4.15.18 - Anniversary weekend continued

So after our down time yesterday evening, we went to an Irish pub called Stout's in downtown Santa Rosa. We got there around 9 p.m. for dinner, which is fine with me because we'd been eating all day and I was only just starting to have room for more food. We originally sat at a high table kind of away from everyone, but another group cleared out and so we moved to a booth in a corner where we could people watch, which was much better. I got bangers and mash and some kind of pineapple cocktail, and Jack got shepherd's pie and an IPA (after which he reminisced about how he hated IPA when he first moved to California and now he loves it).

We took our time and talked about basketball versus baseball versus football and how difficult it is to cheat and how often play gets stopped to figure out rule breaking. As it got later more younger people came in and we watched people flirting (successfully or not) and talked about how glad we were to not have to worry about that anymore. Just as we were getting the check management turned the music WAY up and switched it from kind of easy-going cover songs to more dancing/club type music. I expect 10 years ago I would've wanted to go dance, but last night both Jack and I thought it was too loud and were ready to get out of there, haha.

Top: I love the way they light up the bottles behind the bar.

So we drove back to the Air B&B (eating raspberry M&Ms on the way) and then we basically cuddled in bed and watched Jessica Jones until we passed out. I did get back up to pump and watch more Better Caul Saul (which I am really enjoying), but then I slept form about 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. totally uninterrupted! It was glorious. I don't think I've had a fully uninterrupted night's sleep since Jane was born. Now it's about 8:15 a.m. and I feel completely rested.

Picture of our room from its Air Bnb page.

[later that evening...]

Now it's 5:45 p.m. and I'm home with my two girls who I am so happy to see again. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Jack and I packed up probably around 9 a.m. and headed to Santa Rosa to Zee's Diner. It was one of the less expensive breakfast places with very high ratings on Yelp, and sure enough it was charming. He picked something savory (bacon cheese avocado omelette) and I picked sweet (French toast) so we could share each. At one point while eating his wheat toast he said "Man, bread with gluten in it is the best." Haha. We talked about our favorite parts of the trip before heading to the car to drive home.

So. Full.

After a while on the drive we were both getting sleepy, so we tried to think of engaging topics of conversation. We ended up talking quite a bit about finances and how ours will change once he finishes his degree. It was a good and probably pretty important conversation. I think things are going to change a lot for us in the next year but until we know exactly in what ways it's hard to plan for it. We also recapped all of our anniversaries to date and realized we've already had a pretty good run.

• 2010: Rivoli's
• 2011: Rocca
• 2012: Napa valley weekend
• 2013: wine-tasting train ride plus Groupon meals all weekend
• 2014: got married
• 2015: Revolution Wines & night away from home
• 2016: San Francisco dinner cruise!
• 2017: The Press Bistro (low-key I'm-8-months-pregnant dinner)
• 2018: Weekend wine tasting

We got home with a couple hours before it was time to pick up the girls, so Jack worked on homework and I chatted with Mom while I got the apartment much more cleaned up. Even that is part of the break, really, because it's pretty hard to clean when the girls are actually home.

I was so glad to see them when Jack brought them back from Beth's. We were apart only a day and a half but I guess that's long enough to miss them, which I actually enjoy. Jane was very cheerful, rosy cheeked and cuddly. Clara hadn't had a nap and was much more irritable. But she's fallen asleep and woken back up since and now she is singing and reciting nursery rhymes to herself in the empty bathtub while Jane hangs out outside it watching her. Love those kiddos.

Overall it was a wonderful weekend and I'm so endeared to Jack for putting it together for us.

4.14.18 - Anniversary weekend

Jack planned our entire weekend without telling me about any of it. That alone made me look forward to it so much because I didn't have to figure anything out. He even planned for Beth to take the girls overnight (Jane's first night away from me).

I woke up at 7 a.m. so I'd have plenty of time to shower, pump, pack my own overnight bag, and pack an overnight bag for the girls. Without children all of this would probably take me 45 minutes or so, but once Jane woke up it was much slower than that. She is very much a momma's girl and wants me to be at least within sight if not within touch very often, especially when she first wakes up. Sometimes it's frustrating but I have to say a lot of times it's adorable, as I pick her up off the floor or take her from Jack's arms and she is so cuddly, putting her head on my shoulder or putting her little hands to her eyes and then burrowing into my chest. Little cuddle.

Anyway we weren't in any huge hurry either way. Jack told Beth we'd have the girls there between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. so we had plenty of time. We got everything ready to go and headed out by 8:45 a.m. Jane fell asleep in the car but Clara stayed awake and pointed out trees, signs, trucks, etc. There was even a fire engine in the slow lane on the highway and Jack drove probably a bit too slow to let it pass us so Clara could see it. She was pretty happy about it.

Beth's apartment was so pleasant when we got there. It was totally clean, which in itself is so impressive given how often she watches a bunch of small children. It's certainly much cleaner than our apartment. And she was cooking bacon and the song "Tupelo Honey" was on in the background. Just such a relaxing atmosphere. I also got to meet her puppy, Max, who is a beautiful mutt (probably part husky). The girls seemed pretty happy to be there and there was no fussing as Jack and I left.

