Ever seen snow capped palms before?

Ahh, another new year. And for once, I have stories from the big night itself! See, we're bad about celebrating...I tried for hours to remember what we had done to ring in 2010, only to have hubby later remind me we sat on the couch and tried to keep our eyes open.

Festive, I know.

So this year, finally, we made plans to spend the weekend in San Diego. Hubs goes down every year around the 30th for a football bowl game (I'm not invited...), and I'm always trying to convince him to stay a few days longer and have me meet him there. Luckily, this year I had back up—our boy G-Lowe went with him to the game and was a big fan of the idea.

The weekend was awesome. It was also a borderline disaster. So let's just sum it up, shall we?

Wednesday: I realize I have no shoes to wear with my new dress. Decide to ensure a last minute zappos.com delivery by paying for overnight delivery.

Thursday: Literally track down my UPS guy on his cell phone and chase him around town to get my shoes. Alas, zappos=fail. Though he did have a Christmas present for Hubby I forgot I ordered. Eh.

Friday: G-Lowe's girl and I head out of town at 7:30am. UPS man calls at 9 (as we're already through LA) to tell me he's got my shoes. Great...

Make it to SD in record time-meet up with the boys, then head to Pizza Nova for lunch. Pizza Nova, btw, is delicious. Just in case you've got one around. The roasted garlic appetizer...yum. Lunch is followed by a drive around the bay to downtown, where we picked up some passes for the night, then back to the hotel for a nap for our tired, hungover men. (I watched Minority Report...wtf is going on in that movie??)

Dress up (sans new shoes). Taxi Downtown. Hennesey's Tavern. Rock Bottom. Minor panic attack on my account. Back to the hotel at 11. Champagne, champagne, champagne. Sleep.

Saturday: I needed the ocean, so we headed to Ocean Beach for lunch/wandering. Not much beats breakfast with a view...


Though walking the pier isn't exactly a terrible waste of time, either. Gorgeous day=happy campers.


I could stare at this all day.


Once they dragged me away (all the while shooting Mr. Iowa aka G-Lowe eye death-rays for saying the beach smells 'gross'), it was back to the hotel, minor drama at the Old Town Saloon, deliciousness with a handful of my faves at Harney Sushi, ridiculousness at the Lamplighter (including a Living on a Prayer karaoke duet by the hubby and the Canadian, natch), hotel, sleep.

Sunday: Ah, Sunday, the day the fun really started. See, it takes about 4ish hours to drive from San Diego back to the Central Valley. So by leaving at noon, we figured we'd have enough time to settle back home, give the poor kitties some much needed attention, do dinner, etc.

Not so much. Instead, it went like this.
12:30pm On the road
1:30pm Island's Restaurant in the OC (Mmmm, our necessary staple)
5:30pm Traffic stops. Snowing at the base of the pass (at like 1500 ft, wtf??). 5 freeway shuts down at the Grapevine, we are re-routed to the back highway (the 14, aka, BFE).

Let me just insert here that Californians, especially southerners, do not understand snow. It falls, everyone freaks out. And as people are freaking out and there are no snow plows, the five lane highway becomes, well, what I like to call a 'clusterfuck.' Actual lanes are not used...cars are turned sideways... Miatas are sliding into ditches...basically, after 30 miles and 2.5 hours of this business, it was time to pull over and reevaluate.

8:30pm Debate ensues regarding Motel 6 vs. powering through. The boys won. And so we stayed.

9:00pm Um, Motel 6s are GROSS.
"What IS that on the bed skirt?...What the eff is that SMELL?...Seriously? How many people are in the room next door?...SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS THAT SMELL????"

Monday:
6:00am Wake up to check the weather report. Not only is the 5 still closed, but now our alternate route is closed. And back to sleep we go. (the room still smelled, btw)

9:00am Debate ensues: Take the 101 (um, a 10 hour drive), or wait a bit longer until something changes. Decide on 101. Then change minds. Pack up so we can head across the parking lot for breakfast to kill some time. Open the door to find this. Kind of awesome.


10:00am Realize cops in Palmdale are assholes. Or just have way too much time on their hands, cause one drove through the parking lot at 8am ticketing the snow-covered cars with 2-day expired plates belonging to stranded people.
(Dear DMV, next year, a notice that my registration is due would be fantastic. This year you sent nothing, and I do not keep my car's registration date (Dec. 14, apparently) at the front of my memory. Cause, really? Come on. You owe me $34 for a ticket. Love/Screw You, Pammy)

Annnnnyway, we finally got home at like 3:30...27 hours after we first left. Exhausted, dirty (I was so not getting in that motel shower), hungry...ugh. But it was an adventure, for sure. I'm rather excited to spend next New Year's back on the couch.

And I'm still bitter about my ticket.


-posted out of laziness from my iPhone.