Relaxing by the Sea September 6, 2012

There is nothing better than waking up to the sounds and smell of the ocean! I just love the North Coast! Keenan slept until 7:30 this morning, so we were able to sleep in a bit! After a long day of driving yesterday, my husband and I were so tired, that we quickly ate dinner and went to bed (after putting Keenan to bed). We all woke-up refreshed this morning and ready to enjoy the coast!

For starters, my husband made us a nice breakfast: An egg, thick cut bacon and cheese sandwich with tomato and avocado on whole wheat bread. It was SO yummy!! Keenan practically ate his sandwich in less tan 5 minutes! In addition, we had lattes (we brought our french press with us) and we all shared a peach.I know I have said this before, but there is something very satisfying about eating a sandwich, burger or burrito with your hands? Maybe it is our primal instincts…I don’t know. Do you feel the same way when you eat food with your hands?   

Our delicious breakfast sandwich!

After breakfast, we relaxed a bit, played with Keenan and then went for a walk around town. Keenan picked up some rocks along the way and we stopped to take pictures!

Finding rocks!

Putting the rocks in his pockets!

Enjoying our walk!

We browsed in a few shops and I tried on a pair of TOM shoes that didn’t fit. I was bummed because I have been wanting a pair for a while, and this store had them for 50% off! While I was trying on shoes, Keenan wanted to wear my shoes! Doesn’t he look funny with my big shoe?

Wearing Mommy’s shoe!

After doing some more window shopping, we headed back to the house and I made Keenan lunch. I made him his favorite: A peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread with a glass of milk. He was SO content and SO tired, too. He walked a lot, so I think we wore him out!

After Keenan’s nap, we are going to walk down to a little cafe called Trinks, that overlooks the ocean and serves local gelato. We promised Keenan an ice cream cone, so we are going to eat our cones while we watch the ocean! Since we are in “relax mode” today, I don’t think we will be heading down to the beach for a workout. Tomorrow, I’m hoping to get a workout in!

Now, time for a little reading and relaxing with some beer! Enjoy the rest of your day!

On the road again…a mini vacation

Today, we are on the road again, headed to the North Coast for a few days before my cousin’s wedding on Saturday.  I am looking forward to escaping the heat and relaxing a bit! Since coming back from Alaska, we have been on the go, so it will be nice to have a mini vacation for a couple of days.

Since Keenan had a doctor’s appointment (his 2 year check-up) in Davis this morning, we had to pack-up and get out the door quickly. To get one last workout in (though, we are planning to do a workout on the beach either tomorrow or Friday), I got up bright and early to attend the 7:00 a.m. CrossFit class. After not working out in the morning for a long time (and going to bed late last night; I know, not early like I had wanted), it was hard for my body to get moving this morning. I felt like I was in slow motion! My body is certainly accustomed to working out in the afternoon!

Today’s WOD was: Three rounds of 25 pullups, 25 see the lights (women weight: 25 lb plate) and 25 box jumps with a 15 minute time cap. Prior to that, our skill was 70 hollow rocks, 30 bridge ups, 50 grasshoppers and 10 bridge ups. After yesterday’s workout, going to bed late and waking-up early this morning, my body was tired, to say the least! I’m glad I did it and got one last grueling WOD in!

Enjoying his breakfast this morning!

After I got back from the gym, we ate breakfast: the last of the oatmeal peach crisp with Greek yogurt and blackberries on top. My husband and I also had iced coffees, using his coffee concentrate. Before I forget, I had a small snack of half of a banana and a teaspoon of peanut butter prior to going to CrossFit this morning.

My breakfast.

Keenan has to be cutting some more teeth because the past few days he was been unusually fussy, not sleeping as well (shorter naps) and getting upset over the littlest things. This morning, he wanted breakfast and then he didn’t want it. He wanted to drink water out of 3 cups, and immediately got upset when I told him he could only choose one cup. He also seems tired, overall.  Needless to say, I think (and hope) his recent behavior is due to teething since he is usually an easygoing child! How do you help your child and/ or children manage teething? Any tips or advice for making them feel better?

