Consider this under the "Things you don't see every day category".

Just a few bits of fun while we're here in So Cal!

Yesterday we drove from Phx to Mira Mesa (just inland from La Jolla). On the way we came through Gila Bend, AZ (the Crossroads of the Southwest) and Terry told me that in the early 70's his Bourgade High School Basketball & Cross Country teams used to stop at the Space Age Lodge restaurant for dinner on the way back from their games & meets. You're probably wondering "Where in the world were those games?" Ajo, AZ - That's about all I can tell you, because I don't think I've ever been to Ajo. Anyway, I LOVE this sign and the place is still open & running! It's so mid-century! When I get home I want to convert the pic to black & white. It just seems appropriate.

After we got settled in our hotel, we relaxed for a little while (and Terry took a nap), then went down to La Jolla for dinner and some wandering. While we were there we saw some great sights.

First this guy came walking up from the beach in his wetsuit carrying what looked like a harpoon and a huge sea bass. Looked like he was going to have a great dinner with enough to share with friends.

We also saw a few sea lions and one got out on a rock right by where we were standing. Isn't it gorgeous? They're so fun to watch.

Later we walked a few hundred yards down the beach and were able to watch these harbor seals coming out of the water for the night. They're so cute. I can see why they call the babies pups, because they're just that adorable!

Later we visited several galleries, including the Morrison Hotel Gallery, which is full of photos of famous musicians. Some are from album sittings and others are just casual shots taken by well known photographers. Check out this one of John Lennon.

Now we're at the Four Seasons Resort. The room is beautiful, especially the luxurious bathroom with a deep soaking tub and separate shower. While we were sitting here, a member of the staff just brought in a bottle of Evian and 5 fresh apricots. We didn't order these, my assumption is that they're from the sales staff that we'll be meeting with tomorrow. It's a nice touch, huh? Too bad we just had some snacks and are planning to go out to dinner with Don & Carol tonight. Oh, well, we'll take them home & enjoy them.

Today we wandered around an arts & crafts fair and I picked up some snazzy new earrings. I also came across a booth of MJ's Ornaments. These are similar to the site I ordered from last year, but I don't think it's the same person. MJ makes custom personalized ornaments with photos that you send to her. I was very inspired. Her prices aren't bad, but I'd love to learn how to do this myself. Linda, we need to figure out who can teach us how to do this!

So we had quite a variety of adventures this weekend. It was a blast! Hope you enjoyed the recap.

Sometimes I really LOVE my job!!!!

One of the aspects of being an Event Manager is the long tedious hours of site visits at resort after resort at vacation destinations. It actually is pretty tiring, especially if you have a lot of places to visit, but it's one of my favorite parts of the job.

Fortunately, this weekend I'm going on a 2nd visit to the place we chose for a fund-raising retreat that Leadership Catalyst is doing in November. My hubby and I will visit the Four Seasons Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, CA and get to stay overnight and pamper ourselves in one of their gorgeous rooms. We'll be meeting with our coordinator from the resort as well as our friends, Don & Carol to look at the meeting room and discuss questions that we have about the event. Don is our tech expert and will help us make all the necessary decisions and ask all the right questions about our audio-visual set up for the event.

Since we'll be over there anyway for our Monday meeting, we decided to make a weekend of it, even though we just got back from vacation a few weeks ago. We'll be staying just north of San Diego for the first night, because we can't afford to PAY for a night at Aviara. Well, I guess we COULD afford it, but don't really WANT to spend that much money for one night in a hotel room.


I hope we get a chance to check out this awesome fireplace while we're there. Doesn't it look so inviting for when the temps dip below 70 degrees? The highs are expected to be in the mid-70's and lows in the mid-60's, which is pretty close to paradise, I'd say. Even as I type this I have to force myself to pack a sweater and long sleeves for the evenings. It's just so hard to imagine after 105 degree high temp today.

I'm sure you can tell that all these pics are from the resort website, but I'll be taking more while we're out and about and I'll try to post while I'm there.

Another cool thing...I get to use a work day and don't have to take vacation...because I really AM working. YES, I AM and please don't tell my co-workers how much I enjoy it. I think they're jealous already.