Life in the Emerald City

A Day in Paradise

One of my favorite places to visit in Washington is Rialto Beach on the Pacific Coast.  It’s about a 4 hour drive from Seattle, which includes a short ferry ride across the Puget Sound.  The drive is absolutely beautiful: forest-lined highway coupled with snow-covered mountains in the distance.  The beach always has this magical mist all around it; the grey ocean calls to you in rhythmic moans.

Of course wildlife abounds, both those filled with life and those whose life force has left them.  The beach is unlike any I’ve ever seen: covered in rocks of almost every color, lined with sun-bleach trees, and dotted with craggy rocks that rise up out of the ground reaching for the skies.

It’s a perfect place to take photos thanks to mother nature’s awesome backdrops.

Getting to the tidepools is about an hour’s hike down the beach, but it is one of the most worthwhile walks you’ll ever take.  The reward is tons of brilliant pools of tiny ecosystems just waiting for you to explore.

Huge trees, both natural-colored and sun bleached can be found all over the beach…also perfect photo backdrops.

The ocean has always held my attention; I am equally fascinated and fearful of its beauty and strength.

Olivia loves the beach!  She enjoys the hiking, playing with all the rocks, eating sand, wading through the waves, and the nice long nap that awaits her on the ride home.

If you’re looking for a wonderful weekend trip, head out to the Washignton Pacific Coast and find yourself a cozy beach motel or bed and breakfast…you won’t regret it!

What’s your favorite weekend getaway?

(Photo courtesy of this post, purely out of convenience)

This morning I saw this link on facebook about the No-Kid Movement…did you know about this?  Well, I sure didn’t and I am almost at a loss for words over the concept…almost

On our recent trip to Japan, we had one first class ticket and one economy class ticket.  Sean took the first class seat and I took economy with the understanding that we’d trade Olivia back and forth between us so neither one of us had to endure the long flight with the baby the whole time.  Brilliant plan, right? I know…

So after about 3 hours, I’m finally ready for my break.  First bad sign: the stewardess wouldn’t let me into first class to even talk to my husband, instead she went and got him for me.  He took the baby up front and just as I’d started to relax with a movie, he was back with the baby in tow.  ”They kicked her out of first class,” he said…I laughed, “What???”

Apparently she was being fussy with daddy (a normal occurrence as she doesn’t get much time with him) and they said she had to go back and sit with her mommy if she was going to be fussy.  That means I had the baby back in ECONOMY class for the entire 10 (yes, TEN) hour cramped, noisy, single-entree flight.  To his credit, my husband did come back and sit with us a few times while I pumped and ate, plus he did bring me a brownie and mochi, but still…COME ON!  Banned for crying, are you SERIOUS?

On the way home, we switched.  I sat up in first class and he in economy class, only this time I started with the baby in first class.  Guess what?  Those flight attendants were only too happy to accommodate us, even gave me a personal tour of the plane to find all the baby-friendly bathrooms.  I don’t know why the difference, but since we had an experience like this, I can now relate to this article much better.  

What is it with people hating kids these days?  And what’s with all the lame-o parents out there that are ruining all the fun for the responsible parents.  I try so hard to keep Livi happy and entertained when we’re out in public, because believe me I don’t want to deal with tantrum-baby anymore than you want to sit next to her.  Most of the time I’m successful (blessed with a happy baby), but sometimes babies cry…GET OVER IT.  I don’t think I should be banned from anything, just because I chose to bring a child into this world.  

But that’s just my two cents.  What are your thoughts?

Here’s the update:

So, since my last post (in 2009) life has taken all kinds of twists and turns, one of which has provided you with this adorable picture of my daughter, Olivia.  Yes, that’s my daughter…she’s now 8 months old (in the photo she is 2 months old).

Ok, now that I’ve thrown a bus-size surprise your way, let me back up.  At the start of 2010, I went back to school to work toward getting into medical school, though half-way through my Biology 2 class I found a new interest, in Evolutionary Biology…more to come on that in the future!  School was going very well, I’d forgotten how much I loved learning, homework, and tests (no seriously, I love tests), then in March I found out I was pregnant!

