So Cal

Saturday morning we left a very soggy Vancouver and headed to Seattle for our flight to LAX! This was the first time we had flown Virgin airlines and it was a great experience. the girls got to sit in the captains seat and see all the buttons which was too cool! Each seat had its own tv and we got to watch tv for the entire flight. Landing in LA the sun was shinning and it was nice and hot. When we arrived at Thrifty car rentals that was not a great experience they were very rude and told us we were stuck with a mini van- this was not going to work for us as we were going to be doing a lot of driving and we needed something small for parking purposes up in Manhatten Beach. After an hour of arguing we had to pay $100 more for a compact Ford Focus! An hour later we headed south to Escondido- we arrived at about 7 checked in then headed in to town for dinner! After driving around for a good 45 mins we eventually found an Applebee's and had a so so dinner! The we went to Von's and stocked up for the week. We eventually got to our condo at about 9:30- we were exhausted!

Sunday
We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and decided to spend the day at the pool! The pool at our complex was closed so we headed up to the Boulder Springs clubhouse and the huge pool and water slide up there! The girls were in their element, me too as I got to relax and read my book(Dreams of Joy!)! After a few hours of sun we were crispy. We headed back for lunch and then took a walk up to another clubhouse for ice cream sundaes. Sunday afternoon we chilled, had a BBQ dinner and then some family pool at the kids clubhouse after - what a great start to our holiday.


Monday
Another gorgeous day greeted us, we decided to head to the beach! So we drove to Oceanside and took a long walk on the long pier. It was beautiful, with tons of surfers and at the end of the pier we say a few pods of dolphins- awesome! We then drove south to Carlsbad and lunch time. We had a great lunch at Swamis and the headed down to the beach? It was so nice and warm we all chilled for a bit. Then we decided we needed some retail therapy. The Carlsbad outlet mall was close and off we went. Frank found some good deals but they were missing a lot of good stores. We shopped for a bit and then headed home. After a full day no-one felt like cooking so Pizza Hut it was. Another great fun packed day!

Tuesday
It was a little cloudy today and Frank and I had to attend a timeshare presentations- not sure how we were roped into that. It was too long and they were giving us the hard sell- so we left. The girls int he meantime had a great time at the kids club and had made tons of origami and had a good lunch too. We then drove to Mission Beach and Belmont Park, the girls each got a wristband and went on all the rides. Danica went on the roller coaster about 6 times- she liked it a lot. After a few hours we headed to the soft serve ice cream stand and each had a massive ice cream- yum. Then we took a walk down the beach- it is so nice and relaxing down here. After a few hours in Mission Beach we headed to Point Loma- Karen had told me about this and it was an amazing site to see. All the white crosses in memory of fallen soldiers- truly a site. We could also see all the way to Mexico too- what a great place to visit- too bad we were too late to go to the museum at the point. Then it was home for a pasta dinner.

Wednesday
The sun was out this morning so we decided to have a chill day- we headed up to the pool and spent a few hours there- I discovered the adults only hot tub at the pool and spent a bit in there. The girls had a great time in the massive pool. We had an easy lunch followed by a nap. Then we woke up and had to go to Von's for some food items. Frank dropped me at Ross to do some shopping and headed to the Whole Foods nearby. Coming home we got caught in the traffic and we worried we would due late for the 7pm Illusionist show we had fix too. We dashed in - had a dinner of leftovers and made it in time to the Welk Theatre for the Anthony Hernandez show. It was an impressive show- there were birds and bunnies and ladies cut in half, even an underwater Hodini escape. The girls were mesmerized and got toe meet Anthony after- not bad for a free show.

Thursday
The fog was abound in the morning so we headed to the beach. Our first stop was the wine town of Temecula- a great little town, with lots of antique shopping and wine tasting. I had an olive oil tasting- which was a little weird as they don't use bread- but the oils were delis and I ended up buying a few bottles- will be a challenge to fly home I am sure. After a few hours here we continued on our adventures for the day and stopped at the Mission Lui Del Rey- one of the many missions in So Cal. It was lovely to see - the architecture was beautiful and the church so restful. They have the oldest pepper tree in North America planted here- pretty huge.
Next stop was the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad- wow! Frank and the girls had a blast here- surprisingly I was not bored- there were great displays and many instruments to play. i really liked the electric harp the most. The girls each got a mini harmonica necklace here too- cute. across the street for the museum were the ranunculus flower fields- they were lovely and colourful- a great site to see. A quick stop and at Starbucks and we were headed back to the resort. The girls got to go swimming too- fun packed day was had by all.

Friday
It was pretty cloudy today and so we headed to Balboa Park and the Nat-The National History Museum. There were huge dinosaurs in the lobby so we knew this would be good. The first floor had water etc in california, the next level
showed dinosaurs and how lad masses move- relevant to what Dani is learning in school now so that was great. The top level had skulls- so many different sizes and shapes- they also had a display of how they clean the flesh off the skulls- maggots!! The lower level was my fav- it was all about gems- there were some impressive diamonds and other stunning rocks down there.
We popped in the Spanish Arts Village after the NAT- we saw how they make fimo beads- we can do that!! Then lunch and off to Las Americas mall for shopping. This mall is 2 miles from the Mexico border- in fact there parking lot backs on to the border and you can see Mexico across the fence. We did some damage to our bank account here that was for sure- but the deals were great. Danica who is growing like a vine- go the most followed by Frank and his shopping habit. After a few hours- we were pooped and headed back north to the resort and dinner at Chilis. Frank was so hungry he finished off his meal- half my burger and the girls chicken chunks- must have been all that shopping. Then we had to go back and pack up to leave the next morning.

