Monterey...Love it!

First off, some thank you's: Thank you KC for being an amazing musician. Ultimately, you're the reason we all packed our bags, headed to Monterey and had a truly fabulous weekend.
Another HUGE thanks to Nate's parents for taking such good care of us, all the time really, but especially while while we were there. I absolutely love our families, and I just can't say enough about how thankful I am to have been added to such a great one. Thanks again, Nate for passing the CPA exam. Our first official CPA-free weekend was a blast. Oh, and one more, thanks Tyler and Brittany for riding home with us. If you ever need directions anywhere Brittany can get on the phone and get you there. :-) I'll stop there, lest this start to sound more like an Academy Award speech instead of a simple blog entry. But I really am so grateful.
I'm telling you, Monterey is just the perfect blend of fun, relaxing and good eats. Last weekend, Nate and I decided to get down there a little early, which gave us time to visit the Aquarium.
I just love that place. Did you know the glass is seven inches thick in the big tanks? There's always something to learn. My favorite exhibit, by far, was the jelly fish. They're just kind of magical and a little bit alien at the same time.
Nate took some amazing pictures, and hopefully he'll have more on his site soon.
The only thing we had planned for Saturday was a delicious breakfast as Katy's in Carmel. So, SO good. And after that, we just walked the streets of Carmel, hung out at the beach, went to the mall and ended the day with dinner on the wharf back in Monterey.
I don't have many unstructured, unplanned days (who does?) and I just didn't want it to end.
Sunday we finally got what we came for as we watched the Folsom High Jazz Choir (#1 in the nation, by the way) sing at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Most of these young talents graduated last year, but came back by invitation because of the competition they won last spring. They performed all of my favorites (I can't get enough of Imogene Heap) and as excited as I am for KC to be at BYU now, I'm bummed that we won't be hearing his performances. Tickets to the Jazz Choir concerts were a little easier to come by than those Men's Chorus ones that's for sure!

at LAST!!!

First a disclaimer: I actually wrote and posted this entry a couple of weeks ago. But Nate, fearing I was being too presumptuous, encouraged me to make some changes. Instead, I took the 'it's my way or no way' approach (the five year-old in me coming out, I guess!) and deleted the post. Truthfully, I saved it, knowing that I'd be able to share it on our blog...eventually. And, now I can!
Nate just found out this morning that he did pass the fourth and final section of the CPA exam. It's official and such a big deal for us. I can't tell you what a happy, proud, and relieved wife I am. This is the best Monday I've had in a while, that's for sure!

So, here's what I wanted to share three weeks ago in its original form:

Oh, there's reason to celebrate! Today was a major milestone for us. Nate took his LAST CPA exam and passed! O.k., so it will be a few weeks until we find out his score, but if serious, diligent studying counts for anything at all, he aced it. I always wondered what it would have been like to be married college students, and I feel like the last month, especially, I got a taste of it. I have to say, not a lot of fun, quite frankly, for either of us.
Tonight we celebrated by going to our favorite Sacramento Mexican restaurant, Centro Cocina Mexicana, in midtown. Simple, but SO delicious. If you ever find yourself craving carnitas or ceviche or just want some good regional Mexican food, that's the place to go. It was a great celebration spot for us.
We were just so happy to not be watching the clock and feeling guilty that we should be getting home so Nate could study. Those days are over! Great job Nate. You've worked hard and I truly admire your diligence. We have our life back!