Guilty Pleasure Day Trip

Yeah, I went to Forks...and La Push. Yes I am that dorky twi-mom driving hours out of my way to go to a tiny map dot town because it inspired a ridiculous love story of a pseudo vampire and girl that makes Austen’s Fanny Price look like the lead character in The Hunger Games….yet somehow most everyone, me included, love the series. Damn you Stephenie Meyer. Thank God I have some very understanding family members who indulged my strange guilty pleasure and drove 3 hours with me from our friend’s cabin on Daebob Bay to the tiny tiny town of Forks. 

Place of Edward and Bella's first date. 

Food was really good....and yes, I had the mushroom ravioli 

Jason really was a good sport

Yep, best husband ever! 

Forks Hospital....although someone stole Carlisle's parking sign. Bummer. 

We went to the hospital, police station, the Cullen house, grocery store, visitor center, and souvenir store. It seems like a lot, but Forks is really small. Like blink and you'll miss it small. So while it seems like a lot, it didn't take long at all. 

First Beach. Of course we had to go to this one because its the one mentioned in the books. Although, I wish I would have planned better, worn sturdier shoes and gone to Second Beach. It is supposed to be incredible and you have to hike though a second growth forrest to get there. 

Jason read a few pages of 50 Shades of Grey

The drive back was long but the view was amazing....Lake Crescent is gorgeous! 

The Great Northwest

Just a little closer to getting caught up to real life. Jason and I try to get away without the kids for at least a few days a year. This year we stuck to that commitment and headed to the beautiful northwest for a whole week. We headed straight for the market, which probably wasn’t the best idea on a Friday afternoon because it was packed. Like Disneyland packed. It all worked out because I got my BBQ pork Hum Bow from Mee Sum Pastry, something which I have been craving since the last time I was in Seattle four years ago, and of course a delicious coffee. 

Jason riding the famous pig. If you look at this pic from far away his wide eyes, glasses and huge arched eyebrows make him look a bit like Harry Potter riding a broomstick. 

So, while we were all munching on fresh fish and local cuisine, Jason orders a meatloaf sandwich. I have no idea where he got it seeings how we were in a seafood market, but he walked away and came back 10 minutes later with his southern lunch. 

Death never looked so good. 

So pretty! 

I don't even remember what we were eating. It was fruit, with a strange shell and the texture of a raw scallop. Gross. But Trish seemed to like it. 

line for the first Starbucks was huge. Like wrap around the block, wait for an hour for a cup of coffee huge. So, this pic is of Landon and I in front of the first Starbucks in 2006. 

And another one of us in 2008. Poor Jason. He went to war and I went on vacations. 

The market at night. This was really cool.

Since the market was completely empty at 10pm I felt brave enough to get a picture with the pig. All smiles.....however, what you don't see is us screaming when we saw a huge rat three seconds after this pic was taken. 

Queen Anne neighborhood. Almost as adorable as Redondo Beach

Finally made it to our little vacation spot on Daebob Bay. I am a little more than tipsy in this pic as you can probably tell. 

One of my favorite beaches! Its all rock and you have to be careful of the oyster shells on bare feet, but there are beautiful views, and I have been going there since I was six so lots of memories. 

Pic of Layla in 2008 at the same beach. :) 

Heading back to Seattle via the Bremerton ferry. Me talking and everyone else trying to get away...haha

After we kissed my Dad and Trish goodbye, Jason and I did some sightseeing on our own. We took a boat up to Victoria, BC and spent the day exploring the city. Or at least that was the plan. The 6am boat ride was awful. So many people got seasick and I was dizzy and pissed off when we finally got to our destination. The picture above was taken several hours later when I had time to recover. 

Landon, Layla and Me visiting Victoria in 2008 with my dad

This is how we recovered. A little pathetic to nap under a tree on the Parliament lawn for an hour, but necessary. 

Fancy Jason

Such a cool hotel! I really wanted to have high tea there but it was super expensive. Jason's response, "Do they have a medium tea?" No biggie, we walked around and I ended up having a nice "low tea" of  green tea and a slice of banana bread. Overall, it was great spending some alone time with Jason! More to come of our day trip to Forks and La Push.....

Summer: Part 2

After a blissful month of cool California weather, we headed to AZ to embark on our month of family visits and hot temperatures. Oh, and while there are a few pics of Landon, most are of Layla. This is not due to favoritism. Landon just hates having his picture taken. 

Suitcase in the backseat. Necessary, with the added bonus of doubling as a doggie bed and keeping the kids's fighting to a minimal. 

Yes she was fine. Only minimal water up the nose. 

At the beginning of the summer Landon made a list of things to do. #10 on the list was to make a banana cream pie all by himself. Mission complete! 

Love, love, love this picture! 

Ginger and her girls Hannah and Meah drove up to Oklahoma to see us! Layla was thrilled to have a playmate for a couple of days....we all had a blast despite the boiling heat. 

Just hangin with Grandpa

Bugs! 

Cooking with Grandma

Little man boy. Getting so big! 

Lounging princess 

My little movie star

Summer Time - Part 1

Over the years I have found that around the month of May, the commitment of one’s New Year’s resolutions start to wane and the always too elaborate plans of summer take precedence over time and mental energy. As is the case with my forgotten blog. It is a great tragedy. Well, not really. Just a little pathetic. I have been reading the Great Gatsby all day and am currently watching Much Ado About Nothing so all my sentences are trying to sound more articulate than I am capable. Moving on…..The beginning of our summer was wonderful. Filled with fun baking, beach days and beautiful warm (and thankfully not too hot) weather. 

Soft pretzels. These are the pretzels we ate. The kids made their own little masterpieces out of dough that they played with for over an hour, however working the dough for that long ensured plenty of crumbs and carpet fibers mixed in so they remained uneaten. 

 This is why I love pinterest! Just divide your waffle batter and dye some of it green and some of it red. Pour the red in the center of a round waffle iron and the green around the edge, then sprinkle with chocolate chips. Not healthy in the slightest, but a great crowd pleaser. 

This pic cracks me up. Landon and Layla playing an computer game together (gasp!), him shirtless and her performing some kind of gymnastics move with her leg. 

 Beach Day! Of course every beach day begins with digging a huge pit. 

 reenacting a scene from The Little Mermaid. 

 My little Mermaid !

 Lots of walks through our cute neighborhood. Note the hoodies during summer! Yay!

 Gretchen and her fam came through town and I had the pleasure of escorting her around town for five whole hours....without any kids! Five hours may seem like a long time but it flew by for these two mommies. Bestie + ocean views = The best day ever! Seriously, Taylor Swift should write a song about that day. 

 Of course Hayley and Layla hit it off right away. The rest of the day was spent eating ice cream, walking around the Manhattan Beach Pier, dinner and lots of good visiting.