A Good Day!

Troy really outdid himself this year! It is my birthday on Monday the 26th and Troy asked me what I wanted. I told him I just wanted have my parents watch the kids for an extended date and go to a nice restaurant and a movie. He asked me where and I told him a few ideas. He said he would ask around and plan out the day if that was o.k..

Now, Troy is great, but a mystery date where he wants to take care of all the details, and surprise me is a little out of character. Lets be honest it's just out of character. So I'm a little skeptical throughout the week not sure if it's really going to happen. Friday when I find out there is a chance of rain and cold I am especially skeptical. I am still totally excited about the prospect of dinner and a movie with Troy.

Saturday morning comes and Troy wakes up and says, "Lets Go!". I ask if we are still doing his 'special day' and he says, "Lets Go!". So we get the kids ready and drop them off at my mom's. Then we drive up to Sonoma which is a little past Napa. I have never been there in the 30 plus years of being around the Bay Area. It is beautiful even through the rain and fog. We get up to Sonoma and Troy has made reservations at 'The Girl and The Fig'. It was an awesome restaurant that brags of Country Food with a French Passion. We sampled their Cheese and Fruit platter minus the alcohol (much to the dismay of our waiter) and shared Trout and a Grilled Lamb Burger. It was delicious and really fun. Then we walked around Downtown Sonoma and watched everyone getting sloshed. Sonoma is definitely Wine Country.

After walking around for a bit we got in the car and drove up to Jack London Park. We are both fans of the author and Troy thought it would be cool to see 'Beauty Ranch'. It was so cool! Up in the hills of Sonoma there is 800 acres dedicated to a State Park. Within the area are 3 of the many of Jack London's living quarters,(The Cottage, where he wrote a good deal of his works, Wolf House which burnt down before he could move in with his wife Charmaine,and Happy Halls (which is what Charmaine built after Jack died at the young age of 40), . Everything is renovated except for Wolf Cottage which was burnt down but stands still as an enormous stone skeleton structure about a half mile from Happy Halls. The museums had a lot of their original possessions and great stories to tell. Jack London was amazing man who had adventure, passion, vision, talent and a great sense of humor. He really shared his whole being with the world and died too young. He is a great example of living life to the extreme.

We will definitely go back to Jack London Park in the future. There are cool hikes and picnic spots to do with the kids.

We hung out there for a while and then came back to go hot tubbing at my parents house with the kids. A Great Birthday Treat!

Thanks Troy, love Lee!