Ski Utah!

Our first travels in January took us to Utah to enjoy the snow with Susan and Mark. While Megan was content hanging out in the snow and throwing snowballs at me, Emily took to the slopes for the second time. After just a couple runs she was confidently zipping down the hill. So confident in fact that the morning of her refresher ski lesson she says to me, "Mom, the problem with the lessons is that we're supposed to stay behind the instructor...and I think that's going to be a problem because I'm so fast now!"



Susan and Mark hosted a wonderful weekend of delicious food, home brewed beer, playoff football, playing in the snow, and the girls favorite thing, hanging out with Guiness and Murphys.




And finally, on our last morning there, it snowed enough to catch a few snowflakes on our tongues before we left for the airport!

A bridge runs over it

If you are interested in engineering and ever visit the Southwest, I recommend a visit to the Hoover Dam. It is built on the Colorado River which borders Arizona and Nevada and creates Lake Mead. When it was completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure. It is now the world's 35th-largest hydroelectric generating station. It's really an impressive structure if you consider the undertaking to build it in the 1930s. You don't get to be one of America's seven modern civil engineering wonders without being pretty spectacular. There are tours available that take you into the bowels of the dam and the power plant and the views from the top are amazing.

As spectacular as it is, the Hoover Dam is the bane of automobile travel between Las Vegas and Phoenix. The most direct route, Highway 93, literally takes you over the dam when you cross the border. It involves switchbacks down to the dam and then, depending on the time of day, you'll likely be slowed down by the tourists that are walking across it. Since 9/11, there has also been heightened security so you are slowed down by the check-points.

That's why the Colorado River Bridge is being built over the canyon. When completed, it will be a 2,000 foot long bridge nearly 900-feet above the Colorado River. I imagine it will clip about 30-45 minutes off of an average trip between Vegas and Phoenix. I also suspect it'll get some honorable mention in the "concrete arch bridge" chapter of some civil engineering textbooks too.

Some of our very good friends live in Vegas so we drive out there at least once a year and have watched the project develop over the past 4 years. This last trip we saw some significant progress and took a number of pictures for posterity. In 20 years when our girls are making the trip to Vegas we'll be able to pull out our digital photo album and say things like, "Your dad and I remember the days when you had to drive across the dam, up hill, both ways. And gas was only $2.51 a gallon."

Viva Las Vegas

Last weekend we had a great visit with our friends in Vegas. Whenever we go to visit the Woods, I find myself having conversations leading up to the weekend going something like this,

Others: "So do you have any big plans for the weekend?"
Me: "Definitely. We're visiting our friends in Vegas."
Others: "Vegas? Awesome. That will be a fun time."
Me: "Well, it's not your typical Vegas trip. You see, they live there. In the 'burbs. Just like here."
Others: "Ohhhhhhh."

When you say you are going to Vegas, everyone automatically assumes "The Strip." I would too. It's natural. But usually when we go to Vegas we're visiting our good friends the Woods. They have a 4 year old son. And as you know we have an 8 year old and a (almost) 5 year old. So it's not your typical Vegas trip. But it definitely was a fun time.

As it turned out, we did get down to The Strip. Steve's sister, Susan, flew in from Utah so Debbie volunteered to stay home with the kids while the four of us headed out for the night. Steve decided to check the web to see what bands might be playing. Turned out our favorite local boys, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, were playing at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues. We headed down after dinner, bought some tickets and enjoyed a great show. James and Susan weren't familiar with the band, but after that night I think they became fans. The band played for three hours...so our $33 lasted much longer in the club then it would have out in the casino.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, having Rock Band jam fests that had me laughing so hard, I was crying. We took the kids to a fun neighborhood park with wild slides. We spent Sunday afternoon up at Lee Canyon enjoying the views while lounging in the shade of pine trees. The girls bonded with Misty, the family dog. And we spent plenty of time playing in the pool.

Thanks Woods for a great weekend of non-laboring on Labor Day!

The Great Escape

The intent of this weekend's trip to Flagstaff was to escape the Valley's oppressive heat for a couple days and take in some AZ Cardinals training camp. It turned out to be that and much, much more.

The Cardinals camp was a great way to kick off the anxiously awaited football season...along with about 10,000-12,000 other fans! We knew it would be crazy before we went...so we took it all in stride. Plus, they really had it organized well and it was great to see all the fans out supporting our very own NFC Champions.




