Pierpont Inn

So Ben has been telling me to write about our trip for a while now. Since we only had time to get away for one night we decided to stay local. We went to the Pierpont Inn in Ventura. That Saturday morning I had my infusion at the Woodland Hills Hospital at 8am. I had such a horrible night the night before I was really sick. Infusion went fine, I had a great nurse and I was able to talk to another patient while I was getting my treatment. Going and getting my treatments is always a humbling experience. There is always someone with more problems or is worse off than me. How can I complain when my problems are not as bad as someone else’s? After my infusion I went home still not feeling well from the night before. I was very unhappy about this. This was the worst time to get sick. I printed the programs for Sunday and Ben dropped them off at the Bishop’s house. That gave me time to rest a little bit. We left a little after 2pm and drove to Ventura. That did not take very long to get there. We checked in at the Pierpont Inn and a huge tree blocked our ocean view and there was no fireplace that Ben had ordered. He was very upset about our room. This was our second room. The first one was so small even I was feeling a little claustrophobic and it did not have the ocean view Ben had ordered. Our second room smelled like a beauty salon with all the chemicals. The bathroom tiles were uneven and in poor condition, the sink was at Ben’s knees and the shower we affectionately called the “dungeon” since you had to turn the corner and walk down into it. It also would have been nice to have soap and shampoo in the bathroom. Luckily I am an over packer and I had everything. Ben did call down and get soap anyway but it was an inconvenience. This was not the room or experience you would expect from a hotel in this price range.

I was trying to make Ben happy. That day I really was not feeling well so we watched a movie from our room. The movie was okay but I loved being able to just be alone with Ben and not have to deal with the outside world. We drove around trying to find somewhere to eat (the restaurant at the inn was expensive). We ended up eating at The Habit and walked down the Ventura Pier. On Sunday we woke up and played racquetball at the club there and it was my first time playing so I was not very good. I am really bad at paying attention to my surroundings so that got me in trouble when we were playing. I was going after the ball and I ended up running into the wall at nearly full speed. Not only did I hurt myself but I missed the ball. I hit the wall very hard and then fell down. I am impressed that Ben did not start laughing at me right there. He did later but I thought he would do it then. Ben helped me off the floor and then we started to play again but this time I was watching where I was going and I also was not running as fast. Ben was proud because I kept on playing and didn’t quit after the incident. He said later that he though I had knocked myself out when I hit the wall. As we continued to play, I hit the ball over the wall into the adjacent unoccupied court. I decided to walk over and retrieve the ball and can you guess what Ben did with the other two racquetballs? Yes, he hit them over the wall while I was getting the first ball and of course he nailed me both times! He had no idea where I was in the court but just happened to be lucky…although he says he is just good.

After racquetball we drove to the Channel Island Harbor to go Jet Skiing. I have never done this before and I was a little nervous. I did not want to drive at all. We got to the place that we rented the Jet Ski and then we put on a dry suit. We looked really funny but we stayed dry during our adventure. It was so much fun being out on the ocean and holding onto Ben. We drove out to see some seals fighting for position on one of the buoys and they were so cute. Even Ben liked them. There was one that was huge that is apparently known locally as Shaq. Ben also took us out to get an up close look at some of the many boats sailing in the ocean nearby. When our hour was almost up we ended up switching so that I was driving and Ben was in back. I was so scarred. I did not go as fast as Ben but I am proud of myself for trying something that was new and that I was scarred of. I drove for about 15 minutes and I was really glad that the waves were not very big. I found that the slower you drive the less you have control. I would like to do it again. I think I would feel more comfortable driving in a lake where I wouldn’t have to contend with the waves. All in all we had a wonderful time celebrating our 3^rd anniversary!