Due to health issues, my wife has had very limited mobility for the past three to five years...with weight issues, a bad hip, and back problems. Some of you may recall that my wife was finally able to find a surgeon who would do a hip replacement on her (at the age of 36) and had that surgery done back in late March. Since that surgery she has become much more mobile and started exercising much more regularly. She has also received some medical assistance with her weight issues and we are both very excited about finally living a new healthy, active lifestyle.

One other change in our lives is that my wife and I have made a commitment to start doing more things as a couple now that our kids are at the age where they can stay at home alone for a few hours at a time. Since my graduate school program only has a four day week, my wife and I have started a weekly tradition of Friday "day-dates." Sometimes we go out to eat or just go shopping. Other days we go to some local tourist attractions and explore them.

Today, we decided that we'd take a drive down the coastal highway (HWY1) and go check out Big Sur. While we left our kids at home (they're on summer break), we did take our four legged "dog-ter" (a word play on daughter) with us. I took a bunch of pics and thought I'd share a few.

First, some pics from some of our stops during the drive.