I recently wrote about how I got it wrong as a young dietitian. Take-home message: listen to your hunger instead of eating by the clock.

Yes, we are still figuring things out, and I know how frustrating this is. Are eggs in or out? (in). Is fat good or bad? (it depends). What about eating after 7 pm? (listen to your hunger).

Keep in mind that the ability to learn, shift viewpoints, and admit past mistakes is a strength, not a weakness. I choose humility over hubris every time.

Today, I bring you a two-part story.

Part one is an admission, once again, of how I got it (a little bit) wrong.

As a brand new dietitian, I was ready to save the world with food and nutrition, complete with realistic — and embarrassingly expensive — food models.

Did I address exercise? Only in passing.

Did I know anything about sleep? Of course not.

Fruits and vegetables were the answer.

I hope I now have a more realistic and effective approach for addressing my patients’ needs. Sure, veggies are important, but are they the most important? Can my patient afford them? Do they know what to do with them?

Meeting patients where they are is a practice philosophy that I’ve been aware of my entire career, but have truly come to understand and embody in the last several years. It isn’t about me at all, after all. I am simply available to education and support.

Part two of my story is unfolding as I write this.

After decades of carefully planning studies to evaluate the role of individual lifestyle factors on health and longevity, the field is transitioning to a “multifactorial” approach. That is, acknowledging the several factors that contribute to lifespan and healthspan and the new appreciation that these factors may actually work together, instead of independently.

This means that every patient takes a unique journey, which sometimes begins with nutrition and other times starts with other lifestyle factors.

You’ll understand my excitement, then, when I came across a study published earlier this year1 that evaluated the effectiveness of this type of approach on longevity and healthspan.

This study emphasises that combined SPAN behaviours act synergistically, whereby the collective behaviours were more strongly associated with all-cause mortality risk than the individual behaviours. We show that the optimal SPAN combination included high MVPA (42–103 min/day), moderate sleep (7.2–8.0 h/day), and high DQS (57.5–72.5), which corresponded to a 64% lower risk for all-cause mortality compared to the lowest combined tertile category for all three exposures. Our study also underscores the significance of incremental combined positive lifestyle behaviours. Compared to those with poor SPAN behaviours, very modest collective variations, such as a 15 min/day increase in sleep, less than 2 min/day higher MVPA, and higher diet quality equivalent to increasing daily intake of cooked vegetables by 1/3 cup or fruit by 1.5 servings, were associated with a 10% lower risk of all-cause mortality.

And while reading the excerpt from this study may sound as foreign to you as reading legalese is to me, I’ll attempt to distill the exciting bits:

• Sleep, physical activity, and nutrition, or SPAN (researchers love acronyms), are typically studied individually.

• This study looked at the combination of these three lifestyle factors on lifespan.

• Over 59,000 individuals with an average age of 64 were followed for 8 years, and a clear interaction between sleep, physical activity, and nutrition was found:

  • Those who participated in regular physical activity, consumed a nutrient-dense diet, and slept moderately well showed the biggest lifespan benefits (by 64%!)

• But the most exciting part is that even small changes (adding just 15 minutes of sleep, increasing daily physical activity minutes, and sneaking in 1/3 cup more veggies per day (yes - veggies!)) were associated with longer lifespan.

What is the take-home here? Adequate sleep, regular exercise, and healthy eating all work together to promote health, AND it doesn’t take a drastic change to start benefiting.

So, instead of striving for perfect or taking the “all or nothing approach,” I encourage you to start with one small change. And then another. And another. Incrementally stacking the changes on top of each other to build a lifestyle that leads towards a longer, healthier life.

Thank you for being here,

~Allison

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Do you want the bag of proteins? Fats? Or Carbs?

Those were words that actually came out of my mouth last year when we were on a nine-day road trip to Wyoming and back for my youngest brother’s wedding.

We took three days to drive in each direction, and logged a round-trip total of 36 hours on the road.

Lyle and I make a great traveling team.

He loves to drive. I don’t.

I pack the snacks. He eats them.

In preparation for this epic road trip, I packed plenty of snacks. Bags of mixed nuts, air-popped popcorn, apples, and protein bars. Oh, and chocolate.

This stash was supplemented along the way with almond crackers, rye crisps, roasted edamame trail mix, sliced cheese, and cottage cheese.

Geeesh, I sound like a dietitian.

While not necessarily organized when we departed, I took my job seriously as the commander of “snack central.” I passed the time by keeping stock of our vittles1 and soon had them divided and organized into categories in gallon zip-top bags: one for proteins, one for healthy fats, one for carbs.

