Some After Vacation Thoughts

There must be something in the air in California. When I go there I feel at home. It is where I want to be. I see myself living there long term. The main area we visited was Santa Barbara. I love the atmosphere, scenery, being near the ocean, all the bike lanes and the open-mindedness that the locals have. I still need to visit some other major cities and states before really deciding 100% where I'd like to stay long term. Heck, part of me dreams of moving overseas somewhere. For now though we are stuck in Wyoming. It was a bit depressing to come back home after being somewhere we didn't want to leave. Here are a few photos I took around Santa Barbara....


I love the building that this Starbucks was in..

Bike shop in Santa Barbara

After visiting California and dreaming of living in a place like Santa Barbara, it left me feeling like I need to make some changes in my current life. One thing I realized was how stressful my job is and what silliness it is to put myself through it day after day. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. I'm hoping things will calm down and I can stay there the next few years. Things could be worse, but life is too short for nonsense! :) For now I try to put a smile on my face and carry on.


Ponytail because of bad hair day. // After ponytail: Complete craziness!!
After being somewhere with high humidity and having a week full of bad hairs days, I'm sick of dying it. I miss having normal healthy hair. It's been probably ten years since I had "normal" natural hair. I just had my hair cut to "clean it up" a little bit. Also, my hair is apparently wavy when I let it dry on its on. I currently blow dry it and straighten it daily. Frankly it's gotten old and I'm ready to simplify my daily hair routine. Any advise on how to style wavy hair? Help! I am planning to dye my hair a darker blonde so that I can start letting it grow out. I will miss my platinum blonde, but it will simplify my life. That is exactly what I am seeking!


Back to my thoughts on Santa Barbara: I want to live there. How though? We actually straight out asked someone how they afford it. The response we got was, "Move here, then worry about it." The gentleman who told us this also said that he had to run up some credit card debt while he was out of work for a few months. Well since I don't believe in credit cards, that won't work for me. Moving to a place that has a very high cost of living may seem out of reach for us, but I believe if there is a will there is a way. I am perfectly happy with living in an RV, on a houseboat or renting a piece of land for a tiny house on a trailer to sit on! My new slogan is, "Mortgage free is the way to be."


Cute houseboat and tiny house I found for sale on tiny house listings.com!
On a positive note, Cody and I may be able to get out to California with the Air Force. We would be an hour from Santa Barbara, which would be affordable and better then being 1200 miles away from the ocean like we are now. If we are plan things out right and save money, I think our dream of living in California can and WILL come true.

What do you think of California?
I find people either love it or hate it.
I am currently working on getting all of my photos organized from our vacation. I will be sharing our whale watching experience, our trip to the Grand Canyon, cute photos of Muffins and Chloe at the beach and many other things. Stay tuned! You can view all my posts about California by clicking HERE.