Palo verde pollen party
Hi friends! Happy Monday! How was your weekend? We are getting back from a whirlwind trip to Tucson.
(see those little yellow blossoms? The hood of our car is still covered in them, despite driving down I-8 for many miles. Souvenirs haha.)
Kyle was in town for a wedding, so we had to drive down to see him and the rest of the fam. 😉
We were only there for a mere 45ish hours, but managed to see a lot of family and friends,
enjoy some fun activities,
and eat some seriously amazing food.
When we got into town Friday afternoon, the first stop was at the chiropractor. My hips and low back have been aching quite a bit, and I knew that one appointment would make life a lot more comfortable. 15 minutes, and I was a new person. A heads up if you are in Tucson: Dr. Switzer is beyond incredible (and she doesn’t know I have a blog and am giving her a shout out or anything like that). She specializes in pregnant women, newborns and children, so she’s extremely gentle, and I always feel better after my occasional visits.
Next, we met madre and the fam at her house to hang out for a while before dinner. We had a hard time deciding on a spot -we wanted everything since we’d missed our Tucson faves so much!- but in the end, we thought hibachi would be a fun family event, so we went to Sakura. It was Liv’s first hibachi experience, and she loved it! The onion volcano was a huge hit. 😉
Saturday morning, we went with nana, madre, Kyle and Trevor to our new favorite brunch spot: Prep & Pastry.
They have a unique brunch menu, with fun twists on classic faves,
(check out Trev’s s’mores French toast!)
and make so many of their offerings from scratch, in house. I ordered the simple breakfast with scrambled eggs, turkey sausage (freshly made, definitely not the kind in a tube), potatoes, and a gluten-free English muffin.
It was EVERYTHING. We also split a peanut butter and chocolate dosant (croissant + donut) + a maple bacon one for the table. It was perfection. They also have local beers, an insane Bloody Mary and mimosa menu, and KOMBUCHA ON TAP. (Dear kombucha, I miss you.). It’s definitely a spot that we feel like we have to go to each time we visit! There’s always a wait, and it’s for a reason. 😉 The food is that good.
While we were in town, we also had an awesome brunch at my dad’s house,
and we got to see our Tucson house. <3
We’ve had tenants since we moved to San Diego, but they recently moved out and new tenants are on their way in. It ended up being serendipitous that this weekend getaway was planned for the house’s empty weekend; we were able to stop by and take a walk through memory lane. Our tenants took great care of the property,
(they left these beautiful budhhas in the backyard)
and the house and yard looked great. A flood of nostalgia (and pouty faces) washed over me,
and I couldn’t help but feel so comforted there, like we were about to move back in.
My clothes could breathe again hahah.
A sweet surprise: the little bird condo that the Pilot build years ago had a new family inside.
Mama bird was guarding her babies. I love that the turtle doves are still using it after all of this time! <3
We’ll see you again one day, Tucson house.
(Nana and Livi, sitting on the steps just like they used to when Liv was a baby and they’d wait for me to get home from teaching.)
Today, it’s back in the swing of life over here with BODYPUMP and adventures with my little sidekick.
What are you up to today? What was the best thing you ate all weekend? If you have siblings, do they live near you?
xoxo
Gina
I’ll announce the winner of the coconut scrub giveaway this afternoon!
PS If you want to get in on the May workout calendar, sign up for the newsletter by leaving a comment and clicking the box below, or via the right sidebar. <3
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That sounds like a whirlwind trip!
How nice of your tenants to take good care of your property.
Btw, those aren’t Buddhas that they left in the backyard.
At least two of them are Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu God, the Lord of Good Fortune, who provides prosperity and success and is considered the remover of obstacles 🙂
Such a thoughtful gift to leave behind.
thank you for letting me know! i should have looked at them more closely <3
S’mores french toast? Heavenly!
Great weekend!
I was closer to my siblings, but then moved out to Chicago so I have one on the east and one on the west coast. My mom is still back on the east coast though too so I don’t get to see her that much. Your old house looks so nice! Glad you got to see it again. We have tenants in our VA one and I hope to get back to check it out at some point 🙂
Mhmm all of that food looks delicious! Whenever I go out for breakfast, I usually order a more simple dish as well. You can’t go wrong with eggs, sausage and a biscuit!
Glad you had such a great weekend!
I moved to Phoenix from Tucson two years ago (Facebook reminded me of that today) and have yet to go back to visit my friends. It’s really be pulling at my heart lately. Your posts always remind me how much I loved it there even if people do drive too slow.
I’m glad you got to visit Tuscon again! It looks like it was such a fun (and yummy!) trip!
Ah, how neat you were able to walk through your Tucson home. I bet it was very bittersweet being back! I also can’t believe how grown up Livi is looking in all of your pictures lately! She is turning into quite the pretty little lady!
Why did i just cry reading about your Tucson home? I get SO nostalgic about moving and old memories, so maybe it is because I know how you feel, hugs!
so much fun! ? for you— did you give up kombucha right when you found out you were press? I always wonder what the rule is there 😉 I didn’t drink it when I was preg or nursing (well sometimes) but wondered if that was necessary….
ps- preg, not “press” 😉
Sign me up if I’m not already!
