Life As I Know It

so we headed over to the LBC

a couple of pics from today's adventures . . .

 

celebrating the 4th

Greetings.  Blogging in the midst of another travel adventure.  We did 15 1/2 hrs of Disneyland today.  Both parks.  We fast passed and rode rides at a breakneck pace, or I guess as fast as we could.  My kids were beat to the curb.  They fell asleep shortly after we pulled out of the parking lot.  I drank me a brown beverage so I could drive the hour back to my sister's house.  I am now winding down from said brown beverage and so I figured I knock another post out to keep up with our chronicles.

Moving along . . .

Ryan and I flew into Las Vegas from San Francisco at 5:30pm on the afternoon of the 4th.  My BIL picked us up, we did a quick drive-by the grocery store to pick up a fruit tray and then headed over to my in-laws for a 4th of July family party.

The morning of the 4th of July, my ward had a big breakfast and water games at the Pavillion behind the church near us.  Ryan rented a huge water slide for the festivities.  I heard it was a big hit and my kids had a lot of fun. (Huge thanks to Lee and Melissa for taking my kids to the shin-dig!)

When we arrived at my in-laws for the family party, we found all the kids in the backyard jumping on the trampoline and having a water balloon fight.

My kidlets didn't even notice our presence.  Having too much fun with the cousins I guess.  Once everyone was assembled, we had dinner.  My in-laws Dave and Jen had us over to their house for some BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, etc.

Following dinner, we did our family celebration for all the July birthdays - in the month of July, we celebrate Jen, the twins, and my niece Alexis' birthdays.  My SIL Jo had made an ice cream cake shaped like a dng-dong.

All the birthday girls blew out the candles together.

My one daughter Sydney absolutely does not like chocolate.  Ever since she had it on her 1st birthday, she has always disliked it.  Being thoughtful of Syd, my SIL Jo got her something the total opposite of chocolate so Sydney didn't feel left out.

After dinner, we had a little bit of time and I needed to go run to Wally World for a couple of last minute things for camp and so the girls did a Walmart run.

After we got back to Jen's house, we packed up our chairs, grabbed some sparklers, and headed over to the next cul-de-sac over for the annual neighborhood show.  Before the show, the kids enjoyed playing with some sparklers.

The fireworks show was amazing.  One of my inlaws' neighbors makes quite the investment to put on a good show.  Everyone in the neighborhood comes to watch.

This show rivals some of the best I've seen and this show is so very close and personal.

These were right above our heads.  No zooming required.

Following the show, we said our goodbyes and booked it home where I stayed up all night getting camp stuff together as I had to be up at 5am to get my BIL off to the airport and to get the trucks loaded up for camp.

Even though the 4th felt squeezed in this year, our family had a lot of fun.

Up next . . . Girls' Camp! Adventures

 

we left our hearts in san francisco . . . yet again - episode 2

Day 2 of our San Francisco weekend adventure started off with meeting our friends at this cool little place on Mission Street just kitty corner from the Yerba Buena Gardens called The Grove.

I wish I still had a picture of my breakfast, but I had taken it with my phone and I lost all my phone pictures recently.  I had an amazing breakfast burrito with lots of fresh tomato, herbs, and avocado in it and Ryan had the french toast made with challah bread and smothered in strawberries.  The orange juice was really fresh; they just dump huge boxes of oranges into a ginormous juicer and serve up the juice in huge tall glasses.  The food was pretty good.  The inside kind of reminds you of the inside of a hunting lodge.

Following breakfast, we hopped on the bus to head down to the Marina District to visit the Palace of Fine Arts.

Getting there was a bit of an adventure.  Let's just say things were a little cramped until we got through Chinatown and most of the people on the bus got off.

The Palace of Fine Arts always makes me feel like I got transported back a few thousand years in time.  It was built way back in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition.  The palace has many details in the style of ancient Greek and Roman architecture.

That day, there was a traditional Indian wedding going on there.

 some more pictures of details . . .