My first trimester and half of the second trimester were extremely difficult…’morning sickness’ is a cruel joke.  So between school and being nearly dead while growing my angel, blogging just slipped my mind.  In July, Sean got a new position with his company that moved him to Seattle, WA.  I decided to head back to Panama City Beach, FL to be with my family throughout the rest of my pregnancy.  Pregnancy was not what I’d expected, the first half I was sick all the time, the second half I got gestational diabetes…however, the end result was wonderful!  Olivia was born healthy on November 19, 2010 at 9.6 lbs. and 20.5 inches.  She was beautiful and I did it mostly natural…more on that later too!

We spent Christmas and New Year’s in PCB with family, then had Olivia christened in Jacksonville, FL with Sean’s family before making our big move to Seattle, WA in mid-January.  In March, 2011 we moved across the Puget Sound to Kingston, WA where we live in an amazing house up on a bluff overlooking the sound.  This year is just flying by, everyday filled with Olivia’s milestones and cute smiles!  Between visitors all through the spring and early summer, followed by a 3-week ‘vacation’ in Japan, the adventures have just been piling up and I realized it is time to start sharing again.  Obviously, this blog has morphed a bit, but it will still be focused on the crazy adventures of our everyday lives!  I hope you continue to enjoy our antics…put on your seat belts and get ready for a fun ride!!

Saturday we woke up to a wonderful breakfast at the B & B…rosemary eggs and harvest potatoes…yum!  We decided to check out the bay area, scoping out the outskirts of town along the way!

First stop: Morro Bay!

Skyline-view of Morro Bay: pacific ocean on the left, bay waters on the right

We drove through an enchanted forest of eucalyptus trees on our way to the ocean!

The waves crashing between the rocks…so. pretty.

Morro Rock…not quite sure where it came from or why it’s cool, but hey…I don’t argue with the landmarks!

Sean just had to get some clam chowder on his taste buds, so we went to lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall in Pismo Beach.  We were told they had the best clam chowder in all the land.  They. Lied.  It was the best clam chowder in all the WORLD!  I was jealous. Seriously!

After lunch we checked out the Avila Barn in Avila Beach.  Cutest little farm ever!  They had pumpkin patches, an apple orchard, a homemade ice cream and fudge shop, and a little market with all the fresh fruits and veggies you could imagine.

They had wine grapes on the vine (truthfully they looked like they were almost raisins, but you know.)  I found this view of a classic-shaped grape vine…classic!

We took a fun ride on a tractor-pull out to the apple orchard where you pick up to 2 pounds of fresh apples right. off. the. tree!  They were the best tasting apples…ever!

Can you see a pattern here?  Saturday night we went to dinner at the apple farm, enjoying comfort food in a quaint setting.  We split a yummy cheeseburger and an apple pie (of course).

Sunday we woke up to a power outage at the B & B, so we got to sleep in a bit.  Yay rest!  Then we had a late breakfast of Sante Fe eggs…very good!  As we left the ranch, we noticed a commotion going on at the wine vineyard along the main road.  Turns out they were celebrating the harvest with a wine tasting party.  Of course we joined in…and enjoyed ourselves!  After a reasonable period of rest, we drove home!  We got to drive through a bunch of canyon, over a river or two…and back to concrete city.  It was really nice to enjoy the countryside!

Since Sunday was our actual anniversary, my dad mailed us our cake from the wedding…to keep up with traditions and all.  Unfortunately, since we live on a sailboat with a very small freezer, we didn’t take our cake home.  Actually my mom took it home, then shipped it in my brother’s suitcase the next time he visited my dad, who kept it in his freezer until he mailed it to us in San Luis Obispo.  Isn’t family great??  The cake didn’t look as glamorous as it did at the reception, but it tasted great.  We both had a bite, crossed-arm style, and even smudged some on each other’s cheeks.  According to the wedding fairies that means we’ll be together FOREVER!

Albert was super excited to see us come home, and we brought him a special ‘Albert-sized’  apple…which he devoured!

The weekend was really very special…a relaxing trip for us to enjoy each other.  Can’t wait for another great year babe!  Love you!

