Coming Home // Cali + Mex Powered by Blue Dinosaur Bars

Photos:

Adam Bartoshevsky | Shaun Devine | Katie Slater

Wetsuits / Moonjelly

Clothes x Swim / Amuse Society

After living on the other side of the world for 2.5 years, something really special happens when you return home. All the places you've spent so much time before, the familiar streets, people, and beaches, the ones you may have taken for granted in the past...suddenly carry a new sense of novelty and excitement. Viewing somewhere I've been before with a new perspective is sometimes even more rewarding for me than visiting somewhere new. It's more real, expectations are lowered, and because of that it's often the seemingly average, little things that surprise and elate me.

When I booked a styling gig in California, I was excited to return to the place my brother has lived for almost two decades, where I've accumulated incredible friends, inspiring work contacts, and memories that are painted in my mind for a lifetime. I looked forward to spending some quality time exploring the coastlines that have felt like home for years. California for me is a cocktail of nostalgia and nuance, with familiar places offering new adventures daily. I couldn't wait to indulge.

I made no plans during my 3 weeks abroad, and it proved to be the best plan of all. A series of serendipitous events lead me to reconnect with a fellow East Coaster, Adam Bartoshevsky, who road tripped with me to Orange County for some fun underwater adventures in Laguna and a surf in San Onofre. A last minute birthday party in Mexico lead me down to Baja for a long weekend of surfing and celebrating with unpredictable sleeping arrangements, loads of laughter, and unforgettable sunsets. Another not-so-average adventure in SoCal proving this return will not be my last.

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Thank you to Blue Dinosaur Paleo bars for fueling my spontaneous travel adventures, there may be a lot of unknowns on an average trip with me but the one thing I know for sure is the ingredients in my snacks. Thanks for making the BEST vegan energy/breakfast/after-surf-snack out there, with only 5 ingredients ALL of which I can pronounce (and make me drool). Try all their different flavors here and follow them on Instagram.