I'm a big fan of reboots. Whether you need a rest, or a rush, we all, at some point in our lives, need to breathe and reboot. Birthday trips have been a tradition for me and my daughter, since she was 12. Covid put a damper on 2020 and 2021. And 2022 thus far has been quite the challenge.
When you're dealing with a loved one that is sick, as I am with my husband, knowing that time is limited, you want to spend all the time you can with that person. That being said however, the reality of being a caregiver is so hard! And when someones illness has affected their brain and they are, well let's just say, a lot to handle! It makes it even harder. It's a constant balancing act, caring for him and juggling the rest of my life. So I listen, I listen very closely and I imagine his voice and I know just what he'd say to me. He'd say. "This is fucking bull shit! You're not sick. Don't you dare go down with this ship!" And so, with the help of many angels, a little birthday reboot 2022 went according to plan. Although we didn't binge on baguettes in Paris, pasta in Positano, or grape leaves in Greece, we did go to one of my favorite towns and had a perfect little overnight in Ojai.
My daughter picked the place, Ojai Rancho Inn. Although to a millennial the vibe is country hipster, to me this was a complete throw back to summer vacations when I was a kid and the kind of cabins in New Hampshire my parents always took us to.
We loved this place and would definitely stay here again. We rode bikes on the path behind beautiful Libby Park, ate our way through town as usual at some old favorites and discovered some new ones. We window shopped, found a great new crystal store. And we were supposed to take a pottery class but that plan went astray. Other activities included hamocking, lounging, blabbing, and pudding on the patio (that's a nod to my Mom).
We stopped at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market on the way home. One of the stands was giving samples, the farmer held out a spoon with their farms homemade nut butter. Maple Almond. I tasted it. I fainted. Bought a jar. Took it to the office on Monday. Ate the entire jar. With a Spoon. The entire jar! I think it's crack. Send help.
Finished off the weekend on Sunday with an amazing spring equinox sound bath.
I'll list links with the pictures below. I'm not affiliated with any of them, just sharing fun stuff if you ever find yourself lucky enough to be in magical Ojai CA for a weekend.
The Dutchess was a new discovery that was recommend by a friend. Part bakery, part wine bar. It seems to be a trend. They had gluten free treats, so naturally we had to have them all. Love this place.
Eating one of my favorite things, lemon olive oil cake :)
For bike riding, you can rent bikes at
The Mob Shop The ranch offers free bikes but they were too big for us lol.
Lunch in Santa Barbara at
MizzaThis pizza was OMG!
Around town in Ojai
Getting in our steps around town.
Sunday's sound bath by Pamela Robins. You can find her on instagram @Meditatingwithanimals. If you have never experienced a sound bath I highly recommend it! And when you can do it outside lying on the earth, it's even better. It was total bliss. And yes, she has a Teepee!
Spring is in the air, so don't forget to breathe and reboot!
