Finally - at a new hotel!

The pool at the Coronado Marriott Resort and Spa - gorgeous in every way.


Adam relaxing with his crossword book - getting tan!


The view of downtown San Diego and the Coronado Bay Bridge - from my cushy chair at the pool, which was near the waiter who brought food and drinks to my chair. :)


Chilling at the pool - thankful for sunshine and nice hotels.

The Marriott really outdid itself! We switched at the last minute, and they were very accommodating. Beautiful room, excellent service and staff, and even complimentary champagne and strawberries in the hotel room for the honeymooners!! Everything was beautiful. We are so glad we stayed here!! Can't wait to go back.

First night on Coronado Island

It's blurry and an awful picture, but this was the view of the San Diego fireworks from our hotel on Coronado Island...it was unbelievably close!


More fireworks!


After dinner, we went to a bar that was recommended by a super cool bartender...it was a local place on Coronado - we talked to the owner for hours!! Boston guy - super.


He made us get behind the bar for a picture. I'm rockin' the humidity curly hair do'.


Behind the bar still!

Padres Game and Gaslamp Quarter Night

Rarely do I crave dessert...but I did at the game!! Adam made fun of me the whole time...


Until he stole my cookie sandwich....!


The couple who took this picture said we were an adorable couple and asked if we were newlyweds...we were asked that quite often on the trip, actually!


Gaslamp at Night!


I found dancing Elvis' so I took some pics...it was Elvis night at Petco!




San Diego Bay - our water taxi driver was awesome!! She told us where to go and what to do - before Padre's baseball game.






Huge bar/restaurant/nightlife area in downtown SD - it's beautiful!






Petco park from the outside - we ate at The Tilted Kilt - basically a Scottish Hooters. :-)








I requested good seats for the game - they were awesome!! Boring game, though.











Downtown SD taken from Harbor St. -waterfront...gorgeous city. So clean.

Hotel Del Coronado

We had a fabulous day staying at the Hotel del Coronado...a landmark in itself, and a tremendous property. It is a sprawling place, and breathtaking inside and out. It's famous for the movie "Some Like it Hot" with Marilyn Monroe...we hope to stay there someday soon!! We took some great pics....the day started off cloudy but ended up being sunny and gorgeous, as did every day in SD.

Last Night!

Dinner at the Coronado Boat House - an ancient place but with great food and atmosphere. We opted not to go to downtown SD/Gaslamp area, but did a quiet last evening. A great way to end the vacation!

Countdown...

We're still here - just busy as heck and nothing new to share. I've been working a ton, as well as getting the wedding/honeymoon things together, and Adam has been doing the same. Errands galore this week - but my classroom is officially done and I've planned out the entire first week of school in my plan book....the house is clean and all shopping is done. We know that the next few days are going to fly by, so we're trying to just relax in the evenings and enjoy the end of the summer. Kiki is doing much better, and the wound on her head is getting smaller...but unfortunately she's had a bad hairball for the last few days, so she constantly hacks -nothing visible yet! :) She's looking forward to hanging at Uncle Kurt's while we're in Mexico.

Our schedule for the weekend seems pretty easy, but busy - tomorrow is a working morning, hair appointment, and last dress fitting, then picking up all the wedding paper products. On Thursday, I tutor for the last time, pick up my ring and dress, and spend some time by the pool with Kelly and my sister...Adam is hanging out with Phil and golfing. Friday I have to go to Meyer Music for a speaker/microphone for the wedding and to get my nails and trial makeup done, while Adam golfs. I am going to ask him to pick up the microphone - he has more time!

We will rendezvous at the museum a bit earlier than our family/wedding party to tie up some loose ends and discuss details with the coordinators there - then it's the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner! Saturday involves hair and makeup and girl stuff....and we are praying for no rain. I really, really hope it stays nice outside for pictures and the wedding...the cost to rent the tent/chairs outside is NOT waived if it rains...plus the pictures just won't be the same if they're all inside. I guess it doesn't do any good to sit and wonder/wait, so we'll just see how it goes on Saturday. That's really the main thing stressing me out at this point. That, and the fact that I can't be in charge of anything on Saturday. I want to set up everything myself, I want to guide the bridal party down the aisle - I want to see and do it all!! :-) Oh well. I can't ask for a better person (Jim) to do it instead. He'll be awesome.

