truth be told, i couldn't get out of my old house fast enough, so every night last week was consumed with moving, moving, and more moving. my new home is only a mile or so from my last and yet somehow, worlds apart. being here has lifted a weight even heavier than i realized, and already i find myself nesting. the instinct has lain dormant for some time and there is nothing subtle about it's reappearance. at the moment, i'm pondering window treatments and redoing the bathroom. :)
on saturday morning i was up early (5am!) to head to long beach for my event. despite the early hour, i was excited for this one. i'll post more later when i get the pics uploaded from my other camera, but i found myself on more than one occasion thinking 'this is my JOB?!' in a good way, not in an ''oh no, what did i do?' way.
after the event and clean up were finished, i rushed home, dropped off the rental van, threw a bag together and headed to santa barbara.
the santa barbara trip was semi-spontaneous. not on par with the utah trip, but not too far behind. originally i was going to be heading up next weekend to spend some time with a friend, and finally check the monarch butterfly migration off my list, but when jesse the weatherman called on friday to suggest that the temperature might be more suitable this weekend than next, i decided it was worth a shot.
i was slightly hesitant given the state of both my starting and destination points. you see, we've been on fire, both here (and by 'here' i mean that we had air scrubbers brought into our office building to help minimize the headaches and nausea from the smoke) and there (by 'there' i mean that just past my destination exit, i glimpsed a sign that said 'caution. fire equipment ahead') .
given that being stopped in traffic regularly causes my engine temperature to sky rocket (broken fan) and road closures due to fires, my hesitation came primarily from fear of traffic. but jesse was on standby, checking the traffic and providing me with a clear route--which on a warm and gorgeous day, also happened to be a stunning drive.
i arrived in great time, although too late for butterflies, so instead we went for dinner at what i think is my favorite favorite eatery in the area. i specifically requested beach grill for dinner after having been there once last year. it's a toss up whether it's the phenomenal burger or the spectacular setting that is more appealing. this was the view from our picnic table:
the rest of the night was no less awesome, what with ice cream, followed by hot chocolate, followed by bond. tantamount to perfection, really.
i will say that i prefer casino royale over quantum of solace but that could change with a little bit more sleep.
sunday brought with it more goodness. sleeping in and good food and voyeurism. that's right, voyeurism.
though not quite in peak season, the monarchs were out in droves. it took awhile to adjust my eyes and realize that the leaves i had been looking at were actually completely covered in butterflies. but once i did, i was amazed at how many were there. from time to time some movement would cause some of the monarchs to take flight, and there were a couple truly magical moments. i need to head back in january when the numbers have swelled, and hopefully i have a longer lens!
overall, it was an awesome couple of days. spending time with jesse is in and of itself a highlight, but the weekend was full of them!
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