The job and our first 4th... and my 5 on 5th photos

A special thanks to my dad for giving me $300 for the weekend. He wouldn't have done this normally, but it was for a job and technically the hotel. Mike was insistent to pay for the hotel with his points, which I appreciate. I did manage to pay for the last night. It was an expensive weekend with all of the good food

Also my 5 on the 5th photos are intermixed - all bad cell shots mind you

SATURDAY

- Ran around with family for lunch and other things
- Ended up at Mike's about 4
- Hung around watching TV and talking. He decided we would rent a car for the weekend and leave Sunday as opposed to Saturday. We talked about both.
- I drive to Victoria Gardens where we eat at Gyu-Kaku. I had never been. It was disappointing.
- We see Larry Crowne at the theater there
- Drive to the airport to get a car. We find the car immediately. 2011 Ford Edge Limited with Sync
- Follow him back to his place and play around with Sync. I see why it is so confusing for so many people. So many features. Ford tried to make it simple, but needed to do more. I see a few tweaks they could have done.
- Get in bed about 11 or 12

SUNDAY

- Up at 6am to shower
- He uses the shower in the main bathroom and I use his shower
- In the car at 6:30
- Up in Santa Barbara at 9
- Drive around for an hour looking for Windex Wipes. Plain Windex wouldn't cut it, but I do have to say we went to CVS and a Rite Aid that didn't even stock Windex or a comparable product. Who has ever hard of a drug store that doesn't?
- Text his cousin
- We meet his cousin and her mother for brunch. Her mom was a hoot. She was this really liberal lady who could talk about anything. She was transfixed with my eyes and eyelashes since they're both so bold.
- Delicious mimosas and quiche at a posh SB brunch place. His cousin treated. It was a lot of talk about family, so I was al ittle left out, but I felt like family with them

- Back in the car and we go through to Paso Robles
- Stop in Paso at the Rasso (I think?) winery where they had $3 wine tastings for 12 types.
- The lady serving was a blast and had a story for everything
- Bought 2 bottles of wine to enjoy together
- Visit another winery, but they wanted to do a cheese pairing and Mike didn't want that since he wanted the wine
- We finally manage to book a hotel at a Holiday Inn
- While hanging out relaxing my best friend's mom calls about wedding details and we confirm my travel plans with her for my friend's wedding. She talks for nearly an hour and then we head to dinner.
- Walk out of the hotel and I'm still on the phone- Mike indicated it was time to go, so I followed
- He was surprised I was on the phone so long and I relay the convo to him
- We go to the most delicious restaurant in Templeton, Ca whose name slips my mind. He'd been before. We had 7:30 reservations
- We sat at the bar and had a glass of wine (on top of all we'd drank already with breakfast, wine tasting, and now dinner)
- Talked about the area and his friends he had visited with
- We get a table at the front of the restaurant after requesting to not be with crying kids
- All of the waitresses- those passing- stopped to offer suggestions on foods to eat - the service was EXCELLENT
- Mike told me I had to have the pork chop that was 2 inches thick and so tender a butter knife could cut it. The apricot sauce created almost a barbecue sauce for it. Delicious artichoke appetizer. Bill was $108 for 2. EEK! $64 for each including tip. Thank goodness we split it and the $ my dad gave went toward that
- Talked for close to 3 hours at dinner

- Went to the Crazy Horse (name?)- a beautiful bar attached to a $300 a night hotel in Paso for drinks. I was intrigued and convinced we needed to go with the beautiful patio with lights in the big tree. We came and other couples/groups followed including the Brits who knew it all.
- Back to hotel where I fell asleep in his arms. He woke up in the middle of the night horny and obviously trying to initiate, but I think I was in the middle of a deep sleep, so played for a second and fell right back asleep
- Woke up at 9

MONDAY

- Up at 9
- Stop in the town I was supposed to interview in. Drive around, check out houses, the school, the shopping
- Drive up to Salinas. Not tons of apts to rent.
- Didn't get to stop at the Steinbeck Museum or any of the Steinbeck attractions like Fisherman's Wharf or Cannery Row
PHOTO OF DOWNTOWN SALINAS

- Mike is starved, so we go to the All American Inn (or some name like that). Food was so-so
- Play on our iPads and find several cheap houses to check out (like $60k for a house)
- Drive by the houses and around the city

