Maui Madness

We've updated this post with pictures! We had a tough time weeding out great shots so they may not exactly line up with the text they accompany. You'll forgive us for that won't you? Have a look at all the fun we had! :)

We're back from an unplanned, spur of the moment suprise visit to Maui (how about them adjectives!). We went to visit Mark's family to help them (and us) cope with some rather sad news we received last week at Mark's eye appointment.

We're sorry to report that Mark's eyes are not cooperating as we had hoped they would. They retinas in both eyes have detached and the left eye is actually degenerating. It is not expected to hang in there much longer so he'll just have one viable eye left. For this reason, the doctor (and we!) decided our best course of action is to try to save the right eye and "sacrifice" the left. So, tomorrow will be retinal surgery number 3. With each surgery, the likelihood of a positive outcome decreases. Consequently, we've been advised that we should plan for Mark becoming fully blind or at least much lower vision than he is currently.

On Saturday, we took a little respite from dealing with all of these heavy things and went to the Hawaiian Festival in Pleasanton. We had a great time visiting with friends - Penny, Nola, Nerisse and family! - and eating Hawaiian Shave Ice and even shopping for a few choice Hawaiian books including one on how to properly use Pidgin. Hee hee! It's actually a pretty intersting book with a lot of history. Maybe we'll treat you to a lesson some time. :) Once we'd had our fill of Musubi (well, actually, only Mark eats spam treats), good music and Ducks and Squirrel eating Cheetos (seriously, we have pictures - you just wait!), we headed to the grocery store.

On the way, MeLissa told Mark that since she'd saved a lot of money (to help out when she pursues her business full-time), he should choose where in the world he would want to visit just in case he does lose his vision and she would make it happen. She had suggested going to Hawaii earlier, but at that point he didn't say yes. After thinking about this for a while, though, he realized he really wanted/needed to go home and that his parents probably needed to have him near, too (what a good son, eh?). So, on the way home from the grocery store, he asked if we could go to Maui this weekend.

The next morning (Mother's Day) we were on a plane headed to beautiful Maui where his unsuspecting parents were enjoying an "ordinary" weekend (is any weekend truly ordinary when you live in Maui?). We had let his brother (who is currently at home learning the mortgage business from his dad) know we were coming to make sure that they'd be home when we got there.

We arrived that morning at their house and made quite an entrance (once everybody recognized who we were!). Everyone was shocked and thrilled to see Mark and give him hugs....and they were thrilled with MeLissa for making it happen - especially on such short notice! We're guessing this will go down in history as one of Mom and Grammy's favorite Mother's Days!

We made good use of our time while we were there. We visited Mom and Dad Rocco's new house in Kula which is still a work in process but is sure to be fabulous. It has some great views for them to enjoy if nothing else! We also were able to take a peak at another almost finished home that has the neatest entry way tile. On our way back to the house, Mark posed for us on the "surf board" road divider - he was one knarly dude! That evening, we enjoyed a Mother's Day feast at the Makawao steak house as well as a visit from a couple of friends - Keola and Angelique.

On Monday, our big adventure involved the beach. First, though, we went to Queen Ka'Ahumanu Center for a a little shopping and to get our wedding rings cleaned. We finally were able to get a duplicate of a little Hawaiian statue Mark's parents had purchased for our wedding reception home safe. This was the third attempt - previous ones by MeLissa's parents and Mark's parents had failed. So, we're thrilled to have it home safe!

Our other finds include MeLissa's favorite glycerine soaps, and a couple of shirts at the Ainokea (pronounced I No K-Uh) shop which is owned by a friend of Mark and Michael. MeLissa's shirt has a definition of the term which we'll try to remember to add to this post when we add the pictures. We also found a cool pair of shades for Grammy and one for MeLissa. Once we'd finished shopping and had enjoyed some lunch, we had a little tour of Grammy's new daytime home and then it was off to the beach!

We went first to Makenna beach to frolic and play in the water and sand with Mark's brother. Michael practiced skimming with his new board which features a picture of the Maui flag - it was custom made just for him. Skimming involves "surfing" on the wet sand and tides as waves come into the beach. Later in the day, we were joined by Mark's parents, Keola and Angelique's son Kye. Once we'd had our fill of fun at Makenna, we packed up our gear, grabbed some snacks and headed over to our favorite beach for a wonderful Maui sunset. This is Ulua Beach and it is the place where Mark proposed at sunrise on July 5, 2003 (We're standing there in our picture above)! A visit to Maui just wouldn't be complete without setting foot on it! For dinner that night, we ate in. Michael grilled some steak and MeLissa made some yummy Mexican Crab and bean dips for everyone to enjoy. Then we enjoyed looking at the stars in the hot tub.

