....Rich whisked me off to San Diego and proposed marriage at George's at the Cove restaurant in La Jolla! We actually went by plane - it was a short but fun ride. As we went through security at LAX, my engagement ring in his pocket (which happened to be in a metal box) triggered the metal detector and Rich had to discreetly show it to the security officer... I kind of already knew what was going on and that it was "the day" but that was the clincher. :-) We had an exquisite meal at George's and after a long and sentimental expression of his love, he handed me the ring. I just looked at him and finally he remembered, "oh yeah, will you marry me?" As you well know the answer was a resounding "yes!"
We've been back to George's a few times over the years - most recently at our 20 year anniversary in which we stayed at the amazing Lodge at Torrey Pines (a beautiful craftsman style resort which went on to inspire our living room and all our pine cone light fixtures outside). We decided, on the 25th anniversary of the day this year, to go down and spend the day in San Diego and have dinner there once again. Due to my pending jury duty service, we were able to get away Monday and it was a delightful time.
The plan was to first hit one of Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for lunch. We had been to Hodad's in Ocean Beach once before - getting take out while we were camping several summers ago in San Diego with the Tubbs. It was so busy when we went that time, that I think it took 45 minutes to get our burgers! This time, we decided to get the full experience and dine inside the restaurant.
Their specialty is really their bacon burger. They don't just lay slices of bacon across the burger either, like most you've seen. They make actual thick bacon "patties" which are as big as the burger. In the picture below, it looks like there are two patties on the burger, but one is really just the bacon layer! I love it that they serve "frings" (half fries/half onion rings) and we were sure to order some real Cokes to go with. The burgers are good, but I can't say that they make my top 3 list of burgers (In my opinion, the Apple Pan, Pie 'n Burger, and Bob's Big Boy still rule).
Check the place out! I am pretty sure this one falls under the category "dives."
I convinced Rich to sit at the table that was fashioned out of a hacked off VW Microbus! So fun!
It is very hard to get your mouth around this burger! See the bacon layer?
After stuffing ourselves, we decided to park the car and take a walk around Mission Bay. The weather was so delightful that we ended up sitting on a park bench for over an hour just watching the sailboats on the bay. It was just so pleasant! We then headed over to La Jolla and drove to a vista point that had panoramic city views, grabbed an iced tea at Starbucks, visited some seals at the beach, and drove around some charming yet stunning neighborhoods in La Jolla. We arrived at our anticipated dinner destination around 6:00 p.m.
Goofy self portrait.
We had fun watching the seals! They were so entertaining. When a wave would come, they'd arch their backs, and put up their heads and tails for leverage.
Do you see this cutie? I love the way he looked right into the camera!
Do you see this cutie? I love the way he looked right into the camera!
One of the amazing homes we drove by.
Beautiful gate. Would have loved to have seen the estate behind it!
So much charm!
Finally, time for dinner! George's has three levels - we like the "California Modern" level downstairs. They gave us a beautiful ocean front table and a complimentary bottle of artisan olive oil as a gift in honor of our celebration. They do things right here.
We began by sharing this gorgeous ceviche appetizer.
This was my entree! Isn't it breathtaking? Seared rare tuna over carrot-miso puree, spectacular veggies mixed with fresh ginger and a tangerine butter. Definitely one of the most appealing and delicious plates I've ever been served. Almost too beautiful to eat. But no worries, I ate every bite.
Here's Rich's entree - a tender braised lamb shank over corn risotto, roasted squash, and a feta salsa verde. Amazing dish as well. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender and ultra-flavorful due to the braising. And the risotto was done right.
Boy am I glad my dinner entree was so nice and light. Here's our killer dessert. Fresh, warm cinnamon-sugar encrusted yeast donuts with four different dipping sauces: deep chocolate infused with orange, espresso caramel, mascarpone whipped cream, and chocolate hazelnut mousse. They were all incredible. Fried dough with cinnamon is pretty much my favorite thing on earth, so these sure floated my boat! This was paired with a most delicious cup of coffee - divine. Seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten.
I am so grateful for the beautiful day we could get away and celebrate our marriage - we have much to celebrate as God has blessed us so richly. And, I am infinitely more grateful for the man God has given me to spend every day of my life with. After 25 years, I can truly say I love and appreciate Rich more and more with each passing day, and after all these years, I can recognize in a deeper way what a gracious gift from God he is. There's no one I'd rather have by my side than him. Blessed.
25 years later on September 26, 2011
Rich wanted me to mention that my hair hasn't changed a bit, but that his has :-)
Here we are September 28, 1986 - I think I'm trying to show off the rock!
25 years later on September 26, 2011
Rich wanted me to mention that my hair hasn't changed a bit, but that his has :-)
My little beach bums! 
