A picture taken while you are laughing isn't that flattering 
If you follow me on Twitter then you know around 4pm on Friday Matt and I left for Monterey Beach for a mini vacation. We decided one night was enough so we booked the hotel and drove the mere 2 1/2 hours to the beach! It was a seriously amazing trip and we had such a good time! We’ve been to Monterey and Carmel together a couple of times but this trip so far was the best! Get ready for a picture heavy post 
Bike & Running Path in Monterey
We stopped by a biking/running path before we went to our hotel because we could not pass up the view! This path stretches for miles and within the 15 minutes we stopped, we saw tons of dedicated runners and cyclists taking advantage of this beautiful seaside path. It made me want to move to Monterey and start running in the cool morning air while watching the ocean! SO PRETTY!
Me on the Bike Path
Matt said the path was a perfect background for portraits. I can only imagine how cool it looked early in the morning or even super late at night when they lamps were on.
Our first beach picture of the trip
We hiked up from the bike/running path and scoped out the ocean, where we took some pictures and got a great first view. The sun had just started to set so everything was very pretty looking. Even weeds
Out the Hotel Window
Then we got to our hotel–we stayed at The Clement Monterey, which was an Intercontinental chain like the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental we stayed at in San Francisco–and checked out our view right off the bat. At first we thought it was bad because it faced a stone wall, but then we realized when you looked out to the right, it was actually pretty neat.
Matt checkin' the view
Our windows opened completely! The first hotel we’ve stayed at that didn’t have safe-guarded windows. It was pretty cool though because it allowed us to really stretch outside and see the tide coming in near the hotel.
Big 'Ol tub
The room was very clean and had a huge bathtub. We didn’t use it but I like it when hotels offer them.. you never know when the bubble bath mood will strike!
Not so stylish
Because we wore comfortable clothes in the car, and because it was 100 degrees where we live, we kind of forgot to pack any sensible clothes, aside from a sweatshirt (the one I’m wearing) and a long-sleeved shirt (Matt). What does this mean? I was forced to get funky and wear my black tights under my jean skirt Friday night when we went out sight-seeing. And then in the morning Matt bought me some sweats so I wouldn’t freeze to death. What a great husband I have
View from the deck of our hotel
We then went around our hotel and a few blocks up Cannery Row and took some night-time photos. The one above is behind our hotel, which had a great view of the ocean.
Creepy Kitty
We walked through indoor hallways of markets and store fronts when I came across Miss Kitty. It was a really, really creepy cat that talked (I presume) and was a lot like Zoltar in the movie Big. Only scary and weird. Trust me, it was.
After we split a light dinner at a place called Sly McFly’s, we went back to our room. The next morning we got up bright and early, got some Starbucks (Caffe Americano’s, we split oatmeal and a pumpkin scone), and then went out to do a little morning sight-seeing in Monterey before we drove to Carmel.
I don't know what it is, but its awesome
I loved this thing!
Flowers!
Ocean = Frizzy Hair for Sight Seeing pictures
Holding a bird?
Forrest Gump!
Matt Gump!
(Side note: ever since Matt took this picture of me with his cell phone nearly four years ago, we’ve joked that I got a whole Bubba Gump thing. I’ve even started working on an impression? So when we saw Bubba Gump’s, we knew we needed pictures!)
Ok, there was some goofing around while we took pictures at the beach and did some sight seeing. Just some goofing around, though
Then we got our car out of valet and drove to Carmel. I was car sick on the way to Carmel BIG TIME. I almost never get carsick but I definitely was. And Matt got a little carsick, too. By the time we found a parking spot in Carmel, we were both needing a restroom and some Gatorade!
After eating apples with cheese and some salt and vinegar chips (when you’re sick, you don’t think about calories, you think about doing whatever it takes to not puke in your car!), we walked down to the beach. Taking pictures a long the way, but of course
Birdhouse House! Yes, A house that sells Birdhouses!
Bum Cat lounging in the sun under a BMW. Good taste for a bum!
I loved this sign!
Sweet entrance!
We were stoked when we finally got to the beach and we saw it wasn’t too busy.
It was a great day. A beautiful day. A wonderful day.
Excited to be beachin' it!
It wasn’t super cold but it wasn’t sunny either… it was perfect. Lots of runners on the beach and even more people playing with their dogs and just watching the tide. Seriously movie status stuff!
First I wrote "M+S" then I wrote "Shelby Stidham" then I wrote "Matt" in a heart. Nerd? Yes.
I even carved our initials in a rock on the side of the Pebble Beach Golf Course with a rock. True love, huh?
Carve away
The result?
M + S ... we are going to see if it's there next time we come!
We continued to walk along the beach, just enjoying each other’s company.
We even got a little burned!
And wondering if Tiger Woods was in the tournament going on by the beach?
Tiger??
Ehh, probably not.
We watched the ocean some more, too.
Great portrait!
:)
All in all, we had an amazing trip. But we were also glad to be home and see Leon, as well. Now we’re in for a night of watching SNL and easing our tummies. We were majorly car sick on the way home, too! The whole ride! Ick!
Hope you all had a magnificent Saturday
P.S. I brought back an AUTHENTIC MONTEREY CALIFORNIA GIFT for one lucky reader You guys didn’t think I’d take a trip without gettin’ you anything, did you?! Comments will be open on this post forever, but next Saturday night I’m randomly selecting a winner! Tomorrow I’ll post the prize so you can see what you’re goin’ for. It’s yummtastic, btw
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