Ultimately Santa Barbara

Come the end of January, I am typically sick of winter. This year the weather has been so unseasonably mild that it still feels like we are waiting for winter to come. While I certainly enjoy temperate climes, the changes are troublesome for sure! Apparently Myrtle Beach has had more snow than Salt Lake this year.  

While much of the country was getting slammed with a mega snowstorm at the end of January, I hopped in a car with Brooklyn, Talia, and my father so that we could drive to sunny Santa Barbara, California. On the way down we stopped in St. George and spent a night with our friends, the Richins. Thank you Rachel and Brian! And thanks to my Dad for both joining us and allowing us to drive Raven.

The purpose of our adventure? Beach! 

Just kidding. Brooklyn and Talia had an Ultimate Frisbee tournament at the University of California Santa Barbara. But I am rubbish at photographing sports and like nature pics, so beach photos it is! Plus, next to spending time with family, the ocean was my favorite part.

Glad I could both be with my daughters and be a daughter. Thanks for joining us, Papa Kay!

This section of sand was open to off-leash dogs. Zion would have loved it!

I couldn't love these fun girls any more. The water was chilly, but Talia got right in! Brooklyn followed suit the next day, despite the burst eardrum that was still healing.

The golden hour. Between mountains and the ocean, Southern California really has some great things going for it. Too bad the housing market has noticed.

How did we ever survive without this beauty for 18 months? I can't even describe how joyful it feels to have her home!

Papa Kay, I'm gonna feel sad when Talia takes off for 18 months as well.  You'll have to keep me grounded.  Thanks for being my Dad!

I kept this cool rock. This is the kind of game controller that I like best.

The drive to California felt long, but the salt spray in my face and waves lapping at my toes made it all worth it.

That evening BYU Chi played several tournament games on the beautiful UCSB campus. Actually, I guess they technically are just "Chi" now since BYU sent the team a "cease and desist" for using the university name when they are not officially recognized. Plbbbb. As if being a collegiate athlete isn't hard enough! I guess these girls are all players who just happen to be from BYU, practicing super early mornings and traveling around the country to compete, all while juggling classes and paying for tourneys out of pocket. Whether officially sanctioned or not, in my opinion they represent BYU well and the school should be proud.

As a returning player who just came back this winter season, Brooklyn has one of the older jerseys. Way to represent, Buttermilk!

Also, I have to admit that I kind of fell in love with the Santa Barbara campus. Not only was it beautiful, but the library was so busy with students socializing and studying on a Friday night. Nerd paradise. Plus, it was extremely bike-friendly, with designated paths all around campus.

Brooklyn and Talia stayed with team in an Extended Stay America where they crammed a few two many girls into each room in an effort to make the tournament a little bit more affordable. Right across the street from their hotel was the busiest  In-and-Out Burger joint that I have ever seen. The drive thru line snaked all the way onto the street the entire time we were there!

Meanwhile, I found a small AirBnB for my Dad and I to share. Annika sure would have had a song to sing about they Tesla cybertruck parked in the driveway. Just for posterity, here are the lyrics that we hear every time we pass one on the road:

There once was a truck with an ugly frame,
Its angles sharp and it looked so lame,
The people wondered who's to blame, 
It's the man who goes to Mars!

All hail the Cybertruck,
It's a brick on wheels and it frankly sucks!
All hail the Cybertruck,

It's the dumbest thing on wheels.

Just to be clear, we are all about low carbon emission vehicles. Teslas just plummeted in our esteem when Elon Musk aligned himself with Trump.

Back to California, our AirBnB worked out just fine for a couple days, with the best part being its proximity to the beach. On Saturday morning I set out for a long run before joining the girls on the frisbee fields.

Some people love the energy of crowds sunbathing, but my heart finds solace in solitude. I saw fewer than a dozen people during this eight mile run, which was absolutely perfect,

The birds made fine company.

Back to the tourney, here are a few more photos from warm-ups and beyond. Chi had a super difficult line-up and didn't win many (any?) games. Even so, with each game they improved and played much more cohesively. They are a young team that will certainly get better over the next years as their players become more experienced. I'm proud of them all! It takes grit to get out there and win, but even more grit to get out there and play your hardest when you are behind.

Afterward, we celebrated and soaked in the sun with some more beach time. We never explored the sand beyond this Arroyo-Burro beach, mostly because this beach was so beautiful and well-situated that it seemed unnecessary to go anywhere else.

That evening we headed into downtown Santa Barbara for some tasty pho.

Daddy Jason, we thought of you!

Papa Kay liked it too.

A few photos from our walking tour around town.

The Santa Barbara Courthouse was particularly beautiful.

Plus, Papa Kay's smiles made it extra fun.

After much prodding, we finally talked Papa Kay into posing like the Greek God he is.

California Dreamin! It was a quick trip where we spent about as much time in transit as we did at our destination. Still, I am SO glad that I was able to go and be with these brilliant daughters. It's a privilege to be their Mom. As much as I enjoy soaking up the sun, soaking up moments with them brightens my life even more. The world has hard things happening, but the creativity and kindness of these dazzling women brings so much hope. Talia and Brooklyn, we love you!