So we put in an offer.  Now since it was a condo, we made sure the offer was contingent upon our acceptance of the information we learned after reading the condo documents, which we had yet to receive.  We were curious to find out about the history of the condo and if there had been any problems with the condo association.

After several days of waiting, the documents were in our hands.  We anxiously read through the legalese until we saw what we had feared: there had been water damage in the condo.  Not only had there been water damage, but there had been problems with the association when trying to get the damage repaired.  We also learned that the association had increased the condo fees in recent months and there was no guarantee that these fees wouldn’t continue to go up. 

We were stuck.  We felt it would be a nice place to live and we liked that it was the least expensive of the three.  At the same time, I wasn’t feeling a 100% sold on the place either.  The only thing I did know for sure is that we were given just three days to make up our minds.   We had to give them an answer by Friday. 

I told the CPA that until it was a done deal, I would continue to look at other condos, even though we had seen most everything in the area.  So on Wednesday I went to work as normal.  On my way in, I just happened to pass by a small, stand-alone house that was only a few blocks away from my office and two blocks from the Metro.  And it had a for sale sign – perfect!  

So I called our realtor and asked her to show it to me.  Since I didn’t know the name of the street where I had seen the house, the realtor and I just drove around.  What we did see, however, was a sign pointing to some other houses across the street.  Even though it was in a neighborhood of actual houses with no condos in sight, and we had not even talked about considering a house, we decided to take a look. 

There were two little bungalows for sale and they were both the same style.  We checked out the first one and thought that it had real possibility.  Since I had to go back to work, we planned to come back that night to see the second house.   

At 8:00 that night, the CPA and I met up with our realtor and parked on the street in front of the second bungalow.  We could see through the windows that there were people inside looking around so we waited.  As soon as they left, we went in.  I remember walking in and looking at the wood floors and the curved ceilings, and I knew.  I knew that this was the one.  It was where we were supposed to be.  The CPA said he felt the same thing.

But knowing it and being able to buy it were two different things.  First of all, it was by far the most expensive piece of property that we had looked at.  I mean, it was a house.  Not a big house of course, but still, it was a house, complete with a driveway, a garage, and a decent sized backyard.  Then there was the issue of the other contract, the one that we were still deciding on.  But none of that mattered because we just knew.  After some quick calculating and some hushed and hurried consultation between the CPA and I, we made a decision to go for it.

So we left the house and drove straight to our realtor’s office.  It was 10:00 at night before we got started drafting the offer and midnight by the time we headed home to wait.  We didn’t have to wait long.  The next day we got an answer: the other person who had looked at the house had also put in a contract, ten minutes after ours, in fact.  The amazing thing is that the house had just been placed on the market that day and was scheduled for an open house that coming Saturday.  We started to panic – an open house meant possibly even more offers and more competition.  And that didn’t include the other offer that was already on the table.

Thankfully, the homeowners knew the market well and didn’t take long to make up their mind.  By Friday they decided that they liked the way our realtor had handled the contract and it matched their needs so they gave it to us.  On Saturday, the other couple countered with a higher offer, but since the owners had promised us the house, they didn’t take it.  It was meant to be.

Just a couple of long months (including a few weeks of appraisals and hours of paperwork) later, and the house was ours.

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See, I had been living in the city and I had to find a place fairly quickly.  I didn’t want to move into an apartment as we knew we’d be getting engaged and then married soon, so we decided to look for “our place.”  We knew that we wanted to buy, we just weren’t sure what we wanted to buy.  

Since things were so expensive in the district and space was so limited, we finally realized that just outside the city might be the best place to look.  Homes were a little bit cheaper, they’re still located close to the city and the commute wouldn’t be too bad.  With that decision made, we looked at our specific criteria: the place had to be within walking distance to the Metro, it had to have two bathrooms, and had to be pet-friendly.  That was it.  Shouldn’t be too hard, right?  So why did it take us months to narrow it down and finally decide?