At Keenan’s doctor appointment, his Pediatrician (Dr. O) agreed that he is probably working on his 2^nd year molars. So, teething it is, ugh! Poor little guy, he got his Hep A booster and a flu shot at his appointment, so in addition to his teeth, Keenan isn’t going to be feeling too well.

Enjoying his lunch!

After Keenan’s appointment, we ate our lunch that we packed (peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches with carrots and peaches), at Davis’s Central Park. After we were finished, Keenan played for a bit, before we got back in the car to get gas and run an errand prior to beginning our long road trip.

Playing in the park!

My husband had heard of this great beer shop in Davis, so of course, we stopped there to pick-up some unique beers to take with us. Keenan kept saying, “Keenan get the beer,” while we were in the store. He is definitely his Daddy’s son! 🙂

Well, after a LONG 4 hour drive (with a stop in Healdsburg for cupcakes!), we arrived in Gualala. Now, time to unpack, settle-in and eat dinner! Have a good night!

Labor Day Weekend Festivities September 3, 2012

I am SO glad today is a holiday because it is nice to be lazy and not have anywhere to go. Some days you just need a “do nothing” day! The three of us are recovering from our busy, but very fun weekend!

About our weekend, here is a little recap:

Friday:

We had a double date with some friends, starting out with dinner at Kupros Bistro in Sacramento, followed by seeing “Crazy For You” at the Music Circus. Our food was delicious! My husband and I started off with a roasted golden beet salad with goat cheese, which was yummy! For dinner, I ordered the roasted duck with sauteed greens and fingerling potatoes. My husband had a Llama burger (I know, crazy!). Everything we had was very good. It was our third time eating at Kupros and each time, was wonderful. I highly recommend it, if you are in the Sacramento area! Sorry, we were so busy devouring our food that I completely forgot to take pictures.

“Crazy For You” was excellent! I knew some of the songs, but I wasn’t familiar with the story. Basically, the story is about a young man from New York who likes to dance and wants to perform, but his mom and fiance do not approve. When he is given an order from his mom (who owns a bank in New York) to handle some business in an old western town in Nevada (take over the ownership of a run down theater), he falls in love with a girl, who’s dad owns the theater. He helps the girl put on a show at the theater, by pretending to be a famous name in show business, to help raise funds and save it from the the bank. The music was good and it had all four of us laughing out loud!  My husband and I are still talking about some of the lines!

Waiting for our cheese plate and wine!

Saturday:

We participated in a wine and cheese pairing/tasting that my in-laws purchased at an event a while ago,  at Todd Taylor Wines in Clarksburg. There were fourteen of us (my in-laws, my husband’s cousins and family friends). We sampled several yummy cheeses paired with a few of their wines and received a tour of the winery. Their wines were really good (I especially loved the Primitivo!). Todd Taylor, who lead the tasting and tour, was very informative and easygoing, accommodating our large party. I would definitely go back and purchase more of his wines!

The cheese plate!

The group!

The wine and cheese line-up.

I had to snap a picture of this because Keenan insisted on having his cars next to my plate!

After our wine and cheese pairing/tasting, we tasted some other wines at Rendez-vous Winery, which is located in the same building as Todd Taylor Wines (Old Sugar Mill). I am not a huge white wine fan, especially Chardonnay, but all I can say is, “Wow!” Their Chardonnay is phenomenal, so smooth, rich and buttery! Also, their Chenin Blanc was amazing! It was crisp and refreshing for sipping on a hot day! I highly recommend their wines! The best part is, all of their wines are less than $25!

Keenan found his spot (under the counter) when we were tasting the wine at Rendez-vous Winery!

After wine tasting, we went to Vanilla Bean Bistro for dinner. As always, everything we had was delicious! We started off with their zekiye, a Turkish Calzone made with fingerling potatoes and mascarpone cheese and a mixed salad. For dinner, I had the Turlu, which is like a stew made with chicken, meat balls, seasonal vegetables, oven dried tomatoes, red curry, truffle oil, saffron, coconut milk and herbs. My husband had the dumplings made with chicken and beef. We were both VERY satisfied! I highly recommend Vanilla Bean Bistro, if you live in the Sacramento area. Again, I forgot to snap a picture of our food, sorry!

Our “Little Sous Chef,” helping us prep the food before the party!

