nor pac

This post comes a little late, but better than never, right!? Mid-February I headed up to Washington state to visit my dear friends the McQuiddy's. My friend Kristin, from nursing school, whom I've mentioned before, was going to be flying solo with her 14 month old, Haley, while her husband Frank needed to travel to San Diego with the Navy, so I flew north to keep her company and help her out with the now walking little one! Frank ended up having his travel plans changed and was in Seattle for the first 2 days I was there. My first full day in the Seattle area we took a beautiful hike through a "forest" which opened up to rock lined beach...it was gorgeous!

This is where our hike started...don't let the shinning sun fool you, it was in the 30's!





Getting a little deeper into the forest.

Haley sacked out about 5 minutes in.



Mrs. and  Mr.



The trees just about to open up to the beach.



The Olympic Mountains standing tall over the Puget Sound.

Kristin and I



Mobile Haley...not too sure what to think about walking on rocks.



I enjoyed this day and all our other days together emensly! Thanks for having me up to visit, it was great to spend time with you all! I will greatly miss not having you on the West Coast for much longer : ( but I look forward to visiting Newport, Rhode Island!

map my run

For you road runners, walkers and explorers alike, mapmyrun.com  is a website to help you determine the distance you covered on your random run through neighborhoods or along the beach. This website allows you to use a google like map which you can click on it showing your every turn, it then totals up the distance you covered. It allows you to make loops or an up and back route if you go somewhere and then take the same path back. I have used this website infrequently in the past but for my current training I think it will be even more helpful to use daily so I can discover new runs that other people post, or I can trace back or plan my route checking for the mileage I'm looking for for that run. The website also has a training log, races and runs, forums and much more that I have yet to even discover. 'Map my run' could be especially helpful if you are traveling and wanting to go for a run but you don't have access to a gym or do not know the area well enough you are in to just start running.

the happiest place on earth

Back in October, I traveled to see my Nana and Papa and some of the extended family for a weekend of togetherness. This weekend was planned prior to Papa having his third stoke leaving him hospitalized, so it was a good time to get family together, see Papa, and take care of and keep Nana distracted. Most of us cousins all grew up in Southern California we were used to summer trips to Disneyland together and having 'Camp Nana'. 'Camp Nana' was when my sisters and cousins and I all spend the week at Nana and Papa's house selling lemonaid and found golf balls to the golfers, sleeping on the living room floor, having fashion shows, eating Italian food, going to the Family Fun Center to play mini golf and ride rides and playing many hands of cards; this weekend reminded us of all those fun memories and gave us a taste of the past as now we are all adults sleeping on the floor, playing cards, having big family meals, and going to Disneyland of course!

The Whole Gang

There were a total of 15 of us, that headed to Disneyland on a Saturday with what seemed like the rest of Southern California. We had 2 wheelchairs, one for Nana, and one for a cousin with a hurt knee, and then a stroller for my cousins 5 month old, talk about quite the parade we had.

Taking the tram into the parks, Janessa, Me, Kale, Emmalyn, Brianne, Cooper.

Nana & I on the Marc Twain Steamboat

We had a great day of nostaligia riding our favorite rides, watching the magical fireworks and being together as a big family that we are.

Sister Molly and I at the Bugs Life 3-D Show

Sister Molly & I

Nana came in the afternoon with my aunt and it was really special to have her with us at Disneyland, I think she enjoyed being there with most of her grandchildren as well, I sure had a great day!

adventure to Julian

I have long been wanting to go apple picking and exploring in a town called Julian so I recruited Pati and baby Isaiah to come along and we went on a cold, blustery day earlier this month. The drive was very beautiful driving on windy roads leading up to what seem like nowhere, that is until we got to Julian a very small town established during the gold rush. We first stopped off at Raven Hill Orchard to go apple picking, slightly different from my other apple picking experiences in that the apples were mostly picked or had falled on the ground and they were a small variety of apple. The good news was the apples were sweet and juicy!