This morning, we headed to Kula Lodge for breakfast and a beautiful view of the Maui coastline. We highly recommend this spot! We enjoyed a short walk in the gardens while we were waiting for our food to be served and then savored every bite! :) MeLissa's only regret is that she couldn't have her favorite - Macadamia Nut Pancakes with coconut syrup. You can eat them for her the next time you go!

Once breakfast was over, we went back to the house to finish packing and enjoyed a quick visit with our friends Betsy and Louis (we were actually engaged on the day of their wedding!). And, then it was off to the airport to catch our plane and return our rental car....

We made it home safely to a neurotic and lonely kitty who will probably drive us crazy for a few days with non-stop meowing - her form of scolding us for leaving her home with "unfresh" food while we enjoy beautiful beaches, great food and more fun that it should be legal to have! We're sure she'll appreciate it that Mark will be home for the next week or so laying face down because it puts him in perfect position to pet her. ;)

Please keep Mark in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. He goes in for surgery at 9 a.m. PST. It will probably be another 4 to 5 hour surgery. MeLissa's got a stack of wedding and other magazines to keep her company....

This just in:

Avian Flu has hit a trailer park in Florida!



Garden gnomes in the area are now living in fear. ;)

Good Gelato News...

Well, in the ongoing gelato saga here, we've discovered that the gelato did not have eggs in it. Which is good. And, MeLissa partook of some yummy Marscarpone flavor last night to celebrate. The only problem is now we have no idea why she had that horrible reaction. Not good.

For now, we're assuming that the cocoa powder they used in the dark chocolate sorbet had soy in it. It's either that or something to do with dinner. So, MeLissa's going to avoid (for a little while at least) the Chocolate Marzipan flavor. It's also looking like she needs to ditch pineapple again. It seems to have caused a mild reaction this morning. She's thinking maybe she'll just quite trying to reintroduce stuff for a while.

Rethinking Last Night's Gelato Pledge...

MeLissa woke up this morning feeling pretty awful - killer scratchy throat, headache like you wouldn't believe and just utterly feeling "icky." (One of those technical terms Mark's learning in school, we assure you).

So, yeah. She's thinking that the gelato is all Mark's. No matter how good the stuff is, it isn't worth this. And, yet, she's not willing to just give up. Nope. She's emailed the gelateria to see if the stuff does indeed have eggs in it. After all, maybe there was stealth garlic at dinner last night. ;)

A Fun Weekend at "Home"

We had a great weekend! Most of our excitement happened today (Sunday), but we got to sleep in for a while yesterday and that was heavenly! :) We also were able to just spend some time together chatting which is so nice but not a frequent occurence with Mark's busy schedule.

As for today, our activities included running all of our usual errands. This is actually worth mentioning because our trip to the grocery store was very fruitful! MeLissa had seen an orchid called the "pansy" orchid on Martha Stewart's show and had to have one, but alas, all the places she could find them sold them for no less than $50. $50 is a lot for something you might kill. :) She's been faithfully checking the orchids at Trader Joe's when we go grocery shopping and believe it or not, she found one today for $12.99!!! How cool is that? She's so proud of her little orchid...now she just has to keep it alive. And, now she can move on to finding the second one she really really wants which is a Nun's Cap orchid which supposedly smells like roses and is very pretty. She's actually questioning whether she found one today...

After we'd finished our errands and had some lunch we went to see Elias Pereda perform in Newark, California. Elias, as you may remember, is the jazz performer who is helping MeLissa break into the big band scene. The concert was great - lots of Sinatra and other goodies from the golden era. MeLissa's confident that Elias will be making some of her clients very happy at wedding receptions and parties in the future!

Speaking of the band, MeLissa has been given clearance at work to audition and to sing with them for at least a couple of months. This was a bit questionable since they primarily perform and practice on Wednesday afternoons. She's agreed to work a few hours here and there at work to make up for the time she's away. There's only one snag left - Mark's eyes may need another operation (sigh) and that might make it difficult for her to commit at this time. Sooner or later, though, she fully intends to take advantage of this opportunity! We'll know more about the eyes and the band after Mark's doctor appointment on Tuesday.

