Cioppino...the word of the day

Can't come to California without visiting the coast, so we took a day trip to the ocean. I was hesitant that morning as the forecast was for rain, but decided it was worth it, even if we spent the whole day in rain jackets. When we got there though, it was perfectly sunny and gorgeous ALL day! Couldn't have asked for a more perfect December beach day. Another perk, stopped at the J. Crew outlet on the way (since the one closer didn't have the jeans I wanted in my size) and came out with more than I went in for :)

First stop...Monterey fisherman's wharf/Canary Row
It's a camera bag...not a murse, but he's pretty cute with it regardless ;) haha

Unfortunately Holly is a responsible adult and had to go back to work :( We missed you Holly, but you are welcome to use some photoshop skills to put yourself in this pic!Next, we headed a bit north to Moss Landing. My dad has been craving cioppino for quite awhile now, so we looked up some places to get it, and found what could be one of the best! Phil's Fish Market. Phil beat Bobby Flay in a cioppino throwdown. I wish everyone could have been there to see my dad and Grant down this huge bowl of food, they raved about every bite.
Cioppino for 2...Serving it up...
It's time to get serious...roll up those sleeves!

Sucking the guts out of everything in the bowlA face of pure happiness!

Success! They were completely satisfied and continue to talk about how delicious this dish was. I like all things ocean, but this was a little too much for me.And once our bellies were full, we headed to the beach again :) It was a bit too cold to swim (although there were quite a few surfers out there), but we had a lot of fun walking around and enjoying the sand and water.
The lighthouse we walked down to...
Playing around

I really believe I'm my happiest person at the beach...and it obviously helps to be with lots of people I love :)

Such a perfect day...can't wait to do it again!