sb part one
My trip to Santa Barbara during my vacation yielded mixed results. I was intentional about going alone in order to spend some time in the Lord, praying that He would manifest His will for my life in some way. That was what I was really excited about and hoping for. But it would seem that God is on a different time table than me. I guess it really is kinda selfish to limit God's magnificence to a specific time and desired location. But its just that I've been finding He's responding to these heartfelt longings with silence. Is it wrong for me to desire His plans at this time in my life? Everyone tells me to patiently wait, and I know thats the best thing to do but...
Outside of that, I had a great time...I kinda have an adventuresome spirit and so, I had a blast exploring the town. My hotel was half a block off of the main downtown street that ran through the SB. It was close to the beach as well. The first night was pouring so bad that there were flash flood warnings...I have pics of boats washed up on shore the following morning(if I ever figure how to get them from my phone to the internet, you'll see them). I did some shopping along State St. There were some interesting shops, a huge Barnes and Nobles, a few old school theatres, a lot of sweet restaurants and bars. There was quite a bit of activity around but not so much because of the weather and the week I went.
The beach was cool but the view from this one cliff was amazing. I could see this one part of the coastline when the sun finally peeked out...it was really sweet. I got some good pics of that but see previous parenthetical comment above. It was so serene...there was a peaceful, easy feeling that invaded my soul and soothed my mind...I imagine living in such a place where calmness and easiness seem to replace busyness and stress...where I can gaze out and allow the crashing waves and the magnificence of the vast ocean to remind me of God's amazing grace and masterful care of my existence...to be swept up in that and not in work or expectations or anything else not worth being entangled in.
I drove around SB about half the time looking for things. I actually "found" Westmont College unintentionally. I had wanted to check it out but really didn't know where it was. I was driving around Montecito when some familiar areas popped up. You know the community is affluent when they call their homes "estates" and have gates and walls up all around. Its such a beautiful school; I always describe it as being on a tiered state park.
I know this sounds pathetic but I enjoyed hanging out in my hotel room. To just relax and have the place to myself was kinda cool. This was really the first time in a hotel that I was able to figure out what channels were what...ordered some room service...watched ESPN 'til 2 in the morning, woke up at 11...stuff like that was good to do...not having a set timetable for anything or having to meet someone or having to be somewhere...it was very freeing.
My favorites part of the trip was definitely the mission. The art museum was...interesting. More on those to come in part 2.
Outside of that, I had a great time...I kinda have an adventuresome spirit and so, I had a blast exploring the town. My hotel was half a block off of the main downtown street that ran through the SB. It was close to the beach as well. The first night was pouring so bad that there were flash flood warnings...I have pics of boats washed up on shore the following morning(if I ever figure how to get them from my phone to the internet, you'll see them). I did some shopping along State St. There were some interesting shops, a huge Barnes and Nobles, a few old school theatres, a lot of sweet restaurants and bars. There was quite a bit of activity around but not so much because of the weather and the week I went.
The beach was cool but the view from this one cliff was amazing. I could see this one part of the coastline when the sun finally peeked out...it was really sweet. I got some good pics of that but see previous parenthetical comment above. It was so serene...there was a peaceful, easy feeling that invaded my soul and soothed my mind...I imagine living in such a place where calmness and easiness seem to replace busyness and stress...where I can gaze out and allow the crashing waves and the magnificence of the vast ocean to remind me of God's amazing grace and masterful care of my existence...to be swept up in that and not in work or expectations or anything else not worth being entangled in.
I drove around SB about half the time looking for things. I actually "found" Westmont College unintentionally. I had wanted to check it out but really didn't know where it was. I was driving around Montecito when some familiar areas popped up. You know the community is affluent when they call their homes "estates" and have gates and walls up all around. Its such a beautiful school; I always describe it as being on a tiered state park.
I know this sounds pathetic but I enjoyed hanging out in my hotel room. To just relax and have the place to myself was kinda cool. This was really the first time in a hotel that I was able to figure out what channels were what...ordered some room service...watched ESPN 'til 2 in the morning, woke up at 11...stuff like that was good to do...not having a set timetable for anything or having to meet someone or having to be somewhere...it was very freeing.
My favorites part of the trip was definitely the mission. The art museum was...interesting. More on those to come in part 2.
posted by danny at 1/10/2005 02:22:00 PM
2 Comments:
hey dan man....it's shannon.
i decided to go the anonymous route as i tried to create an account the other day and i dunno, something just wasn't working. i just finished reading ur entry about SB. it sounds like u had a great time. i love doing what u did...just doing whatever u feel like doing without a set schedule. i like road trips for that reason. i'd like ot hear more about ur trip sometime...time...if only there was more eh? love ya.
Sup Shan, I'm still processing the more meaningful side of my trip. I'll post part 2 when I can sit down for a minute and think. Looking forward to winter camp with ya.
Post a Comment
<< Home