When Will and I found out we were expecting, we knew we wanted to take this last season of it just being the “two of us” and really make the most of it. We have loved having the first 6.5 years of marriage all to ourselves, and we wanted to celebrate this season of life together before welcoming children into our family. One thing that immediately went to the top of our priorities was planning a “Babymoon” – a vacation for just the two of us before Baby Ray arrives! After much deliberation, we decided to go to California the 2nd week of March. We split up our trip into two parts : Adventures in Yosemite and Rest in Carmel Valley. It could not have been a more perfect choice for us! It was a blend of adventure, relaxation, hiking, resting, eating delicious food, seeing beautiful sites, and spending quality time with one another. It will forever live in my mind as one of my fondest memories with Will. It was worth every penny and minute of planning! If you are expecting, I highly recommend making time for a babymoon!

The biggest challenge in planning this trip was limiting our options so we wouldn’t try to see and do all the things. Will and I love to explore and travel, and we have the tendency to make our vacations so full we come home a bit tired. This time, we knew we wanted this trip to be relaxing as well. We planned much of our trip based on the recommendations of our dear friends Emily and John, who recently took a trip to Cali and offered us some amazing resources. We ended up so incredibly happy with our choices, and on the last day we truly didn’t want to leave! It was so sweet.

Hugs to my sweet husband for my maternity photos he took while we were there! (By the way… isn’t his beard amazing?)

Our Babymoon Itinerary

Day 1 : Arrive in San Francisco / Muir Woods National Park / Drive to Yosemite
Day 2 : Sleep and settle into our Air BNB / Hike the Mist Trail
Day 3 : Hike around Mirror Lake / Watch a Movie at our Air BNB
Day 4 : Hike Mariposa Grove
Day 5 : Drive to Carmel Valley Ranch / 17 Mile Drive / Appetizers at Spanish Bay with the Bagpiper
Day 6 : Big Sur / McWay Falls / Adventurous Drive on the Mountain / Earthbound Farm / Explore Carmel Valley Ranch / Dinner at the Ranch
Day 7 : Spa Day at Carmel Valley Ranch / Dinner at Dametra Cafe
Day 8 : Yoga Class / Travel home