Ode to Monterey

Photo by Christine B Photography

Two years has passed by in the blink of an eye. I arrived to Monterey June 22, 2017 kicking and screaming. Leaving our home and my business in Florida was so hard for me! Little did I know that our life would be turned upside and I would find out I was pregnant a few days later while we were still living in a hotel!

Oh Monterey, where do I even start?! We've seriously had a love-hate relationship since day one. If the sun is out and it is remotely warm (60s), I will love you all day. But, the fog, mist, gloom all day, everyday (especially in the summer months) was just miserable!

I quickly realized that we weren't in the south anymore when Kyle and I unsuccessfully tried multiple BBQ restaurants throughout California and not one delivered. Their version of BBQ is tri-tip and it just isn't good! Or when I tried California's version of "shrimp and grits" only to be horribly disappointed. Monterey did bring some amazing food into our lives including Monterey Donuts, Dametra Mediterranean, Mission Ranch, Baldemiro's Taco Shop (hole in the wall taco shop and amazing carne asada fries), Tarpy's, Michael's Tacqueria, Crystalfish Sushi, Krua Thai, Il Vecchio, Saltwood Kitchen (thank you for having fried chicken and cheddar biscuits!!) just to name a few.

We traveled to some amazing places including Disneyland, Paso Robles, Lake Tahoe, San Diego, Napa/Sonoma, San Francisco/Sausalito, Solvang, Yosemite and L.A. I am so grateful that we were able to fully embrace our time on the west coast and see SO many places. I can't wait to show our kids all of the adventures and all the places they went!

We met some incredible people and lifelong friends. As I write this, many of our friends have moved on to their next duty station. I am constantly picking up my phone ready to text friends to make plans only to remind myself that they aren't here anymore. Our friends became family here and they definitely MADE our time in Monterey what it was. I truly think I wouldn't love this place so much if it wasn't for the wonderful people that we got to experience Monterey with.

I joined an amazing brokerage and opened the cutest real estate office you have ever seen. I grew a client base and started receiving referrals from friends and locals and my business took off. There is nothing more amazing than when you have friends referring you.

We attended an amazing church, Shoreline, and hosted a growth group. I also led a MOPS group with a fellow military spouse. Some weeks I was at church every day of the week, but it was such a joy and I am SO incredibly blessed by all the people I met through Shoreline.

Charlotte started formal education with Pre-K at Santa Catalina and we spent the last 7 months living on campus at her school. I honestly don't know if we will ever experience a more beautiful place or more lovely, kind people. The school was such a blessing for our family.

Huxie attend La Mesa CDC and we were so blessed by his teachers in the Bubblefish and Shrimps class. He loved going to "school" and has so much fun with his little friends.

When I try to think of what I will miss most, I can't even begin, but here is a snapshot. I hope this will remind me in years to come of this sweet, but tiring, season of life with two small kids.

• Walks on the Monterey Rec Trail. 
• Afternoons after school/daycare at MyMuseum (we shut the place down on multiple occasions). 
• Weekends at Folktale Winery with friends (thank you for having pimento cheese). 
• Usually followed by dinner at Baja Cantina. 
• Finding Monty, the sea otter, at Trader Joe's. Although Charlotte preferred the Pacific Grove TJ's which included mini carts for the kids. 
• Impromptu dinners at the Trident Room on campus at NPS. 
• Tacos at church during Night of Worship. 
• Working in a beautiful office in the heart of Pacific Grove. 
• Driving through McDonald's for my daily Diet Coke (complete with a paper straw...AHH)
• Dinners with visitors at Mission Ranch, one of our favorite places. 
• Giving birth to Huxie at CHOMP and all that followed with that. My faith is stronger because of those circumstances for sure.
• Spa escapades with friends. We visited over six local spas and became experts of mommy relaxation. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Bernardus. 
• Kyle's weekly workouts (and every Saturday at 7am) with the men of F3 and forged amazing relationships! 
• Escaping to beautiful Carmel Valley for the sunshine and beautiful wineries.
• Kyle's weekly trip to Poke Time, which I also went kicking and screaming!
• Monterey Farmer's Market on Tuesday nights. 
• Getting to attend the AT&T Pro-Am and the US Open. 
• Amazing shows through PacRep at the Golden Bough and Forest Theater. I am so BUMMED we are missing Beauty and the Beast next month 
• Trips to the outlets in Gilroy because the shopping in Monterey was severely lacking! 

And I'll leave you with this - an article I wrote six months into our time in Monterey. Who would have ever thought I would have been sad to leave! The truth is, I am, but I am so grateful for our time here and all that I learned from this special place. 

Charlotte's 5th Birthday Party at MY Museum

We celebrated Charlotte's 5th birthday a few weekends back. Her actual birthday is on the 19th, in a couple of days. I think I planned her party in all of one week, which is the opposite of how I normally plan things, but with a big move in the immediate future, Kyle in a different city and her party falling on a holiday weekend, we did our best and it turned out fantastic. 

The ease of the party was in large part to MY Museum (who just won Monterey Bay Parent's awards for "Best Indoor Birthday Party" and "Best Place to Play Inside"). From booking the party with their staff to them helping us out to our car with all of the gifts, leftover food, etc. after the party they could not have been more helpful and accommodating. 

I dropped off some tablecloths and balloons on the Friday before our party and when we arrived on Sunday, they were all set and ready to go. They include red tablecloths and coordinating balloons in the package, but you are able to bring in your own if you prefer. 

Speaking of theme, we didn't really have one because Charlotte kept changing her mind, but we ultimately ended up with unicorns and dress up. All of the party supplies were purchased locally from Target and Dollar Tree! 

Yummy Monterey Donuts!

The only slot available when I booked was a Sunday morning from 9-11am, before the museum opens for the day. A few positives, the whole space is yours and you can invite up to 75 people and you can have adult beverages (hello, bloody marys and mimosas). I looked into having some breakfast quiches/casseroles, fruit, pastries catered, but then asked Kyle if we would whip up some casseroles and he did an excellent job! We had a tater tot casserole, oatmeal bake, egg casserole and fresh fruit with lime-honey vinaigrette. Instead of a traditional cake, we had DONUTS! 

Amazing Daddy, Chef and Bartender!

MY Museum allows you in 15 minutes before your start time to set up and decorate, but it was all hands on deck and we had everything in place before the first guest arrived. One of the staff members even chased after Huxie for me! 

Charlotte had an absolute blast being the birthday princess for the day! She is going to REALLY miss going to MY Museum. If you are local and don't have a membership, it is the best $100 you will spend. Sometimes we go for 30 minutes and sometimes we stay for 2 hours. 

MY Museum offers a few different packages for birthday parties. Check our their website for more information! I give them 5 stars and more for the easiest birthday party, ever!!