Whales?? Where?!?!?!?!?! and DEREK?!?!?! In CALI?!?!?

So I didn't have anything to do on Wednesday and wanted to get out on the water so I decided....to go WHALE WATCHING!! I went out on a 3 hour tour through a company called Island Packers that left out of  Ventura, CA. It was a nice 40 minute drive down the coast to the Ventura Harbor! It was a pretty but cool afternoon so I thankfully grabbed a sweatshirt and some sweatpants out of my suitcase before I headed onto the boat. Dramamine...I didnt grab...hmmmm could have been a bad idea but...NO MOTION SICKNESS!!! Thank goodness! Unfortunately not EVERYONE on the tour was as lucky as I was!! On the ride back I decided to sit outside and bare the wet and cold to avoid having to listen and smell vomit...best decision of the trip probably!

Watching the map...

Getting excited!

First marine animals...SEA LIONS!! 

Pretty coastline

We saw HUNDREDS of dolphins!!!

They just chilled next to the boat forever it was so cool!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKjPp10Xy2A

I posted a video from the boat but um...well I fail at embedding so....CLICK ^^^ that link! :o]

Such beautiful animals!

So I did see a Grey Whale but unfortunately it was REALLLY far away and I failed at having a nice camera like my mother to be able to capture such far away objects. Being the clever girl I am and since I wanted to share my animal friends with the like 4 people reading my blog I zoomed in for you!! So sweet of me...I KNOW! :o]

And another picture zoomed in of the Grey Whale tail!! 

These Sea Lions were just chillin' sunning themselves in front of the oil rig...they are so cute!

On the way back it was REALLY WET and windy!

Starting to get cloudy and colder but still absolutely beautiful!

Today I got the opportunity to meet up with some unexpected people on this trip. My brother Derek and a group of his friends from Arizona were all getting together his weekend down in California and happened to be coming into Santa Barbara to see an old friend when i was going to still be in town so...being the ANNOYING little sister I am...I had to invite myself along! :o] We went out to lunch and caught up and played in Lindsey's yard enjoying the sun! 

Wes checking out my car making sure the Jett Jett was ready to hit the road again!

Derek eating an orange off Lindsey's tree and Lindsey holding a GIANT lemon off her tree! So jealous!! Unfortunately Seattle temperatures aren't conducive for lemon/orange trees! :o[ 

So excited I get to move back and be close to this CRAZY guy again! I love my brother!! 

Lindsey and her gorgeous yard!

Decided to head up to see the San Diego Mission

Very pretty

Aislinn and Peter took me on a tour of UCSB aka where Peter goes to school!

Such a GORGEOUS campus!!! 

Off to Sacramento,CA tomorrow then Ashland, OR on Saturday and then HOOOOOOOME on Sunday!!! Its been a LONG month and I think I am definitely ready to be home again! I don't want to leave Aislinn and Peter tho!!! At least I get to see Ais in July for her BACHELORETTE party!! (Watch out Seattle or WHEREVER we end up that night) Can't wait for their wedding in September either! :o] 

Mmmmmmmmm FROZEN YOGURT!!!

Woke up and went exploring Santa Barbara a bit. I went down to the Goleta Beach that is only about 5 minutes from Aislinn and Peter's house! It was really pretty and I got to just chill and relax and read my book out on the pier watching people fish. 

Looking down the pier!

Birdies!

Pretty shore!

LOTS and LOTS of bird poop!:o[

Aislinn and Peter out at a really good pizza/italian restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm FROZEN YOGURT!!!!

Self serve and unlimited toppings = win!

Vanilla/cake batter/chocolate frozen yogurt + mango/strawberries/pineapple/gummy bears/fruity pebbles = WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Aislinn enjoying her FROYO! :o]

Off to go play!!! :o]

Adventuring my way through California!!!

So I woke up Monday morning to absolutely beautiful weather and headed out the door!!! 

Love that blue sky!

My first stop was Laguna Beach to explore!

It was so beautiful!!! I wouldn't mind becoming a millionaire and moving there...just saying! :o]

Pretty ocean views

Palm trees everywhere!

Yoga class in the park next to the beach = JEALOUS!!!

So Brett used to live in Laguna so of course I had to send him a picture message from the beach. He called me quite jealous and told me to go see the house that he was living at when he was down there so since I had plenty of time to kill I went to see it!

He told me about the beach that he always used to go to which was right across the street from his house and it was called 1000 steps beach. VERY steep!!! I decided it was in my best interest to NOT go down so I wouldn't be stranded at the bottom! 

Brett also told me if I looked up the hill next to his house I would see Lauren Conrad's parents house from the MTV show Laguna Beach and the Hills so OF COURSE I had to take a picture!!! It is the house with the two palm trees which if you watched the second season of Laguna Beach you saw them being put in when the house was being built! Obviously spent too much time watching that show.... 

Then I moved on to Newport Beach

I walked around on the beach and watched the surfers...

BRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT SUN!!!

Sooooo pretty!!!

And I OF COURSE wrote in the sand...

Then I moved on to Huntington Beach and sat around watching the surfers until it was time to go meet up with my cousin in Corona. 

I hadn't seen my cousin, Cory, since I was like 3 or 4 so I was absolutely ecstatic that it worked up to meet up with him and his beautiful woman, Mary. We went and go sushi, got Pinkberry (which according to Mary is "happy juice" - I would have to agree!!), walked around the shops, caught up on each others lives and just genuinely enjoyed each others company! We hung out for about 3 hours before we decided to part ways with the promise that it wouldn't be another 20 or so years before we saw each other again! 

Mary and myself

Cory and Mary <3

Cory's AMAZING car! The airbrushing work that he does is absolutely astonishing! He is so talented and so humble! He really is an artistic inspiration to me - a true example of hard work and perfection paying off in a big way!! 

Pretty skies on the drive from Corona to Santa Barbara!

I am now staying with Aislinn and Peter in Santa Barbara and am off to enjoy all that the city has to offer!! :o]