Day 1- 3: Start of Vacation

Originally, back in March or so,

 Todd and I planned

on doing a staycation this summer.

We had the wonderful cruise to Alaska

last year, so we figured we would

keep it low key and get some things

done around the house this year.

Around May we decided that was dumb,

and tried to scrape together some

plans to do something.

Well...we just returned from our summer vacation.

It was 9 days (2 were Sat and Sun).

Not the relaxing time I had hoped for,

but nice still the same...

anytime you don't have to work it's nice!

My official vacation started Friday at 5 PM,

as soon as I got off work.

I went to leave my office, and of course,

I couldn't locate my keys.

Great start, right?

Ends up that I had left the keys in my car

because I had set them down so I could

pick something else up....idiot!!!!

The evening improved, however,

when we took the kids for dinner.

They had to prep their apartment

because they are both moving out,

so we figured we'd provide

them with some sustenance.

The evening got a lot better when we stopped

for some yummy ice cream at a local

ice cream and candy shop before they left.

I basically ran errands and Todd

did yardwork all day Saturday.

Then we turned around Sunday and traveled

two hours to bring Todd's trailer

to the kids apartment in order

to move their larger items.

It just so happened to be about 100 degrees,

which believe it or not was much

better than the 105 - 109 degrees

that it had been a couple days earlier.

It took us a few hours to move stuff

to Austin's new little house

and load Lexxa's on the trailer.

After we finished, we turned right back around

and drove home so we could relax

on the 4th of July -

we didn't want to be on the road

on a drinking holiday.

Before we left the kids again,

we had lunch at a local brewery

(Do you see a theme regarding food here?).

It was pretty much delicious,

and we enjoyed every morsel

because we were exhausted from

the heat and doing physical work.

I didn't take any pictures of the 4th

because we didn't really do anything

except relax and BBQ.

So there was nothing really exciting to blog.

Did the rest of our vacation improve?

Guess you'll have to wait and see!

I know, I'm a brat.

DIY - Pallet Frame

Todd and I finally put our pallets that we had

been saving to good use.

My dad's birthday was nearing,

and I really wanted to make something for him.

I found a local photographer who had taken

a picture of the town that I was raised in.

The picture just so happens to show the building

that my dad owned and operated his business

out of for over 30 years, so I couldn't resist.

When I told Todd what I had in mind for

the photo, he was totally on board and

volunteered to help me make a homemade frame.

First thing was to drag out the old dirty pallet.

Next, Todd pried the nasty old board off the top,

which then exposed the boards that we would

need to make our frame.

It was pretty nasty...it had spider webs and dirt

and just gross stuff all over it.

My job was to clean the boards after Todd

pried them off the pallet.

We were able to salvage about 5 good boards

that we could use for the frame.

The other boards split apart and were unusable.

Todd measured and I cut the boards,

then he had to set up the Kreg Jig.

It was way too complicated for me to figure out,

so Mister Smartypants came to the rescue.

The Kreg jig allows you to drill holes

at an angle so that you can connect the frame

without any screws showing.

Next, I had to salvage a piece of glass from a frame

that we were going to throw away.

The old frame fell and broke to pieces,

but the glass was perfect...win!

It took a few attempts to get the photo in the frame,

but we managed to maneuver it in and then
Todd just screwed the bottom board to the frame...done!

From start to finish, it took us about an hour to assemble.

I love the way it turned out,

and really enjoy how it enhances the picture.

We gave the picture to my dad this last

weekend, and he loved it, just like I hoped he would.

It just makes it that much more special

because we made it especially for him.

In Our Family...

A Super Quick Minication

I tagged along with Todd last weekend, and went to Long Beach.

He had a work related meeting he needed to go to

so I thought I would take advantage of the situation.

We left on Thursday afternoon, and we had to be

back to work on Monday, so it was a really short trip,

but because we were together we had lots of fun.

Of course I had to get a picture of us driving,

but you can't really tell what's going on from the picture.

Doesn't it look like we are driving in clouds?

We stopped right after we passed through the Grapevine

and ate some yummy dinner at El Toritos.

Can you believe the size of Todd's dinner.

