BUH-CATION 2009

Get ready...
...4 suitcases, 4 mp3 players, 3 computers, 3 phones, 2 cameras and one argument about how many cords can be hanging out of the truck console at any given time before my husband looses his everloving mind. (One, BTW.)
Get set..
...the alarm for 3:45. (Who decided this crazy crap? Jeese! Oh, wait. That was me. Aw hell...)
Go!
Pacific northwest - here we come!!

This one was hard earned. This one I'm reveling in.

COULDN'T BE HAPPIER OR TIRED-ER

Last couple of weeks looked like this:

Holiday prep, work, getting sicker than I've been in years, secret vacation planning, hosting Christmas dinner for 15, travel, amazing (no longer secret) vacation to Disneyland, driving home, fabulous New Year's Eve party with peeps in the old hood.

Now I have one day to rest up, do all the laundry and get back on the healthy wagon before I head back to work. Which will be easier with the yoga gift certificate I got from my husband for Christmas. Yeah me.

I wish you prosperity and success and growth in this brand new fresh year.

VACATION, ALL I EVER WANTED

The rundown:

Morro Bay was delightful. We spent a little time shopping in the cute little shops (looking for t-shirts for the kids) had a delicious lunch with a gorgeous view of sail boats, kayakers and the amazing Morro Rock. Though it was too windy for us, we wanted to rent an electric boat to tool around the bay. Next time.

Fun for the whole family:
The Morro Bay Museum of Natural History
Electric Boat Rental
Kayak Rentals

Next stop, Santa Barbara. We spent 2 days at the sweetest beach, complete with parasailers flying above, a lovely restaurant and a snack bar, totally decent bathrooms and ample parking. What more is there? Well, paddle ball and being buried in the sand. But that's about it. I will mention that we were there during the middle of the week. It is totally likely that on the weekends parking could be a nightmare. But not for us. For us, heaven.

State Street is the awesome shopping district downtown where we spent a couple of evenings. It is the home of The Territory Ahead's flagship store. Here we also found a wonderful respite from vacation food in the Natural Cafe. Levi and I shared a big salad and soup. Maddy had pasta. Healthy and delicious and no fries. Yum.

Stearns Wharf is so beautiful. I am not overstating it when I say that the wharf is not to be missed. I've not yet seen a photo that captures how lovely it all is. Make the trip. Totally worth it.

We visited the Mission Santa Barbara (and we did get credit for this holy act from my mother in law). It was hot. And quiet. I'm not a huge fan of mission history. On the other hand the Natural History Museum, just down the street, was a delight! Mostly because of the beautiful Butterflies Alive exhibit. Bright and muted colors, fluttering everywhere, every flower and leaf alive with quick and tiny movements. A slice of heaven. Maddy did not agree. But she and Levi both did enjoy the Grossology Exhibit. The Barfometer, the Urine Game, snot, poop, and burps. Remind me to tell you about the kids father getting a big whiff of the bacteria commonly found in the anus. Good times.

I can tell you what was not such a good time. Solvang. Kinda lame. Very cutsie and touristy - and that is about it. We went to the Hans Christian Anderson museum. Also hot and quiet. We left with a book and not much else. Pastries for my brother, pretzel and fudge and t-shirts and sweatshirts and a little wooden shoe magnet for us. Cause the entire purpose of the town is to make people like us buy that crap. Mission accomplished.

And now we are home. And tired. And the laundry is still not done. And our dogs are happy to see us.

Vacation is great but being home is good.

WISH YOU WERE HERE

We're in Santa Barbara. We'll be back next week. I'm taking a moment to catch up. But not a long enough moment to tell you about our adventures.

That is for next week!