Mystery vacation update

Tonight we were supposed to meet Mommy Dearest and The Dude to discover the super secret locale of our vacation. Here's what we got instead:

- A blue sandpail filled with packets of crackers and cocoa almonds, a list of things to pack, and 6 envelopes labeled Directions, Hotel, Gas, What to do, Food and Photo Scavenger Hunt.

The list of things to pack included basics like a light jacket, comfortable shoes, a bathing suit and pajamas (optional, according to Mommy Dearest). This made packing a chore that kept Husband and I up well past midnight. I must have had 7 outfits layed out for our 3 day vacation and was thisclose to packing all 7, but at the last minute I was able to pare it down to just 5 outfits.

The next morning, we opened the first envelope which led us to......Monterey! Except, the directions Mommy Dearest provided were to the hotel right on cannery row, despite the fact that our reservation was actually for the hotel about 5 miles away. Oh, Mom :)

Here are a few snapshots from our FABULOUS vacation:

The view from the road to Monterey

Husband looking through the "Things to Do" envelope

A Photo for Mom

In front of the Infamous Cannery Building

Wine Tasting

These guys are like "What the heck are you staring at?

Looks like someone needs a brownie

Husband's feet, fresh from the Pacific and covered in sand

Penguins at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Yes, please keep your top on, this is a family place

Starfish

Jellyfish

Just us and the big blue ocean

Starfish in the sand

Pink Flamingos

By far one of my most favorite creatures at the
Aquarium, a Sea Feather Anemone

It was at this point that my camera ran out of batteries and guess who left the charger at home??

After the aquarium Husband and I went ocean Kayaking where we played hide and seek with Sea Lions and yours truly accidentally harassed a bear of a Sea Lion while he was hanging out on a Mooring ball.

Be warned, these buggers are WILEY! While we were sailing around, our guide told us about a Catamaran that had been taken over by a crowd of Sea Lions that had turned the boat into a bit of a party house. And it just so happened that the owner of the boat, who had left it in the harbor unsupervised for two weeks, showed up to evict the partiers: