Two Honeymoons

When I met my husband in college (just a few months before I graduated) I invited him over for dinner.  As I gave him directions to the apt I shared with some roommates, we noticed there was a theme with the number "two".  I told him I was 22 (so was he in 2 weeks).  The address had a two in it.  He was to take the second turn.  It was the second building and on the second floor.  The apt no. was 2.  We got married two years later.  Turns out we planned TWO honeymoons.

(Married at a home that looked like Tara. "You should be kissed and often and by someone who knows how.")

When we got married I had been at working for two months at post-college yucky job #2 and if I took a week off I wouldn't get paid so we honeymooned for a weekend.  The following weekend.  We got married on a Sunday (a brunch) and all my friends from California were bridesmaids and flew in Friday and left Sunday.  Hubs and I did take Monday off.  And then I went to work on Tuesday.  Pitiful.  Then Friday afternoon we drove from Atlanta to Savannah, GA, a four-hour drive.  We had a great time and it was April and beautiful with all the pink azaleas and pink and white dogwood trees.  We stayed for two nights in a bed and breakfast, and toured the lovely town squares and some old homes. 

It may have been around this time that we planned a trip to California for later in the summer.  I think what happened is one of my mother's oldest friends from Calif (where I grew up) attended our wedding and invited us to stay with her in Santa Monica anytime.  So I continued at this horrible job and planned our trip (back then you'd got to the library and find books on bed and breakfasts and call and they would mail you a brochure).  I don't think my husband knew my plan but in August prior to our trip I quit my job.  (heehee, spending money on a vacation with no job....some things never change).

My husband had never been to California and I had never been anywhere north of Santa Barbara so for much of the trip it was new turf for both of us.  We flew to Los Angeles, got a rental car and stayed with my mom's friend for a few days, whom we barely saw, and we saw "my bridesmaids" whom my Hubs had met at the wedding and really liked.  One thing I'll never forget is we were at my friends house and she had some relatives over and they asked Hubs how he liked Calif (it was Santa Monica) and being the honest person that he is who forgets subtleties, says, "I like it.  But there are no trees and so much cement."  They reminded him that there never were many to begin with--just beans.

We then cruised up Highway 1, stopping in Big Sur for a couple of hours and then stayed in a B&B in Monterey.  We had a great dinner with a family we know in Carmel, went horseback riding in Big Sur, went to the aquarium on Cannery Row.  In fact, we were going to spend a couple days in San Francisco but liked it where we were too much to leave so added on a couple more days and never went more north.  Oh I do remember this--there was a couple at the horseback riding place that was on their FOUR WEEK honeymoon.  They had spent two weeks in Hawaii and then two weeks going up the Calif coast.  Gah.  I hated them.  But we had a great time and I had a horse that would stop to eat off bushes and get behind and then gallop like crazy to catch up over and over again and each time I'd let out a blood curdling scream.  They probably hated me.

We then drove Highway 5 back down to Los Angeles but also visited my grandparents in Palm Springs, which was very special to me.  This past summer, 24 years later, we did see San Francisco with our three boys and drove south on Highway 1 discovering different sites from the honeymoon number two.

Off to find the photo album to post photos--which I think is in the attic. (Update:  Went through the attic and bookshelves and cannot find our photos I know I put in an album.  These things always happen to me).

Go check out Gretchen's honeymoon in 'Nawlins and other Spin Cycle stories of honeymoons!