Pati with bundled Isaiah

Poor Isaiah's nose got quite cold and red so we left and ventured into "downtown" Julian to find something warm to drink. We talked through the one town street and found the Julian Pie Company were Pati and I enjoyed a slice of apple pie and hot apple cider.

Downtown Julian



Warming up at the Pie Co.



Happy Baby!

family love

This past weekend I had the pleasure to host my parents visit to San Diego. They arrived Friday mid-morning and our first stop was no other than the famous Hash House restruant for brunch where Pati and baby Isaiah joined us. My mom had fun oooing, ahhing and playing with the well mannered, smily baby. After stuffing our faces we needed to get a little exercise so we headed up to La Jolla for some kayaking. The kayak tour took us to see leapord sharks about 4-6 feet long (with no teeth, thank goodness), Dr. Susses house, the Seven caves, seal lions and the kelp forest. We had lots of fun learning about the history of La Jolla and kayaking around on such a beautiful day (85 deg in November!). After cleaning up we headed to Del Mar to watch the scenery, have a drink and then get dinner at another one of my favorites, Jakes. From there we watched the most beautiful sunset and had a fabulous dinner.

Saturday we woke up early and decided to hike Cowles Mountain.

It was a very popular spot on another one of these rare November goregous days! From the top we could see Mexico, Coronado Island, downtown San Diego, Point Loma and much more; it was a beautiful 360 deg view of San Diego!

Looking toward downtown San Diego

Mom and Dad at the very tip top, 360 deg view

Mom and I at the top!

Dad and I at the top!

After showering we headed to Coronado Island were we walked the "boardwalk" along the beach on the west end leading up to the Hotel Del Coronado.

Picture of beach side of Hotel Del Coronado (from a previous visit)

View of beach looking toward Point Loma (from a previous visit)

There we shopped, explored and had lunch. We explored a little more of the islands history at the Coronado museum and some then the "downtown" area and then oooed and ahhed over some of the beautiful homes on the island. Quite exahausted after a packed weekend we stayed home to watch the Arizona vs Stanford football game, which didn't end in my favor :(

Sunday morning we took my Balboa park loop walk and then went to the Hillcrest farmer's market for a crepe. Soon after that it was time for me to take my parents to the airport. I was so happy to have them visit and thankful for all we got to do while they were in town and the beautiful weather we had!

I heart crumpets

It was this easy to miss shop, The Crumpet Shop, in Seattle, WA, tucked away off the side street leading up to Pike's Place Market that got me hooked on crumpets. While visiting this past Spring, my friend Kristin and I went to this shop she had been raving about after a past visit she had there. I had never had a crumpet until that very day and let me say I am very happy that the crumpet and I met! A crumpet is similar to an English muffin yet a little more moist, and the nooks and crannies are on the top rather than the inside as an English muffin. Here are some fresh baked crumpets from the shop.

Photo from Roadfood.com

After having 2 crumpets of my own and sharing a 3rd, I left the shop with my Seattle souvenir...a bag of 6 plain crumpets! These crumpets did not stick around for long because I quickly found many ways to top them and enjoy their deliciousness! My favorite ways to enjoy a crumpet are with berry jam, nutella, and egg but the shop has many more mouth watering options! Finishing my crumpets from The Crumpet Shop, resulted  in great sadness, this was until I discovered  that Trader Joe's has crumpets (in plain and blueberry). I have been able to enjoy crumpets now once again (although I have to admit they are not quite as fresh and tasty as the ones from "the shop")! I even picked up some nutella so I could enjoy my crumpet the way I loved that wonderful day back in May!

When in Seattle make sure to stop but The Crumpet Shop for some breakfast, lunch or just a bite to eat and a coffee you will surely not be disappointed that you did. And for those of you who do not live in the Seattle area and don't have a trip planned but your mouth is watering after reading this post, head to Trader Joe's pick up a pack of crumpets (usually in the bread section near the English muffins), toast your crumpet, top with butter and then add jam, nutella or a scrambled egg and  ENJOY!

my stay-cation!

