Browse Category: outta here

OK…we’re back now.

We arrived in SF on Saturday night around 9 pm.  It’s back to reality for now.  The weather is cooler here but the rain is trippin’ me out!  Why does it seem like it’s raining everywhere in the world right now?  Anyway, Mommy is still here and we took her out for some Dim Sum and Thai food on Sunday.   But that was after we had McDonald’s breakfast as our first meal back in SF.  I truly missed having an American breakfast of eggs, meat, and potatoes.  The cappuccinos were good there but I also missed regular coffee.  Ah…there’s nothing like brewing my usual cup of coffee and enjoying it with a Big Breakfast.

I tossed and turned on Saturday night and woke up every hour until 4 am when I simply gave up.  It’s now Monday morning and I managed to get 6 hours of sleep but I got up again at 4 am.  I even stayed up all day without a nap and this still happens?!  I’m sitting here in the dark with my laptop on as Mommy’s sleeping in the livingroom and Jes is still…wait…I hear a stirrin’…nevermind…he’s awake now too.  I’m tempted to go to work super early but I probably won’t.

Photos are slowly getting processed and I should have updates on each city this week.

Italy Part 1: Rome, Sept 3-5

Hi Everyone!  We left Rome yesterday and had a wonderful time.  The only bummer of the whole experience was the heat and humidity.  Other than that, we saw plenty of famous and historical sights and wanted to share some of them with you.  I figured it would be best if I did this while 1) I have internet access and 2) it’s still fresh in my memory.

St. Peter's Basilica

We took the bus to Vatican City and I was in awe of St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s so beautiful and grand and I couldn’t help wonder if the Pope was around.

Sistine Chapel

We also visited the Vatican Museum where the Sistine Chapel and the famous “Creation of Man”.  Despite the signs and a guard yelling “no foto!”, I managed to sneak a shot.  Thankfully it came out.

Colosseum

Our hotel was just around the corner from the Colosseum and it was crazy huge inside and it’s amazing that it’s still standing.

Trevi Fountain

At night, we enjoyed hanging out at Trevi Fountain.  It was my favorite place to hang out.  I got a gelato while Jes got a bottle of Peroni beer and we just hung out at the fountain people-watching.  It was crowded but you wouldn’t be able to tell by this photo.

There you have it.  It’s like a quick Cliff’s Notes version of our first few days in Italy.  We are now in Florence and this hotel has free internet access so maybe I’ll post more updates soon.  We just finished our first day here and have a 5-hour cooking class planned for tomorrow.  Should be fun!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JES!!!

EuroTrip!!!

We’re on the plane waiting for our plane to take off. They’re making us sit here on the plane while their doing some “minor maintenance”. Seriously??! So now we are about 40 mins (and counting) behind and I’m now appreciative of our scheduled 4-hr layover in Detroit. Should be enough time for us to get there.

In the meantime, I’ll share our itinerary:
Rome 2 nights
Florence 3 nights
Cinque Terre 2 nights
Milan 2 nights

We’ll be back late on Sat. Sept 12th.

Jes wants everyone to know that he got stuck in the middle seat. Again.

Dirty Dirty Dirty

riding in the car

We just got back from our annual camping trip on Sunday afternoon and this year it was in Tahoe at Emerald Bay State Park.  We brought Koa along and the Sokol-Juns had Jack so it was a little different from past trips but just as fun.

emerald bay

It was a gorgeous weekend with warm, sunny days and cool nights.  I came home without a single mosquito bite but there were plenty of huge ants and pesky bees.  The lake was a sparkly blue and there were chipmunks everywhere.

lookout rock

Koa seemed to enjoy the great outdoors and even found himself a rock to sit on.  He got pretty comfy at the campsite and greeted each person as they entered by frantically searching for Fabian and bringing him to them.  I guess he’s made himself at home.  He also got to dig in the dirt, slept in the dirt, and was filthy.  I made sure to take him straight to the bathhouse on our way home.

