We ♥ Baby!

Later on, I’ll get to tell my child that s/he has been to California, even it if was just in utero. I went over the holiday weekend with a couple of dear friends, one of whom is considering moving there.

We took five days to drive about the Central California region, with stops in a number of towns and ultimately Santa Barbara. While the weather wasn’t all we had hoped for (too cool for bikinis on the beach), it was a gorgeous, relaxing trip.

Being someone who’s traveled quite a bit, it was a strange experience traveling without Dan while pregnant. Luckily I had two patient, understanding travel buddies. The morning I left I had the most difficult time peeling myself away from home and Dan. This is really unusual for me! I have taken a handful of trips with friends (sans mon amour) over the years and had no trouble leaving. In fact, I looked forward to the time away. I also tend to think of myself as a relatively confident, independent woman. However, as I was leaving, every cell in my body was screaming at me to stay put. I had to fight the deepest urge to just forget the whole thing and climb back into my warm, safe bed with Dan. What I was feeling had nothing to do with my intellect. I knew I would be safe and with friends the whole time. The only thing that I can surmise is that it was something on a very deep, primal level of my being that did not want me leaving the safety of my home and protector. This was quite a humbling experience as I’m not at all one who normally feels she needs a protector! A supportive, loving partner, yes, but a protector? HA! Well, I was teary and fighting the urge to turn back the whole way to my friends’ house and I was teary throughout the flight. It was only once we landed, successfully rented the car and were on our way that I began to feel more myself again. And after this initial difficulty, I ended up feeling better and having a lovely time! Some might attribute the feelings I had to hormones; whatever it was, it was a powerful force!

We started off staying in Pismo Beach and using this as a base to explore San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, Paso Robles and some wineries in the region. We found great places to eat, walked on beautiful beaches and took our time driving though the beautiful countryside. I got permission to have some sips of wine while visiting wineries and boy did I enjoy it after no drinking for three months!

It turned out that my pregnancy wasn’t much of an imposition on my travel partners. They seemed to have bladders more like mine than the other way around. We all stopped to pee constantly and had snacks available all the time. It was easy to eat regularly and I got a ton of walking in, which is actually considered good exercise while you’re pregnant. (Too bad that’s not the case all the time!)

Part two of the trip involved heading down to Santa Barbara and visiting some beaches and wineries in that region. While Santa Barbara didn’t really do it for me (I mean, who is actually that rich??). I have fallen forever in love with Trader Joe’s and the produce in California. I’ve learned that the strawberries we have here in Colorado pale in comparison to their sweet, juicy varieties. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

In the end, Clare said that despite her loving the area, she was no closer to making a decision about whether or not to move there. Either way, we had a lovely time and I got a peek at just how intense my instincts are about keeping the little Bean safe!

Check out more of my pics here.