In June, Darren and I went on vacation to San Francisco. Darren had been there once when he was a child to visit family but I had never been. It just so happens that we went the weekend of my birthday, so it was an amazing gift!

Our first day there we walked to Chinatown and ate lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called the House of Nan King. It was the best Chinese food ever! Darren ordered sweet-honey glazed beef with sweet bread (basically a tortilla) and what tasted like cooked limes. It was sooooo good! After lunch, we walked around Chinatown and looked through all the shops. Since our bedroom is done in oriental decor, we looked for an authentic-looking oriental tapestry that we could hang on the wall but had no luck. I did find a cute purse and scripture bag though.

After Chinatown, we walked through a portion of Little Italy on our way to Coit Tower/Telegraph Hill. We then headed down the sloped streets to Pier 39 where we saw sea lions on the dock, break dance street performers, a painting enthusiast and a shoe shiner. All this definitely adds to the San Franciscan personality.

After a long day of walking (about 7 hours up to this point), we ate dinner at a really good restaurant called the Pompeii Grotto. We sat outside and enjoyed the cool, ocean air while eating pasta and shrimp. I was sooooo hungry (as you can see from the bread picture above) but couldn't even finish half of my plate there was so much food. After this meal Darren and I decided to start sharing entrées since the portion sizes were way to big to finish in one sitting.

After dinner we went to Ghirardelli Square and sampled some fabulous chocolate but were too stuffed to buy anything more. We then walked down to the San Francisco bay to sit and watch the colors of the sunset sky on the calm, bay waters. We got a picture of a ship in the harbor. It looked so regal sitting there in the still waters. It felt as though we had stepped back in time for a small moment. It was a beautiful night to be in San Francisco with the man I love :)

After it got dark, we rode the trolley from the bay to our hotel in Union Square. We decided it was the best $10 we spent the entire trip. There is no way we could have made it 12 blocks up hill. And not just any hills… San Francisco hills! It would have take us 2 hours to get back to the hotel. Once we got back to the hotel we laid down on the bed and fell asleep. We woke up at about 2AM and decided we should get ready for bed. I guess that’s what happens when you walk for 9 hours in one day. Fun times though!

The next morning we picked up a rental car across the street and headed down the coast to Monterey. We checked into our bed and breakfast, The Martine Inn and then went and walked around part of Cannery Row. We ate clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at The Fish Hopper (best clam chowder ever) and then went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I had never been to an aquarium and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw lots of cool stuff: huge tuna fish (I had no idea they were that big), sharks, sting rays, etc. The coolest part was probably the seahorse exhibit. Take a look at some of the pictures below.

After the aquarium we went back to the inn and relaxed for a bit and then walked down the bay to watch the sunset.

The next morning we ate breakfast at the Martine Inn. They had this seating area with wall-to-wall windows that overlooked the ocean. It was an amazing view. Just as breakfast was being served, the hostess came to our table holding a small white cake with a red rose and candles on top. She began singing "Happy Birthday" and set the cake on the table in front of me. I looked at Darren with shocked disbelief to see a look of mischief and amusement in his eyes. He had set it up weeks before so that everything would be perfect for my birthday. It was the sweetest thing ever!! A perfect way to spend my 27th birthday.

After breakfast, we went to church in Seaside and afterwards drove a 17 mile stretch of highway along the coast from Monterey to Carmel, dubbed "The 17-mile drive." Clever! We were able to see some really pretty beaches. After "this drive", we drove through part of Carmel Valley and saw some of the working vineyards. We then decided to stop at Pt. Lobos State Park for a short walk down to the beach. We then drove back to Monterey and ate lunch at the Old Fisherman’s Grotto on Fisherman’s Wharf. We had Pesto Salmon with saffron rice. Once again…yummy!! After dinner, we reluctantly left Monterey to drive back to San Fran. (lots of driving but saw some amazing scenery) :)

Our final day in San Francisco was spent at Golden Gate State Park. We wanted to see the Botanical Garden and the Japanese Tea Garden. Once we actually found these gardens it was great but the process was exhausting. First, we didn’t have a detailed map, second, there was not one single sign in the whole park that pointed in the right direction. It was ridiculous! At one point we even ended up walking on the side of the freeway. Yeah…you read right. We were actually walking on the side of the freeway.Once again, ridiculous! Once we finally found it, it was nowhere in the same vicinity as where the map showed. Gotta love life's little adventures :)

In the Botanical Garden we saw some guy holding an acorn near his pant leg, about mid thigh, trying to get a squirrel to climb up his leg to get it. I couldn't believe it when the squirrel actually ran up his leg and grabbed the acorn from his hand. Poor thing though. While trying to steal the loot and make a get-a-away, his back legs got stuck in the man's pant leg and ended up hanging upside down with the acorn still clutched in its hands. It was hilarious! He was finally able to detach and run away with his dinner.

