Saturday, August 25, 2007

California Part Duex

So I left off on Monday of my california trip. I flew out of San Fransisco after a bit of a delay and arrived in San Diego around 6ish. It is very strange, but the San Diego airport is basically downtown? So I rented a car and started driving to Escondito, where April lives. I made pretty good time, and only got mildly lost. We basically spent the night talking and catching up. I got to meet her boyfriend Nate and roommate Denis as well as her pug LeLu. Denis and April met in Denver, they traveled to Russia together, where he is from, and then he followed her out to San Diego. Nate and April have been dating for about a year. He has been applying to the coast guard, and is also considering either going back into the army, or pursuing an advanced degree.....more on that later.

Tuesday we got up pretty close to the crack of dawn to head to Disneyland. I had not been there since I was a kid, and man did we have fun! We got to the park pretty close to when it opened around 8. It was Nate's birthday so he had to wear a giant button that disclosed that information to everyone. All the characters and staff at the park wished him a happy birthday all day...hilarious. We hurried to the new Finding Nemo attraction that had just opened. We figured on a weekday, getting there really early, we wouldn't have to wait long....wrong. 2-ish hours later we got to go on the Nemo ride. Very cool, but not worth 2 hours.

--We couldn't use flash photography. Here are Nate and I in the Nemo submarine--

I, of course, remembered to bring my camera, but forgot to bring a SD card...so thanks to April for supplying the pictures. We went on a bunch of rides, and met up with April's Aunt Cherrie, and her husband roy at Space Mountain. They LOVE the park and are season ticket holders. After that we headed to Adventureland and went on Indiana Jones. Then it was about time to head to Club 33.

Club 33 is a very exclusive club that you must be a member of to get in. Disney used to entertain all of his corporate clients there. The membership is something like $5000 a year, and you must spend at least $150/month on food. April knows someone who knows someone and got us in! The food was AMAZING. You pay for lunch and drinks and get a free pass to the park. The lunch was worth the $80 (basically the same price as a park ticket anyway.) There was an all you can eat fresh seafood bar and the most amazing desserts you've ever eaten. Yum.

The only downfall of the resaraunt was the dress code. No bare shoulders, and no flipflops - crap! April and I had both worn tanktops, and Cherrie and I had both warn sandles! So they made us wear their shirts and we had to go buy the ugliest crocs I have ever seen (which we returned after.)

--UGLY CROCS! And I don't get the hype, I think they are uncomfortable?--

--They made Nate a special dessert for his bday. April is sporting the lovely shirts they gave us.--


--Me and my lovely shirt--

--Cherrie and Roy--

We finished up the day with Pirates of the Caribbean and other rides in the park. We also went to California Adventures which was a parking lot last time I was there. They had a roller coaster that was really fun called California Screamin....made me very excited for our Six Flags trip next week.
--Here we are at the 3D Bug's Life show--

--The three of us again--

--April and I trying on princess hats--

--April Mouse--

The rest of the night was spent shopping and desperately searching for something to buy Josh. He doesn't fit into the standard souvenir category. He doesn't golf, drink, like disney hats or shirts, he doesn't drink coffee or need magnets, there is no reason he would ever use a disney stein so I gave up. I was fairly certain that I was a failure as a wife for not finding one thing to buy him at Disneyland. Then, low and behold, we found the Lego store....YAY! So Josh got legos, and I was not the horrible wife.

--Here we are outside the world of disney. It is the biggest store full of disney stuff I have ever seen. Not one thing that Josh would like.....sigh--

--YAY the Lego store...marriage saved!--

We stayed the night at a the Hyatt, just down the street from Disneyland. We got up late and drove home on Wednesday. April and I went shopping, and got our nails done. Then, we met Nate later for drinks and dinner at a small bar.

On Thursday april ditched work a little early, and Corinne met us in Escondito. Then we all drove to LA to meet up with Hans. The traffic is ridiculous...I thought Seattle traffic was bad, but it was nothing compared to LA. I don't know how people handle it...thanks Nate for driving! I will admit, that the beaches were beautiful, but I would go crazy after a few days. We made it to Manhattan Beach, and Hans only lives a few blocks from the water. While we waited for him to get off work, we walked along the boardwalk and looked at the houses.