Then we were off! We actually went back by our own apartment which was on the way) to get his sunglasses and my wedding ring. I don't wear the ring often because after 5-7 days it makes my finger break out, unfortunately. But our anniversary weekend seemed like a good occasion to wear it, and I do enjoy wearing it. On the way back out the door Jack asked me if I wanted to know where we were going. "Only if you want to tell me." "Well do you want to know?" (laughing) "Only if you want to tell me!" Then he told me we were going to the Napa Valley area. Bit of a drive, but worth it.

On the drive there we talked about school and the future and my siblings and who knows what else. At one point GPS directed us to a road connecting 37 to 101 (I suppose to avoid traffic) and it was so idyllic. It was winding and green and sunny and we passed adorable farm houses with stone chimneys and lots of livestock including (1) a cow that Jack thought looked like a "Napoleon cow" because he seemed to be standing above all the other cows and surveying them and (2) a pasture filled with not just sheep but lots of little lambs. I've never seen so many lambs in my life. It was great. We also passed, of course, a lot of vineyards, which are charming to look at and remind me of wine and wealth and vaguely the Bible, I guess.

I purposefully didn't eat anything all morning because I knew we would be eating all day and I wanted to have the appetite for it. We got to Santa Rosa and went to the Irish Pub where he had wanted to have lunch, but there was some kind of mix up and it actually didn't open until 3 p.m. This threw us off for a minute because we had plans to go to two different wineries in Healdsburg that closed at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. so it would be hard to fit both of them and the Irish Pub in for a late lunch. But then we realized the sushi restaurant Jack had planned on for dinner was not half a block from where we had already parked, so we just switched our lunch and dinner plans and grabbed some sushi. It was a quiet place with nice presentation (the wasabi was carved like a little leaf) and we enjoyed it.

From there we went to our Air B&B to check in. We were actually both kind of tired so we grabbed a quick but wholly uninterrupted nap before heading out to sip wine. Maybe it's a sign of me getting older but that quiet nap and getting to cuddle was already one of my favorite parts of the day.

Meanwhile Jack was actually sneezing a lot when we were out and about, so before we went to the wineries we stopped at a CVS to get some allergy meds and I decided to grab some chocolate. They had on sale raspberry crunch M&Ms, which I've never heard of and was curious to try. They were so satisfying to eat. The raspberry chocolate flavor was tasty, sure, but the real deal was the crunch. Jack and I both found them oddly wonderful to chomp down on and we spend several minutes trying to think of comparable foods with such a satisfying texture. It was like the culinary equivalent of popping bubble wrap.

Anyway, we ate a bunch of those and then went to the first winery: Family Wineries Dry Creek tasting room. When we walked in there were only two other customers: a pair of middle aged women also doing the tasting. The man behind the counter looked to be roughly 70s, and he was very friendly. Normally I don't like it when people want to chat a lot and I just want to spend time talking to Jack and not making polite conversation with strangers. However this guy was very sweet: down-to-earth, self-depracating, seemed very happy to be there. He didn't give us a ton of details on every wine, just the basics and then let us enjoy them. He did ask if it was a special occasion and we told him it was our anniversary, so he gave us two complimentary little tokens--I don't know what you call them but you can clip them onto your wine glasses to tell whose is whose. He told some clean goofy jokes and spoke with an accent I can't quite place, but something like East coast. He was very into the 70s rock he had playing softly in the background and he sang along to it from time to time. He also took our picture for us. It was just very pleasant.

The wine was good too, of course, but then I've rarely found a wine I don't like. Just sniffing the first choice stirred a vague sense of happy memories--not even anything specific but just a lot of delight from wine throughout my life. We each tried five wines, both ending with a very sweet Moscato. We sat at a sunny table in the corner overlooking vineyards and took our time finishing it.

Then we headed back to the center of Healdburg to the C Donatiello Winery. It was on a corner of Healdsburg square, and we sat at a corner table with windows on two sides where we could watch all the happy people (and many happy dogs) walk by in the absolutely perfect weather. This wine tasting came with food pairings, including Brie cheese, some other cheese with a Moscato jelly, proscuito, salami, and some fancy mustards including a "violet" mustard that involved raisins somehow and that Jack absolutely loved.

The tasting were supposed to include 4 wines for each of us, but since we shared glasses of everything it seemed like much more. I actually really liked both of their Chardonnays even though usually I'm not as into Chardonnay. In fact there was so much food and drink that near the end I had to stop eating it because my stomach was starting to bother me - I couldn't even finish the fancy piece of chocolate that came with the last petite sirah. Oh well. It was still delicious.

The sommelier was a bit more hands on, especially in the beginning when were the only customers in the place. She sat with us and talked a lot about the details of the wines and other chit chat, and it was okay but I kind of wanted to just spend more time visiting with Jack. However once other customers came around she got busier, so we were able to close out the session just the two of us, and that was nice.

Then we walked around the square and sat on a park bench in the middle of it and people watched and talked about dating and our relationship and how nice it is to not have to worry about finding a mate anymore. The weather was just perfect the whole time and walking around helped settle my stomach a bit.

