Cake & Ice Creams

the sweetest blog you read

Go Canada, Go! February 23, 2010

Filed under: canada, friends, sports, travel — Kelli @ 10:32 am

Kevin, his friends Ravi and Karen and I hit up the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  Talk about a once in a lifetime experience!  We were blessed with spectacular February weather (which was sadly why we didn’t get to see our Ski Cross event, see below post) and felt overwhelmed with goodwill and patriotism.  Mostly Canadian patriotism, but tons of energy nonetheless!

Several months prior, we had found a wonderful family to stay with (on CL).  They turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the trip.  So welcoming, generous and friendly.  It was like we had known them for years.  They had two boys, five and seven.  They all lived, breathed, played and watched non-stop hockey.  Not too surprising, as Canadians are koo koo for cocoa puffs for their hockey.  They quickly converted us into Olympic hockey fans and I shouldn’t admit this but I’m totally rooting for Canada to beat the US in the gold medal match.  It means so much more to them; “Go Canada, go!”

I’m having a really hard time putting into words the electric atmosphere that took over an entire city so I’m turning this post into a picture post; but even the pictures don’t do it justice.  During the day, it was camaraderie and strangers bonding over shared experiences.  At night, it was like New Years turned on repeat night after night.  Simply, Awesome.

The Olympic torch!

Watching the Canada v. Swiss hockey match in Robson Square with the Canadians.

Brodie and Rob celebrate the win!

Granville Street, packed with celebratory Canadians.

Kevin and me with Quatchy and Miga!

We saw a Latvia v. Czech Republic hockey match.

Canadians, full of pride, sing “Oh Canada” riding the sea bus to North Vancouver.

Karen and Ravi in front of the torch at night.

Kevin and me with the Inukshuk in Stanley Park.

Kevin, enjoying his Japadog! (We tried the Kobe beef and Ume- YUM!)

 

GloBULL Warming February 16, 2010

Filed under: canada, random, sports, travel — Kelli @ 2:00 am

Um…really? No significant global warming since 1995? Is that why the PNW has averaged 50 degrees in FEBRUARY? And is that why we don’t get to use our ski cross tickets now? BOOOO!

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Vancouver 2010 cancels ‘general admission standing room’ tickets to snowboard halfpipe, ski cross and snowboard parallel giant slalom events at Cypress Mountain Tickets to be refunded

Feb 16, 2010

West Vancouver, BC ― General admission standing room tickets have been cancelled for Olympic men’s and ladies’ snowboard halfpipe on February 17 and 18; ski cross on February 21 and 23; and snowboard parallel giant slalom on February 26 and 27 at Cypress Mountain. Tickets will be refunded, said the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

Heavy warm rains on Saturday and Sunday have made the general admission standing room area at the Cypress snowboard stadium unsafe for spectators. The rains washed away almost a foot of snow in the area where the standing room area was to be located. General admission standing room tickets for men’s and ladies’ snowboard cross events were also previously cancelled for February 15 and 16.

With safety the top priority and with snowboard events taking place daily, there is insufficient snow to move and build the standing room area back up at the Cypress snowboard stadium. VANOC has protected sufficient contingency snow for field of play at Cypress Mountain.

“Our senior management and venue team have spent significant time on site to try and find a way to accommodate spectators in the standing room areas for the events. We’ve exhausted all avenues but it just wasn’t possible to make the area safe for spectators,” said Caley Denton, VANOC’s vice president of ticketing and consumer marketing.

This cancellation and refund will affect approximately 20,000 spectators.

 

Home Sweet Home January 31, 2010

Filed under: mexico, travel — Kelli @ 11:10 pm

We’ve been back almost a week and it feels like we were never even in beautiful, warm, Sayulita.  I think we might be trying to forget our experience though.  At the moment, I have no desire to EVER go back to Mexico.  And a week later, our digestive systems are still twisted.

It’s not the trip we had imagined.  In fact, in between bathroom visits I said, “Why didn’t we just go to Hawaii?  We love Hawaii.”  But what kind of adventurer’s would we be if we went to the same place all the time?  How will we find that perfect warm weather surf spot?  I can’t say we’re planning another trip to Mexico anytime soon but never say never…I guess.  Not in writing anyway.  In my head, I’m totally saying never.  We have learned our lesson.  No blended margaritas.  No pico de gallo.  No “fancy” restaurants.  It’s Pacifico and street meat all the way.

It wasn’t all bad.  The first couple of days were perfect, really.  We miss you sun and heat and ocean.  We do not miss you, Montezuma’s revenge.  Will you just go away already?

