Vacation report

I'm finally getting to details of our vacation. Yeah!

We left the morning of Friday, November 7th to fly from MSP to San Jose, CA. It was Kate's first plane ride. The plane left a little late, but arrived almost on time. Kate did really well on the flight and she sat between my mom and I. She stayed in her sit with the seat belt on for take off and landing and didn't kick the seat in front of her much. We arrived at the SJC airport and headed over to car rental. While on the rental car bus, 2 women sitting next to my mom were talking about the young dad with one arm who was taking car of his daughter and how they felt sorry for him with only one arm. My mom decided to interrupt their conversation and say the young dad was her son-in-law and that he was one of the best guys she knows and how it's easy to forget he's only got one arm once you know him, etc.

We got the rental van and headed for Monterey (~1 hr drive). We didn't really do anything else after getting to my aunt and uncle's house. We just used the down time to get Kate settled and keep her out of a seat. My cousin and family (with 7 month old Bree) arrived later in the evening.

Saturday we got up and headed to Carmel...specifically Carmel Beach.





Joe and Kate with my cousin Erin


I think she enjoyed the beach!

Kate loved the beach and we almost had to drag her away. Saturday afternoon we (cousin Erin and her husband Sean, Joe and I) left Kate and Bree with the grandmas and went to see Madagascar 2. It was a nice time out and the movie was very good. Saturday evening brought dinner with my aunt and uncle, Erin, Sean, and Bree, step-cousin Jodi and her daughter Olivia (who loves Joe), and step-cousin Chip and his wife Pam. Kate had just woken from a nap when everyone arrived, so she wasn't her usual social self, but that quickly changed. Hugs and kisses for everyone a short time later.

Sunday was Fisherman's Wharf...specifically lunch and getting Kate's picture drawn. My favorite place at the Wharf is Abalonetti's. They have awesome calamari and it's not just fried rings and tentacles. The only annoying thing was Kate was wearing a bright pink sweatshirt and the waiter called her a "he". Hello! Just because Kate has short hair doesn't mean she's a boy. Getting Kate's picture drawn was another task of the day. The drawing is just a quick sketch profile. The drawings are a tradition going back to my first trip to Monterey in 3rd grade. We did them every time we went out there, although the last one with me is from Joe's first trip out with us while we were in college. My mom commented on how we've done the sketches in the past and she said she's been doing it at the wharf the last 23 years. I still haven't looked at my old ones, but there's a good chance she did them.






Monday morning brought a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I thought a Monday morning would be a great time to go (less crowded), but didn't take into account that Veteran's Day meant no school. Kate was in a mommy mood and wanted me to carry her the whole time. We had a nice time anyway.


Kate checking out the river otter.


Kate and I are a dark pair in the middle of the picture...but it's us!

Monday afternoon we headed north. Our destination: getting north of San Francisco. We drove until late and found a hotel to crash in. We didn't feel like setting up the play yard and thought we'd see how Kate did sleeping in a regular bed. She ended up sleeping between us. We'll leave at Joe and I not getting much sleep that night as Kate is a squirmy sleeper. Tuesday we got up and headed further north to arrive at the Avenue of the Giants (aka the coastal redwoods). Wow! These aren't just big trees...these are amazing, majestic, awe-inspiring, etc. It was raining most of the day, but we enjoyed the short walks anyway. We reached Founder's Grove while Kate was sleeping and Mom stayed in the car so Joe and I could walk the trail. We spend the night in Eureka and then headed back south. It was a sunnier day, so we stopped in Founder's Grove again so Mom could see it. She was as impressed as we were.








Dyerville Giant



We made it back to Monterey on Thursday. It was a great road trip (Kate did really well!), but it was nice not to be in a car. Thursday night Mom watched Kate while Joe and I got an evening out. We went down to Cannery Row to a restaurant called Paradiso Trattoria. Yumm! Artichoke appetizer. Yummy! Calamari steaks. Yum yum!!! The moon was out (full or near to). November is low season for tourism, so we walked into the restaurant about 6 and had our pick of tables by the windows (overlooking the water). After dinner, we drove along the ocean and stopped at some of the turnouts where we could just sit and watch the waves. It was a great evening that Joe and I really appreciated since we get so few nights out.

Friday we went to the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary. I've never seen the monarchs flying about so much. It was a nice warm day, so that helped.




Saturday was our return home day. Kate did pretty well on the flight, but she was a bit more antsy and hard to keep entertained. Overall, the trip went really well, it was fun to show Kate one of our favorite vacation spots. It was also great to have my mom along to help.

The Great Minnesota Recount

While we all wish the election was over, we're not so lucky here in Minnesota. The Coleman/Franken Senate recount is underway. The Minnesota Public Radio website has ballot examples for some of the challenges. Kind of entertaining and yet astonishing. Obviously people do not know how to follow directions. Or maybe they didn't ask. When I voted, the guy who signed me in said I could get instructions 2 tables down or pick up my ballot 3 tables down. I chose to receive instructions even though I was sure I didn't really need them. I wanted my vote to count and figured it'd be better to double check I knew what I was doing.

So what do we need to do by the next election? Require voting instructions for all voters. Obviously people don't know how to vote/fill in a ballot. If it's questionable, it's your fault for not getting it right. If you need help or have a question, ask!!! If you made a mistake, go ask for a new ballot!!! Not that hard people! If you care enough to show up at your polling place, care enough to get the ballot filled out correctly.

I think all the ballot examples should be rejected. The exception would be the one with the finger print. Maybe the person was reading a newspaper and got ink on their fingers. On the other hand, they could have gotten a new ballot (assumes they had known an identifying mark would make the ballot invalid...see, education!).

My favorite ballots are Day #2/Ballot #4 and Day #1/Ballot #5. Franken's campaign is challenging both and they look like the same kind of issue to me. Apparently it's okay to reject the ballot if the vote is for Coleman but it should be kept if the vote is for Franken.

Finally, I just might have to vote for Lizard People next election.

Dreading Doctor Appointments!

The one thing I dread about the monthly doctor appointments is the weight check. I gain weight a little faster than I should and at 22 weeks, I'm definitely higher than I would like to be. I know this, don't need a nurse or doctor telling me this. So, at my 22 week doctor appointment this afternoon (conveniently after lunch), I had to "weigh in". I had my excuse ready..."I was doing great until last week and then vacation did me in" which would then divert his attention to what we did on vacation. Turns out, I didn't even have to use my excuse. He said weight was fine and it wasn't worth lecturing about weight gain since it would hinder more than help. There was little point in making a pregnant woman feel bad about how much weight she's gained when she's already aware of it anyway. Thank you Dr. Bryz-Gornia! I knew I loved ya!

Okay, one more post

I've decided as my way of getting back to running after baby #2 is born, is to sign up for an event. Instead of just a running event, I thought I'd go all out and train for a duathlon. I'm planning to do the Aflac Iron Girl Bloomington Duathlon Women’s Event in September. Gives me a little over 6 months post-baby to train. Might be a bit ambitious, but it's nice to have a goal!

Want to join me? You know you do!

Pick me up!

Feeling a little down today. Might be the cloudy weather or that Kate has a doctor appointment (yeah, 18 month checkup) or I still need to pack. I have pictures rotating on my desktop and the one below came up and now I feel better. Kate is 4 months old here and it's one of my favorites, if not THE favorite.



Okay, I feel better.