Jack wanted to get some ice cream but the only open ice cream shop nearby had kind of a limited selection, so we drove back to the town where our Air B&B is (Windsor) and got some Baskin Robbins and sat on another park bench enjoying that. Then we came back to the Air B&B so I could pump and Jack could take a nap before we go out to dinner. And that's where I am now, writing out all the details before I forget.

4.10.18 - So much to look forward to!

This weekend Jack and I are celebrating our 9th anniversary (4 years married). He has planned the whole thing. I don't even know what we're going to do, but I know all I have to do is help him get the kids ready and drop them off at Beth's and also dress nice. In fact last weekend I bought a new top just for the occasion. It's super cute--black and lacy with off-the-shoulder sleeves. It's the first time I've bought new non-maternity clothes in probably years, and I'm excited about wearing it. I'm also excited about spending time with Jack and seeing what he decided to plan for us. I'm also excited to not be calorie counting, haha.

Whatever we end up doing, I'm basically already happy about it because I didn't have to figure out any of the logistics or how we're paying for it. Jack charged it all to his own credit card (that I don't see on our joint statements) and worked extra shifts at Nordstrom Rack to pay it off. He also arranged for Beth to take the girls for Saturday into Sunday morning. It's very sweet.

After our mystery anniversary weekend, it's only 5 weeks until Jack's graduation! Don, Merlene, Dad, Jill, Rocket, and Neil will all be in town for it. Jack's pinning ceremony is on a Thursday and his general commencement (cap and gown pics!) is on a Saturday, and we are going for a nice steakhouse dinner (courtesy of Dad) on the Friday. Beth will take the girls again so we can just enjoy the dinner. God bless Beth.

Anyway, of all the things I'm looking forward to, Jack's graduation is probably at the top of the list. It's been quite a saga. I can hardly believe it's almost complete. I am so proud of him for how long and hard he's worked toward this degree, and I'm so looking forward to how our life will change as we enter the first time we've ever been together when neither one of us was in school. I'm sure the years will rush by and I'll barely remember what it was like when he was still in school, but for now that's all we've really known and it's thrilling to think it's almost done. Even before he gets a nursing job, I anticipate a lot of pressure relief as his schedule frees up (and whatever time is not free is because he's bringing in paychecks from Nordstrom). I am very very excited.

Then less than two weeks after Jack's graduation, we are going to Missouri to surprise Mom for her 60th birthday! Julie and Ellen are going to conspire to get Mom to celebrate her birthday the Saturday (June 2) before the actual day (June 6). I'm not sure exactly how that will work, but I keep picturing Mom having a get together at Sugar Creek and Jack, Clara, Jane, and I just walk up the driveway and show up. It's going to be awesome! I laugh every time I think about it.

We are staying in Missouri for nearly three weeks. It will be the first time I go back to Missouri in the summer since 2015, so that's also nice.

About 4 weeks after we return, Henry and I are going to North Carolina for Kale's wedding. Then we leave directly from there to Colorado for what has become the annual Snyder Field Day. I'm looking forward to it this year especially because the Givens are going to joins us, and the Maacks will come in too late for Field Day but in time to visit that Monday. Should be great.

After that trip we get home and then it's another four weeks or so befoer Jack and I go on our honeymoon. When we got married Dad offered to send us on a honeymoon as our wedding gift, but we agreed to wait a few years until after we had kids and make it a more meaningful break/vacation. I'm so glad we did it that way. Don & Merlene are going to fly out to watch the girls, and Jack and I are going to Chicago for a full week. I've already planned out basically everywhere we're going to sight see and eat. I'm so excited. And since we're staying in-country we had enough in our honeymoon budget to buy the tickets for Don & Merlene, so the trip doubles as a chance for them to visit the girls without it costing too much. Of all the things on the list this is my second favorite (after Jack's graduation).

The hope is that Jack will be able to study in between all these trips and sit for the NCLEX right before we go on the honeymoon. If he passes the honeymoon will double as our celebration that he is officially a licensed nurse. If he doesn't, I suppose it will be the most thorough comfort trip ever. Actually I don't know if he will even know the results before we go on the trip, but it would be so cool if it doubled as that celebration. And then when we return he can begin a job hunt in earnest--the next big adventure.

So yeah, it's shaping up to be an incredibly epic year.

4.20.17 - Belated anniversary celebration

Jack and I didn't get to celebrate on our actual anniversary (4/13) because he had a lot going on with school and we had Clara because Beth was out of town. Well Beth returned this week and generously agreed to watch Clara overnight so Jack and I could have a relaxing dinner together.

I wanted to try somewhere new, so I found a restaurant on Yelp that had high ratings but wasn't too terribly expensive, and I made reservations for tonight. I went ahead and wore a black maternity dress Julie lent me - it's actually the dress she wore to our wedding. I'd never worn it before but it was very comfortable and it did look somewhat dressy. It made a nice change of pace from the two pairs of maternity jeans I've been rotating between for weeks. Jack went through all the effort of shaving and wore dress jeans and a nice top.

He dropped me off at the restaurant while he looked for parking, and I chose a table for us on the patio out front. The weather was perfect for eating outside, and the sidewalk has passers-by we could watch but wasn't too busy, probably because it was a Thursday. We sat under an enormous and beautiful tree and admired the other trees along the street that appear to be growing oranges and lemons. Considering it's a relatively busy urban street, that was pretty cool.

