carsland was 100% necessary. 

i had so much fun at disneyland and california adventure- we hit up all the best rides (space mountain, indiana jones, matterhorn, buzz lightyear, california screamin', tower of terror, soarin' over california, radiator springs, and more!) and i don't think i've ever appreciated getting to spend time with my family more. 

i had lots of cappucinos (seriously, people. you don't realize how good starbucks is until you're deprived of it for weeks at a time) and i also ate lots of good food - we got pizza 3 out of the 5 nights my parents were here (in classic foster style). we also ate lots of cookies and froyo and all of that wonderfulness! 

after our two days at disneyland, my mom and i had a day together shopping, which was so much fun! i got a few new dresses, skirts, and shorts that were much needed because it's going to start getting hot here really soon. this is one of the skirts i got: 

on our last day, my family went to see olympus has fallen (i thought it was a great movie!), had dinner at the counter (also known as my favorite place ever), and watched modern family and nashville on TV. basically a perfect day. 

 all in all it has been a wonderful break and i couldn't've asked for anything better! my parents dropped my brother and i off back at campus today and i've spent the day unpacking, cleaning and organizing my room (took soooo long!), picking up some essentials, and eating at whole foods. that spicy shrimp and avocado roll hit the spot!

aand now i'm eating a ginormous bowl of panda puffs (best cereal ever..anyone with me?) and am planning on skyping some friends and watching a movie for the rest of the night. 'twas a good day! 

stay tuned for a Quest Bar review coming your way soon - if you haven't already gotten the hint from twitter, it's safe to say that i'm addicted. i can't wait to tell you guys about them! 

xoxo

Southern California Part 2

Check out my recap of the first part of my weekend down in SoCal here!!

After two days at Disneyland, we drove up to drop my brother back off at school (he had spring break a week earlier than me!) and then the next day my parents and I went to the Santa Monica Pier.

My mom and I started off the day with an awesome workout - she did the elliptical for a little bit while I did incline treadmill walking (which is NO joke! i was sweating like a beast!). Check out this beautiful little gym in our hotel! The doors opened to the outside which was so cool!

I also did a couple strength moves including crunches on a stability ball- man those are tough!

supah sweaty!

After about half an hour we went for a slow jog down to starbucks to grab some coffee.

My mom injured her ankle about a year ago and has been doing lots of spinning classes, elliptical, etc. in the past year. She used to run all the time [she's run FOUR marathons! I want to do that someday! :)] until she got injured on a run - and she never quite got back into running. So I went with her on a slow run to get her back into it- we only took a break once! She's amazing!:)

We got the blonde roast, almonds, and water to tide us over until we got back to the hotel.

At which point I chowed down on a clif zbar (best flavor ever! tastes like a cookie!) and some Chobani.

Then we cleaned ourselves up and headed out!

The Santa Monica Pier was gorgeous- I absolutely loved it.

We bought a GINORMOUS fresh fruit cup from one of the stands, and it was awesome because you got to tell the man exactly what you wanted and he chopped it up fresh right in front of you. The fruit was so good we almost went back and bought another cup!

we got pineapple, cantaloupe, mango, and oranges-yum!

Then my mom and I rode the ferris wheel which was tons of fun - I hadn't been on one in so long!

Check out this view from the top:

After walking around for a bit (and trying on goofy hats, of course!) we played a few rounds of skeeball. LOVE!

Then I got myself a touristy penny and we left to go get some lunch.

As soon as we drove by this cute little place I knew where I wanted to eat. I love build your own salad places!

 This one was amazing - I got a romaine/spinach mix with carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, chickpeas, grilled chicken, and their signature "greens up!" dressing. The bowl was HUGE- I haven't met a salad I couldn't finish until I got a salad there.

After wandering in and out of a few shops I got a peach pink berry cone with cheesecake bites, almonds, and strawberries buried underneath. It was delicious!

Then we headed back to UCLA to go to the bookstore because I wanted to get a few more things- I only have one UCLA shirt!
I got another shirt, a tanktop, a lanyard, and a fun sticker for my car. YAY! I'm so excited for college:)

I got a WF panini for dinner- spinach, hummus, cheddar, and turkey. Hit. the. spot.

Then I crashed in bed! It was a great day. 

The next morning I got up and did this kick-butt workout that I came up with:

click HERE to pin it!

And had coffee and clif bar for breakfast:

Then we went to the airport to fly home! For airport snackin I got some more almonds and a light mocha frappucino.

It was a fantastic weekend!! It feels so great to be home right now though- I'm planning on getting lots of my homework done today (blecchh) so the rest of the week/weekend is lots of fun before I have to go back to school.

Have you ever been to the Santa Monica pier?
Favorite salad-toppers?