and... we're back.

our mini-vacation down to santa barbara was lots of fun. lucy didn't care much for the 6-hour car ride, but other than that she was a total vacationing superstar. here's how it all went down:

we filled our bellies with a special v-day pancake breakfast...



celebrated with a bit of L-O-V-E before hitting the road...



and made it to santa barbara in time to dip our toes into the ocean...



play in the sand (kinda gritty when you eat it)...



laugh at the doggies running wild...



and bask in the glow of the setting february sun.



the next day found us at the santa barbara zoo--checking out flamingos, penguins, giraffes, elephants, and lots more. lucy wore her excited face (see photo) for every single animal she saw, until suddenly conking out from all the fun while we walked to visit the lions.










the eco-aspect of this trip? our lovely hosts (my brother nick and his girlfriend jaime), prepared the most delicious taco dinner for us--complete with homemade salsa and shrimp that had just been caught that morning in the santa barbara harbor. nearly every fresh ingredient they used was bought locally--santa barbara residents have the luxury of a farmer's market every day of the week, as well as a fish market that sells fresh, locally caught fish. the shrimp was practically to-die-for: sweet, tender, and with gorgeous, vibrant red markings. a total treat, and a reminder that foods with a low carbon footprint really are tastier, too.