After the concert, we took a little break from our "date" day and came home to work on Mark's Gynecology paper on....breasts. We're guessing there are a lot of guys out there that are snickering right now (as well as a lot of women rolling their eyes). We have to tell you he didn't pick the topic and it isn't anything titalating (ha! had to throw that in!) at all. In fact, we're thinking since it has some great information, we may just post it here (for a very long read) once it's complete - stay tuned for that.

After a couple of hours of that, we left for our next section of our date - dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Good stuff (thanks Mom and Dad Rocco for the celebratory donation) and definitely a good place to go to celebrate. Mark chose the place since we were celebrating his being a smartie and passing his board exams! We enjoyed salad, a porterhouse steak for two, and mushrooms. All were very good. :)

We topped off our dinner with a visit to Gelatoria Naia where we enjoyed a plethora of samples (well, two a piece actually) and then bought 3 pints of gelato - St. Honore, Marscapone and Chocolate Marzipan and a couple of cups (Dark Chocolate and Macadamia Nut for MeLissa/Keoke Coffee and Chocolate Coconut for Mark) for right then and there. If you have a chance to go to Naia (they have several locations in the Bay Area and more coming soon) definitely go, but don't forget your cash because credit and checks receive a cold icy stare. (Not really - they just tell you "Sorry we only take cash"). We still don't get this trend in the Bay Area, but whatever.

Now here's the amusing part about our gelato purchase - we think MeLissa's allergic to it. Oops. Yeah, it kind of slipped our minds that gelato (we think) has eggs in it. She had a heck of a reaction while driving home - what fun! So, we have three pints of itchy scratch gelato and although, perhaps, it's not the smartest thing, MeLissa doesn't care! She's gonna eat that gelato (with Mark's assistance of course) and enjoy it...itchy scratchy skin/eyes/nose, sneezing, almost migraines and all. At least it didn't cause an asthma attack like the carrots. ;) What a rebel she can be! :)

So, other than that, it has been a good week. MeLissa finished another course for her Professional Development Course to become a Professional Bridal Consultant (a trademarked title!) and she also received both her seller's permit and her DBA statement approvals in the mail for her business. She's set up a partnership with a great favor company called Beaucoup and is currently in the process of becoming a dealer for Encore Studios (an invitation manufacturer). She's very excited about these two opportunities. Her logo and website are also on their way in the able hands of a great freelance designer she met through a friend. Great things are happening daily here in Roccoland and now you're up-to-date on them!

Drum Roll Please.....

We have EXCITING news!!! Mark passed his Chiropractic Board Exams!!!! Can we get a woo hoo for our new "Quarter-Doc" (MeLissa's new nickname for him since he's 25% of the way through his boards)?

He did really well and passed every section with flying colors. His best two scores were in General Anatomy and Pathology. Overall, his lowest score was a 421 in Spinal Anatomy. He needed 375 to pass.

We're so VERY happy that he's jumped this hurdle! Go Mark! Go Mark! Go!

We haven't quite decided how we'll celebrate this accomplishment yet, but we're sure we'll think of something. ;)

The next big hurdle - Passing the Clinic Entrance Exam which, for our super savvy doctor-to-be, will be a piece of cake!

Congratulations Mark!

Let's Send a Clear Message

We understand that some people who read our blog may not agree with us politically, but hear us out. If you still don't agree, do nothing, but if you do...then make today National Shopping Day.

That's right friends, we want you all to go out and buy something....anything. Whether it is groceries, that fabulous new pair of spring sling-backs you've been drooling over or an origami book, buy it today. Here's why:

1. The stores should be less crowded making checkout faster.

2. Why put off shopping until tomorrow when you can do it today?

And most important of all...

3. It will send a clear message that our U.S. economy can not be hijacked by a group of people who do not appreciate our values, do not appreciate that it is a priviledge to live and work here...not a right, and who choose not to become Americans through the legal immigration process but wish to enjoy all the benefits without any of the costs.

Let them know that we're not going to sit back idly and let another country's citizens tell us how we should run our country. Whether that country is in the Middle East or South of the Border doesn't really matter to us.

We do want to say, though, that we truly appreciate the contributions that those who come here legally and with good intentions make to our society. They should not be penalized for they have done nothing wrong. They have done what is necessary to become a part of our society and to become Americans - to learn our language, embrace our culture and values, pay taxes and contribute to all that is good about the United States. Embrace them...tell them they are welcome here and that we appreciate the sacrifices they have made, as we all have, for the good of our country and the world.

