California Part 2: Pasadena & Malibu
I debated whether or not to make this a separate post—mainly because I didn’t take a ton of pictures in these cities. But Part 3 will be all about the Joshua Tree desert, so this felt like the perfect place for the “in between” shots. (If you missed Part 1, where I shared my favorite photos from The Huntington, you can catch up here.)
Truthfully, I barely picked up my camera in Pasadena—unless you count the photos from In-N-Out. (We’re big fans.) There’s something about the retro design and simple menu that gets us every time. And honestly? It’s one of the few affordable eats in the area, so we ate there more than once with zero regrets.
Pasadena has a beautiful downtown with a relaxed vibe. The City Hall was definitely a highlight—it’s stunning—but it was swarming with photographers capturing quinceañera portraits, so I didn’t linger long with my camera. Still, it’s worth a visit if you’re ever nearby. I enjoyed all the restaurants, cafes, and secondhand shops but since my time in this area was primarily solo, I didn’t carry my camera along with me.
One special moment from this leg of the trip was visiting Grace Community Church on Sunday morning. Ethan had already spent some time there during ShepCon, so he gave me a mini tour. I loved the slower pace and meeting so many sweet, older women—each with their own story. One had volunteered all week for the conference, another was a kind Romanian woman I sat beside in Sunday School, and then we met a joyful group of four women chatting in the sanctuary after service. (That encounter deserves its own post.)
After church, we made the drive to Malibu to catch the sunset at the beach. I had done some research ahead of time since the wildfires had swept through just a month before. Thankfully, the area we visited was untouched—and incredibly peaceful. Apparently, there had been an earthquake just two hours before we arrived (!), but we didn’t feel a thing. Just another reason to praise God on this trip.
The views? Gorgeous. Rugged cliffs, soft surf, glowing skies. But as beautiful as Malibu was, I have to say—our Panama City Beach coastline still holds my heart.
Enjoy these random pictures from a variety of random moments.
No matter what time of day, In N Out is always busy. Kind of like Chik Fil A, I guess.
I love watching them place real potatoes through their fry machine. We also love ordering them “animal style” with their signature sauce and melted cheese over top.
Pasadena City Hall
In Panama City Beach, at “Golden hour” you will see several wedding and family photographers. Here, I saw several quinceneara photographers. There were probably 8 of them in this area alone. It was a funny sight to see so many at once.
The door says “Search the Scriptures…in them we have eternal life.” Yes and amen.
I snapped this while riding on the highway. The contrast between palm trees and mountains was surreal, along with the average looking buildings.
I snapped this at a used bookstore right by our hotel. We love visiting used book stores to see if there are any hidden treasures. Sadly, there were none I could find here.
Malibu
Point Dume State Park, California
El Matador State Park
Beige on beige on beige, lol.
Me trying not to be awkward, ha!
I’ve lost count of how many pictures I have of Ethan like this and many other poses, lol.
This is one of my new favorite photographs I’ve taken! They were posing just for me. ;)
Random Cell Phone Shots
This was the panel at the LSB Celebration party.
I met a sweet Filipino family there who is doing incredible gospel work not too far from where much of my Filipino family lives.
We ate a delicious dinner with several friends who also attended the Shepherd’s Conference.
I also got a chance other meet up with Camillah, who I got to know when Ethan pastored at Crossroads.
We heard Austen Duncan preach at Grace Community Church!
It was such a neat experience to worship at a church whose ministry has been so instrumental in both our spiritual walks.
Meeting these godly women was such a treat. They shared with us what their quiet time looks like and how they are intentional about discipleship. I left teary eyed and deeply encouraged.
We also got to hear James Coates at one of the Sunday fellowships.
And of course, lot of coffee stops on this trip!