- Mike suggests we continue driving. He said we should go to Watsonville to see what there was. It was far, so we decided Monterey and Seaside and Carmel By the Sea. Monterey was amazing. All 3 cities were beautiful and we looked at property managers. We found a $1400 a month rental house in Monterey that was amazing and we would consider it if we were to move
- Drive around looking at the airport, which had the right airline flying in for Mike
- It was like a 20 degree drop in temps in 20 miles from Salinas to Monterey. It was only 60 degrees. We had no jackets and were in shorts.
- Stopped at the big outdoor concert in the heart of Monterey. SO FUN! We enjoyed the music. Good performers singing current hits like Don't Stop Believin, Forget U from Ceelo, and Lady Gaga's Just Dance

- Stop in a bar on the Monterey Pier for drinks, watch the hot dog eating contest highlights, and chat with a couple who lived in Los Gatos, originally from Mississippi. Mike is really good at being social with random strangers like that. I like that so much.
- Look for a Trader Joes for food. Decide to picnic and go see fireworks in Gilroy since that was where the big show was.
- TJs was closed for the 4th.
- Drive to Gilroy
- TONS of people. All the pizza places were closed. Mike was growling over this. I rubbed his shoulder and he said to not touch him. Subway was closed too. Eventually found another Subway and we got sandwiches.
- Off to Fireworks. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THERE. We park in a park about a mile away, but good views. Slow show. Shoot a firework and wait... wait... and shoot a firework and wait...
- We stood in the park joking how slow the show was
- Prior to the show begining I talked about the fireworks stopping in my city due to several fires. I'd been texting my mom and sis
- In the car on the way back we see lots of fireworks and listen to the Titanic Musical music
- End up at HOJO (Howard Johnson) in Salinas that was disappointing. It reminded Mike of an old Holiday Inn. He researched and it was. It was in its better days. The hotel mirrors had fingerprints, the floor worried Mike and so we put our belongings on the table, crumbs in a chair at the table, and a poorly thought out bathroom. I chose a bad $79 a night hotel. We should have chosen one elsewhere we decided.
- He showers
- I shower
- Watch news and Roseanne
- Create our own fireworks of sorts
- Fall asleep in his arms (MY FAVORITE THING!)

TUESDAY

- Up at 8
- Shower and watch the morning news. Saw Dave Jackson who used to be on KCAL 9 on the KTVU morning news up there
- Get ready for my interview
- Drive to a McDonalds, go through drive through, which we never do since he is always insistent we walk in, but the inside of the restaurant looked packed. Ate in car listening to Rosie. Talked about air turbulence
- Go to the town I'm to interview in and Mike handles his business trip that they have again rescheduled. He worked it to be home in time for our vacation
- Park at the high school and Mike has a call from work to handle that he does and I try to calm down
- Walk in 10 minutes early for my 12pm interview
- Interviewers running late
- Longest teacher interview I ever had with odd questions- I felt confident after is all I can say- odd questions in that they weren't about me, the one being interviewed
- 6 people interviewed me and several seemed impressed
- I walked away able to tell myself I got the job and I knew I did even before the interview
- Debrief with Mike after interview
- Call my mom, Linda, The Guy, my dad, and Mrs. C asking for advice on whether to take the job.
- Talk to Mike about the program they want me to teach and he sees the benefits/why I want to teach it
- Get the call at 5pm I got the job
- I was told I have 24 hours to decide
- We knew I got it
- After talking with Mike he said there seems to be a lot of home and pressure and he's unsure about the support I'd receive. The principal sounds like he is committed, but are the funds there to run this program?
- Mike talks about how he can't relocated immediately
- Talk about how we see ourselves moving in together and how he doesn't want me to not go beause of him, how I have to do it for myself, and how I need to do what is right for me professoinally
- I break down in tears overwhelmed by everything and he puts his arm around my back and rubs my back/head
- Talk with principal 3 times as we were going down the Grapevine and the call was getting dropped
- Call Linda for more opinions... of course she said TAKE IT as the principal sounds amazing... AND HE DOES
- Back at Mike's about 7
- Clear out the Edge SUV
- Go to return car. I decide to call my former boss and she said there were many red flags about funding, my job description, my expectations, and the kind of contract, all of which I need to call the principal about tomorrow.
- Drive Mike back to his house
- Talk about what my former boss said
- My dad calls on the phone and I project him on bluetooth. Mike heard what my dad soudns like and sees how we sound the same
- Back at Mike's we talk and I decide to head home to let my parents know what is going on
- Home and talked with the parents
- Will call principal in the morning, but right now if those red flags don't turn green the job is a no-go