So two things going on lately.
1) Our adventure to Santa Barbara to see Isabella and David yesterday (Saturday).
2) Zach's new plan to join the Navy, and what that entails (which I don't think I mentioned before?)
So Santa Barbara. I already knew I loved Santa Barbara. I had only really spent time in downtown Santa Barbara, which was already on my list of top 5 favorite places in the world. And yes, I keep track of things like that. So anyways, this time we went about an hour north of downtown Santa Barbara because David works at the air force base up there and lives in Santa Maria. Isabella is out here what seems to be every weekend lately because she will be graduating early to move out here, yet we haven't really visited them much because we've all just been too busy.
First stop was Pismo Beach where we had lunch at Splash Cafe, which is apparently famous for it's clam chowder. I now know why. I've eaten clam chowder literally from the tip of the East coast all the way to Key West. Lets just say I'm a clad chowder aficionado. I always thought Maine clam chowder was unbeatable, and the only place that could get a close second was Cape Cod. Mark the calendars because today I am admitting it.. I was wrong. This was the BEST clam chowder ever. It came in an amazing bread bowl and just had the best flavor I've ever come across. Great way to start the day. Our next treat? Chocolate covered scorpions and crickets. Not bad, but not delicious, and very crunchy. We walked the pier and enjoyed the views before heading to Shell Beach. It has these great rocks right off the coast and is essentially a beach under a cliff. Actually, most of the beaches we went to had a cliff right there, which is why I love Santa Barbara. It is very hilly and mountainous, but its right on the beach. Shell Beach had some great caves and there was a wedding going on at the point of the cliff, which was fun to see. Next was Avila Beach, which is a super cute little town with great shops and food along the beach. We had some amazing Hawaiian Cider or something, which is essentially apple cider, vanilla and chai tea. I didn't think I would like it, but it was essentially a liquid dessert. If you like apple pie, you'll love this. Last stop on the tour was San Luis Obispo, aka SLO. I read about this town a few months ago and had been wanting to visit. It is voted as the happiest town in America and people mainly get around by bike. We strolled one of the main streets because Isabella and David were looking for engagement rings. (And Zach and I are too... see section on the navy deal..) We went into a few shops but didn't find anything. The best part was probably the gum alley. This was another thing I'd heard about previously, but I didn't plan on getting to see it. It was disgusting on every level. I won't go into detail.. you're welcome.
Finally we got back to David and Isabella's and they made Korean BBQ for us. We had been out to an all you can eat Korean BBQ place with them before and loved it, so we were excited. They made tempura for the appetizer because Isabella knows me way too well so she knows I'm obsessed. It was delish. I forced myself to stop eating it so I wouldn't be too full for the ribs portion, and I'm so glad I did. The ribs were phenomenal. I'm definitely going to be getting the recipe from them.
All in all it was a great day. We were in a beautiful area with friends that we have a great time with, and we had some fantastic food. It doesn't get much better.
2) The Navy. I'll keep this short because this is already a long post since I have been neglecting this little blog. The idea all started with the coast guard and eventually turned into the Navy. I was very apprehensive about it at first (even though I was the one that brought it up in the first place), but it has realllllly grown on me. There are advanced programs that have things that interest Zach, such as the nuclear program. He has been speaking to a recruiter about it, and we've also spoken to our parents and friends who know more about it than we do. So far it seems to be pretty certain that he will be joining. He has taken the ASVAB test and on Wednesday he takes the test to see if he qualifies for the program. He scored high on the nuc portion of the ASVAB, obviously high enough to qualify him for this test, so hopefully he does well on this next test. We went to the library and checked out a bunch of books so he can refresh his memory of physics, chemistry, calculus, etc. We've also been searching all over the internet to find things to help him figure out what to study, so hopefully with all of the stuff we have he will do well. After that will be the security clearance, which was stressful at first because he has some things that look really bad on paper, but my dad and other people we know with the clearance have reassured us that its okay as long as hes truthful, which he has been.
The nuc program was the first thing that caught Zach's attention as a job he would really like, and the more we find out about it the more hopeful we are that he qualifies and ends up placed there. Not only does it pay pretty well because it is in high demand, but its also often stationed in amazing places. One of my life goals is to live in Europe, especially Italy or Greece, so if anything remotely similar to that could happen, I'll die happy. It also gives us a great chance to travel and is the best opportunity we've stumbled across for him. He will now be able to get an education, we'll be able to support ourselves, etc.
All of this means that we will have to get married.. and probably soon. It is the only way we will get treated like a couple and be able to continue living the way we are now. This isn't a problem for us, we knew it was the eventuality, but I don't think either of us planned on doing it this soon. A lot of that probably has to do with finances, which will change once he joins anyways. Anyways, that means that this will be a huge year of change for us. Lots of planning to do, lots of things to figure out, and probably a couple of moves (the schooling for the nuc program is in Charleston, SC, and I may move back to my parents while he is in basic -Great Lakes.)
Very exciting, but also pretty scary and stressful.
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