Santa Barbara: Weekend at the Belmond

Are engagement-moons a thing? I know there are honeymoons and babymoons, but are there engagement-moons? Well, regardless, Zach and I considered it a thing and did it anyway. 

A few weeks after our engagement, in the midst of a very busy time at work, we escaped it all and drove up to Santa Barbara for a weekend. Sure, I spent the entire drive on conference calls but that's neither here nor there.

Once we made it to the Belmond El Encanto, an actual HAVEN in a hill, all stress melted away. It's unbelievably quiet and peaceful, and if I were in more of the swing of things I'd have more photos of our beautiful room to share.

But that's the thing that happens when you're truly at ease: you forget basically how to do anything at all. That is luxury. 

When not lounging by the pool reading for hours, we explored the sleepy, beachy town of Santa Barbara by foot. It's small enough to do so, and every street has a beautiful home to view or a cute boutique to shop. Oh, and delicious food around every corner.

Weekends to just pause, slow down and breathe are imperative. This weekend back in January was much needed . We needed a moment to ourselves to celebrate and soak it all in before a truly crazy February (I moved! I went to NYC! I had two award shows to cover! Life decisions were made!).