I'm back! After an absolutely AMAZING two weeks in the crazy place that is California. It's been so long since I last did a two week holiday, and before I was going I felt incredibly anxious. I was worried about being so far away and having a flare, about being away for a long period, all things were running through my mind but I didn't need to worry at all. The USA is so much further ahead then we are here in the UK with dietary requirements plus California is such a health conscious community so every day was active and filled with activity. I'd previously been used to booze filled party holidays so this was a real change for me! And now being home, I feel amazing for being away and am feeling so much stronger and healthier in my self (albeit a little jet lagged!).
Before me & my boyfriend went, I had made a little itinerary for us. This could've been my anxiety and I wanted to feel prepared, so I planned things for us to do whilst we were there that I had researched. Also, we were travelling around during the two weeks so it was important to know what was where at each place. This may sound dramatic to some, but I always wanted to know where the nearest hospital was in each location just for peace of mind really. I think the hardest thing is to be calm and rational with Crohns. So much of it is psychological, and I know if I wind myself up and get anxious about things, it upsets my tummy, so I was just doing everything for peace of mind so I had no worries. I was even anxious about flying. It was going to be the first time flying on my own as I was meeting my boyfriend out there, and I was winding myself up about it. The best thing for me was just to not think about it, so my boyfriends mum drove me to the airport and we chatted all the way which was the perfect distraction, then once I was in the airport I sat in the first class lounge which made it a nice experience and I was enjoying that instead of worrying about time and where I had to be. The only issue at the airport was having to pay £60 for my heavy bag... I'm sure this was because of my many medicines and not the copious amounts of shoes!!Once I was on the plane I was seated in the seat right next to the toilet, so even if I didn't need to go, I had peace of mind that I was close if I did need it. And the flight attendants were all so lovely and caring too. At the time of booking I had added my dietary requirements so all the food I had on the plane was 'safe' and not having to worry about what I was eating was a god send. I had my dinner, then bedded down and ended up sleeping for about 5hours which was pretty good. I knew I needed to sleep as much as possible to try and combat the jet lag. Once we'd landed I was so excited to see my boyfriend all thoughts and worries completely disappeared.
Our first stop was San Francisco which was like nowhere I'd been before. In many ways it reminded me of London with the tall buildings, banks and offices but then also like a little town with cute houses on hills. While we were there I hadn't adapted to the time zones so was waking up really early. We made the most of our time and headed out to gyms, walked round the streets and found new places for breakfast which was really cool to be able to get out and make the most of the day. On our second day we went to Alcatraz which was incredible. I am obsessed with prison programmes on the TV so being able to go inside a real prison was pretty much a dream come true (no joke!) but all the walking up hills and stairs had totally worn me out so I wanted to have a nap before we went out for dinner in the evening. I went to sleep about 4pm and didn't wake up till 7am the next day!!!
Crazy! But I obviously needed it, and after that long sleep the jet lag was pretty much sorted. I woke up with bundles of energy so decided I wanted to do a 'Soul Cyle' class. I booked the 8.30am session and felt nervous/excited/overwhelmed when I walked into the studio. I've done spin classes at home but nothing like this, I had to wear the special spin shoes, was given a towel, assigned a bike, it was all very professional. The room was so dark and the music so loud, it was a bit like being at a club. They were playing Beyoncé club mixes while everyone walked in and the instructor then informed us this was going to be a 45minute Beyoncé through-the-ages session and I was buzzing. If anything was gonna get me through this hard as hell class it was going to be Queen B. I was absolutely dripping, it was so hard core but I loved it. I am desperate for a 'Soul Cycle' to open in London!!
On our last night in San Fran we had dinner in Hakkasan and I have been to the one in London before so I am familiar with the menu and know what I can and cant eat. I had an amazing sea bass dish which was completely plain but cooked so well it was perfectly flakey and delicious. I went to bed with a very full tummy that night and excited for our drive down to Monterey.