We flew out of San Francisco later that afternoon. With so many fun things to see and do, I would say it was another amazing trip by "The Browns Travelers"!

I first saw a special on Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss orchestra back in 2004 on PBS. I heard the music from another room and came into the living room to see what it was. I sat down and watched the hour long special “Live in Dublin” and instantly fell in love with the music. I decided then and there that someday I would go to one of his shows. It is basically a classical music concert that includes waltzes, polkas and operatic solos. But rather than just sitting and clapping at the end of each song, these concerts encourage audiences to dance the waltz in the aisles, to stand and sway with the music, to jump up and down and so forth. The orchestra and singers are all very ornately dressed and there’s even a little bit of actors’ theatre involved. It also amazes me how many different languages he can speak. Whatever country he is in he speaks the native language. Crazy!!

So twice a year or so I would see one of the PBS specials, “Live in Tuscany”, “Live in Vienna”, “Live in Dresden” and wish that I could be in one of these beautiful, magical places to watch this amazing production. Well in June I was finally able to go!! And who better to go with than my handsome husband. Although it wasn’t Ireland or Austria, it was still so much fun!! For a person whose music collection consists mostly of classical music and musical soundtracks, this was the perfect concert. Thanks babe for being the one to go with me :)

Here are some of the pictures we took from the concert as well as a video clip from online. It will give you a good idea of what we experienced (although ours wasn’t outside in front of a castle).







This is one of my favorites...

Mid-April, Darren and I went camping near Sedona. We drove down Thursday night after work and stayed the night in Cave Springs Campground. It is located in Oak Creek Canyon right next to Oak Creek. It was really pretty but freezing cold at night! I don’t know how low the temperature actually got but I do know it was cold. I slept in two layers of clothes from the waist down and a shirt, light jacket, and two sweatshirts from the waist up. And don’t forget the beanie!

The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast (Darren made English muffins with eggs, ham, cheese, and salsa. YUM!) and then we went hiking along the lower end of the West Fork Oak Creek Trail. The trail is situated alongside a quiet, trickling stream and continues through a deep, forested canyon with many eroded rock formations, colorful canyon walls and tall pine trees. The trail crosses the stream many times and we had to use the strategically placed stones and fallen trees to get across the creek bed.

The hike begins at the site of a ruined settlement with overgrown remnants of fireplaces and stone floors. There was also a cliff house built into the side of the mountain that overlooks the old settlement and an old chicken coop. All the structures are part of the early 20th century dwelling of Mayhew Lodge, long since abandoned. I have since learned (since there was not one single plaque, sign, old rotting board, ANYTHING, that explained what it was. It was really annoying to look at something and now know what it was.) Anyway…I have since learned that it was a popular destination for prominent movie stars, politicians and writers, including: President Hoover, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Zane Grey, Walt Disney and Maureen O’Hara. The U.S. Forest Service acquired the property, but the lodge burned down in 1980 before they could renovate it. It was an interesting place. As you can see there is ivy growing up over an archway to the creek and all over the trees. It looked really cool! There is also a whitish vine that grows up the sides of the trees and branches out like a Christmas tree. It was interesting.

We got back to the campsite, crawled inside the tent and took a nap. It was great. We woke up to find that new neighbors had moved in while we were asleep. Few words to describe: alcohol, loud music, and non-censored language. Gotta love it!

A picture of Darren and I brushing our teeth out of the front of the tent. We were just getting ready to burrow beneath the blankets when I realized I hadn’t brushed my teeth. Gross! So I got up and stuck my head out of the tent (too cold to go all the way outside). Darren joined me and “a picture moment” was born.

Another freezing night! I think it was even colder than the first night if that’s possible. When we woke up in the morning all of our blankets were damp (condensation, not bed wetting :) Tell me…how are you supposed to stay warm in such conditions!?!?

The next morning we ate breakfast and just chilled around the campsite. Darren read me part of the book that we’ve been reading together, “The Sunflower” by Richard Paul Evans. I have read it before but thought it might be one that Darren would like. We had fun reading it together and I was excited when Darren didn’t want to put it down. We have since read another book by the same author “The Last Promise”.

After leaving the campsite at about 1:00 or so, we decided to drive to Jerome to take a look. I went there with my family a few years ago but Darren had never been. It’s not one of those places that we would return to often but it’s an interesting little town and definitely worth seeing once. We stumbled upon a glass blowing demonstration which was pretty cool.

