A Birthday Weekend in Sonoma

Ed and I headed up for a very short weekend getaway to celebrate my 26th birthday (when did I get so "old"?). We had been gifted a nice away, with dinner, from my parents for our anniversary burning a whole in our pockets, so off we went 2 hours north to Sonoma. 

Our first stop was for lunch at The Hot Box Grill, 

a newer eaterie in Sonoma that seems known for tasty food, 

and, in particular their fries made in duck fat. 

The verdict? Very tasty food (my burger in particular was phenomenal), though the fries didn't taste particularly different than normal fries. 

We were both amused/concerned about the mama hen and baby chicks that were hanging out in the parking lot. It sounded like the coop was over the fence, and we weren't quite sure how they would get back. But, nothing we could do, and they seemed to be staying out of the way, so off we went. 

We decided to head straight from lunch to a winery, because really, that's a main reason we had for visiting Sonoma. 

So, we headed north to the Kenwood Winery.

Neither of us had ever visited wine country during the fall, and were very excited to see all the grapes heavy on the vines. 

While the winery looked great, we were not super impressed with the wines themselves. 

Still, it was very fun, and we did enjoy the sparkling wines.

There just happened to be a deal for the sparkling rose - $10 for the first bottle, $0.50 for the second. So, we bought 4 bottles for $20 and were refunded $5 because buying 3 or more bottles meant one of the tasting fees was refunded.

Next, we headed to our lodging for the evening, "An Inn to Remember". It was just as lovely as all the reviews touted.

We were led to the back of the complex, past the hot tub,

down the garden path,

past the other rooms,

to our almost private back garden, where our room awaited (the red door on the left).

The inside of our room was every bit as beautiful as we could have hoped, and looked perfect for relaxation. 

We immediately laid on the bed, broke out some books, and enjoyed the view our our french doors. 

Rainy Santa Cruz Run

About a month ago, Ed and I decided it would be fun to head over to Santa Cruz for a run. I needed to complete a 12 miler, so it seemed natural to do the 12 mile route I used to run all the time when I lived over the hill. 

We left the warm sunshine of San Jose (which had been a bit oppressive of late) and headed over the hill. 

When we arrived, we were greeted with this:

Now, as I sat in the car, looking at the drizzle going on outside, I wondered why we had decided that running here was better than San Jose. It looked cold outside, and I hadn't brought a jacket. To be honest, I slightly considered begging Ed to just drive us home, but knew that was incredibly silly. I used to love rainy runs!

So, off we went. I was cold for the first half mile, but once I got warmed up, I knew that the weather was perfect. It was a beautiful run, with crashing waves, 

bluff trails, and even a brief stop to check out a huge slab of rock off the bluffs that were full of sea lions. The miles flew by and before we knew it, we were back to the start, 12.58 miles later. 

It was one of my fastest paced long runs in years and it felt great. 

So, I know that next time I see rainy skies, my inclination shouldn't be to go back to bed, it should be to get outside and run. 

Visiting Family in Orange County

I left Christine's about midday and headed down to visit with my parents and my oh so cute niece, who was coincidentally visiting for the weekend!

This cute girl was so much fun, crawling around and getting into things :)

Our next door neighbor came over to get some quality Amelia time as well. Who could resist?

My mom also  needed some quality time with this every growing girl.

We couldn't resist the cute baby giggles when she got tickled.

She also enjoyed her new toy.

And she even let me cuddle with her.

After the indoor play, we decided to take her out for some pool time. She really loved splashing and when you pulled her through the water, she would kick and hit the water. 

She looks like such the little swimmer.

After the spa, she had some very yummy dinner.

Then she had a bath in the sink. Quite honestly, she was not amused. But she looked so cute, even when she was so clearly outraged that we had deigned to wash her in a sink.

Of course, she calmed down and headed down for bed very easily. 

We adults then enjoyed a delicious dinner while the little one slept upstairs. 

The next morning, after a walk around the lake, it was time to head back up and back to the real world. 

Visiting in Long Beach: Part 2

Our 3rd day together was equally relaxing. After a leisurely morning, we went out shopping and then had lunch by the beach.

Our view from the table was just beautiful.

We spent a few hours here, having delicious beers and meals as we soaked in the SoCal sun.

Once we got home, I had some nice cuddle time with the Hart's dog, Kenny. 

We topped off the night we some delicious cupcakes, bought earlier and enjoyed with a nice glass of milk.

It was a perfect end to the evening.

The next morning, I ran a lovely 9 miles along the beach in the cool fog, alongside a number of other Long Beach runners. Then, it was off to part two of my visit!