It probably had something to do with the market and the area.  This was right before the housing market hit the skids.  Little did we know that we should have waited just a few more months.  (Hind-sight is great, isn’t it?)  All we knew at the time was that places were holding their value and they were going fast.  

With all of this in mind, we found three places that looked like possibilities.  The first was a tiny little studio condo.  The thing we liked about it was that it was spread out on two levels (very cool for a condo).

The main floor had a wall full of windows which made it look much larger than it really was.  

The combined living room and dining room area were beside the tiny kitchen.  A downstairs half bathroom by the front door completed the first floor.  

The stairs leading to the second floor opened up to the bedroom area.  It had a rather large bathroom as well as a couple of nice closets.  The stackable washer and dryer were located in the bathroom closet which was an added bonus.  All of this for the small price of $389,000.  

It definitely wasn’t a lot of space, that’s a given.  But at the low end of our price range, it was tempting.  We knew that if we moved here, we would have to move again as soon as we started our family.  And, we also knew we would have to rent a separate storage space somewhere.  But it would be nice to save some money for a while.  And we loved the area.  The building was literally across the street from the Metro – it doesn’t get much closer than that.  We could have pets and somehow we’d make it work.  It was definitely on the list.

Then, we found this place.  It was located in the same building, but it was a two bedroom, two bath condo that offered a little more breathing space.

The living room and dining area were much bigger, large enough to actually have a table and a cabinet.  

The kitchen needed some work as the cabinets and counters were dated and small.  

The downside – closet space was minimal, which we found is a general problem with places close to the city.  It seemed that in order to get one thing (proximity to the city) you have to give up something else (space).

And, best of all, it offered this view.

At $525,000 it was at the higher end of our price range, but… we reasoned we wouldn’t have to move anytime soon and could actually start our family here.  It had two full baths and two decent sized rooms, so it was definitely a possibility.

Then, to make our decision-making process just a little bit tougher, we found a third option.  A two bedroom, two bath town home located a couple of Metro stops further from the city.  

It was larger than the other two apartments and had a working fireplace, which is always nice.  

We didn’t care for the set up of the living room area which was rather long and narrow and might make furniture arranging difficult.

The kitchen was also long and skinny, but had nice cabinets and was the largest kitchen of the three condos.  We also liked that on either side of the kitchen was a hallway leading to a bedroom.  Each side also had its own full bath so there would be some privacy.  And, there was a full-size washer and dryer located in an actual laundry room – a definite luxury indeed.

And finally, the piece de la resistance – the large closets in the master bedroom.  While I’m not a huge fan of mirrored sliding doors, I do like the extra space and definitely like that there was enough closet space for our things.  A couple of other bonuses included a large storage room down the hall and a parking spot in the basement.  It would be a longer commute since we would be about eight miles away from the city, but at $460,000, this place was definitely inching its way to the top of the list.  

So now the question: which one did we choose?  (Those of you who love the show House Hunters will appreciate this.)  Which one would you choose?

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Getting Engaged (Final)

You see, during our first visit to the jewelers, I had given them a brochure showing the ring I wanted them to design and make for me.  It was to be a replica of the ring I had found at the Bvlgary store, a ring that I loved but that was way out of our budget.  According to the jeweler, he could make the same ring for a fraction of the cost.  So he took the pictures and he made a wax mold of the ring.  We tried it on and everything looked pretty good at that point, although it was hard to tell for sure since the wax was green which somehow detracted from the overall effect.

That was the last time I saw the ring until that wonderful day in San Francisco when the CPA asked me to marry him.  Because I had such high expectations, I was feeling rather anxious as it was to be the big “unveiling.”  Once I had gotten over the shock of the first ring (which he had thrown into the ocean), I remember opening the beautiful wood box that held my real ring.  I stared down at the shiny platinum and then my stomach sank.  While very pretty, the ring staring back at me was not at all like the ring I had shown the jeweler, the one that had teased me from the pages of the Bvlgari catalog. 

