We Didn't Have Any Fun At All...

That was sarcasm.  It was awesome.  And to prove it, I uploaded 23,000 pictures for your viewing pleasure - cause let's face it, the pictures are the best part.

Hitting the road.  So happy!!

Where we stayed...

We noodled around the harbor that the hotel was located at and got our bearings and found some yummy restaurants to try out...

My super generous father in law lent me his super cool Kindle!!  Honestly, when I first heard of Kindles, I was a little bit of a snob and thought it was really weird - why would you want to replace a book?  I like the way new books smell and the way the pages rustle and crinkle and it makes sense to snuggle up with one.  But when they asked me what books I had packed for the trip and I replied no new ones since the one I had thought I might buy was still in hardback and $30.00.  My FIL said that we could download it to his Kindle for half the price.  So I gave it a shot - and it was wonderful.  So lightweight and convenient.  I may have to invest in one of those suckers.

We went to Cowell Ranch State Beach and it was pretty much deserted.  Perfect spot for a picnic lunch.

This is what happens when you and your husband leave your spot to see something in water.   Don't worry, we helped the seagull after we got the shot!

These were the only other people at the beach - fishermen.  I was really surprised because it seemed like shallow water to be fishing in.  They were pretty fascinating to watch.

We found unexpected little things all over the place... different from what you find in our quiet hometown.

Joe took a 5 hour guided kayak tour from the harbor we were at out into the ocean and 9 miles up the coast... can ya tell he's just a wee bit excited??

This guy kept me company as I watched Joe suit up and take off... closest I've even been to a pelican...

Yeah, he's all for kayaking now.  If you know Joe at all, you know that he is a passionate person and goes into something whole hog.  He has gone through many a hobby... so it looks like kayaking is in our future.  He's all set to head back to Half Moon Bay to get some classes and experience under his belt and dig deeper into it.  

And what did I do while he was gone for 5 hours?

I drove the truck into downtown Half Moon Bay and explored a little, then headed back to the hotel and got some coffee and a pedicure at the spa where we had gotten a couples massage earlier in the week.  I was a happy camper.

OK, so when we knew we were heading to the coast, we HAD to go to Gorilla BBQ in Pacifica, which is like a 15 minute drive from where we were staying.  We had seen it on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network and oh baby, it did not disappoint.  I really love good BBQ and this ranked right up there on my list.  My brisket sandwich was melt in your mouth!!

Like all good things, it did have to come to an end.  But it was so so so wonderful to get away - and it didn't take a faraway trip to really make a big difference.  Just taking ourselves out of the normal routine was like a breath of fresh air.  No cleaning, meal planning or shopping - just relaxing and going with the flow.  Best of all was getting that reconnection with Joe.  I married me a good guy.  I like him. I enjoy spending time with him.  I can't wait for the next chance to get away with him.  But 'til then, I will think back often to these last couple of days and be thankful at what we were able to do.

A Change of Location

About two weeks ago I was all poised to purchase our flight tickets to New York.  I had already found a great apartment on Craig's list to rent for a few nights in the city (which incidentally was an awesome way to do it.  way more $$$ friendly than a hotel and you get a real taste of the local flavor. oh, and the place was nicer than our house - like newer and completely remodeled.) and then we were thinking we would head to New Jersey to stay with Joe's brother Jake and his lovely wife Lisa so we could see what their life there is like.  But I wanted to run the final flight times by Joe before I hit the "buy" button.

He was already into his shift at work.  Sometimes that doesn't make for the greatest serious conversation environment - what with the radio and walkie-talkie going off with calls for service and people messaging him on his computer asking questions and stuff.  But that night seemed to be a little slow.  So I filled him in on what I had found.  And he was quiet.

I should probably point out now that the funding for this vacation was anonymously gathered and delivered to us - for us to be able to get away and relax.  I can't tell you how completely wonderful, surprising and humbling it made me feel to open up the envelope and see what had been so generously gifted to us. (THANK YOU if any of you who gave are reading this...)  The money would cover our tickets and lodging in NY.  I had figured that all the extras we would cover.

He finally said that he had been thinking that a trip like that wouldn't be very relaxing or romantic  - more like a family vacation staying with his brother and hustling here and there trying to cram all the sights in.  Plus, we would need to stick to a stricter budget - so hopefully see a show but beyond that try and be frugal.  He had been thinking that if we stayed in California and nixed the airfare, we could really, REALLY treat ourselves to something wonderful and completely pampering... like massages and room service.

