Anniversary Getaway {Mission Inn}

Riverside - never thought I'd go there for a weekend getaway....but when I was researching potential 'romantic' places to go, on a budget...I stumbled upon this place on the internet and was blown away. I literally could not stop thinking about it for a full weekend.

So we booked a room at the stunning Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa - Riverside, CA.

And were NOT disappointed!

I had coordinated with the hotel concierge via email in the weeks leading up to our stay. I asked for their tea-light candle service and sent her a cute little banner I made to have them hang up in our room prior to check-in....it came out perfectly!

After a quick change to our bathing suits & pour of Prosecco and a "CHEERS" to us...we went exploring the hotel before spending the rest of the afternoon at the pool. The grounds of this hotel were simply amazing. Breath-taking. I've honestly never stayed somewhere with so much richness & history...the architecture was beautiful and every inch was covered in such intricacy & detail....I fell in love!

Being the 'tourist' that I was for the weekend, of course I took a TON of pics...all James wanted to do was escape the heat & dip himself in the pool...but I wasn't leaving until I had my fair share of pics to remember this place!

**Check out the my PhotoBucket Slideshow:

At the pool, we quickly realized we were total late-comers...seeing as EVERY chair was taken by this point. So we stashed our stuff under a side table & got in the pool. Luckily we made a few friends with some other couples that were staying there, so we had a GREAT rest of the afternoon enjoying everyone's company...complete with lots of laughs, and pool-side waiters making sure the drinks kept flowing ;-)

We then headed back to our room to shower & freshen up for dinner...we had reservations at one of the on-site restaurants: "Las Campanas", which was on an adorable little outside patio with dim, romantic lighting and some seriously delicious Mexican food. We were sooo pleasantly full and quite exhausted from a full day in the sun & drinking...that we went back up to our room to take a nap...that nap turned into 2 hours later... and I jumped up & pleaded with James to do the same so we didn't waste the rest of the night!

I was hoping to see the rest of the hotel all lit up at night, and check out the "Presidential Lounge" downstairs which "pays homage to the 10 U.S. Presidents who have passed through its doors".

He finally agreed.....love him!

After the most enjoyable stroll through the grounds, with the warm evening summer air, getting lost in the glory of this hotel...and finding a few spooky nooks & crannies of this place...we finally wound up at the Lounge....where we also stumbled upon our friends from the pool! After some more laughs & drinks....bed called out name! Once back at our room, we filled in the "Breakfast Room Service" card and place it outside on our door handle.... a few hours later, at 8:30am, a knock at the door....mmmmmm breakfast in bed - so wonderful.

Then we hustled & bustled to pack up, check out, leave our bags with the bellman, then go exploring so more, and finally kick our feet up for a good few hours by the pool. Perfection! I was sad to leave.... one-night stays just fly by way too fast, but so grateful that we were allowed this time together, to re-connect and celebrate our love for each other after 6 years of marriage!

Love you babe!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Cheers to 6 Years!

They say: "time flies when you're havin fun" - that is definitely true, because it feels like I only blinked, since I married my high school sweetheart 6 years ago!!

So we did our annual Anni picnic night at Cuvier Park in La Jolla, the same place we married. This is becoming a tradition now, just a good way to spend time together as a family, celebrating...us.

Celebrating life's ups & downs.

Celebrating growing.

Celebrating living.

Celebrating unconditional love.

I had realized that we never re-did our 'sand ceremony' vase...after it accidentally broke the night of our wedding, lame! So I found the cutest little heart-shaped cork-top bottle at Michael's and James filled it up with a little sand from our ceremony location! (A few days later we were gifted an awesome new vase from his mom, to re-do with colored sands as well, like we did at our wedding!)

It's so cute!

15 years...

I was chatting with my friends during my lunch break...in high school - yes, high school....when I was suddenly sidetracked.

Now, I can barely remember much from that long ago - especially since digital cameras weren't popular yet, and 'camera phones' were definitely not yet in the hands of us teens!! Photos help preserve memories - my brain however, cannot. That's a huge reason why I blog and now take tons of pictures to document our lives & memories.

Back to my story... one that I definitely remember well - I was sidetracked. Pretty much twitterpated with one look (look it up) ;-)

It was a boy. A super CUTE boy.

Jimmy was his name.

Total jaw dropping moment, which my friend's BF witnessed. I mumbled, "who. is. THAT?!"...to which the friend's BF replied "who, him... Jimmy Mejia?" --- sure, yes - "introduce us!"

That weekend we had our first date... I remember how giddy I was beforehand, telling my mom how cute he was. Literally from that moment on I was hooked.

...3 years later - we moved in together...still so young...total puppy love. Jimmy now goes by James.