I wish I could have had a few glasses of wine, but I enjoyed the restaurant's "mocktail," made of citrus fruit juices and a non-alcoholic ginger beer. I had two of them for what would have been the price of one glass of wine, so that was nice.

We ordered three tapas plates for $10: marinated olives, arancini, and piquillo peppers. They were all delicious. For dinner I got the chicken cannelloni and he got the salmon with asparagus risotto. They were both good but his was the best.

Then we split a chocolate lava cake for dessert.

It was just the right amount of food that we were able to finish everything without being ridiculously stuffed, and it took a nice long time: we were there probably near two hours and had plenty of time to talk and enjoy the weather. We talked a lot about subjects we typically talk about (Clara, school, the pregnancy, work) but it's still very different to be able to talk without interruption or hurry, focused on each other.

He also made me laugh a lot. For example the tree we sat under kept losing leaves in the breeze, and several times leaves would fall in his water glass. He finally gave up fishing them out and just drank some anyway and announced "I just ate part of that tree." For some reason I found that very funny.

While we were waiting for the chocolate lava cake we noticed an elderly man across the street clinging to a fence as he very slowly walked down the street. It looked like he was having trouble getting wherever he was going and for a while we watched him somewhat concerned, trying to see if he was heading for the gate up ahead that led into an apartment complex or if he was just walking along with no nearby destination. He did head for the gate, so Jack hopped over the restaurant patio fence and sprinted across the street to ask the man if he needed help getting to his apartment. When Jack returned he reported the old man had said he just got hit with a spell of vertigo while down the street and had decided to go back home, and that he was going to sit in the apartment complex courtyard for awhile before going inside. So Jack helped him to a bench in the courtyard and then left him alone. I felt very proud of how attentive my husband can be.

4.13.16 - Anniversary actual day

We already celebrated in full last weekend, but on the actual day of we had a mini celebration. We already had an unopened bottle of Merlot, and Jack went and bought Reese's, sea salt caramel ice cream, and salt and pepper kettle chips (for me) and jalapeno kettle chips (for him).

Then we set up the pilot episode of Turn on the desktop computer and just lounged around watching it and eating junk food. I'm already on the second season and really enjoying it, enough so that I don't mind rewatching the first season with Jack.

I think for the entire first episode Clara was up and about with us, just hanging out in the living room. She wasn't paying hardly any attention to the show, though, and just looking at her board books and examining her toys. Soon she got sleepy so I went through her bed time routine while Jack kept watching (since I've already seen the first season).

After I put her to bed, at one point some really epic thing happened in the show and Jack got excited and yelled "This is sick!"...which woke Clara up. So I went in and sat with her but she was back down in just a minute. Then, as if as an anniversary gift to us, she stayed asleep all night for the first time in a week and a half or so. So that was fantastic. 

Jack and I watched the full 2nd episode before going to bed. It was reminiscent of our pre-child days when we used to watch several episodes of a show together while working on our laptops or just hanging out. Very enjoyable.

4.9.16 - Anniversary cruise

The summer after we got married a friend of ours, Nick, gave us a gift card to go on a Hornblower cruise in San Francisco. It was a very generous gift, and very thoughtful. He said he remembered how much I love SF and he knew we weren't going to have a honeymoon so he thought it would be a nice, small replacement.

He didn't know at the time that we were already trying to get pregnant so I wasn't drinking. For that reason we opted to save the gift card for a later date. After we had Clara I wondered if we would ever get a chance to use it, since doing so would require a babysitter for like 8 hours.

Then this year Mom happened to be coming out to visit the weekend before our anniversary, which was perfect. We booked tickets for Saturday and Mom agreed she could watch Clara while we went down to SF.

We listened to Epic Rap Battles the entire way there, re-remembering older battles we forgot we loved. Jack was trying to pick his top three but kept having to adjust his answers as we heard more battles. If I remember right, he was trying to decide between these ones:

I took a nap for part of the drive but woke up in time to go through the newly-named Robin Williams tunnel and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Since we don't have reason or opportunity to visit SF regularly anymore, every time we do make it down I feel very bittersweet wondering if I'll see it again and, if so, how many more times before it's over? I've spent a lot of my life either living in SF or daydreaming about SF, and I can sense that era is pretty much wrapping up. So it's always nice to be down there and enjoy it a little more.

We got to the piers and were prepared to pay for garage or lot parking, since few meters will let you buy more than 1.5 hours at a time and we'd need more time than that. But we forgot that many meters stop charging at 6pm. It was near that time already, so we found street parking near the pier and relaxed in the car until 6. Then we just walked over to the piers without having to pay any parking! Yesss.

Jack was already hungry and we still had an hour before we'd be boarding and Don and Merlene had sent us some cash as an anniversary gift, so we walked around the piers looking for a place to get a quick bite and drink. While we were looking we found a window display of large old photographs of the area from decades past. There was even a photo from before there were cars, showing a bunch of horses tied to posts in front of docked ships. Jack and I joked about how someday people will look at photos from this time period and marvel at how far technology has advanced. "Look, they were still using cars. Can you imagine getting around before teleporters?"

