Vacation
Our trip was the perfect blend of time with friends and time with Adam, exploring, eating, laughing, and relaxing. We were in the Bay Area for 4 full days with 2 days tacked on for travel. Our hotel was in Oakland and the room was overlooking the bay (and I-80, but that’s a minor detail). I knew we were going to like it as soon as we discovered that there was a Trader Joe’s literally across the parking lot! Adam and I have been known to search out a Trader Joe’s in any city we visit that has them, but we didn’t even have to google this one, it was right there! We were well-stocked on trail mix, cookies, fresh fruit, and picnic sandwiches. Now if only they would come to Des Moines…
We hiked through the Muir Woods. The redwoods were amazing! And since we were there during the week we barely saw anyone else, so it felt like we had the woods to our selves. What we didn’t realize was that the 4 mile hike we chose was almost entirely up hill! On our way back down, we had to laugh that we might not have made it to the top and the amazing views of the Bay if we had known what we were getting into.
Napa was amazing. We’ve been to wineries in Iowa and Portland, that are equally beautiful, but the sheer volume of grapes that we saw was unbelievable! I honestly think I could have left Adam there and he wouldn’t have noticed I was gone for at least a week. If he could retire tomorrow to picking grapes he would be a happy man.
Tourist destinations aside, I think the best part of the trip was reconnecting with old friends. Even though it’s been 4 years since we graduated from Drake, these girls (Lynn, Lynette, Beccca, Laura, and Bo) are like family to me. We can pick up right where we left off, no matter how long it’s been since we’ve seen each other. It was so great to help Becca put the finishing touches on her wedding, plan her bachelorette party, and celebrate Laura and Cody’s engagement (and hopefully that means we’ll all be together again soon!)
The only drawback to such a wonderful trip is the letdown of being home again. I’m trying to keep myself busy, life in Des Moines is pretty quiet compared to the excitement that was Berkeley!