July 4th Weekend

I was lucky enough not only to have the 4th of July off, but the whole weekend from Friday to Sunday.  Matt and I enjoyed a nice, long and relaxing holiday weekend :)

Friday afternoon, we headed to Malibu to try a restaurant we had read about in several magazine and online reviews, Malibu Cafe.  It was a very cute restaurant that is nestled in a ranch that is popular for weddings and other events.  Besides just the restaurant area, there is a pond, games, different bar and hangout areas.  It was a really fun way to spend an afternoon.

Saturday morning, we did our usual Saturday routine, biking on the beach and stopping at Good Stuff for breakfast/brunch.  Everything was a little more crowded due to the holiday, but the bike ride itself was a little bit crazy due to drunken beach goers, unattended children, etc.  I think next July 4th weekend, we will skip the Saturday bike ride.  However, in general, it was  nice way to start our 4th of July.  Afterwards, we chilled out on our balcony away from all the crazy crowds.

Saturday night, we went to a new restaurant that we have walked by several times and thought looked fun and interesting, the Santa Monica Yacht Club.  The restaurant had a super cute sea motif and the food was very good.  We are very glad we stopped by and will return :)

Ceviche served in a coconut

Yellowtail Collar - yum!

Catfish and Lamb Skewers

Peach Tart (with peaches from the local Farmer's Market) with Vanilla Ice Cream

After dinner, we went down to the beach thinking it would be a good way to see all of the firework shows that may be going on around the area.  It was a good idea in theory, and we did get to see some firework shows, but we decided that we should have been a little bit further down the beach to see the best firework shows - an idea to keep in mind for next year.

Sunset on the beach (a little overcast, but still pretty)

The city and Santa Monica Pier lit up behind us

Fireworks over the water

Sunday after church, we went to brunch at one of our favorite places for just about any meal/occasion, Art's Table, and had a delicious brunch.  On our walk home, we stopped by a bakery only one block from us, have walked by several times and have never stopped in.  I am so glad we stopped in because their treats were delicious, and they even have some gluten-free stuff for me :)

Gluten-free Eggs Benedict - yummy!

The Montana Sandwich and some awesome sugar-dusted potato chips

Chocolate, Cookies and Cream and Cinnamon Vanilla cupcakes plus a really big Gluten-free Chocolate Cookie :)

All in all, our 4th of July weekend was a lot like our other weekends - full of outside fun, food and drinks ;)  It was a great way to spend our holiday weekend!