We found a cafe very near the pier for our cruise. It was an overpriced organic place, but the nice thing about that was it was pretty empty, even at dinner time on a Saturday. We got a corner table and ordered drinks and a cheese plate, which was completely delicious. It included foccacia and honey and walnuts too. The restaurant had bare bulbs hanging from the high ceiling, big bright windows, and mason-jar type jugs for water. It was a bit hipster but it was clean and pretty, and I got a little buzz off my cocktail and we had a good time just chatting. And we didn't really have to worry about the bill thanks to Jack's parents. That was really nice.

We finished up right around 7pm, so we just walked straight to the boarding area. It was a little rainy, but they had a canopy. It was also a little chilly. I was really glad I'd brought my winter coat. Some women were dressed up in strapless, backless, or short dresses and while they looked great, I felt cold just seeing them. They were letting people onto the walkway to the boat in groups of a dozen or so at a time, and it felt like the anticipation of waiting for a roller coaster.

We were maybe the fourth bunch to get onto the ramp, and then we saw the delay. A professional photographer was taking pictures of each couple or group in front of the boat. We knew we wouldn't be buying our picture later, so we tried to hurriedly take a selfie in front of the boat ourselves, as our own souveneir.

We got on the first deck and checked in to get our reserved table. There were three decks: first one was largest and they got smaller from there. The second deck had a dance floor in the center. When we first walked onto it there was a bar and a lot of tables for groups of 6 or more. Then there was the dance floor, and then the front was lined with windows and tables for two all around it. All the tables had white linen tablecloths and were already set with the fist course, a wedge salad. 

We had got the anniversary package, so our table included a chilled bottle of champagne, Ghirardelli chocolates, and a wrapped gift and card. The gift was two complimentary champagne flutes with the Hornblower's logo. 

We hadn't even left the docks yet and the view was already gorgeous. The Bay Bridge stretched across the many windows lining the dining area, and then to the right we could see downtown SF.

Our server asked us whether we'd like to take the champagne home or open now. I answered quickly "Oh, we're opening it now" and Jack laughed. So the server opened and poured and we sat and sipped and enjoyed the view waiting for everyone else to board. At first they had a DJ picking songs in the background, but then they switched to a live piano player and accompanying singer, and they were very good. Very old-school swing-ish lounge-ish Peggy Lee type thing.

We felt the boat's engines rev up and Jack looked at me excitedly, and then we were off. Jack pointed out that we should go up and outside on the top deck while there was still light out, and I'm so glad he said that. I was going to wait until later but the best pictures and video we got was definitely at dusk before it was too dark to see.

Also the other passengers hadn't really noticed the deck yet, so we were the only ones out there. It was so beautiful because San Francisco is such a beautiful city!

When we got back to our table we decided to go ahead and order the charcuterie plate since Jack was still pretty hungry. While we waited for it we evaluated the set of Ghirardelli chocolates and picked our favorites and split them to taste test. There was milk chocolate or dark chocolate with mint or caramel or raspberry and more. It was fun to munch on with the champagne.

Sailing away from the Bay Bridge.

Side note: I wanted to sip champagne slowly so it would last all night. Well turns out there was more than enough, and even with sipping all night we didn't finish the bottle. It was a nice mellow buzz the whole time, I loved it.

The music was loud enough that it was hard to hear each other across the table, so Jack moved to sit next to me on the cushioned bench. When he did, the guy at the table next to us joked about how Jack has the right idea (the guy was also sitting next to his date on the cushioned bench). 

At some point the DJ played "Let's Get It On" and us and a lot of other couples got up and started dancing. The couple at the table next to us was up there too. The song was just slow enough that I was having a hard time keeping the beat and Jack and I were laughing pretty hard about it by the end.

After the song Jack went to use the restroom and I sat back down at our table. The guy next to us told me he was prepared to reprimand Jack for not getting up and dancing with me but then he saw we were already on the dance floor (and doing some of our swing moves) so kudos to us. I chatted with them a little bit. They looked to be in their early 60s, a little rough around the edges, ordering a lot of beers, very friendly. Apparently they were from Seattle and I found out later they had just gotten engaged.

Jack got back and we sat side-by-side and enjoyed more champagne. The rest of the night is a blur of delicious food and drink, getting up to dance, going outside to see the view, and repeating it all over again.

Every song we found worth dancing to so did plenty of other people, but at just the right level that the dance floor was occupied but not crowded. We slow danced to "When a Man Loves a Woman" but I spent the whole time talking about how terrible the song lyrics actually are. But then they played "Die a Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett, and that was actually really sweet. I think it's the most "real" slow dance Jack and I have ever done, holding each other close and singing it to each other. And it was surreal because at that point we were turning slowly in circles but the boat was turning around too, so everything was slowly double spinning. It was fun though.

After those slow songs all of the sudden they put on "Apple Bottom Jeans"! Way earlier they had already played "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz and I had texted Renata to say I was thinking of her. Then they played this and it was actually nostalgic. I texted her again and she and I joked that this should have been our friendship anniversary cruise, haha. She said it would've just ended in blue tongues (AMFs).

