I have never considered Valentine’s Day to be a holiday — ever.
My wife, on the other hand, considers it to be a holiday.
While we were dating, on our first Valentine’s Day together, I relented. I gave her a card — with ONE piece of chocolate that I think I got for free from the residency office.
This year we just had our one year wedding anniversary. We were able to do something small on the 1st of the month (Super Bowl Sunday). However, we knew that we would both have President’s Day off and would have an entire weekend together.
Allie decdied she would “Sadie Hawkins” me this time. A while ago I heard a story on the radio saying it was Sadie Hawkins Day. I promptly sent her a text indicating that this day was upon us, hinting that she should take me out on a date. My hints felt like they were falling flat. Allie then said she can’t take me out when I am expeting it.
Well she decided that President’s Day Weekend would be her weekend to plan. She began planning the trip in January. I could tell it was difficult for her to hold it in. She wanted to tell me where we were going and what we were going to do. But she would not betray her surprise.
Super Bowl Sunday was the reveal. She told me where we would be going. And then came the long wait until the actual trip.
On Friday I got off work around noon. I had been on all night admitting patients to the MICU. I was sleepy and came home and fell asleep. She got off closer to 4 pm. She got back home to find me stillin bed. We got busy packing a small bag for the weekend and headed off. However, as soon as we got on the freeway, we were stopped by a river of red brake lights.
Change of plans. We got off the freeway and decided to grab some dinner instead. We stopped at Two Guys in Highland, CA. It’s a lovely Italian place just minutes from the house. It was only my second time there. After dinner we got back on the road and headed to the first stop of the night: Holiday Inn Express in Port Hueneme. As usual, the beds were comfortable and the complimentary breakfast included their famous pancakes (the pancackes are one of the highlights of our stays with Holiday Inn).
The next morning was Saturday and we headed into Oxnard to the All Nations Seventh-Day Adventist Church. As first-time visitors we had no idea what to expect. We walked in through the front doors and were immediatly greeted by some friendly members who directed us into the main sanctuary. There we found a wide range of ethnicities. Though the church appeared to be mostly hispanic, there were Asians, Caucasians, and African Americans. After church we slipped out to get back on the road. They had invited us to potluck but we were eager to get going.
We stopped by and a quick cafe and that had been opened by a registered dietitian. We got a sampler platter that had hummus, bruchetta, and quinoa tabbouleh laid out on lettuce leafs. We also had a pasta salad. I did write a review of this place on Yelp and you can find it here.
Then we headed to Santa Barbara to enjoy a leisurely stroll. Previously we had only been to the pier and the oceanfront. This time we went a little further inland and checked out the Presidio. There was some interesting architecture from California’s past but with closing time nearing we didn’t feel up to paying the $5 for admission.
Later on Saturday night we headed up to Lompoc where we had a reservation at the Comfort Inn & Suites. Allie chose Lompoc becuase it was cheaper than staying in Solvang and it was closeby. Sunday morning we drove into Solvang. We ate the obligatory Danish sugary treat, walked around some more, and also had lunch in a charming courtyard a little away from the main street.
Later that afternoon we headed to our campsite at Lake Cachuma. Allie had reserved a yurt for us for the night. It was a bit large for just the two of us, but it was the only one they had left. It had a queen size bed, full size bed, and a twin size bed. It also had two electric heaters and a large picnic table inside. The campground was well kept. They also rent out kayaks and motor boats. It’s definitely going on our list of places to re-visit in the future.
We both had a blast and felt we were coming back home too early. But alas, back to reality.
