Vacations Part 2

Trip #2: Visiting my baby in Lompoc!

The day after I got home from Chicago I unpacked, repacked and headed off to Lompoc, CA to see Matt! It had been 2 weeks since I had seen him last, which might as well have been an eternity! So it felt awesome when I stepped off of that plane into 70-degree weather and (more importantly) into Matt's arms! Matt's co-worker Jake was out in Lompoc too, so his wife Nicole and I made the trek out there together. Hooray for awesome new friends! We all ate at a yummy steakhouse off the marina in Santa Barbara, and then made the 45 minute drive to the boys' hotel in Lompoc. Initially, we thought that Matt would have to work the entire weekend, but at the last minute their launch was delayed and he was free to hang out with me for 3 days! We got in some good beach time this trip - going to Pismo Beach one day and Santa Barbara Beach another. Jake bought a kite that we tried flying, but there was just no wind during this trip. It was still nice to be smelling the ocean air and out of the heat. We also made a visit to San Luis Obispo to do some window shopping and sightseeing. What a cute little area!

Then, on the 4th of July, we decided to all spend the day in Santa Barbara and top it off with the downtown fireworks show. This day could be known as The Day of Eating 5,000 Calories Apiece :) There was just SO much good food to be had there! We split a mixed cheese plate from some fancy cheese shop, and then went to the adorable Anderson's Bakery where someone decided we could easily split 4 giant desserts. Definitely worth the calories there, though! We took a break from eating to walk along the beach and look at the craft show that was going on. Then it was back to dinner at Aldo's Italian food. WOW!! This is some of the best Italian I have ever eaten - cheese and bacon-stuffed chicken with a sauce that really made the meal. And the best crabcakes hands down! That night, we watched the fireworks over the Santa Barbara pier and it was a gorgeous sight. Not only was the weather nice and cool (unlike every other 4th I spent in Phoenix), but the fireworks shining through the palm trees just made for a nice effect.

The biggest treat of all was that Monday afternoon I got to bring Matt home with me!! Before we left for the airport, we stopped in a little Dutch town called Solvang to walk around and sightsee. The buildings were so cute and Matt introduced me to these donut-like round pancakes called Aebleskivers - mmm! Then it was home again for us. It has been so nice to have Matt back here with me, and I'm sure he is glad to not be living out of a hotel!

Fun Friends, Fun Times


Beach Bums


Fine Dining - Aldo's, Anderson's & Arnie's

Santa Barbara is a weird hippie town...


Matt's gum wall contribution

Reunited! (And check out that beard!)


California-style fireworks