I am ready to see everyone, get dressed up, and have a great time. I can't wait until the actual ceremony, and I really can't wait to see Adam for the first time. He is really excited and keeps repeating, "you'll be my wife soon" or other sayings similar to that. He is quite the romantic!

I probably won't blog again for awhile - but when I do next, I will have a new last name! :)

Yummy Recipe!

This week was nuts for me. I'm trying to get my classroom ready and finalize everything for the wedding, do errands, and make sure I don't have too much to do next week! I can't believe in one week the music will be playing, and we'll be minutes from getting married!! :) T0day is the first time I've had a minute to relax - but I'm currently making note cards for our hotel gift bags. I think the only thing I have left is to find someone to water my plants while we're gone, and to cut ribbon to size. I think that will take awhile, but I can do it while the Olympics are on next week. The ribbons are table runners of sorts - they should look beautiful! We did our table seating this week, and it was definitely stressful- we struggled with where to put people, and it was especially frustrating trying to seat 3 sets of family, all in close proximity to the head table. It didn't help that I spent over 9 hours at school, did errands and shopped for school junk, and then came home to no dinner - I was pretty cranky, and I feel bad because I had no patience for Adam...he has to look at things and think about them before he says his opinion - not me...I'm instant....so I had a hard time waiting. It was classic impatient me - I stunk. All is good now.

This morning we slept in a bit and went to the Rockford farmer's market - I love it there. I'm bummed that I'm going to miss two Saturdays before I have the chance to go again (I need mums!) but hey - one will be our WEDDING DAY and the other will be OUR HONEYMOON!! Can't really complain. I've been planning out where I will put my mums, but I'm not sure what color yet - I love yellow but I have a lot of yellow flowers already - I may do the purple or red-orange...not sure yet. I wonder if they have pink? Adam bought us a bouquet of absolutely breathtaking flowers for a whopping $6 - bright colors, a huge variety of flowers...just beautiful. He commented that I should carry them as my bridal bouquet. :)

I bought some great produce as well (for a total of about 6 dollars) - peaches & cream sweet corn, new potatoes, cherry tomatoes, squash, zucchini, yellow wax beans (my fave!!) cucumber, and beautiful red bell peppers - Here's what I made with them and basil from my giant plant on the deck...

Red Pepper Hummus
*for convenience, prepare the dip up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate in an airtight container. Serve with lightly toasted pita wedges and bell pepper strips.
*If you'd rather not roast a pepper, buy a jar of roasted red peppers in oil - they are already peeled and taste just as good. AND, 1/3 cup is only 94 calories and 3 fat grams!!

1-2 red bell peppers (I used two for more of a red pepper flavor vs. a hummus flavor)
2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
handful fresh basil (do more if you like the flavor - taste as you go)
1 (19 oz.) can chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, quartered

1. Preheat broiler
2. Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel. Discard skins.
3. Place bell pepper and remaining ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Yield 6 servings (1/3 cup servings.)
*Recipe courtesy Cooking Light (of course)

We also had a huge veggie tray with dip, and caprese salad (fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, salt/pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.) It looks like we're having company tonight, with all I made, but I was just tired of having nothing healthy to snack on...when it is gorgeous outside and produce is local and fresh, I just can't help but taking advantage of it...

Reality Check- and Boursin Appetizer

I'm back to work...officially. It has been a super relaxing summer, and I've enjoyed hanging out with Adam and our house (yes, I hang out with it)- but yesterday when I went to work, it was a definite reality check that told me I need to be there more! Adam stopped by and helped me, which was awesome. I got so much done with his help...he's efficient and stronger than me, and I didn't have to move filing cabinets and heavy junk! :) I love living 10 minutes (4.5 miles) away from my job!

