At night the stars in Big Sur overwhelmed the sky and took my breath away. Definitely not something we ever see in Los Angeles. Photos by John Schreiber

John and I spent our engagement anniversary up in Big Sur- what I believe to be the most beautiful part of California- for the second year in a row. Last year he told me we were going camping, proposed to me (and after listening to the Cardinals win on the radio) swept me off to what I thought was a campsite, but turned out to be a beautiful cabin in the woods. Somehow this year he topped that. I didn’t know that it would have been possible to top such an amazing weekend- but with the help of some humming birds, a bathtub and a good food, he did.

This year he got creative and rented a secluded trailer in the woods that overlooked both the dark jungle-like Big Sur woods and the calm blue Pacific Ocean. I can’t even begin to explain how tranquil it was to be in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone coverage, no TV or Internet and just a couple bottles of wine and pure, wonderful silence.  We’re used to the hustle-and-bustle of L.A. and the craziness of our jobs as journalists- so turning off our cell phones was just want we needed.

For some reason the ocean in Big Sur has an extreme calming effect on me. I ended the weekend in a weird state of euphoria. I loved it.

The accommodation was a mile-long walk from where we parked the car. The owner, Richard from Big Sur Vintage Trailers, met us at the starting line the first night and drove all our belongings to the site on a tiny old school Suzuki SUV. Flowers that Richard had planted surrounded the trailer and the entrance just screamed rustic ‘Secret Garden’. Many of the plants strategically attracted humming birds and in the mornings we woke up to the fast pattering of little hummingbird wings. I was amazed to find out that Richard fixed up the trailer himself also did all the hard labor of clearing the trees and leveling the ground where we were staying.

This may be the real reason for my catatonic relaxation. Photo by Chelsea Sektnan

One of the best parts of the retreat was a separate bathroom with a large turquoise tub that opened up to the empty green woods and the crazy calming blue waters. One night there was even a small earthquake and we saw the bathtub water ripple from the quiet shaking. (Richard assured us that we were totally safe)

We even spent an evening hiking to the basin of the mountain and shot our own ‘Save the Date’ photos.

Because the trailer was located a mile from our car it was easy to resist the temptation to do activities outside of the immediate area. Instead we read our books, watched the water and spent the weekend chilling out. My heart rate- that is usually above normal- finally slowed down to a normal pace, and I was finally able to finish a Joyce Carol Oates book that I was struggling with (but loved in the end!). One of the evenings we got really adventurous and braved the trail to the car to get dinner 10 miles away at Nepenthe Restaurant. I’m always amazed at the views in Big Sur- but Nepenthe takes the prize for one of the most amazing sunsets!

By the time our weekend was up I was so relaxed that my heart rate was probably below normal and I knew that we would definitely be coming back next year. (For our honeymoon!)

Thank you Richard!