Let’s just start by saying, I LOVE Sunday mornings and afternoons. In my household it is always a complete surprise as to what fun Sunday will bring. This past Sunday we all woke up with such energy. Yep, our rise and shine was around 6:30am and by 9am, we had all eaten breakfast, showered, and were ready to take Sunday by the horns. It’s February and lately the weather has felt more like summer—at least here in California. So we decided on a little beach action. With Laguna, Newport, Huntington, and Balboa being a hop and a skip away, we thought it would be fun to venture out a little further. Santa Monica it was!

Travel time was somewhere around 55 minutes and Giuliana slept the entire way. So she was bright eyed and bushy tailed when we arrived. The day was already off to a great start! It had been almost two years since my husband, David and I had last been to Santa Monica–it was nice taking our daughter for her first visit, as there is so much to do and see! First we set out for a casual stroll down Third Street Promenade, which is a great outdoor mall. Tons of shops and restaurants to check out. Dog and (of course) family friendly. There were also an array of talented aspiring artists and musicians posted up on street corners and along the sidewalks; all there for our entertainment (and monetary donations of course).

A young violinist first caught our attention as she was playing a song from my daughters favorite movie, Frozen! Giuliana recognized the tune “Let it Go” almost instantly and began clapping her hands with excitement as her mouth hung wide open in astonishment. The violinist couldn’t have been more than 9 or 10 years old and surly drew a crowd in with her talent and skills. She is a star in the making—I’m sure of it. As we continued our walk, we came across an older hippy-like couple, who were rocking out on a set of drums. They had various instruments laid out on a blanket in front of them to attract children to engage in their music. Giuliana quickly ran over, picked up a tambourine and a maraca, to chime in with other children already there. It was absolutely adorable.

With the heat pouring down and a whole day ahead of us, we stopped into Hummas Bar Express to grab lunch and a glass of white wine (for me) and an ice cold IPA (for David). There were so many amazing food options to choose from but Mediterranean was calling my name! We ordered their Chicken Shawarma Pita Sandwich—which was oh-so delicious. The pita bread was actually made in-house and has to be my favorite Mediterranean sandwich I’ve had yet. The chicken was juicy, the ingredients were rich in flavor, and the pita was more like a dough than a dry piece of bread. Prices were average at $11 per sandwich, $6 for a side of fries, $7.50 for a glass of wine, and $6.50 for a beer. We didn’t stay too long as our energizer bunny of a toddler wouldn’t allow for it. So we scarfed down our food, threw back our beverages, and were on our way to the sand.

Last time we had been to the beach with Giuliana, she didn’t know quite what to think about the texture of the sand. This time, she was all about it! It was so much fun to see her enjoying the scene as she did. With so many children in the ocean, our little social butterfly wanted to get closer to check it out. She was cautious and didn’t want to get too close–just close enough to allow the water to slightly touch her feet as it broke on the sand. We ran alongside the shore and bounced around to music we heard echoing from the pier, and my husband sat back like a cool cat, to capture some moments on camera.

Noticing a large display of flags in the distance, we made our way to see what it was all about. More flags than one could count, were on stakes in the sand. Every country’s flag from around the world was present. We found ours (USA) and took some pictures by it to represent our country. Then we headed over to find flags in which our families were from and some still live; Mexico, Portugal, Brazil, Colombia, and Norway. Apparently, the display was up to bring awareness to troubles around the world and to show a sense of unity. It was amazing to see children and adults alike run through the vast display looking for their flag. It was a beautiful sight to see.

Lastly, it was time to visit the infamous Santa Monica Pier. We saved this activity for the very end as it was swarming with people on this ever so hot February day. On the pier we found more vendors than we could count offering yummy treats such as; popcorn, churros, fresh fruit and much more! Quite a few souvenir shops were open for business, entertainers every few feet, and (my favorite), carnival-like rides! The Roller-coaster and Ferris Wheel were the best! I mean who wouldn’t love to jump on one of those rides with a coastal view?!?!

We wrapped up our day with lots of candid photos, smiles, and hearts full of cheer. Just another Sunday filled with Sunshine in SoCal.