Overall…another great trip with my man! Really pretty and lots of fun!!

On March 21st, Darren and I went to Luke Air Force Base to watch "the most diverse air show in America." It was really hot but super fun!! I went to this the first year I moved to Mesa but have not been back since (they only do it every other year). One of Darren's dreams is to someday get his pilot's license so when I saw that the air show was going to be this year, I got super excited to surprise him with this afternoon date. I was able to keep it a secret for a whole month! It was hard at times but I'm glad I did it. I wouldn't even tell him the morning of. I just kept telling him what he could and could not pack (would be searched by Air Force personnel) and then told him to drive northwest. His guess was that we were going to a Spring Training game. He even put our gloves and sunflower seeds in the back of the car "just in case." When we finally reached Glendale he openly admitted that he had no idea what we were doing. YES!!! Success! I love when I can pull off a good surprise. When he finally saw the sign for "Air Show", he got this big grin on his face (not too much unlike the Cheshire cat) and gave me a big kiss.

Some of the performances we were able to watch include the following:

Air Combat Command A-10
Boeing PT-17
The Horsemen P-51 Flight Team
ACC F-22 Raptor (very loud and very fast)
ACC Heritage Flight featuring P-40, F-22, and A-10
BO-105S Helicopter (a stunt helicopter. It actually flew upside down and did flips in the air. One of the coolest things we've ever seen)
And finally...The Thunderbirds!

Valentines Day 2009. Just another amazing day with my husband. The one thing that Darren dislikes about V-Day is the fact that some people use it as a reason to do something nice and sweet and like he says "these are things I should be doing everyday anyway."

The day started out with Darren reading me a poem that he had typed up and put on a big red heart made out of construction paper. Here's the poem: "How Do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach, when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day's most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use in my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall love thee better after death." It was soooo sweet! I think I even teared up a bit.

That afternoon, Darren took me to Sports Authority and told me to pick out any tennis racket I wanted. It was a great surprise! We've been playing pretty regularly and the racket I've been using, while funtional, is a little outdated and has lost some of it's spring. He said he had wanted to buy me flowers but thought I might like this instead. It was a perfect gift and lasts much longer. Thanks again babe! :)

Picture of Darren painting my toenails for V-Day. One of the many sweet things he did for me. I had been saying for a while that I needed to get a pedicure or just suck it up and paint them myself, so later that night he came walking in with a bottle of polish. He did such an amazing job!! I told him he'd just have to paint them for me from now on :)
The story goes something like this (Darren can revise it later): He walks into the store and looks for the isle where polish would be. He sees a display of them and picks one up to observe. About that time a lady walks by. He says, "excuse me." She says, "oh...I don't work here." He says, "um....I just have a question. Is there a polish for fingers and a polish for toes or will this just work on both?" She answers laughing softly, "no...there's only one kind. It will work for both." He replies almost sheepishly, "Thank you." I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall. Haha...I have to laugh to myself while writing this. He had no idea to what lengths he would go to once married. Fingernail polish for V-Day, girls underwear for Christmas. What will it be next? ;o)

For dinner we went to a place called Rustler's Rooste. It's on top of a butte at the foothills of South Mountain, the same location that used to be used as a hideout for cattle rustlers. It was a fun place. It looks basically like a 2-story log cabin inside, log railing etc, except that it was built directly into the mountain so some of the walls are stone. The lights inside were kerosene looking lamps on top of old wagon wheels. The salad plates were old, bent up mining pans and the cups were wide-mouthed mason jars. It was way fun and we thought it would be a great place to bring family when they come into town. Above all the day was great and we had a great time spending it together.

 





So for date night (about 3 months ago), Darren surprised me with a trip on the newly finished Light Rail. We drove down to the Park & Ride and then boarded the rail headed for downtown Phoenix. (I think Darren's favorite part of the trip was when he noticed that the tracks ran right in front of the Sun Devil Stadium) :) Once we got downtown, we went to the Arizona Science Center. It was super fun! I had always wanted to go but had never taken the time to.

Another activity at the Science Center. Two people sit on opposite sides of the wall, make a pattern out of the blocks and then try to describe the pattern to the person on the opposite side to see if they can recreate it exactly. This exercise is supposed to show the difference in communication: spoken and interpreted. It was funny! I would say things like, "put the blue triangular block "on top of" the yellow rectangle". On my side it looked like this but on Darren's side he put the blue triangle "on top of" the rectangle. What I should have said but didn't think of at the time is put it "above" the rectangle. The first round was a little rough but we got it perfect on the second. Maybe they should send couples here for newlywed initiation :)