14 May Mother’s Day in Carmel

This is my 2nd Mother’s Day and still a pinch me moment! I’m so blessed to have Katya in my life and her smile everyday reminds me how lucky I am 😉 Being a mother is a hard work; dealing with tantrums, figuring out what to feed her every day, bathing her, changing her diaper, running around to play with her, making sure she is happy little girl. Someday things are smooth. Some days are a struggle and filled with frustration. But one thing I know is, I am lucky and motherhood is the best thing that has happened to me!

We went down to the beach house for Mother’s Day weekend to do some of my favorite things. If you read my Vday weekend post, you know what they are. I ate oyster, drunk coffee, and browsed to shop at my favorite place, Carmel.

My day started eating brunch at Mission Bistro. We didn’t make a reservation but we could luckily get in. It was obvious that many ppl there were celebrating mothers. Our waiter looked at Katya and said to me “Happy Mother’s Day” with a big smile. I thought to myself “wow I’m mom.” A year and plus later, I’m still in awe that I’m mommy 🙂 We ordered alcohol to cheer (mine was Bellini) and order dozen oysters. Then I got avocado toast with salmon, Katya got bougee butter pasta, and Erik got short rib ravioli which Erik said it was the best thing he had ever eaten!

After our tummy was full, we walked around and went into some shops. They have so many cute boutiques that have unique and sweet stuff, and I fully loved those small shop experiences. Erik shopped for some goodies for his grandma and we got a ball for Katya in a toy shop. She was not letting it go, so that we had to buy it, otherwise she would have stolen it lol.

Carmel was doggy heaven. Everywhere we went, there were cute, well-groomed dogs. Katya made happy noises and ran toward every single dog she encountered. She constantly said “dodo” and petted them; it was obvious she had the best day haha. We walked more and got a much needed coffee.  Also, I saw a doughnut shop that was pretty new, so I made a quick stop there.

I was pretty much satisfied then, but it was still early to go home, so we decided to head down to Mission Carmel. Erik was there for his school assignment a long time ago, and he told me it was worth the visit. There was an admission fee that we had to pay, but I have to agree with Erik, it was so worth it! My picture doesn’t do justice here, so I highly recommend you visit there yourself 🙂 The buildings and flowers were well kept and it was truly a hidden gem of Carmel. Even though I am not a Christian, I felt an unexplainable powerful force.  Maybe because it’s being a holy place, or maybe it was the deep history of the building. Walking through many exhibitions, I was captivated and felt at peace.

Also, this may sound very shallow, but it is such a cute spot to take pictures 😉 The Spanish-influenced building was so gorgeous. Who doesn’t wanna snap a quick family photo in front of that? Erik was looking for a replacement for a cross necklace that he had lost. Successfully, he found what he liked and wore it immediately after the purchase. Before we headed home, we went to Monterey for a quick walk and a coffee stop. So that’s how I spent Mother’s Day! Hope you had a good time celebrating yourself or mothers in your life!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Fatima