It was a real shock to go from a 7-day-a-week gym routine to working out in our garage, as I suppose it was for most people. And of course, by the time I figured out that we were going to need more than a foam roller and a couple of infrequently used yoga mats in order to keep up our routines, many items were sold out all over the internet. Apparently everyone else was building their stay-at-home gyms too!
I’ve managed to piece together enough equipment to get in a decent workout. Although a lot of things are still sold out at Amazon, Target, and sporting goods stores, I’ve found that if you order 3-4 different varieties of the same item (e.g. 3 different 15 lb kettlebells from Amazon), eventually one will become available and it will be on its way to your house. Just don’t forget to cancel the orders for the other 2 kettlebells! There’s not much you can do with three kettlebells at one time 🙂
View of Mt. Diablo from Amy’s “backyard” in the East Bay, CA
Thanks for checking out our site! We are so excited to share all the adventures (and misadventures) of our California life. Kate and I have many of the same interests (like fitness/health, the joys of growing older, travel, food), but we’ll also be sharing our own passions and expertise as well. Kate has a lot more to say on the topic of wine than Amy does! And Amy goes a bit nuts for stationery (sorry, not sorry)
And now, a little about the two of us.
All about Kate
Kate, her husband Steve, Lolly and Zoe
I’m a pretty lucky person to live in Santa Barbara, California, also known as the American Riviera. If you have been here, you’ll know why- it’s a bit like being on vacation all year round! And I hope that my posts will encourage you to plan a visit- whether for the first time or the twelfth.
My husband Steve and I moved to Santa Barbara from Seattle for my job, and after five years of a California life, we have never looked back.
We make the most of living in central California in a beach community. Our miniature Australian Shephards, Lolly and Zoe, run on the area beaches at least 3 times a week.
Zoe and Lollipop (Lolly), who will are regulars on our site
We also love the proximity of Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley with its wonderful wines and restaurants. With everything this area has to offer, you would think we would never leave! Alas, we love to travel, and I’ll be posting updates on our trips near and far.
I look forward to sharing more about the area and what makes it so special, as well as cool things and places I discover along the way. Cheers!
All about Amy
I’m the older sister and made the move out to the Bay Area after Kate settled here. In our twenties, we lived together for a few crazy years, but now we’re in different parts of the state. The Bay Area isn’t quite as “vacation-like” as Santa Barbara, but it’s still a gorgeous spot and I love living here. California life is easy to get used to!
I live in the East Bay with my daughter, husband, and sweet doggie Cheddar. We discovered a lot of nearby hikes when we adopted him- we had no idea how much exercise a border collie needs!
Cheddar enjoying a little sun
I love spending my time exercising, cooking, reading and planning a trip. I’ve also rediscovered a love of stationery, fountain pens and pen pals. COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in our normal vacation plans, but we’re still hoping for a few jaunts here and there that I’ll share with you.
Let us know if there are topics that you are interested in- we want to make this enjoyable and helpful to our readers. We’re looking forward to connecting and sharing our experiences and opinions (and boy do we have a lot of those!) over the days and weeks to come.