--April, Nate and Corinne--

--Boardwalk on Manhattan Beach--

Some of the houses along the beach were for RENT, only around $9000 a month....AHHH. How does anyone afford that. It was nice to oogle over how the other half live though. We stopped for a drink at a little dive bar and then met up with Hans later.

--Drinks on the beach--

--Another bar that Hans likes. Ping Pong, trivia, and Ms. PacMan--

After we met up with Hans, he showed us his new digs by the beach. Very nice apartment and only 3 blocks or so from the water. Then we headed to a bar near his house to have a drink before dinner. We met up with his girlfriend Lilly at a Japanese restaurant. There we had shabu shabu (or swish swish in english.) They boil water on your table, and you add veggies, then use chopsticks to swish the meat around. We ordered pork, seafood, and chicken. The water boils your meat and you dip it in sauces. Basically Japanese fondue. Them we finished the night with gelatto near the promenade. We headed back late, but needed to get home because both Hans and April worked on Friday. It was great catching up with Corinne and Hans, and meeting Lilly.

Friday I got up early and said goodbye to April and Nate. I drove down to San Diego to meet Corinne and her boyfriend Phil for breakfast. Corinne also showed me the amazing building she worked at. It is very architecturally interesting with a small fountain that looks like it is pouring into the ocean. She says it makes it easy to go to work every day!

3 flights later with many delays (seems to be a theme this trip) I was home almost 3 hours late. Got home around 2am just to have to get up at 6am for a meeting. Oh well. The trip was amazing, and thanks to all for the amazing time!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

McKenna is walking

I forgot to post in my last blog - but mac is finally walking. She has been walking with assistance for a while, and between furniture before I left. While I was gone, she decided that she didn't want to crawl anymore. Here is a video for you all!

California Trip

Last Friday I left for a weeklong excursion to California. Kathy had a great idea a few months ago to have a "girls trip" out to San Fransisco/San Jose area to meet baby Gavin. We flew in, after a brief delay in Denver, around 6pm. Of course this was 8pm our time and we were all starving! We ate at a neat little grill near Dick and Shirley's house. I, of course, ordered sea food, and we all enjoyed catching up and drinking california wine! We got a grand tour of their AMAZING new house. They live in a private gated community outside of Gilroy. You have to drive through fields of strawberries and many other kinds of fruits and vegetables to get out there. Must be rough to be just a few miles from a fresh fruit stand! Their house is beautiful with a courtyard in the middle. Such a neat idea in California, and indoor outdoor room!

--View of the golf course from their private bedroom balcony--

--View from down the street as we walked Murphey--

--Backyard from their deck--

--Sunset view--

--Courtyard from inside their house--

Day two was an adventure. I went with Dick, Shirley and Edna to their motorhome storage unit. We were going to get the folding chairs so we could have a picnic on the beach that evening. It was quite a drive through the mountains, and let us get a guided tour of many million dollar homes. I cannot believe the money spent on houses in that area! Then we stopped by a winery where Shirley, Dick and I did some wine tasting, and chose a few bottles for dinner.

--Here is the front of the winery, the landscaping was very beautiful--

--Here are the grapes at the vineyard. Many of the grapes are grown on people's property, right up to their house. The owners of the winery buy the grapes from them--

After the wine tour, we headed home to make lunch. Shirley made some amazing sandwiches, and I made deviled eggs. While we were driving all over and making lunch, Emmi and Kathy drove to Santa Cruz to buy harley tshirts and do touristy things. Then, they went to Sunset Beach and relaxed and read while they waited for us. We all met up and ate dinner. The view and sounds were amazing, but it got cold very quickly. At one point Edna was wrapped up in a coat, blanket and a beach towel! We were all ready to head back!

--Here we are before the sun started setting--

--Pretty beach--

The next day we went to Gilroy Gardens in the morning. Kim, Adam and Gavin were at a wedding and were heading back to San Jose in the morning, so we had some time to kill before they got home. The gardens were beautiful with just amazing flowers and trees. Many of the trees were shaped very strangely, and each had a story. It looked as if the park had just been gardens at one point, then many rides were added to attract kids. We went on the small monorail after waiting what seemed like an eternity. We also went on a water ride through Rainbow Gardens. The whole experience was very peaceful and beautiful.