Being right by the sea made me want to be outside all the time. Breathing in sea air is just amazing. It makes you feel so fresh, so healthy. In the morning we woke up early and went for a beach run and I was going so slowly purely because I was enjoying soaking everything in. I was listening to the sounds of the waves, the sounds of birds singing, the sound of my breath, the sound my steps hitting the ground and I felt so appreciative of life in that moment. I was living in the moment. This is something I've never understood when people have told me before.... 'enjoy the moment'. I am always thinking ahead of what I've got to do this evening, or remembering what I need at the weekend instead of thinking about what I am doing right now. And that was the first time in 21 years I've actually found myself doing that. The crazy thing was that I felt more awake too. For actually getting up and out and doing things I felt like I had more energy compared to usual. I think as well because I didn't have any stress or worries, my tummy chilled out. We enjoyed really nice dinners here too and nice fish dishes which was nice for me. I love eating fish now and really need to have it more at home. It's such a nice change from chicken!
The next place was West Hollywood. Party party party! This is the same place we went to last year so I was excited to go back, but we were staying in a different hotel. The hotel was amazing. It was right in the middle of everything, but tucked down a residential road so you felt like you were away from the craziness of Santa Monica BLVD.
I read the Khloe Kardashian - Strong looks Better Naked book and loved it. My boyfriend jibes me and says I'm obsessed with the Kardashians and copy everything they do, but this book wasn't necessarily about 'them'. It was more about healthy lifestyle and I actually found it really helpful. She shares a lot of tips and an insight of how to work on a healthy mind and I found it really helpful. As soon as I came home I gave it to my sister to read and was also sending screen pics of the pages to my mum! I want everyone to join my health band wagon ha. So most mornings were fairly active and healthy, but of course the whole time wasn't like that.
We enjoyed a CRAZY Easter brunch at Bagatelle on Easter Sunday which consisted of scrambled eggs and lots of champagne; equalling scrambled brains! But it was so much fun, and as it was during the day time we were in bed by 10pm! So it still meant I got a good night sleep. I probably slept more out there on holiday than I do at home. Which was crazy really.
We also enjoyed lunch at the Ivy which is one of my favourite places in the world. We had lunch there on Good Friday and we hadn't realise that it was 'the place to be' Good Friday lunch time, so there was lots of people there with a great atmosphere.
The shops in West Hollywood were all fabulous. Everyone is so health conscious there, there are Trader Joes and Whole Foods shops everywhere and I got so excited each time we went in one! I was stocking up on vegan chocolate, gluten free pretzels, and even bought a gallon of Aloe Vera gel. I drank a cup of this each morning and it made me feel amazing. I really think that helped my health whilst I was away, even though it was a pain lugging it from place to place (sorry JJ!)
After the craziness of West Hollywood, I was looking forward to chilling out at our next stop - Laguna Beach. But before that, DISNEYLAND. I was so so excited to go to Disneyland I think my boyfriend thought he had adopted a child for the day. As soon as I was in there I was skipping about, singing the songs, wanting to go in every single shop and buy every single thing with the Little Mermaid on, it was just too much! I think just being in Disneyland is good for the soul, it just makes you happy and is good for everyone. It was so busy there though with it being half-term (spring break as they say in the USA) so I did feel slightly panicky about moving around the park, but Disney land have an app in the app store where you can find toilets, restaurants, queue times for rides and it tracks your location so can find where is nearest to you so that was fab. Another fab thing was the free from section in the Disney sweet shop. I managed to get a bar of Vegan chocolate made from rice milk whilst my boyfriend got an ice cream. I couldn't just stop at the chocolate though, and bought a bag of Cherry Sours (my new found favourite sweets) but we had been walking about the park so had earned the treats surely?!
