Trip!

We went on a great trip to Sedona and The Grand Canyon last week. I did tire myself out a bit hiking and walking a lot, but we just went to bed early each night. I had my first stranger acknowledgement of my pregnancy on the trip, but I have to add the caveat that I was rubbing my belly at the time. I still think that I am carrying in such a way that people are not sure if I am pregnant or just chubby - at this point I am both! My friend, who is pregnant and about three weeks behind me, sent pictures of herself and she looks so pregnant. Her belly sticks straight out from her belly button, whereas mine has not gotten that high yet - I am not sure that it will.


Smoke Tree Resort - A great little motel in the Scottsdale area. We drove there and stayed over on our first leg of the trip. The motel as been completely redone and the rooms are very nice and the staff could not be friendlier.

El Portal - We stayed at this inn in Sedona. The owners were very nice and helpful and we just loved the inn. Our room, #11, was decorated in an arts and crafts style and had a balcony that looked over the inn's pretty courtyard and had views of the Red Rocks.

Yavapai Lodge - This is where we stayed at the Grand Canyon. It was the only hotel within the part that had availability when we made our reservations. It is not at the rim, which we really didn't have a problem with, since it is minutes away. I had some concerns about what we would find upon arrival, but I was very happy with our room. It was basic, but very clean. We had an issue with the heat not working, but they brought us a space heater and we had no problems after that.

Vancouver

We took a lovely trip to Vancouver. The weather was incredible, not too hot but still plenty of sunshine, the city is completely walkable and there is a lot of great food. We walked through Stanley Park, where I snapped a few photos of a raccoon wandering along the bank of a pond, across Robson Street and then hopped in a cab and headed over to Vij's Rangoli. It was so good! Then we walked back over the bridge to our hotel, The Sandman Suites on Davie. The room we booked had a kitchen and a washer/dryer, which was fantastic. It wasn't the most upscale hotel, but its location and price were perfect.

Sayulita

Hmm, I seem to have uploaded these in the opposite order than what I had in my head, but whatever:

The view from our terrace

Just after sunset

The sun will actually set over the water if you wander further down the beach, but we were enjoying our beers at Bar Playa and too lazy to stroll too far

Ah, surfers

Beach, daytime

Town, road to beach

Town square

Town square, local art for sale

More town

View from our terrace, daytime

Sayulita is about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta, but it is completely different. It is a laid back little town with incredible local restaurants and not too many people. Many tourists come to Sayulita to surf and you can take lessons from nice people who set up shop on the beach. B took a lesson and he loved it. It was very warm when we were there and I spent most of the day in the shade reading. When it was not so hot, I'd wander down to the beach and swim for a while. The water is not too cold and the surf not too rough. Sun block is a must!
Sayulita recommendations:
Rent a house on the beach if you can - it seems to be very affordable and most come with daily cleaning people.
Eat at Burrito Revolution - I could eat one of their chicken burritos every day. I wish I had one right now. Make sure to try the green salsa - it's heaven!
Other restaurants:
Sayulita Cafe - good food, friendly staff.
Rollie's for breakfast - the pancakes are really good.
Sayulita Fish Tacos - self explanatory.
Don Pedro's - nice restaurant on the beach, good food, a little more expensive.

Feeling Better

I was depressed for the past couple of days and B thinks it is because I got nervous about having a baby and that might be true. I was having a terrible time getting anything done. But today was better and I did almost everything that I needed to do today and I have a list of things that I am going to get done tomorrow. I have grand plans to make Ina Garten's Coq au Vin for dinner tonight.
I talked to RS today and I didn't tell her that I was depressed, but she managed to cheer me up all the same. There is nothing better than a great friend to make a person feel better. I'm sure antidepressants are fantastic too, but I don't have any of those at the moment and, since I'm thinking of having a baby, I don't think now is the time to start taking them. But I do think now might be the time to actually call one of the doctor referrals that I've gotten and make sure that I'm up to the mental/emotional challenges of having a baby.
We leave for Mexico this weekend and I'm going to start packing tomorrow. Of course, I had all these ideas that I'd lose a ton of weight before this trip so I'd feel fabulous in a bathing suit, but alas, this has not happened. So now I have to spend the week feeling a bit large while lying on a beach chair next to my friend who is literally anorexic. Not that I envy her that problem.

