Summer is flying by and I had a blast on my road trip, but I’m home in Orange County for now at least and I’ve tried to keep myself occupied.

Last Sunday, my fit friend Aly and I ran our 3rd “race” together and it was our best one yet! Neither of us are runners, but we’ve run the Wanderlust 108 5K in Santa Monica, the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K, and this one, the #ROXYFITNESS 5K in Huntington Beach. The trail was half on the packed sand and half on the paved boardwalk.

I took it easy on Monday and only left the house to have brunch with a friend at Pacific Hideaway. The space was redesigned with a tropical flair – it used to me one of my favorites, Zimzala.

I checked off Descanso Gardens on my summer bucket list. It’s out east where it’s very hot so many of the plants were dying, but there were lots of places to sit and relax. It’s also FREE on the 3rd  Tuesday of every month.

I booked it over to the Gamble House, a non-Frank Lloyd Wright craftsman/California bungalow. We weren’t able to take photos of the interior, but the woodworking is unbelievable. It was a $8 for a 30 minute tour. I’m looking forward to the Bungalow Heaven Home Tour next year??

On Wednesday, I visited the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary, saw some Mojave desert turtles, and then hiked a bit of the Harding Truck Trail into Modjeska Canyon. I was a bit scared (of animals) since there was no one else on the trail so I only hiked 4 miles roundtrip.

In the evening, I checked another thing off my summer bucket list: seeing a movie concert outdoors. We got free tickets to see the LA Philharmonic orchestra play and sing tributes to Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald at the Hollywood Bowl!

On Thursday, we celebrated Native Son‘s 3rd birthday (our favorite place!) and then drank a bit too much at Blinking Owl Distillery…

…and at Dear Lacy, where they have some delicious and crispy fries!

How are you making the most of your summer?