Northern California

Yosemite National Park

   Wow, I did not expect this to be my favorite part of our trip north but it just may be.  The sheer size of this park and its natural beauty is absolutely stunning.  I had no clue how big it actually was until we got there and asked the lady at the entrance for directions to Bridalveil Falls and she said "turn left and you'll be there in about an hour."  I guess I was picturing a place where you could ride your bike around for the afternoon and see pretty much everything.  I was wrong.  We drove all around and spent about five hours there and still did not even come close to seeing everything it has to offer.  While there a quote by Jane Austen kept coming to mind, "What are men to rocks and mountains?"  The enormous mountains and water falls around you really make you realize how small you are compared to mother nature and the thought gave me a great appreciation for the things I was looking at.  A few of our favorite sites were Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls.  I was looking forward to seeing Mirror Lake, which is supposed to have a great reflection of the trees in fall colors, but after an hour hike to get there we discovered that the lake was dry.  Nevertheless, I highly recommend a trip to Yosemite because my pictures just do not do it justice.        

Napa Valley

    Napa was also a much bigger area than I expected.  It is broken up into different sections but we spent most of our time in Napa and St. Helena.  Obviously Napa is best known for its wine, but not being a wine lover myself that isn't what I liked most about the area.  Second to their wine Napa is known for their food.  And food, as I have told you before, is my favorite thing about traveling.  Delicious!  What impressed me most about Napa however was not the wine or food, but the people.  The staff at the hotel, wineries, grocery store, and everyone else we came across were extremely friendly.  A few highlights from the trip include a picnic at Alpha Omega Winery and cupcakes from Sift (winner of "Cupcake Wars" on The Food Network!).  While I could do without the wine I do love the beautiful manicured vineyards that are Napa. 

San Francisco

   Well we certainly visited at an exciting time, as the city was buzzing with all the success the San Francisco Giants are having.  When we checked into our hotel and I realized they did not have central air I threw a small tantrum, but eventually got over it.  It didn't help that the high temperature was only 60 degrees outside and I had left my favorite travel blanket in Napa. : /  Our first day in the city we spent seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street (the "crookedest" street), rode a cable car, and of course the Full House house.  This city is also broken down into different sections and one of our favorites was Fisherman's Wharf.  A very touristy area, but that is what we are, right?  A boardwalk right on the bay and lined with shops and restaurants.  Also home of Bousin Bakery which has been making sourdough bread since 1849, impressive and smells amazing.  North Beach is the "Little Italy" section of town and handmade pasta raviolis was one of my favorite meals.  Another favorite place to eat was in Chinatown, which is the largest outside of Asia.

   Charlie really liked Golden Gate Park where she got to meet lots of new friends.  Our first observations of the people at the dog park were that the locals were insane.  There was maybe 10 other people there but about 60 dogs.  Do the math and that is A LOT of dogs per human.  But then my genius husband realized they were dog walkers and not crazy at all, oops.  The park is also where we got to see our first Redwood trees!  And bison.  That's right, at one end of the park they have a large fenced-in area with bison just walkin' around.  Interesting to see, but a bit strange.  We ended our trip the second night seeing Neal Brennan (co-creator of the Chappelle's Show) at a comedy club and had great laughs.  We drove home along the Pacific Coast Highway which is just a really pretty drive on the edge of a cliff with the Pacific Ocean down below, which is a nice way to make the long drive back south fly by.     

Homefront...

   In case you have been wondering how stoop kid is doing I have an update.  Justin has gotten very close to him and we found out that he was in a motorcycle accident a few years ago.  He cracked his skull open and lost an eye and that is probably the reason he does not leave home much.  It is a very sad story, especially considering how nice of a guy he is.  He sold his tattoo shop to his employees and is moving to Colorado at the end of November to be closer to his grandchildren.  Justin and I have gotten to love having him as a neighbor and are going to miss him, maybe we will follow him to Colorado.  Who knows?

Keep you posted,

<3 L

10.13.07

  Normally this time of the year means celebrating another year together for Justin and me.  Typically it is spent at The Melting Pot; where we always get the same thing; spinach and artichoke dip, caesar salads, mojo cooking style and the original chocolate fondue. Sometimes Matt and Steph would join us since their dating anniversary is the day after ours.  While I will have to wait until June 30^th to celebrate our new anniversary date, it has left me reflecting on our past years together.  From our first little apartment in Bradenton, which remains Justin’s favorite to this day, where we had zero furniture to our name but thought it was a good idea to get a dog.  I generally like to think of us as having good common sense but buying a dog before furnishing our home seems to negate that.  Needless to say Charlie was brought home and the furniture came later.  I am a true believer in couples raising a puppy before getting married because they are WORK.  Sleepless nights, messes, training, and parenting styles are all involved and if you can survive that then you are in good shape.

  As it turns out Charlie is one of the best decisions we have made as a couple and she could not be more perfect!  We got through school, worked hard and had a blast while doing it.  I am always saying how lucky we are for the great people and opportunities we have in our lives but Justin reminds me luck has nothing to do with it, we are blessed.  Before we left Florida we had a gorgeous apartment filled with new gifts we were lucky blessed enough to receive from our wedding.  All of which was left in Florida and we packed the car with Charlie and a few clothes when we headed to California.  Now we live in an apartment that is practical but nothing special.  Our kitchenware consists of four plastic plates, two bowls, one pot and one pan that we bought when we got here.  The funny thing is that we have never done as much cooking as we have here with our limited tools.  But some of my favorite memories have been made in our little kitchen. 

  We have changed and grown a lot since we were seventeen, together.  Now we have gotten to see so many things that I never imagined myself seeing in the short time we have lived in California.  I look forward to what lies ahead for us and the places we will travel.  I am excited about our new anniversary and the traditions yet to be made.  And whatever else come our way :)

I love you Justin,

<3 L  

Big Bear

   Since it is now October we headed north for a few days in search of fall weather.  The San Bernardino Mountains are home to a great little town called Big Bear 7,000 feet up.  The Village is about the only place people gather in the area.  It is all of two blocks and has great shops and restaurants owned by the locals.  We stayed in a cozy cabin, called "Lone Pine", lakeside and had highs in the 70's and low 40's for our trip.  I was a little excited/nervous because hiking was in our plans and I had never gone before.  The first trail we did was Castle Rock Trail which went uphill for about 1.5 miles to end with stunning views of the mountains and of Big Bear Lake.  I did okay and am definitely not a fan of uphill hiking, but the views were worth it and I survived!  After working up a big appetite we ate at a local pizza parlor called Saucy Mama's.  Delicious! 

  We also spent some time boating on the lake which offers endless views of the mountains and their trees which are starting to change color for fall.  We saw lots of jumping fish that teased Charlie all afternoon.  Another hike we did was Champion Lodgepole Pine Trail.  At the end of this trail is one of the oldest Lodgepole Pines in the world at over 400 years old.  The mere size of this tree is amazing and definitely reminds you how small you are compared to mother nature.  The real adventure of this hike is getting to the trail.  You have to take a narrow dirt road up the side of the mountain for miles.  Good luck if you break done because civilization is far and cell phone service is non-existent.  Scary!!

   My favorite part of the trip was sitting fireside in our cozy cabin and drinking hot chocolate with my favorite guy and Charlie.  We don't get the chance to leave the windows open and enjoy a fire very often and it was so nice.  Big Bear was one of my favorite places we have traveled and would love to go back.    
 
Keep you posted,

<3 L