In the lagoon, we noticed a small family of turtles . . .

Ryan and I in front of the Palace . . .

After walking all around the grounds, we decided to sit and chill on the grass and people watch.  Also on the grounds is an amazing science museum called the Exploratorium which is great to take your whole family to.  We have been a couple of times so we opted out this time.

From there, we jumped on a bus to head over to Fisherman's Wharf.  We had the intention of trying to catch a ferry over to Angel Island, but the times for the ferry and the tram tour on the island didn't work out.  We would have to do a lot of waiting around and we were not up for that.

The walruses and seals were missing.  There was only a couple of them.  The rest had gone elsewhere to mate or have babies.

We ended up just walking around for a short while and then having some clam chowder and calamari for lunch.

Following lunch, we headed over to Ghirardelli Square to pick up some chocolate for gifts and to enjoy some ice cream.

A great tip when visiting there is to not go to the Ice Cream shop right off the front entrance.  Walk through toward the hotel and there is a 2nd gift shop and Ice Cream place where you can just walk in and do both.  The regular ice cream place has a line out the door and then some. 

From the Square, we headed back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.  Not sure why I don't do that everytime - you know, schedule an afternoon nap while I travel.  I think it makes for a better travel experience.  It is not fun to see things when you are exhausted.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant Ryan and I had been to before called The Crustacean.  You go there for what is termed "The Crab Experience".  They steam a crab in butter, olive oil, garlic, and spices.  It is amazing.  You order it with the garlic noodles.  Again, it is amazing.

Following dinner, we decided to ride around on the cable cars.  Riding at night is a bit of a different experience than during the day.  Different people.  And the city just has a bit of a different feel to it.  Peaceful, but yet alive.

The next day, our friends had an earlier flight than we did so Ryan and I decided to sleep in.  We went over to the Grove again for a late breakfast and then walked over to the Yerba Buena Gardens.

The red building is the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  I was trying to convince Ryan to go for a visit.  He doesn't dig art like I do, and I have been before, so we didn't make a visit this time.

The building with the interesting architecture is the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

From the gardens, we headed back to our hotel to pick up our luggage before we jumped on the BART to go to the airport.

This is the bar in the our hotel called the Pied Piper.  Apparently it is styled to the time of "Mad Men", the TV show and they have drinks and other things that our "Mad Men" themed.  We don't drink so we didn't go in but apparently what makes this bar famous is the vivid mural above the bar painted by Maxfield Parrish, a famous American painter from the early twentieth century who was commissioned to paint the mural for fee of six thousand dollars way back in 1909.

The letter commissioning Maxfield Parrish

A document issued under the Prohibition Act to seize all the liquour from the hotel.

After leaving the hotel, we walked up the street and caught the BART back to the airport.

It was a short visit to San Francisco this time, but sweet, and we had an enjoyable little escape.

 

 

 

currently . . .

01. LISTENING - to the hum of my external drive and the hum of the refrigerator and the whir of the air as the ceiling fan cuts through it, funny how you really don't notice those sounds in the normal course of the day

02. EATING - nothing, but I am tempted to go pour me a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats, the strawberry kind, because they make pink milk, which tastes much better than regular milk and well I am not really a milk drinker, although I should think about ingesting more calcium in my old age

03. DRINKING - a glass of ice cold lemonade - because it is hot - even in the middle of the night

04. WEARING - a pair of black running shorts, a gray tee, and a bra that now that I am thinking about is quite uncomfortable and I just want it off - I can't sleep with one on, does anyone sleep with a bra on?

05. FEELING - hot, but we talked about that already, I live in the freakin desert! alone, I often feel that I am always the go-to person for whenever people need someone to lean-on or to talk to or to help but how is it when I need something, I always feel like I have no one to ask? sore, all my joints ache.  you'd think I was an old woman of 80. unappreciated. the two little words thank you go a long way.

