Our Santa Barbara Adventures...

Waking up this morning to a news report about the fires that are heading toward Santa Barbara sparked this blog because Santa Barbara is one of mine and Matt's favorite places in California! We made two trips up there while we were dating before he left, and both were absolutely amazing!

The first trip was the more adventurous one, and it all started out with us driving up to Oceanside at the crack of down to catch the train up to Santa Barbara. The train was absolutely amazing because most of the time it runs along the ocean, and has wonderful views! Here are a few from the ride up:




The train actually takes quite a while, but it was worth it just for the experience and beautiful coast views. We got off the train in Santa Barbara and had no idea where to go! We really didn't do much research before we left...and didn't realize that it was a holiday weekend!!! We finally walked down to the main strip by the water and found a few hotels. After our 4th "we are all booked" response, we started to get a little scared! All of the hotels were booked for the entire weekend...so there we were with our heavy backpacks wondering if we would have to sleep on the beach. So, we did what any responsible adult couple would do...We went to the nearest bar!!! We got some food and lots of drinks and hung out at the bar on the pier for a few hours. I somewhat remember calling my mom and Cara for any ideas as to where we could stay...but the whole holiday weekend situation was not in our favor!

After the bar we decided to walk around more and see Santa Barbara. There were a few hotels that told us to call back after 5pm, so we had the entire day to backpack around the little town and explore. The first thing that caught my eye (which was already all blurry from the giant frozen alcoholic drinks) was a sign for wine tasting...so we stumbled over and checked it out. The little winery was great! For $10 we got 16 tastings which included every wine they produced. It really did not compare to Ponte...our favorite winery in San Diego...Where you get in free as military and can drink the entire day away!!! But, given our "homeless" situation at the time, it made us both very happy! The wine was really good, some of the best I have ever had! Many of them were very sweet, but they were sweetened with fruit and honey so that they were not just full of sugar. They also had crazy shaped wine bottles, which I would have saved forever! However...since it was just us and our backpacks, we had no room to take any bottles home with us :( However, the name of the winery is the Giessinger Winery, and I found a picture of some of their bottles on the internet:
After our wine buzz wore off, we headed back down to the beach to sit and wait for one of the hotels to call us. We found a coll little skate park and watched the kids skateboard for an hour or so, and then walked on the beach and took a few pictures:

As the sun began to set, we started getting a little worried. We had no place to stay, and it was getting dark! So, I got out our little map and just started going down the list calling hotels. God must have been watching out for us because the second hotel I called was the Best Western right on the water, and they had a big military discount! We almost ran down to the hotel and finally booked our room. It was so nice to be able to set down our backpacks, and head out on the town to do what we do best...eat and drink!!!
We found a really cute little pub and ate and had a few more drinks, and then headed back to our room. By this time we were so tired, and had to get back on the train so Matt could get back and stand duty at 12pm the next day. The hotel was really nice, and we had a great night!

At 5am, we grabbed our backpacks and headed back down toward the train. The sun was just coming up as we headed back toward home, and some of the views were just spectacular!

Our adventure didn't end with getting on the train...of course! There was a train accident on the track, and we were delayed a few hours. Of course Matt was not happy because he had to be there to stand duty...but we made it back to Oceanside just in time and he grabbed his camis and headed off to base. I ended up meeting Erin and John and the gang for lunch in PB.....and yes, more drinking!!! Then I got back home and passed out for the rest of the night. We definitely had a fun and adventurous trip, and looked forward to going back!!!

Our second trip to Santa Barbara was right before Matt left, and we decided to rent a Harley and drive up this time. So, we set out with me on the back hanging on for dear life (but I trusted Matt to drive me safely around) and we were off again!!!


A few hours later, and with my butt and back throbbing in pain, we arrived back in our favorite place! We did our research this time, and booked a hotel ahead of time. It was nice to pull right up and check in, and rest for a few hours . We then headed up into the mountains with the bike and started the really fun part of our trip. We ended up on these one lane roads way up in the mountains, and it was absolutely beautiful! Haha...every time we stopped to look at the view I convinced myself that Matt was going to propose...so although I was a little disappointed when he didn't, I did enjoy each and every moment with him! Matt was really excited because some of his favorite times were spent on a bike in the blue ridge mountains with his friends. He always talked about how beautiful that was, and how amazing it is to ride a bike through the mountains...although I am sure he thought the blue ridge mountains were more beautiful...I got an idea of what he meant from our time up in the Santa Barbara mountains. It was truly something that I will cherish and remember for the rest of my life! Here are a few pics from the top of the mountain:


I am literally thinking "why haven't you proposed yet??? When is it going to happen??" at this very moment ;) I am sure it didn't help that that morning I was a little but frustrated with the whole proposal situation, and when he asked me if I liked the girl's ring who was working at the counter I said "NO!" in a not so nice voice...and then really hurt his feelings because he thought my ring that he had already bought looked exactly like it...Oops!!! I really didn't even see her ring, I was just frustrated because I didn't have a ring yet...haha! And just so everyone knows, I wasn't upset because I just wanted to get engaged...I was getting frustrated because I loved Matt with all of my heart, and knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. Our engagement the next weekend was actually perfect, and a HUGE surprise!!! So he did a great job :)


The trip back from Santa Barbara was just beautiful and we stopped once to just hang out and take pictures on the side of the road, and it was beautiful! We then headed home and half froze on the bike! But it was wonderful to just be on the back with my arms around Matt for hours at a time, and know that I would be hanging on to him forever! It really showed me that I truly trusted Matt because before that point, I would never get on a bike with anyone! Even though there were a few stressful moments , we worked together , supported each other, and had fun along the way! I will leave you all with some of the pics that we took on the way back,...I thought it was just beautiful, and a perfect ending to another amazing Santa Barbara Adventure!!!

The USO Center at Norfolk Naval Base

I spent my first full week volunteering at the USO center on the Norfolk Navy base. I have been looking forward to spending time at the USO ever since Matt deployed and was able to benefit from the USO that is set up on the Air Force base they deploy from. I have a very big heart for helping families, and now that I know some of what it is like to deal with the strains of a military lifestyle, I especially have a heart for military families.

The USO is an organization that provides support to every branch of the military, and has centers on military bases and military air terminals throughout the world. They provide support by offering a home-like environment in their centers complete with comfy furniture, tv's and lots of food, and also provide any other support the military members and their families may need. They also sponsor entertainment and music concerts for military members overseas.

I am in charge of the United Through Reading program at our center, and it is the most amazing program to help parents connect with their children even when they are deployed. The program provides military members who are deployed or are deploying with the opportunity to record a dvd of themselves reading a book to their children, or saying whatever they want to say. We actually have a room set up that is private and away from everyone else where they can pick a book and say anything they want to their children and family back at home. Families get the dvd and the book in the mail, and can watch it as many times as they want.



This is an amazing program, and it touches my heart every time someone comes in and is so excited to have the opportunity to stay connected with their kids and families. I set everything up for them, and then leave the room as quickly as possible. I actually leave the area as quick as I can because if I hear people start to talk to their kids I immediately just start crying! It just means the world to me that people are so concerned with staying connected to their kids and families, and it breaks my heart at the same time to think about what it is like for families with children to deal with deployments. I know that for many spouses and other family members, these videos mean more to them than they do to the children. There is something very comforting in being able to see your loved one there on the screen and hear there voice...especially when they are away for so long.



I feel so lucky to be able to share my time with everyone at our USO center, and feel especially blessed to have gotten to know Ann Morris, the director of the center. She has an amazing heart and has dedicated her life to serving the military in every way she can. She is an inspiration to me, and I know that I will learn a lot from her and her amazing life as a military mom.

Volunteering my time at the USO really makes me feel close to Matt, and I figure it is the best way I can help him from thousands of miles away, and give back to all of our military families who are all making sacrifices that the rest of the world can't even comprehend in order to protect our country, and our freedom!

Thursday at the USO was filled with lots of smiles and tears. The regional director for United Through Reading came in to see the progress with our reading room, and I was able to sit down with her and Ann and hear a little bit about their personal stories. We all ended up in tears as both women described their experiences with the USO while they were relocating, and dealing with deployments. Through the tears they described the USO as a word that meant safety and home to their children, and a place that offered them hope when they were struggling. It touched my heart to know that the USO truly makes a difference in people's lives, and that I can somehow contribute to their mission to provide above and beyond what anyone in the military could possibly need...until they all come home.

I know that God has provided me with the opportunity to share my time with the USO and everyone who comes into our center, and that even before I was born He made me with a heart that will always have enough love to spread to those in need, and cry out for those who are in need. I will cherish my time at the USO with Ann and all of our wonderful military men and women, and just ask that God let me continue to serve in this way when I have to go back to San Diego in a few months.

I wanted to leave everyone with the USO website and the link to donate...no matter what your views are about the military, they still need your help, and are sacrificing their lives to protect you and your family.

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