Monthly Archives: August 2008
Long Way Home
Well, we finally got home to Keller on Wed AM and pretty much rested and relaxed all day which was great. We headed back to word today and it was great to see everyone. It was a great amount of vacation time to get away, really rest and let go and then feel energized to come back and get back into the work zone. :)
Just wanted to share some more photos from the trip from our iPhones:
Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
Chris (Jon's brother) and Ken (Jon's dad) at Round Table Pizza
Hastin (Chris' 2nd oldest) at Pei Wei
Me eating an orange
Yummy food at Pasto
Isn’t he such a cutie!?!?!
and Happy Birthday Jon month concludes :)
Dam, that was fun!
Lake Mead side
Me at the Dam
Flagstaff
Now we are at the end of a restful day in Flagstaff and I just told Jon a few minutes ago that it has been one of the best days ever. We woke up and had a delicious breakfast at this amazing B&B that we’re staying at. Laurel and Richard, the innkeepers were sweet enough to call their masseuse to come to the B&B so we could get massages which was wonderful.
After that we went to downtown Flagstaff and shopped and walked around. From there, we drove up to the Arizona Snowbowl and did the Scenic Skyride which was really fun (and cold). It took us up to 11,500 ft and on a clear day you can see the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately it was not that clear but we still got some beautiful shots.
View from the Skyride
Here’s some other fun shots from the drive from Vegas to Flagstaff:
Colorado River
Getting closer to Flagstaff
Love these trees!
After our fun scenic skyride, we headed back down the hill, er, mountain and went back to downtown Flagstaff for some dinner. Pasto Cucina Italiana was highly recommended to us and it’s because it’s so delicious!! Really pretty inside too with an old tin ceiling and brick walls. We sat right by the front window and watched people go by and all the going-ons in the square (as well as some really bad parallel parking attempts). Now we’re back at the B&B resting and relaxing before another day on the road. Here’s a few more pics:
Jon enjoying yummy food at Pasto
Us at Pasto
Love,
J+B
Road Trip: Yosemite and Vegas
Thursday AM, we left Chris and Janelle’s house (Jon’s brother and sis-in-law and mine too :)) in Folsom for Yosemite. After about 2 or 3 hours, we stopped in a little town named Sonora. So adorable!! We did a little search with the iWant application on our iPhone – it shows you food, coffee, gas stations, hotels, etc within a few mile radius of where you are. We read a few reviews and decided on a little French bistro on Main St. It was delicious!! After that, we walked down Main St and checked out some of the little shops. Really fun place. Here’s some pics:
In the French Bistro
Park Right Along Main St
Logging Truck!
After we left Sonora, we made it Yosemite Valley. It’s really breathtaking. All the words I’m thinking of sound so cheesy but it’s so true. It was magnificent. The redwoods were so tall and it just smelled wonderful. We went to the Ansel Adams Gallery and then walked to the Ahwahnee Hotel. The architecture was so detailed and blended in beautifully with the surrounding landscape. In the grand room, there was this HUGE fireplace. Here’s some pictures of our time in Yosemite:
Yosemite Park Entrance
Fireplace in the Ahwahnee Hotel
Ahwahnee Hotel
Meadows and Mountains
Yosemite
After we left the Valley, we drove east through the Park and then south to Mammoth Lakes. We stayed at the M Inn and met Dennis the innkeeper, a very nice and interesting man. It was a nice little stayover place but unfortunately we did not have time to really check Mammoth Lakes out. We headed on the road Friday morning for the 6 hour drive to Vegas. So, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?? We kind of learned the meaning of that last night…just by people-watching. ha ha. But we enjoyed ourselves walking around and people-watching then we grabbed dinner at Fellini’s at the Stratosphere. We would’ve gone to the top but it’s $13 a person just to go up there so we passed on that. We drove over to the Bellagio and got a drink at the Fontana Bar. We were able to walk right out to the balcony and watch the infamous fountain show. It was really amazing. Then, when it was close to showtime, we went to the theater and saw O. So the O definitely stands for OMG. It was incredible!! I’ve seen a few Cirque du Soleil shows but this blew them all out of the water…literally. Jon and I could not even wrap our minds around how they did some of the things they did, technically and talent-wise. It was really great and we recommend anyone and everyone to see it if you are ever in Vegas. After that we came back to our hotel (which we would also highly recommend)- the JW Marriott. It was about 10 minutes from the strip so it’s not right where everything is but that’s what was really nice about it. We were able to drive down there, enjoy everything and then get away to relax. It was a perfect combination. After a restful night’s sleep, we are in Starbuck’s (of course) blogging and about to head out to Hoover Dam and then Flagstaff, AZ. Here’s some pics though from Vegas:
the Strip
Us on the Bellagio Balcony
We rolled down the windows when we were in Yosemite and had natural air conditioning. It was nice and cool then the next day we’re driving through the desert and didn’t want to roll our windows down for anything. It was quite a difference. And talk about contrasting days, we were in Yosemite Park one day and on the Strip in Vegas the next. But it’s been a lot of fun!! We’ll check back in later on.
Much love!!
J + B
California: Day 3, 4, and 5
Beautiful!!!
Sorry the last post was so rushed. We were on our way out the door for a memorial service for Jon’s grandpa in Modesto. It was a beautiful service and Jon got to see more of his family that he hadn’t seen in a while and that I had not yet met. Most of the day was getting there, setting everything up, tearing down, and then getting back to Camino. Once we got back, we all rested for a little bit and then Ken, Linda, Jon and I watched The Other Boleyn Girl. Amazing movie! We already love Natalie Portman but, man, she was really great in this. I’m really surprised I didn’t hear more about about the movie or her acting when it was out in theaters. But, anyway, we watched that and then a mystery movie and then headed to bed.
Monday was a lazy day. Yay!!! We’d been going non-stop since we landed on Friday so it was nice to just rest and relax and spend time with his family. Jon and I went down into Placerville to the chiropractor because my neck was really hurting and I didn’t get a chance to go before we left. We both were feeling better after that and then we came back to the house and watched some TV with Ken and Linda. Then Tessa and the whole Friar gang had us over for dinner. It was fun to hang out with them and see their garden they’ve been working on. They’ve got a lot of great stuff growing well and 8 chickens on their way there that they will start feeding and growing. Fun! or should I say cheep cheep!! Which will then make groceries cheap cheap!! Brilliant!
Happy Birthday Babe!!
As for day 5, today, (also Jon and Ken’s birthday) we went quad riding up near Lake Tahoe in Eldorado National Park. It was beautiful!!! The weather was just perfect…cool but not too cold, warm but not hot. The clouds cleared out by the time we got there and the air just smelled so fresh and crisp. Here’s some pics:
The ATVs resting while we ate lunch
View from our lunch spot
California Off-Roadin
We’re heading ‘down the hill’ on Wednesday to hang out with Chris and Janelle and their 4 kids Wed night then leave for Yosemite early Thursday. :) So excited! :)