In case you didn’t know, Sean and I celebrated our very 1st anniversary back on November 8th!  (we were having some internet issues, coupled with being out of town, so this post has been delayed)

Because we had such a fabulous trip with so many sights and experiences to share, I will be spreading out our trip over a few posts, so you don’t miss anything!

Day 1 (Friday):

Sean took the day off, so we could drop off the pups early and get a head start on our trip!  We decided to drive most of the trip up the Pacific Coast Highway, which can take a bit longer than the freeway, so we wanted to be sure we had lots of time!  Keep in mind, early for us is roughly 11am!  He he…

Anyway, we headed up the coast toward Santa Barbara, which is one of the most expensive places to live in the country.  I really have no idea why, but it is, so go with it.  We decided to stop for lunch at the pier, so we could enjoy the beach too!  We chose The Barbecue Company because who doesn’t love a good pulled pork sandwich and some oven-baked cheesy corn souffle??  I can’t remember what Sean had, b/c I was so in love with mine, but he said it was good!

Back on the road (me behind the wheel), we had just two more hours before we reached our weekend sanctuary; I must say it is one of the most beautiful two hour drives in the world.  Picture this:  rolling hills and farmland on my right, random sightings of cows, sheep, lamas, horses, etc…  Then to the left, pristine views of the pacific ocean, rocky ledges and sun-kissed waves…oh. my. Gorgeous!  I was happy to drive, except Sean is not the best at taking pictures from the passenger seat…he mostly just naps…boo!

Finally, we arrive in SAN LUIS OBISPO!  SLO (as the locals refer to it) is one of the most beautiful towns along the central Californian coast.  I visited last fall on my own to check out Cal Poly (basically the mecca of agricultural universities in California) and their Agricultural Masters Programs.  I have since gone in a different direction (big surprise, eh?), but the area is so wonderful I just had to bring Sean up to experience it.

So, we drive through downtown SLO, gawking at the cobblestone and brick buildings.  We arrived about 3pm, just as the afternoon sun was breaking through all the trees and pulling out all the wonderful fall colors that make up the town.  So beautiful!  We headed towards the outskirts of town and start to see the cute hobby farms, vineyards, and wineries that dot the area.  The bed and breakfast we chose was situated in a farming neighborhood: basically a neighborhood of 10-20 acre properties used as farms or vineyards.  It was stunning.  The sun was reflecting off the hills in the background and the vines were all sparkle-y in cranberry reds, burnt oranges, golden yellows, and minty greens.  STU-UH-NNING!

The Bridge Creek Inn B&B was being watched by Mary & John, friends of the owners.  After a quick stop to say hello to some cows across the street, we ventured across the bridge, past the eucalyptus trees, and up to the quirky-shaped, dark-colored house.  Designed by an artist back in the 70′s, it presented multiple floors, separating the living floors from the sleeping floors.  We were greeted and checked in by John, while Mary prepared an appetizing bean dip for the cocktail hour, accompanied by a locally produced white wine.  We had a lovely conversation with them, then unpacked and settled in.  Since we were the only guests, we had the whole house all to ourselves!  Whoo hoo!

After a rest, we hopped into our private hot tub for a relaxing hour.  Then, took a spin in the sauna in our bathroom.  It was a dry sauna and Sean and I both decided we did not prefer it…too hot!  We both grabbed a shower and got ready to go out for a bite.  The great thing about being back in a college town is being able to find a meal late at night.  We left the inn about 9pm and headed back into town.

We split a gyro pizza at this cute little Greek cafe, then headed down the street to a self-serve soft-serve shop!  Very. Cool.  Go pick your cup size, then choose from 6-8 different soft-serve flavors that your control the amount going into your cup.  You then get in the toppings line and choose as many toppings in whatever quantity you want and add them to your cup.  You then have your cup weighed and pay $.30 per oz.  I got a small cup with like 6 different toppings and it costs less then $2…awesome!  Of course Sean went all out with a large and every topping available, but it was still under $5, so still better than Coldstone.  We spent the rest of our time at Borders looking through all the lovely books on sale!  Sean got a new read, and I picked up a new cookbook about decorating cakes with fondant…I can’t wait to make some cakes!

