Birthday trip

So we didn't get to stay the night in Monterey, like we had wanted. We left later than we wanted, too. The drive to Monterey was gorgeous! We drove on Highway 1. It's right by the ocean for a majority of the way. The ocean was amazing. I haven't ever seen the water that color of blue before. It was so pretty. Unfortunately, there really wasn't any turn offs going the direction we were going. So we weren't able to stop a whole lot to enjoy the views. Maybe another time! The drive took a lot longer than had been expected. We htought it would be like 2 an half hours...no try 4! It was LONG! It was lunchtime, and I figured we'd be there by lunch time, so I didn't plan so well for the snacks! The kids weren't liking the long drive, but we finally made it! There was a big wine tasting thing going on on the Wharf, so there wasn't any parking. We did end up finding free parking along the street, but it was quite the walk! It was good though. The ocean air was nice! Along the wharf are many many restaurants. I really only wanted clam chowder in a bread bowl. That sound SO good. But, Adam convinced me that I needed to go to a nicer restuarant for my birthday. We got to sit by the water and hear the seals and things, so it was fun! I had Mahi Mahi...I'm not a big fish eater, but it was pretty good. And for the first time I had calamari. Yeah...octopus. It wasn't bad. I can't say it was exceptionally good, but not gross either! Noah loved it. We didn't tell him what it was until later. He didn't believe us when we told him! He thought it silly to eat an octopus! After lunch we headed to the Aquarium. There are lots of fish there. Hence, it's an aquarium! If it had a button or a knob, Noah loved it. He's rather push the buttons than see the exotic fish around him. So, we paid 16 bucks for him to push lots of buttons and turn lots of knobs! Oh well, he enjoyed it! If you ever have the opportunity to go to Monterey, you should totally do it. It's a must see! It's a cool, pretty little town. We walked down Cannery Row, and that was cool. There are a lot of shops along the way, we opted out of most of them...it was getting later and the kids were hungry. We will for sure go back. We didn't get home until midnight...and then I had to finish my talk for the next day. Not fun. But it was a good day. Good way to celebrate my birthday. I'm not liking the fact that I'm 26. But Adam assured me that 26 is okay...it's 27 I have to worry about. He then went on to rattle off everyone who has died at age 27. Including, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and other rock or music stars. I think if I stay away from the drugs, however, I won't have anything to worry about!