Category Archives: the states

Dec16

Sunday Drive

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Sunday Drive

Kevin and I just celebrated our three year anniversary!

He usually manages to surprise me with a romantic overnight date.  This year, our weekends were already pretty full with fun stuff so we had mutually decided to take Monday off to spend the day together; maybe go snow shoeing or something active.

Well, he tricked me again.  Instead of snow shoeing on Monday, his real plan was to take me to Alderbrook Resort Sunday.  He had arranged for us to snow shoe still, then wine and dine and then get massages on Monday.  Oh, go ahead,”aww.”  I know, right?  Isn’t he the sweetest?

Well, our romantic getaway turned into a very long Sunday drive.  You may remember the last post about all the rain at the luminaria?  Well all that rain turned into a mudslide, closing part of Highway 3.  But(!) never fear, there is another way to get to Alderbrook – it would just take a lot longer – but we weren’t in a hurry.  So, we decided to go up and around Hood Canal, driving back down Highway 101.  We were in the car about four hours now and made it to the final stretch when sadly, the only other road to Alderbrook was closed due to floods.  We literally couldn’t get there.

By now it was dinner time and all we had to eat all day were cookies from the night before.  We couldn’t quickly get back to the ferry so continued to drive south to Olympia and then back home, making a giant circle.  Our romantic evening away turned into a six hour Sunday drive, McDonald’s for dinner and a chick flick.

So, the day….well, it was a total waste – but at least it was memorable!

Nov28

Thanks-Vegas

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Thanks-Vegas

I’ve never been to Vegas without the intention of a lot of drinking, dancing and debauchery with friends. 

But, this Thanksgiving, I experienced Las Vegas in a different light!

The plan was to suprise Grandpa Mahon for his 80th birthday.  I was super excited as I haven’t met the Mahon side of Kevin’s family.  Kevin was just as excited becuase he hasn’t seen them all in a really long time.  Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and Grandparents, oh my!  Plus his mom and brother came too – it was like a big reunion.

Except, then Grandpa Mahon decided not to come.  We still don’t really know why but he was there in spirit (and on a stick).

The first day we were there was pretty much the perfect day.  We flew in early, got massages, hung out at the spa, had lunch watching the Husky Bball game (they’re so fun to watch this year!), wandered the strip and had ice creams for dinner.  It just doesn’t get better than that!

The rest of the weekend was spent with family.  We ate a lot, visited, played Wii pictionary, shopped and went to Tony and Tina’s Wedding - just for practice! 

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always have to stay in Vegas!

Jun5

We heart Oregon!

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We heart Oregon!

We had a wedding to go to over Memorial Day weekend in Portland so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend and spend a couple of days in Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast.  The Oregon Coast is way better than the Washington Coast.  And there are so many fun, local shops in Portland (supportland!)  it makes it an adventure every time we visit.  It almost makes us want to move to Portland.  Almost.  If nothing else I do feel badly for giving the Brick House boys such crap for being from “stupid” Portland.  Sorry guys – it’s cooler than I gave you credit for.  Plus now you have the “Sonics” too so I really can’t hate.

Anyway, the surf was awesome.  We only made it out once but we went to Short Sands – a place Matty showed us a couple of years ago.  It’s a quick quarter-mile or so hike through a grove of old growth forest that leads to a protected cove where the waves are always nice (at least the two times we’ve gone!).  We surfed until we were almost too tired to hike out and were completely satisfied despite the downpour of rain the rest of the weekend.  Back in Portland, Matty and Alison took us to Mississippi Street where there’s this really cool salt shop with giant peonies.  Like the size of your head, giant.  We loved them and want them for our wedding.  I hope they’re in bloom mid-April but it may be a bit too early.  Matty and Alison we might have a job for you in transporting giant peonies!

Evidently, it's hard for me to take normal pictures...

Apr18

Happy -1 Anniversary!

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Happy -1 Anniversary!

To celebrate our -1 Wedding Anniversary (April 16!), Kevin and I flew to San Francisco for a quick, weekend getaway. We love San Francisco and had gone exactly two years ago so it was the perfect destination.

We were lucky with great spring weather so we were able to shop Union Square, Haight Ashbury and Hayes Valley happily, ride bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito (our butts hurt SO BAD after!) and hang out in Golden Gate Park.  We also had delicious food, especially from the Clift where we got to sit in the Worlds Largest Table Chair!

We had the best time despite the weekend flying by! I think we’ll try to make it to SF every couple of years for traditions sake – if I say it on the blog, we have to do it!! Below is a highlight of my favorite moments and a video Kevin put together on our bike ride.  Click HERE for all of our weekend pictures.

I have a print of a similar picture (that I got on my trip to SF with D!) so it was fun to replicate it!

On our bike ride to Sausalito!

World's Largest Table Chair!

My new bag that I'm in love with!

Jan5

Que Bueno

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Que Bueno

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!

Nov10

The Happiest Place on Earth

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The Happiest Place on Earth

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!

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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!

Oct4

EVERYTHING’S Bigger In Texas

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EVERYTHING’S Bigger In Texas

You hear that saying all the time. SweartoGod…it’s true. Proof is in the pictures.

Largest State Capitol

Tallest State Capitol

Largest "urban" bat colony - that we never saw

Largest urban bat colony - that we never saw

Largest College Big Screen - at Universtiy of Texas

Largest College Big Screen - at Universtiy of Texas

Giant Stars - it is the Lonestar state afterall

Giant Stars - it is the Lonestar state afterall

Largest Whole Foods

Largest Whole Foods

Monster beverages - the soda's were giant too

Monster drinks - the soda's were giant too

The largest arched doorway in Texas is at the Driskill

The largest arched doorway in Texas is at the Driskill

Supersize Jelly Beans!

Supersize Jelly Beans!

Oct3

San Antonio!

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San Antonio!

After a few full days in Austin we felt like we had seen it all.  San Antonio is only an hour and a half away…sooo Anj, Kevin and I went there to check it out!  Like Austin, I’ve heard a lot of good things about San Antonio so I was really glad to “sneak” a day trip to San Antonio in.

As we headed, we took a little detour (more like a couple hour detour when all was said and done) to Driftwood, Texas where Salt Lick Bar-B-Que is located.  Yes, MORE BBQ.  My tummy was not thrilled with me by the end of the trip.  But this was the best place yet!  We totally cheated the system by ordering to go, then eating in their banquet room, skirting the 45 minute wait.  Hey!  We had a busy day ahead of us, no time to dilly dally!  Definitely our favorite BBQ of the trip and worth the detour.

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By the time we reached San Antonio we had little time to see all of the sites before they closed.  We brushed up in the car on the “must sees” of San Antonio and did all we could.  First we went to the Mission San Jose, the largest mission in San Antonio, known for the Rose window.  Then we hustled over to The Alamo, the shrine of Texas liberty, which happens to be right smack in the middle of their downtown.  We walked through it and around it until they closed then walked the River Walk to LaVillita and back, in search of something, anything, a la mode.  Alamo…a la mode…it was on the mind.  Sweet success with a giant brownie served with ice creams!  

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San Antonio was a really cute city.  I wish we had a little more time to explore the intricacies of their downtown.  I’m glad we went though, even if just for a quick tour. 

Back in Austin we met up with Ambrose for dinner at La Condesa, a yummy Mexican restaurant.  Then we went to The Driskill, Austin’s historic and rumored haunted hotel.  We sipped drinks and swapped stories from our trip.  It was the perfect way to wrap up our mini Texan retreat.  Good times with great friends!

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