This week I worked all my shifts in the beginning of the week and next week they will all be at the end of the week, you may be thinking, well who-cares, well I do! This means I have off a week without actually using any vacation time. I am very excited for my stay-cation and have many plans for my week! Some of these plans include:

- Extreme "Spring" cleaning (even though it's now the Fall)...hey, I didn't say they were all "FUN" plans!
- Updating my garden with some plants to make it through the Fall and Winter!
- Working to finish decorating my apartment in general and decorating for the Fall season!
- Some DIY projects for around the apartment.
- Catching up on some over due crafting projects and blogging!
- Planning some trips for the rest of the year.
- Relaxing and reading my new book from Oprah's Book Club, Freedom
- A haircut

So I am already 3 days into my stay-cation and have so far accomplished catching up on all the season premiers that were recorded on my DVR, lots of sleeping, cleaning my apartment, and a little redecorating. I definitely thought I would have gotten more done but hey I guess after working 6 out of 8 nights I deserve a little R & R! Hoping the next few days bring more productivity!

This coming Monday, the 27th, I will be going in for minor surgery to remove my second case of skin cancer on my head (darn sun and genetics!). Despite a little pain at first and missing a few hairs on my head, I will be just fine...any prayers during that time of healing are certainly welcomed and much appreciated! I will be back to work in no time and hopefully no worse for the wear!

Anyone else have suggestions for my stay-cation here in San Diego? What do you all like to do in your towns when you get to have a stay-cation?

missing Baltimore

As Fall is fast approaching I always seem to find myself wondering what's next? Fall feels more like a new year to me than New Year's does... probably since that's when the new school year always starts (and the numerous colleges I attended where I moved all over the place) and change is expected. In the Fall I get reminiscent about travel, moving, and just thinking about where I have been and where I am going in life. This Fall as I have the past few Falls I am missing the East Coast and specifically Baltimore, where I was during nursing school. Baltimore, as is most of the East Coast is beautiful in the Fall...the leaves are changing, the air gets crisp, and you can wear all your Fall sweaters and wool coats. I hope to make a visit out east before the New Year!

For those of those new to the Baltimore/ D.C. area, or planning to visit Baltimore I would like tell you some of my favorite restaurants to check out. I've included the neighborhood that each restaurant is in, a quick description, and their website.

Miss Shirley's- Inner Harbor & Roland Park- Best breakfast in Maryland...hands down!
http://www.missshirleys.com/

Iggie's- Mt Vernon- Best Gourmet, Thin Crust Pizza with Bring-Your-Own-Alcoholic-Beverages option!
http://www.iggiespizza.com/Home_Page.html

Matthew's Pizza- Canton- Best Thicker, Buttery Crust Pizza!
http://www.matthewspizza.com/

Amicci's- Little Italy- Great Happy Hour and Italian Food!
http://amiccis.com/

The Brewer's Art- Mt. Vernon- Best European Style Burger, Rosemary Fries, and Artisan Beers!
http://www.thebrewersart.com/

Vaccaro's- Little Italy- Best Italian Pastries and Gelato!
http://vaccarospastry.com/

The Evergreen  Cafe- Roland Park- Great study place with a living room feel, good coffee, and great scones, muffins & huge cookies!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-evergreen-cafe-baltimore

Tapas Teatro- Downtown, Charles St.- Awesome tapas and wine next to the Charles Theatre, come for a movie and tapas!
http://tapasteatro.com/

Paper Moon Diner- Roland Park- Extremely eclectic diner with interesting decor and great late night place!
http://www.papermoondiner24.com/

Atwater's- Belvedere Square- Amazing soups! Daily selections differ but all are amazing, sit at there counter or take to-go.
http://www.atwaters.biz/index.php

Cafe Hon- Hampden- Think of the neighborhood from Hairspray and you can picture this diner/cafe that'll take you right back to the 1960's!
http://cafehon.com/

Happy Feasting!

a magical birthday

My dear friend Kate, will be celebratied her 26th birthday on August 18th. This year myself, our other friend Libby, Libby's husband Marc, Kate's boyfriend Brian, and another friend from high school Mike aka Franchi, thought what would be a better way to celebrate our dear friend then by driving her down to Anaheim on Friday (the weekend before her birthday) after work and suprising her with a day in Disneyland on Saturday! So that's just what we did. (On a side note, Disneyland is one of my favorite places in the world! I love seeing the children's faces and excitement with each new thing, and cannot wait for when I can take my own children. I like how I get a nostalgic feeling being there and the memories from my many childhood trips come flooding back.)

