So I finally have a chance to really sit down and post about our latest trip to California! I mean, it's not like I've been
that
busy since it's my summer break and all... Unfortunately BLOGGER is not letting me upload
any pictures...so you'll just have to visit my
facebook page to see the entire California album where all my pics were uploaded. I recommend though you continue to read below about the fun details of our trip!!!
Let's start at the beginning:
Day 1: Josh and I landed at LAX, rented a car and drove straight to Rodeo Drive where we had breakfast at
The Farm. While we were eating, we were pleasantly surprised to see David Spade walk in! BTW, such a quirky guy!!! After that, we went ahead and drove to Santa Barbara where we met up with his parents for one night. Santa Barbara was beautiful and our resort (
4 Seasons Biltmore)was even better! We had our own little cottage to stay in, so fun!
Day 2: Today we drove to Cambria to visit the
Hearst Castle! OHMAAWOORD that place is amazing! Ever heard of Hearst Publishing? Ya, same people...anyway, it was really neat learning about this family and their history. George Hearst struck it big in 1865 when he discovered California and decided to purchase 40,000 acres of land for his family to camp on. In 1919, they decided to "build a little something" because they were tired of "roughing it". Well, by 1947 (ya thats almost 30 years of building!) they now have
this...Incredible!!!
Day 3: Drive along highway 1 to Carmel. Lemme just say that this 3 hour drive was probably my absolute favorite thing of our trip. How can I even describe the beauty?!? Mountains to my right, ocean to my left. GORGEOUS trees surrounding us...it's probably the closest glimpse to heaven that my little mind can obtain! Wow! Once we reached Carmel, Josh made sure we drove straight to Pebble Beach. It was also such a neat feeling to be standing right next to hole 18 and I know Josh LOVED it! We did take the 17 mile drive along the coast to visit the 3 other courses there as well. I could definitely picture us living in "Carmel by the Sea" where Josh could play golf on Pebble Beach or Spy Glass every day and I would open up my own little art gallery in downtown Carmel..........ya right :)
Day 4,5: SAN FRANCISCO!!! Next we drove to San Francisco and went straight to the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito, and Muir Woods forest. Incredible!!! San Francisco was really a neat city...I couldn't get over how pretty it was with the lovely 3 story Victorian homes, beautiful flowers (especially hydrangeas), bright skyline, and picturesque scenery! We also took a tour in a double-decker bus through SF where I learned so much history about the city! The next day we toured Alcatraz, quite possibly my most memorable part of SF! The history was so rich and powerful. We did the 45 minute audio tour that led us through the entire place. I would definitely return!!! Of course while we were in SF we visited Fisherman's Warf, Ghiradelli Chocolate, Union Square, and rode a trolley car. Which let me just say that a truck had to come PUSH us up the street because we got stuck! Yes, a little traumatic for yours truly!
Day 6,7: NAPA! So, Josh's parents had to return home on Thursday and Josh and I decided to spend a couple nights in NAPA. AAAMAAAZZIINGG (or what's even more amazing is that those 3 bottles we packed in the suitcase never broke on our flight home, phew!) In NAPA we toured
Stag's Leap,
V. Sattui, Oakville Grocery,
Hagafen, and
Goosecross. We stayed at a quaint little B&B in NAPA called "The Old World Inn" which I HIGHLY recommend...so charming!!!
All in all it was a fantastic, tiring, and even educational trip! I even want to do a mini San Francisco lesson with my 1st graders next year! Hope you get the chance to visit there too!
My "Ho, Ho, Ho" banner I made:
Lovely buffet table decorated with family/friends christmas cards and vintage ice cycles from Anthropology...
Fun wreath from my mother-in-law:
Our new 7 foot *pre-lit* tree (and did I mention it's "pre-lit" because that sure did save a lot of arguments this Christmas! No more fights over trying to wrap the Christmas lights around the tree! Phew!)
Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
