Santa Barbara

We went back to Santa Barbara yesterday. I wanted to go to the beach, mostly so I could say that I went to the beach in December. His mom was planning on taking the train down for the night but it didn't work with her schedule so instead of her coming just for the day, Flako said he would go up and get her. We stopped at a fruit stand on our way up. Obviously it's winter so there wasn't a huge variety of berries. Since I'm leaving in less than a week, I didn't want to get a lot of fruit that I knew I wouldn't eat. I got just a red pair and it was quite good.

I really like Santa Barbara. It's just absolutely gorgeous, even in the dark. We took our bikes this time and so I got to see a little more of the city. We rode from the beach up to his mom's store.  He made a lot of fun of me because I didn't want to wear my tennis shoes that I brought and I kept my boots on. He had forgotten to call his mom back to say that yes we were coming so we went there to let her know we were there.  We had to wait for her to get off work so we went and got dinner at Chipotle. After learning what real tacos are like, I no longer love Chipotle as much. Still good but not as good.  The best part of dinner was the little girl singing on the street. Her dad played guitar and she sang. She was probably seven years old and was AMAZING! She was also adorable. She really got into it. She didn't sound like a little girl at all. Flako really wanted to video her but they finished and moved on before we got a chance too. After dinner, we rode around a little more. We went by the marina and then to the community college. He had gone there for a little bit several years ago. The campus is right across from the water and just absolutely gorgeous. Just breathtaking even at night when you can't even see the water. His mom called when we were there so we rode back to the car then. While he put the bikes back on, I walked over to the beach and just listened to the waves. They sounded like thunder. I love listening to the ocean. If I had gone to the beach by myself, I probably just would have sat in the sand and watched the ocean for a long time.

We drove to Goleta, where his mom lives. It's not that far from downtown Santa Barbara. She finished packing while we talked to her husband and his mom. It's so funny/weird to hear him be called his real name. It always takes me a moment to realize who they're taking to or about.

Less than a week before I leave...my goal is to pack today and maybe only cry a little bit...