Goodbye 2011

2011 was a bad year for a lot of people around me, but for me it was a pretty good year. I had started a new job at the end of 2010 and was well into it at the beginning of 2011, although working from home was getting a little lonely. Spring Break was awesome- we went to Hawaii for 2 weeks- one week on Oahu- where we go to spend time with the Liquorish Ohana. I haven't seen Wes in over 20 years and to get to meet his amazing wife and delightful girls was such a treat. We also hung out in Waikiki for a few days- that was pretty amazing. I think the highlight was seeing an episode of Hawaii-50 being filmed- too cool. After a week we flew to Maui and spent a week with the Chandlers in paradise!


Then Frank and I got to go to England for a week. Frank was asked to be the best man at his good friends wedding. So we left the girls here in good hands with family and headed to the UK. We had an amazing week, first hanging out in Somerset with the bride and groom and all the wonderful sites to see in the country. I think Wells Cathedral was my ultimate fav. We also spent 2 days in London with my cousins- that was so incredible to see everyone- lucky us.

The summer was a whirlwind as always - Oregon was fun and Camping at Golden Ears was great. The Freers lived with us for 2 months too- between houses. The weather was great for these adventures although the rest of the summer left a little to much rain in its wake.

Back to school was good- Dani went to middle school - which was a giant step for us parents. Boo's into grade 3 with Mrs.Chu- she was happy.

November we headed to Cali and Disneyland for a surprise trip with the Quinn's. It was a brief but great trip. We flew from Seattle to Santa Ana airport and stayed at the Red Lion. We spent the first day in Disney and managed to make it through the park in 11 hours or so!! Saturday we headed to California Adventure. It was a pretty cloudy, cool day so we had no line ups to deal with- awesome- hence the need to go on the TOWER OF TERROR 4 times! Ugh! Sunday was Dani's birthday so we went back to Disney for the day- followed by a swim in the pool at the hotel and dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. What a great birthday treat. Monday we rented a car and spent the day in Santa Monica- then it was home.

Before we knew it December was upon us and all the fun festive activities- what a great year it was!

Oregon

Another wonderful week gone by, spent with friends on the Oregon coast. We truly love heading down to Oregon each year and doing wonderful family activities.
Friday July 29th we left work early and headed to the border- thank goodness for our Nexus pass, as we were through the border in no time and on our way to Olympia. Denise and Ian were ahead of us and texting about how bad the Seattle traffic was- so we headed to the 401 and by passed the jam. We arrived in Olympia to the Phoenix Inn and suites and what a lovely hotel it was. We all walked down to the Mercato Italian Restaurant for dinner. They seemed to have a hard time seating 8- but we eventually got a seat in the back of the place. After a great feast it was back to the hotel and to bed after a long day.
Saturday was a gorgeous hot morning- we had the buffet breakfast and then headed towards Salem. We made a detour so Frank could buy a new bass and then headed to the Walmart in Salem. We stopped for subway and food supplies (boy is it cheap!) and then we were coast bound! We arrived in Neskowin at 2ish, go the key and headed up to the house.
Frank and Ian were headed to the the White Snake concert that night - so we made an early dinner and then Denise drove them to the Chinook Winds for their concert. We hit the sack early- all that fresh ocean air is tiring.
Sunday, Denise and I decided to hit the outlet mall for a few hours while the guys headed to the beach with the little people. We shopped for a few hours- got some awesome deals and then back to the house.
After all that shopping we were not in to making dinner so we headed to Pacific City and that wonderful dune. We climbed the dune and the kids ran ahead. The menfolk also ran to the top. On my way up I was greeted with Danica coming back down as she had sand in her contacts- poor thing. So she and I headed to the Pelican Pub to get the sand out and book a table for 8. The rest hung out at the dune and we turned back at one point to see a herd of horses at the top of the dune, poised to run down, and run down they did. The kids got to pet the horses at the bottom. Dune climbing is tiring work, so we eagerly sat down in the pub and ordered our fish and chips. What a great setting for a pub. After dinner we enjoyed the lovely sunset- after all that is what Oregon is about.
Monday we figured that it was time to get some food- so we all headed to the Safeway- the guys were going to drop us off and go to the Lincoln City beach for a while- as we go out of the car, I noticed that our tire was flat- flat- flat! So Frank and Ian installed the spare and went in search of a tire repair shop instead of the beach as planned. We headed in to Safeway to shop.
When we were done, there they were with the tire al fixed- thanks Les shwab! Denise and I went back to Neskowin with the little ones and Frank and Ian and the older 2 set out in search of an Internet cafe! We headed to the beach for an afternoon of kite flying,sand castle building and reading our books. The guys joined us much later. After dinner we were too tired for a campfire so we deferred in until the next night.
Tuesday we started off the day early and headed to Florence and the sand dunes. It was a long 2.5 hour drive but we arrived and headed to the dune site to book our sand rail experience. It was a long wait, which we filled with a picnic lunch and mini golf. But it was so worth it. We had Me, Frank, Dara, Delaney and Denise in one sand rail and Ian, Danica and Quinn in the other. It was crazy- we went up over 800 feet and felt like we were on a crazy roller coaster. The girls screamed and screamed but LOVED it. It was a 30 min thrill ride. What a great experience!! Then it was back home - stopping at the Fred Meyer in Newport for some Starbucks and supplies for the house. We picked up Papa Murphy's take and Bake pizza and headed home. No fire Tuesday either- we were pooped!
Wednesday Frank, Ian , Danica and Quinn, headed up to the Silitz river and rented a boat to go fishing, while we went to the outlet mall and shopped for back to school for the little ones. No fish were caught but lots of clothes were bought. Wednesday night we had a huge fire on the beach- it was awesome. There were marshmallows to be roasted and fun was had by all. Until we had to come home- then it was dark and we had to walk across Hawk Creek in that dark and cold! Then Denise fell on the stairs on the way up - it was not that much fun!
Thursday we had to take the older ones shopping for back to school- so to the outlet mall we went for a hours and then we headed to Foggerty Creek for a BBQ lunch and a few hours of agate hunting- a favourite pass time.
Before we knew it Friday was upon us!! We decided to spend the entire day at the beach. We headed down in the morning spent the day on the beach with a break for lunch and then we were there late into the afternoon until the tide was almost up to our towels. We headed back for dinner and then back to the beach for a bonfire!!
Saturday morning we cleaned up the house and headed for home-too short a trip!
We stopped at the Walmart in Salem for school supplies. Then it was straight up to Tullalip and some last minute deals there.
We reached the border at 9:30pm - exhausted from a day of travel- sailed through the border and homeward bound.
Another awesome trip under our belt and memories to last a life time.