I know. I can’t help it. It’s how my brain works.

Lyle, from the driver’s seat: “Hey babe, can you pass me up a snack?”

Me: “Do you want the bag of proteins? Fats? Or Carbs?”

Lyle: laughs

Me: “Hey, I’m going to write a post about how to pack snacks for a road trip!”

Lyle: laughs again

(For the record, neither one of us can remember what he ended up choosing)

In all seriousness, finding ways to eat healthy-ish on the road is a topic that I’m asked about from time to time.

Here are my thoughts:

• First, redefine what you consider a “snack.” For many people, it conjures up visions of chips, candy, and candy-studded trail mix. These are fine sometimes, but won’t serve you well as your go-to foods on the road for hours or days at a time.

• Second, be aware of the tendency to reach for road trip snacks out of boredom, travel anxiety, or habit. Mindlessly snacking, whether in the car or not, often leads to cycles of overeating and losing touch with hunger and fullness cues.

• Third, use a stash of healthy-ish snacks to stand in for meals when your only options are less than ideal. We call this having a “snack-y” meal, and in addition to being heaps better for you than a fast food meal, it will also save you plenty of time and money.

As I wrote about in my recent post, The Breakfast Club, my go-to mealtime macronutrient “equation” is:

When it comes to snacking, combining at least two of the above components is more likely to keep you satisfied than standard carb-rich snacks alone.

Which is where my bags of proteins, healthy fats, and carbs came in.

Whether we needed a snack to hold us over until mealtime or decided on a snack-y meal to keep the show on the road, there were countless combinations to choose from to keep us from getting road trip hangry:

Apple and mixed nuts

Almond crackers and cheese

Air-popped popcorn and roasted edamame

Rye crackers & cottage cheese

Protein bar and fruit

For our extra-long road trip, we made sure to find stops near a grocery store so we could replenish our shrinking snack bags. You can even find proteins, healthy fats, and healthy carbs at most gas station convenience stores, it just takes a trained eye.

An added benefit of our road trip snack stash? I had breakfast fixin’s to pull from when I woke up before the hotel’s continental breakfast was open. Or, let’s be honest, even if it was open, there weren’t a whole lot of proteins, healthy carbs, or healthy fats to choose from.

What are your favorite road trip snacks?

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Thanks for being here,

~Allison

Please remember that this information is meant to educate and inspire but is not medical advice - please consult your healthcare team to determine what is most appropriate for you.

Over the last 16 years as a dietitian, I have learned to swallow my pride and admit when I got it wrong. Embarrassing, yes. Though in Adam Grant’s newest book, Think Again, he argues that the ability to change your mind is a sign of intelligence, so I’m going to go with that for now.

As part of my nutrition education spiel 10 years ago, I regularly recommended eating breakfast “within an hour of waking up” to “boost metabolism” and get the day started right. At the time, breakfast was promoted by professional resources and media alike as the most important meal of the day. Plus, I have always been a big fan of breakfast and eat within 15 minutes of getting up each morning — a personal bias, no doubt.

Since that time, however, I have been humbled by parenting a non-breakfast-eating teenager and staying open to new research. And while I continue to be a die-hard breakfast eater, there is so much more nuance involved in meal timing than my 10-years-ago self gave credit to.

Appetite and metabolism are influenced by many factors, including genetics, environment, and a complex orchestra of hormones that manage everything from appetite to alertness. Yet, in our diet-obsessed world, many have mistaken their appetite for a reflection of their character.

Why, then, did I generalize that everyone should become a breakfast eater? In short, I was parroting the information that I was spoon-fed as a student and young dietitian — information that emphasized gross generalizations.

Challenging these generalizations is what Put Your Food to Work is all about:

The “right” eating strategy can’t be summed up by a diet, a meal plan, or macro counting, because the food (aka fuel) your body needs is unique and varies day-to-day and throughout the seasons of your life.

This makes it daunting for me to write about nutrition because my words can only be generalizations.

Please remember this as you scroll. It is nearly impossible to speak to the complexity and nuance in the two-second average spent viewing a social media post. Posts are often misrepresentations of research (or frustratingly, not based on research at all) that aim to get the “click”, the “like,” the “follow.”

My breakfast cheerleading was based on research from the time:

1. Breakfast eaters weighed less

2. Breakfast-eating children and teens performed better at school

3. Breakfast eaters had better nutrient intake than breakfast skippers

The reality is that I can still argue that all three of these points remain valid.