Mexico Cruise

I survived a three day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas. We left from San Pedro on Friday at 5:30 pm and returned on Monday very early. We were in line to disembark at 6:30 am.
It was not as bad as I thought it might be. The rooms were small, but not terribly so, and very clean. The service on board was outstanding. The food was not bad. Meals in the main dining room were on par with wedding food at any hotel or country club. Pricing was very reasonable, considering that all food (except for room service, Ben and Jerry's and Seattle's Best Coffee) was included. You also had to pay for soft drinks, but we bought a package for $18 that allowed us to have unlimited fountain drinks all weekend.
Ensenada was a bust. It is not a destination that I ever need to see again. Thankfully I've been to Mexico before, or I would have been horrified. I thought it was going to be like Puerto Vallarta, but it was not. At all. But we found a cute little bar and settled in for a few drinks. That made me excited for our upcoming trip to Sayulita.
It was too cold to sit out by the pool on the ship, but we managed to do it a bit anyway. I can't sit for too long, so I used the track that ran around the boat and wandered through the different bars and the casino. We partied in the main dance club and watched a comedy show there on Sunday night. The comedian was actually quite funny.

Trip

I forgot my camera! So I have no photos. None. Oh well. I kind of didn't mind that I didn't have my camera because it is big and bulky and a pain to carry on a hike. But I don't have any photos. we need to buy a smaller camera.
We spent two nights at the Deer Haven Inn and Suites in Pacific Grove, CA. It was a very basic motel and if anyone was standing near the front door you could hear everything he said, but it had a fireplace and was pretty much clean and cheap, so it did the trick. Pacific Grove is between Monterey and Carmel, which was a perfect location.
We arrived on Sunday night and went to eat at the Monterey Fish House. We had been there before on our first trip to Monterey and B remembered the oak grilled oysters very fondly. Unfortunately they were out of oysters on Sunday night, so B ordered the baby octupi special and cioppino, both of which he loved. I had the special tuna steak, prepared blackened, which was excellent. B still wanted oysters, so we decided to come back then next night as well. The Monterey Fish House is small and always crowded. It is also understaffed, but the people are really nice and you can eat at the bar. I highly recommend it.
Monday morning we got up, ate the free breakfast at the hotel and then headed to Andrew Molera State Park for the eight mile hike loop. We had to cross the river on foot because the bridge doesn't go in until late Spring. It wasn't too bad and B had a towel, which made things easier. The hike was beautiful and not too strenuous, but still an excellent work out.
After the hike we tried to have burgers at the Big Sur Bakery, but it doesn't serve food on Mondays. So we headed to the Big Sur River Inn. The location was scenic, right along the river, and the weather was perfect for sitting out on the deck and eating. The food, however, was just okay and I couldn't use the lettuce they gave me with my burger because it had bugs on it! Yuck.
That night we ate again at the Monterey Fish House and B finally got his oysters. I had the tuna again. Yum.
We spent the next day wondering around Carmel. I love that town and would love to rent a place for the week there some Summer. That area is really one of my favorite places in the world. I love the hills, the cliffs, the ocean and the Cypress trees. Just gorgeous. I wonder how crowded it gets in the Summer.

Paris

I have been away on a last minute trip to Paris for work. It was quite nice. I didn't get to do too much because I was working, but I managed to get out of the hotel and walk around a bit. The best part was that our hotel was right near the Laduree on Champs D'Elysees. I have never eaten so many wonderful macaroons. I went there every day and ordered a small box. The line was very long on Valentine's Day, but I still braved it and managed to order in French and convince them that I was fluent in French - until the credit card machine stopped working. Credit card machines were not covered in my high school French class or my college French classes, so I had to admit that I spoke English much better than my French. It wasn't a problem and all was taken care of. My favorite flavor? Cassis violette. Yum!



Since I was away for Valentine's Day, B had to cancel the reservations he'd made at Comme Ca. I have been dying to go there, so he rescheduled for the Monday after my return, which was Presidents' Day and B had the day off. So we went and had a lovely lunch. I ordered the Steak Frites, which I really liked. I don't know if I would have liked the fries on their own, not enough salt for me, but they were perfect in the steak juice. B ordered the Cheeseburger and it was divine. I made him give me one quarter of it. I will definitely be back. Besides the food being fantastic, the decor is quite nice too. I am going to keep it in mind when I have a kitchen to decorate some day.
Speaking of a kitchen and some day, after lunch B and I went driving a bit. We checked out Montrose, which I suppose is part of Glendale. It was cute, but quite far away. Then we went to Eagle Rock, which is quickly becoming my favorite neighborhood. We have seen a number of houses that we would be happy living in and the blocks above Colorado have peaked B's interest greatly. Would I feel isolated out there? It's not that far, really, but it feels like another world. Oh, but how would I love a yard and available street parking and quiet! Hmm.

Anniversary and Such

Our anniversary was quite nice. We spent a few pleasant days in Cambria, with a bit of wine tasting in Paso Robles and a drive up the coast to hike in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. All scheduled around the Red Sox games, of course. Then we were back and I flew off to meet my friends for the weekend.
And now I am going to post some pics from my wedding because it was fantastic!: