I'm Still - I'm Still - Peter From the Wharf

As soon as Jerry and I decided that our honeymoon would start in San Francisco, we knew that we wanted to check out Alcatraz. We have both always been fascinated by "The Rock" and had to see it. Plus a nice ferry ride never hurt anyone. What we didn't realize is that you have to buy your ticket several days in advance. Since we were only there for two days, we knew we had to do something!

Upon arriving to San Francisco, our first order of business was to get some food! We decided to go to Fisherman's Wharf and get some seafood. I'll save that for another post because it was SO good... Anyway! We asked our waitress how we should go about getting tickets to Alcatraz for the next day. She said that since the ticket booth would be sold out, there are street vendors that you can usually get them from. Not shy about a good haggle, I was excited at the prospect.

We set off to find ourselves a street vendor and happened upon a corner store for Shell Vacations. Basically it's a time-share program and they give stuff away. We were greeted by a guy who gleefully referred to himself as "Peter from the Wharf". Each time he talked about somewhere we should go, he would say, "just tell them Peter from the Wharf sent you." Now it may be just me, but just because you add "from the Wharf" to your name, that doesn't make it any less common. I digress. After some discussion, we decided to take the gamble and sit through the schpeal. Here is how we got free tickets to Alcatraz:



In exchange for a $20 deposit, Peter from the Wharf signed us up for a 90 minute presentation for Shell Vacations the next morning. We did sacrifice our time, but it was well worth it! We made a pact that every answer would be no and off we went! For our 1.5 hours of time, we cleaned out with the freebies! Of course we didn't buy anything but here is what we got:

- The refund of our $20 deposit to 'hold our spot'
- Free Breakfast
- Free Parking at the Wharf
- FREE tickets to Alcatraz
- Tickets for a Trolley ride around town that we sold back for $20
- 2 free nights at a hotel (i.e. Hilton Head)
- The pleasure of meeting Peter from the Wharf!

We knew that handing over $20 was a gamble, but on the first day, we were willing to chance it for the fun and the possibility that it wasn't a scam. Let me tell you, those time share people are hilarious! And crafty! But we managed to say no no no thank you! We had a great time at Alcatraz and love that it was such a fun story!

Read more...

PhotoOp

Just as Jerry and I were about to make our big entrance to the wedding reception, our friend (an excellent photographer) Geoff ran out and asked if he could snap a picture for his photo blog. Of course we said yes and here it is! Thanks Geoff!



You can check out all of his work at GeoffWoodPhotography.com !!

Read more...

It's all in the Details....

The amount of joy I get from the most mundane things of married life is positively silly. I am sure my poor husband is getting project whiplash the way I jump from one thing to another. After a weekend of soul-searching I finally realized that my need to "nest" comes from my honest desire to build into our home, our relationship and our marriage. I associate images of my home life with happiness and success. I am not sure if this is entirely reasonable, but it makes sense to me.

For instance, being organized is a big part of who I want to be. I feel like if I can get my house under control, somehow everything else will fall into place. Also, I am turning into my mother. I don't really see this as a bad thing. It's just interesting to observe. I never really understood why the candles changed with the seasons, but now that the weather is turning, I can't wait to get my hands on some cinnamon and pumpkin spiced air fresheners. I put a fall decoration on the door and instantly felt more at home and at ease. I suppose part of it is having a home to do these things in, and also nostalgia of a happy childhood.

Jerry and I had a conversation about my need (or desire) to constantly dream about the house. What changes would I make if I could, where should I hang pictures, how can we spice things up etc. He didn't want me to be unhappy with what we have. I however, don't see it as being unhappy, it's just a way for me to be creative with my surroundings and make a warm and cozy home for my family. I mentioned this to mom and she laughed and told me of the years of this same conversation she has had with my dad. She also said that we get it from my Grammy, who my mom remembers, would sit in her farmhouse kitchen in the 1950s with a paper and pencil sketching out how she would like to change it if she ever had the chance! So thanks Grammy, for paving the creative way :-)

We painted the front door red on Saturday and it looks great! Last night, Jerry put up new house numbers that will actually be legible from the street and we finally made some progress in the guest room. It's a fun transition that we are going through together. We make a great team and I am so thankful!

Read more...