Rus and Keri Go to Monterey

Rus had a conference in Monterey Bay, CA in August and he invited me to go along! I don't know what I was more excited about - going on a trip with Rus to the CA coast, or having a few days to do ANYTHING I wanted while he was busy "conferencing." 

I was curious what kind of person I would be when completely alone. I haven't been alone EVER - not intentionally, but still...

And it turns out I enjoyed myself! I walked downtown from the hotel, rented a beach cruiser bicycle for the day, and rode along the coast to my heart's content. 

I stopped at a cozy solitary spot and did a bit of watercolor painting. 

I found myself on another main strip and did some eating and shopping. It was a great day!

That night Rus and I ate clam chowder on Fisherman's Wharf and enjoyed the dinnertime show put on by the sea otters. After he wrapped up his conference the next day (in which I tried the bus system, shopped, found a delicious bakery and several great thrift/antique stores), we met up again at the wharf with some friends and we couldn't help ourselves - we enjoyed the chowder again! (Hey it's so fresh there!)

 The next day we had to drive up to Oakland for Rus to meet with a customer. While he was busy working, I spent the day riding the BART in to San Francisco and exploring the deYoung Museum and the Legion of Honor. I saw SO many beautiful things and safely navigated all of the public transportation I could handle...and at the end of the day when I was safely back in the car with Rus, I have to admit that I started crying. I guess it was just the release of a lot of tension and stress from being on my own for a few days. As much as I enjoyed the vacation from my routine, it turns out that I really like being around people I know.
Our last stop before catching the flight home was the Oakland Temple. We didn't have time to do anything more than walk the grounds, but that was enough. We really enjoyed the beauty of the temple...

 ...And the view of the city from above.

 Such a handsome fella! I'm so glad he took me with him, and for the memorable trip that we had!