A La Jolla Saturday

Since Cheryl will be getting married in San Diego, we found ourselves traveling there on Saturday to scope out a few possible venues for her wedding dinner/reception. Cheryl and Parker were planning to meet us there later. They had to meet with their realtor that morning to check out some possible condos to purchase in Rancho Santa Margarita.

The first venue we saw was the Couvier Club, which looked real nice online, but fell way short of our expectations once we went inside. It looked very plain inside and they were VERY expensive.  Strike one! 

Couvier Club

We had some time to kill before our next appointment at the Sheraton, so Alan and I dropped by a place we had seen on the internet -- a restaurant called the Marine Room, which is right on the ocean. They weren't open for business, but we were able to go inside to check it out. 

The Marine Room

The caterer happened to be there so she showed us around. The place looked really nice, so we decided to come back later with  Cheryl & Parker so they could see it. 

Next, after Cheryl and Parker joined us, we met with Shelby at the Sheraton Hotel right close to the LDS Temple. The grounds were beautiful.

 Stock photo of koi pond on hotel grounds

Stock photo of grounds set up for a wedding

Shelby showed us all three of their conference rooms. 

Stock photo of conference room set up for a wedding

This was a very nice venue and would certainly have been convenient, but not exactly what Cheryl was looking for. Strike two! 

Now we headed back to the Marine Room Restaurant so Cheryl & Parker could check it out.

 Not the best photo, but this view is on the upper level just inside the restaurant. Great view of the ocean!

The restaurant has three sections you can choose from to hold your event. 

 Section one - very cozy and beautiful, but not ideal for a wedding party.

 Section two - banquet style seating

Section three - individual tables

Cheryl & Parker really loved this place! Cheryl has dreamed of having her wedding dinner at the ocean and you can't get closer than this. During high tide, the waves can sometimes hit the windows.

Stock photo

 Cheryl will definitely be booking this place. Thank goodness July 9th is available!

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Alan and I decided to check out a place called La Jolla Cove while we were in the area...and this gave us something to do while we waited for Cheryl & Parker to arrive. The cove was amazing and was a very popular tourist attraction. No wonder we had such a difficult time trying to find a parking place!

Such a beautiful cove on a beautiful day!

 Another view of the cove

 The most handsome man in the world!

 Loved the cave behind me.

Bathing beauty at the entrance to the caves

 The small beach was lined with sea lions who don't mind humans being around them

The beautiful and strong bond of motherhood was on full display. This mother wouldn't leave the side of her deceased pup. So sad!

Athough our trip to San Diego was only a day trip, we found it very enjoyable and ended up accomplishing what we went there for...securing a venue for the wedding. Success feels great!

Got Talent?

Alan and I had a fun date yesterday. He had the day off so we headed to the Pasadena Civic Auditorium where we had free tickets to attend a taping of the NBC show called "America's Got Talent". This taping happened to be try-outs for the live shows which will air in July. The judges (Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell) watch the contestants perform and then decide whether they will advance to the next stage of the show or not. One thing I like about AGT is that it is a variety show so all kinds of talents are showcased. There were 3 singers, a magician, a dance act, a psychic, and another act that I can't remember what it is called, but a man used his body movements under a light that produced music. Some of the acts didn't get to go through to the next round, but one very special little 12 year old girl named Grace, who played the ukulele while singing an original song, sure did. She impressed the judges so much that Howie pressed the Golden Buzzer which signifies that Grace will automatically advance to the live shows. When Howie pushed the buzzer, the whole place lit up and gold graffiti dropped from the ceiling down onto the stage. It was quite dramatic. We were not allowed to take photos while taping was taking place, or I would have photographed it. I was, however, able to take photographs before the show started.

In the car on the way to Pasadena

We had to wait in a few lines and go through

security (for at least 1.5 hrs.) before being allowed to enter the auditorium.

This is what the Civic Auditorium looks like.

You can't really tell from this photo, but we got great seats (given out randomly). We were right on the aisle and I was able to greet Heidi & Mel B with a hand touch as they went down the aisle to their seats. Howie and Simon ignored me. :-(

This is what the stage looked like.

When the "Golden Buzzer" is pushed, the stage lights up in these gold colors and gold confetti drops from the ceiling.

After the show, we went part way home and stopped for some dinner at a Taco Bell (fancy, I know). I was looking for a table and felt like we were supposed to sit at this one for some reason -- AGT was etched into the table top. Omen?

In order to be part of the audience, we were required to follow a dress code. The instructions said to dress in dark solid colors and they specifically requested black, grey, dark blue, or maroon and our clothing was supposed to be hip and upscale. I fretted over what to wear because I don't have much in my closet fitting that description. I ended up having to purchase an outfit just for the show...but I will certainly continue to wear it often. I ended up getting a dress with a shrug. After we arrived at the taping, I realized I didn't need to worry about dressing perfectly as much as I had. Most people dressed very casually and many didn't follow the dress code at all. I felt somewhat overdressed for the occasion, but that's OK. No harm done. At least I didn't feel uncomfortable.

We had a great time at the show. The only downside was all the waiting. We had to wait in line, we had to wait for the show to start, and we had to wait between acts, but it was worth it in the end. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

March's Year of Dates

We look forward to opening our "Year of Dates" gifts every month. We opened our March gift last night.

The Jelly Beans were clearly visible, but I couldn't figure out what they would have to do with a date. We read the first note.

Head for Simi? What is in Simi? My mind went blank, but after reading the third note, everything became clear...even the Jelly Beans!

Oh, we were going to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and  Ronald Reagan loved Jelly Beans! Fake tickets and the cost of admission for both of us was included!

We have previously visited the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, but we loved it. This should be another fun date!