Dear California,

I feel like a schoolgirl because I am crushing on you so hard right now.  I don’t know if you have heard, but I am currently living in China.  Please don’t get jealous because really, China has nothing on you. Sure it has The Great Wall, pandas, and Hong Kong.  It also has skyscrapers for days and a pretty efficient public transportation system, but whom am I kidding?  California, you have my heart.

Obviously, you are pretty busy with the Royals visiting, and the mess that Arnold made of his marriage. I can’t kid myself into thinking that you even have time to notice my little road trip up the coast this past weekend.  But before I moved abroad, I visited your deserts and let’s be honest, you had me at cactus.

Mon Coeur, your beauty in these wild, solitary dry lands dazzled me. I could gaze into your sunrises at Mono Lake for days and get lost in the sparkle of your sunsets over Death Valley.  My heart is all of flutter just thinking of you that way.  I will never forget the breeze that swept through my hair on the way to Mt. Whitney. Ah, mi Corazón.

So when I decided to head up the coast, I thought nothing could top your beautiful, arid landscapes, but I underestimated you. Silly me.  I am still reeling from the charm and elegance of your coastline.  On one side of Route 1 is jaw dropping cliffs converging with the rocky shoreline. Beyond that the grand, vast Pacific Ocean resides. On the other side, fog whispers over the mountaintops with unexpected wildflowers blooming off every edge and surface.  There you go again with your little surprises, full of grace. I am enchanted.

During this brief jaunt, I also visited three of your historical missions.  I don’t know if you remember, but I was baptized at the Mission de Alcala in San Diego so I feel a connection with you there.  The mission at Carmel is definitely the darling of the missions. I said a quick prayer in the same spot as Pope John Paul II when he visited you, which put a big smile in my heart.  But I have to say, I preferred the simplicity and unpretentiousness of Mission de San Miguel.  I thought of what you were like before the masses of people realized your uniqueness, blessings, and beauty. The quiet of a cool breeze with land as far as the eye could see.  I wonder if you miss those days.

Everywhere I looked was a picture just patiently waiting to be shot.  The 17-Mile Drive was breathtaking as were the rolling hills just outside of Bakersfield.  But what really sealed my fate in my love for you is your cool, fresh breezes and sunshine that wrapped around me like a soft blanket.  It is so uniquely you and I am so happy to call you mine because you are simply amazing.  I took some photos of you but they will never do justice to your majesty and exquisiteness.

California, mi Corazón, you complete me.

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