Instead, the ring my jeweler had made looked like this.  From the top of the ring, it wasn’t too bad.  Quite a bit thicker and bulkier than I wanted, but still, it was fine.

It was the side of the ring that bothered me.  There was a huge hole drilled into the metal underneath the diamond and it was very noticeable.  (You have to look hard to see it in the picture below, but it’s there.)

Also, the way the diamond was suspended made it look shallow. 

Again, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal except that we had put a lot of time and effort (and money) into this and of course we wanted it to be perfect.  After all, this was to be the ring I would be wearing for the next 50 plus years, right?  

So when we got back from our trip, I asked the jeweler why there was a hole in the ring.  He said it was for the ease of putting in the diamond.  I was a little confused.  I had never seen such a hole in any other professionally made ring so I asked if he could fix it.  He took it back and started over. 

By this time, we had made several visits to the jewelers over the course of a few months and I was getting a bit frustrated as were they, I’m sure.  The wedding was just around the corner and I was beginning to wonder if the ring I wanted was even possible.  So I told them to forget the original design and to make something simple and I’d just stick two bands on either side and call it good. 

And that’s exactly what they did.  I ended up getting a simple solitaire with two bands on either side.  The rings were finished about two days before the wedding. 

When I think back on all of the time and effort spent on this project, I laugh, because it was such a process! If I had it to do over again, I would definitely do it differently – I would just walk into a store and pick a ring from the display.  We thought we were going to save all of this money by getting a replica made of the ring I wanted.  By the time everything was said and done, it ended up costing around the same amount as the Bvlgary ring would have, if not more. 

Moral of the story: don’t stress so much over the little things.  

(Sometimes I have to learn lessons like that the hard way.) 

What about you – were you surprised with your ring or did you pick it out yourself?  Were you pleased with it?

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It was worth the effort, though, and the view was amazing both inside and out.  The halls in the rotunda of the building are covered with murals that were painted in the 1930s (when the tower was erected) by students and faculty from the California of Fine Arts.

Most of the murals are done in fresco and some of the murals depict scenes from the Bay area. 

An ancient elevator takes you up the 200 feet to the top of the tower where you step out onto an open area that is surrounded by windows. 

With the open roof and the blowing wind, it truly feels like you are on top of the world.  And the view from there is quite spectacular.

But since the tower was closing soon, we didn’t get to stay long.  We did, however, manage to walk around the neighborhoods to get a feel for the area. 

Some of the houses were breathtaking,

and they offered quite a view.

And speaking of view.  We were sure to add the Golden Gate Bridge to our list of things to see before we left.  It is just as impressive in person as it is in pictures.

We even took a walk on it. 

But not for long because I’ll be honest with you, being on top of that bridge and looking out over the water was kind of freaky.

So we left the bridge and headed over to the Palace of Fine Arts (which you can see in the above picture – it’s the gold domed building).  I have to say that I didn’t know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised.  It’s a very beautiful place.

It’s been there since around 1913 and it’s set on a lovely park surrounded by a beautiful lake.  The rotunda (seen above) is often used for weddings.  There are lots of large columns (you can tell how tall they are by seeing my 6′8″ husband standing beside them), 

and beautiful molding.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit there, 

just as we enjoyed the rest of our visit to San Francisco.  

It was filled with seeing new places and creating new memories.  But now it was time go back to the real world. Besides, now we were engaged and with a wedding only five months away, we had a lot of work to do!

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So after a good night’s rest at the Ritz, we slept in and ordered room service.  Then we laid around and watched a movie on tv.  Our philosophy was that if we were paying the price to stay there, we were going to enjoy absolutely every minute of it.  Finally, at checkout time, we dropped off our bags before making our way downstairs to the 16,000 sq. foot spa. 

