Disneyland in 16 iPhone photos...
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Busy. Busy. Busy.
I have been so busy living my life that I haven’t had time to write about it on here! It has been a complete whirlwind for the last 2 weeks and I think that I finally have time to catch my breath!!
First off was a quick trip away with just my hubby and I to Laughlin, Nevada. It was the first time that I had ever been there and my husband hadn’t been there for almost 15 years, so neither of us were really sure what to expect. It definitely was NO Vegas…but there was some gambling & drinking, so we had a great time. AND it was really, really relaxing. Which was something that we both desperately needed. It was nice to get away by ourselves for a couple of days….just to enjoy each other, take our time doing things and feel no rushing or responsibilities for a couple of days. (And we walked away with all of our money, not losing one dollar to the casinos! Score!!)
The day that we got back from Laughlin, we had 3 hours to pick up our dog from the boarders, go grocery shopping, do laundry & get our house ready for house guests! A college friend of ours from up in Washington State came down with her family to go to her grandparent’s 60th anniversary party. Since we hadn’t seen each other in almost 3 years it was so nice to get to spend some time with each other…and the trip was made even better because our kiddos really got along and had fun with each other! (We even managed to squeeze in a fun four-generation family photo shoot with her family, her parents, aunts & uncles and grandparents! I LOVE being able to capture special moments like that!)
Finally…the trip that we had been planning for a couple of months came. The big trip to Disneyland! We had just 5 days between our house guests leaving and us leaving to go on our trip. So needless to say, I have been...
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!
First off was a quick trip away with just my hubby and I to Laughlin, Nevada. It was the first time that I had ever been there and my husband hadn’t been there for almost 15 years, so neither of us were really sure what to expect. It definitely was NO Vegas…but there was some gambling & drinking, so we had a great time. AND it was really, really relaxing. Which was something that we both desperately needed. It was nice to get away by ourselves for a couple of days….just to enjoy each other, take our time doing things and feel no rushing or responsibilities for a couple of days. (And we walked away with all of our money, not losing one dollar to the casinos! Score!!)
The day that we got back from Laughlin, we had 3 hours to pick up our dog from the boarders, go grocery shopping, do laundry & get our house ready for house guests! A college friend of ours from up in Washington State came down with her family to go to her grandparent’s 60th anniversary party. Since we hadn’t seen each other in almost 3 years it was so nice to get to spend some time with each other…and the trip was made even better because our kiddos really got along and had fun with each other! (We even managed to squeeze in a fun four-generation family photo shoot with her family, her parents, aunts & uncles and grandparents! I LOVE being able to capture special moments like that!)
Finally…the trip that we had been planning for a couple of months came. The big trip to Disneyland! We had just 5 days between our house guests leaving and us leaving to go on our trip. So needless to say, I have been...
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The story about that time that I made out with the bartender
Yeah, you read that right. This is the story about the time that I made out with a bartender. But this story has two sides to it.
There is the story about what REALLY happened.
And then there is the story about what two drunk men think happened.
When we were on our little excursion down to southern Arizona at the beginning of the month we stopped into a local pizza joint in Bisbee for dinner. And let me tell you that it was a great place to eat at. The pizza was from a wood fired oven. The No Besos Para Ti appetizer was amazing and garlic-y, the beer--phenomenal, and the pizza was seriously out of this world good. Our waitress was great. We sat outside and let the children run amok (we were the only ones on the back patio, so they weren't bothering anyone and they got some excess energy out!).
We enjoyed our time, relaxed and conversed with some of the amazing people that worked there...including one of the girls nicknamed "cuddles." And yes, I did ask for some cuddles, but she did not oblige me. (I possibly just scared her...)
Then as we were leaving I noticed one of the women that was working behind the bar was having a little situation with a man just outside in the parking lot. I could tell that it wasn't a great situation and that mostly it was the man just being an asshat to her. Calling her names, and just not getting it. (Turns out he didn't like that he couldn't bring in his own bottle of wine to drink with dinner...it wasn't something that they could do with the type of liquor license that they had. He just didn't get it and thought they were being "mean." Again I say...asshat.)
Noticing that she was upset about the exchange, I did a typical "Jen" thing and I went back inside to tell her how much we enjoyed our meal and our time at her restaurant. I knew that she needed to hear something good after such a sucky "conversation" with that asshat. (You see...this is just something that I often do, and my husband thinks that it's weird...I can't stand to see people upset, especially when they don't deserve it. And she didn't. Not at all. It doesn't matter to me if someone is a stranger. Sometimes kind words can make all the difference in the world!)
