Oh Sweet Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara now holds a special place in my heart. I start this blog with a family picture.


We started out our mini two day vacation with a ride up the coast. We wanted to spend the day walking around Venice Beach, then follow that up with an evening in Santa Monica with a very dear friend for dinner.

Eli loved Venice Beach. He totally and completely missed his afternoon nap. He spent the entire afternoon gawking at everything. He was adorable in his hat and sunglasses (Sunglasses courtesy of his great Auntie Cathy, and the hat is a Goorin hat from the Village Hat Shop in San Diego - Yes that was a plug for work).


We spent the afternoon going from shop to shop, eating gelato, and looking for the perfect pair of sunglasses for Shay. It was a fabulous day spent together as a family. Aside from every other shop being a Pot House, and the scent of Weed having an overwhelming presence in the air, we had a great time.

This is by far one of my favorite pics of the two boys who are the center of my world:


We spent the night at the Courtyard Marriott. I have to say, that I was thoroughly impressed. We had not been in the room 5 minutes, when there was a knock on the door, and it was the night manager bringing us a crib. Eli loved hanging out in the King size bed, and slept wonderfully in his new bed. We spent the morning cuddling, watching Handy Manny, and just having fun.

We spent Sunday in Santa Barbara walking down State street, and shopping. Highlights from the day include:

- Eli losing Soft Sophie in Urban Outfitters and Daddy running the 3 blocks to see if he could find where we lost it. Sophie was sitting on the counter waiting for him.
- Eli was so tired from all of the sightseeing that he passed out mid shopping


-Driving up through the mountains and taking some beautiful pictures.

These are two of my favorite picks taken. I love the one of Shay and Eli in black in white. It was such a perfect picture.


The last picture of the trip is of Eli sitting solo for the very first time. I was so proud of him! He is growing up so fast!


I loved Santa Barbara and the memories that it brought. Shay and I have decided that we DEFINITELY need to get away more often... and not just to Detroit. We need to start making time for our family. This trip proved to us that nothing is as important as the time we get to spend with each other.

Posted by Cortney at 11:20 PM