California Love

So, I've been in California now for about 3 weeks. It feels so strange to be back in the state that I called home for awhile. California will always represent some of the best years of my life. And of course the place where I met and fell in love with my husband! I've missed being so close to the ocean, and having palm trees in my backyard. I've missed Trader Joe's, fish n' chips at the Oceanside Harbor, the smell of bougainvillea and eucalyptus trees.  

What I haven't missed is the traffic, the high cost of gasoline, the crowds everywhere you go and shitty apartment living. California is a great place to live when you're young and not too concerned about anything but scraping by and living off of Taco Bell & Corona's. Seriously. I don't understand how people can make a life for themselves in this state. How does one get ahead when the worst house in the neighborhood STILL costs $500K????? Most people in this area commute an hour or two every day to get to work. I just don't get it.

We are currently living in a small, farming community called Lompoc. It's exactly one hour north of Santa Barbara in central California. This is by far one of the most beautiful parts of the country I have ever seen. We are surrounded by emerald green mountains that reach right to the ocean. This whole valley is filled with vineyards, wineries and flower fields. The sun shines (almost) everyday. And there is hardly any development in this area so it is all wild, federally protected land. Everyday I hear of warnings about rattlesnakes and mountain lions at local parks. Yikes.

Lompoc is exactly 10 square miles. We have 4 grocery stores, one Walmart, a dozen taco shops and every fast food restaurant one could desire. Well, except for El Pollo Loco, which of course is the only one I want. So, in a nutshell, Lompoc is a microcosm of any other city in Cali. Except for the fact that there isn't much to do here. Scratch that. There's NOTHING to do here. The closest mall is in Santa Barbara, which is an hour drive. And when you have a toddler that will only allow for 10 min car rides, shopping is pretty much ruled out. I'd head to the local wineries, but I'm not sure that would be appropriate on a Thursday afternoon with a child. Or would it??

So, I've been keeping busy doing a whole lot of nothing. Thankfully Thomas only works 4 days a week. Next weekend we are headed up the coast too Monterey. We plan on taking the scenic route along Big Sur. I can't wait! We also have a trip planned to Sequioa Nat'l Park. And hopefully San Diego and San Francisco. 

Looks like we will be here for another couple of months. I am looking forward to getting back to Colorado, but am enjoying this opportunity for now. 

Happy

Today is a good day.

Tomorrow I get to leave for California to be with my husband! It's been too long since we have been a real family and I am looking forward to having us all back together again.

I just checked in for my flight and was able to upgrade to a first class seat! And it didn't even cost an arm and a leg. Granted it wasn't cheap, but it will be well worth it to have the extra room and of course the free booze. I will need it to deal with the screaming banshee that is my child. 

I just finished trying on my summer clothes and nothing fits. As in EVERYTHING IS TOO BIG! My favorite bermuda's fell off when I put them on. I have been lamenting the fact that the scale hasn't budged more than a few lbs over the past several months. Even though I KNOW muscle weighs more than fat, I hadn't seen the proof. Especially since my winter wardrobe is pretty much yoga pants and hoodies. Well, I got my proof. And I can't wait to go shopping!!

This time next week I will be working on my tan at the beach, listening to the waves crash against the sandy shoreline. Jealous yet? Let's keep our fingers crossed for sunny and 85.

Tomorrow afternoon we will be enjoying Coronas and shrimp cocktail on the Santa Barbara pier. 

Today is a good day!

Spring Fever

I've been neglecting my blog. So, I am going to take the time today to update all my loyal readers.

I've been back in Colorado now for about 2 weeks. We've been busy doing a whole lot of nothing. This saturday I leave for California where I will stay through early June.

I've been spending quite a bit of time at my new gym. I love my new gym. It is so beautiful, I can't believe that I get to workout somewhere so nice. Have I mentioned that I love my new gym? While on the treadmill I have a 180 degree view of the Rocky Mountains, and another 180 degree view of the outdoor pool area.  Very inspiring! The only downside is that it's a 1/2 hr drive from my house, and with gas slowly headed toward $4/gal it's not likely that I will be able to head there daily. Maybe it's time to give up the gas guzzling Yukon.  I've been working hard on my running and am making progress. Although I did have to start from square 1 when I got here. It's not as easy to run at 6200 feet elevation as it was back in MN. Bit by bit I am getting back into shape though, and it feels good. I am finally back in my pre-pregnancy jeans. Go me.

We spent a weekend at Beaver Creek Resort & Lodge a couple of weekends ago. That's where my bro Brian recently started working. We got to experience how the "Other Half" spend their vacations in a posh, 5-star resort right in the heart of Beaver Creek. This place makes Aspen seem low rent. I've never seen so many furs and multi-carat rings in my life. These are people who don't blink an eye at dropping $10K on a 4-day vacation and outfitting their 3 year olds in Chanel ski gear. We went out for pizza one night and spent $150 for extra cheese and pepperoni.   But we had a great time. I got to spend a day skiing and the other day shopping. That's my kind of life.

Yesterday we took Declan to the Denver Zoo. It was a long day for all. Declan won't have anything to do with his stroller and insists on walking himself. It took us about an hour to see 2 exhibits because we spent all our time chasing him around and trying to keep him from grabbing the peacocks that roam freely throughout the zoo.  After about 20 temper tantrums, we finally gave up and headed home. Nobody tells when you're pregnant with you're first baby that the "Terrible Two's" is a crock of shit. It's definitely started early at our house. It should be called "The Terrible One & Two's". Declan has perfected the tantrum. Throwing himself to the ground, screwing up his face to reflect the worst agony possible, banging his head and feet on the ground and screaming in anguish like he's slowly being tortured. 

On Friday I had the opportunity to babysit a friend's newborn for the day. I was so excited to be able to have a "real" baby around again. Thank god my mother was here to handle Declan, because he did not handle it well AT ALL. He wanted nothing to do with this new baby taking his mother's attention away from him and clung to me every chance he got. He even bonked poor Marah in the head with one of his toys. It took exactly one second for it to happen too. I turned my head and then I heard "Clunk" and then "Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh". Jessie will probably never let me watch Marah again. But I did learn that I am in no way ready for #2 and it killed whatever longing I might have had for another Folger baby in the near future. Declan is just too much to handle.I think we'll wait till he's in High School. 

I am so excited to leave for Cali this Saturday. It's been awhile since we have been a family and I am anxious for things to get back to "normal".  I bought a fancy new jogging stroller so I can continue my workouts and plan on running as often as possible along the ocean! Please say a little prayer that Declan behaves on the airplane. If you happen to know the right dosage of Benadryl to give a 14 month old so he sleeps I welcome that as well!

Ciao!