One Lucky Blind Date: July 2010

Dear Buzz,

Your bulldog cave will soon become taken over with moving contraptions, toys galore, and little things that make noise - all of which we know you will think need inspection and destruction. We commend you for your service these past four years for being a loyal and ferocious guard dog and know you will do the same to protect your new little brother.

However, this will be new to you and your mission should you choose to accept it (and you will accept it), is to learn the difference between your things and baby things and to understand personal space. This is lesson one - we will continue to work with you because we know you are a big love and that old dogs don't learn new tricks overnight.

Love you -

Mom and Dad

By the way Buzz - this type of behavior will become unacceptable, except when authorized!

After much debate, Jeff and I decided to invest in one last hurrah before Miles arrives. Sure we have done lots of things in the recent years - cruises, trips to Las Vegas, Mendocino, San Luis Obispo, Iowa, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Cabo San Lucas, etc - but when I stopped to think about it for a minute - most of those trips were with our friends, to visit family, or to celebrate big events like birthdays or weddings. In fact, the last time Jeff and I took a legitimate vacation outside of CA alone - just the two of us was our honeymoon. Almost five years ago!!

When I had that epiphany, I was sure we made the right decision to get outta dodge. We celebrated my 30th birthday at the Tonga Room in San Francisco - a kickoff to the babymoon - and then departed for Kona the next morning. Here are a few photos from the birthday bash:

On the flight to Kona, we were seated next to a young couple with an adorable 8 month old baby boy. I couldn't help but tell them how cute their son was - big old chubby cheeks and spiky blonde hair. The mom says "well I sure hope you still think that after this flight - its our first time" I could see how nervous the parents were to potentially have to deal with an unhappy baby in a confined space.

Another big eye opener was how fast Jeff and I cruised through the airport once we landed compared to the new parents who looked like a walking caravan with their car seats, strollers, and bags. Some of them would laugh at us and say "See what you have to look forward to!" This was another reminder that the babymoon was a GREAT idea!

We stayed at the Fairmont Orchid Resort on the Kohala coast and were deliberate about not making any plans prior to getting there - not even a rental car. I think we got a lot of what we needed which was no schedule, lots of rest, and lots of fun. We were on the island for four days and spent most of that time enjoying the resort, laying by the pool or beach, snorkeling, taking naps, and eating to our hearts content. I kept telling Jeff that I wish I could package the experience into an injectable shot that I could just administer to myself in times of need - you know on those "oh so special" days at work?

Here are a few photos of the resort and grounds.