Anyway, we stepped outside a few other times. First because we thought we were nearly to the Golden Gate Bridge, but it turned out we were only to Sausalito. It was pretty chilly by then but if we stood at the right place on the steps in front of the...steam outlets...? It actually wasn't that cold. We stepped outside again when we were nearing the Golden Gate, and it actually was that cold, so we went back in and enjoyed our dinners (I had filet mignon medium rare, excellent, and he had pan roasted chicken) as we went under the bridge and then back again. No matter how many times I see it or drive across it or, in this case, sail under it, I'm in love with that bridge and that whole area. So beautiful.

Behind me: the underside of the GGB.

Other small notes: one of the other passengers looked like Oberyn Martell of Game of Thrones, happily wining and dining his date. One of the servers looked like a shorter Eliot Stabler. Jack said he still wouldn't mess with the guy.

I thought we were heading back to the docks but the boat passed right by them and went under the Bay Bridge, something I've never done before. It was like a bonus 45 minutes. It was great. We danced more. At some point they played "Uptown Funk" and we tried to do the dance to it but we don't really know it, so we just laughed and continued on. I know there was also "Twist & Shout" (which Jack didn't realize is sung by John Lennon, but he still likes it) and Ed Sheerhan's "Thinking Out Loud." I really like that song too.

We ended the night with chocolate truffle cake and a fresh fruit tart, but actually I was so full I couldn't even finish. 

They put candles in our desserts in honor of our anniversary.

It was getting warm inside so we took our things and waited outside, watching the downtown SF skyline get closer. It's such a lovely city. I really loved the whole thing.

We deboarded and only then was it really starting to rain. Luckily we had brought our umbrella. We walked the few blocks in the rainy downtown SF night to our car, and Jack took us out of the city while I passed out. I even slept over the Golden Gate, unfortunately. About halfway home we switched, and I listened to my iPod and sang along while driving us the rest of the way home.

Then I told mom all about everything before she went home to her hotel. And she told me about the fun and peaceful time she had with Clara all evening, for which I was glad. And thennn I passed out.

It was a fantastic day.

4.19.15 - 6th Anniversary celebration

Yesterday Ellen and Bryon drove up from the bay area so they could babysit Clara overnight while Jack and I celebrated our anniversary. They got here in the afternoon, and I spent an hour or so showing Ellen how to diaper and feed Clara and explaining Clara's cues and how to put her down for bed time. It was fun. Ellen is pretty laid back and confident about the whole thing, and I'm confident in her because of her confidence, and because she's smart. Having a babysitter I trust makes a big difference in how much I can relax while away.

Anyway, so Jack and I got ready to go, and, on his suggestion, went to get some sushi in advance of dinner, since dinner would really just be small food plates. We went to our favorite tucked away sushi spot - Ju Hachi - and happened to get there right when their Happy Hour started. That means we got Jack's favorite--California rolls--for $5 each. I also ordered a roll I'd been curious about many times before: the Madonna roll. It's fried chicken in a sushi roll. I don't think it counts as real sushi, but it was still delicious. Another first: mochi chocolate ice cream for dessert. The texture was strange but, hey, it was chocolate, so I was happy.

Fried chicken roll.

Meanwhile the weather was absolutely perfect. Probably low- or mid-70s and sunny. That can make a big difference in the mood too. It was so comfortable.

We drove downtown to check in to our hotel. They charge extra for parking so we parked a few blocks away and walked, but I was kind of glad for the chance to walk around. I'm home alone with Clara a lot--not much walking around in my own apartment. When she gets a little older maybe we'll go for walks together around the neighborhood, but for now I really am just in the apartment a lot. So walking a few blocks to the hotel in the perfect weather was pretty nice.

The hotel (the Hyatt) had automated check-in. Given how long airports have had the same, I wasn't surprised, but I'd never gotten to use automated check-in for a hotel before and I liked it. Skipped the line, just like with self-checkout lanes at grocery stores. And the hotel was beautiful. Huge, and clean and new and pretty. There were a lot of people milling around that were very dressed up (I wasn't dressed up at all). Then again there were also a lot of people dressed for what looked like road and bike trips around the area to have some California adventures. Anyway, we found our room which had a king size raised bed and a view of the state capitol park. I snuck a cat nap before dinner and it was so peaceful and uninterrupted.

Then we headed out to Revolution Wines. We picked that place because we had a Groupon: $32 for 4 glasses of wine and 4 small plates. Some wine tasting places are kind of formal, but this was a very laid back atmosphere. In fact it reminded me of Berkeley in a nostalgic way. We got there about an hour before sunset and got a table for two on their patio. No wait. About 2/3rds of the tables were full, which I think is perfect--you feel like the place is happening but it's not overly crowded or noisy.

I have to say, most of the restrictions I had during pregnancy didn't really bother me, but I did miss drinking wine. Since having Clara I've had a glass here and there, not enough to really savor it and not enough to get buzzed. So this date was the first chance I had to really enjoy wine again. I ordered a white wine described as having flavors of pear and nectarine. It was delicious! Not too sweet. And there's something about the summer evening open air and first sipping wine after not having any in a bit that strongly reminded me of L'abri, also in a very nostalgic way. I really enjoyed that. Jack liked his Zinfandel too.

