a brief recap*.

i spent most of my time away in huntington beach, california.  it's a quaint beach community known for it's influence of the west coast surf culture.  for the most part, i didn't see much more than the hotel- which was a little village in and of itself.  this was the view from my room.  not too bad.

{room view}

every now and again, when we had the time, we'd get the craving to break out of prison (aka: the hotel) and explore the cute little beach community.  we spent a lot of time walking to the best mexican, thai, or sushi places.  one guy recommended a mexican place "a few blocks away."  after walking for over 30 minutes, we finally reached the taco shop- blisters and all (thanks to my new shoes).  it was pretty good. worth the walk- but not the blisters.

{thai salad}

one of my favorite things about huntington beach was the wednesday night farmers market & street festival. if it was up to me, i could have easily purchased a pint of strawberries, some fresh bread, and festival grub- and called it dinner- right on the a corner planter and people watched.  there were great local bands (basically some teenagers and college students who enjoyed rocking out, letting people dance to their beats, and never needed a break), local artists and lots of yummy food.  but what i like most are the memories it conjured up.  

when i was little, my parents used to take us to a farmers market almost every thursday night.  it was totally a win-win for them.  they could do some grocery shopping and get their brood out of the house for a night on the town, for free.  and i just loved it.  i always enjoyed walking the streets, looking at all the cool art pieces, jewelry and food.  i also loved the music- but more than anything, i loved the rhubarb man.  he gave us free samples- every thursday- and they were the highlight of our week.  if he wasn't there or we somehow missed him, the night would be ruined.  yep- it was that simple.  rhubarb or bust.

{twinkle,nighttime}

so dear huntington beach, thanks for the warm welcome and the friendly smiles.  i enjoyed myself.  but to be honest, it would have been a lot more fun if i wasn't working.  until the next conference...

*as i mentioned before, a lot happened while i was away.  being that i can't seem to get my s&^! together to write about everything, it may take a lot longer than anticipated to fill you in on the details.  but the stories are worth the wait (of course i'm biased).  and i'll also try to do my best to use the days i can't find the time to write, to share a few good things with ya.  stay tuned....