Life in the Emerald City

Saturday we woke up to a wonderful breakfast at the B & B…rosemary eggs and harvest potatoes…yum!  We decided to check out the bay area, scoping out the outskirts of town along the way!

First stop: Morro Bay!

Skyline-view of Morro Bay: pacific ocean on the left, bay waters on the right

We drove through an enchanted forest of eucalyptus trees on our way to the ocean!

The waves crashing between the rocks…so. pretty.

Morro Rock…not quite sure where it came from or why it’s cool, but hey…I don’t argue with the landmarks!

Sean just had to get some clam chowder on his taste buds, so we went to lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall in Pismo Beach.  We were told they had the best clam chowder in all the land.  They. Lied.  It was the best clam chowder in all the WORLD!  I was jealous. Seriously!

After lunch we checked out the Avila Barn in Avila Beach.  Cutest little farm ever!  They had pumpkin patches, an apple orchard, a homemade ice cream and fudge shop, and a little market with all the fresh fruits and veggies you could imagine.

They had wine grapes on the vine (truthfully they looked like they were almost raisins, but you know.)  I found this view of a classic-shaped grape vine…classic!

We took a fun ride on a tractor-pull out to the apple orchard where you pick up to 2 pounds of fresh apples right. off. the. tree!  They were the best tasting apples…ever!

Can you see a pattern here?  Saturday night we went to dinner at the apple farm, enjoying comfort food in a quaint setting.  We split a yummy cheeseburger and an apple pie (of course).

Sunday we woke up to a power outage at the B & B, so we got to sleep in a bit.  Yay rest!  Then we had a late breakfast of Sante Fe eggs…very good!  As we left the ranch, we noticed a commotion going on at the wine vineyard along the main road.  Turns out they were celebrating the harvest with a wine tasting party.  Of course we joined in…and enjoyed ourselves!  After a reasonable period of rest, we drove home!  We got to drive through a bunch of canyon, over a river or two…and back to concrete city.  It was really nice to enjoy the countryside!

Since Sunday was our actual anniversary, my dad mailed us our cake from the wedding…to keep up with traditions and all.  Unfortunately, since we live on a sailboat with a very small freezer, we didn’t take our cake home.  Actually my mom took it home, then shipped it in my brother’s suitcase the next time he visited my dad, who kept it in his freezer until he mailed it to us in San Luis Obispo.  Isn’t family great??  The cake didn’t look as glamorous as it did at the reception, but it tasted great.  We both had a bite, crossed-arm style, and even smudged some on each other’s cheeks.  According to the wedding fairies that means we’ll be together FOREVER!

Albert was super excited to see us come home, and we brought him a special ‘Albert-sized’  apple…which he devoured!

The weekend was really very special…a relaxing trip for us to enjoy each other.  Can’t wait for another great year babe!  Love you!

One of my very best friends, Christi, started her own Event Coordination business in 2008 and I thought I’d showcase it here to help get the word out.  Throughout 2008, we worked together throwing ideas around for both of our businesses.  I started Mackenzie’s Pet Pantry back in November, 2008 and she was instrumental in getting me motivated and helping with product ideas and design.

Christi Winsor, Matron of Honor

Christi was my Matron of Honor and actually planned my whole wedding!  I was never all that into wedding stuff or very good at planning things, so she took charge and created the most perfect day for my husband and me.  We had the most lovely wedding and she did it all on our measily budget!

Winsor Event Studio

She had also done many other events and some are showcased on her website!  Her friend, Janeen, gave Christi some graphic design help and produced a fantastic website!  It’s finally up and ready so, go check out her site and send it on to any of your family or friends who are planning their wedding!  She is awesome and can make any event awesome!

Thanks for all your great work, Christi!  I hope your business takes off fast and stays strong throughout the years!  I defintely be calling you again when Sean and I renew our vows and if any of our future kids get married!  Love you!

So, I needed a 2 month break to get all my thoughts together!  I guess.

Actually I have been very, very busy, but that’s really not an excuse!

Since September,

1. We bought a boat, the one mentioned a couple of posts ago.
2. We moved onto the boat…got rid of the apartment.
3. We moved the boat to a new marina…meaning we MOVED!
4. My old restaurant closed its doors…so sad, goodbye Chez Allez.
5. I got a new job…SOUS CHEF at Catalina Restaurant!
6. We got married back in Florida…best day ever!
7. We went on our honeymoon cruise in Mexico…a week of bliss!
8. We came home and got back to work, spending Thanksgiving on the boat and making another huge decision!  I will share this later this week once I catch up on all the photos and posts!

