Monterey Get-Away

I was just re-reading this before I posted, and I thought that I should preface this post with this: that I love being a mother.  I consider it one of the greatest blessings in my life.  But it is very demanding and noisy and full of people who have needs to fill, and who whine at you if they are not filled on their timeline.  Sometimes at the end of the day when the kids are all in bed, I just stop and absorb the silence, and revel in my ability to hear my own thoughts, which are pathetically mushy by that time of day.  So getting a couple of quiet days with my husband felt rather splendid . . . so if it seems like I'm doing a lot of complaining about my noisy kids, I'm actually just trying to illustrate what a contrast this was from my daily reality, and it just got me thinking that "quiet" is something that I need a little more of somehow . . .

Monterey, CA
March 12-14, 2012


Right now, I am sitting in a completely quiet room.  Oh the luxury.  I got up this morning when I felt like it, not because I had to get anyone off to school and not because someone was so starving they might die if they didn't eat breakfast in 2 minutes, and not because someone crawled up on my bed with a poopy diaper . . .  I just lay in my gigantic, fluffy king-sized bed and listened to the silence until I felt like I wanted to get up.  It was beautiful.

Arthur is attending a conference for work held here in Monterey, CA.  Since Monterey is not far from where my parents live, we decided to bring everyone out.  Mom was wonderful to keep the kids for a couple of days so Arthur and I could have a little get-away together.  (Sometimes life gets so busy, that I forget how much I like hanging out with my husband!)  So thanks for keeping all our little crazies, Mom, because I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to hear myself think. 

When we got here Monday afternoon, we checked in, and then went for a drive along the coast and in particular drove the famous 17 Mile Drive which goes through several famous Golf Courses, one of them being Pebble Beach.  I'm pretty sure I caught Arthur drooling on the steering wheel.

Sneaking a peak of Pebble Beach Golf Course.  It was the hardest to catch a glimpse of. . .

Tuesday, Arthur had sessions to attend, so I slept in until 9:15!!! (angel voices singing in my head!)  I cannot tell you the last time I did that, if I ever have done that in my years of motherhood. And after I got ready without Sydney sneaking into my make-up while I'm doing my hair or pulling on my legs, or someone whining about something they need, I took a book over to the Fireplace Lounge and read next to the fire, while someone else made my bed. Then I checked some email, and read some blogs and got my pinterest fix, (all without Sydney climbing on me or pulling my hand away from the keyboard, or having to break up a quarrel.)  It was just quiet. When Arthur was done with his classes, we went out to lunch on Fisherman's Wharf--we ate at Crabby Jim's where we had a seafront view from our window seat, and watched some sea lions playing around in the water.

My fish tacos at Crabby Jim's

Big ole' pelicans sitting outside a restaurant window

Sea Lions by Fisherman's Wharf

Look at that lollipop--it's bigger than my head!
On the back, it says, "Don't touch--you break it you buy it, $100."
yowsa!

Later we went for a walk on the beach,  

A charming little seaside inn called "Green Gables"

Cannery Row

and another walk down Cannery Row, and out to dinner at the Aquarium where the conference had rented out the Aquarium for the evening and we got to eat dinner by a giant wall of fish. Funnily enough, we sat down by a couple who were drinking non-alcoholic beverages, and had raised 6 children. They noticed our non-alcoholic beverages and after awhile asked how many children we had. So it didn't take us long to figure out that we were both Latter-Day Saints. Funny how Mormons kinda stick out in a crowd, huh? 

    

Anyway, we've had a lovely, relaxing and quiet time, that was the perfect break we needed.  Thank you, Mom, (and anyone else there at home who helped look after our little Garietys) for filling lots of extra needs for us!