Bringing you spring

Because we didn't get enough of flowers in the desert, we decided to check out the blooms closer to home. We've been getting so much rain lately, it's nice to remember that there's a colorful result of the wetness.

We started our soggy morning out with breakfast. I love going out to breakfast and trying new places. Honey's may not be much to look at from the outside:

But once you get inside, and fight the crowds for a table, you have an inkling you might be in store for some good food.

Waiting in line isn't all bad though, as the entire wall is lined with fresh brewed coffee. The 16oz I had lasted me all day and kept me up all night.

Thatboy decided to try the huevos rancheros special of the day with roasted peppers and onions. It was more appetizing than it looked. But only slightly.

As usual, my meal won for both visual appeal and taste. My chilaquiles were spicy and delicious, and so filling, I didn't even get through half of them!

After breakfast, I brought Thatboy to Lou's Records, a place I knew he'd fall in love with.

Don't let that sour face fool you. I was right. Thatboy LOVED Lou's. We spent hours there. HOURS. Eventually we paid for some new tunes and headed out to see flowers, flowers and more flowers.

If Willy Wonka made flowers instead of chocolate, I imagine his factory would look like The Flower Fields.

It was opening weekend, but that didn't mean the flowers weren't ready to put on a show. As soon as we entered, it was like walking into a rainbow.

And not only flowers, but birdies too! There were cages of doves. I of course, like to find the most awkward looking one to befriend.

And while we were flower gazing, this pretty little egret caught our attention and asked if we could please follow him to another beautiful location. We were more than happy to oblige.

As we wandered through the 50 acres, I noticed that my weather appropriate boots matched the vast array of colorful blooms.

Across the floral expanse, you can see the ocean, which was stormy and tempestuous due to the weather.

The flowers are colorblocked, giving a true rainbow effect as you look out over the field.

Because of the colorblocking, I took immense pleasure in finding a random color outcast. I wondered if there was floral discrimination amongst the flowers based on color. I thought the difference only served to highlight the beauty of the flowers.

Most of the flowers in The Flower Fields are Giant Tecolote Ranunculus. I love their gorgeous vibrant colors, and the large round bloom.

But not all the flowers are ranunculas. They also have a sweet pea maze that we took some time to get lost in.

Thatboy got through the maze before me. Of course, as I tried to wind my way through it, it started to rain.

Thatboy got nervous I would freak out about being stuck in the maze in the rain. I explained to him that I wasn't really worried. The sweetpeas were low enough to see over and I was sure that someone would help me out before nightfall.

There were also beautiful wildflowers

And a poinsetta exhibition where we got to see varieties of poinsetta I've never seen before. I really loved this one with rounded, curly petals.

Although the near neon colors of this one were arresting.

And I was overjoyed to find my favorite flower blooming throughout the fields.

The rose garden wasn't quite in full bloom yet, but they began to give us a hint for what lies in store later this season.

The tulips also put on quite a show of their own.

We came home, and I was so energized by the coffee and the natural beauty around, I decided to go on a long run. I took a jaunt down to the coast and went for an 8 mile run along the beach. The last mile was downhill to the parking lot, with the sun setting over the water beside me. It's days like that which make me realize how lucky I am that all these rainshowers give me such gorgeous surroundings.