Please do a bit of shopping today. It would be preferrable if you could make your purchase at a business that is not well-known for hiring illegal immigrants - we need to send a message to these businesses that we don't appreciate their attempts to undermine our laws and to encourage illegal activity. MeLissa will be making a short trip to Borders at lunch to stock up on origami and wedding style books.

We hope you and your friends and family will join us in celebrating National Shopping Day!

Come Fly With Me!

So, we have some pretty exciting news in our little corner of the world! MeLissa has been offered an exciting opportunity to audition with the USS Hornet Big Band as its lead female vocalist. Now wouldn't that be something if she had a successful audition?!

This opportunity flowed out of a recent contact MeLissa made with Mr. Elias Pereda, a talented vocal artist, whom she and Mark met at one of Mark's eye appointments. Mr. Pereda also performs in this band and put in a good word for MeLissa with the conductor. She's really excited about this new opportunity as well as the opportunity to work with Mr. Pereda in the future as she plans her clients' weddings and events.

We promise to keep you updated so that you can come see her perform if everything works out!

Want A Free Website?

We thought some of you might like this little tip! If you sign up now at www.officelive.com, you can put up a business or personal website with a "normal" domain name for free. MeLissa took advantage of this offer yesterday and so we'll soon have another site where we're thinking we'll post additional pictures from our adventures and maybe tell a few silly stories or something. We're still thinking about it.

At any rate, we thought we'd pass along the tip and should you want to take a quick peak at our "vacation home" on the web, www.mark-n-melissa.com is the direct entryway to Roccoland. Come one, come all...but don't expect much - yet! :)

A Taxing Day in San Francisco....

Well, sort of. MeLissa had a class there yesterday on how to use a program that her company will be using to e-file their tax return. All corporations are required to e-file this year and it's causing quite a stir...it doens't help that the IRS can't seem to make up it's mind on how it wants things in many cases.

Mark was also in the city yesterday (and Thursday and even today and tomorrow!) for a class. He's learning the Active Release Technique - a wonderfully effective tissue torture method that has been great for MeLissa. :)

After our classes were let out, we met up at the Gap on Powell and Market streets. MeLissa brought a new friend, Sara, along with her. Sara was in MeLissa's class and was visiting from Minnesota. She was going to be staying in the city that evening so MeLissa asked if she'd like to join in on the latest MeLissa and Mark adventure. She accepted and her presence was an added joy to the evening.

While waiting for Mark, MeLissa and Sara took a short walk down to Union Square. They located the large Williams-Sonoma store there and, against better judgement went inside! Naturally, MeLissa found something she couldn't live without - some adorable spring cookie cutters - there's a butterfly, a frog, a lady bug, a snail and a dragon fly in the set...all adorable!

Once Mark joined us, we ventured across the street to the San Francisco Shopping Center to show Sara the fun escalators. Yeah, this seems rather boring, but it's kind of a cool experience when you first see them (and after a seminar on taxation everything seems so much more amusing!). We rode the escalators up to the very top floor so Sara could enjoy looking down on the "ant people."

After this, we walked over to the Metreon where we introduced Sara to Virtual Bowling. We love virtual bowling! She did, too...and got the hang of it pretty quick. The only "bummer" about the experience was that Mark couldn't really see well enough to play (kind of sad because it shows his vision isn't what it once was), but we "made lemonade" and found a thrilling solution! He and MeLissa played his turns together. He'd use one hand and she used one hand and together they knocked down some pins - what a fun bonding experience! :)

After burning some calories, we were finally ready for dinner. We decided to try one of the restaurants in the Metreon - LJ's Martini Bar. We made an excellent choice! Besides having very tasty food (and lots of martinis which we decided to abstain from since they tend to make MeLissa ill), there was a live jazz band! What a treat to eat an excellent meal with good company, great ambiance and great music. We'll probably treat ourselves to that experience again!

After dinner, we walked Sara to her room and then headed home!

One Year Anniversary....

No, not our wedding anniversary! You mean you've forgotten already that it is on July 31? ;) If so, we'll give you a little hint - there is a count down timer at the bottom of our webpage! Feel free to cheat as much as needed (of course, to do so, you probably need to do some math or have a calendar nearby)!

