back to our roots

we are in hawaii for an early 5 yr anniversary trip - leaving tomorrow for california.

more to come later, but it has been an amazing trip.  a walk down memory lane, and a swim down memory beach.

The Field

Last Night I had the chance to hear Mason Jennings again at a small venue in Santa Cruz. This time he stayed out in the lobby after until everyone who wanted to had a chance to meet him.

He also sang "The Field" which I had listened to a million times before, but this time he started by talking about how the song came as a result of his conflicted feelings over the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said so many of the soldiers he talked to said they came back and just felt nothing anymore. Then he played, and I heard the song for what it really means, and it was so moving to me. Now that my little bro is there...

Livin' in a van, down by the... ocean.

so the day after christmas, brett and i embarked on our first real road trip.

i highly recommend it (obviously, notice this is by-far my longest blog post ever)

looking for a real good time, a chance to get closer with your friend/spouse/partner, and an opportunity to really appreciate the beautiful world we live in, comfortable beds, and clean bathrooms? try this:

step 1: rent one of these: (like the car version of a mullet - all business/driving in the front; all party in the back)

just make sure you park in a safe, quiet, dark, and inconspicuous neighborhood to sleep - we got better at this as we went along.

step 2: spend 6 days covering what should be just a 7-hour drive. pick a beautiful place. (we drove from san jose to malibu along the coast hwy.)

malibu:
big sur:

step 3: eat like kings! (or pigs)

morro bay sunshine health foods and cafe: (i couldn't stop talking about this place after, and i am now trying to decode their recipes)

pismo beach splash cafe:

santa barbara silvergreens:

step 4: get near the water! (or go ahead and get in it, if you like the ocean more than you like feeling your skin, like brett) we were lucky to be at the beach for most of the day, every day.

swimming at pismo beach:

swinging in cayucos:
sunrise in san simeon:
big sur:

brett body surfing (aka freezing his buns off) in malibu:

more malibu, i think - can't really remember, it's all starting to blur together...
foggy day at zuma beach in malibu:

pismo beach:

step 5: check out the wild life!

birds in malibu:

sea otters in morro bay:

mega-monarch butterflies: (annoying sideways video)

dolphins in malibu:

marley in the van: (okay, he's pretty much the opposite of wild, but he was a great travel companion)

step 6: check out the local scenery:

"the rock" in morro bay:

hiking in big sur:
solvang, the danish capital of america, and the most christmasy place on earth:

more big sur:

step 7: just relax!!

obviously we had a great time, but more importantly it made us really appreciative and grateful for the many things we have, and where we live.

31 in San Diego

turned 31 and brett flew us to san diego for the weekend to celebrate. he even got us a little place right on pacific beach. am i the luckiest lady, or what.

ok, yeah, bad photo, but brett said no way to taking another one. this was our first time bowling together, so it was a photo worthy moment.
rented cruisers and rode down the beach to the ocean beach roller coaster. riding a roller coaster is a definite remedy for feeling old.
we watched the sunset on the beach every night.
and even though it was mostly a rainy weekend, we got just enough beach time. yes...

visiting my lil bro

went to visit my little brother who is in the Army in Fort Bragg, NC.

i took family pics for them while i was there (seth, his beautiful wife alexandra, and their bundle of joy, jayden):
we went to a haunted airplane one night.
i got to watch jayden while her parents entered the haunted dungeons...

the lil nugget of love slept! while goblins and ghouls howled around us...
(here's the haunted "hercules" which also happens to be the type of plane my bro jumps out of (he's airborne)
me trying on his ridiculously heavy "body armor" - seriously like 3 inches thick of metal - what i wish i had when my my dad used to spank me...