Part of my summer bucket list? CHECK.
One of my 12 Months of Christmas goals? CHECK.
Something from my 26 in 26 list? CHECK.
“How?” you wonder…
Well, let’s recap!
I’ve been wanting to get to Palm Springs for a while now, but apparently I’ve been a little too busy living life to actually slow down long enough to book the trip. 😂 So when I realized Palm Springs was on my summer bucket list, my 26 in 26 list AND I had put “a weekend away in August” on my 12 Months of Christmas list…well, clearly the universe was telling me to GO!
Three check marks for one weekend. I’ll take it!
FRIDAY — Let’s Get This Weekend Started
I actually got quite a bit done Friday morning before we headed out.
Toes painted? CHECK.
Packing? CHECK.
Blueberry jelly donuts? ABSOLUTELY CHECK.
A big thank you to Donutopolis in Mira Mesa for fueling the road trip properly.
The drive was easy, and we made a stop in Temecula at The Swinging Inn, a BBQ restaurant we’ve been wanting to try.
And WOW. It did not disappoint!
We tried the pulled pork, smoked turkey and beef brisket.
The brisket was BY FAR my favorite. Like…oh my. Chef’s kiss.
Then it was off to Palm Springs!
We checked in around 4pm and it was 107 degrees.
And you know what? I really don’t mind the dry heat!
Especially when there’s a pool involved.
The pool in the evening was SO good. Definitely one of my favorite things about Palm Springs. And because apparently 107 degrees wasn’t enough, it was STILL over 100 at 8pm.
Just a casual evening stroll through an oven. 😂
SATURDAY — Coffee, Pool Time & FOOD
Obviously, when you’re on vacation, you have to do the coffee outside thing.
Even if it’s 100 degrees at 9am.
Gorgeous view of the Quiet Pool, hot coffee, sunshine…
Yep. I’ll take it.
We decided to do brunch at Wilma & Frieda’s, thanks to Marianne for the recommendation!
Great wait staff and some seriously good food.
I had a mixed berry Pop-Tart that was really good, but the real star was the breakfast burrito.
I ordered the So-Cal Birria Burrito — slow-cooked beef, warm tortilla, mozzarella cheese, tater tots and scrambled eggs.
Yes.
You read that correctly.
TATER TOTS.
It was SO good…and SO much food. We definitely should have split it. Lesson learned!
After brunch, we spent a couple of hours by the pool reading, dipping in the water and basically doing absolutely nothing.
And honestly?
It was perfect.
Later that evening, we headed out to one of the casinos for a concert Richard really wanted to see. It worked out perfectly that they were playing in Palm Desert while we were there.
We played a few slot machines, even won a little money, and then called it a night.
And then I realized…
I forgot to do my Wordle.
Oh well. Vacation rules. 😂
SUNDAY — One More Pool, Then Home
Sunday morning meant…
Yep.
Coffee on the patio.
And it was practically chilly compared to Saturday — only about 93 degrees at 8am!
😂😂😂
We hit the pool for one more hour before checking out and starting our adventure home.
And of course, we added another new place to eat to our list when we stopped at Fratello’s Ristorante Italiano in Idyllwild.
Plus, we got to see one of Richard’s friends on the drive home, which was a fun little bonus.
A FEW THINGS I FIGURED OUT THIS WEEKEND…
• I LOVE dry heat when there’s a swimming pool involved.
• No matter what the outside temperature is, I still want my coffee HOT.
(Yes, we brought our own Hawaiian blend with us. Priorities.)
• Packing on the fly results in a few forgotten things. Nothing earth-shattering…just enough to remind me that apparently I should make a list. 😂
• I definitely prefer being the passenger and not the driver.
• Podcasts are much more fun when you have someone to discuss them with. There were A LOT of pauses because apparently listening to a podcast together means stopping every five minutes to discuss what they just said. 😂
We listened to Sarah Williams and “Launch Your Box,” and I actually started her book, “One Box at a Time,” on the ride home. If you ever want to think about a subscription, read this book.
Overall…
Palm Springs = DONE.
Summer bucket list = CHECK.
26 in 26 = CHECK.
August weekend away = CHECK.
New restaurants = CHECK.
Pool time = MORE THAN CHECKED.
Not a bad little weekend at all.
Sometimes you just have to slow down, get out of town, eat some really good food, sit by a pool, drink your coffee outside and remember that checking things off the list can actually be a lot of fun. ❤️