Monterey, California

After Wes's wedding in Oakland, Daniel and I decided to stay a few extra days in Monterey, California (just over 1.5 hrs from Oakland). It was fantastic...a second honeymoon...no responsibilities, no kids...SO NEEDED!!!! Mitch and Emily were heading down to Los Angeles for a few days, so we invited them to take a bit of a detour and caravan with us to Monterey. We did the 17-mile drive* together. It was really beautiful, but we were all super hungry and wouldn't let Daniel stop and every single little thing.... It was really fun to be able to spend that extra time with Mitch and Emily. Daniel and Emily hadn't met before the weekend, so it was nice for them to get to know each other a little bit. Shortly after we finished the 17-mile drive, Mitch and Emily headed on their way to LA. Daniel and I spent the rest of our time eating lots of yummy seafood, walking around The Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, going to movies (The Tourist, and the 3rd Narnia...both ok), and we spent half a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was lovely to just stroll along at our own pace without having to worry about where the kids are, if they're having a good time...blah blah blah. We could literally just focus on each other. It was fantastic.

Emily really liked this old tree, so we set the camera up on a timer and took a fabulous photo!

Thru a telescope. I was seeing these things sticking out of the water and asked if they were sea lions. "no, no, no" everyone said...well, then we found a 25 cent telescope and took a look...and who was right???? I'm just sayin'.

Isn't it beautiful??

We were supposed to be looking off in the distance...instead we look like a bunch of Peter Pan's...whatever...

Emily and Mitch...a fantastic photo, if I do say so myself...I took it.

Getting a kiss from a sea horse at the aquarium.

Giving a kiss to a penguin.

Daniel with a tank of anchovies....gross.....

There was also a huge octopus at the aquarium, but we weren't allowed to take photos. I was about to take a photo when Daniel pointed out a sign above his tank that said, "Please do not flash octopus." I thought it was a good thing they also had a picture of a camera with that sign, or else people might be confused as to what they meant!!!

*The 17 Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, California, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses and mansions. It also serves as the main road through the gated community of Pebble Beach. Like the community, the majority of 17-Mile Drive is owned and operated by the Pebble Beach Corporation. The 17-Mile Drive is 9.6 miles long, between the entrances at California State Route 1 and Sunset Drive.