Today is the one year anniversary of Mark's first retinal eye surgery. On this day in 2005, MeLissa was a bit of a basket case. She wasn't used to this eye surgery "thing" like Mark sort of is. She was scared that the doctors wouldn't be able to help, but she was praying non-stop that they would. She was reminded in the hospital waiting room that day as she conversed with a mother and daughter who were patiently waiting to hear about their husband/father who was having a cancerous tumor removed, that no matter how bleak it seems, there is always someone with worse problems/concerns to deal with.

She forgets this sometimes...not because she doesn't care about anybody except herself, but because she's human. Humans sometimes get caught up in their own drama and forget that there is a whole world out there dealing with drama, too. :) In MeLissa's case, there were some other factors that contributed to this inward view. She's so proud to say that this year, she's made great strides in focusing on others' issues. She's still not perfect, but at least she's grown. :)

Based upon some news we had the other day at Mark's eye doctor appointment, our year-long battle with detached retinas may not yet be over. It appears that a portion of Mark's retina in his right eye (the one that just had the oil removed and that we were hoping would be out of the woods) is slightly detached. The doctor is hopeful that it will not detach further, but if so, it will be back to the operating room for Mark. We are thankful that we have excellent health insurance coverage...we'll make sure to maintain it if MeLissa decides to pursue her wedding and event business full-time.

Speaking of the business, MeLissa received her temporary business cards yesterday. They're quite attractive - pink with a green border and should make an excellent first impression on her guests! She's also been speaking to many graphic and web design folks and hopes to have her print and web plans squared away very soon!

We hope you'll continue to keep Mark in your prayers. He's really been through enough at this point (we both have!) and could use a little respite from surgeries, doctor visits and the added challenges these bring to his educational pursuits (which are going very well!). MeLissa is so very proud of him for being so strong-willed and not letting any of this get him down. And, we're both thankful for the opportunities these struggles have given us to strengthen our bond and craft a marriage and relationship that is sure to stand the test of time. Thank you all for being there for us during this time! :)

Pucker Up, Sweetie!!!

Well, nothing too terribly exciting has been going on with us over the past couple of days. We were heathens for Easter since we're still just not ready to try another church out here....we may never be. That aside, we have been busy.

MeLissa put together her Ikea purchase this past weekend and stocked it full of craft, quilting and other goodies. The guest room looks so much more organized. She also completed the first of a series of courses to attain the status of Professional Bridal Consultant through the Association of Bridal Consultants. Finally, she finished her "mock" website for Winsome Events. It's listed on Google if you're curious, but it's nothing too exciting since MeLissa basically just wanted to have a place to see where the text she'd written would best fit. It's pretty good stuff, we've heard. She's getting close to finding the right web and logo designer and should have an official site soon!

Mark has been busy with classes and shadowing current clinic interns at his chiropractic college. MeLissa loves that he's shaving almost every day and dressing up in professional clothes (business casual suits Mark to a T).

And that brings us to our amusing story of the day which involves Mark and Kumquats -those little baby orange lookin' things. At the grocery store, this past weekend, dear Mark discovered them and was intrigued. MeLissa, who was familiar with the Kumquat, cautioned that she didn't really care for them...and didn't think he'd like them much either, but he just *had* to try them. So, we brought the little cuties (for they are cute even if they taste awful) home and this morning, Mark gave them a sample. If we had only taped his reaction...we don't think he'll be purchasing kumquats again. He was puckering and looking as he would say in pigeon all "fa faced." It was pretty amusing. The moral of this story is...cute fruits and vegetables don't necessarily taste good.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

P.S. Today is Uncle Max's birthday so here's a Happy Day wish to him. Is it a coincidence that his birthday falls on the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake? We don't think so. He's a sweetie! Please keep us all in your prayers regarding those earth shakes. They scare MeLissa silly and she'd like to get out of California before the next big one hits!

Happy Easter!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter! We ran across a site where you can see baby Bald Eagles hatch and then be cared for by their parents. Pretty neat stuff - right up there with the PG&E Falcon camera. Click the link above for a peek!

Hands-On Training Here She Comes!

Today's post will be primarily about MeLissa, but hang on until the end because we have a fun message for you!

MeLissa had some wonderful news today. There was a misunderstanding recently with her wedding and event planning educational institution regarding whether or not she could actually do her hands-on training. Today,though, the misunderstanding was rectified and so, MeLissa will be receiving her first assignment within the next month! She is very excited!