--Beautiful scenery--

--The "girls" on our trip in the butterfly garden--

--The whole park was just gorgeous--

Finally, on Sunday evening, we got to meet Gavin. He is such a happy and good natured baby (probably because he has great parents.) He did so well with the crowd, and I forgot how much newborns sleep! We all got turns holding him, and I think I got my baby fix :) We had dinner. I made my pizzas on the grill, and shirley made the rest of our feast. We had a noodle salad, beef, chicken, fancy desserts, and of course wine. It was such great food, and great company!

--appetizers in the backyard--

--Kim, Gavin and me--

--Kim is a natural--

--Gramma still has the knack to get him to sleep--

--Emmi and Gavin--

We had such a good time. The next morning we stopped by Adam and Kim's house on the way to the airport. They had done so much remodeling that it looked like a completely new house! It is so nice that they can live so close to both sets of grandparents! It even looks as if Kim's mom may be the babysitter for Gavin when Kim goes back to work! Thank you so much Dick and Shirley for hosting the event and to Kathy for planning such a wonderful time! As the girls flew home, I waited in the airport for phase two of my journey :)

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

California Bound

I am super excited. I am leaving on my trek to California on Friday. Kathy had the idea of taking a trip with "just the girls" to visit Kim and Adam's new baby Gavin. We leave Friday morning and everyone flies home on Monday. I am going to stay and fly to San Diego to visit April, Corinne and Hans. I will stay till Friday, then come home after that. I can hardly wait!! Here are some more fun pix of Mac to enjoy on my blogging hiatus.

--bouncing and singing--

--bouncing and screaming--

--riding her car--

--pretty plant--

--loves spaghetti!--

Monday, August 06, 2007

Water park and baby bikinis

After I got back from Idaho, I promised Mac that we would do something fun, since I hadn't seen her in a few days. I got her a water park for her birthday in May, and it was finally hot enough to get it out! She had so much fun, and even Rylee enjoyed the cool water!

--Here she is in a bikini from Shelly and Damon--

--The toy squirts water and has a pool about 3 inches deep--

--She loved the palm tree--

--Rylee is drinking out of the side :) --

Char's Luau and Stone Family visit

This weekend was busy! On Saturday we had tea and coffee cake and got to meet Kevy. Kevin is the latest addition to the Stone's family. Nathan grew up with Josh and got married a few years ago to Andrea. They live in Chicago and were here for a wedding. Sarah and Wes are also here for a wedding, so Sarah stopped by while Wes was in pictures with the bridal party. We all just sat around and watched the kids play. Kevy is only a few months old, but he is very happy! Andrea does a good job of keeping a blog for Kevin as well! They are planning on moving back to this area sometime soon!
Later Saturday evening we had a friend's party to go to. Char was throwing her husband Jaime a surprise birthday luau. She had a tiki bar, margarita machines, a blow up slide for the kids, it was awesome! We got to dress Mac up in her newest Hawaiian dress from Grampa Bubba.

--authentic Hawaiian princess--

--Look I'm standing (she can take a few steps on her own now)--

Aunt Marie

Two weeks ago my Aunt Marie passed away. She had been battling a rare form of cancer the last two years. She was one of the nicest people I have ever met, always worrying about everyone else's well being before her own. I was fortunate enough to make it to her funeral last weekend. It was a beautiful service, and the whole church was full. Menan is a very small town, and it was evident how much she meant to so many people just by the amount of people that came to her viewing and funeral. I am glad her suffering is over, but we will all miss her very much.

This poem was on the back of her program:

Right now I'm in a different place,
And though we seem apart,
I'm closer than I ever was...
I'm there inside your heart

I'm with you when you greet each day
And while the sun shines bright,
I'm there to share the sunsets, too...
I'm with you every night.

I'm with you when the times are good
To share a laugh or two,
And if a tear should start to fall...
I'll still be there for you.

And when that day arrives
That we are no longer apart,
I'll smile and hold you close to me...
Forever in my heart.

We'll miss you Aunt Marie.