Monarch Cove Weekend!

We had an amazing time at Monarch Cove celebrating Tory's birthday.  This is such a magical place, not only because it's where we got married four and a half years ago, but also because I don't think there's another place like it.  I told Skyla about our upcoming trip and she was very happy to help me pack.  (It helps that she has a special bag with her name on it from her Auntie Colleen)!

My  dad came to pick us up and we drove down to San Jose.  We were off to Monarch the following day and then Tory came down there that evening after work.  We all met up at one of our favorite restaurants, Star Bene.  It was delicious as always, and Skyla was a little ham as she enjoyed the food and we enjoyed watching her.  A great start to the birthday weekend!

We got to go on a little date night, reliving a couple of the spots we went to on our wedding weekend.  We went to the bar that had karaoke where we got down with Erin & Paul and Simon & Melissa, and then finished at the cute little wine bar where we had our welcome reception.

One of the best things about staying at Monarch Cove is that they bring a delicious breakfast to your room each morning.  We all enjoyed it together as a family on our first morning.  We ate inside but couldn't keep Roma and Skyla apart for very long!  Roma told Skyla all about her new favorite book: The Muppets!

That afternoon Tory and I went to a local winery for a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  We got to see Julie Bonner and her husband Cam and get all caught up.  We also got to try some of the delicious local wine.  It was a beautiful day, a gorgeous location, and we had a merry ol' time!

Right after the wine tasting we rushed back to Monarch, then straight over to Shadowbrook for an early dinner.  We had our rehearsal dinner there and we absolutely love it.  The food is so good but the location and atmosphere are what make it so special.  It was a very long dinner so Skyla took a few tours of the restaurant and grounds, and we played a couple of games of "pass the baby."  My dad snuck in a carrot cake from Gayle's Bakery (the same one we had for our wedding cake!) and we all enjoyed some.  Tory was pleasantly surprised and we all left feeling full and very happy.

 

Sunday morning was a beautiful day and we got it started off great with breakfast on the porch together.  It was sunny very early in the morning -- a rarity in Capitola -- so we got some pics of the beautiful views while we had the chance.

Tory went for a run on the beach and my mom, Skyla and I took a walk down to Capitola Village.  We stumbled upon this band of middle-aged hippies that all gather there every weekend to play music from the 50's on 60's, but with a beachy feel since most of them were playing ukeleles!  I took in the music, the sun, and the scenery, feeling more relaxed and happy than I have in a long time.  It was a perfect way to end our idyllic weekend!