I'm just going to dump all the pics here; too lazy to disperse and caption.
Wednesday
After a night of restless sleep in which I was so worried my
alarm wouldn’t go off, I finally woke myself up for the day at 4:25am. That
gave me a luxurious half hour to not shower, do my makeup, and gather up a
couple last-minute things. I had time to go through the Starbucks drive-thru
for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. The drive to the airport was easy though
the freeway was not empty by any means.
I read a book the entire flight. I always think I’m going to
constantly notice how nice it is when I don’t have children with me. But I
suppose since the years I’ve spent without children far outweighs the four
with, it just kinda feels normal. It certainly was glorious being able to read
with little to no interruptions (AND no one in the seat next to me!). On this
trip, I’m reading Accidental Saints, by Nadia Bolz-Weber. It is wrecking me.
She’s poetic at times, but always grounded in reality. And whatever you think
of her potty mouth, she speaks truth in such a simple way. Her brutal honesty
is such a nice change from the sanitized, sappy drivel you might find in other
Christian books. I surprised myself by having to hold back tears a couple
times; nothing super profound, but she is just SO spot on with the gospel.
My mom and Steven picked me up, and our first stop was Crema
for coffee/breakfast burritos. Holly and Larry joined us with their dog for
awhile before we headed over to BookWorks to look at books/stuff for the
kiddos. I bought sexy pencils (fat mechanical pencils and the Blackwings I’ve
coveted for so long). My mom and I strolled PG (?) then headed to Fandango for
a light lunch with Steven. Did (more?) strolling, then checked into my room. We
headed over to Tip N Toe for spa pedicures. I had a little glass of red wine.
Nice massage chairs and they did a good job. Briefly stopped at the Rent All to
look at some old photos, then I sat and read by the fire with my mini glass of
wine/appetizers at the Gosby until it was time for dinner at Poppy Hall. The
portions were small, but the food was good. I spent the rest of the evening
being anti-social once again while my mom and Holly chatted in the parlor while
I read by the fire.
I slept pretty well considering I usually take 2 or 3 nights
to adjust in a new room/bed.
Thursday
I wanted to sleep til 7, and I did after a little wakeup
earlier. Breakfast at Crema. The Papas Poblanos is soooo good. Back to the
Gosby then parted ways—Mom to the Rent All and I to walk to Asilomar Conference
Grounds.
What a DELIGHTFUL walk! It’s been overcast the whole time
here, but it’s still beautiful. The oak tree leaves have a familiar crunch
under my feet, and the smells of the foresty coast remind me so much of my
childhood coming here. This truly feels like home or second-home in so many
ways, even when walking streets I’m unfamiliar with. I LOVE the random delights
you find when you’re walking somewhere. I happened upon a cross street with
free library nooks at all four corners of the intersection. One house had
multiple genres of book nooks. And an area for kids to play dinosaurs. I love
the pride that the people of Pacific Grove take in tending their yards and
homes.
My lower back is killing me lately. It’s been an issue for
years, but I just don’t think about it usually. I don’t know why it’s
aggravating me so much lately. It feels better when I stretch it or crack it
(which I can do just by stretching down/forward at pretty much any time), then
it’s tight and painful 2 minutes later. My abs took such a hit from pregnancy
that perhaps I just need more time to recover and rebuild. I suspect my back is
doing extra work since my core/abs are out of whack. Picking up/holding
children all the time certainly doesn’t help. Ryan is getting pretty heavy. I
don’t have that excuse on this trip; just walking around will do me in, so
…..???
I love this mini Awahnee that is Asilomar Lodge. The
fireplace, the beautiful gigantic art nouveau rug, the wood, the rocking
chairs. So that’s where I’m writing this. I’ll do some more reading as well. I
just might finish a book or two on this #nationalreadabookday.
I walked back toward the ocean, stopped for a giant cinnamon roll at Pavel's, briefly met my mom and her friends at Lover's Point, then we drove around looking at real estate. Hehe. It's fun to dream. Stopped to see Grandma and Grandpa's graves; there were some beautiful deer nearby. That sight never gets old on the peninsula.
After freshening up back at the Gosby, we walked to dinner at Peppers with Steven and his buddy. Mom and I chatted in front of the fire and had dessert (delicious coconut cake + ginger cookies) back at the Gosby.
Friday
Horrible no-good very bad day of traveling literally all day to get home. Our flight out of Monterey was canceled; I got the last seat on a flight out of San Jose to SD (ubered there for $$$), while my mom drove down with my uncle, who luckily was already planning on going. Scrambled to get the house ready for guests; finally sat down and my mom arrived and dad shortly after.
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