Friday Kate, Brian, Libby, Marc, and Franchi (Mike), drove south arriving at the Portofino Inn & Suites where I had already checked in and was anxiously awaiting their arrival. While waiting I enjoyed the Friday nights fireworks from our hotel room, it was a perfect view and crowd free!

We had a champagne toast alongside the Sprinkle's red velvet cupcakes I made from the mix! After playing some cards and drinking a few beers we rested up for the big day ahead!

Make a wish!

The Birthday Princess!

Saturday was spent at the "Happiest Place on Earth" Disneyland and neighboring park, California Adventure.

Walkin' down Main St. just after the park opened!

Franchi and Brian had not been since middle school and Kate not since we had our senior trip after high-school were Libby, Kate, Alli and I all went.

The girls

 A favorite ride for the trip was California Screamin' at California Adventure which we went on 3 times,

Waiting to get on California Screamin'!

and the water rides at both parks were a nice cool down to a hot day although Libby was not too excited after she got drenched on Splash Mountain.

Before getting wet...

and after!

We enjoyed many rides, churros, pineapple whip floats, and the awesome World of Color show at California Adventure. This show was absolutely amazing with lights, water, and music. Later we celebrated with a nice dinner at Ralph Brennans Jazz Kitchen. I had been there before to celebrate my mom's 50th birthday and after remembering how fun the live music was and how good the food was I thought it would be a great place to go for her birthday dinner! This time was a little different as we were seated upstairs and had a more quite private area in a corner of the resturant which was just perfect for us after a loud, crowded day at the parks. The food, drinks, and of course the company were all fabulous!

The gang after a great dinner!

Brian and the birthday girl!

Make another wish!

Sunday, after sleeping in, we packed up and it was time to head back to our respective homes, my friends all piled in the Explorer for the bay area and myself to visit my grandparents nearby. It was such a fun trip and needed much more recovery time than should be allowed! I already cannot wait to go back!

Thanks guys for a fun trip to Disneyland and Kate I hope you had a magical birthday!

pre-wedding festivities

This was the view we were greeted with at the condo at Kings Beach! Could have been a more perfect place to spend the weekend and celebrate Ashley and Billy's wedding weekend! The first night we were all together, Friday night, we celebrated with a bar-be-que and dance party with all the young people up for the weekend.

Hanging on the patio.

Dinner is served!

Ash and I

What a fun and beautiful night!

Saturday was filled with hanging at the beach, condo and the rehearsal dinner held at the condo/ beach just in front. Carol, Ashley's mom, created color cordinated beach blankets to be spread out on the sand for people to have a place to eat dinner.

Huge thunder clouds started to roll around, but before it could rain on our party, the clouds turned around, leaving the perfect back drop for a beautiful sunset later.

A wonderful Mexican fiesta was served and people pulled up a beach blanket, chair, rock, or piece of grass to enjoy their dinner on. Ice cold beer and brownies were a nice treat too!

Billy & Ashley

Mike, Nick, Billy & Ashley

Borith & Adrienne

Lucy & Veronica

The guys played a game of not-so-touch football which was great entertainment.

Lucy and Mike's baby Nico entertained us all with her smiles, drool and laughs at herself.

A few hours into the party most of the guests were chased away by the condo's property manager. The bridal party was led by Tash's dad, Beam, to go over the plans for the wedding ceremony. After clarifying everyone's roles for the wedding, the rehearsal was done.

Me, Ashley, & Adriene

A few lingering guests and those staying at the condo hung out and then it was time to get our beauty rest for the big day!

Off to the sunset they go!

It was the end of another beautiful day in Tahoe!