If you’ve never seen a spa like this, let me just tell you (since I was wearing only a robe and couldn’t sneak in my camera) that there is nothing like it.  Dimly-lit rooms contained saunas, warm pools, and various body treatments.  We took advantage of those rooms while we each got a full-body massage.  For an entire hour, I lay on the table and let my body unwind.  The soothing sounds of Enya washed over me as the massuese worked out my various kinks and knots.  When the hour was up, I was relaxed and invigorated.

I met up with the CPA after a quick shower and was pleased to see that he looked as happy as I felt.  After the valet brought our car, we slowly drove away. 

We were in no rush as we had nothing planned and no where we had to be.  So we took our time and ate lunch at a little cafe in the town of Half Moon Bay.  Since the town was small, there was not much to do, so we finally drove to San Francisco. 

Our first stop was our next hotel, the Sir Francis Drake.  While it’s a little older than some of the hotels in the area, it was still really cool.  Check out the mezzanine floor:

Isn’t that beautiful?  And we loved our room – it was funky and different.

By the time we had checked in and unpacked, we were pretty tired.  So after a fantastic dinner at the nearby Scala’s Bistro (one of our best meals of the trip, btw) we called it a night.

The next morning we left early to see the sights of San Francisco.  As cheesy as the “tourmobiles” in cities are, they’re a great way to see the main attractions.  So we hopped on the double decker sightseeing bus (the only way to see a city is in one of the open-top buses) and were on our way.

San Francisco is truly amazing – definitely one of my top four favorites (along with Chicago, NY and DC).  First we went through the downtown area where we saw office buildings,

churches,

beautiful murals,

and incredible architechtural detail on some of the older buildings.

Then the bus tour took us towards some of the more residential area

which included the well-known Lombard St., known for being the world’s most crooked street.

We continued our visit by going to the famous Fisherman’s Wharf for lunch. 

The Wharf was located on the water, of course, and offered an amazing view of Alcatraz Island. 

It had what you would expect for being near the water, such as ships

and boats.

It also had things that you would not expect, like this gentleman.  And yes, he was a real person.   Why he was painted silver and standing on a box, I’ll never know. 

Next, we visited Chinatown, which was a place full of wonderful colors, people and noise. 

It also had some of the most crowded stores I think I’ve ever seen.  They were daunting, even to a professional shopper such as myself. 

By the time we left Chinatown, we had been out all day and were surprisingly worn out.  I mean that bus riding was hard work, let me tell you.  But we were glad we did it because it gave us a fantastic look at a beautiful city, one that was full of great architecure, diversity, and culture.  

But don’t worry, all of that beauty didn’t distract from the important new ring I was sporting. 

What – you didn’t think I’d end a post about getting engaged without showing another picture of the new ring, now did you?

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Before going any further,  I should probably say that the CPA had planned this for some time as he wanted to make the event memorable (and have a fun story to tell people).  I should also mention that the date was April 1st.

This is significant because the CPA has a long history of April 1st pranks.  He is legendary in his office for conducting elaborate jokes, sometimes going so far as to involve his boss in his plans.  But given the fact that we were on vacation and that I was expecting to receive a diamond for the first time in my life, I had forgotten such a minor detail as the date.

So when the ring went over the side of the cliff and I found myself looking at the CPA with tears in my eyes and shock on my face, I was amazed to hear him blurt out, “April Fool’s!”

Before I could push him down the cliff after the ring, however, he quickly pulled out a small box that held what I assumed was the real thing.  

The box was made of beautiful red wood and it had been polished until it shone.  

I gingerly opened the lid, waiting to be dazzled, and there it was… my diamond.  The one that the CPA had picked out for me and paid for with his hard-earned money.  It sparkled in the light and it was radiant.  

Then he pulled the ring out of the case and as he took my hand, he very sweetly asked, “Will you marry me?”  

