If I could hold on to this day for as long as I can, I would. It's selfish, but sometimes, I want to freeze time, and make moments last longer. It's undeniable now; December is over, and so is 2016. I don't need to reiterate how much this year sucked, politics-wise, but it's reality. Duterte (Philippine president) happened, and so did Trump.
I'm not going to discuss in detail what went wrong, however, because those things are pretty much all over the Internet by now. Anyway... For the last time this year, I'll walk you through what transpired this December—
Roan and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary this month. Since we just got back from our Thanksgiving weekend trip up north, we settled for a fancy dinner at Tom Ham's Lighthouse. It had a view of the San Diego Skyline, and we plan on going back for Sunday brunch again to appreciate the view more during the day. We were told that we had to call for reservation at least a week or two in advance because the place gets packed every weekend!
"Wake up; let's have breakfast by the lake!" was the first thing I heard from my husband this morning. May all our mornings be like this for the rest of our lives. #boomerangoftheday #WHPboomerangoftheyear #boomerangfromInstagram
Two weeks ago on a weekend, Roan woke me up to have breakfast by the lake in Lake Poway. I was a bit grumpy because my "weekend sleep-in" was disrupted, but seeing that the view was beautiful and that the weather was nice and chilly, I really couldn't complain. We've been traveling a lot to different cities/states lately that I forget what gems we have around here in San Diego.
My kind of Christmas morning Merry Christmas, folks! #Christmas2016
Unlike last year, Roan and I were able to finish all nine nights of Simbang Gabi this year. I've never missed an evening mass since I graduated college, but last year was an exception because we were in Santa Ana for Roan's 2-day seminar/training. It's been my family's tradition to complete Simbang Gabi, and Roan and I have made it ours, too. By the way, did you see my Christmas Card Lane snaps on Instagram stories two weeks ago? We drove by the area again this year, but noticed that there were not as many participants as last year. This is another tradition that we started last year, and as long as we live here in San Diego, we'll keep going to see the Christmas Card Lane every year.
On Christmas morning, we had brunch at Marie Collander's, which was probably the only restaurant open on Christmas Day. We then drove to Cardiff Cliffs to enjoy the view and take in the beautiful California winter weather. We didn't get together with Roan's side of the family until dinnertime since my mother-in-law was at work all day. The day after Christmas was promising until we realized that it's going to take us 7–8 hours to get to Big Bear Lake. No, thanks!
"The future lies before you like a field of fallen snow; be careful how you tread it for every step will show." #QOTD #quoteoftheday
We didn't have anything planned for New Year's Eve, but knowing us, we're fans of spontaneous road trips. Speaking of which, Roan and I took a day off from work on Friday, and decided to drive towards east of San Diego to Mount Laguna Recreational Area. We had some late breakfast at the local café that consisted of hot chocolate, fresh brewed coffee, and some egg frittata. After which, we walked a little around the area, albeit the unusually rainy weather.
Instead of turning around on our way back, we continued driving towards the long and winding road, only to realize that we've reached the point between Julian and Lake Cuyamaca. We opted to go the more familiar route, and ended up in Julian where we had the most stressful late lunch at Carmen's Gardens. It probably turned out great, if not for the poor service we experienced. It was still raining when we stepped out, yet managed to walk a little more to check out some local shops before we decided to head back.
Roan and I are not party-goers, so we'll most likely be ringing in the new year at home in our lounge wear, watching Netflix or somewhere that remotely resembles a typical NYE celebration. Speaking of the New Year, I'll be sharing my 2016 highlights as usual on the first Monday of January, so be sure to stick around to check it out!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Toss 'em Out (December 2016)
My Updated Skin Care Routine
Best of 2016: All Things Beauty