Santa Barbara

This past week I took an impromptu trip to Santa Barbara with my Niece Savannah, my Nephew Justice, my Sister Sarah, and her Husband Pat. She came up Friday night to spend the night in Malibu with me and brought the kids and I just wasn't prepared to leave them Saturday so I just had to go with! First things first, my love for my 'muffins', as I often refer to them, is unconditional. I love Savannah and Justice more than I ever thought was possible to love another human being. The amount of joy, innocence, and zest they have for life is inspiring. They are truly, two of the most amazing little people I know. A large part of this has to do with their amazing Mom for raising them in such a fabulous and respectable manner. She is the best Mom I've ever seen. So, Saturday we packed up the car--it looked like we were going on a vacation for a month--and we set out for Santa Barbara. We decided to take the Coastal route because it was such a beautiful day. This was a great idea until we hit Oxnard and took a major detour through Downtown Oxnard--not the best place in the world. Despite our hiccup/lapse in judgment, we arrived in Santa Barbara just in time for lunch where we ventured to Sate Street. Both my sisters and my brother-in-law went to UCSB so this is their territory--their stomping ground for sure. We headed to natural cafe where I indulged in the most sensational chicken burrito--so good that I almost ate the whole thing--and then luckily proceeded to walk up and down State Street for a few hours. I was able to walk some of the burrito off at least. Following our stroll we went to our Hotel, The Monecito Inn, which brought back so many fabulous memories. We then ventured down to the spa so that Savvy and Justice could sneak in a pre-dinner swim and quickly returned shortly after to get ready for our fabulous meal at Blush. Blush is an absolutely wondefrul restaurant that everyone should go to when in SB. My brother-in-law programmed the music for them!

The next day we woke up early to attempt a visit to the zoo. After sitting in stopped traffic we finally asked what was going on and we were told that it was "Dia De Los Ninos" at the zoo--aka day of the kids. It was so unbelievably crowded that we turned around and opted for a much better option--the aquarium at the pier. This was fabulous. We explored the sea life in the aquarium, took photos on the pier, and got ice cream for the kids. I can't think of a better end to the weekend than this! Overall, my weekend in SB was incredible with my muffins and I am so thankful that I went. Here are some photos!