Check back, I will be getting photos up of these events and catching up on my life!  Then I’ll let you in on our next BIG adventure!

Ciao!

On Thursday of last week, we realized were informed that we’d need a slip to move the boat to after the sale was finalized. Duh…why didn’t we think of that??  Well, it is very difficult to get a live aboard slip here in SoCal, so by Friday (when we’d set the appointment to make the offer on the boat) I’m thinking our dreams will just have to be suspended for now.    I just knew we wouldn’t be able to get a slip in time, someone else would fall in love with the boat and we’d have to start all over.  I rationalized that this was probably for the best…we should be saving our monies for property taxes and wedding expenses in November.  But deep down…I really wanted to make an offer!

After work on Friday, I drove down to Wilmington Harbor and checked out some of the marinas..in hopes one would have live aboard slips available.  I met this darling lady at Lighthouse Yacht Landing named Barbara.  She and her husband have owned the marina for over 35 years and have put their lives into it!  They hand select their tenants and keep their grounds super clean!  The bathrooms and laundry were simply adorable…I just fell in love!  Luckily, so did she!  She really liked me and felt like maybe we could work something out!  She had a small issue with the pups, but she seemed flexible enough!

Friday night I told Sean all about my findings and he and I agreed we’d go back with the dogs to try and win her over for sure!!  Saturday morning was sailing lesson #2.  It was just Sean and I with the instructor, so the class was much more intimate and fun!  We went over all the parts of the boat and got underway!  Both of us got to practice the helm position, hoisting the sails, trimming the sails, switching sides, and putting the boat all back together!  We had a great time…we are really loving our new hobby!

After sailing, we had a quick lunch at Tequila Jacks while watching the first quarter of the UF vs. UT football game.  We scurried home after lunch in time to catch the end of the 2nd quarter…we were slaughtering them!  With full bellies, Sean and I both dozed off, waking up halfway into the 4th quarter…just in time to see UT LOSE to UF.  GO GATORS!!!  After the game, we hurried the girls into the car and headed for Wilmington Harbor.  We did get to chat with some of the other marinas only to find out they didn’t have any slips either.  We finally made it back to Lighthouse Marina…Sean liked it right off the bat!  It has a great little garden area with a BBQ and fountains…so nice!  Barbara just loved the pups and walked us all over the marina talking about which slips she could put us in!  Score!!!  With that taken care of, we could now put in our offer!

And that’s just what we did on Sunday!  We met our boat broker on Sunday afternoon to sign the papers and put in an offer.  Today the owner of the Pearson 36 countered, then we countered back, then he countered, and we countered…you get the picture!  Eventually we agreed on a price and the process is in motion!  If all goes well with sea trial and survey this week, we could be boat owners by next week!  How exciting is that?!?!  Whooo…I am excited and nervous!  We probably should be saving those monies for the wedding, but hey, that’s why we go to work everyday, right???

So, I’ll keep you posted…keep your fingers crossed for us, please!

The wedding website is finally complete!  Whew!  We’ve spent so much time reworking it and not liking it, then reworking it and not getting it finished before the save-the-dates went out, then reworking it again…geez this has been a LONG process.

Nevertheless, it’s finally done! So, GO CHECK IT OUT!!!  http://wedding.ensbell.net I know you’ll love the title!!

Yesterday Sean and I spent the whole day working on getting all the material up there and then sorting out in a manner we both liked.  We think it looks really great and hopefully it will be useful to our friends and family members!  Let me know what you think and please join the mailing list so we can keep you up to date as the wedding gets closer!!

Back to work today and tomorrow, then the gym, grocery shopping and laundry…my life is so full!  We are doing well though, very happy in California, dreaming about our next adventure!  Speaking of…

We are considering slimming down our posessions, purchasing a sailboat, and living while cruising on the seas for a while.  We will be taking some sailing lessons and looking for suitable sailboats over the next few months.  We hope to be on our new boat by the end of the year!  More to come on that later!

In the mean time, we will be working on starting a new business together and getting my dog business off the ground.  Things are definitely NOT boring in our lives.  Wish us luck and we’ll keep you posted on how things progress!

Ciao!