As a last hoorah before life changes forever, we took a short trip to the Monterey Bay area. We stayed a few nights in Caramel-by-the-Sea, a tourist trap whose intended audience has thicker pocketbooks than we do, but it was a load of fun.

We walked the beach in t-shirts and bare feet because you can do that comfortably even in February in California.

We wandered the surprisingly quiet and fairytale-inspired streets, where little nooks and gardens hid between block after block of village-themed shops.

We visited a laser and mirror maze in Monterey Bay, went miniature golfing, and bought way too many sweets.

We visited art galleries, book stores, baby clothes boutiques, adorable knick-knack stores, and generally enjoyed wandering around town without a plan.

Our favorite two stops were the donut and cheese shops. The former, Dutch Door Donuts, fries your $5 donuts fresh when you order and infuses them with unique mindblowing flavors. Best donuts ever.

And the latter, appropriately named The Cheese Shop, boasted 199 different variations of cheese with walls of wine, chocolate, and crackers to pair with them. The service was excellent as they walked us through a tasting of around a dozen cheeses and cut blocks to the desired size. Even better: our hotel had a veranda from which we were able to feast on our prizes while watching the sun set over the bay.

We never really got a Honeymoon, so this really was a special time. I know we will have many more to come, but this was the last time we will not have to think about nap times or feeding times or cranky children for a long while.