Time stood still as I pondered my response:  I could chastise him for nearly giving me a heart attack a few moments earlier or at the very least I could scold him for playing a joke on me.  Instead, I looked up into his eyes, stood on my tip-toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and said, “Yes, I will.”

He then slipped the ring onto my finger – it was a perfect fit.  Of course it should have been as we had had it specially made for us.  In fact, I spent the next several minutes inspecting the ring to see if it had turned out the way we requested.  I admit that it was not the original design that we had chosen, but I knew that I could have that fixed later.  What mattered was that my sweetie had gone out of his way to plan a romantic getaway and he had chosen this beautiful setting where he would ask me to be his wife.  And he had done it with his own unique style.  I wasn’t about to spoil the evening with concerns about the design of the ring.

Instead, we spent the next hour on the phone calling our families one by one, sharing the good news.  And the entire time, I found myself stealing glances at my newly adorned ring finger.  

That finger had always been naked, so wearing jewelry was a new sensation for it and one that took some getting used to.   I enjoyed feeling the weight of the metal, though, it felt solid and strong.  

It also felt heavy, but in a good way.

Finally, the phone calls were made and the sun had begun its decent.  It was then that we noticed music coming from outside.  Stepping onto the balcony, we saw a man standing alone in the middle of the courtyard.  

He was wearing a plaid kilt and blowing on a set of bagpipes.  The sound was both beautiful and haunting.

He stood there and played in the cool evening air…

and he didn’t finish playing until the sun had set.

Our room, from where we had been watching, had grown dark, reminding of us that it was getting late and we had reservations to keep.  We were scheduled to have dinner at the elegant hotel restaurant Navio.  After arriving at the restaurant a few minutes later, we were escorted to our window seat which offered a beautiful view.  There we dined on fine food while looking over the black ocean.  It was the perfect evening to follow a perfect day.  

And then the final touch, a congratulatory dessert provided to us at the end of the meal by the restaurant. 

 Ahh… fine chocolate and for free no less.  I was happy, content and engaged!

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We headed towards the coast (that much I knew just by looking out my window).  In fact, this picture was taken when we pulled off on the side of the road.

We weren’t driving for very long, maybe an hour, when the CPA said to start keeping an out out for the hotel.  I asked what I was looking for and he said that it looked just like your regular hotel and pointed out a modest building as we drove by.  “It looks something like that,” he said.

Okay, I could do that.  So I began looking for a modest hotel.  I didn’t see one, instead, I saw a sign saying that we were in Half Moon Bay.  And then, I saw this:

Not quite the modest hotel I was looking for, but it will do.  By the way, it says “Ritz Carlton” on that sign, if you can’t read it.  Here, let me give you a look at the grounds, aka the golf course

With my mouth gaping open, we pulled up to the valet parking.  Young men in britches and smart looking vests asked if they could help us.  I stumbled out of the front seat and turned to look at the CPA who was grinning from ear to ear. 

He got me, he really got me.  I had no idea what he was planning but it certainly wasn’t this. 

I was in for my next surprise after checking in and when we were shown our room.  He had booked an oceanside room with a balcony. 

I know the pictures don’t quite do it justice, but it was probably the nicest place I’ve ever stayed.  It was definitely the nicest bathroom.  French doors opened up to this

and this. 

It was gorgeous, as was the view from the balcony.

We unpacked and relaxed for a bit. 

I almost didn’t want to leave the room but we figured we’d go ahead and walk around before dinner.   I was amazed at the elegant people I saw, dressed in their best golfing or dinner attire.  I was glad (and finally understood why) the CPA had told me not to wear jeans. 

We took a stroll around the outside so that we could enjoy the view.  If you look near the top of the building in this picture, you’ll see the balcony to our room.

The weather was a bit chilly because of the water and the strong breeze, so we returned to the room but only for a short time because the CPA had something up his sleeve.

He suggested we leave a little early for our dinner which was scheduled to take place at the Navio.  We began to take a walk outside, going first around the gazebo and then heading toward the sidewalk running along the cliff.