Massages?!?!  Say no more.  I was in.  New York will still be there for another time.  Point me to the spa!

So that night I searched out quaint and cozy B&Bs and was thinking that it would be awfully nice to head down the coast to see Hearst Castle and stay in Cayucos or Morro Bay.  I have fond memories of vacationing there with my family for a few summers through Jr. High and High School and would love to share it with Joe.  But unfortunately most of the cute places were booked for the dates we needed.  So I expanded my search parameters and called Joe again and asked if he had any ideas.  He suggested Half Moon Bay, which isn't all that far from where we are and I was a little bummed because that meant there wouldn't be much of a road trip... and we have an awful lot of fun on road trips together.  But then I found this place and that melted away.   It just seemed so appropriate for what we were aiming for... besides, don't you think that the ocean is healing and soothing?  I sure do.  The beauty and vastness of it just completely reminds me of the bigness and thoughtfulness of it's Creator. 

Oh yeah, it's gonna be awesome!!  It feels so nice to look forward to something... 3 more days.  I think I can make it.

Blitz's first time at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, our 4th anniversary 1/29/09

New Life

I don't think that there's anything as wonderful and exhilarating as holding brand-new-to-the-world baby.  

Chris & Kiyoko at our old apartment pre-baby

Our dear friends Chris and Kiyoko became parents to the beautiful Laney Lillian Young on March 27th.  They called us that morning at 2am to let us know that they were going to the hospital, and when we got the call later that day that she had arrived safe and sound, we hopped in the car and headed down to Monterey to meet her.  We thought that she was a very considerate little girl to be born on a day that Uncle Joe was off and Auntie Kate only worked a half day.  When we got there, they were all asleep so we bummed around Monterey a little while getting Jamba Juice (mmm) and noodling around a book store.  When we went back, we had a great hour visit with the three of them.  I couldn't get over how beautiful Kiyoko looked;  obviously, she looked very tired (12 hour labor!), but...she really did glow.  Or something.  Motherhood definitely added another dimension to her.  

The new and improved Young Family

We can't wait for them to come up here for a visit!!  We are thrilled for them and all the new possibilities that Laney has now brought into their world.

  Friends from the first time she farted in my arms!

R*O*M*E #1

Seeing as how my posts have been kinda text heavy and picture light, I'll let the pics do most of the talking about the Rome portion of our sojourn to Italy this past August...in no particular order... Oh the Trevi Fountain... so beautiful. It is absolutely huge. And randomly placed; you turn the corner of a little alley way, and there it is.

These are all the nice people that shared the view with us. Other than the Sistine Chapel, this was one of the most crowded places of the whole trip. I especially like the guy in the left hand corner. He looks like his name should be Guido, and is your stereotypical Italian guy, puffin' away in 100 degree weather.
Us. We found the guy with the best looking camera in that mass of people and ask him to take our picture. He was from Australia and very nice. What the picture doesn't really convey is just how hot and humid it was. Our backs were completely drenched. My bermuda shorts were clinging to my body. Even in the shade, standing absolutely still, there was constant dripping. That night, there was a ring of salt around my head from the evaporated sweat. I don't think that's ever happened to me before. It is easy to understand why people liked the toga - the less clothes the better! Luckily, there was this right around the corner:
Ohhh, gelato. I'm drooling just thinking about it now. This was one of the things that made that Mediterranean heat bearable.
My lemon is on the left, Joe's cream is on the right. NOTHING is as refreshing. And unfortunately, nothing here matches it. Sadness.