I know if I ever move from my current home, I’ll be such a mess, I love it so much — happy/sad memories can be so closely tied to our homes! Glad to hear you had good tenants, we had rotten luck with one of ours and it is so very stressful (and expensive).
Holy your brunch and that donut both look to die for. I adore Liv’s pink pants! I’d wear those! Haha
Quick trip! I love those, even though I always wish I had more time. Today I’m just working. Aaalll day. boo. This weekend… oh I went to Six Flags and we had churros and funnel cake!! It was delicious. And I have an older sisterand younger brother, and they both live in New England. And my parents live in Wyoming. And I live in Los Angeles. SO FAR! I see them all maybe once a year, sometimes once every two years. so sad.
Aaaand what is that glorious BACON delight???
Looks like a lovely visit home 🙂
My brother is a Marine (also a Pilot like your Pilot haha) and so we have been apart for much of our adult years. It’s especially hard now that he has my 2 nieces because I see them much less. I’m in Baltimore and he has been all over the place, currently 9 hours away in Mississippi 🙁
What a fun weekend seeing your family and really fun you were able to visit your house!
I have 5 siblings and sadly we are spread ALL over the USA 🙁 Chicago, Kansas city, Los Angeles and Oakland! It’s rare that all 6 of us are together but try to plan a reunion vacay every other year.
Aw, my heart longs for your Tuscon home for you. But I love the quote ‘The key to happiness is excitement for the future’ and you most certainly have that :).
love that so much!
Hi, I got the April fitness calendar, and would like to get the May calendar. Do I have to sign up monthly? Greetings
S’mores french toast? OH MY GOD. Sign me up! I’m glad you got to see the Tuscon house! When you move back to it you’ll be a family of 4 🙂 It’s always hard to leave a place you love so I hope you’ll get back there sooner rather than later! I was in Philly last week and Thursday night ate at an amazing tapas restaurant. The best thing I had was a cheese plate with fig cherry marmalade, balsamic strawberries, and lavender honey followed by a spanish tortilla and saffron aioli. Needless to say I’ve been working out hard since I got home! 😉
6 if you count bell and caro 😉
and now i’ll be thinking about that cheese plate all night…
Oh yes! Sorry, didn’t mean to forget them!
Random story: the first house my husband and I rented as a married couple was built in the 1940s, and one day the doorbell rang and an older couple was at the door. They had lived there in the 1970s while in college, and had since moved away but were in town visiting and wanted to see the house. Of course we obliged, and they walked around and told us stories about being in college years ago–also, they got married while living in the house, so that was cool since my husband and I had recently gotten married…it was really neat. Amazing how a house can have so many memories.
The pic of Nana and Livi…so sweet
that is such a great story. i love that a house can hold so many memories. my great-grandmother’s house is for sale and it makes me so sad to think of all of the love and generations of memories it holds <3
xo
Hi Gina! I’d drive that far to have just to have a few hours with my family for sure! My brother lives in Atlanta, my parents are in Florida, I’m out here in SF! Too far! And I know you say my news — I just joined the Orangetheory team! 🙂 So excited! And about the chiro? I have only been a couple of times and love the way those adjustments make me feel. Maybe I need to schedule something soon. Happy Monday!
i saw that!! such awesome news! you are a teaching machine 🙂
Love your blog Gina! Thanks for helping me fit efficient high yield workouts into my jam packed schedule 🙂
thank you so much for reading, valerie!
that’s so interesting that you call them dosants! over here in the northeast we’ve got all the rage for “cronuts” 😉
that’s what we usually call them, too! i like that at p&p they call them dosants
Love that picture of Nana and Livi on the steps! The best thing I ate all weekend was Greek food on Friday night to honor the one year anniversary of my mom’s death (she was Greek). It’s my favorite cuisine and was a nice way to keep her in our thoughts.
awww, i’m thinking about you all <3 what a lovely way to celebrate her and her heritage. greek food is amazing. xo
i always feel nostalgic seeing our old houses but also thankful that life has forced us to move on and experience other things! Your house looks great.
looks like you had a wonderful weekend! that donut looks outrageous. my little brother is moving away, and I can only imagine how precious trips to see him will feel!
right?! i didn’t try that one, but the chocolate peanut butter one was INSANE
and yes. it’s so different once they’re not there anymore!
What a great weekend for you guys! Our weekend was great- me celebrated my husband’s birthday on Saturday. I made Mama Pea’s zucchini quinoa lasagna- so good!
I just moved out to Colorado so I know what it’s like to miss the family. It can be tough.
Also sign me up for the May workout calendar.
Hi I’d like to sign up please!
Sounds like a great weekend. I’d love to get in on the May workouts.
I love the look of the desert when the palo verdes bloom!
I went to Sakura on Saturday too – in Phoenix!! Then we went to Lolo’s on Sunday morning and I got a MASSIVE omelette and a waffle with strawberries (no chicken for me!).
I have 3 siblings – one in San Francisco, one in Arcata, and the other at Santa Clara University.
Hopefully see ya at PLSC this week!
Walking through old houses is weird. I used to babysit for the kids that lived in my old-old house (where I was born and lived until I was almost eight). I keep thinking I want to go back to the house I actually grew up in, but it’d be too painful, as I’m still not over the situation. Houses are emotional things. <3