We got four small plates: bruschetta, bacon cheese dip, a fromage plate, and, easily best of all, a fruit bruschetta. That included the same crusty bread but covered in honey and diced pears and some kind of goat cheese. It was amazing! I'm glad Jack had the idea of getting sushi earlier, because we weren't too terribly hungry and we could take our time and munch and enjoy the flavor.

I really like dates that last a little while. Jack and I nearly always get food for our dates, but we both eat so quickly our dates rarely last even an hour. But wine is different--you sip it slowly--so we were there for almost 2 hours and had plenty of time to talk and joke. It was great. So relaxing and tasty.

Afterward we went back to the hotel and finally got Jack's poor, ancient laptop to play the newest episode of Game of Thrones (we decided to watch it then because we knew we could watch it all the way through, uninterrupted). I barely made it until the end, though, I was so sleepy. Then I passed out in a huge comfortable bed for the night, and that was great too.

When we got back the next morning, Ellen reported there had been no problems with Clara, which is great. I was glad to see her and cuddle her again but also glad for the time one-on-one with Jack. Overall a wonderful anniversary!

4.13.15 - 6th Anniversary

Jack first asked me out in December of 2008, but it wasn't until April 13, 2009 that he asked why we shouldn't date exclusively. Today is our 6th anniversary (6 years together, 1 year married (already!)).

Love this man.

We probably won't be able to do much because it's a weekday and we have Clara and, most of all, Jack worked 3am to noon and is exhausted. That's okay--we are celebrating this weekend while Ellen watches Clara. But meanwhile we are marking the day in some small ways.

First of all, Jack came home on his "lunch" break (around 7am). I was asleep, and pretty out of it, having already been up with Clara and to pump. I remember waking up when he came in and realizing I was very hungry, but I didn't want to get out of bed and lose precious sleep time when Clara was still asleep. I muttered something to Jack about how it would be nice if we had some ham and pineapple pizza (no idea what made me think of that specifically).

Fast forward to a little after noon, I'm hanging out with Clara in the kitchen (she was fascinated looking at the spice rack) and Jack comes home with a ham and pineapple pizza and 2 liter of diet cola (okay, it was Pepsi - can't have everything :-P). I didn't remember that I'd said anything that morning, and Jack's boss often buys him lunch after a difficult shift, so I asked, "Wow, did someone get that for you?" and he replied, "No, someone got it for you! ...It's not much, but Happy Anniversary."

I thought that was the sweetest thing.

So we ate pizza and watched videos of Clara that we haven't uploaded yet. Meanwhile Clara slept in her swing.

Later tonight I hope to have some mini Reese's cups and Lambrusco wine and watch Scrubs - all of which are things we did often when we first first began dating. Or maybe we'll watch home videos of our wedding instead. Or maybe both.

So I got married - The wedding day.

The next morning I couldn't sleep. I wasn't nervous, but I was too excited. I woke up at about 6:30am (only 4-5 hours after falling asleep) and showered. Everyone else was out. Jack woke up not long after and we talked for awhile. I really enjoyed having Dave out, but it also made me appreciate any chance to get to spend time with Jack one-on-one. Normally we have all the one-on-one time we can stand because we are the only people living in our apartment, but with Dave visiting I got to see what it was like to share, haha.

Anyway, everyone woke up and started getting ready. It didn't take me long to get ready at all, and I felt surprisingly pretty considering I don't normally wear dresses or white. Ellen wanted me to put on more makeup but I didn't want to, and for the rest of the day every time I itched my eyes I was glad I didn't listen to her. :-P Jack struggled to get his tie a certain way and didn't want to ask Ellen for help (she knows how from past serving jobs) because he wanted to "be a man" about it, but he eventually gave in. Dork. The entire time we all got ready I was listening to Audra Mae's "Crazy Love," The Lumineers "Big Parade" and "Ho Hey," and Amos Lee's "Sweet Pea," all on repeat. 

"Ho Hey" lyrics, The Lumineers

While the others kept getting ready I went online and filled out our marriage license application in advance. Julie texted to ask me to let her know as soon as it was over. I asked whether she would be standing by, and she said it was all she could think about this morning!

On the way to the clerk's office Dave asked if we could get Starbucks first, and I said I'd rather get it after to make sure we weren't late (we had an appointment). Dave said something about how if that's what the bride wants, that's definitely what we'll do, and then he gave Ellen trouble for not being a supportive enough Maid of Honor to put the bride's wishes first, and they play argued about that for awhile. Actually they both made jokes the entire day about Dave being "The Best" and Ellen having or not having honor, and being a terrible maid (our apartment was kind of a wreck at the time).

On the way to the clerk's office.

We got to the clerk's office in great time and signed in. They asked whether either of us would be changing our names, and we said no. I had been slightly conflicted about that decision but in the end I am really glad I kept my original name. I feel much better about it. (A friend of mine also pointed out that it's cool they asked both of us whether either one of us was changing our name, rather than assuming I'd be the one to do it. I hadn't thought about that but it is kind of nice.)