06. WEATHER - uhh, duh. HOT! 110+ most days. You should see my tan.  I am dramatically (although, I would rather think exotically) dark.  Especially when I wear white.  I should start carrying an umbrella around with me for protection from the sun and my own DIY shade.

07. WANTING - to meet new friends. to have new opportunities. to get a decent night's sleep in my lifetime. to be a size 6 again.

08. NEEDING - to be more driven. a hug.

09. THINKING - about all the stuff that needs to get done tomorrow.

10. ENJOYING - the quiet at the moment and soon, a visit with my sister and her family in California

San Francisco pt.2  to come later today.

 

we left our hearts in san francisco . . . yet again pt.1

I am way behind on blogging about various things as usual and so not knowing where in the heck to begin, I am just going to start with the first trip of a trilogy of trips this summer. . . my and Ryan's trip to San Francisco.

Our friends Katie and Chad had told us about getting cheap airfare and hotel to San Francisco and asked us if we wanted to join them on a weekend getaway.  Weekend getaway?  To one of our favorite cities?  No kids?  Umm. YES PLEASE.

My BIL and SIL were coming up from Arizona that weekend and needed a place to stay so they stayed at our house with all of our kids while we jumped on a plane and made our weekend escape.

However, I must make a slight confession.  Had I had the choice presented to me again, I would have picked a different weekend.  Life leading up to that weekend and following was extremely busy and chaotic.  We had soccer, I had orders to do, household stuff, and we had to get ready for Girls' Camp - which involved a trip to get my Yukon checked out and serviced, trips to Target and Walmart for camp necessities and then packing for camp, sewing together a camp flag, and shopping for all the food for Girls' Camp and getting it all to fit in my refrigerator to keep until Tuesday morning.  Nuts.

We left on the morning of July 2nd.  My BIL Dave was kind enough to pick us up and take us to the airport.  Per my usual before we embark on trips, when he arrived at our house, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, furiously trying to get everything done and packed.

We flew on Virgin America Airlines.  Let me say, if you have the opportunity to fly with them, DO!  It is a much different experience then flying on Southwest or any other airline I have been on.  I had lots of legroom, the seats were comfortable, and everything was so clean!  The inside of the plan reminded me a lot of a boutique hotel like Red Rock or Aria.  Also pretty exciting was this . . .

Ryan and I were so excited that we could watch a World Cup match while on the plane!  Pretty cool! 

The plane ride was pretty smooth.  My view out the window . . .

When we got to San Francisco, the first thing we did was head to the hotel and see if we could do early-check in.

This is the hotel we stayed at . . .

photo source: Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts

The Palace Hotel.  It is a hotel built back in 1875 that has a lot of history.  My jaw dropped when I saw the inside . . .

Wow.  So beautiful.  When it was built back in 1875, the architect designed it to rival the grand hotels in Europe.

We were lucky to score an early check-in.  After checking in, we headed down to the transit office to get tickets to ride the trolleys and buses.  The line was huge and people were lined up all the way down the block.  We got smart and found that you could purchase tickets at the CVS up the street.  So when you go, be smart and see if your concierge at your hotel can get you your transit tickets or go to the local drugstore.

We have been to San Francisco a couple of times before but had never been down to The Embarcadero and Ferry Building Marketplace.  On Tuesdays and Saturdays, they have a special Farmers' Market down there.  So we jumped on the F-train (we kept calling them the F-bombs, these are the historic old transit trains from the 40's) and headed there.

Local farmers have stands set up out front, inside, and around the back facing the pier selling anything and everything that grows or that they produce locally like wines and cheeses, lotions, teas, etc. The fruits and vegetables are so fresh and there is like every variety known to man.  There were so many I have never seen before and would not have the first clue on how to prepare.

  There was also a ton of food stands where you could sample and purchase all types of food.  I found this one shop on the inside interesting . . .

Of course any salted pig part would be tasty, right?  Right?

Since we are right next to the water, there is a great view of the Bay Bridge.

