This was the first Christmas in three years that our family was all together, so we decided to make it super memorable and go on a trip to Northern California to see San Francisco and Monterey. The only stipulation from my dad was that he did not want to be in charge of planning it, so I volunteered and loved it! It was so fun to research and choose different destinations and locations for us to visit. We actually lived in Monterey when Amy and I were really little because my dad was getting a master's degree at the Naval Postgraduate School, so my parents had some places they wanted to visit as well. So, here is the breakdown of our trip!
We flew into San Francisco and explored downtown-- Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square. Luckily the weather cleared up and was nice for us pretty much the whole week!
The salted caramel brownie sundae changed my life. Try it next time you're there!
Being near the ocean was so cool for us-- I mean, there are no beaches in Utah! And I love Utah and think it is so beautiful with the mountains and everything, but there is just something magical about the ocean-- and this is coming from someone who is scared to death of sharks and all things alive and swimming in the water. But really, docks and boats and beaches and all of the seals... It really is amazing! I could totally live here.
We also went to Madame Tussauds wax museum which of course was a blast. I've been to the one in New York City, but that was in high school, and I forgot just how realistic all of the statues are! I mean, they have pores in their skin! This museum even had a tribute to Madame Tussauds, which was really interesting. She lived in the 1700s in France and loved doing wax sculptures. In fact, she would take the heads after sessions at the guillotine, take them home, and create molds of their faces. Could you imagine someone in your house doing that!? Pretty creepy, but also pretty amazing.
Matt hanging out with his pal, Steve. He said, "Take a picture so people can see that Apple and Qualtrics were a match made in heaven."
I'm a little embarrassed about how excited I was to see Christian Bale. Celeb crush guys, you understand.
Our first stop in Monterey was to hike Jacks Peak to see the beautiful view of Monterey, Carmel, and the coastline. We did this on Christmas day, and the road up to the hike was closed! We ended up slipping through the gate and hiked the whole thing, which was actually worked out so well because we were able to see more of the scenery, and since most things were closed on Christmas day anyway, it was a nice way to pass the time.
Can't get enough of those faces! Adam loves being outside and loves hiking, which we are so grateful for! He does really well in this carrier that can be worn in the front and the back, and he can sleep in it!
The view from the top of the peak was amazing! Please can I just move there!?
After hiking we drove by our old house and to the Naval Postgraduate School that my dad attended for his first masters. The campus is really amazing. The main building, Herrmann Hall, used to be a luxury hotel in the late 1800-early 1900s called the Del Monte-- one of the finest in North America! I kept imagining what it would have been like back then as we toured the building, the grounds, and the huge ballroom.
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