 

Don’t Drink the Water January 24, 2010

Filed under: mexico, travel — Kelli @ 9:50 am

So, a few hours after I had just told all of you about the wonderful, fresh food we’ve eaten, Kevin got violently sick.  We had deduced it must be the shrimp he had for dinner since that was the only thing we had eaten different all day.  A few hours after that, I became violently sick.  So, our new deduction was, maybe the ice in our blended margaritas?  WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!  We know better than that!

The next morning, Kevin had a brief conversation with Santiago, the caretaker at Casa Kukana.

Kevin: Our room is fine, but we’re going to need some more toilet paper.
Santiago: Oh, fun night, huh?
Kevin: Not really.  We had dinner at Calypso and both got sick.
Santiago: Jesus Christ, Calypso?!  That place is expensive!
Kevin: Yeah, we’re paying for it now.

So, that said, Saturday was spent at Casa Kukana.  Not exactly what we had pictured. And unfortunately, the thought of Mexican food is rather yuck.  As a reminder, if you’re going to Mexico soon, you’re not immune to everything, like we thought we were.  Bring Cipro.

 

Sunny Sayulita January 22, 2010

Filed under: mexico, travel — Kelli @ 9:43 pm

Greetings from Sayulita!

It’s 80 some degrees here and fantastic.  We’ve surfed some, but the waves are bigger than expected so we tire quickly. On one hand it’s so great to surf in warm water.  On the other, we are so not used to paddling!  So, we don’t last long.  But it’s super fun nonetheless.  The time we thought we’d spend surfing, has instead been spent in extended siesta on the beach :)

We’re staying at Casa Kukana, which is a little off the beaten path. The grounds are beautiful.  So far, after a day at the beach, we’ve enjoyed a refreshing dip accompanied with a Pacifico in our infinity pool that overlooks the ocean.  The trade-off we’ve made for the amazing view is the mini hike to get into the town.  We’ve decided though it’s excercise needed after all the wonderful, fresh food we’ve eaten.

Like the fresh-out-the-back-of-the-yellow-truck churros we dined on tonight.  D.Lish.

 

Seeing Stars January 18, 2010

Filed under: mexico, travel — Kelli @ 11:01 pm

This is the Sayulita surf report for the days we are there. Awesome!

 

Que Bueno January 5, 2010

Filed under: family, friends, oregon, travel — Kelli @ 8:10 pm

Happy 2010, friends!

My apologies for the furlough.  Its’ been a lot busy with little to write about.  Funny how that works.  Here’s the holiday re-cap:

For our two year anniversary, Kevin took me on a surprise overnight date! Poor Kevin, after last year (which was a super surprise – like I had no idea it was even happening surprise), I told him it’s expected now. He set the bar too high for himself. Lucky me, he loves surprising me even more than I love being surprised! This year, he arranged for us to soak in the pools and get a massage at Banya 5 and stay the night downtown. Yay!

In Spokane, were new traditions of horrible gingerbread house assembly – horrible because Auntie didn’t read the directions first…sneaking the candy was the best part anyway!  And old traditions at the Edburg’s Rockin’ Christmas Eve.  Christmas weekend flew by but I was lucky to get to visit with everyone I had hoped.

For New Years, the annual Brick House, Crock Pot Cookoff Party commenced in Lincoln City, Oregon.  Like walking off the plane in Honolulu, something about this crew gives me a perma-grin I can’t seem to shake.  I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate a great year, and ring in the new, than with these guys.  Well, except Kevin and I would have loved to surf! Stupid winter storm watch, flash flood, BS.  And, yup, my meatball subs with homemade marinara took first place in the crock pot cookoff.  Can I get a “Three-peat!”  Kevin tied with Ambrose for second with his mommy blog Orange Cranberry Bread Pudding!



Much love to you for the best 2010 has to offer. Already, it looks to be full of weddings and babies. I can’t wait!

 

We Know People November 30, 2009

Filed under: canada, sports, travel — Kelli @ 11:45 pm

This trip to Whistler was extra special because LB lives there now, working for the Olympics.  She’s in charge of the transportation to/from/all around the Sliding Center at Whistler so we got the super, behind the scenes, tour.  Unfortunately, that didn’t include a bobsled ride down the mountain, but it was cool (runnings) nonetheless. 



If interested, all of our Thanksgiving weekend pictures are HERE.  Kevin has some neat ones from the top of Whistler and on the glass bottom gondola!

