Beautiful Morro Bay...

A couple of weeks ago we escaped to Morro Bay. Just the four of us. Sigh. As in, I want to go back. It was glorious. No interruptions, no agenda, nowhere to be...just our little family, together amongst some of the most tranquil, serene beauty God's green earth has to offer. It isn't Morro Bay that gets me. It's the beach town feel, the fresh, cool air, the nice people, the sand in your toes, the sound of the ocean, and just the overall feeling of being surrounded by pure amazingness. Someday we WILL live in a beach town. It's a dream of mine. One I hope will someday come true. And I've gotta say...the older I get, the more I want to be in a quaint little town. Our trip went something like this...

Day 1: We drove to Morro Bay, via the ocean view route. I could drive on that highway forever as long as I could stare at the ocean. We went to the beach immediately upon arrival and frolicked in the sand. I could have stayed there all night and spent our entire trip right there on that beach. But, we had to eat dinner. We checked into our hotel and walked down the Embarcadero to an Italian restaurant which wasn't very good, but we still had a pleasant dinner together. Note** if you ever stay in Morro Bay, I wouldn't recommend Distasio's. We spent the rest of the evening in our hotel room reading books and giggling in bed together.

Day 2: We drove to the Cambria and San Simeon area which is by far one of the most tranquil places to sit and overlook the ocean. Simply breathtaking. We were going to check out Hearst Castle but decided not to because Luke was sleeping and we didn't realize you have to take a shuttle bus 5 miles up the road to get to the castle. Sleeping baby + 5 mile shuttle ride + no stroller = no thank you. Maybe next time. Instead, we went to see the elephant seals camped out on the beach. There were tons of them and they are actually very funny to watch. They make loud, funny noises to communicate with one another and even better than that, they flick sand on themselves to keep cool. Kenz got a kick out of watching them and thought they were very funny. From there we went to W.R. Hearst Memorial State Beach, where we walked along the pier and then played below it in the sand. The kids had a great time rolling around in the sand and didn't want to leave. Our next stop was Cambria. I love this little town. We had a delicious lunch at a Mexican Restaurant followed by some ice cream and a little stroll through the town. We spent the rest of the afternoon driving around finding quaint, beautiful little spots to admire. This seems to be what we do a lot of whenever we visit beach towns. I think it's Bryan and I secretly wishing we could live there! ;)

Day 3: We began our trek back home a little before lunch time and made a few stops in Los Osos, Pismo, and Avila Beach to see what those little towns had to offer. We went on a short one mile hike in Los Osos, through a bird sanctuary. We didn't see a whole lot of birds, but we did see a lot of beautiful scenery. We quickly fell in love with Avila Beach and decided that would likely be our next stay. We took the route through the back country on the way home which was very pretty. Lots of greenery and countryside. It's amazing to think there is such breathtaking views just a few hours from where we live. I always picture tropical places like Hawaii or Bali when I think of a stunning view. And those places are indeed amazing, but it's nice to know there is beauty so close to home too. We made a quick stop in Solvang to check out the Farmer's Market and walk around for a bit, then got back on the road to head home. We arrived home around dinner time and well...you know the rest. Hello, reality.

It really was an amazing little getaway. It was so nice to spend quality time, just the four of us away from our every day life. I hope that as the kids get older, we'll be able to venture out more and take more frequent little trips like this one. Being away with your family like that keeps you grounded and reminds you of what life is truly about. Being together. Being happy. Until next time...