Santa Barbara Celebrations

 Life is...

...better with friends.

Hi Kids!

How are you?  Are you staying dry?  Cool? Both seem to be a challenge this summer, depending on the locale.

Well, we learned our lesson:  Don't save up the adventures for one massive posting. 

Thus, we submit for your approval a celebratory weekend adventure with Beth and Geoff.

Please enjoy,

Andi and Darrell

Santa Barbara Celebrations

Beth and Geoff invited us on their Santa Barbara getaway to celebrate Beth's 65th birthday (Go Beth Go!) and their 40th wedding anniversary (Go Honeymooners Go!).  We had a great time talking about favorite birthdays and also their wedding stories and what it means to be married.  

 

We feel so fortunate to have friends of longstanding; we became friends when they had been married for just three years.  In fact, we met a mere month after Darrell and I had a wedding of our own.  So we're proud to say that we've seen much of their 40-year history.  It's been an inspiration to watch them navigate life's challenges so smoothly, and to see their esteem and loyalty for each other. Plus, they are cute.

Although it was only a long weekend away (Friday through Monday), we fit fun in all the way to the brim and around the edges.  Santa Barbara is part of our history, but we saw and did new things this trip.  Specifically:

• The Harbor View Hotel
• The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (Museums of this type always increase our sense of connection to the place in time [history] and space [geography]).  And they had a live butterfly exhibit!)
• Arroyo Burro Beach, with tide pools
• About 1,000 really good meals (in four days!), all new to us, all in beautiful places.
  

 Here's the link to the video of all the fun:

 Santa Barbara Celebrations Video

 

And here's to another trip around the earth for each of us...alone for our birthdays, with our partners for our anniversaries, and together...as one big team.

Cheers, Friends!

(Photo credits:  Beth and Geoff took some of the pictures.  Probably the good ones.)

Today's Blooms

 

(Agapanthus africanus outside our hotel.  Which girl is having fun with the "portrait" setting on her iPhone camera?  This girl.)