“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…” Ralph Waldo Emerson

By early morning ,the laundry was done,the house was spotless,okay,not exactly spotless but at the very least, clean and picked up, so the boys,Zoey and I, headed out to celebrate the first day of springbreak.What better way to do it then to head to Santa Barbara,a 45 minute drive north,and put that Santa Barbara Family Zoo membership to good use.That family membership,that we have renewed on and off for nearly 20 years,has been one of the best investments we have ever made.Perfect size zoo, with a breathtaking view of the ocean.With a membership you feel as though you can take as much or as little time as you like.No pressure because you know you'll be back in no time.We lunched on a grassy knoll,visited lots of cool animals and Zoey,well her favorite part was the people watching.I swear that child waved,smiled and lunged at,every person,big or little,that passed her by.Not impressed with the animals in the least bit.Did get a slight kick out of the elephant eating but other than that,wasn't doing it for her.And,to top it off,she absolutely HATED the train.Cried the entire ride.Signed "scared" almost non-stop and just was not a fan at all.I think the height of the train and the openness made her feel vulnerable.It's the only thing I can think of because she actually loves fast motion,so her reaction took me aback a little.She definitely lets us know her likes and dislikes .... loud and clear.







Zoey spied these three darling babies while we had our lunch.They were about 10 months old and crawled like no other.Well,Zoey went into her rolling mode and tried,to no avail,to catch them.Felt kind of sorry for my girl.She wanted to play with them so desperately and they were having no part of it.







After the zoo we went across the street to the beach.I didn't bring their swim suites because it actually isn't quite ocean swimming weather yet but that didn't stop the boys.Soaking wet,from head to toe by the time they were finished.And Jake,boy,that child LOVES the ocean.He did not want to leave and kept saying,"Just one more wave.Just one more."I think I will dig out their wetsuits and make a few beach trips part of our springbreak plans next week.As for Miss Zoey,she was in her element just being free and outside.Rolling in the sand makes for an interesting time but hey,I have to let her do her thing the only way she knows how.I just stand in awe and wonder at her tenacity where life is concerned.She really is undaunted and entirely unfazed by most circumstances and just does things in her own unique and beautiful Zoey way.







As we were heading back to the car,both boys,almost simultaneously proclaimed the day to having been, "the best day ever." ...."Ever", might possibly be a stretch but, if through their eyes,that is how they saw it ... then I'll take it.