A Day in Monterey

In mid-June, Thomas took a big leap of faith and quit his job of 8 years at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe to go into practice with his father at Harvey Siskind.  He had a few weeks off between jobs to do some traveling, so we decided to take a mini-trip down to Monterey with Virginia as one of those trips.

Since Monterey is just two hours away, we made it a simple overnight visit.  We spent the bulk of our day at the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, which was a big hit with Miss V.  Then it was off for a stroll of Cannery Row and a visit to Dennis the Menace park.

We spent the night in nearby Gilroy, where we were able to take a swim in our hotel pool the next day and hit the outlet mall before heading back to Alameda.  What a great overnight getaway!

Pirate Virginia and her makeshift eye patch.

Petting the sea creatures at the Aquarium.

Checking out some fish.

Pregnant lady and daughter in a clamshell.

Lunchtime at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Totally cool upside down jellyfish.

Virginia was totally fascinated with how (male) seahorses give birth.

Posing in front of reproducing jellyfish.  Educational and wacky, right?

Wave pools rock.

The Harveys hit Cannery Row!

Cool girl getting some post-Aquarium ice cream with daddy.

The coolest park ever.

Crazy slide with dada.

Where else can you drink water from an open lion's mouth?

Enjoying a seafood dinner in Monterey.

Swimming in Gilroy.

A Whirlwind Weekend in the Big Apple

With a new baby on the way, Thomas and I decided we only had so many months left to travel.  So, when an invitation from a dear college friend came for his wedding on Long Island, we decided it was a perfect excuse for a New York trip.  Virginia stayed behind for a fun-filled long weekend in California while Thomas and I headed east.

The first stop was New York City, where Marriott hotel points scored us a nice room in the Renaissance Hotel right in the heart of Times Square.  Since it had been years since we'd been to NYC, we decided we had earned as much.  It turned out to be a good thing that we saved on the room because theater tickets were sky-high!  It didn't help that I wanted to see one of the hottest shows in town -- Matilda -- which had recently opened on Broadway.  Matilda was based on my absolute favorite childhood novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, so it was a can't miss for me.  It was truly a magical theater experience and an amazing show (made all the better by second row seats).  We even had a chance to meet up with a college friend, Justin Zaremby, before the show for drinks.  And after the show, we had a chance to see another Yalie, Rachel Pasternak, who happened to have Matilda tickets the same night!  Talk about lots of reunions.

Very happy Roald Dahl fan!

Speaking of reunions, as luck would have it, my Aunt Lynn happened to be in New York the same evening too.  She was taking a girls trip to shop and see shows, so we met up with her crew at Sardi's.  What fun!

Sardi's with the girls!

Thomas, Auntie Lynn, and me at Sardi's.

The next morning, we had the opportunity to see even more Yale friends, as we met up with Marc Suskin and his family for brunch.  Marc and Thomas were Spizzwinks and Whiffenpoofs together, and their oldest daughter is right at Virginia's age.  We were sad that Virginia couldn't be there for the reunion too, but I know we will have a chance to see them again soon.

With Marc & Alexa and their girls.

Then it was off to Connecticut for the rest of the day.  We crashed for one night with Uncle John and Aunt Joyce at 1918 and had a nice time visiting with most of the CT Mack family as always.

Finally, the big event -- Roric Tobin's wedding on Long Island.  We drove Sunday morning from Connecticut down to Long Island, where we reunited with even more Yalies for the shindig.  We also had the chance to see our UVa law friend, Brett, who also happens to be Roric's brother (small world!).  We had recently seen Brett and his family in Hawaii in March, so it was nice to catch up with him and his daughters again.  The wedding was a blast and I danced my pregnant belly off.  Best wishes to the happy couple!

Leslie & her favorite boys -- Brian & Peter

The boys doing Blue Steel.  Very little has changed in the 12 years since we graduated at Yale.

With the illustrious Mr. Eric Paul Harding.

Thomas & Brett

More Yale pals.

Thomas and the blushing groom.

Daddy-daughter dancing.  Cuteness.

Aloha Aulani!

Not a bad view, right?

In March, our family decided to continue our travel streak and take a long weekend in Hawaii.  We had some Alaska Airlines voucher burning a hole in our pockets from a flight cancellation last summer, and when flight prices dropped to equal the value of the vouchers, it was time to take advantage of a free Hawaiian vacation!

Since Virginia is such a Disney fan and we were not going for a very long trip, we thought this was the perfect chance to experience the new Disney resort on O'ahu, Aulani.  The Aulani was very expensive, but we worked our travel magic to get a good deal during the low season.

The trip was truly magical in every way.  The resort was authentically Hawaiian, complemented with all the Disney magic and excellent service.  Virginia loved all the kids' activities and events and got the chance to hang with her favorite Disney characters.  She spent time at Aunty's Beach House (coolest kids' club ever) while mom and dad enjoyed some nice meals out and also ran herself ragged doing the waterslides at the Menehune Bridge water playground.  We also had the chance for a nice reunion with an old law school pal and his daughters one day.  The girls played wonderfully together and Virginia especially enjoyed getting to sit at a "big girls table" with them for our poolside lunch.  Ever since our return, Virginia is begging to go back again.

(For a full review of our Aulani experience, check out the review on my travel blog!)

Shave ice was a daily treat.  Virginia always made sure she got orange.

Menehune Bridge water play area is where Virginia rode water slides.  187 times to be exact.

Breakfast with Mickey!

First time on a paddle board with daddy.

Loving on Minnie Mouse.

Our little mad scientist doing experiments at Aunty's Beach House.