Today I have to go to the teacher store and Wal-Mart to buy some necessities for the classroom, and then I'll work for awhile. Tomorrow will be the same routine, with Adam and I heading to the Tigers in the evening!

The wedding is soooo close, I can't believe it. We have been making last-minute phone calls and tying up all the loose ends...just a few more things to purchase (thank goodness!) and we're officially done. I'm not nervous, other than hoping all the vendors do their thing perfectly. I'm worried there might be a detail I forgot to confirm or something, but I am honestly relaxed and just ready!

Yesterday Whitney and Weston came over and spent the night, and we had a great dinner - my favorite, chicken carbonara pasta, hot fudge volcanoes, as well as a replica of the appetizer Heather and I ate at K2 (Kirby Grill upstairs - Grand Haven) and it turned out awesome!!! Here's the recipe:

Boursin Bake
1 container Boursin cheese (hard to find - specialty cheese section - light works too)
Marinara sauce (I just used a Prego jar!)
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Crusty thick bread, sliced diagonally into 1/2" crostinis (I cut the pieces in half the long way, to make more breadstick looking crostinis)
olive oil for brushing
2-3 Tbsp. butter - soft
garlic powder or finely minced garlic for crostinis
parsley

1. If you have time, follow cookbook directions and roast a head of garlic first. I didn't.

2. In an oven-safe bowl, spread the Boursin in a disc, approx. 4-5 inches diameter. Cover with marinara sauce on the top and sides - approx. 1 cup. Place garlic cloves in sauce.

3. Lightly brush olive oil on one side of the bread pieces - flip over and place on a cookie sheet. On the other side of the bread, lightly butter. Use garlic powder and parsley flakes to season, only on buttered side.

4. Bake at 375 for approx. 15 min. (watch this - I'm not sure how long or what temp I used!) place boursin/sauce on middle rack, crostinis on rack below. Bake until Sauce gets darker at the edges and bread is lightly toasted. When done, if you roasted the garlic first, leave it in...if not, remove (it will be too crunchy.)

5. To enjoy, spread mixture over crostinis! It's awesome!

Animals

Walking away from the picture-taking lady...


you can see it through the deck spindles

There were two more that were closer, too - they were trying to escape at this point


wacky cat

making kitty paw prints on my car

bad lighting - but you can see her laying up there if you look closely

Kiki's new thing is to hang out on the top of the opened garage door - she is so weird. I took a few pictures...she is a momma's girl lately, probably because Adam was gone for the weekend. I am loving it!!! I'm the one who saved her from death row, right?

The wild turkeys are all about our backyard lately - there are 6 of them, and they are huge. I caught Kiki about 3 feet away from one the other day - it was at least 4 times the size of her. Last night, they were right by the deck and house until I opened the sliding door, and then they started running away - they run so strangely -they fly a little. I still got a few pics of them...my camera doesn't have the greatest zoom, so they are actually closer than they appear. The hummingbirds are all over the flowers on the deck and the orange halves - beautiful. I was having coffee and perusing cookbooks today, and one was by the screen (in sunroom) trying to get at my fake flowers that were inside!! It was cool - they are amazing.

I'm still hoping to see a black bear wandering through the ravine - I'm firmly convinced that they're out there, as a lot of people have seen them locally. My dream is to see one in the wild - not at a dump or zoo - wild. :) I'll keep watching and keep everyone posted!

Baby Vance

On Saturday, after Camp Sunshine, I went to Heather's house to hang out for the day - we played with Vance and talked all about our house decorating dreams...it's funny...we could have discussed it all day, I swear! We also had a fantastic early dinner in Grand Haven, at Kirby Grill - we sat on the top deck and enjoyed the sun on our backs and the yummy food and drinks. It was a great time!! I got home at 11:30 pm and crashed with Kiki - woke up late and did the Sunday coffee/newspaper thing alone - Adam's on his way home from Milwaukee as we speak!

Here are a few adorable pictures of Vance, Heather and Aaron's youngest (my soon-to-be nephew) on the swing in the back yard. I think I'll have to frame one of them - adorable!!