Spring?

Well, the one advantage to this rainy Spring we are having is that I have been able to catch up on my scrapbooking. I am perpetually 6 months behind. But with rainy days and some spare time I am closing that gap. I have also been able to catch up on lots of reading as the girls have started Spring swimming-which amounts to 10 hours a week that I am at the pool. So reading and scrapbooking have been at the top of my things to do.
We had a great Spring break getaway in Hawaii- but that tan has faded fast. 1300 photos or so were taken in those 2 weeks away- thank goodness for mac books otherwise those photos might never have seen the light of day!
It has been a pretty busy year so far- so there have been lots of photos taken and so I do hope to get on top of all that. There are so many other projects around the house I wish I had time to do too. I have managed to paint the bathroom, but still have the master bedroom and all the windowsills in the house to paint. Not to mention the yard work. The flowers are late to bloom this year due to the continuous rain, but the weeds don't mind they come up no matter what.

Where is summer?

As the days start to get longer again, I am so looking forward to summer. It seems the cold is very much in my bones and I long for some sun on my face. Spring break cannot come soon enough for a get away, but oh summer where are you?
This last summer we seemed to cram so much in and yet still never got to do the things I really wanted to- like hang out at the lake more often, go swimming (other than swim club) and more long bike rides. We did actually manage to get down to Stanley Park once- which was awesome. But this summer I hope we can get some more canoeing, bike riding, hiking in. It is going to be a challenge- especially now that I am working 5 days a week- but here's to hoping.

Chucks

Oh my word- my girls love their chucks. I could not believe the state of Danica's when I had a close look at them! I had the hardest time convincing her that they needed to be chucked away! She claimed "they are soooooo comfy"- but I do believe she was walking on pavement through the heels!! So we threw them away and got her her 4th or 5th pair- she seems to need a new pair every 6 months or so. I know how hard it is to find a GOOD pair of shoes so I am glad that she has found that in her chucks.

Vegas Baby

May 2010 Linda, Denise, Nat and I headed out to Vegas for 4 days. Linda and I flew out of Vancouver at some ungodly hour on the Thursday. Nat and Denise dropped the kids at school and then made a run for the border to Bellingham. As luck would have it we all landed at the same time. We were in Vegas baby!! We caught a cab to the Planet Hollywood Hotel, checked in and we were rearing to go. Wow, is all I can say. I have not been to LV since 1998 and it has changed so much.


The hotels, if possible, are bigger than ever, and the glitter and bling is incredible. Needless to say we shopped and shopped and saw so much (and that was just the first day). While we were there we saw the Cirque show Zumanity- amazing, rode the roller coaster at NY, NY, ventured up the Eiffle Tower, floated down the lagoons on a Gondolla and then shopped some more. After 4 amazing days in Vegas we were ready to come home. We were exhausted. We had so much fun though it was well worth the exhaustion. Denise is the only one who won 'big", we mostly just sat at the slots to get the free drinks! It was a great trip and we hope to do it again soon- thanks ladies for a blast.