We only waited a few minutes before they asked Jack and me to come back to a cubicle to fill out our license information. Dave and Ellen videotaped and photographed the entire process. They had us raise our right hands and swear the information we provided was correct and that there were no objections to our marriage. Dave joked (from the lobby a few feet away) that no one asked him or Ellen whether they objected, and he wanted to know when he'd have his chance. We were all sort of giggling about it, and then he pointed out he probably shouldn't be joking about it right after we swore to be telling the truth etc. Probably true. But I was glad for how light-hearted he kept everything.

We only had to wait a few minutes more before we went down the hallway to a small room with nice chairs and a cute little archway at one end. The officiant had us say our vows, and it only took about 30 seconds, but it was a wonderful moment. I was glad we looked right at each other as we said "I do." Such a quick moment, but so important. Later Dave said he almost teared up. Days later my step-mom did tear up when she watched the video. Aw.

Maid of Honor, Bride, Groom, Best Man

After the vows, Ellen and Dave signed as witnesses (all the while making jokes about who was "honorable" etc.) I texted Julie on the way to the car to let her know the ceremony was done so she could let me know when she was ready to videotape me calling and telling Mom. Meanwhile we all went to a semi-busy downtown Starbucks to get some caffeine while waiting for our restaurant to open for lunch. While there the barista congratulated both Jack and me and gave us $5 off for our happy day, haha.

We sat outside in the sunshine and videotaped as Jack called and told each of his parents. While Jack was talking to his dad he pointed out that we hadn't told anyone else yet, so Don shouldn't mention anything. Dave yelled from the background, "Yeah, don't snitch!" and Ellen added on, "Snitches get stitches." Dave thought that. was. hilarious. Julie still hadn't texted me back.

"Snitches get stitches."

Jack called Merlene, who initially asked if he was in jail! Haha. By then we were done with our Starbucks so we headed over to Magpie's for lunch. We arrived a little before they were open and waited in the car, still wondering why Julie hadn't gotten back to me. Ellen called Denny to see whether Julie was around, but he didn't know. Eventually Julie texted me to say she was waiting for Mom to get dressed, then to do this, that, or the other. We all waited in the car joking about speeches and "snitches get stitches" and the like and laughing a lot.

Finally I gave up and called Mom herself to see if Julie was around, but Mom didn't pick up. So I called Julie herself and told her just to give the phone to Mom. Apparently Julie still got it all on tape. I told Mom we'd gotten married and she screamed and laughed. It was a great reaction. Then I called Dad and Jill; Jill cheered and said congratulations, and Dad just said "Whaaaat?" but in a happy way.

By now we'd been waiting awhile and Magpie's was open. I decided to just text Neil and Everett, haha. I wrote:

Hey. So this morning Jack & I got married. So that happened. But don't tell anyone else yet, he hasn't told all of his family. Our parents & the sisters know. Oh and we're having a big party in MO on May 26th.

I further texted Neil and told him Jack and I were hoping he'd officiate. He texted me back simply saying "...call me." I called him, and he said he'd thought Dave had stolen my phone and was sending out prank texts. When I assured him it was true he was very excited, which was cool. He and Jack got to talk for awhile about it, and he told Jack he already feels more "Jackson-y." :)

We ordered sandwiches and a bottle of Riesling for lunch and sat outside again. Dave and Ellen and I ate and joked, and Jack joined us in between calling various fraternity brothers to ask them to be groomsmen.

After lunch we went home, changed into casual clothes, and Ellen and I cleaned up around the apartment while Dave and Jack went to buy beer, wine, ice cream, cheese, and crackers. Then we all drove into Davis with the windows down, singing along to "All Right Now," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "Fat-Bottomed Girls," and other such. We went to a park (apparently the only park in Davis where you're not supposed to drink) and sneakily poured wine into coffee travel mugs. Then we sipped and ate and played Tichu in the sun. It was so lovely.

In too short a time we had to leave to take Ellen to her shuttle back to Berkeley. As we were packing up the car I remembered to call Renata, first to wish her Happy Birthday, and then to tell her my news! She was thrilled and wished us so much happiness.

We took Ellen to the shuttle. We actually took her to the wrong spot on campus, and she almost missed it, but she ran for it and got there just in time. What a relief! We'd have had to drive her down to Berkeley otherwise.

Then Dave, Jack, and I went to the FSC, and I found Chris, Molly, and Shannon there. I announced that we'd gotten married and they all spontaneously hugged me, almost knocked me over. It was adorable. They asked me all about it, and Shannon insisted on buying pizza for everyone to celebrate. Molly and I went to a park by Shannon's house and sat in the grass and chatted for a long time. Dave and Jack went to get more beer but stayed gone, off chatting somewhere themselves.

Eventually we all met back at Shannon's and played Tichu until the pizza arrived. It was delicious, but between the wine I'd been sipping all day and other junk food, I realized I'd had too much. I ended up just laying on Shannon's floor while Dave and Shannon talked about UFOs for awhile.

Then we went home and crashed, full and happy. I finally changed our FB status and then very happily watched the reactions pour in. That's something I keep forgetting to add to my general Joy Inventory - when I post something major on FB and then people respond in real time for the next little while. In this case it was for the next couple hours.

(Click to enlarge)

While doing that we skyped with Merlene and told her all about the day and our plans for May. Both she and my mom were eager to help, which is nice.

It was really an awesome day. :)

Happy Anniversary to us. :)