Laguna Beach was stunning. Much like Monterey, with chilled out beach vibes. We enjoyed really lovely dinners there, and I ate more sea bass which I think has become my new favourite fish (sorry monkfish). There were also hiking routes there and we were able to do a couple of different ones. One was along the beach and up high hills and the views were breath taking. If I lived there I would have to make the most of it and would be out soaking it in most mornings. The sea air is just amazing. I swear breathing it in gave me some sort of high! I just felt so happy, calm and relaxed. This is how I know my mental mood affects my stomach so much. When I felt calm and chilled out, I almost forgot about having Crohns. How amazing is that. The only thing reminding me now was taking my tablets of a morning and afternoon, but I was actually being able to enjoy a 'normal' life. One night I even got to eat Pizza!!! Pizza in a restaurant!!! We went to BJs which is a big pizza chain and they made a gluten, lactose free pizza without onions etc especially for me. It was so nice to enjoy a meal about that and not worry about having an upset stomach afterwards. I also got to try the famous 'Pizzookie' which was delish. 
Back up to Santa Monica, and it felt like the end of our trip was coming close :( But there was still so much to enjoy. Before we went away I booked a Malibu Wine Safari tour which I had seen the Kardashians go to on Instagram (yes ok, maybe I like the Kardashians!) and it looked so cool. When I told my boyfriend I booked this wine tasting the Kardashian's did I don't think he had too high hopes for it, but it was beyond what he expected. It was amazing, it was both our favourite days out of the whole two weeks. We turned up to this gorgeous vineyard out in the hills of Malibu with the sun shining and safari trucks parked all around, we were both so excited. When the time came for the tour to start we jumped on these trucks and headed to the ranch. The ranch was owned by a family who loved and rescued animals so there were animals everywhere and we got to feed them!! We fed zebras, donkeys, horses, yams, lamas, all sorts and it reminded me of being a child and going to Old Macdonalds farm and I loved it. The sights all around the ranch were just breath taking, I couldn't stop flitting my head side to side of the truck not wanting to miss anything, and the guys doing the tour were so lovely, which made it really. The actual wine tasting was such a small part of it, the whole experience was just so cool. I can't drink white wine as it is too acidic for me, so my boyfriend had to drink mine as well as his which meant he had a nice nap in the taxi back to our hotel!That afternoon we had a late lunch at the beach and went on some of the rides at Santa Monica pier which was very funny after our wine tasting! We also tried to win stuffed teddies on the stalls but weren't successful, but it's the taking part that counts hey. The evening was nice and chilled and we got an early night and watched TV. My favourite channel was A&E playing back to back prison programmes of course!!
Our last full day holiday we wanted to make the most of so got up early and rented bikes to ride along Santa Monica beach. I was doing my best to look at my surroundings whilst trying not to fall off my bike as I accidently rode through sand patches - at times disastrous. Then for our last night away, we had booked a table at Nobu Malibu which I can now say is the most unbelievable restaurant I have been to in the world. We sat at an open table on the beach listening to the loud waves crashing, with lots of people all around us and cool house music playing.
The setting alone was amazing, and the food was something else.I have been to Nobu before and they were so great with accommodating my requirements, but Nobu Malibu has another menu with dishes they do only at this branch as well as the standard dishes so of course I had to try something new.
As well as getting black cod (of course!) I got a Chilean sea bass dish which was totally on par with the black cod (told you sea bass was my new fave) but knowing that I only can have it at the Nobu in Malibu, means I have to go again. It will be an expensive date night flying out to Malibu for Chilean sea bass lol. It was the perfect end to a perfect two weeks away.
Having proper time off of real life made me realise how important it is. To actually RELAX and switch of and enjoy the moment did me the world of good. I am feeling so much healthier and stronger than before I went away, and the issues I was having before my holiday and flexi-sidmoidoscopys, blood tests, stool samples all seemed so far away. I was refreshed, in control, happy and healthy. The only thing to tackle now is my jet lag!!
XOXO Crohnie Girl
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