...5 years after that - engaged (finally!!)

...1 year after that - married

...1 year after that (exactly) - pregnant

...9 months after that - our sweet Kapri was born & flipped our lives in the best way possible.

And now... 15 years later - we still celebrate our first date....and I love him more than ever!

We used to go to the same local restaurant were we had that first date... but sadly, it's gone wayyy downhill. So this year we changed it up & celebrated alone {left kiddo with GramMo} at a restaurant called Seasons 52 (check out my full review on Yelp). They sat us along with complimentary champagne & a Happy Anniversary card, handwritten by the staff - so sweet!

love how he addressed my card! he wrote me THE sweetest poem...I cried - love him!

This place is awesome!! Every dish is 475 calories or less...and the menu changes each 'season'... with new specials each 'week' (52 weeks/year) - hence their clever name!

For dessert, they had itty bitty"mini-indulgences" - which were perfect...Red velvet for me please!!

Happy 15 my love...cheers to another 15 & another 15 & more! xoxoxoxxx

Happy 5 Years!

Five years of wonderful marriage...check! And what a whirlwind it's been, complete with the birth of our beautiful daughter, new jobs, new homes, new friends (some lost), new ventures, new hopes...new dreams.

...and lots of ups & downs.

Happy 5 Years My Love!!! xoxo

Through it all - we remain strong & dedicated to each other as husband & wife. 

Through it all - we find time to say "I love you" at least once a day.

Through it all - we know that our love can withstand any storm.

However, it's been more than 5 years of being together. We dated for 8 before he proposed. So when you sit back & actually think about a couple with the packaging of "Highschool Sweethearts" - it makes most people say "awww, that's so cute...and that's SUCH a long time!!". I sometimes think about how crazy it is, to have met & fallen for each other, basically as little kids...and SOMEhow we've been able to grow up together, and still love each other so much. That's an amazing accomplishment in my mind!

Seeing him parent our child, seeing him aspire to be a great individual - it's warms my heart knowing that I picked the perfect guy for me.

I still remember how giddy I was when I was 15, telling my mom about 'this guy' at school and that we had a 'date' planned. I even remember what I wore on that date, so does he, haha! Ahh memories!

So for this anniversary, obviously we did the Palm Desert trip the weekend before... but we also wanted to celebrate the night-of as well. So today we each worked, picked up Kapri - then exchanged cards at home. I got him a watch display case and made 'us' a framed pic with the lyrics from the song I walked down the aisle to... "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain. These lyrics really spoke to me when I picked them...and they still ring true today! So I thought it'd be a sweet thing to have up in our room, just as a reminder to each other :-)

After that we all drove down to La Jolla, and had a little picnic dinner in the same spot that we married in. It was super overcast, so no sunset sadly... but after some crazy heat we've been having, we actually really enjoyed the coolness & clouds this afternoon.

We picked up food from SmashBurger and it was awesome!! Then we all just laid on the grass together, thinking about our time here 5-years ago...which happened to both fall on a Wednesday!! Kapri was born on a Wednesday as well... so I think that's just our lucky day of the week ;-)

I even wore the necklace from our wedding day

Perfect afternoon spent - love my little fam!

Another Palm Desert Trip!

Such fun times during our 3-night getaway to Palm Desert for our early 5-year anniversary this past weekend! This is turning into an annual thing, which I'm 110% fine with. Though next time I'm hoping we'll be able to bring Kapri, we missed her SO much by our last day there! Except that next trip will NOT be in the middle of summer...with 100+ degree temps, phew. Warm much?

We left after work on Thursday afternoon and arrived at La Quinta Resort for the first night. Holy heat. The intense humidity was a tough adjustment. As I walked into the room, I noticed our bed had a big gift bag on it....from my sweet bro/sis in-laws...man we love them! It was packed full of all kinds of assorted goodies and the nicest anniversary card. 

We spent the rest of the evening chatting away outside, dipping occasionally in the pool that actually felt WARMER than the air temp...blech. The next day we went out for a yummy breakfast, then grocery shopping to stock up for the weekend. The rest of that day was spent enjoying our freedom out at the pool, playing games, laying out, listening to music and lotsa laughs.

Saturday morning we got up early, made some yum breakfast burritos, then headed to our couples spa pedi appointment...yay for mega relaxation & champagne! After that - repeat of Friday afternoon...pool time! We had reservations for our early-anniv dinner at 8pm, so we decided to take a little spin around the community and golf course in the golf cart - so fun and such beautiful scenery!