Sunday:

We had friends over, celebrating our good friend’s birthday. We did a “make your own” grilled pizza party with different beers for everyone to try. My husband made the dough and everyone brought their own toppings. In addition, he made his infamous jalapeno poppers for an appetizer (surprisingly, they were not that hot this time!). We also had a variety of sausages and mustard, along with a fruit salad that a couple of our friends brought. I made a basil avocado adamame dip that I served with pita chips (recipe to come soon!). It was okay, not as flavorful as I would have liked. If I make it again, I’ll add more spices to it. For dessert, we had a Red Velvet Nothing Bundt Cake! The cake was perfectly moist and SO delicious! Needless to say, we were all overly stuffed from all of the food and beer we consumed. It was a good, good night! 🙂

Basil avocado edamame dip.

Kneading the pizza dough!

The guys making our pizzas!

Friends (minus my husband, who got cut-off in the picture!).

How did you spend your weekend?

Today, in addition to recovering, we are going on a bike ride once Keenan wakes up from his nap. I think we might even ride to get an ice cream cone! Before then, I think I might take a nap. Enjoy the rest of your holiday!

Home Sweet Home July 23, 2012

Such a tired boy!

We got home late Saturday night, around 10:30 p.m. Keenan was SO tired. He fell asleep on the way home, around 9:00 p.m. and then woke-up after an hour, crying and saying, “Keenan all done!” Poor little guy, he just wanted to get out of the car and be in his crib. The drive back was the LONGEST drive we have ever taken! There was so much traffic on the road, it was ridiculous, thus making the drive even longer. Needless to say, we were all glad to be home (though, not for long, since we leave for Alaska next Monday).

Yesterday, we spent the day unpacking, cleaning out the car, doing laundry, getting groceries, working on Keenan’s birthday invites (which I’ll post about later this week) and catching up on sleep, since we were all so tired. Keenan slept till 9:00 a.m. yesterday morning and still took a 3 hour nap!

Keenan is still catching up on his sleep because he slept till 9:15 a.m. today, sleeping for over 13 hours! So far, he has been napping for over 2 hours! We are putting him to bed on time tonight and hopefully, he will be back to his normal “schedule,” tomorrow (but, it sure is nice that he is sleeping in so late!).

As promised, here is a recap of our trip:

Beach: Our house was 7 blocks from the beach, so we tried to go to the beach as much as possible, which ended up being every other day. Our beach days were our “relaxation days,” after a busy day of site-seeing the day before. Our house was on a hill, so the walk to and from the beach was a great workout, especially pushing Keenan in his stroller with all of our beach gear (thank goodness for our BOB!). Keenan and his cousin loved playing in the sand and building sand castles. Keenan loved getting more water in his bucket with my dad and “jumping the waves!”

Having fun “jumping the waves” with Nonna and Avo!

Keenan and his cousin after a morning of playing on the beach…they were tired!

Sea World: The day after we arrived, we headed to Sea World. It changed SO much since I was there 15 years ago! The park now has roller coasters and water rides (my dad, brother, husband and me managed to squeeze in a ride on the Manta, which was fun!). We saw all of the shows and I think I enjoyed watching Keenan’s reaction to seeing dolphins, whales and sea lions for the first time, more than the actual shows! He was mesmerized! We also watched a Sesame Street show and Keenan and his cousin got to meet Elmo, Abby and Cookie Monster. I wasn’t sure how Keenan was going to react, but all he wanted to do was “hug Elmo!” I had to hold onto him during the entire show because he kept wanting to climb-up on stage to see Elmo. After the show, we stood in line and Keenan and his cousin got to take pictures with all of the characters. When it was our turn, Keenan ran to Elmo and gave him a big hug; it was adorable! Since he was so enamored with Elmo, we had to get him a little Elmo doll and Elmo sandals, which he loved (he sleeps with Elmo every night and hasn’t wanted to wear any other shoes, but his Elmo ones!).

The Shamu show!

Keenan was SO happy that he got to meet Elmo!

USS Midway: After a “relaxation day” at the beach, we headed to the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier that has been turned into an aviation museum. It was incredible! We learned so much. It was especially interesting, since my dad was a Naval Officer and lived on a similar ship (though a lot smaller) many years ago.  The Midway provided me a glimpse of what life was like for my dad (something he hasn’t talked much about). In addition, Keenan enjoyed seeing and sitting in all of the airplanes and helicopters!