We went back to the inn, marveling at the darkness of the night, all the stars we could see, and the beauty of the moon lighting up the rolling hills.  What a sight…it was a beautiful way to end the night!

Stay tuned for Saturday’s events!

In the clouds…literally!

I recently returned from the better part of a month’s stay in FL with my mom…discussing my new path in life & how lame paths are b/c people are constantly trying to find theirs, but always seem to crash into everyone else’s path.

Coming home, I flew into a new-to-m airport, Memphis!, & thoroughly enjoyed the stroll through musical history as I dashed to catch my connecting flight that was boarding before I even got off the first flight.

My final flight of this adventure from Memphis to LAX was the most TURBULENT flight of my life…& I fly a lot!!

Most of you know my parents divorced when I was young, so visiting the two families created lots of opportunities to fly…more so than the average family vacation flights.

Consequently, I LOVE to fly!  Packing I could do without.  But flying is fun!

Of course everyone is excited about where they are going (except funeral attendees, can’t imagine they are too excited), but me, I look forward to the plane ride.

It’s true proof of packing skills if I manage to cram my entire life into a suitcase or two & they pass the weight limit test at check in…it is so embarrassing to have to crack open your suitcases at the check-in counter & transfer items to another bag.  If you manage to guess-timate the correct amount of weight & move it to another bag, you have to pick up all the items that have fallen out & shove it all back in…attempting to sit on two suitcases to zip them closed, all while the attendant waits & the 400-person long line stares at you with impatience in their eyes is very tough.

So, this time I passed. Barely.  Now it’s off to the security line, where the art of TURBO STRIPPING is practiced.  This very difficult form of artistry entails ripping out your laptop and any other electrical device that some genius decided could be used as a bomb, taking off all extra layers of clothing, including you shoes (even if they are one-layer flip-flops), putting everyone into plastic bins that never seem to want to come apart, holding your boarding pass & license to be rechecked b/c the scrutiny of twelve security agents isn’t enough  to ensure you are the same person on the same flight as you were 6 steps ago, pushing your 2 carry-ons & at least 2 bins with your 2 arms  through a conveyor belt all while the people behind you act like they are trying to escape a fire coming at them from the security line.  Whoo…made it.  You may now put your shoes back on , but oh, not here…you’ll hold up the line.

Finally I made it to the plane & my seasonal weight test confirms although I struggle with my weight, I can still fit comfortably into my airplane seat.  A feeling of “ah” comes over me as I am glad to be going on another trip!

This feeling is quickly interrupted by a blast of icy air coming from my feet, to which I promptly wrap myself up like a mummy with whatever blanket & sweaters I’ve remembered to bring.

Did I mention I love flying??

I like the reclining seats, the arm rest that I always hog if possible, the cute little tables folding out from the back of the guy in front of me’s chair, a.k.a. his flotation device, the flight attendants who bring drinks and snacks & never have an answer for why there are no more peanuts on flights anymore, the captain who always says ‘hello’ & tells me all about his flight plans and the weather as though I might change my traveling based on this info, & the view of watching things getting smaller and smaller before disappearing under the clouds, then new sites appear from under the clouds and get larger and larger before a jolt on the landing tarmac reminds me this part of the trip is nearing the end.

So, back to my ULTRA TURBULENT flight from Memphis to LAX.  As I’m sitting there watching the wings on the plane jostle around while grasping my drinks and snacks so not to loose them in the abyss under my seat, I started to wonder how the good ole’ cap-i-tan feels when he starts to feel the plane jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean.

Does he think to himself:  ”Crap, gotta hold on, keep steady, stay cool” or “oooh, hope those folks don’t remember my name from earlier, I don’t need any more complaints” or, maybe “Gosh, I hope this doesn’t bring the plane down…that would be the icing on an already crappy day.”

Me, personally, I don’t mind the turbulence much, unless my drink spills or I have to hold my bladder for an hour before the captain turns the fasten-seat-belt sign off.  That I’d mind.

Ah. Anyway.  I’m now home again, back from a lovely trip with some new goals, slight changes & a new pet, but I’ll be blogging about all that later on…