Happy family in Hawaii.

Virginia hams it up at comedy hour at Aunty's Beach House.

A highlight of the vacation was getting to see an old law school pal, Brett Tobin, and his girls.

Stitch and the girls (Virginia was still learning how to do the shaka!)

Mommy and Daddy Go to Europe

Right after Thanksgiving, our family made a bold move by having mom & dad head off on a 12 day European cruise!  Virginia was in good hands, staying the first week with GayGay and PopPop, then getting a visit from Mimi and PaPa at the end of the trip.  We missed her like mad, but really enjoyed the chance to have a child-free vacation.

We cashed in our United miles and flew business class from SFO to Rome, where our cruise started.  Then it was aboard the Seaborne Spirit for a cruise of the Western Mediterranean.  Seaborne is a ultra-luxury and all-inclusive line, but we were able to snag a good deal as we were on the last cruise of the season before the ship repositioned to the Caribbean for the winter.  This meant it was a bit cold, but we were more interested in touring the ports than sitting poolside, so it was the perfect fit.  The ship was very small, carrying only about 100 passengers, so this meant that the service and food were truly excellent the whole time.

We made lots of friends aboard our ship!

Our first stop was Livorno, Italy.  Many aboard the ship set off to Florence, but we decided on a trip up the coast to see Cinque Terre, as we'd both been to Florence many times.

A typical Cinque Terre town view - beautiful!

The next day was Monaco.  Thomas had never been, and the last time I'd been was when I was just 15 years old, so we did it all - the casino, the shopping, the church where Princess Grace was married, and the Oceanographic Museum.  I even managed to make a stop at the Haagen-Dazs on the square, where my cousins and I famously shared a single ice cream 20 years ago when our parents left us on the mean streets of Monaco while they gambled in the casinos.  My sister ran off with the ice cream and accidentally dropped it in a fountain.

Thomas bought a yacht while we were in Monaco!

After Monaco, we had our only sea day, and then the Spanish ports began.  First up was Barcelona, where Thomas and I took a bike tour of the city.  Then we visited Ibiza, but the island was pretty dead as the partygoers were long-gone for the season.  After Ibiza, it was back to the mainland for a stop in Cartagena.

La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona - still under construction after a century.

The next city was truly a highlight - we docked in Motril, Spain where we were shuttled to Granada to see the Alhambra palace.  Our last stop in Spain was Cadiz.  We spent much of the day in nearby Seville, but were able to tour Cadiz as well.

At the Alhambra Palace.

Seville, Spain

Then it was off to Portugal.  We visited a tiny resort town call Portimao, where the beach was truly one of the most beautiful we'd seen.  It helped that we had befriended a Brazilian guest aboard our ship, and he translated for us throughout Portugal, so we were able to get a bit more of the local flavor there.

Finally, our last stop was Lisbon, which was one of our favorite cities despite some bad weather during our visit.

Portugal's very own Golden Gate Bridge - felt like home.

It was truly the trip of a lifetime!  And Virginia loved the souvenirs we brought back!

Future flamenco dancer.

Virginia Visits Virginia, Part 2

Our Saturday in Virginia was full of fun activities, but we didn't stop there!  We awoke Sunday morning bright and early and drove a half hour from Lynchburg to tiny Arrington, Virginia, where Trinity Episcopal Church is located.  Trinity was our church when we lived in Lovingston, Virginia during my third year of law school (2004-2005), and we could not wait to show off Miss V to all of our friends there.  Virginia behaved beautifully during the service, and then joined everyone for coffee hour and a little playing on the swing set behind the church.

Thomas and Bernie McGinnis at Trinity:

Virginia took our photo (again) outside of Trinity:

After church, we drove a few minutes up the road to our old stomping grounds in Lovingston, where we reunited with our former neighbors, the Boor Family and Larry Wells.  Larry was the director of the funeral home next door to the house we rented from him on Main Street and was a great neighbor and friend.  Travis Boor worked with Larry and lived across the street from us with his wife Candy.  When we lived there, Travis and Candy had two young sons, Myles and Wesley, but we were amazed to find that they had all but grown up!  In addition, a fifth Boor family member had been added, so we were thrilled to meet little Bryn (1).  Virginia adored having a little girl to take care of during our visit.  We visited with everyone and ate lunch at our favorite Lovingston pizza joint, Vito's.

Our old house (right) next to the Wells-Sheffield Funeral Chapel:

Virginia meets the newest Boor family addition, Bryn:

The boys at the Boor house (Myles, Larry, Thomas & Travis):

Thomas with Travis & Candy:

The Boor and Harvey kids: Bryn, Myles, Wesley, & Virginia:

In the afternoon, we loaded up the car yet again and headed for Charlottesville, where we met up with Steve, Yancey, and Finley Haas.  Steve and Thomas were best buddies at UVA, and the Haas family now lives in Richmond, so they kindly made the trip to see us.  Finley is a year and a half older than Virginia, and she and Virginia became fast friends as well.  We had a nice dinner and playtime on the Downtown Mall in Cville with them, and then retired to the Omni for a swim and a good night's sleep.

Virginia and Finley, clearly up to no good chasing their dads:

 Dads & daughters: Steve, Finley, Virginia, & Thomas:

On Monday morning, we had a few hours to kill before our flight home, so we took Virginia to see UVA.  We had lunch at a famous greasy spoon, The White Spot, on The Corner, and then bought lots of UVA gear for Virginia and us.  Then it was back to California for us!

Silly girl at the White Spot:

Virginia taking yet another photo of us - not bad at all!