jack in the dirt

jack and his lamp

Jack also made himself at home by plopping himself down on the dirt and playing with his trucks.  We even made him a garage for the trucks out of an empty Coors Light box.  For some reason I felt like the campground was extra dusty and dirty this year.  I couldn’t seem to keep my hands clean and came home with raw fingers and soot under my nails.

breakfast

As usual, each couple was in charge of taking care of one meal and we ate very well this past weekend.  Check out this breakfast burrito just prior to folding.  Unfortunately for us, the bees were also interested in our food and we we often chased over to the campfire for shelter from them.  Jes and I prepared corned beef hash and eggs on the final morning accompanied by the leftover veggies and pastries from the day before.

dishes

We also took turns cleaning up the pots and utensils.  Luckily we had a very good helper with the water faucet.  It doesn’t stay on so I usually had to hold the water on with one hand while attempting to wash and scrub with the other.  With Jack helping out, it made the chore less difficult.  He loved the water and we were getting the dishes done faster.

vyl on a rock

On Saturday afternoon we all walked down to the beach for a little rinse off of the feet in the ice cold water.  Vyl wished she had brought her swimsuit and decided to take a short nap on a rock.  Most of the boys actually jumped in and had a brief swim in the water.

beach

We snuck Koa down the trail and had him close-by on the beach.  At one point a 5-year-old girl came by to take away Jack’s pail and Koa went nutty.  The barking made Jack scowl but it made the girl go away.  Hah!

group photo

It was another fun camping trip for us and it looked like the boy and dog also had a good time.  Thanks for planning, Ryan!  Where are we going next year?!

Here are the photos: Day One |  Day Two |  Day Three

Vegas Weekend

The Venetian

Over the weekend, Jes and I went to Vegas to visit Kev, Karrie, and their little twin girls. Unfortunately there was a failure in planning so we ended up spending most of it at the Palazzo while the Wus were in LA for a family event. Our suite at the Palazzo was amazing. It had a double-door entrance, two bathrooms, a living area, separate bedroom, and bar. Ok, it was ridiculous. It turned out to be a nice refuge since it was a stinky 108 degrees outside!!!!  I think I took a total of 8 naps over the weekend.  Aaaahhhh…

bouchons

We spent Saturday and Sunday hanging out at the pool, window shopping, and had some pretty tasty meals. We went to Bouchon for brunch and had the chicken and waffles and chocolate “bouchons” (chocolate cake supposedly in the shape of corks). Both dishes were sooooo yummy. We also had dinner at Le Cirque and had such a good time eating, drinking, watching the fountain show from the window, and enjoyed the service. I had a really savory pork belly and fillet mignon topped with foie gras. *drool* We also had a wonderful spaghetti carbonara at Batali’s San Marco that I still think about every once in a while.

Karen & Katelin

On Monday, Kev was back from LA and picked us up for a day at his house. I FINALLY got to meet his little girls who just turned two years of age.

Karen and Jes

They have such distinct personalities and of course they were suspicious of their “Uncle Jesse”. Karen finally warmed up to him but Katelin wasn’t as amenable to him. We got back Monday evening and the Bangs seemed to have a decent time with Koa. They reported that he was pretty easy to take care of but always seemed “bummed out”. I reassured them that it wasn’t them and that it was his usual demeanor. What can I say? I have a lazy dog that sleeps all day. Thanks for your help, Bangs!!

Here are photos of the weekend.

An email from Bang

After the first 20 mins with the Bangs:

Watching Koa the ‘cat’ dog has been pretty boring so far. Pretty disappointed. He was super excited to get out of the car and marked stuff on the way to the apt. Then he ran around the house all excited, but then got bored. He’s been hanging out underneath the table, where we put his bed. I think he was a little scared of us after he got done with being all excited, so we gave him some treats. He’s sleeping right now on his bed though. You’re right, he doesn’t really act like a dog. 🙁