It's A Great Time of Year to Go to California.

So, if you have a chance, do it.
Even if it means you are going to work for 36 hours during a 24 hour period.
I just did that last weekend, and it was awesome, on so many levels.

I left this behind..

And eventually ended up here.
In sunny, Santa Barbara, California.
I hadn't been to California since my cousin was born.
That was when I was six years old.

I think I appreciated the sun and warm temperatures much more this time!

I knew when I saw palm trees, that I was right in the center of God's will for my life! :)

Our hotel was just blocks from the beach! We didn't get to go to the beach, but it was just nice to know it was so close! That was enough to make this beach girl giddy!

My hotel room was pretty much my wedding turned into a hotel room! Chocolate brown and Tiffany blue everywhere! I loved it.

I even had a private patio with a lounge chair. Again, I never actually went out there, but still, it was nice knowing it was there.

I did try to take a pic of myself in the hotel mirror a la Pioneer Woman, of course.

That night, super late, we scored an exclusive interview with Sarah Palin. It was a blast. Total news "crack." It was picked up by pretty much every news outlet in the US, so that was pretty sweet. Success: check!

Saturday morning, we drove up a very windy road to President Reagan's Ranch. Also known as the "Western White House."

This, my friends, was total "history" crack. I love history almost as much as I love news!

You'll see much more of this coming up on the next edition of "The Brody File," (we did our whole show from there!) but here's a little sneak peek.

Horsies!!

I was struck at just how humble the Ranch was. So... normal. I guess that was part of the appeal to Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

I was also struck at just how well it has been preserved. Everything is in its place.

Reagan called it "Rancho del Cielo," - "Ranch of the Heavens."

I particularly liked the everyday items that really made the Reagans just seem so... human. Like these spices in the kitchen.

And even the Head and Shoulders at the top of the shower!

Their bed had pillows and a custom made quilt with their names and initials. Cute. Note the big white phone to the right. That was the direct dial to the real White House!

President Reagan's favorite hat! I remember seeing him in this hat when I was a little girl!

As I said... we did the whole show out there that day...

We had to improvise a little. Here is how you do a white balance in the middle of a ranch, when you don't have a piece of paper. I don't have a picture of me holding my macBook up as a reflector, but that may or may not have been done in the name of improvisation as well.

Watch where you step!

Royce was rooting for the Steelers. Good man.
Too bad they lost the next day. :(

On our way back into town, we stopped at In and Out Burger, which I've always heard amazing things about, but I'd never had it before myself.

Oh my!!
It was delicious. I had a double double (this is not mine, it's Royce's Quadruple!) and a chocolate shake.
It tasted really, really good.



We chowed down, and got right back to work!
I have absolutely no photos from this point on, because we were slamming with interviews, and editing.
At the end of this particular night, former Vice President Dick Cheney was speaking at a dinner honoring Reagan's 100th birthday... and we were so exhausted, we watched from the overfow theater. Oh, the glamorous life of a Chief Political Correspondent, right?

Hey... before you judge, there was food. And internet. And plugs for us to charge our cell phones.
Seemed like a great spot after working 36 hours in a 24 hour period :)

It was an awesome trip!! I am so blessed to get paid to do such fun stuff. To have my DREAM job!! To work with good people who love the Lord!

AND, when I got home... I can't even begin to tell you how much Mr. Ritter had done for me! I came home to a clean house, with clean sheets on the bed. Dinner (wings, hummus and salad) had been ordered and was on the table, waiting. M thought of everything so that I would be able to avoid the "whip lash" of coming home.

He thought of everything. And it was amazing. I was really moved.

I think I made it about 3 steps in the door before I was sitting on his lap, and we were hugging with tears filling up in our eyes like I had been on a deployment for a year or something.

We really missed each other.
And that's a good thing.
I like being ooey gooey in love with my husband.