These two are of the outside of the Pantheon, which is one of the oldest buildings in Rome. It was a temple to one of the gods before Constantine converted it into a church.
The inside shot.
Little street performer who was around the back. She really added a lot to the atmosphere. It was very, very nice to be walking around little side streets hand in hand with my honey to the wafting sounds of accordion music.
The Piazza Navona...full of art, people and cafes.
Joe was obsessed with the massive doors on the majority of buildings in the city. They were wood and iron with really ornate knockers (ha ha - sorry, Joe & his dad's juvenile senses of humor are starting to rub off on me), nobs, key holes, spikes, you name it they had it.
A shot of the River Tiber one night as we headed back to our tiny hotel, that was close to the Vatican & St. Peter's Basilica, which you can see the dome of.
I am really lucky that the Colosseum is not a woman, because if it were, Joe would probably leave me for it. I know that this was his favorite thing that we saw in the whole trip. We spent a lot of time here during the day and the very final night of the whole trip. It is SO OLD. It was built around 80 A.D. It is just hard to wrap your mind around the fact of something so ancient, and big and is still here. There's the whole technical aspect as to how did they really construct that with only manual labor? How did they really make the arena flood with water for mock sea ship battles? Listening to the audio guide also made me think about just what an evil place it really was. For the opening ceremony of the Colosseum they killed something like 10,000 people and 20,000 animals.

When I saw this view of the arena, it made me think of Hadassah, from the Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers, and what happened to her there. Many were murdered for their faith there.

It really gets you thinking about the early church. I mean, you're walking the streets that Paul walked. And Peter. And the Caesars. And the great artists like da Vinci and Michelangelo. It makes you feel very small and insignificant.
Well, tune in to the next installment of Rome, where Joe & I got separated at the Vatican for about an hour. True story.
Shouldn't I get a gold star for uploading all these pictures?

Just A Quickie...

So after work tomorrow, we hop onto Jet Blue and fly to LA LA land for my little brother's college graduation. That means that I'm starting to feel anxiety about my list of "To Do"s; laundry, packing, dishes, general straightening up. I don't know why, but before I go away, I feel like I have to speed clean everything, and have it all set. I think mostly, it helps me not to feel overwhelmed when I get back home about all the things that need to happen for the start of the week. I dunno if its the best system or not, because it doesn't make me the nicest person, and I know that I won't get the majority of it done...but a girl can try, right? And anyway, this is supposed to be a fun little trip. I don't want to start it off now in a stinky mood. Jet Blue is the coolest airline to fly on. All the seats are leather, there's a TV in the back in the seat in front of you that gets a ton of channels, and their snacks are far superior to anyone else's. I don't know why, but anytime that flying is involved, I am that much more excited. Flying with Joe too. We've only done that once when we went to Hawaii...so its a fun little treat. The graduation will be nice, it shouldn't be scorching hot down there this weekend, and then for dinner to celebrate, we're eating at this really shi-shi restaurant in California Adventure Land - the Napa Rose I think. Because my bro works for Disney, he gets a really nice discount and was able to pull a few strings and get us in. That in and of itself is impressive. What makes it doubly so is that the night we will be there also happens to be the night that Disney will have the premiere of the third Pirates movie, with all the starts there. In fact, they will be eating at the same restaurant later that night. Snazzy, huh? I am still secretly hoping that maybe he can get us into Disneyland to actually see the premiere and Johnny-Keira-Orlando. We'll see.
It feels weird that my brother is now a full fledged grown up. Of course, he'll still be living the student lifestyle for a few years more - he has decided to get his master's in PR, so he'll definitely have some hard work ahead of him. But I'm super proud of him. I predict that he'll end up in some cool, different job. I bet it's in a studio...so he'll be hobb-nobbing with the rich and famous. I doubt that he'll move back up the the Bay; LA fits him.
And lastly, before I run off, I just wanted to let you all know that this week, Comcast cable & DVR landed in our household (yea!). And it is good. And life will never be the same.

My Feet Are So Sore, But My Heart Is So Happy

Number of hours we stood in line: 3.5

Cost of 2 cookbooks: $65

Number of blocks that the line wrapped around: 3-4

Number of screaming kids that their moms dragged along to stand in line: Way too many

Getting to say I saw and talked to Giada de Laurentiis: Priceless

Me & Marisa waiting...really glad that I had someone to geek out with - that made it way more fun

This is when we rounded the corner and were in the home-stretch...

This was really the only disappointing part. Giada was so nice to talk to - but her handlers and the security team were absolute nazis. No posed pics with Giada (majorly bummed about that one), no flash (in a poorly lit space), and you could only take a picture of her once she had signed your book and you were ushered to the side of the store, behind a blue tape line with people jostling into you. See that lady in the pink shirt? She was not nice, and acted like she totally didn't want to be there. I would've loved her job!! Unfortunately, this was the best shot I got...hopefully Marisa got a better one. We'll see. But who cares, really? I stinking got to talk to her, and I definitely won't forget that!