This past weekend, Andrew and I were in California. In truth, Andrew had been in California since May 22nd because he had a really fun vendor work thing that made me super jelly work in Silicon Valley and I joined him on Friday for the long holiday weekend. I have family in California wine country so it was perfect--we got to stay with them, celebrate our engagement, and catch up with what's going on with them in their world. The last time I went out there was 2006 so it had been a while! I flew early Friday morning (apologies to my May billable hours!!) and Andrew picked me up from the airport. Then we were off to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins in our rental car until the following Tuesday.
Can I just say, I really enjoy traveling with Andrew. He's a really good travel buddy! You know how everyone has their own particular vacation-style and I"m glad to say ours is both "go where the wind takes you" instead of "every minute and activity must be planned!" We like to just see where the day takes us and go from there. More on the trip later but here's a quick overview of our vacation:
Friday: Travel day and meeting up with family. Everyone loves the airport, right? The baggage drop, the long security lines, watching the planes take off and land, guarding your personal belongings, what isn't fun about that?! Honestly, I really do enjoy going to the airport--that's why I get there so early! I love finding a spot in my terminal and then just people-watching until it's boarding time. Does anyone else do this??
Saturday: Andrew and my uncle went to a car show. show off m uncle's sweet car (he has a classic Ferrari!). We also went to Whole Foods to pick up some snacks and then went to watch my cousin's baseball game. He's SO talented -- he's in the minor leagues and everything!
Sunday: Spent the day walking around a couple of the cutest towns in Sonoma county. Andrew and I also went wine tasting! Can't wait to blog about this!
Sunday: Visited my aunt's shop and then also my uncle's jewelry store. My aunt's shop is brand new so I had never been physically there before and it was adorable! It's a "modern craft shop" store selling yarn, projects, craft supplies, and teaching classes I couldn't resist picking something up for my mom! (Of course then I forgot it in California!) We also explored the Armstrong State National Reserve (a state park in Guerneville) to see the super tall redwoods. I went there with my family about 15 years ago but Andrew had never been.
Monday: Explored the West Coast....literally. We took a drive along the coast but stopped at a couple places, beaches, and overlooks along the way, And since it was Memorial Day the family did a barbecue for dinner!
Tuesday: Travel day. Coming home always is such a relief because, no lie, I miss my bed!
I'm glad to hear you had such a great time! :) I agree with you; I don't want to completely structure my time, I want to explore and see what's around.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful time :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have to have a minute by minute itinerary but I do like to have some idea of what we're going to do, although that can be changed the moment we see something more interesting...