What a day! Going into 2 now… We have been up for 30 hours now, and as much as i would like to stay up and explore our hotel some more, we just are too exhausted! I learned 2 things, no, make that 3, over the last 12 hours:
1. Having a layover at the las vegas airport is good and bad. While we were up $140 on video poker, our listening ears shut off and we were just a few minutes from missing our flight. I happened to ask, knowing the plane was running late (but just not how late). They had to call and hold the plane for us. When we got inside everyone was seated and the overhead compartments were all closed! Eeek! How embarrasing!
2. I am no longer 15 or a single digit dress size. Plane seats are sooo uncomfy and we both could not sleep on the red eye as I had envisioned. Grumpy and achey, we got to our hotel at 7 am. Room wouldn’t be ready until 3. We reluctantly guzzled some coffee and hit epcot and animal kingdom.
3. Remember how i said i wasn’t 15 anymore? Well, it became even more apparent when we ran over to partake in their latest ride “Expedition Everest”. The buzz is, this ride is classic Disney; imaginative, lots of details and surprises. I had no idea. Starts out okay, everyone is “woo”ing and yelling. We go up, down, around and up… And wait. Mr. Confident single rider is putting his arms up in front of us, i look at his watch… Then we plunge backwards into the dark, in some sort of death spiral. I start hyper-ventilating and try to concentrate on breathing, eyes closed tight, feeling faintish. Anyone else out there forget to breathe on roller coasters or is it just me? The coolest part was the 15 foot realistic yeti, just how it looks in the wild ;)
Okay, time to pass out…can’t wait to share our pics and more stories!!
First stop, vegas. We’re currently sitting in the mccarren airport, using their wifi and waiting for our connecting flight. I haven’t been in this airport in ages! Slot machines, neon… It’s pretty nifty! Next stop, orlando!!! Our park and ride at lax was quite the experience. Projectile windshield wiper fluid as defense… I’ll explain later. We couldn’t stop laughing though. It’s one of those awesome moments where we were laughing so hard, that nathan and i couldn’t look at each other or we’d burst into wild giggling again. Oh 5th grade, how i’ve missed you so! Typing from my phone is proving itself awkward, and our food is getting cold. Another report from the field to come soon!
This could be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it… i got a new phone, bogo (nathan got one for work and mine was freeeee), and it is smarter than my first computer! so now I can bring you all with me everywhere i go! hehe!!
Okay, so… it’s another pun, but it makes me giggle more than it should. You see, we like to take our dog everywhere with us and the other night we were in and out of the car quite frequently and I coined the phrase “Re-leash the hound” to get ready for our next mini adventure etc and so on… Use it in a sentence tomorrow, I dare ya!
I’ve been doing the jewelry thing again… thought I would share a few pictures :)
That’s my workspace… anywhere there’s an a/c and cable tv ;)
Here’s a bracelet with Cathi’s beads and tons of dangling crystals… oh, and a loose heart pendant
Just one of my many bead boxes… this one is filled with glass cupcakes, little glass birds and other assorted goodies
A couple pairs of dangle earrings… need to make about 20 more pairs… well, that’s my goal by this Saturday at least ;)
Have I mentioned I have a thing for greens, blues and other ocean colors?
Our water heater is broken and I adore cold showers as much as the next person but… dang it! At least it’s been 90 out lately to counteract the temperature difference of my skin. I loathe hot weather, glad I live in the middle of a desert with a/c boxes that cool a 3 foot semi-circle. Sorry, grumpy… didn’t have my latte today ;)
We did, however, consume the best gelato this side of… errr… Italy. Melt Gelato in Montrose. I thought it was a “mom-and-pop”, but it isn’t! They are tucked in a little 2 story mini mall, hidden among the small businesses. Is this the wave of the future? (I’m slow) Large businesses and franchises disguised as small businesses? No, it’s been around, but I like to create long sentences about it. The gelato was amazing, they also serve crepes and we are definately going back, if not only to take pictures of their gelato sculptures! Pinguino is obsessed with pink berry frozen yogurt… that’s next on the “80 frozen treats in 80 days tour”. I should write a complete essay about frozen dessert movements. Who can forget Heidi’s Frogen Yozurt, Penguin’s Frozen Yogurt, dippin’ dots… and TCBY at the airports (Some of these are still around). Now there is Cold Stone, marble slab, 21 choices and Maggie Moo’s. Funny how the trends move all around. Why do I find this extremely interesting??
So much to do before the weekend… we are offering fresh flowers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday… I’ll post our hours in an official announcement post… aaannnnddd… need to get more Mother’s Day cards printed and jewelry made! Nothing like last minute to keep you going! :)
Important Programming Note!
Oh, and I had a few visitors from BlogLand this weekend! Sandy from Sam I am Creations (and she totally bought a bird that looks just like the one on her header) and her friend Iva (who needs to shoot me an email so I can check out her blog). Okay, I’m so horribly bad about being surprised (although, she did mention that she was coming out… talk about scattered… how do I dress myself?) because my brain just doesn’t work that way. I need to know what’s going on or coming my way every moment or I will make a bit of an ass of myself :) (This includes phone calls from someone who may have *just* left my store!) Sandy introduced herself and mentioned something about receiving a package from me and I thought…. from the giveaway? I JUST sent it, wow! the USPS sure is speedy (it was actually an ebay win from eeeearrrlly that week)! And I totally thought she was someone else and thought of a different blog in my head. Bra-ill-yiant. Me. Thank you. *Bow*. So, if you come up and introduce yourself… give me approximately 90 seconds to run to the computer, do my “ooooohhhh, that’s YOU!” bobbing, nodding head thing… then re-introduce yourself. It may just sink in after that. I never said I was smart. (*I’m good with puns though*)
Lastly…
Here’s Meg telling me we should hit the road again… it’s too hot in the house and she’s wishing the entire house was made out of ceramic tile! :)
My friend’s boss sings the classic Vanilla Ice melody…
Apparently you can hire Mr. Van Winkle for $2000 for 3 songs, how about that. And we know this because the gentleman entertaining you below has hired him for a semi-private function. I wonder if he does weddings?
Yes… that’s us in the background at the end… it’s really hard not to watch this and start laughing uncontrollably! Doesn’t matter if you are familiar with this song, there’s something about karaoke to lift the spirits.
And to think… we’ve been passing this bar for months and months and never gone in! Shame on us ;) Do we know how to party or what?
I blame daylight saving’s time… our schedules have been so strange. We took a nap after work today… a nap! argh… so… here I sit at 3:48 am wandering the internet and listening to synthpop 80’s music. The spam from the East coast is hitting my in-box as I type… they get an early start!
I had fun with dinner tonight! I made Irish Tiramisu! Next year I’ll add some green food coloring, but it was tasty without it! ;)
This was easy to make… I made a one layer organic chocolate cake, let it cool and poked it with a fork. I then drizzled Kahlua Coffee and Irish Cream liqueurs, let that soak for about 30 minutes then “frosted” the top with Tiramisu mascarpone which they had at our new Ralph’s. Since it wasn’t very sweet, I dusted it with powdered sugar and cocoa powder and then added more chocolate shavings on top of that. I served it with fresh Strawberries and it was divine!
This is my second attempt at making spicy stuffed shells like the ones we get at Buca Di Beppo (snazzy website). Last time I used ricotta but had more goat cheese than I knew what to do with, so I used that this time for the stuffing, along with some fresh herbs, garlic and chicken sausage. I sprinkled it with a few kinds of cheese and baked it, it was tasty and we have a LOT left over. If you want the semi-exact recipe, let me know and I’ll try to figure it out ;)
Here are a few pics from a walk we took on a recent Sunday afternoon… I want a yard full of whatever kind of tree this is :)
We turned a corner… and chickens!!!! Meg was so excited about these guys…
I could live here…
This is a 4 month old Great Dane puppy!!! Every picture we took of them was blurry… but I had to show this. Our dog is 3 years old and 75 lbs. The owners of this cutie are brave!
House, house… horse!
We then started driving… if Nathan wasn’t on call that weekend we would have headed for the snow, but we had to get back down to sea level :( I think this is the Tujunga Wash… it’s up Angeles Crest somewhere :)
Stick! Meg found a very large stick… but she couldn’t get the idea that you had to hold it up to keep it from dragging on the ground and tripping you. She’s cute… acts tough… but really… she’s a dainty little princess ;)
Getting a little tired… I’m going to try to count some sheep now :) Thanks again to everyone for entering the giveaway! I’m amazed at the response!!!! We’ll definately be doing that again!
I slept in and missed the Long Beach Swap on Sunday so… after lounging around for a few hours I got the crazy idea that we should drive up North to SLO or Santa Barbara and find a last minute hotel or something… just for a change of scenery. And the more the merrier of course! So, Nathan, my Mom and I loaded the van with 3 dogs and drove up to Santa Barbara to suprise our friend Pam!
Pam was kind enough to let us crash at her place… this brought the household furry friend total to 4. It was a tad overwhelming for all of us, even the dogs. The field trip was enough to wear out our golden, Meg, who slept all day Tuesday.
On Sunday evening, we rented The Ladies’ Man with Jerry Lewis from Video Schmideo on State Street. Last time I watched that I was 8, I think it was more exciting then. Pam said something about Barbara and her nostalgia trip (we had to go to two video stores in the rain to find this dvd)… I guess they saw this film at the Goleta drive in when they were 8. The next day we had a lovely brunch at the Brown Pelican then headed off to the beach, the weather couldn’t have been more perfect!
We also hit a few thrift stores (SCORE!!! I’ll have to post those pics later) and drove around Montecito… which is gorgeous!!! This is where Oprah’s new home is and I’ve been told her favorite restaurant is Trattoria Mollie. We didn’t get a chance to stop because we had 4 wet and tired dogs in the car, but I’m definately going back to explore their little town. I’ve decided I’m going to move to Montecito and open another Violets are Blue here ;) I plan on opening at least a dozen stores across the US… I’ll need good managers and buyers… any takers? ;)
For some reason, I feel the need to put an Otter Pops shirt on Meg after a long day… I know it’s strange, but it makes us both happy ;)
We left on this cruise having no idea what we were doing… we took advantage of a last minute deal and were quite newbies to the vacation at sea. Okay… I’m practicing my HTML so these little thumbnails will open up a photo gallery on another page. You can click on each one as you see fit or just look at the entire photo album here, it’s up to you :)
We left San Diego at about 4:00 pm. It was so neat to sit in our own little balcony and sail out of the harbor as the sun was setting. We haven’t had a lot of time to go and explore San Diego, we usually head straight for the theme parks. We were at sea for that night and two full days. We arrived in Acapulco the following day at 1:00 pm.
Day Four- Acapulco, Mexico
I felt a little like the Griswolds heading out to Wally World. We pulled into port and I got my walking shoes on and got our tourist hats ready to go. We had high hopes of Acapulco being breezy, beautiful and worthy of Frank Sinatra’s Nod. Alas… we got off the boat to explore on our own. BIG mistake. We were hounded, propositioned (I’ll keep this version G rated!), followed, talked to, talked at and basically your run-of-the-mill harrassed. After being herded to a crappy jewelry store which had armed guards at the front door we RAN back to the ship. On the way we saw an open-air truck spilling over with armed men with very large firearms. Even while power walking the vendors approached us aggressively and matched our speed to try to get us to follow them…my spanish popped back into my head at this point (Thank you Nonee and Mrs. Conway!). I may have made up words but hey… be crazier than they are and you’ll have a fighting chance! (learned that with the crazy bracelet lady!). We got back to the ship, caught our breath and marched right to the purser’s desk. We told them about our terrible experience and urged them to make this clear during the “excursions talk” that Acapulco is for excursions ONLY. Honestly, Nathan was ready to go home at this point and was being more than persuasive that we should get on the next plane, go home and try to salvage our vacation. The acting manager at the purser’s desk was not apathetic or sympathetic. Mind you we were really upset (perhaps overly so), but she actually hid in the back and let the other employee help us. Seeing as I wasn’t about to get off the boat with my belongings and try to find the airport, we stayed on the ship… but it was a rough night. We felt a tad trapped and annoyed that Carnival’s staff wouldn’t listen to us. I relayed this to a customer at the shop the other day and she said… “Didn’t you know Carnival Cruises were the K-mart of the sea?” Ugh. No, I didn’t know that… but even K-Mart had (or still has?) Martha Stewart everyday!!! Redeeming graces!??!!!
If you are en-route to Acapulco, please check the news first, I just checked wikipedia and got this quote:
“There has been a lot of violence in Acapulco lately, both between rival drug gamgs, and also towards tourists. On February 6, 2007, gunman killed about 6 or 7 people with guns. Tourists are not immune from the violence, either. Beatings and shootings have been directed against them as well.” I also read in a lonely planet travel journal that Acapulco is the “older diva past her prime”. Are you listening Carnival Cruise Lines??? eek! :) We should have gone to see the famed cliff divers, especially if they were wearing these shorts… meeowww.
Day Five – Zihuatenejo/Ixtapa, Mexico
We went to bed disappointed and missing home… but… as the sun rose, we slowly pulled into the little fishing town of Zihuatenejo. I almost cried. It wasn’t overly populated, the shore was gorgeous and it looked tropical and inviting. We couldn’t dock because this port was so small so we took smaller boats to their tiny pier. It was the most welcoming sight… sandy clean beaches dotted with little boats and pelicans. Palm trees, sea shells and a little walkway that ran along the coast. There were vendors here but they were delighful, selling beautiful items and completely respectful. I want to go back. I can’t say how delightful it was in just one paragraph!!!
We got onto a very nice bus and headed to Ixtapa. There, we got to swim with 2 wonderful dolphins! You were allowed to pet them, give them a kiss and then you got TWO rides from them! One where you hold onto their front fins and the dolphin swims backward and one where the two dolphins swim in tandem, each little nose pushing on a foot and they push you across the pool in the air! Those guys are STRONG! I got the most welcomed foot cramp. I have to say, they are magical. After our horrid day in Acapulco, this experience officially turned the fiasco into a “vacation”. Check out Delfiniti, Ixtapa’s Website… you’ll want to go, too :)
There were armed men in Zihuatenejo, but they were dressed nicely and wandered around in two’s, not dozens. But that size gun was standard. Imagine if LAPD carried these around!
Mucho feliz campers at this point. That would be the famous “I’ll hold the camer and hope for the best” shot.
Day Six – Manzanillo, Mexico
Ahh… Manzanillo… Carnival DID warn us that we wouldn’t want to just wander off the pier into Manzanillo, so we made a reservation for an excursion to a beach resort, Barcelo’s Karmina Palace, for the afternoon. On the ride there I saw a wild iguana and the little shops reminded us of Key West. Very welcoming and quaint. The resort was amazing. I wanted to stay there! We swam in the ocean in their own little cove, which had rocks in the shallow areas so be careful! We saw all sorts of fish, birds diving to get to the fish and a first for me… a little fish found his way into my bathing suit. Again, “G” rated, but we named him “Cleve”… you do the math :) At first I was like… I found nemo, he’s so cute! He swayed back and forth with the current… then it hit me… what if he bites! What if he… gulp… TOUCHES me!!! So, with minimal panic we showed Cleve the exit, my hair got wet and we exited the ocean to wander around the resort. Tropical, lush and away from everything… I want to come back here.
I took this picture, got up to change and get us an ice blended “Monkey” drink…
and he took the EXACT same picture while I was gone…
As we were leaving Manzanillo’s “in box”, we crossed a section of residential homes and apartments. The locals were outside, sitting on benches watching us leave. Sweet little voices shouted “adios…. hasta luego!” as they ran down the shore, prompting all the neighborhood dogs to bark. Then people from the ship started yelling back in spanish “Adios… goodbye… Hasta… Muchas Gracias”. it went back and forth for about 5 minutes and it was so touching! I’m still not 100% sure it was sincere since I heard a few things that sounded like obscenities from gruff deep voices… and “Viva Mexico!”. So… all I know is that I wanted to scoop up one of those sweet little kids and I could take or leave the groups of men and their potty mouths, even though it was effective in espanol. I did my fare share of shouting… I thanked them and… just for kicks… I yelled “Gooooaaaaallll”. Perhaps that’s why the men started shouting the not-so-endearing sentiments. I was in the moment, what can I say.
Day Seven to Nine – At sea
At sea… we went to the “disco”, gambled, walked around the upper deck, were kareoke voyeurs, took in a comedy show, avoided the hypnotist show (we heard later he got a housewife to take her blouse off) and played in the game room… and although he won one or two games of air hockey, I’m still the reigning champ ;) Many have asked about the food… well…
The food was “okay”. We ate at the dinner club one night and it was an extra $100.00 but well worth it. A seven course meal, including “surprises” from the chef. Filet Mignon, french onion soup, salad, odd salmon things that I didn’t eat, and the most amazing chocolate dessert I’ve ever had. ever. I wish I had a picture but I didn’t want to be snapping pics in this restaurant. We ate about 4 or 5 nights in the nightly assigned seated dining hall. We skipped the formal debutante ball (I exaggerate) nights and had the pizza bar those nights. Every single day consisted of caesar salad… at the pizza bar, formal dinner club or regular seating… always that darn caesar salad. I had a steak one night (ick, dry), quail one night (surprisingly good), skipped the rabbit night, had chicken and pasta the other nights. Even though we requested a table for two, it wasn’t our cup of tea for some reason. That dinner club though… really was awesome.
Room service – consisted of caesar salad, bagels, odd sandwiches, cereal and that’s about it.
The alternative dining – not as good as mall dining, but similar. Sandwiches, pizza, burgers in the afternoon (these were pretty good) and everything else was so-so.
Soda – You had to pay for sodas… we drank lots of iced tea, coffee and juice. “specialty” coffee was extra as was bottled water.
The gala buffet of nations – It was pretty, but odd food combinations. Lots of odd fish rolls, all cold cuts were held down with gelatin, peach rum cake with some odd jello-chocolate topping (ick), carved watermelon and lots of other things that I was not adventurous enough to put on my plate. Oh, and 5 devilled eggs that people were fighting over (one gentleman went as far as to pick one up off the floor and eat it) and 10 chocolate-covered strawberries that one happy little girl took all of.
All-in-all, it was a fun cruise… a very rocky start, but… most our vacations are :) Would we go again?? Perhaps. It really forced us to relax (although I’m sure I’ll freak out when I get my cell phone bill) and the balcony was awesome… I could just stare at the ocean for hours :) We were among a group of people aged mostly 50-70 and a smaller group of 18-22 year olds. So, we didn’t hear any of our popular music, the dj didn’t even have any of our requests… so, be prepared to hear such hit artists from Crystal Gale, Bette Midler, Grease the movie, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, lots of classic rock and Elvis. I heard the Alaska cruise is amazing… yet slightly boring. I think our next trip will be overseas… I really want to go to England and then over to Euro Disney… this time we’ll make the whole trip the excursion!!!! :)
**Quick Update – February 15th, 2007***
I just got my cell phone bill from Cingular for the month of our trip! Yikes!!! $100.00 extra to talk for about 20 minutes here and there and send a few text messages. On top of roaming rates you get international tax surcharges!!! We have a pretty beefy family plan… I never go over minutes or text message allotments so this was a huge jump in our bill. So, keep your talking at a minimum and tie up any loose ends at home before you leave! :)