After leaving Ferry Building Marketplace, we headed across the street to the flea market area where various artists where selling their art.  We then walked up to California St.  to take a ride on the trolley.

We did a ride-by Chinatown . . .

We got off the trolley and walked through the edges of Chinatown up to Washington Square.  Here are a couple of things I noticed along the way . . .

The Chinatown branch of the San Francisco Library - built back in 1921

All the buildings where people lived had laundry strung out the windows are hanging on fire escapes.

The view of Coit Tower from Washington Square.

From Washington Square, we caught the 39 line up to Coit Tower.  Coit Tower is a 210 ft tower atop Telegraph Hill from which you can see the whole entire city.

Ryan and I had been up the tower on a previous trip so we stayed at the bottom and walked around the grounds while our friends went to the top.  Even walking around the grounds you can see everything.

Golden Gate Bridge

statue of Christopher Columbus that is in the front

Alcatraz

the city and the Bay Bridge

Angel Island

While I was walking on the garden paths around the tower, I saw this . . .

a couple enjoying a moment (things like this make me smile)

After our friends got back down the tower, we jumped back on the 39 Bus to ride back down the hill.  The driver takes a crazy route where we head up a steep hill, make a U-turn at the top of it, and then we head back down the hill at a fast clip.  I swear when we hit the bottom we jumped a bit.

Not sure if you can tell how steep the hill is by the cars.  On our trip last year to San Francisco, Ryan and I walked up that hill in the rain.  We are troopers like that!

We headed back to Washington Square, took a few moments to admire the Grace Cathedral, and then jumped on the 8X back to our hotels to take a very much needed afternoon nap.

After our naps, we got dressed and headed out to dinner at Cafe Tiramisu, a recommendation of our concierge.

The inside had this mosaic and this carved artwork on the wall facing the tables.

I was a bit leery because when you think of the word "cafe", you think sandwiches, salads.  Let's just say that our dinner was quite the culinary experience.  We were served in courses by the owner/manager himself.

We started off with Stuffed Zucchini and Steamed Calimari in Chipotle Aioli. 

We then had this amazing Roasted Pear Salad w/Butter Lettuce, Feta, Bacon, with a Balsamic dressing.

We then had Gnocchi in a Five Meat Bolognese (it was good, but after making it for dinner this past week, I think mine is better)

For the main entree, Ryan and I had Filets with a Peppercorn Sauce. 

And finally, we finished dinner off with the Dessert Sampler which had a small portion of every amazing Italian dessert you can think of on it.

We ate like kings.

The view of the alley where the restaurant is located.  The tables were full when we arrived so we ate inside.  It was late when we finished dinner so we headed back to the hotel and crashed.

The view of the Garden Court at night.

That's it for Day1. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we love to see the temple 2011

and to reminisce, here was 2009

 

and now there are 3 . . . teenagers living in our house

Needing to take a minute to commemorate something pretty special . . .

Double trouble . . .

 

(one of my favorite pictures of my girls - this is circa 2008)

are no longer tweens but bonified, official, certifiable teenagers.  The twins celebrated their 13th birthday while at Girls' Camp a couple of weeks ago.

I happened to be at Girls' Camp with all my girls and my husband happened to be up in Utah, fishing and hiking with Zack.  Not wanting to think we forgot, Ryan found a place to do a special cake and drove up to Girls' Camp and surprised our girls with cake, ice cream, and balloons.

Because we were in the middle of Girls' Camp, Ryan had the cake designed with a "camp"

theme  . . .

The girls were so surprised to see their dad come into camp with a cake.  He snuck in through the backwoods.  All the girls and leaders sung Happy Birthday and the girls made a wish . . .

Of course, everyone at camp thoroughly enjoyed the cake and ice cream, but not as much as my two girls. 

Happy 13th Birthday Sydney and Chase! 

May we both survive your teenage years together!

