if you give a mouse a cookie

The beach is my happy place. My girlfriends and I made a couple roadtrips out to Cali when we were living in Provo, and they were so cleansing. When deciding where Steve would go for optometry school, I basically told him we were going to SCCO.

And we did.

(it's also a really good school academically or whatever)

During the past three years of living in Fullerton, I packed a bag and skipped over to the beach 

every. chance. I got.

Our first year before our man-child came along, I spent so many days by myself laying on the warm sand, breathing in the salty air, drifting off to sleep, rolling over half-asleep and snuggling in deeper into the sand. I loved the beach.

As Jason and Geri were in another world across the country getting some new lungs and stuff, I remember talking to her about a really difficult time I was having emotionally, and she told me it sounded like I needed to go to the beach.

She knows me all to well.

And hearts the beach too.

Months and months and months before we left, we talked about rounding up our troops and getting rugged on the beach for a night. Two weeks before we packed up our little apartment and moved away forevers, it actually happened. It's a miracle really, and holds a special little place in my heart as one of my most favoritest things we did in Cali ever.

We were absolutely kicking ourselves for not doing it earlier.

Camping?

Good.

Camp food?

Gooood.

Beach?

Yeah....goooood.

Falling asleep and waking up to the sound of waves gently crashing 20 feet away with your bffs?

So good.

The little one was mostly interested in getting dirty, running into the parking lot, and throwing his tires and trucks around. Perfect, right?

Roasted starbursts with starburst drool helped too...

After we set up camp and pranced around in disbelief of how amazing this was, the girls got to work on the tinfoil dinners. We sat down to a delicious meal around the fire, put the little one to bed in his own tent, and moved in close to the fire for some goodies and some giggles.

And yes, Jason and Steve giggle when they get around each other too.

Between giggles, we start to notice the crashing waves are sounding closer and closer. Visions of little Parker washing away flashed through my head so we all jumped up to go make sure he was still nice and cozy in his pack and play.

20 feet away, I kid you not. Then the boys get to thinking and talking about tides and moons or whatever. As Steve and Jas are frantically looking up what the waves are going to do while we sleep, Ger and I thought The Carlton Dance on the beach at midnight sounded like a better idea.

I think we won.

The ocean didn't swallow us and we slept like babies (except that one time some co-campers next door shot off a firework and woke the three of us up...). Waking up to the waves crashing and stepping out onto the sand was soooo refreshing. I highly recommend buying a house and living on the sand for forever.

We all eventually got up and made ourselves an ashy, hot breakfast, got packed up, and right as we were climbing in our cars to head back home, we realized Santa Barbara (which was also on our mutual bucket list) was only 45 minutes away.

And off we went!

The drive along PCH was beautiful, naturally, got a great lunch recommendation, walked the streets, and thought about heading home because Parker was, well, being two and two-year-olds need naps or whatever.

Instead we drove down to the beach, hopped on a double surrey, strapped the little one up front and slapped a helmet on his head, and pedaled our little hearts out up and down the boardwalk.

(I kinda love traveling with and having a photographer as a soul sistah.)

Splash splash splash!

I almost get teary-eyed looking at this, oh how Parker loved the splash as the waves crashed!

And just like that he was over the whole helmet thing.

Well what was next, home? What's that you say? You photographed a couple up in the Santa Ynez Valley last year and it was one of the most beautifulest places in California you've seen? 

Why yes, I'd love to!

Parker passed out in the car as we drove through the lush, green, and twisty canyon roads and ooh'ed and ahhh'ed at the scenery. It had been a while since we'd seen some beautiful landscape like that, it really made us miss Utah. California really does have the best of both worlds.

We reached this beautiful lake nestled amongst the greenery and chatted for a minute.

"So, isn't that cute little Dutch town, Solvang up here somewhere?"

"Yeah, I think it's only 20 minutes away..."

"......"

"............"

"We'll follow you!"

We had aspirations to fully immerse ourselves in a Buddhist temple we came across with monks and everything, but sadly, there were no monks to be seen.

Instead we wandered around, picked up some delicious pastries that we were to eat outside only please, and finally realized we had nowhere left to run off to.

With our bellies full and our bodies exhausted, we turned around and made the breathtaking drive back down PCH as the sun set over the ocean. My pregnant eyes shed a tear or two: I was leaving this beautiful place, this amazing ocean, these beautiful memories, and the best of friends.

It was perfect.