Rolling with the Waves

Sharing our last three months of traveling, growth and learning to roll with the waves

Hi everyone! Time really does fly (especially when you are having fun). We left off a few months ago sharing about our trip back to Carpinteria, CA and this weekend we are preparing for another move, this time 11 miles up the coast to... Santa Barbara! The past few months have felt very normal and familiar in the sense that Carpinteria was not a new destination for us when we came back at the end of January. We already knew the restaurants we liked, our favorite spot on the beach, and our weekend routines. Our move could not have come at a better time, as we both have been feeling like we've been in the same place for a little *too* long. We say that while also knowing that Carpinteria is such a special place to us - Tyler and I love this little beach town and will miss the quiet, quaint familiarity of it.

One of the things that attracted us to travel therapy in the beginning was being able to have new adventures and experiences. While we have spent a good amount of time in Santa Barbara on the weekends, we never felt like we fully experienced all that the city had to offer, since we did not actually live there. We are so excited to have the chance to live close to the heart of Santa Barbara and explore a new area together.

So, how did we get here?

Waves, experiences, trials and disappointments are all part of our human experience that hopefully lead to growth, learning and preparation for the next wave of similar situations that slowly rise up. My original contract in Santa Barbara was supposed to end on April 28th. I had agreed to extend the contract through August and was waiting for the official addendum. One afternoon at work I was completing documentation when my director told me that the facility would most likely have a permanent SLP coming in June, and that would mean June would be my last month at work. Now - this is where growth from previous experience comes in. I was as calm as a cucumber (it's almost hard to believe - am I turning into Mr. Tyler Wright?) during the entire conversation. Not a *single* tear was shed in response to this disappointing news. God has used this entire journey thus far to teach me to ride with the waves. There will always be ups and downs in this life, but our constant anchor to these changing tides is Him.

Long story short, over the couple of weeks I found another potential SLP position to allow us to stay in the Santa Barbara area. We also secured housing in Santa Barbara at a great rate. We were going to have to move either way, as our current housing doubles in rent for the summer months and our apartment was already booked with Polo Players who come to the area for the summer season. I did not end up taking the new SLP position though, as it turns out that the potential permanent SLP at my current position fell through - this meant I was able to extend my contract through the end of August after all :)

What we've been up to since February

In February we had the best time watching the Chiefs win the Super Bowl! We wish we had been in Kansas City to celebrate. We spent our weekends playing pickle ball, visited the Santa Barbara Zoo, spent time at the beach with Lucy and frequented our favorite Santa Barbara spots. We had some chilly California winter days - all of my patients have talked about how this winter was very unusually cold for the area. We did enjoy being able to see snow capped mountains from our apartment though!

In March we had our first trip of this contract planned to San Diego. Tyler had been before but it was my first time. While it was a short and sweet weekend trip, we tried to pack in as much as we could. We highly recommend the Trolley Tour for seeing all of the major tourist spots in a fun and economical way. This was definitely a highlight of the trip. We hope to go back and visit the San Diego Zoo and spend more time in the La Jolla area. Tyler's parents were able to come and visit us during their spring break in March as well! We always love spending time with them and being able to share our favorite places with them.

In April the weather finally began to warm up some and we got glimpses of sunny skies back. The flowers started to bloom and there was just so much beauty everywhere we looked. Carpinteria is especially beautiful with the green mountain range outlining the city on the East and the blue ocean representing the border of the country to the West. We really enjoyed long walks on the boardwalk and through neighborhoods admiring all of the unique plants and vibrant colors.

Our second trip of this contract was a bucket-list kind of destination. We began by driving down to Malibu, Newport Beach and stopped in Long Beach where we stayed the evening. The next morning we rode a catamaran to Catalina Island. Catalina Island is 22 miles off the coast of southern California. It is comprised of the incorporated city of Avalon and the village of Two Harbors. Avalon is a popular tourist destination as it looks like an actual postcard and is known for being the "Capri of California." If you are like us and want to visit Italy one day, this is an incredible destination that will give you a similar aesthetically pleasing feel at a much more affordable price. Avalon met every single one of our expectations. The views were simply unreal and it felt like we were living in a movie set. We spent our day and a half there exploring the island via a golf cart rental, shopping, eating delicious food by the water, and enjoying the views from our hotel rooftop. We highly recommend this destination for couples and hope we get to go back some day!

April also brought one of my dearest friends, Amanda, here to visit with her husband Adam. We celebrated their "babymoon" together and loved hopping around Carp, Summerland, Montecito and Santa Barbara with them. One of the highlights of their visit was going to the Miramar (a gorgeous fancy resort on the water in Montecito) together to share cocktails and mocktails. We also had our first celebrity run-in with them. We *casually* passed Ellen DeGeneres on the street while exploring Summerland! I was definitely not as cool as a cucumber here - Ellen started speeding away in her Porsche as Amanda and I recognized it was actually her and began walking towards her car, hoping to get a picture.

Our last two weekends in April were spent soaking in all of the things we love about Carp. Watching Lucy get the zoomies on the beach, sitting on the patio of our favorite coffee shop, eating breakfast on the weekends at our tried and true spots and catching sunsets on the water.

Our Carp chapter will close this weekend and our Santa Barbara chapter will begin. We are so thankful God opened doors for us here in Carp and allowed us to experience a beautiful place we would not had known about otherwise. Our spirits are stirring for a change and we look forward to exploring a different area, being closer to a vibrant city and establishing new daily and weekend routines for our little family.

Thank you for rolling through the waves with us :)

Love,

The Wandering Wrights