 

Even More Thankful November 26, 2009

Filed under: canada, random, travel — Kelli @ 3:52 pm

Today is such a great day to reflect and think about what we’re thankful for in our lives.  Thanksgiving is the unofficial start of the holiday season, where the warm fuzzies start to embrace you and simple things, like pumpkin pie and Christmas lights make us happy.  There’s something different about this time of year and I wonder why it can’t always be warm fuzzy land.  Then I’m slapped in the face by work and sadness and stress.  Life.

I was recently turned on to a book called Even Happier by Dentler.  I’m not far into the book, but so far I can absolutely, without a doubt say the first chapter was the best and will probably be the most influential to me.  It’s titled “On Being Grateful” and gives you an assignment at the end to list five things a day that you are grateful for.  It could be anything.  Of course I’m grateful for my family who is forced to love me no matter what.  For Kevin who does the same (by choice even!).  My friends who are the most amazing people I know.  But what else makes me smile? Husky basketball, Starbucks serving peppermint hot chocolate, couch time and keeping this blog are among the many.  I don’t know why it was such a revelation to me.  But it works.  When gratitude is a habit, we don’t need special events to keep us happy.

So, this Thanksgiving, I’m just as thankful today as I was yesterday and as I’ll be tomorrow.  Specifically, today, I’m thankful for all these things:

Jason, who continues to invite us up to Whistler, year after year.

Thinking about Kevin getting to snowboard today with Jason.  I know he’s having a blast his first time out this season.

Being lazy and not feeling guilty because I literally have nothing to do and nowhere to be.  I was going to snow shoe but there’s not enough snow on the ground…..so I’m still in pajamas, working on picture books.

Cousin’s pumpkin bread recipe, that I’m snacking on right now.

Still getting to eat turkey and pumpkin pie with Lauren and Co., despite being in Canada, where it’s not officially Thanksgiving.

Avoiding the “Black Friday” lunatics by shopping on “Black Wednesday.” (We hit the outlets yesterday on our way up to Whistler.  We got all the deals – so we were told – and missed all the crazed bargain shoppers.)

Part of me wishes I was in Spokane right now with my people, but knowing I’ll be there soon for Christmas and knowing they wish I was there too, makes it ok that I’m not.

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!

 

The Happiest Place on Earth November 10, 2009

Filed under: california, friends, the states, travel — Kelli @ 10:53 pm

We just got back from a super fun weekend in LA.  We went down to see the Huskies play UCLA – which was really just an excuse to go to Cali to visit Kevin’s friends (also Husky alums).  Holy smokes, these LA Dawg fans are no joke.  We ended up on a school bus (yes, you read me right, I said a school bus.  like for kindergarteners.) with 80 other Huskies, confident, happy, drinking our breakfast, crammed three to a seat with paralyzed knees from jamming them into the seat in front and no bathroom.  It didn’t matter.  We were headed to the Rose Bowl to beat the Weasel!  Fast forward three hours later…defeat.   A very sad game and long, traffic filled, bus ride home.



Thank goodness for Disneyland!  Where all your worries are left behind (nevermind that we went Friday and the game was on Saturday).  I haven’t been since the fifth grade and it was as magical as I remember.  We were blessed with Disneyland expert guides, free tickets, little to no lines (I guess a 30 minute wait constitutes ”no lines”) and a beautiful day.  We hit Space Mountain first, our Disney guides favorite, grabbed a fast pass and waited in the short line.  We ended up riding it three times, without cheating, in less than an hour which we are told could quite possibly put us in the Guinness Book of World Records.  That set the pace for the rest of the day.  Bouncing from ride to ride, park to park (California Adventure didn’t exist my last visit) and meeting our favorite characters.  They were slowly starting to put up Christmas decorations, which I LOVED.  We rode the “ride this ride last because you’ll crap your pants and nobody wants to walk around all day with crappy pants” ride – and did not crap our pants.  And got SOAKED at Splash Mountain.  We thought we were so smart by sitting in the middle.  The middle happens to have water spill over and soak you.  Not splash.  Soak.  My entire right leg, butt and shoe were soaked for hours…but it was my favorite!

PB060716

We had such a good time as big kids.  I can see why parents get so excited to take their little kids.  The kids were sooo happy.  They really were on cloud nine.  And so much fun for us to watch.  I thought often about Alli meeting all the Princesses and how much she would love all the rides.  When we go back, it might not be free (oh by the way, tickets are up to $97/day for a park hopper pass.  Yeah.  HOLY freakin’ CRAP!  Plus food and souveniers….enough to go broke.) but we now know to go mid-week in November to get your money’s worth!  If I had to wait 110 minutes for a ride, I’m pretty sure I would not be able to smile at the happiest place on earth.

Another magical weekend with awesome friends!  We’ll get ‘em next year, Dawgs!