But…nuance.

We are too complex to be generalizations.

Plus, with the ongoing trend of intermittent fasting, skipping all sorts of meals has become fashionable these days.

Yes, intermittent fasting, specifically time-restricted eating (a type of intermittent fasting where eating is limited to the same “window” every day), has research to suggest that it may help manage body weight and improve blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and other markers of health.

But…nuance.

A time-restricted eating intervention is only effective if it is realistic enough to be sustainable and provides enough nutrition within the eating window to avoid nutrient deficiencies and loss of muscle mass.

These days, I discuss meal timing as follows:

1. Provide consistency — eating at about the same time each day does your metabolic hormones a service by giving some predictability and avoiding an overreaction of your hunger hormones. And this routine is unique to you. It isn’t based on a “what I eat in a day” post or what your neighbor swears by.

2. Appetite is information — ignoring messages of hunger from the body results in it yelling louder and louder until it gets its way. So if you are hungry in the morning, listen. If you aren’t, listen to that too. Then continue to pay attention to your appetite as the day goes on to avoid the pitfalls of hunger taking control - quick sources of energy to pull you out of “hangry” (read: sugar, carbs, caffeine).

3. What you eat matters — proponents of intermittent fasting too often underplay the importance of nutrient density consumed within the eating window. While time-restricted eating may have several health benefits, there is also the risk that it decreases intake of several important nutrients (protein, fiber, etc, etc). Regardless of when you consume the first meal of the day, starting with some combination of protein + healthy carb + healthy fat is generally a good starting point to help manage appetite, blood sugar, and get you started on meeting your many nutritional needs for the day. Yes, I call out that I just used the word “generally” — nuance still applies.

4. Sustainability — I am not in the business of quick-fix short-term solutions. Finding ways to feed yourself that are realistic and sustainable is the foundation of what I live and teach. My brief experiment with intermittent fasting showed me that it was neither realistic nor sustainable. Delaying breakfast was in direct opposition to my morning hunger signals. Passing on dinner meant missing out on valuable time to connect with my family and model healthy eating habits to my growing daughters. My experiment didn’t last long.

5. There is nothing magical about 7 pm — continue to listen to your body when it comes to timing your last meal of the day. Sure, most people experience improved digestion and sleep when they limit food intake for the 2-3 hours before bed. Plus, since the foods we tend to reach for after dinner aren’t usually high on the nutritional-value list, having an eating cut-off time can be helpful for some. On the other hand, going to bed too hungry may also interfere with sleep quality, blood sugar regulation, and more. So instead of falling into another generalization, explore nuance. What time do you go to bed? How well do you sleep? What is your body telling you? You will be wise to listen.

6. Flexibility wins — in my experience, the sweet spot between routine and flexibility is the key to sustainability. Those who lack a healthy lifestyle structure, they will likely benefit from more. Yet, in all of the books, podcasts, and other health-related content I consume, the downfalls of too much structure are rarely addressed. I have so much more to say on this point (from personal experience), but for now, suffice it to say, perfection is not the goal. Sometimes you’ll be in the groove of a routine, and sometimes you won’t. And that’s nuance.

I’m not feeling so embarrassed anymore - I think I can get used to the freedom of being able to change my mind.

Thanks for being here,

~Allison

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Please remember that this information is meant to educate and inspire but is not medical advice - please consult your healthcare team to determine what is most appropriate for you.

My 8-year-old daughter has found Sesame Street — a welcome change from the same two live Raffi concerts we’ve been watching for years (no offense, Raffi — we truly adore you, but we’ve heard your songs and commentary many thousands of times by now).

While I am quickly getting to know all nine Emily-approved episodes by heart, I still adore the quirkiness of the characters (Prairie Dawn is my spirit character) and subtle adult humor.

Good lessons, too, though Elmo whines a bit too much for my taste. Regardless, I’d much rather have “Sesame,” as we call it, as the screen time of choice compared to many of the alternatives out there.

I just wish they’d consulted me before producing the Breakfast Club segment. I (mostly) agree with the sentiment:

“Have a morning meal and you’ll see how good you feel!”

Especially for growing children. Eating breakfast regularly can support attention, concentration, academic performance, energy, and mood.

So what’s the problem? Generalizations miss nuance, and you know I love some good nuance.

“To join the Breakfast Club], all you have to do is be a breakfast eater. The most important meal of the day!”

