sharing summer

Last month my hubby and I took a quick trip up the California coast to Santa Barbara with my brother and sister in law.  I had no idea how much we needed the get away until we got away.  Does that make sense?

We'd been planning the trip since the spring and were really looking forward to it and then life happened and we started to think maybe the timing wasn't right for us to go.  There seemed to be so many loose ends at home, I was fighting a cold, the dog had allergies, the money could be spent on plumbing repairs...you know the drill, anything that might keep us from going.

Thankfully we resisted the urge to cancel, packed our bags, gassed up the car and headed north.

Our first stop was the cute little town of Carpenteria. We always stop off at Reyes Market for a burrito, a walk on the beach and hit a couple of our favorite antique stores.

After lunch we got back in the car for the 45 minute drive to Santa Barbara.

We stayed at the Franciscan Inn which is a quick walk from the sand.  My sister in law and I checked in as the guys wanted to hit the links and she and I never lack for things to talk about.  After dropping our bags off in our rooms she and I headed down to the beach with a cup of coffee and our complimentary cookie in hand.

The room we stayed in was actually a little cottage suite complete with tiny rosebud wall paper and a charming wooden headboard.  Surprisingly my hubby loved the room and insists it is the only room we will stay in when we go back.

We did a little hiking, visited the mission, shopped on State Street and ate and ate and ate...

The weather was perfect, the company was entertaining and easy and the food was scrumptious!

We had the. best. time. ever...

It was such an important reminder to us that a marriage needs to be given priority, nurtured and invested in.

We've decided we need to get away at least a couple of times a year even if we think the timing isn't right, the money isn't there or the world will stop spinning if we leave home.  A healthy relationship has a trickle down effect on everything else in your world and is worth whatever the cost to maintain it, but then you already knew that.

xo, Patty