So.... Wicked

The holidays were a crazy insane time for our little family of three. Family plans, holidays parties, and Popeye's insane work schedule left us grasping for even the littlest moments to spend together. Because of the way the holidays fell this year, Popeye ended up working every. single. holiday. over the past three months. And the days before. And the days after. I spent a lot of time alone with Swee'Pea... and although I enjoyed my time with family and friends, it just wasn't complete without the love of my life there beside me.

So a few weeks before Christmas, in order to restore some sanity to our marriage and squeeze in more than five minutes of oh-so-needed alone time, we skipped town and headed up north to San Francisco for a relaxing and amazing weekend alone together.

We stayed in THE most amazing hotel EVER. It was so "my" kind of hotel. Adorable bedding. Special touches everywhere. Valets in burgundy velvet suits. Darling, I tell you. Simply darling.

What made it even more quaint was that was a pet friendly hotel... and there were so many cute little dogs with their cute little owners walking around. There was even welcome signs out front for the dogs "checking-in" that day, complete with little doggy treats in bone-shaped bowls. Every day there was a dog from a local shelter hanging out behind the front desk with the manager... and almost every day, one of these dogs was adopted by a guest at the hotel. We didn't have a pet to bring (Pete was so not invited on this trip), so we called the concierge, and they sent up a complimentary gold fish. We named him Gordon.

There was complimentary coffee in the mornings... cocoa and apple cider in the afternoons... and the evenings a cocktail hour complete with amazing snacks and tasty drinks (we had Hot Toddies. I felt oh-so-sophisticated). The entire place was decked out in holiday decor... warm and cozy and perfectly delightful.

The first night there we ate at a delicious little family-run Italian place that seated only about 20 guests. Our waitress was a kick, and because I mentioned I had read about how great the place (and her, specifically) was on Trip Advisor, she treated us to a free dessert! Afterward, we hailed a cab and headed to the Orpheum theatre to see "Wicked."

Amazing, folks. Simply amazing. I think I could see this show a million more times and love every second of it. Even Popeye was impressed. My friend Katie had given me the soundtrack to the show a few weeks before we went to see it, so we listened to it non-stop the whole way home. (It rocks. And Kristin Chenoweth sings the role of Glinda on the soundtrack we have. I adore her. She was on an episode of "Glee" playing the role of April Rhodes, the slightly psychotic ex-Glee club member from Will's high school days. And you all know how much I love Glee.)

The next day we enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast and headed to the streets to shop till we dropped. We tried on shoes and shirts, coats and hats... and we left with oodles and oodles of goodies loading us down (all for Popeye, not one single outfit for me!).

We took a break for some coffee (and to get out of the bitter cold and rain) and then went to freshen up back at the hotel. That night we enjoyed what may be THE most insanely delicious meal I've EVER eaten. Seriously, the steak I ate literally melted in my mouth. I still think about it. Yep. Thinking about it right now. Steak. In my mouth. Melting. Mmmm.

The next day we cruised around the city, stopping at a few local hot tourist spots (including the Tanner's house from Full House. Surely the highlight of Popeye's trip...).

It was the perfect end to a perfect trip. And although it was short and sweet, it was just what we needed to reconnect and unwind in the midst of the hectic holiday season. And even though it was just under two months ago, I am already dying to get out of town with Popeye again.

Hmmmm, where to next time?