Finally dinner time at Morton's Steakhouse....we arrived & grabbed a celebratory martini before being seated. Once at the table and looking over all the yummy food options, I quickly noticed that the top of the menu said "Happy Anniversary Calista & James!" --- ummm...awesome!! I felt so special :-)

My dish was so deslish - filet mingon, bacon-wrapped scallops and 3 huge shrimp with this amazzzing apricot chutney that I literally dipped every bite in....mmmm! BTW...I found the recipe which I'll be trying out for sure in the near future - here! For desert we ordered a chocolate souffle...but then of course our awesome waiter came around with another sampling of deserts to choose 'on the house'...um, how could I not pass that up?! The one thing that immediately lured me in, was the brûléed cheesecake with strawberries and cream...such a sucker for anything 'brûléed'...and cheesecake was the desert we had during our wedding night - so it was the perfect choice!

Then they took our picture and printed out a copy for each couple - in their card it said "Great Times" and in ours it said "Happy Anniversary". What service!!

Love my man and our lovely company...seriously cannot wait to do it again!! Thanks for such a wonderful weekend :-)

Happy 14 My Luv!

Yesterday marked the 14th year since James' & my verrrry first date. I was 15...crazy right?!!

~ Photo courtesy of Jennifer Katen Photography ~

It was a typical work day for me while he stayed home with Kapri...followed by a 60 min / 4.5 mile run through some crazy hiking trails with my sister after work.... then dinner at Leucadia Pizzeria as usual - where we had our very first date 14 years ago ;-)

Dinner was yummy...ordered the same thing to keep up with nostalgia...thai chicken salad, thai chicken pizza, and this delish tortellini pasta with sun dried tomatoes & artichokes...mmmm.We almost got the same booth 3 years in a row, but luckily the table next to their little fish tank was open, and K loved that! She was trying to feed the fish bread...through the glass. Comical.

We decided that next year we'd change it up and perhaps start a new tradition somewhere...since that'll be 15 years together...holy!

Then we came home & I slaved over these bad boys for Kapri to take to school today:

Krispie Treat Fruit Kabobs

Courtesy of THIS pin...though mine aren't nearly as pretty - literally assembled them all this morning in a rush before work!

A quote from her teacher's last email {so cute!}:

This week the children have been learning more about the rain forest and the variety of animals that live in the different levels.

Snakes, frogs, toucans, monkeys, macaws, tigers, owls, sloths and rain forest art now adorn the class. Next week we will complete our theme by talking to the children about other animals, foods that grow there and people who live in the rain forest. 

We will also talk to them about conservation of the land.

Today all the kids had to bring in some fruit to share, as they are discovering the rain forest...along with all the animals that live there & fruit that grows there. Of course I couldn't just send her with a carton of strawberries...so I chose these instead. The krispie treats have strawberry fruit drink powder mixed into the marshmallow goo...I wish I'd only put in half the packet though. Ahh well, kids will love em for sure!

Also - next time I attempt these, I will have to go on the hunt for wayyyyy thinner skewers. These ones we had were for grilling...so they kept breaking the fruit pieces in half!!! Major fail last night when I tried it out. But I figured it all out this morning.

Blueberries, Strawberries, Kiwis & Bananas - topped with a strawberry flavored rice krispie treat with sprinkles!

Our Official Anniversary Date!

Capital...O...M...G...

We got to see Sade take the stage and belt out some amazing tunes at her concert last night, down at Cricket Wireless Amphitheater. I cannot even describe in writing, how breath-taking it was to see & hear her...live!! I cried...cried...yes...I did. I've never been one to understand how people can cry when they see celebrities or music artists...like when they just FREAK over someone they don't even know. But let me tell you... I had a pretty intense emotional moment when she came on...especially when she finally sang 'the' song. The song we'd waited for all night. The song that I began to assume she'd never play because it was nearing the end & getting late.

The song that James & I had our memorable first wedding dance to...

THE song that was playing on heavy rotation during my labor with Kapri - more specifically...right as I was getting an epidural...James & I both heard the song... and he bent over to whisper some unforgettably loving, soothing words in my ear - in my moment of sheer & utter pain. He was by my side, through it all.

We took a few pics at our house & headed alllll the way down to Cricket - good hour drive with traffic... well worth it!

Before the concert started (opened by John Legend)...we got there pretty early so we could "tailgate" in the back of James' car with some wine, cheese, crackers, salami & spicy Thai chicken noodles - I was a happy camper to begin with.

We bought lawn tix, the cheapest obviously...but IMO wayyy better since you can take up whatever space you want/can (we brought 2 lawn chairs & 2 blankets), and you can stand up & dance around...so much better than being confined to a tiny chair with no elbow room. The weather was flawless...so hanging outside was more than just enjoyable. With Sade tunes dancing on the wind - taking up all possible space in my head... it was one of the most PERFECT date nights of my life. Who knows if she'll ever go on tour again...this is the FIRST in 10 years for her, that's nuts to me. So if she doesn't, we can say we got to see her in all her amazingness, at least once.