Many of you will remember my I Got it Wrong Post, where I wrote about my changed stance on the necessity of breakfast for adults. The overarching message? It depends. Trust your hunger. If you don’t eat right away, make sure to listen to your body before you get too hungry, and then fuel yourself for sustained energy.

My thoughts about children and breakfast are slightly different, due to their stage of growth, evolving awareness of their needs, and the eating schedule many children in preschool and elementary school must adhere to.

After all, these children can’t interrupt circle time or a math lesson to say, “My body is telling me that I’m hungry!” We have to work within some constraints.

That being said, I recommend that parents make breakfast available and sit with their children as a model (even if you aren’t eating, because most kids want to be doing what the grown-ups are doing!). But please, please, please, don’t make breakfast a power struggle. Raising lifelong eaters who have a good relationship with food, their bodies, and speaking up for their needs relies on food and mealtime being positive experiences. Not “you aren’t leaving the table until you have another bite” struggles.

My biggest pet peeve with Sesame Street’s Breakfast Club song, however, is not that the children are eating breakfast (it certainly seems like a positive experience to me).

It is what they are being served.

As my husband jokingly announces every time the segment airs, “Where’s the protein?!” I’m so proud :)

But he’s got a point. I went back and watched it again and took notes on all of the foods mentioned and displayed:

• eggs

• bacon

• bowl of cereal (described as “a.m. material”)

• juicy fresh fruit (“to make your engine go toot” — they must have been desperate for a rhyme here, or maybe this is some subtle adult humor about fiber?)

• milk

• juice

Of the above list, eggs, milk, and that fresh fruit make the grade.

But not necessarily balanced either. Kinda reminds me of the commercials for sugary cereals that I would see between cartoon shows as a kid, described as “part of a complete breakfast,” which essentially had an entire breakfast (healthfulness questionable) with the bowl of cereal on the side. So it was essentially the dessert to the healthy breakfast. It sure worked on me.

Bacon, cereal, and juice, on the other hand? For most kids, I’m not even sure if I give them a passing grade.

Bacon occasionally, fine. But please, not a regular staple for “the most important meal of the day.” The salt, fat, and preservatives don’t leave much room for good other than palatability. Let’s find another protein for those growing bodies.

The cereal is anyone’s guess. A high-fiber, low-sugar option? Sure, that works, though they’d still need to make sure there is some protein and maybe a little healthy fat consumed with it, such as nuts, seeds, or Greek yogurt (I’m dreaming, I know). It’s much more likely that the cereal is dessert in a bowl (Lucky Charms were my childhood favorite, after all) or a lower-sugar option with the nutritional value of white bread.

And juice? I once had a patient who stormed out of my office when I mentioned that all of the juice he was drinking was likely related to his high blood sugar levels. He was adamant that juice was healthy, because “it comes from fruit after all!!!” For a minute, I actually questioned myself.

The concern about fruit juice, even if it is fresh-squeezed or 100% natural, is that it is a concentrated source of carbohydrates that hits your bloodstream fast, and then you are left with an empty tank. There is a reason we use orange juice when someone has low blood sugar — it brings it back up quickly. This is not what most kiddos need to start their school day.

So what DO I recommend? For all of you longtime readers, it comes back to my macronutrient equation: protein + healthy carb + healthy fat.

And while common breakfast foods are listed above, the foods themselves don’t really matter. Leftover chicken in the morning? A great protein to add to the list if that is your thing.

What is more important is mixing and matching at least one option from each column to get the nutrients and lasting energy to start the day.

What I love about this approach is that it can be as easy as your life needs. Grab-and-go breakfasts, such as string cheese, fruit, and some slivered almonds, take zero prep and leave you without any dirty pans or dishes.

In fact, I have had several parents create their own breakfast and lunch charts, allowing the kids to mix and match as they wish.

Thanks to Sesame Street for years of fun and mostly good advice. The nutritional content leaves a little to be desired, but I’m happy to take it from there. Let’s just hope Em approves some new episodes soon, so I have some new content inspiration.

Thanks for being here,

~Allison

Please remember that this information is meant to educate and inspire but is not medical advice - please consult your healthcare team to determine what is most appropriate for you.

Persimmons bring to mind fall, my grandma, and a left-handed cookbook.

Persimmons are a lesser-known fall fruit, and the two most common types of persimmons are Fuyu and Hachiya.

Growing up, I was only familiar with the Hachiya variety. My grandparents had a beautiful tree in their Petaluma backyard that produced prolific, deep-orange, ornament-like fruits every November.