That was the fajita plate.

We rolled into Long Beach around 9 PM

and went straight to our room to go to sleep.

It was an 8 hour drive so we were pretty tired.

We had stayed at Hyatt at the Pike before about 3 years ago.

I remembered they had a pool on the rooftop,

so while Todd went to his meeting, I explored.

It was an awesomely beautiful day,

and the view was lovely.

I didn't go swimming

(mostly because I forgot to bring my bathing suit),

but man was it tempting.

Especially when you consider the fact that nobody was up there.

I tried to get a couple pics to prove I really was there,

but again, it looks like I'm floating in the clouds.

Todd finished work around noon,

and while he was working, I was shopping...

although I didn't buy anything...

does that still count as shopping?

The last time we were at The Pike it was just

random stores and restaurants,

now it has outlets and restaurants...

Score!

We ended up leaving Long Beach around 2 PM,

and headed down the coast.

There was a random rhino in Malibu

(I think it was Malibu, it all kind of blurs together).

It was a beautiful drive until we hit Santa Barbra.

There was a fairly large fire,

and the sky was dark and scary looking.

You get the idea.

We ended up stopping shortly after Santa Barbra

in a random town, but it had hotels and restaurants,

and at that point, those were our only requirements.

The next day we traveled through Pismo Beach, Morro Bay,

San Luis Obispo, Carmel and Monterey until we had to head

inland and make our way home.

Of course we had to stop for dinner

one last time, and enjoy the perfect weather.

The picture above is one super tired Todd

after driving for about another 8 hours.

We didn't get to do much except shop, eat and drive

because of the time restriction,

but it is always so much fun to spend time with my honey.

We plan on possibly going back and staying a few days

on the coast a little later in the year. 

Maybe we will have time to put our feet in the sand

and catch a little sun.

Let's Get This Party, and Summer, Started

Lexx and I kicked off the summer by going to my friend, April's, BBQ.

She has a beautiful home, and is always a wonderful hostess.

Her husband, Brian, made BBQ ribs and tri-tip, and it was so tasty.

There were outdoor games to play,

and some very friendly party guests.

There was relaxing and talking and drinking.

Some party attendees were, however, not super social.

But most enjoyed the evening and participated

in some adult beverages and games

(Cards Against Humanity anyone?).

If you are shy or don't like inappropriate

conversations, this game is not for you!

Everyone at the party played, and everyone was a good sport.

We wrapped up the evening around 11 PM happy and content.

So did you do anything special to kick start your summer?

The Family Stroll and Asked for a Bowl

Last weekend the family decided to get

outside and move around a little.

We decided to hike the Foresthill Bridge Trail,

and have some lunch near the river.

It started off as a beautiful day,

with a nice breeze,

There was some beautiful scenery.

We met some friendly people on the trail.

And then we met some overly friendly people

when we sat down to eat lunch.

The 20 somethings kept offering to swap beer for pot.

We, of course, had neither so it was pretty

entertaining listening and watching the other

river goers partake.

You want to laugh a little, be the only sober person at a party.

We left a little later in the morning than we should

so by the time we were finishing up our hike,

it was probably close to 2or 3 PM.

Temps were probably in the mid to high 90's at that time,

so we got a little hot.

It was nice to get out of the house and spend

some time together enjoying the day.

I'm sure we will do the hike again,

but we will probably leave in the early morning and

hike a little further next time.

Summer To Do List

Via

The temperatures have been steadily rising,

and it reminded me that I wanted to make a Summer to do list.

It's a fun way to make sure I get out and enjoy the season.

So, here's a list of what I'm going to do this summer (hopefully)!

1.   Try a new restaurant

2.   Paint hallway and bedroom

3.   Visit another state

4.   Read a book

5.   Buy some cute sandals

6.   Go to the beach

7.   Have a picnic

8.   Go to the movies

9.   Go to a farmers market or flea market

10.  Have a family game night

11.  Complete either an art project or building project

12.  Make homemade ice cream

13.  Go to a concert (if it's not too hot)

14.  Put the computer and cell phone away for a full day

15.  Go on a nature walk

So do you have a bucket list?
What do you have on it?