Where Have We Been?

No, I wasn't posting blogs from vacation. I found out that Blogger has a way to set the date and time a post is published. So that's how the last two posts managed to get published while we were here:

(the pool on top of our hotel)

Not so bright and very early on Sunday morning, Eric and I headed out to Santa Barbara, California. Our fifth wedding anniversary is on July 10th, but June proved to be a slightly less expensive month to travel, so we decided to celebrate a couple of weeks early. My mom came down from Northeast Ohio to stay with Cate for the 5 days we'd be gone.

It was an absolutely wonderful trip! Probably one of our best vacations so far. The hotel we stayed at, The Canary, didn't miss a single luxurious detail when designing their hotel.
Yes, that is a TV in the bathroom.

Eric surprised me by ordering champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries via room service our first night there. That kind of set the tone for the rest of the trip-- romantic, relaxed, and slightly indulgent.
We spent our days wandering around Santa Barbara, exploring the Spanish-influenced architecture...

(the Santa Barbara County Courthouse)
(the view from the clock tower of the courthouse-- you can see the ocean in the distance)

(small chapel, part of the state historic park)
(tile artwork like this abounds in Santa Barbara...on buildings, in buildings, on steps and sidewalks)

...going to see movies (I did enjoy both "Away We Go" and "The Hangover") without having to worry to get home to a babysitter...

.... sitting on the rooftop terrace drinking water flavored by locally grown citrus farmers...
...shopping along State Street I got a pair of these...they're sweet...

...indulging in all kinds of wonderful food (both cheap and pricey)...

(Bel Frites, in San Luis Obispo, serves amazing seasoned fries with dipping sauces and Belgian beers--below)

(dressed up for dinner)

...walking along the beach...
...you get the idea.

We spent some time Tuesday learning how to surf. We both got up on the board in a standing position, which was awesome, but I managed to break one of my baby toes during a wipeout, not so awesome, but not a big deal either. We took a waterproof camera to the beach that day, so you'll have to wait for a post later this week of the surfing pictures.

Wednesday we rented a car and drove to San Luis Obispo (home of Cal Poly) to check out Bubblegum Alley (read more about it here), where we admired the gum artwork of students, some of it decades old.
I added my own pink wad to the mass.
From there we headed up to Hearst Castle. It was built in the 30's and even though one of my favorite novels of all times, The Great Gatsby, takes place in New York, I couldn't help but picture part of the story being played out here.

(the main house aka: the castle)
(the Neptune Pool in front of the castle)
(one of the guest houses at Hearst Castle)

On the way home from the castle, we stopped at the Madonna Inn, known for its desserts, to pick up two pieces of cake to enjoy that evening. They were huge slices and delicious too!
We were sad to leave on Thursday, but happy to be on our way to see Cate (we were starting to miss her). Eric ordered a wonderful room service breakfast so we could fill up in style.
We had an overnight layover in Los Angeles, so we were able to get together with our friend, Ryan, and see a reggae concert on Santa Monica Pier.
It was a perfect trip! I think it's so important for us to get away and have time together without Cate. It makes us better partners, better parents, and better people. We love the west coast and it will be fun to take Cate there when she's older. I swear she grew an inch and some hair while we were gone. A book came in at the library for me while we were gone, so we walked up there this evening, where Cate picked out her fourth summer reading prize, a book (from here on out, every five books gets her a raffle ticket to win a tricycle).
You can see all of our trip pictures by clicking here (our family photo site).

~Melody :-)