The Venice Beach Adventures of Jinxi, Steve and Brynn

On Sunday, Shea and Aidan both had plans with friends, so Steve, Brynn and I headed down to Venice Beach to spend the day. We left our house pretty early and when we arrived, it was still a chilly, overcast morning on the boardwalk. There is something so peaceful about the sounds of the ocean, the smell of the salty sea air, and the seagulls strutting along the sand. Ahhhh...

We walked down a bit to get coffee at a small cafe, while vendors were setting up for the day. It happened to also be the date of the LA Marathon, so they were anticipating larger crowds than normal and were buzzing about trying to get their tables prepared with all sorts of knick knacks, bracelets and souvenirs. There are a handful of artists who sell their paintings along the way and it was fun to see the different splashes of color decorating the concrete as we walked along.

Venice Beach is fantastic because there is such an eclectic variety of people enjoying the sites. There are also an abundance of tattoo shops within the VB range and we stopped and talked to several artists who were setting up shop for the day.

After strolling around for a bit, we trotted down the street to eat at Seed, a delicious little vegan, macrobiotic eatery that we had read about and were excited to try. What a delicious meal! I wish I could package up Seed and take them home with me. They are much too far away from my house, I say. =)

Brynn was excited when she spied a little vintage clothing shop across the street from Seed, so we ventured over to see what treasures awaited us. She has developed her own uniquely rad style over the last year, drawing on an 80s/Robert Smith-ish influence. It's suffice to say that most modern-day/popular stores don't cut it when she is ready to add a piece to her wardrobe, so vintage establishments and etsy have become the name of the game for our little fashionista. It was her lucky day too, as she came across an old mariners peacoat jacket with dashing buttons that fit her perfectly.

Cool art in the vintage clothing shop

While I'm on the topic of Brynn, I must mention how incredible it is to watch her grow up. She's nearing the age of 16 (just finished the class part of Driver's Education - woah), and is such an intelligent and creative chick. I mean, I know I'm her mom and am biased, but seriously, she's so passionate about learning and taking a stand on issues that most people her age aren't normally concerned at all with. She is an outstanding guitar player, has currently been teaching herself to play Beethoven on the keyboard, and can sketch up a storm if you hand her a pencil and paper.

She's always borrowing my books (things like Brave New World, The Great Gatsby, and 1984, to name just a few): to read "just for fun" (as in, not for school assignments); is constantly marveling at all sorts of science and history-related facts that she discovers online; and lists Vivaldi and Beethoven as two of her "Top 5" music faves (sandwiched between The Cure, AFI, and Aiden). I guess what I'm getting at is she's just a REALLY cool person and damn, I feel lucky to be her mom and get to share in this part of her life. I learn a lot from her and have fun being with her, and, well, that's just really rad to be able to say! =)

Speaking of rad, that is pretty much what this day was - from start to finish: relaxing, happy, and fun. Days away from the desk, enjoying time with Steve and not thinking about the normal to-do lists of life are just the BEST! I wish they came around more often (who doesn't, right?), but I will certainly take what I can get and appreciate the memories tremendously.

**Oh, and it also rules that we got to see the World's Smallest Front Lawn too (this is the size of a flower box).

 Over & Out, j~boo