Scavenger Hunt

When I woke up this morning I had no idea what was in store for the day. I arrived at work and was greeted by a festively decorated office courtesy of my supervisor Sharon and my friend Kitty. After the initial rush of birthday well wishes from coworkers I settled in for the day when I received an email from Kitty suggesting I go get coffee. I did and found a mug with the initial "B" decorating it in different scripts. Throughout the day I received many more email clues from Kitty and Ann which led me on a fun birthday scavenger hunt. My reward at every turn were fun and thoughtful gifts. I have not been on a scavenger hunt since high school and it was an unexpected treat for my birthday.
Pictures #1-2: Scavenger hunt clues.
Pictures #3-4: My scavenger hunt booty.
Pictures #5-6: My decorated office.

Fun At The Mission

What a fun morning. Carolyn, Vince and Ilaria came to Lompoc this morning and we went to La Purisima Mission to feed the animals. It was supposed to be a rainy weekend but it cleared up yesterday and today we had beautiful weather. After feeding the animals Carolyn and Vince treated us to brunch at Cajun Kitchen for my birthday. A wonderful way to spend a Sunday morning.
Picture #1: Ilaria and Vince feeding carrots to the sheep and goats.
Picture #2: Ted feeding carrots to the donkeys.
Picture #3: Carolyn and Ilaria feeding carrots to the donkeys.
Picture #4: Ilaria posing pretty in the trees.
Pictures #5-6: Carolyn, Vince, and Ilaria feeding apples to the horses.

Sweet Cards

My birthday is next Monday and Ted's and my 3rd wedding anniversary is March 8. Ted's parents made us these cards for both occasions. Our anniversary card has our pictures photo shopped in which makes it extra special.

35 Here I Come

My 35th birthday is next week and my coworkers Sharon and Francee started my birthday celebration today. They treated me to lunch at Marmalade Cafe and gave me a beautiful card with an Amazon gift card tucked inside. The card is so beautiful and sparkly I had to post a picture of it.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: Part Two

Since I want to share so many pictures from our visit to the aquarium I decided to break them up into several posts. This is installment 2 out of 3.
Picture #1: Flatfishes. I know they are hard to see but there are two in this picture.
Picture #2: Another beautiful underwater scene.
Picture #3: This was one of our favorite displays. The fish and the environment are so colorful and engaging. The best part was hearing all the kids come up to the tank and say some version of, "look mom, there's Nemo!"
Pictures #4-5: Views of Monterey Bay from the second story of the aquarium.

*These pictures were taken 2/19/2011.

Otter Ornament

Ted and I are big fans of otters so we purchased an otter ornament in Monterey last weekend to help memorialize our trip. It matches the elephant ornament we purchased at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. a few years ago.

Joan Miro

In college I studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain and I came to appreciate the art of Spanish artist, Joan Miro. On a weekend trip to Barcelona I went to a Joan Miro museum and purchased several prints. They've been stored in a closet for the last 7 years and yesterday Ted and I finally hung them in the guestroom. I think they look great and they completely change the look of the room.

Salt

Ted and I watched Salt yesterday. It has an interesting premise, and while the action scenes were completely unrealistic, we enjoyed the movie.

Highway 1: Part One

We woke up this morning to a bright blue clear sky. A perfect day to drive along Highway 1 through Big Sur.
Picture #1: Our first view of the Pacific Ocean.
Pictures #2-5: Different views of the Pacific Ocean as we head south on Highway 1.
Picture #6: Ted in front of the historic Bixby Bridge.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: Part One

After a wonderfully delicious brunch at The Wild Plum Cafe across the street from our hotel we headed over to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We spent several hours looking at fish and animals some beautiful, some gross, all amazing.
Picture #1: The Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Picture #2: Shark!
Picture #3: Yucky spiny crabs.
Picture #4: Lots of beautiful sand dollars.
Picture #5: I can't remember what type of animal this is but Ted really liked the different colors represented in the tentacles.

Rainy Day

Our vacation got off to a rainy start but it did not prevent us from having a wonderful day. On our way to Monterey we decided to stop in Carmel. We've driven through Carmel but never stopped there before. It is a charming seaside town with an old world feel, complete with cobblestone streets and thatched roof buildings. Unbeknownst to me Ted scheduled massages for us, so after a delicious meal at Dametra Cafe we enjoyed massages at Kush. After that we continued on to Monterey where we ended the day with dinner at a Thai restaurant near our hotel.
Picture #1: Monterey is filled with charming alleyways. This is one I found particularly cute. It doesn't translate well in the picture but it is really nice.
Picture #2: The entrance to Dametra Cafe.
Picture #3: The Cottage of Sweets in Carmel.
Picture #4: Ted and me feeling relaxed after our massages.

Is This A Sign Of Being An Adult?

I have taken a multi-vitamin for several years and I recently started taking fish oil pills and fiber pills. Since I'm taking several pills each day I decided to purchase a pill box to keep track of what I'm taking. I started taking fiber pills because I know I don't get enough fiber in my diet. Is the fact that I'm concerned about my daily fiber intake mean that I've reached adulthood?

Perfect For A Rainy Day

I bought these rain boots over the weekend which was perfect timing because it rained today. Instead of getting my dress shoes wet on my way to work I wore my new boots and my feet, socks, and pants all stayed warm and dry.

World Wildlife Fund

Ted donated money to the World Wildlife Fund last year and today he received a bunch of return address stickers with pictures of cute animals in the left-hand corner of the address. He also received this big panda sticker. Not sure what they expect him to do with this sticker but who doesn't love a cute panda bear.

Sweet Day

For Valentine's Day Ted not only got me TWO Whitman's Samplers but he also got me roses. A sweet husband indeed.

Callie Is Living The Life

I found Callie laying in the sun this afternoon. She is so comfortable and relaxed. How much better does it get? This is what life is all about.

Easy A

Ted and I watched Easy A this evening. It is a movie clearly geared towards teenagers (I find it hard to believe that teenagers think being notorious for being the school slut is favorable to being unpopular. I guess times have changed A LOT since I was in high school) but Ted and I still found parts of it pretty funny.

Growing Girl

Ted and I had dinner with Carolyn, Vince, and Ilaria this evening. It's been several months since we've all gotten together and Ted and I were amazed at how much Ilaria has grown. She's quite a bit taller than when we saw her last, and she's a lot more chatty. I think she was a bit shy when she first saw us but she warmed up to us by the end of the evening.
Picture #1: Sweet-faced Ilaria.
Picture #2: Sweet-faced Ilaria after eating pasta.

Obsession

I am obsessed with the game ColorPhyll I downloaded onto my phone. It's a simple silly puzzle game but I can't stop playing it. I am addicted this game.

Gift Card Spent

I finally used the remainder of the $150 Vons gift card I received in December 2009 to purchase $100 in Amazon gift cards. I knew I was saving the Vons gift card for a good reason. Now I have $150 to spend on ebooks.

Candy Hamburger

Ted and I had lunch at The Habit today. I ordered a kids meal and it was served with this candy hamburger. When we were leaving we heard a little boy say to his parents, "Can I get a candy hamburger?" Clearly he has eaten at The Habit before.