Last week was about showing up and being present with your kids during spring break. I hope it gave you at least a few moments that felt like the good stuff. This week I want to build on that because I have been sitting with something and I think a lot of you might be feeling it too.
The world is carrying a lot of weight right now and it is hard not to absorb some of it. I have been doing my best to come back to what is right in front of me, my family, my people, the life I actually have. Not in a way that ignores what is happening, but in a way that refuses to let it take me fully out of the present. Gratitude has been my practice lately and I do not mean that in a forced or performative way. I mean the kind of gratitude that comes from pausing long enough to actually see what is in front of you. The way your kid still reaches for your hand. The inside jokes that only your family understands. The completely unplanned silly moments that you did not see coming but somehow end up being the ones you talk about for years. Those moments are not small. We just treat them like they are because they happen inside an ordinary Tuesday. This week the challenge is to catch them in real time, to feel them fully before they pass, and to let that be enough.
Now let’s get into the good stuff…
Date Night
Salt Creek Grille is a Dana Point classic that has been given a full second life under new ownership and a beautiful remodel. Sitting right on PCH, the newly redesigned space strikes a balance between modern, resort, and California coastal that feels warm and elevated without being stuffy. The outdoor patio with fire pits is perfect spring evening, and the indoor dining room offers a quieter, more intimate experience if that is what you are after. There is a live piano player in the bar that adds an intimate backdrop for date night. Wednesdays they run half off all bottles of wine which makes it an especially good night to grab some girlfriends and book a table.
The menu is a wood-fired American steakhouse with a California coastal twist. The rock crab dip served in a crab shell is creamy, generous, and a must to start off with. The coffee-crusted NY steak is perfection, cooked over the wood fire and packed with flavor. The parmesan pesto salmon and ahi tower round out a menu that covers all the bases. You’ll order a little more than you planned, linger over 1 more glass of wine, and wonder why you do not do this more often. Open Monday through Thursday at 4 PM, Friday at 4 PM until 11 PM, and weekends starting at 10 AM. Located at 32802 Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point. Happy hour runs Sunday through Friday from 4 PM to 6:30 PM and includes discounted small bites like truffle fries, creek sliders, and the rock-crab spinach dip, plus signature cocktails like the Grey Belly, Beach Bunny Martini, and Dana Point Iced Tea.
Family Fun
The Sunday Toast: A Brunch Lover's Market
Sunday brunch is probably one of my favorite things. If you love a good brunch, you’ll love this market. The Sunday Toast is a brunch-themed market happening on Sunday, April 19 from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Inn at the Mission in San Juan Capistrano.
The market brings together local vendors, fancy sips, vintage finds, live music, and a paint-and-sip experience. It’s relaxed enough to bring the kids or lovely enough to make it a morning out with a friend you have been meaning to catch up with. It’s also walkable to Hidden House Coffee on Los Rios Street, which I’d recommend going afterward and stretch it into a full morning. Grab your tickets here. Located at 26907 Old Mission Road in San Juan Capistrano.
Friday Night Pizza
I always look forward to a Friday night pizza night! It’s so easy and the kids absolutely love it. One of my favorite go-to’s lately has been 7 Hills Pizzeria. It’s one of the newer spots to land in South OC and it has already built a serious following. The owner Jim Adams grew up in Chicago's pizza scene, spent years working in his cousin's pizzeria, and after moving to San Juan Capistrano in 1987, installed a brick oven at his home and spent two decades perfecting his craft hosting pizza nights for 50-plus friends at a time. When he finally opened 7 Hills last September, the neighborhood showed up. The name is a nod to the seven hills of Rome and the Roman soul behind every pie.
The dough is made with organic flour and aged for 72 hours, which makes a noticeable difference in both flavor and how light it feels. You choose between tavern style, a perfectly thin and crispy crust, or artisan style, which is airy and chewy with a beautiful char. Open Tuesday through Thursday 4 to 8 PM, Friday and Saturday 11:30 AM to 9 PM, Sunday 11:30 AM to 8 PM, closed Monday. Located at 28362 Airoso Street in Rancho Mission Viejo.
Motivation & Movement
If you have tried barre before and liked it but wanted to take the intensity up a notch, you need to check out HOTWORX. This 24-hour infrared fitness studio on Crown Valley Parkway in Ladera Ranch offers Hot Barre as part of a full lineup of infrared sauna workouts. I’m a huge fan of infrared and the concept is unique from anything else in the area. The workouts happen inside an infrared sauna, where the heat penetrates deep into your muscles while you move through barre, Pilates, yoga, or HIIT depending on the session you choose. The infrared heat accelerates calorie burn, supports muscle recovery, and pushes the workout further than it would be at room temperature.
The Hot Barre class is 30 minutes, virtually instructed, and blends ballet, Pilates, and yoga into a full body session that hits everything. The 24-hour access model means you are not locked into anyone else's schedule, which is a real selling point for moms (definitely me) who are working around school drop-off, nap schedules, or a packed calendar. Drop-in sessions are $20 per class and monthly memberships start at $99 for unlimited access. Your first session is free! Located at 25612 Crown Valley Parkway Suite L-8 in Ladera Ranch.
Gratitude does not require a perfect week. It does not require the house to be clean, the schedule to be manageable, or everyone to be in a good mood at the same time. It just requires enough pause to look around and actually see what you have. The kid who still reaches for your hand. The laugh that came out of nowhere. The completely ordinary moment that somehow felt like everything while you were in it. If you caught even one of those this week and let it land before it passed, that is the whole practice. That is all it ever was.
This week's challenge is to say it out loud. Not in your head, not in a journal. Tell someone in your life one specific thing you are grateful for about them. Not a general thank you. Something real and specific that you actually noticed. They will appreciate it and these small acts will snowball into more moments to be grateful for.
See you next Thursday!