She is also excited because her wonderful mentor, Helen, generously offered to provide additional training if MeLissa was willing to come to Richmond, Virginia, through her consulting firm. MeLissa is excited to take advantage of this opportunity as well where she will shadow Helen on the day of an event and make sure that a lucky couple has the day of their dreams!

MeLissa has been busy lately with interviewing graphic and website designers to determine which of them will be able to help her create a logo, stationary and website for Winsome Events. She's received a few quotes and is just waiting for a few more to come in before she decides who she'll ultimately go with. At this point, there is a clear winner (a company in the Bay Area), but as she receives more information, this may change!

We don't have a lot planned for this weekend. We're going to put the Ikea storage shelves we purchased last weekend together and then we'll see if we can arrange everything and make the guest room look pleasant.

We'll also be looking for little bunnies like this one who is here to wish you all a Very Happy Easter! Perhaps we'll have to see if we can find some bunny ears for Miss Pixie.


















This picture was taken from here

Minimal but High Quality Excitement.

Other than things related to MeLissa's new business venture, Winsome Events, which we'll touch on toward the end of this post, there isn't a lot of excitement to speak of in the Rocco household.

Mark is on track to finish up his previous quarter - just one more test on Wednesday. He was able to get one grade that was below passing changed to passing once discussing it with his instructor. Apparently, most of the test questions he missed on the final were things that he wouldn't have known since he isn't required to take the x-ray lab class. So that was definitely a highlight of our week. Mark is currently enjoying tagging along some of the school's current interns in preparation for his shot at entering the clinic next quarter - can you believe he's already so close to treating patients? Wow!

We also made our follow up trip to Ikea with our buddies Lisa and Rob. We enjoyed lunch at Red Robin first where MeLissa attempted to reintroduce onions into her diet. They failed with flying colors which wasn't a huge surprise... We picked up the storage solution we'd picked out at Ikea previously as well as some very nice tealight holders MeLissa thinks will make excellent table decorations for either our parties or one of her clients' when the business is up and running.

So, speaking of the business, MeLissa has created another blog where she plans to keep people updated (once she's up and running) about the weddings and events she's planned as well as provide answers to questions regarding weddings and events. She also plans to give information about weddings, consulting services and products that she comes across that she believes would make a real statement at your events (or to help you preserve your memories after in the case of her first recommendation). She's currently writing short articles regarding the myths surrounding wedding and event consultants which you might find interesting. She'd love it if you'd stop by and ask her a question at the Winsome Events Blog.

In other news, she's been actively searching for just the right company/person to create her logo, stationary and website and so far, she has some good prospects. One in particular is right in line with her budget and offers all these services for a reasonable investment. She's been busily writing the text for her site and is really pleased with how it is going so far. We'll let you know once it is up and running.

Mendocino Madness...

We just returned from our latest adventure to Mendocino on the Northern Coast of California. Technically, we stayed in Elk, California...a mighty metropolis of 250 people! There's not a whole lot going on in Elk, folks, but that is exactly what we needed. Here's the detail of our adventure:

We started out on Thursday morning *after* doing something which MeLissa is terribly excited about! She is now, officially, the proud owner of a business! Yes, she obtained her business license for her wedding and event coordination business that morning! Since she also reserved the website address last night, we're pleased to announce that Winsome Events will soon be open for business! MeLissa was pretty giddy on the drive to our destination because it just felt so cool to say she now owns her own business. :)

At any rate, on our way up to Elk, we fell victim to sometimes confusing road signage and exited when we shouldn't have. We decided to ask directions (which is a big thing - MeLissa *hates* asking for directions! And, yes, you read that right - MeLissa not Mark has an "issue" with asking for directions - you've always known we were a unique couple!) We discovered that we had exited to soon, but that there was a lovely scenic drive if we just kept going on the road we were travelling on. Since our kind direction guy indicated that the drive wasn't too much longer than heading back to the 101, we decided to be rebels and take the backroads so that we could experience the breath-taking views it was supposed to provide. Um, not so much as you can see from the pictures here, but we did get to see a vulture eating what appeared to be a dead cow (we didn't get close enough to verify this). Sorry for the blurriness of the photo, but you get the idea (or you will if you click on it - it's a wee bit small).

