carlsbad and cappuccino

Had a classic summery (slash mid-November...?) day with Lauren and family in Carlsbad and Encinitas. Had a double cappuccino at Pannikin, amazing salad at St. Tropez Bistro, and a lot of fun at 'Target Greatland.' Yes, such a place exists. 


Mid-writing this blog post, I hear Lauren's younger sister, Kristen, screaming at the top of her lungs in the hall. 
Backstory: Kristen's boyfriend/almost fiancé Luke currently lives in Mozambique, Africa, distributing Bibles to local communities. They haven't seen each other for almost four months. He wasn't supposed to come home until Thanksgiving...but it's Kristen's 22nd birthday on Monday...


SURPRISE! Guess who came home early? Props to him for not letting ANYONE know he had changed his flight until he walked through the door and into her arms. You could practically see her heart beating out of her chest. It was the best.


[I know, still weird that I would have an espresso shout out in a blog title. Thanks for walking with me through these big life changes. And yes, those are my boots above.]