My Friday Surprise

Brian is usually pretty good at surprising me as long as he doesn't get nervous...then I know he's up to something. But I had no idea what was going on when he woke me up at 9am and said he had a surprise for me and I had to get dressed. I was a little bit confused, probably because I hadn't gotten my eight hours of sleep, but the idea of a surprise woke me up pretty quick! So I took a quick shower and we got dressed, and left around 9:40.

I had a feeling...but as soon as we got off on the Milpas St. exit I knew for sure...we were going to the Zoo! Santa Barbara amazes me. It's a pretty small city, less than 100,000 people, but they have a HUGE zoo with hundreds of different types of animals. We had been once before and since we had moved back I had wanted to go again.






Giant anteater


Well, Brian had another surprise for me. He bought me a Individual Plus pass, a year's membership to the Zoo! I can go any day I want (except Christmas) and take one other person with me. And parking is free. I was so surprised and excited! What I love about the Santa Barbara Zoo is that it's not just a Zoo but it is also a botanical garden showcasing plants from around the world that grow well in Mediterranean climates. There are rolling hills where you can have picnics, ponds, fountains, plants and flowers, koi fish, etc. At the top of the Zoo (it's situated on hills) you can see the ocean. It's a truly beautiful place to spend the day! Now I just need to find more friends to come with me!


Baby Capybaras from the Amazon






So thank you darling for a wonderful day at the Zoo. I can't wait to go back again, and now I know for sure that we will!

P.S. I was going to post pictures of the otters, but...they're indecent. Let's just say the otters were feeling that spring step and enjoying the birds and the bees. And all the ladies gathered around the enclosure could not stop laughing when someone's kid said "Awww they're hugging." Yes, yes they are.

Santa Barbara Fair and Expo

I love fairs. I don't know why but I just think it is so much fun to go down to a fair and see all the products, animals, food, demonstrations, people, etc. So I was super excited for the SB Fair and Expo since it was only a couple of blocks away from where we live. Brian and I got up on Saturday and headed right over!

Of course, my favorite reasons for going to a fair are the animals. So it was off to the petting zoo!


Loving on the little pony.



I was so excited to pet the baby goats...and hmmmm....what is that little black thing in the corner?



OMGZ it's a baby piglet!!!! I almost died it was so CUTE. Brian said I couldn't keep it though. :(



But I felt a little better when I got to pet Thumper the rabbit. I am so naming my rabbit that...when I convince Brian to let me get a Netherland dwarf or a Holland Lop.


We saw lots of other animals in the barns as well, animals that were being or had been shown. There were goats, sheep, cows, pigs, turkeys, roosters, hens, ducks, etc. You name it they had it. I always forget how big cows are when I get to see them up close. We also saw alpacas and got to watch a lady spinning alpaca fur. Very interesting! Maybe I want one of those too!


One thing I'm absolutely sure I don't want on my future farm...a big fat pig.


I did like her babies though. It was lots of fun and I am so glad we got a chance to get out of the house and go eat some yummy food and celebrate Santa Barbara !

Musings

Brian has been begging me to update my blog, but there honestly isn't a whole lot to report. Still no job for me, though I've had seven interviews now. I'm hoping that that is a good sign and something will come up soon, otherwise we have to pray that we can make it through the summer up here until Brian gets a TA ship. Of course, I might go back to being a nanny. Who knows.

Here's a little bit of what we have been up to:

Earth Day in Santa Barbara. I thought it was lots of fun and very cool but Brian was a little put off by the hairy feminist women walking around. There was also a man dressed entirely in plastic bags. He looked like a Yeti. That was funny though. Here I am under the spider; no, I was not afraid.


Our friends took us out for Brian's birthday which was fun. Then they turned it into a engagement celebration for us haha. We had a good time.







Brian is having some problems with his exams...again. I won't go into too many details but the hope of being finished on June 10 is looking less likely than before. None of this is his fault, just circumstances that we cannot control. Here's to hoping all things turn out for the best.


Wedding planning is coming along at a slow but steady pace. It's frustrating because everything seems to take a week or two...people just do not return calls or emails anymore I guess. Still, progress is coming. These are what I hope our flowers will look like, or close to it.

Brian and I are very excited about getting married. We hope a condo/house and babies aren't too far along after that. We both want a large family and are looking forward to the challenge. Speaking of which, I came across this very interesting article the other day which I would like to share!

http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/big_families_are_the_new_green1/

Enjoy the read, and God Bless!

Home Sweet Home

Well, Brian and I have been pretty busy these past couple weeks just trying to get everything in order with the apartment. It finally feels about 95% complete! We just want to hang a few more photos or posters up on the wall and that should be it.

Believe it or not I have actually enjoyed cleaning and coming home to a nice apartment that shines and sparkles and smells like clean laundry and febreeze. I assume I will like it even more when I finally get a job...which hasn't been going so well. I've had three interviews in 2 weeks, but no calls back. Hopefully I will keep getting interviews though. Otherwise I have to go back to being a nanny. And for the right family that would be fine, but those seem hard to find.

Today is Brian's birthday. He is playing the Halo 3 ODST game I got him in the other room. We are just stuffed from dinner. He requested filet mignon, garlic green beans, and scalloped potatoes. For dessert we had (reduced fat) cinnamon rolls.

So far living in Santa Barbara has been great. It is so beautiful up here and the weather is very mild, which I like. It doesn't get as hot up here as it does back in L.A. or the OC. The only bad thing so far, is with the increased amount of trees, grass, and plants here, my allergies are killing me. I'm actually sick right now. Not sure if it is from the allergies or if I caught a cold, but it definitely stinks. The last thing I wanna give Brian for his birthday is a cold!

I wish I had some pictures to show you...I've been really bad about taking photos lately. I used to take pictures of all the meals I cooked and send them to my mom and dad so they could see my cooking progress. Now I guess cooking has become so normal to me that I no longer take pictures haha. Maybe if I feel better tomorrow I can get out and take some pictures.

This weekend in Santa Barbara is Founding Day, the Wine Festival, and Earth Weekend. So, if I feel up to it, we should have plenty to do!

Happy Easter!

Jesus has risen! It is a joyous day that I hope, between eating lots of food and hunting for eggs, every one remembers.

We had a beautiful celebration at Our Lady of Refuge, where will be married, then had brunch with Brian's family. We just finished our Easter egg hunt, which we all play in the backyard, even the adults, because Brian's mom hides money in some of the eggs. So it's fun for everyone!

Around 5 we will begin packing my car with the remaining things we need for Santa Barbara. We bought a microwave, two bar stools, a laundry hamper, and who knows what else. When we get to my house we will have dinner with my family, and then load up whatever I need to take up (my clothes mostly).

I hope everyone is having an excellent Easter and enjoying family and friends and lots of love!