Thank you Sade - you made my night/month/year/LIFE! "By Your Side" is one of your best songs & has been 'our' song for many years now. Love you hubby...so glad we got to experience this concert together, to celebrate US!

Happy 4 Years to us

FOUR wonderful years have now passed since the hubs & I exchanged vows on a picture perfect day, overlooking the Pacific Ocean on a cliff in La Jolla.

And I love this man even more now...having Kapri has really solidified our relationship...teaching her together, showing her what love means...being affectionate often - it all adds up to the right ingredients.

We celebrated this year by taking the day off from work and having a nice family day. We had free tix to the SD Zoo - so that was an easy decision. Last time we went was for my bday in November...we still got lost, again, in the same confusing monkey/bird area...damn that crazy maze!!! And those maps are just crap - honestly. Once we found our way again...we were happy. K had a blast, while we enjoyed just being together...looking at some big/small/cute/scary/stinky/funny animals...kinda like us! hahaha j/k babe!! PS...did you know that no plastic LIDS or STRAWS are allowed on Zoo property...for the animals' safety?? Yeah, me neither.

Happy daughter = Happy mamma & father! Luckily the little cold she started to get only 2 days ago was just that - little & quick...love those kinds of colds!!

Oh, and James got a lovely caricature portrait of our lil fam....it's just hilarious. We framed it...I heart it. Especially K's big eyes, curly crazy hair and the MOLE on my right cheek. Yup, he even drew that in!! LOL

After enduring another very warm day...we ended with a refreshing cup of froyo from Golden Spoon - a family fav. Wow...what a BUSY few days it's been!!

Happy 3 years to US!

James & I celebrated our 3rd year of blissful marriage today...August 22, 2010. It feels like a lot longer ago actually - maybe because we've been together for 12 1/2 years now...that is a long. friggin. time. And I couldn't ask to share that precious time with anyone other that my hubba hubby James. We celebrated the day by finally getting some wonderful beach time in, since the weather here has actually decided to cooperate. It IS summertime ya know?

Kapri could not get enough of the ocean...regardless of how freezing the water was, or how many times a wave knocked her down (you'd think she'd be able to hold up against them with those thick, solid legs of hers!).

The beach was packed, but we ended up with a pretty decent parking spot & place to set up shop on the sand. On the way there, we stopped for more sunscreen, Little Swimmers and snacks...then I stumbled upon a bundle of sands toys that was on sale. Score. She loved them (once her fascination with the water subsided).

After, we got home, got ready...and headed up to BJ's Brewhouse for some 1 on 1 time together. Sadly I didn't get a pic of us enjoying our evening - wish I did because James got a new white linen shirt that I adored! Anyway, overall it was a perfect day :-)

A DOZEN Years of JOY

On Saturday James & I celebrated our 12th "dating" anniversary. I don't know why we still celebrate March 6th, but I think it's pretty damn significant, so we're just gonna keep on at it! Every year we just go for a simple dinner at Leucadia Pizzeria, where we had our very 1st date (double date that is) back in high school on March 6, 1998. Whoa, it's weird to type the year starting with "19", haha.

Anyway, we headed out that evening with a verrrrry fussy baby...I think she's still got a little cold lingering. At first James asked me if we should just order it to eat at home. 

(Calista) Points at face, air-strokes hair...speaks: "Um, do you seeeee the effort I've put into myself tonight?! NO, we're going to eat there & Kapri is just gonna have to deal." 
(James) "That's true...as long as we keep her occupied with food she'll be okay, right?" 

Hahaha...this statement was true, and as I typed it I thought to myself, "wow, we're just awesome parents, putting food in front of our kid just to keep her 'entertained' so we can make it through a quick dinner". Maybe that's why she's such a CHUNK! hahah, j/k j/k!!

This year we got the same flippin table as last year...so weird to think that at this time a year ago I was hugely pregnant. We always order the same thing...IDK why, maybe just for that nostalgic effect? Regardless, it's damn delicious and usually only once per year. So it's not like we get sick of it. We split the Oriental Chicken Salad...the peanut sauce is sooo good. And he gets the Thai Chicken mini pizza - no idea why since he just ate a salad that's pretty much the same...next time he said he'd get the BBQ Chicken pizza! Then I always get the Tortellini with Chicken...which is swimming around in yummy Alfredo sauce, with sun-dried tomatoes, onions & artichoke hearts...so. good. Then we always get a box of cookies to take home & enjoy...pure happiness.

Kapri was amazed & pointing at the little fishys in the tank...I think it's time for an aquarium trip soon!!