Standing in front of the “Top Gun” plane.

Zoo: On our last day in San Diego, we went to the Zoo. It has also changed so much from when I was there 15 years ago; there are so many more animals to see! Like Sea World, I couldn’t wait to see Keenan’s reaction to all of the animals, since this was his first time going to a Zoo. He was mesmerized by the Elephants, Kangaroos, Giraffes and especially the Polar Bears (we saw one sitting-up and eating a carrot!). But, the highlight of the day was the petting zoo, where Keenan and his cousin were able to pet sheep and goats. Keenan was in awe; he loved petting the goats and giving them hugs. I think we stayed there for at least 30 minutes, because Keenan and his cousin did not want to leave!

Petting the goats at the Zoo.

“Hugging” the goats!

Our Eats: Since we stayed in a house, we cooked every night, to make things easier and to save money. It’s hard (and expensive) for a family of 8 to eat out every night. For all of our family vacations, my mom usually takes the lead to cook most nights. But, we made sure to give her a break and cooked every night during this trip. During the day on our “relaxation days” we made sandwiches for lunch and when we were out and about, we dined out. My husband and I went to Costco and Trader Joe’s to stock-up on groceries, once we arrived in San Diego. We planned most of the week’s menus, except for a couple of nights that my brother and sister-in-law cooked. We made roast chicken with roasted broccoli mixed with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese, pork loin with roasted cauliflower, fish tacos, burgers with oven-baked zucchini fries and an antipasti picnic night. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the food we made!

Keenan enjoying an ice cream cone after visiting the USS Midway, thanks to Nonna and Avo!

Beer: My husband’s favorite brewery is Stone Brewing Co. (which is located near San Diego), so we had to visit. We tasted almost all of their beers and my favorites were the Smoked Porter, Levitation Ale and Ruination IPA! The brewery is huge. It’s out in the middle of of an industrial park, but their restaurant and outside patio (where we sat) was quite nice and relaxing. I highly recommend visiting their brewery if you are ever in the area, or at least trying some of their beers (you can find them at BevMo or some grocery stores).

The lineup that we tasted at Stone Brewing Co.

Coffee: We brought our french press, grinder and some coffee beans, so we were able to make fresh coffee everyday. But, since we were in Southern California, my husband and I made sure to stop at as many Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf  shops as possible. They only have one shop in Northern California, in San Francisco, so anytime we are down south, we take advantage of them! Our favorite drink is their Carmel Blended! It is probably the best frozen coffee drink I have ever had! They make it with the toddy and add their non-fat vanilla powder, caramel and ice. It is creamy and not overly sweet. Again, I didn’t manage to take a picture of any of the ones we had, sorry!

It is time to get back to reality and head to CrossFit this afternoon (my goal is to workout 6 days this week, to maximize my time before we leave for Alaska next week) and start getting ready for our next trip. I have lots of errands to run this week, as well as things to do, such as cleaning the house (I’m not looking forward to it, but it needs it!).

What are your plans for the week? What kinds of things do you do to get ready for a trip?

Goodbye, San Diego! July 21, 2012

Keenan wiped-out after a fun, but long day at Sea World.

All things good must come to an end (unfortunately). We are packing-up and getting ready to leave San Diego bright and early tomorrow morning. It is going to be a LONG drive home, around 8 hours or so, UGH! Even though I’m sad to leave, I’m looking forward to being home, getting back into my routine and working out (I need to after all of the yummy goodies we ate this past week!)! I miss CrossFit!

The week went by WAY too fast. I could have easily spent another week here; it’s so beautiful and we all had so much fun! We definitely kept busy: going to the beach, Sea World, the Zoo, USS Midway and even tasting beer at Stone Brewing Co. (one of my new favorite beers is their Levitation Ale!). It was a perfect balance of activity and relaxation; I just wish we had a few more days! It was so nice to spend quality time together as a family. Keenan and his cousin had so much fun together, they were practically joined at the hip! 

Well, it’s time to get some sleep, so we are rested for the long drive tomorrow. I will post a full re-cap of our week, once we are home! Night!