 

 

july 12 on 12

.01 rain rain go away - we woke up to yet another day of rain, it has rained every single day we have been in Utah

.02 five dollar, five dollar foot longs - stopped off at Subway and to the Walmart grocery store to stock our cooler with eats and drinks for Lagoon

.03 the bat - the first rollercoaster of the day

.04 scream - the kids scream as they race down the hills on another rollercoaster

.05 reach for the sky - taking a break from the rollercoasters with a leisurely ride across the Lagoon park on the sky tram

.06 choo choo - the kids ride the train

.07 roar roar - the tiger was the most interesting animal in the Lagoon habitat

.08 lagoon-a-beach - the sun finally came out and after waiting in line and riding rollercoasters, we got hot so we changed into our swimsuits and headed to the waterpark to cool off

.09 rattlesnake rapids - our favorite ride in the park

.10 tired - after a long day of rides, we were all starving and ready to head back to the cousins' house to take showers and eat

.11 la puente - a large combo, small combo, and some chips and guacamole - cheap mexican food - but so very tasty

.12 last minute laundry - I was determined to get the last of our laundry finished and packed up before we headed home to Vegas

 

Top 10 Things I Have Learned While I Have Been Traveling About for the Last Week or So

1. Virgin America Airlines seriously rocks - kudos for legroom, nice staff, traveling entertainment, cleanliness, and style

2. Travel with friends is more fun.

3. Squeezing in a nap here and there during your travel adventures is a smart thing to do and you will so enjoy yourself more.

4. You need more than 12 hours in between travel adventures - getting off a plane from San Francisco to head to a 4th of July party and fireworks and then getting up to head to a week of Girls' Camp is insane. Trust me. I know.

5. A 7-8 man tent is really a 3 man tent or less once you throw a couple air mattresses and cots and other camp crap up in there. Thankfully, I had a stroke of genius to bring my own tent.

6. You should never take flush toilets for granted. Pooping or peeing in a hole does not crack up to be an enjoyable experience. Especially when you have to hike to said hole through dark woods in the rain.

7. If you have a prompting that something is wrong, pay attention to it. Heed it. I felt I needed to check my tires before heading back to camp from hiking in Red Canyon. Thank goodness I did. One tire was puckered and cracked bad and needed to be replaced. Ended up 2 tires were in pretty bad shape. Spent some serious $$$ to replace tires, however, you can't put a price on safety.

8. Pain is usually a good indicator that something is wrong with you. I was feeling some pretty bad pain in my leg before hiking on Thursday. I ignored it, thinking some Benadryl and some Motrin would help alleviate the problem. I hiked up a mountain and down a mountain and stood for 2 hours straight on a bad leg taking pictures of girls coming down the zip line. Can you say STUPID? By the time I hobbled back to camp, my leg had swollen to twice the size of the other one. When I finally sat down, I began to cry, the pain in my leg was so intense. I ended up having to leave Girls' Camp for a middle of the night trip to the ER. Turns out my leg was infected from a bug bite. I got shot up with some drugs and was told to stay off my leg and that I would miss the rest of Girls' Camp. So the point? If something really hurts, seek medical attention. Do not wait. Do not pretend the pain is not there. And definitely do not hike up a mountain on it.

9. Camera phone pics should be saved to an SD card. My phone whigged out with the rain an what-not and ended up resetting itself. I lost all my camera phone pics.

10. It is good to have family that has got your back. First off, I've got a wonderful husband who took time off to make sure my son had a fun week while his sisters were at camp. Who also took the time to order a cake and get ice cream and drive up to camp on my twins' birthday to surprise them. And who also drove me to the ER in the middle of the night from camp to make sure I got the medical care I needed and then drove back up to camp the next night in the rain to pack up all my stuff and pick up my girls from camp. I've got great parent-inlaws, who put me up in the middle of the night as I was not permitted to go back to camp by the doctor, who drove my husband up to camp so he could pick up my vehicle as I could not drive down the mountain, and took my son and husband fishing and hiking. And I've got a great SIL and BIL who have graciously let my family crash up at their house while we are on vacation and who have fed us.

See ya when I get back!