#mccoymecations

Oh, The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, you have stolen our hearts and gifted us with not only beautiful memories but some of the best margaritas of our lives. Know when you KNOW you’ve had a transcendent vacation? When you have so many moments that you can never capture enough photos - even when you’ve taken a ton of photos and run out of time to post them all. So...for now, I leave you with this - Nick and I in this magical place, toasting our 1st year together with those aforementioned margaritas. We have more of our Mission Inn memories to share with you, and I would say I couldn’t wait, but wait I must - because now Los Angeles calls us back for a fabulous event we simply couldn’t “afford” to miss tonight with #DineAndDishWithDawn. It’s a pun, y’all. You’ll see.☺️ #MissionInn #DawnsDestinations #DineandDishWithDawn — at The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

A few of y’all have messaged me lately saying how “perfect” Nick Yedinak and I seem together. Now, y’all know how I feel about that word. There’s really no such thing. Neither Nick nor I are perfect people, but somehow our love together is pretty close to perfect for us. It’s funny. Both Nick and I have been to Santa Barbara before. He had stayed at the same hotel we have been staying at - the @fssantabarbara - last year. And, I had been here last year just a little bit down the road for a press stay at another luxurious resort. Before that, it had been over 16 years since I’d been to Santa Barbara with a former boyfriend on a trip that would close that chapter for us. For both Nick and I, it seemed that going north to Santa Barbara before symbolized a relationship that was going south. But, this trip? It changed the course of our respective Santa Barbara stories. In three days, we laughed more than most people laugh in a year. We loved. We relaxed. We reflected. And, we realized together, that every single relationship that seemed to “go wrong” has helped turn into something oh-so-right. And, there has been no better place to soak up not only the sun and the sea, but also this revelation, as we watched our destinies unfold right here together at this precise moment. To many more trips up north. #VisitSantaBarbara — with Nick Yedinak at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara.

“Ooh, we can begin again. Shed our skin, let the sun shine in. At the edge of the ocean We can start over again.” Last night, we enjoyed a dinner under the stars on the beach here at Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancún where Mayan dancers shared a ritualistic dance that is said to change your course. Couldn’t we all use a little of that? For me, that’s what the water does - and why it’s so symbolic (and, powerful) in both rituals and religion. It cleanses us. It closes out the day. It wakes us up. It revives us. It gives us one more chance to start again fresh tomorrow and try again. Here, on this trip, with this oceanfront view from my balcony, I feel that - as I always do. But, how do I want my course to change? And, in what ways do I want to continue steering my ship in the same direction it’s been going? These are the questions I ask as I always do when I stay on a coast. I always feel inquisitive....and, I always feel connected on a deeper level than I do in the city. And, those can be growth-inducing bedfellows, if you let them coexist. Now, all I have to do is open the balcony doors so I can hear the ocean waves, turn down the turned down bed, tune out the noise in my head and listen to the wise waves as they come home to the shore. #DawnsDestinations #MyCoralBeach 📷: @letmeeatcake — at Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancún.

So, what do I do to cap off the busiest week of my life? Why, head to Palm Desert, California to produce and host an influencers’ trip, of course! Leaving the stress of LA behind, and focusing on the real intention of the weekend - showing some of the kindest, most inspiring, warmest people I know the @visitpalmdesert I love - made me fall even more richly in love with the city. These influencers we chose for this inaugural trip are called “influencers” for a reason. The fill up your heart, challenge your mind, and influence your soul. And, they use laughter as a currency. I loved curating a trip just for these 19 folks - a trip that showed them the desert life I love, and some of the favorite places I love, while deepening our friendships and filling up our memory banks. These are the kinds of days that I couldn’t love my job more..💗 #VisitPalmDesert #dawnsdestinations — with Kinya Claiborne, Kelsey Rood, Alexandra Michael May, Alton Michael Mills,Nick Yedinak and Thomas Soule at Hotel PASEO.

We love to get away frequently but when you “get away,” you always have to eventually “get back.” And, by “get back,” I mean get back to REALITY. But this guy makes reality A LOT more fun. We both had a hugely stressful week facing some hard truths last week, so Visit Greater Palm Springsinviting us out for a mid-week escape was just what we needed. But, while I used to dread getting back to real life after having a magical time in the desert, Nick Yedinak makes reality just as magical. Like last night when I suggested that we host an impromptu Cinco De Mayo party. Without even a beat, he said, “Let’s do it. We need it.” Even today when we’re grocery shopping and cooking and preparing for a houseful of people all morning, he still takes time to dip me to the Mambo Kings while I’m making 7-layer dip. Or, mints up the house while I mint up the margaritas. And, in Palm Desert, California, he even gave some expert input as I tried on way too many dresses at The Fine Art of Design for some upcoming red carpets. So, while life is not perfect. And, not always fun. Finding someone who can celebrate the perfectly imperfect and do their best to make it fun sure makes life A LOT more doable. #FindYourOasis #McCoysMeCations #DineAndDishWithDawn — with Nicolas Delgadoand Nick Yedinak at The Fine Art of Design.

One of the sweetest parts of this whole trip with @visitgreaterpalmsprings has been getting to go to places I’ve never even thought to go to...and, now I can’t imagine never having experienced them. Like this one: The Coachella Valley History Museum. A little gem in the middle of the desert, it houses the whispers of the past, the beauty of the present and connects it all with the hope of the future up ahead. My favorite exhibit there is the schoolhouse - the actual schoolhouse - that reminds me of stories from my mother’s days as a child. Complete with chalk writing tablets, child-sized desks and memories that haunt throughout the hall, I felt completely transported to a simpler time. An even more timely exhibit? “Women behaving badly for good” - an activation showing women of the desert who acted with boldness and bravery all to leave the ultimate feisty, feminine footprint on the sandy lands of America. As we walked through, all I kept thinking is “I have so much bad that I want to do for good.” And, also - “I can’t wait to bring my mom back here to give her a piece of nostalgia.” Anytime you can be transported in time is a moment in time you want to share. And, that’s what I do for a living: Share. #FindYourOasis #McCoysMeCations 📷: Nick Yedinak — at Coachella Valley History Museum.