At any rate, we finally made it out of the foresty area (after what seemed like 3 or 4 hours - way longer than the 101 route!) and found "civilization." Well, sort of, there were a lot of teensy weensy albeit charming towns. In one, Point Arena, we stopped to see the lighthouse and snap a couple of pictures.

We continued on down the road to Elk where our first night's room was waiting at the Griffin House. We stayed in the Gunderson room. It had a charming wood fireplace that we enjoyed very much. This was our "reasonable" room for the weekend, and for the price, it was a nice room. It was nice, too, that it didn't have a TV and our cell phones could not get a signal. It was a great way to force us to relax! This is definitley a benefit of Elk, in general!

We should mention that we truly appreciated the innkeepers' efforts to ensure that MeLissa could actually eat something for breakfast (which they deliver to the room each morning!). That evening, for dinner, we ventured to the Little River Inn where we enjoyed a lovely dining experience. Our server and the manager of the restaurant, took great care to ensure that MeLissa's food was allergy-free as well - we noted that they really are customer-service oriented in this region of California. It was a great meal - MeLissa still thinks of the brussels sprouts she had - they were the tastiest she's had in her lifetime (yes, she actually likes brussels sprouts) and they had the most mellow balsamic vinegar she's ever had also.

The next morning, we had our breakfast and then packed up the car and headed to Mendocino where we hoped to see a whale. We didn't have much luck, but we did catch a glimpse of this adorable seagull (yes, it's the requisite bird picture, folks...you will get used to them!). We also saw (in our rearview mirror) a couple of lovebirds! We even saw an elk (the only elk we saw during our entire trip, in fact!) that looked very much like our dear Mark. This elk came with us to lunch in Ft. Bragg!

We headed back that evening to Elk to check into our posh second room at The Elk Cove Inn & Spa. We madea quick stop at Navarro Point to catch a picture of the sun shining on the water and Mark doing his best J Crew (per Mark) pose.

We were in the lap of luxury in our second room, the Lumbar Baron's room where we slept in the bed that the lumbar company executives would stay in when they came to Elk. Outside of our room was this gorgeous calla lily which MeLissa just had to take a snap shot of.

We took a stroll to the beach to catch some sunset views before returning to the inn for a fabulous dinner which we're still dreaming about at night! Here are a few of the views we

captured:

And here is a view of MeLissa demonstrating the Karate Kid Crane at Mark's request (we couldn't let him have all the silly pictures after all!):

We even have another picture of those lovebirds (and in this one you can kinda sorta see Mark's pupil in his right eye (which is on your left!):

Our dinner was absolutely fabulous! We so highly recommend this inn's restaurant. Not only did they work around MeLissa's allergies, but they did it with flair. We enjoyed an appetizer of shrimp wrapped in prosciutto followed by dinner salads in the best seat in the house. Then, Mark enjoyed sea bass with a cajun creole sauce and these absolutely wonderful polenta frites (which MeLissa has determined to replicate in an allergy free way at home) and MeLissa enjoyed a tender filet mignon with freshly sauteed spinach, these to-die-for mushrooms and smoky baby artichokes. We didn't leave anything on our plates! We finished up with pineapple sorbet for MeLissa and Bailey's Irish Cream ice cream for Mark - both were yummy! Back in our room, we enjoyed a taste of port with chocolates - it was good, but Mark thinks he'll stick with just the chocolate by itself. :) MeLissa also snapped a shot of the shell pendants she'd found in Ft. Bragg at a shell shop for $2 each - what a steal!

The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast with the birdies (sorry! no pictures - the camera was in our room!) in the inn's restaurant. We enjoyed a lot of things, but the oatmeal with chocolate chips was MeLissa's favorite...until her gamble with not asking about the chocolate backfired. It apparently had soy in it. Oops. At least it was worth the slightly "out of it" feeling that ensued. :) We packed up and started for home. On our way, we visited a rock shop where we found many treasures (MeLissa purchased her jewelry quota for the year) and a redwood forest where we snapped some shots of the wildlife that was around and some pretty lovely clover patches - just the thing to make an Irish girl feel welcome! After this adventure, we headed home, but we made sure to stop at the snoopy store in Santa Rosa (across from the Charles Schulz Museum) where we picked up some more "loot."
We returned home to a very needy kitty who has been whining and acting neurotic pretty much non-stop. We figure Pixie will calm down in a couple of days when she figures out we're not going anywhere for too long for a while. Until then, we're not guessing we'll be getting too much sleep around here. So much for the lasting effects of our vacation!