In the craziness that is 2020 we finally managed to get away for a quick family vacation. Mike’s birthday coincided with my last week of mat leave and we decided to book a few nights in Half Moon Bay, a nearby beach town. This was our first time taking a vacation since my birthday/our baby-moon combo weekend in Vancouver last year. It was also Cam’s first getaway!

We stayed at the Oceanano hotel & spa, which is a great location with beautiful views and next to a good number of places to eat. Our patio faced the harbor and Mavericks Beach was off in the distance. If you don’t know, Mavericks is a huge big wave surf spot where a famous competition is hosted between November and March.

After we settled in – which took much loner than it used to, given I disinfected every surface in the hotel room – we walked across the street to Barbara’s Fish Trap. This place is a Bay Area classic. I remember when I was little, my aunt and I would go to the beach and we would always stop at Barbara’s for an order of calamari. Sadly, this time Mike and I were disappointed with our fish and chips and the calamari we spilt…

We put Cam to sleep, oddly in the bathroom because it was the only place dark enough for the little guy to doze off (we moved him next to us when we went to bed later!). Then I took full advantage of our view and rolled out my yoga mat for a patio session. Happily I managed to get out there every day to flow with a side of sea breeze.

After yoga, Mike and I had dessert and wine on the patio while we watched the sunset. Romantic!! When it started to cool off, we came in to crack open new books by the fireplace. Ah, the simple pleasures of parenthood!

Cam didn’t sleep well that night, waking up 3 times! He is usually a great sleeper so I was surprised every time he fussed and needed cuddles. He did end up sleeping better the second night so I think he just wasn’t used to a new place?

The next morning was Mike’s actual birthday! When we woke up we walked to get coffee/tea and breakfast at a cute little cafe we’d been to a few times before (once when Mike’s parents were in town and when we went kayaking last summer). Because of Covid we ate all of our meals back at the hotel, which honestly isn’t a big deal to us and is one of the things I’m actually handling okay during this pandemic; I don’t really care about eating out, I just want to see friends & family!!!!!!

Anyways..

Mike tried to surf after breakfast but the waves weren’t great so he was back to the hotel shortly after he left. It was a bummer Mike couldn’t surf since it was one of the main reasons we went to Half moon Bay, but we made up for it with our favorite lunch spot: Dad’s Luncheonette. We went all out and spilt a burger, homemade chips, mac n cheese, and a fresh herb salad. I cannot emphasis enough how much we love this place!

After feasting, we drove to the Ritz Carlton to walk along the Coastal Trail. I don’t know how we haven’t done this before! It is such a gorgeous walk through the golf course at the Ritz right along the ocean’s edge. On the way back to our car, we stopped at a little beach to put Cam’s toes in the ocean! It was by far my favorite part of the weekend — so fun to do a “first” with Cam, particularly when we’ve been at home most of the summer.

Going out with Cam means we have about 2 hour before it’s nap time again. Half Moon Bay worked out well for this reason, since everything we did was nearby. After our walk, we went back to the hotel for Cam’s last nap.

For dinner we ordered to-go from Half Moon Bay Brewing company and then did a repeat dessert and wine night on the patio. We came back inside as it cooled off and watched some Shark Tank, which is an inside joke for us because that is basically all we watched on our Honeymoon – from Florida to St. Martin to St. Barts – Shark Tank was on every night!

The next morning it was back to our same coffee spot but we went on a harbor walk after. Little did we know this would be our last walk for ~a week and a half because of all the smoke from the California wildfires.

On our way home, we stopped at a fruit stand on the side of the road and bought strawberries, wild flowers, and a pumpkin for Cam. It was such a nice weekend away with my little family. I can’t wait until we can go somewhere else fun!

---