So much of my life has happened along the California coast.
When I think about Santa Cruz, Monterey, Half Moon Bay, Carmel, Long Beach, Big Sur, and Capitola, I think about the people I was with and the different chapters of my life that happened there. There are childhood memories, adventures with my husband, birthdays, and so many moments in between.
Now that I live in Texas, those places still feel like part of me. They’re also a big part of why I create coastal jewelry.
Where my connection to the coast began
As a little girl, I went to the coast with my grandparents. Fishing at the Santa Cruz Wharf is one of those memories that brings me right back to that part of my childhood.
I remember collecting shells along the shore with my grandma and fishing with my grandpa. Those are some of my best childhood memories. My grandparents showed me how much there was to appreciate about the coast, and that connection will always remind me of them and their love.
Whenever I left my grandparents’ house, my grandma would tell me how much she loved me, and I would say, “I love you more.” Those little “love you” fights have been my thing since I was five. I came up with my own way to win: “I love you as high as the sky and as deep as the ocean and this much.” I would stretch my arms as wide as I possibly could to show them just how much. It’s something I’ve carried with me throughout my life, and it’s still so special to me.
There were school trips to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, tide pools at Pescadero, and trips to Half Moon Bay. Growing up, the coast was woven into my life in so many ways. It was somewhere to explore, spend time together, and make memories that I still carry with me.
Half Moon Bay brings back pumpkin patch trips, and Santa Cruz brings back visits to the Beach Boardwalk and day trips with girlfriends. Each place holds a different part of growing up.
When I look back now, I can see how much those experiences shaped my connection to the ocean. Long before I was creating jewelry, those places already meant something to me.
A beach bucket list and a new chapter
As I grew up, the coast became part of my story with my husband, too.
While we were dating, we had our surprise adventures. One of us would plan a trip without telling the other where we were going or what we would be doing. Over time, those adventures turned into a beach bucket list. There was always another place we wanted to visit, another beach to discover, and another memory to make together.
One of those adventures took us camping at Pismo Beach, where we rode dirt bikes in the sand dunes. That night, we ended up trying to get through a sandstorm while our tent was collapsing in around us.
Now we laugh about waking up with sand in our teeth. It’s one of those stories that has stayed with us, and it’s impossible to think about that trip without remembering the sandstorm, too.
Those surprise adventures became part of how he proposed to me.
One day after work, he insisted on picking me up so we could go on an adventure. He took me to the coast, and what I didn’t know was that he had plans to ask me to marry him.
But we ended up at the wrong beach first, one beach further was our actual destination. We didn’t realize it was a nude beach until we got there, which definitely changed the plans! Looking back, that part still makes me laugh.
We eventually made it to the right beach, Shark Fin Cove.
Before he asked, he was so nervous and made an excuse to go back to the car for something in his jacket. When he came back, he drew a ring in the sand and asked me what it was. By then, I was starting to figure out what was happening, but of course I had to mess with him. “Is it a toilet? Is it a monster?” We still joke that he drew a toilet in the sand. I tease him that his artistic skills will never compare to mine, and he thinks it’s hilarious. That’s just our relationship.
We were still laughing and giddy and having so much fun together when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. All I could say was “okay.” I was in such shock, but he was my person, and I love him so much. He will always be my beach bestie.
It isn’t the most traditional proposal story, but I love that memory. The unexpected detour is part of it, and it’s one of my favorite memories from that chapter of our life together.
From Carmel to a dream of Hawaii
Later came our babymoon in Carmel-by-the-Sea. I absolutely love that little town. We stayed in the cutest little cottages and took our husky with us. The sand there is so beautiful, white, and soft. Carmel holds such a special place in my heart.
Alongside all those California memories, my heart had been drawn to Hawaii and tropical hibiscus since I was a little girl. Finally getting to go there for our honeymoon felt like such a full-circle moment.
We had postponed our honeymoon, so when we finally went, our six-month-old baby came with us. We went snorkeling and ziplining across volcanoes, and even with a little baby along for the adventure, we absolutely loved it.
Hawaii added another layer of beauty and depth to my love for the coast. California was where that connection began, through time with my grandparents and all the memories I made growing up. In Hawaii, a place I had dreamed about since childhood became part of our family’s story, too.
When I think about my love for the ocean, those experiences are all intertwined. Different places hold different chapters of my life, and each one has its own meaning.
The traditions our family grew up with
As our family grew, I took my own babies to the coast, letting them learn to love it and build memories there, too.
Every year for my birthday, going to the coast was all I wanted to do. It became a tradition, and some of those trips hold memories I’ll never forget.
The day before my birthday one year, while we were driving to the coast, we found out I was pregnant with our second child. Before we even arrived, that trip had become part of a whole new chapter for our family.
There were the little traditions, too. On the way to Capitola, we would stop at Gale’s. The kids would get watermelon-shaped cookies, muffins, or whatever sweet treat we wanted that day. That stop became such a big part of our trips together.
I loved walking around the little town of Capitola and going to my favorite place for brick-oven pizza. When I think about those trips, I remember the familiar stops as much as the bigger occasions. Our family grew along the coast, and those simple traditions grew with us.
There have been birthdays in Capitola and so many other coastal memories that it’s hard to fit them all into one story. Even when we went to Disneyland, we found an opportunity to see the ocean in Long Beach. There always seemed to be a way to include the coast in our plans.
Taking my kids to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for Mother’s Day added another layer to a place I had loved since childhood. It’s my favorite aquarium, and now we have an aquarium bucket list of our own. I want to visit them all, but Monterey will always be the most special one to me.
Keeping the coast close in Texas
Moving to Texas changed my surroundings, but it didn’t change that connection. It gave me an immense appreciation for a part of myself I hadn’t realized was so deeply rooted.
We’ve visited aquariums here in Texas, and we still go to the beach every year for my birthday. The coast isn’t the same, but keeping that tradition matters to me. It’s such a big part of our lifestyle and my heart, and I want to keep making those memories with my family wherever we live.
The coast is where I feel most like myself. I still want to keep that feeling close, even when I’m far away from it. It shows up in the colors I’m drawn to and the way I want my jewelry to feel: feminine, personal, and connected to somewhere meaningful.
Charlotte’s Cove is my way of carrying the coast with me and the memories it holds.
When I create, I’m drawing from that connection. Behind the coastal colors and the collections is a lifetime of places and people that matter to me. Creating gives me a way to keep those memories present in my everyday life here in Texas.
It brings me back to collecting shells with my grandma, fishing with my grandpa, exploring with my husband, and watching my own children build their connection to the ocean. Those memories mean more to me than I can fully put into words.
The places we carry with us
I think so many of us have a place that holds part of our story.
It might be somewhere you grew up, a beach you visited with your family, or a destination you explored with someone you love. Even when life takes you somewhere else, that connection can stay with you.
That’s the feeling I want to share through Charlotte’s Cove. A piece of jewelry can be a small, personal reminder of somewhere that brings you joy and helps you feel like yourself.
For me, it will always be the coast.
If you’d like to explore some of my personal favorites, I’ve gathered them in the Founder’s Favorites collection. I hope you find a piece that helps you carry your own connection to the coast.
Where is that place for you?