Hachiya persimmons are acorn-shaped and need to be fully ripe — their flesh has the consistency of applesauce — before consuming. The hard, unripe flesh is unappetizingly astringent, similar to biting into an underripe banana.

Because of this, Hachiya persimmons are often ignored. I ate a few from my grandparents’ tree every year, but mostly recall them stacked high in decorative bowls, providing a touch of holiday flair.

My grandma was the neighborhood persimmon pusher. She would walk up and down her rural road, giving them to anyone she could find. I imagine that neighbors would see her coming with persimmons and pretend they weren’t home.

It wasn’t until I was in college that I discovered there was a more approachable persimmon variety: Fuyu.

Fuyu persimmons are round and squat and can be eaten when still hard, like crunching into an apple. They are delicious as a snack, sliced into salads, or made into any number of fall desserts.

I have been known to pay top dollar at farmers’ markets for the few weeks of fall when I can get my hands on this very seasonal fruit.

Left-Handed Cookbook

Hachiya persimmons, though, will always hold a special place in my heart, which brings me to the left-handed cookbook.

My great-grandfather, Grandad, was an icon. His robust figure and ability to captivate a room with his stories awed me as a child.

Grandad wasn’t about to let the right-handed world box him in. So he made a left-handed cookbook. It starts at the back page and works backward (er, forward? Clearly I’m a righty):

Grandad’s left-handed cookbook also contains the minestrone recipe that we make at every family reunion, which is always pitted against my great-grandmother’s recipe.

At these annual minestrone duels, some stay loyal to Grandad’s ground turkey and spaghetti noodle version. Others take the side of my great-grandmother’s cabbage and smoked pork specialty (turkey when it is my turn to make it, shhhh).

There are always undecided voters who mix the two soups so they don’t have to play favorites.

Back to Hachiyas. I have to admit that I have never made my grandad’s steamed persimmon pudding. It doesn’t really sound good. Raisins? Not a fan. I’m not known for having rum around the house. Plus so much butter, sugar…

I’ll make it one day, though. When my mom decides I am responsible enough to take good care of the left-handed cookbook. I’ll even buy rum to do it.

In the meantime, here is what I plan to do with Hachiya persimmons this year:

• Arrange them in a big bowl on my counter and wait for them to slowly ripen to jelly-like perfection.

• Eat at least one scooped directly out of the skin like pudding, just like my grandma used to do.

• Freeze some of the fully ripe ones to be enjoyed later as persimmon sorbet.

• Try this fruit leather.

• Attempt the famous Hoshigaki persimmon — a massaged persimmon Japanese delicacy. Yes, massaged.

I would love any persimmon memories, recipes, or wisdom that you may have to share:

Leave a comment

Thanks for being here,

~Allison

I have never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions.

Even when growing up, I was aware that all too often, they quickly led to failure. I would avoid setting my own to avoid becoming a failure, too.

New Year’s resolutions, though, come with the territory of being a dietitian. I often joke that I am the most popular person in January. And then my fifteen minutes of fame fade just as quickly as they started.

I’ve never liked this type of popularity. It bums me out that health and nutrition are linked with this performative tradition. I’d much rather that my area of passion and expertise be associated with intrigue, optimism, and intention.

Here’s the problem with New Year’s resolutions: they are famously about correcting a personal deficiency.

I’m going to exercise more

I’m going to spend less

I’m going to be more organized

I’m going to eat better (whatever that means)

Each of these popular resolutions suggests that there is something wrong that needs to be fixed. I didn’t even include the ever-popular, “I’m going to lose weight,” on this list.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that we are all works in progress and will be for the rest of our lives. This is part of what makes us human — always striving to improve.

It’s the idea that January is the time that we are supposed to guilt and shame ourselves into behaving that doesn’t sit well with me.

Last year was the first year I recall ever setting a New Year’s resolution, and it was made more in the spirit of fun when someone asked me what my resolution was.

Instead of launching into my pessimism around New Year’s resolutions, I thought about something I’ve always wanted to do and resolved that in 2025, I would take a dance class.

Dancing is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little girl, but (believe it or not), I was far too shy to put myself out there. I was too caught up in the whole “I don’t want to be a failure” to risk trying something so new.

It turned out that simply setting and stating my New Year’s resolution out loud opened doors to more dance class opportunities than I realized were available.

All told, I took several dance classes over the course of the year:

• Swing, Waltz, and Rumba lessons with my husband, Lyle

• Swing dance class (x2!) with neighbors after I shared my New Year’s resolution

• Tap dance class taught by the one and only, TJ Carter, at our community center

Better yet, I plan to continue seeking out these and other dance classes into 2026 — something most can’t say about their New Year’s resolutions.

