Autumn 1st Goal

This afternoon on our way to Autumn's game we reminded her that if she made a goal we would give her a dollar. She said "I know, but it's hard to do." I told her to try her best. Well at warm-up she did really well kicking the ball into the goal. Autumn played the game really good (she did not even ask the coach if the game was over after playing for 5 min.). Then after the half as the girls and I yelled "GO Autumn!" she ran a little faster and had a break. She was running toward the goal and kicked it right in. It was Awesome to see her score and she was really excited. She came right over and hugged me. I had to remind her to get back into the game. After that she did not really do much I guess she figured she had scored and her job as done. We were so proud of her and happy to give her a dollar.

Pony Riding

I am still the Activity Day Girls leader and this week we had one of the parents volunteer to have the girls come and ride their horses. The husband and wife talked to the girls about their pony and their miniature horse. They told the girls about the care and work that goes into having these animals. Ashlyn had a great time petting, brushing, riding, and even walking the Pony. The girls even got a chance to gather eggs and feed the chickens. The chickens really love grapes. The girls had a great time and Ashlyn loved it. She wants me to ask the family when we can go back again.

A Day in Monterey

We had decided the day before that we would go to Monterey on our last day. After waking up to a sunny day with no clouds we thought we might just stay in Carmel all day. But then figured we could enjoy the sunshine on Cannery Row just as much as in Carmel. So with much protest we said goodbye to the Sandpiper Inn and left for Monterey. We always go to Cannery Row with the girls so it was kind of odd being there by ourselves. We walked all through all the stores and did a little bit of shopping. We ate lunch at the Fish Hopper. We got seated right on the water's edge so we could see lots of activity in and around the water. The food was good and the entertainment from the sea otters, seals, and seagulls(the one in the pic. stole some food from a sea otter) was fun too. We had time to go to Ghiradellis to share a sundae and go by the candy store for some good old salt water taffy. Then it was off to Sacramento for the Green Day Concert. We wish our stay in Carmel/Monterey could have been longer, but we really enjoyed the time that we did have together.

A Day in Carmel

This is the first time Noah and I have been to Carmel with out kids so we wanted to do as much as we could in what little time we had. We woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking and headed down stairs to eat. It was so nice to be served as we visited with each other and planned out our day. We decided to take a morning walk down to Carmel beach and walk along the water. We had a wonderful time walking hand in hand, people watching, and seeing the sights all around us, and enjoying our conversation together. As we walked back we took some pictures of the beautiful cottage homes in the area. We headed to the Carmel Mission only to find it packed with people for mass. We decided to come back in the late afternoon before evening mass. We decided to go on the famous 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach. We have always wanted to do this, but figured the kids would get bored with it so never have. It was a beautiful drive and was really neat to stop and check out all the fun little points along the way and learn abut them. I think our favorite stops on the 17 mile drive was seeing The Lone Cypress Tree and of course the lodge at Pebble Beach. Oh and Bird Rock was great too. It was right next to Seal Rock Picnic Area where it says you can relax and picnic here surrounded by a vibrant mix of marine life and birds. They forgot to mention how horrible the stink and stench are. After our drive we stopped in downtown Carmel to walk and window shop. It was nice to be able to look in a nice place and not have to worry about the kids touching or breaking things. We decided to go to the The Forge in the Forest Restaurant for lunch. It had great food and wonderful ambiance. We ate outside in the patio area surrounded by lush plants. They have a saying at the Forge "If you haven't been to The Forge, you haven't been to Carmel." Noah and I would agree it was great.
After a lunch we drove to the Carmel Mission where we were able to go on a self tour of the church and the mission.It was neat to see some of other building there and artifacts from that time period. We enjoyed seeing the quarters of the people who lived and worked the mission, the first library in California and the beautiful garden areas.After our time at the Mission we headed to Safeway to buy some snacks, hot chocolate, and dessert for later. We were pretty full from dinner and figured we would stay close to our place instead of going out. So we went out for a sunset walk along the beach with our hot chocolate and warm sweaters to keep us warm. What a fun day. We were sad that we would only have one day left.

Our Getaway

Several months ago I bought tickets to the Green Day concert to surprise Noah with. I set up the the date with Noah's mom so that she could come and watch the girls for us. I also asked if she could stay the weekend so that we could getaway for a few days. She made time in her busy schedule to do that for us. So about a month ago while on a date I finally told Noah about the concert and about his mom being able to watch the girls for us. I didn't really have a place in mind for us to go, all I had planned was the concert. He said he would take care of the rest.
On Sat. afternoon we left for our weekend getaway. I still had no clue where we were going. I had an idea where he may take me, but that's it. Well I was right about the location, but had no clue that we were staying in a bed n breakfast a block form the ocean in cute and quiet Carmel. The Inn was built in 1929 by a young German lady and her husband. The Inn was originally called the Holiday Inn, and quickly become a favorite among university professors. Eventually, the Inn was expanded to its current size of 17 rooms all with private baths. When the Holiday Inn hotel chain came to Carmel, the Inn changed its name the Sandpiper Inn to avoid confusion. The Inn was named after the movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton which was filmed along the California coast including Carmel Point.

The location was perfect and our view was amazing. We were on the 2nd story and could leave our window open and hear the waves crashing all night. It was great! The Sandpiper Inn in Carmel has no phone, tv or Internet in the rooms.(Noah said it is so we can spend quality time together) They still use real keys for each and every room. On our arrival it was pretty late so we got a quick but friendly tour. They have a dinning area were they serve you breakfast every morning with yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, and some kind of breakfast quiche or casserole. They have a mini library where you can grab a book to read and enjoy. They have tables set up in the various rooms for eating places in the morning or afternoon tea. The kitchen is open for use any time of day. We could use the sink, microwave, stove, and fridge if needed.After getting our key we headed to Monterrey for some dinner. The 1st place we saw open was California Pizza Kitchen so that's where we stopped and ate. Once we ate we headed back to our place for a good nights rest.