Now we get to the part in the story about me "making-out" with the bartender. After I told her how much we enjoyed ourselves, she grabbed me and hugged me. Then she began kissing my cheeks and saying "bella...thank you!" & "oh bella...you are wonderful." It was a very touching moment. I felt full of happiness for dissolving her rotten mood and I could tell that she was grateful for me taking the time to tell her that we had a good time and enjoyed the food.
I then walked outside to get into the car to go back to our hotel. The end of my story. Simple. Straightforward. Sweet. But...
Here is where the "other" view of the story comes into play.
Immediately as I opened the door to our rented mini-van the two men (one of which was my husband) began excitedly to tell me about how they had saw two women "totally making out in the restaurant!" I then told them that it had been me with the bartender.
I was quickly interrupted and before I could tell them that what they thought they saw was wrong, they exclaimed excitedly "YOU made out with the bartender!! Wow, she was HOT!"
Yes, in their drunken stupor what they saw was actually the exchange between the bartender and I. The moment that was really sweet and included a hug and a kiss on the cheek from a grateful woman, was a huge make out session to these two men. Ugh. I then had to calm them down and tell them what really happened.
All that I can say is...
Ugh.
Men.
There is the story about what REALLY happened.
And then there is the story about what two drunk men think happened.
When we were on our little excursion down to southern Arizona at the beginning of the month we stopped into a local pizza joint in Bisbee for dinner. And let me tell you that it was a great place to eat at. The pizza was from a wood fired oven. The No Besos Para Ti appetizer was amazing and garlic-y, the beer--phenomenal, and the pizza was seriously out of this world good. Our waitress was great. We sat outside and let the children run amok (we were the only ones on the back patio, so they weren't bothering anyone and they got some excess energy out!).
 |
| Chris & Caleb exploring the back patios of the restaurant |
 |
| Wood pile for the wood-fired pizza oven |
Noticing that she was upset about the exchange, I did a typical "Jen" thing and I went back inside to tell her how much we enjoyed our meal and our time at her restaurant. I knew that she needed to hear something good after such a sucky "conversation" with that asshat. (You see...this is just something that I often do, and my husband thinks that it's weird...I can't stand to see people upset, especially when they don't deserve it. And she didn't. Not at all. It doesn't matter to me if someone is a stranger. Sometimes kind words can make all the difference in the world!)
Now we get to the part in the story about me "making-out" with the bartender. After I told her how much we enjoyed ourselves, she grabbed me and hugged me. Then she began kissing my cheeks and saying "bella...thank you!" & "oh bella...you are wonderful." It was a very touching moment. I felt full of happiness for dissolving her rotten mood and I could tell that she was grateful for me taking the time to tell her that we had a good time and enjoyed the food.
I then walked outside to get into the car to go back to our hotel. The end of my story. Simple. Straightforward. Sweet. But...
Here is where the "other" view of the story comes into play.
Immediately as I opened the door to our rented mini-van the two men (one of which was my husband) began excitedly to tell me about how they had saw two women "totally making out in the restaurant!" I then told them that it had been me with the bartender.
I was quickly interrupted and before I could tell them that what they thought they saw was wrong, they exclaimed excitedly "YOU made out with the bartender!! Wow, she was HOT!"
Yes, in their drunken stupor what they saw was actually the exchange between the bartender and I. The moment that was really sweet and included a hug and a kiss on the cheek from a grateful woman, was a huge make out session to these two men. Ugh. I then had to calm them down and tell them what really happened.
All that I can say is...
Ugh.
Men.
Friday, June 24, 2011
A Trip to the "Old West"
A couple of weeks ago one of my closest friends and her family came to visit us. The thing about this visit is that it is an annual visit...every June she and her family come down here to the desert from the waterlogged state of Washington (my home state) and hang out with us. We swim, drink, laugh, eat a lot, and just generally have a great time. But we also plan one trip to somewhere in the state of AZ during each visit also.
This year we choose to head south of the Phoenix metro area and do an "Old West" trip. We hit up Tombstone & Bisbee and had a fantastic time!
First off we stated at Tombstone. If you have never been there I highly recommend it...it is definitely a tourist town, but still so much fun! While there we were entertained by a shoot out at the OK Corral, the kiddos got to "meet" Doc Holliday up close and personal (he also grouched at them and took a photo with them all looking "angry"), visited the Boothill Graveyard, and took a stagecoach ride. We also walked around, shopping, checking out old buildings and just generally having a great time!
