So a part of Brandon's job is reimbursement for a certain amount of money put toward education conferences. While Brandon gets as many credits as he needs by reading articles, it's a good perk to have. We used it once when James was a baby and Brandon needed to take a class in Palo Alto for his license. But that was just for the day, and we haven't done anything since.
So this year we decided to do something we've never done and take a kid free trip! James is now older than Cora was when he was born, and since we don't have another little baby now I'm finally able to leave him without worrying too much. When they're 1 and under it's such a stress to me to think of them being left with ANYONE else that can't understand them. So Brandon has been very patient waiting for me to be ready to leave the kids for a few days.
As it happened, the conference we picked was at Hotel Del Coronado in awesome San Diego, CA. I've wanted to go there ever since Alyse and Tommy went there for their honeymoon.
We showed up and I was in SWEATS. They were cute jogger sweats but still. I quickly realized that this is a WAY fancier hotel than I've ever stayed in.
And the elevator was so cool. It reminded me of the Tower of Terror... probably not a good thought when you're in an old hotel.
There's a haunted room just downstairs from where we were. A woman checked into this room a long time ago- maybe in the 20's?- and was found dead on an external hallway later. I always think of the Michael Scott quote "I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious". I would look at it and wait to see or hear something every time we walked by. One time I heard noises from inside the room and ran away. Even though it was PROBABLY the tenants inside. Or a ghost.
One of the things we did was go to the San Diego zoo. I LOVE our Fresno zoo, but it was so fun to see the San Diego zoo after so many years! And to go and not have to chase little people around made it so relaxing.
Brandon FINALLY got to see hippos in real life. These are his favorite animals. We were lucky to see these animals sleeping right up against the glass.
The other thing I got to do was run a 5k in Del Mar, right by Grandma and Grandpa Myres' house. When I saw that it was right behind Torrey Pines high school, I thought "Oh that sounds fun!" Turns out the park behind the high school has some crazy hills. Including "Puke Hill", right at the beginning (and end). It was pretty brutal. Single track trails and no flat areas. So I definitely earned it!
Ossobuco and risotto. I've never had veal, but it was SO good. (I don't know if I can eat it again after Brandon went into great detail of how they make it. So unethical. But it was so delicious.)
Thanks Grandma and Papa! Cora and James didn't even miss us. Sorry that James threw a metal fire truck at your head, Dad.
So this year we decided to do something we've never done and take a kid free trip! James is now older than Cora was when he was born, and since we don't have another little baby now I'm finally able to leave him without worrying too much. When they're 1 and under it's such a stress to me to think of them being left with ANYONE else that can't understand them. So Brandon has been very patient waiting for me to be ready to leave the kids for a few days.
As it happened, the conference we picked was at Hotel Del Coronado in awesome San Diego, CA. I've wanted to go there ever since Alyse and Tommy went there for their honeymoon.
We showed up and I was in SWEATS. They were cute jogger sweats but still. I quickly realized that this is a WAY fancier hotel than I've ever stayed in.
The entryway was STUNNING. I LOVE the dark wood.
We also had dinner with our friends Chris and Naree, who came down to San Diego to have their baby (she had some complications so it is more safe to have the baby in San Diego rather than Visalia). It was so fun to drive around downtown SD, and not worry about finding a sitter!
We were so glad we got to go! While we were sick and laid up for a lot of our time, it was amazing to just have time to ourselves.
