We're calling the first part of the trip, Part Dave, as my good Dave friend joined us. Dave is a Chef from Southern California and is currently living in Nashville. We met working on different projects at Lipscomb before quarantine shut everything down.
I immediately knew I would like Dave when I met him. He has great style, truly doesn't care what other people think of him and is really REALLY good at his job. I like to refer to Dave as a Food Activist. He is passionate about telling the story of farmers and teaching people where their food comes from. As a proud Iowan with generations of farmers in my blood, I resonate and truly appreciate this energy and vision and believe that connecting people to the food they consume will educate and empower the next generation. And hopefully save our planet.
So. Padre! Once Claire and George went back to Cali, your girl needed a little space from Nashville. I love the city, but was craving wide open spaces. Thus, the beach. There is nothing like our spot in Padre. It's a little funky watching people crowd on the beach and not wear masks but this only encourages our early morning routines so we can be out there alone. We walk for miles and the dogs love it. C&G worked with Dave this offseason and would have breakfast with him and the other athletes training with Josh & Jeremy. There was a pretty groovy flow of people supporting one another through the pandemic. Dave had time available so C&G jumped at the opportunity to hire him for 10 days to cook for Jan, Bruce and me in Padre. He was also a fabulous road trip partner.
It's pretty rare when you find people you can instantly be yourself around. Spontaneous trips don't usually follow through so I knew this was going to be a special adventure when Dave and I actually put wheels to the road.
We spent time exploring the local fish and farmers' markets outside of Corpus Christi. There were limited options but we still found our favorite spots. The best being Paul's Seafood Market.
We fished on the beach with Bruce, took lots of photos with Jan and chilled hard in my Grandpa's lazy boys next to the dogs. And ate amazing food.
Below are some of my favorite photos from our time together. Most of these photos were taken on my Fuji XT3 with a 35 mm lens or my iPhone 11 Max Pro. I use a 128 GB SD card and load the photos directly to the hard drive linked below. This keeps my computer from getting bogged down or cluttered with projects. I chose this hard drive as it is very fast at processing video. Something I am still learning and growing into but I wanted to have that option available. There may be a vlog or two coming out of this trip ;) stay tuned!
My IG stories are linked above so y'all can see the rest of the meals, photos and adventures we created.
I'm not in many of these photos but these are the clothes I live in on the beach. I have the bikini and red and black and love that it's cheeky, high waisted but still gives coverage so I don't feel totally naked in front of my fam. If you hate wearing a bra like me, these Nike ACG shirts are the best. It's a heavier material so you can't tell at all. Well. Lol. I'm sure people can tell. But it makes me feel a little more protected.
Y'all. GET THE NIKE TIE-DYE. It's the best. I'm wearing both as I write this. G got blue, C got pink and I got green. XL top and M bottom.
The Lululemon scrunchie is my favorite on the beach. The saltier my hair becomes the better it works. Fun way to add volume and a pop of color. I have it in black and purple with the little bow. I have the Nike yoga top in black and light pink. They're great to workout in or wear with the jean shorts or tie-dye sweat pants. Plus socks and the rubber birks.
The only two staples I can't find links for are my Groceries Apparel Maxi Dress (black and flowy with pockets) and a High Sierra flannel I found at a second hand store in Santa Fe that goes everywhere with me. If you're ever in Santa Fe...GO THRIFTING!!!
Hope y'all enjoy!
p.s. Emmy's Oyster Shack should totally be a real thing, right?!
Drive Down.
15 hours of coffee, music and great conversation.
Coffee Bar.
Oat Milk lattes, iced or hot, with a little vanilla or honey are my favorite right now.
The Grill.
Just watch the IG stories for this one. Dave went off.
Farmers' Market.
Picked up veggies, homemade dog treats and sun flowers with mama bear.
Fishing.
We'll chuck this up to good exercise.
Full Moon Waves.
I somehow managed to not destroy my camera in these waves.
Last Fishing Trip
Another great workout.
Bye Dave!
4:30am wakeup call to get this guy back to Nashville.
