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| They got fancy with the T.P. |
We usually never buy anniversary gifts or cards; but make them. This year the traditional gift for the 11th wedding anniversary was steel. We decided to make each other a gift with steel as the theme.
These are the gifts we made for each other.
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| Steel Wool Sheep I made for Hubby  Hubby made for me Day 1 - Saturday Our anniversary morning started early since we had a kayak tour at 9:00 in La Jolla which is about 15 min. away. I got a discount on Goldstar for a Guided Kayak Tour of the Seven Caves through San Diego Bike & Kayak Tours. We had never been kayaking and read this was something you got to do in La Jolla. We checked in, rented a wetsuit, got a locker and walked down to the beach to meet with the rest of the group. There were about 8-10 other double kayaks on the tour; but only a couple of us who had never kayaked. A lack of kayaking skills showed after they pushed us out over the tides because we started paddling the kayak in circles. Not once; but twice. Everyone else was together waiting for us while we figured out how to steer straight. We finally caught up and continued toward the cave. We got the hang of how to steer; but speed was our other issue. We were always the slowest ones and in the back of the group. Some people with kids were paddling faster than us. Our guide was very friendly and informative. We got to see sea lions swimming right next to us as well as hanging out on the rocks. We also saw Garibaldi fish. The water conditions were good enough that we got to go into one of the caves. We got lucky we were able to go in. The time came when we had to go over the tides to get back to shore and let one kayak go at a time. We saw a few people flip over as the tide came over them. I was not looking forward to flipping over. We rode one wave which was pretty fun. We were almost to shore when I looked back to a huge wave right behind us. Sure enough we got caught in it and flipped over. My oar took my arm backwards and hubby got hit in the head with the kayak. Thank goodness for the helmets they make you wear. Despite our issues, we still had a fun time! 
After Kayaking, we went on a food tour with Bite San Diego. They often offer half off tickets through places such as Living Social or Groupon. They have several food tours in San Diego and we did the Hillcrest tour. I found it interesting that most of the eateries we went to were houses converted into restaurants.
There were about 15 of us in the 3 hr. walking tour. Our first place we tried was Jimmy Carters Cafe. There we ate a tostada, a beef and a pork quesadilla type dish and a calamari taco. I would have never ordered a calamari taco; but it was quite tasty.
This is the table where we sat.
Our next stop was at Sanfilippo's to get a bite of some mushroom pizza.
The 3rd stop was R-Gang Eatery. The Top Chef contestant, Rich Sweeney owns this restaurant. Here we tried their signature cheddar and chive Tater Tots served with chipotle sauce.
Our next place was Baby Cakes who seemed to be famous for their cupcakes. They do have a restaurant menu and bar as well. As we entered, they had us drool over a window case full of delicious looking cupcakes. But when we got seated, they served us a snicker doodle! I felt a bit disappointed that we didn't get a cupcake.
Our last stop was at EmpireHouse where they served us a BBQ bacon cheeseburger slider with a pickle on the side. I can't remember the last time I had a pickle. Both the slider and the pickle were great. Our waiter was very friendly and the owner, Larry was a cool guy. He told us how his restaurant got started, the story behind his industrial farm décor and his food.
A few hours after stuffing our faces with delicious food, we went to La Jolla for our anniversary dinner at The Steakhouse at Azul La Jolla. I was looking forward to a steak dinner; but was not very hungry from all the food at the food tour. However, I ordered the 6 oz Filet with a loaded baked potato. The meal was very good. This is now one of my favorite places to eat steak. They have 2 spots to eat; one is the patio where it's lit at night or the ocean view. We chose the ocean view seating. They only have about 5 tables for 2 that are really nice window seats overlooking the ocean. I reserved one of those; but didn't get it and was not going to wait forever for it. Instead we got a nice velvet feeling booth that also had a great view. After dinner, the waiter asked if we were celebrating a birthday or anniversary. We said, anniversary and he gave us a complimentary brownie alamode. It was sooo good! I did not have room for dessert; but had to make some for this.
  After dinner, we went to check out The Comedy Palace. I got a discount on tickets through Sweetjack.com. Tonight's comedians were The GI's of Comedy. They are 4 guys who are veterans of the armed forces. They were very funny and got me to laugh at loud. Since there is a 2 item minimum, we ordered drinks. Those were watered down and not great. They couldn't even give me a decent Shirley Temple.  Day 2 - Sunday We went on a scavenger hunt through Urban Quest Adventures. I got a discount through Sweetjack for this too. We started at Old Town and used our cell phone to answer questions. They had us go on the MTS to stop in Little Italy and make our way to the Port of San Diego. This tour was really fun and we learned a lot from the cities we went. This was supposed to be a 3 hr walking tour; but I guess we were a little slow and took our time. It ended up taking about 3 1/2 to 4 hrs. For lunch, we stopped at a place in Little Italy for a slice of pizza to go. I got sun-dried tomatoes with spinach slice and hubby got a meatball with mozzarella slice. When we arrived back in Old Town, we each got 2 handmade flour tortillas with butter from El Coyote. Yum! These are some of the places we stopped at.  
MTS Transportation
Fire Station Museum - In or near Little Italy
     Recipe for Marinara Sauce.  
The Star of India is the world's largest sailing ship.
By the end of our fun weekend, I have sore arms and a sun burn from kayaking, a full stomach from all the eating, and a small blister from all that walking. Was it all worth it? Yes! I would do it all over again.
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