Next off we headed to Bisbee, Arizona. Now since this was my second visit to the town of Bisbee, I can honestly say that it is my favorite town in ALL of Arizona. It is a beautifully quirky town southeast of Tucson, near the Mexican border. It was originally settled as a mining town, but today is known as a charming, unique artist community. We decided to stay overnight in Bisbee in the historic (and haunted) Copper Queen Hotel...and yes, both families had ghostly encounters while staying there! We walked around the town, had an amazing dinner at a pizza place called Screaming Banshee Pizza...and if you ever visit the town make sure to eat here...the food was AWESOME! We did a little shopping, talked to local artisans, and took a tour of an inactive copper mine, the Queen Mine.
It was a jam packed two-day trip...but so much fun!!
So if you are ever in the Southwest visiting...I encourage you to travel down to southern Arizona and visit these two places. You won't be disappointed!
This year we choose to head south of the Phoenix metro area and do an "Old West" trip. We hit up Tombstone & Bisbee and had a fantastic time!
First off we stated at Tombstone. If you have never been there I highly recommend it...it is definitely a tourist town, but still so much fun! While there we were entertained by a shoot out at the OK Corral, the kiddos got to "meet" Doc Holliday up close and personal (he also grouched at them and took a photo with them all looking "angry"), visited the Boothill Graveyard, and took a stagecoach ride. We also walked around, shopping, checking out old buildings and just generally having a great time!
Next off we headed to Bisbee, Arizona. Now since this was my second visit to the town of Bisbee, I can honestly say that it is my favorite town in ALL of Arizona. It is a beautifully quirky town southeast of Tucson, near the Mexican border. It was originally settled as a mining town, but today is known as a charming, unique artist community. We decided to stay overnight in Bisbee in the historic (and haunted) Copper Queen Hotel...and yes, both families had ghostly encounters while staying there! We walked around the town, had an amazing dinner at a pizza place called Screaming Banshee Pizza...and if you ever visit the town make sure to eat here...the food was AWESOME! We did a little shopping, talked to local artisans, and took a tour of an inactive copper mine, the Queen Mine.
It was a jam packed two-day trip...but so much fun!!
And now, I'm going to overwhelm you with photos.
First up is Tombstone, AZ:
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| Our stagecoach driver, Cecil |
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| The boys looking "angry" with Doc Holliday |
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| Settling in to watch the shoot out at the OK Corral |
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| The Earps |
And here are some photos of Bisbee, Arizona!
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| Our hotel, the Copper Queen |
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| Interesting art in Bisbee |
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| Behind this wall was a dog park! |
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| My son & his new "friend" at a honey shop in town |
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| Getting ready to go on the mine tour! |
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| The kiddos has so much fun pretending to be miners! |
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| My two "miners" |
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| Heading in! |
So if you are ever in the Southwest visiting...I encourage you to travel down to southern Arizona and visit these two places. You won't be disappointed!
Monday, June 13, 2011
I'm back...
I've been away from blogland lately because I've been ON VACATION! It was a much needed week off, full of fun, drinks, and traveling around southern Arizona...I'm back to work today and playing catch-up there, but I will be back here soon to tell you the details of the trip!
Here's a little sneak peak of the fun!
Can you guess what we were doing and where we were?
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Our First "Real" Family Vacation
This past week we took our first "real" family vacation. By real vacation I mean a vacation as a family that didn't involve going to see family...all of our previous trips have always been about going back up to Washington State to visit our hometown and see the grandparents and friends. Don't get me wrong...I love those trips, but it was such a great time to finally go on a vacation that was all about us. All about us doing what we wanted, when we wanted on our own schedule. A vacation that was all about having fun!
And lots and lots of fun was had!
Last Saturday we loaded up a rented van, picked up my sister-in-law and two nephews and headed on the road to Disneyland! We had three amazing days in both of the parks, California Adventure and Disneyland and I have so many great memories. It was the perfect age for Caleb's first visit...he loved just about everything, except the Haunted Mansion. (Which he keeps talking about..."no windows, no doors, no way out...I never want to go back to that place mommy, not even when I get old!")
And lots and lots of fun was had!
Last Saturday we loaded up a rented van, picked up my sister-in-law and two nephews and headed on the road to Disneyland! We had three amazing days in both of the parks, California Adventure and Disneyland and I have so many great memories. It was the perfect age for Caleb's first visit...he loved just about everything, except the Haunted Mansion. (Which he keeps talking about..."no windows, no doors, no way out...I never want to go back to that place mommy, not even when I get old!")
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