The CPA was looking a little nervous, glancing around as if to see who was there.  I couldn’t figure out what he was doing, but I was starting to get suspicious (in a good way).  Since the area was a bit crowded, he took me along the path leading away from the hotel until we were finally alone.  The golf course was on one side of the path and a 90-foot cliff with the ocean churning below was on the other.  

“Come over here,” he said, as he left the path and walked towards the edge of the cliff. 

“You mean where the sign says ‘Danger: do not leave children and pets unattended’?”   Being afraid of heights, I didn’t want to go anywhere near a place that wasn’t safe for children and pets.  I knew that one wrong move could send me plummeting to my death.

“It’s okay,” he said, “you’ll be fine.”

I slowly  made my way to his side, watching the whole time for loose rocks or unsolid ground.  Before I knew what was happening, he had his hand in his pocket.  With a smile on his face, he looked down at me and said, “There’s something I want to ask you.”

And then something unexpected happened.  This other girl, this girl who cries at things she doesn’t normally cry at, started… crying.  I don’t know what happened.  I’ve always secretly scoffed when friends told me that they got emotional when their betrothed bended on knee, as I swore that I would never do something so silly.  And here I was, blubbering like a little girl, and he hadn’t even asked me anything yet!

He pulled out a little black box, one that I could barely see through my tears, and slowly opened the lid.  There, staring up at me, was a ring with a huge rock.  (In case you don’t remember, we were having our rings made, but I had not seen the final ring nor the diamond he picked out.) 

As I tried to blink away the tears, the CPA took the ring out of the box, looked at me for a moment, and calmly said, “Nah, nevermind.”  Then he turned towards the ocean and threw the ring over the edge of the cliff into the water below. 

(to be continued…)

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Let me stop right here.  I have to explain my fascination with bridges.  Since I was little, I have loved looking at bridges, taking pictures of them, seeing them afar, pretty much everything dealing with bridges.  Everything, that is, except for crossing them.  I think it’s my fear of heights.  I can’t drive over a bridge if it is more than 30 feet off the ground.  I freeze.  Then I start shaking, close my eyes and pray that it’s over soon.  It’s actually pretty dangerous as driving with closed eyes is not typically recommended. 

Needless to say, the CPA did all of the driving while we were in California and for good reason, take a look at this bridge!   I had a knot in my stomach just looking at it and we were still half a mile away.

We began our ascent.  I was holding on tightly to the door handle, but wasn’t panicked yet. 

In order to keep myself busy, I brought out my camera and start clicking away.  At this point my knuckles were wrapped tightly around my camera which made shooting difficult, but I managed to get a few shots. 

Finally – the end was near.  Only a few minutes more and we were on flat ground. 

Shew!  Made it!  One bridge down, and who-knows-how-many-more to go. 

Okay, back to the story at hand.

We boarded the ferry for our ride over to San Francisco.   Cool little boat, isn’t it?  I love ferries because they’re short rides and you usually get to enjoy the nice weather and scenery without having to worry about getting wet. 

And they always have flotation devices handy.  You know, just in case.

Even though the weather was nice, it was still a bit cool and definitely windy, but the ferry ride was amazing.  It only lasted about half an hour which was plenty of time for me to get an eyeful of sights such as these:

The beautiful landscape

A really cool watchtower (just outside of a prison – not so cool)

The San Francisco skyline

The famous Alcatraz Prison with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background

and the best view of all, the CPA and his sister

We soon reached the port and got busy checking out the area.  We only had a little time to spend in the city before we had to leave. 

Isn’t this the coolest statue?

I have no idea what this is!  I think it was a fountain of some sort…

Seeing how palm trees are considered exotic where I come from, I snapped a few shots of those too.

After a quick lunch, it was time to head back.  Apparently the CPA had big plans for us that afternoon and they included overnight travel. 