But why is that?

Why is it that New Year’s resolutions seem to be synonymous with failure?

I have a theory: framing New Year’s resolutions around correcting a personal failure is something that’s difficult to face every single day. And as January bleeds into February, it’s no surprise that an estimated 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by the end of January.

As a new dietitian, I approach this time of year armed with SMART goals. I work with patients and classes and at health fairs to take the normal New Year’s resolutions and put them into the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, & Time-based.

The idea was that simply saying, “I’m going to eat better,” was too vague to be able to implement, evaluate, and determine if the resolution was “met.” So instead, I would help people craft more specific statements, such as, “I’m going to eat at least one vegetable every day for the next 90 days.” A statement that meets all of the SMART goal criteria.

The problem was that even SMART goals became overly focused on “fixing” something wrong.

While I’m no psychology expert, I know enough to respect that positivity works better than negativity with others, as well as ourselves.

What if we approached this arbitrary time of “new beginnings” with positivity? Joy seeking? Joy spreading? I think it is worth a try.

I encourage you all to rethink your New Year’s resolution. Instead of finding something wrong that you want to fix, what is something that you could do to bring a little more joy to yourself or others?

Go to a concert?

Volunteer at the animal shelter?

Take a (dance, art, music…) class?

Have lunch with a different friend each month?

As for me, my New Year’s resolution this year is to go skiing. I’ve wanted to get back on skis for the last three years, but time, money, and lack of planning have gotten in the way.

By making my resolution known to family, friends, and all of you this year, I hope that many open doors and opportunities will follow.

How do you seek and/or spread joy?

Leave a comment

Thanks for being here,

~Allison

Please remember that this information is meant to educate and inspire but is not medical advice - please consult your healthcare team to determine what is most appropriate for you.

At last we were off to the airport, knowing we were on vacation but not yet feeling like it.

Thankfully, reminders of a tropical getaway were abundant:

And the scenery. Ocean, flowers, lush tropical foliage. It was too good to be true:

The only problem? It was too good to be true.

We never ended up in Hawaii.

That storm before the calm? Well, turns out it was an actual storm.

We knew that we were likely headed into some rain for our five-day getaway to Maui. But it would be a warm rain, right!? I mean, we would be in HAWAII! We had plans to lounge on the beach, hike, and scuba (amazingly, it would’ve been a first for Allison).

We set out for the airport hotel, only to learn that the rain in the forecast was now a tropical storm named Lala, picking up steam and predicted to hit the Big Island hard as a category 1 hurricane a mere 36 hours after we were supposed to land.

But we weren’t going to the Big Island, so we would be fine, right? Wrong. Flood, wind, and power outage warnings for our Maui destination seemed to get more serious every time we checked.

So we made the call to cancel, 13 hours before our flight was supposed to take off. Not an easy call, but the right call. Hindsight and all.

Exhausted and cranky and not fit to make any decisions, we put ourselves to bed in the airport hotel like two wrung-out toddlers.

We were mildly less cranky when we woke up and decided to “make the most of it!”

After evaluating the disappointing breakfast options at the airport hotel, we decided to pack up the car and find something that felt a little more vacation-worthy. Thanks to a cute little cafe in San Bruno that served up my caprese avocado toast with a purple orchid garnish, we practically felt like we were in Hawaii.

A meandering drive down Highway 1 brought us to Año Nuevo State Park for a beautiful coastal hike to see elephant seals in the distance.

Santa Cruz didn’t disappoint; aloha spirit welcomed (taunted?) us everywhere:

With four days, the open road, and endless possible locations, we learned that while we prefer not to have our days completely planned on vacation, we do like to know where we’re sleeping each night.

Left to the whims of Airbnb availability on a summer weekend, we ended up at a sweet cottage in Point Reyes Station, less than 60 miles from where we live.

While it wasn’t an exotic location and we felt more like locals than tourists (“oh, we’re from over in Sonoma”), it turned out to be exactly what we needed. Quiet. Calm. Quaint.

Absent of wind and rain, the usually foggy and chilly Northern California coast welcomed us with mid-70s weather. Perfect for naps, reading, and uninterrupted conversation that’s difficult to have in our busy day-to-day.

It wasn’t Hawaii. It wasn’t practically Hawaii. It was better.

Thanks for being here,

~Allison & Lyle