And I have to admit – I was kind-of hoping that those plans included a certain ring too!

(To be continued…)

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Our drive down was just as beautiful if not more exasperating.  We were meeting the CPA’s sister for lunch and were well past our arrival time.  After stopping to ask for directions (I have to confess that I “suggested” that one) we finally found the place and settled in for a nice lunch.

This was our view as we ate:

I really enjoyed spending time with the CPA’s sister and getting to know her better.  Having only seen her a few times before, it was a great opportunity for some one-on-one time.  She knew why we were out there of course and was so supportive. 

Lunch was soon over and we decided to check out the mountain for real this time.  (It’s hard to view the scenary when you are frantically looking for your directions.) 

This was our first stop.  It was one of the few long-range shots I was able to get without smog being part of the scenery. 

We continued on as we were trying to go to the very top.  After reaching a certain point on the mountain, you can park your car and hike the rest of the way.  We decided to give it a go.  It wasn’t too bad actually and even with my lack of physical prowess we made it to the top in no time.  (Not sure what the building is for, but whatever it is it is well protected.)  

And this was our reward for making the climb.

We climbed back down without any trouble and since California has such diversity in terms of its landscape, we left the mountiain and paid a visit to the nearby Muir beach.

It was getting late by this point and the afternoon sun shimmered on the water.  The air had started to turn cool so we bundled up as we walked along the beach. 

These houses dotted the hill that surrounded the beach.  Wouldn’t it be amazing to live so close to the water like that? 

We weren’t the only  one who had decided to enjoy the area.  Too bad he was so far away that we couldn’t actually hear him play. 

Because it was so cold, we left after a little while and made one last stop – the Muir Forest.  One of the things I’ve always heard about California is how incredible the trees are.  I can see why.

They were magnificent!  This picture doesn’t show how they were hundreds of feet tall.  And big… oh man were they thick!

We walked around the forest till we had our fill and by the time we left, nightfall was upon us.  It had been a long, exhausting and beautiful day.  One filled with natural splendor as we visited three very different places that the area had to offer.  I loved every minute of it.

The only thing that was that was missing was that I didn’t yet have my engagement ring.  But I knew I just had to be patient because this trip was completely in the CPA’s hands.

We landed in Oakland and I didn’t even wait until we left the airport before I called my dermatologist.  Being the great man that he is (and having obviously heard the panic in my voice) he listened sympathetically to my tale of woe.  Then he kind-of chuckled (he obviously had never had a unibrow on the weekend of his engagement) and proceeded to tell me that there was not really a lot I could do but use over-the-counter ointment and a cold compress.  Only time would make it go away.

Dejected, I hung up the phone and told my sweet CPA the bad news.  I also told him that I wanted to stay as far away from people as I could over the next few days.  Thankfully, my fiance/husband is an understanding man who knows when to lie and when to tell the truth.  So he smiled and said, ‘Honey, it’s really not that bad.’  And because I wanted to, I believed him.  Thankfully I couldn’t really see the pictures in my camera that well:

(For those of you who don’t know me, you may not realize that my eyebrows are normally half that size and are blonde.)  Needless to say, I didn’t take a lot of close-up pictures that first day. 

I did, however, take some pictures of our first stop – the LDS temple in Oakland.

It was located in the hills so it was a little drive up.  But it was well worth the drive - just look at this fantastic, albeit hazy, view.

And the temple grounds were immaculate – well groomed, lush, and colorful.

It was the most beautiful place – so peaceful and serene. 

Full of fountains..

and palm trees…

and flowers…

and of course, my CPA. 

The best part of the whole place.  So I stopped feeling sorry for myself and tried not to worry so much about my silly eyebrows.  Instead, I concentrated on why we were here in this beautiful place.  I thought about the reason why we had flown thousands of miles to visit this warm and sunny coast and what we were going to do while we were here. 

And suddenly, I felt much better…