After practice we had a picnic lunch at a local neighborhood park. While the girls enjoyed the playground, we enjoyed the idle time lying on the grass under the shade of a tree, neither of which we've spent much time doing this past month of record breaking heat back at home in the Valley.

From there is where the unplanned fun began. We decided a drive out to Williams for dinner would get us away from the crowds in town. Along the way we stopped at the Grand Canyon Deer Farm & Petting Zoo. Despite their resemblance to Bambi, Megan was not too keen on being eye level with the residents. We still had a good time mingling with a variety of animals.




After a stop at the Grand Canyon Railway depot we had dinner at Cruisers Cafe 66 right on old Route 66. It was once a filling station, but now is a fun restaurant with yummy food and old automobile memorabilia.

In the morning we headed up to Arizona Snowbowl. During the winter, when mother nature is cooperating, it's a ski resort. During the summer they use the Agassiz ski lift to carry non-acrophobic types up to the 11,200 high peak of Mt Humphreys in the San Francisco Peaks. Today's views, which include the north rim of the Grand Canyon, were spectacular.





We finished up with some lunch and some of the festivities they were holding for Smokey the Bear's 65th birthday before making our trek back down to the Valley. It was a weekend that confirmed often times the best trips are those that have the least amount of pre-planning.

Returned safely.

We have returned from our trip to New York City and to our family's comfortable routine. The trip was everything we hoped it would be. The weather ideal, the sights picturesque, the food ambrosial, the city electric, and the time together renewing. My plan is to provide a synopsis of each day over the next few days. In the meantime I'll share a peek with a view of the sunset from the Empire State Building. Did I mention picturesque?

A break for spring

There was a time in my life that spring break meant finding a sunny, cheap place that served drinks to adults under 21. Now it means finding a cheap place that serves a kid's menu and has plenty of entertainment for children under 10.

And with that we're headed to our home town, San Jose, for spring break. We'll be staying with Steve's mom, visiting with old friends and keeping the kids busy.

Tune back in after the 22nd for pictures and anecdotes.

Birthday surprise was a success!

The birthday surprise was a smashing success. I did tell the girls we had to go pick Dad up at the airport. Passing by the airport Em saw a plane overhead and announced to Meg, “There is a plane, Meg, we’re almost there.” Then about 15 minutes later the ever astute Em asks, “Mom, what is going on? This is taking much longer than normal.” I responded with, “Oh, I forgot to mention that we’re picking up Daddy at the airport in California.” A few minutes of conversation ensued changing from confusion (why couldn’t he just fly home since he’s already there), disappointment (CA means a long trip in the car) and then finally back to curiosity. Since my girls do not associate CA with Disneyland (it is for trips to GMa and family friends…Florida is for Disney) they did not automatically make the connection. So the drive to CA involved endless questions. The rule was I would answer any questions about where we were going as long as they weren’t directly asking where we were going. So with some stumpers like, “we’re going to see people we know but they don’t know us” the surprise continued. We picked Steve up at the airport and got to the hotel still with the riddles unanswered. It was when Steve asked the woman at the front desk, “Are there any amusement parks near by?” and she answered with a quizzical look, “You mean besides Disneyland???” that the gig was up. What fun! It was better than a visit from Santa Claus.

As you can imagine the anticipation from that point on was hardly containable. We even had a "family suite" which included the added adventure of bunk beds.

Since it was Megan's birthday she had a special birthday button with her name on it. All of the Disney cast members would wish her a happy birthday. But the one she talked about later was when Snow White greeted her as she passed by. Really what could be better for a four year old girl than to have a princess wish you a happy birthday?! Em's favorite ride was Mr Toad's Wild Ride. And Meg's was Nemo's submarine voyage.

Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Off to the Happiest Place on Earth

Steve is in Northern California to help celebrate his brother's 40th birthday (A shout out to my much older brother, Happy Birthday Mike!). Tomorrow morning I'm driving with the girls out to Southern California to meet up with Steve in Anaheim. They have no idea about the trip or that we're going to Disneyland on Monday for Megan's 4th birthday. I think I'll tell them we're on our way to pick up Steve at the airport and see how long it takes Emily to figure out it's not our airport. Happy happy! Joy joy!

A river runs through it

Our stay in Kyburz was a wonderful four days of R & R. A very big thank you to Aunt Phyllis for hosting us girls while Steve and James were in Tahoe for their guys trip. Phyllis is mother of Steve's best friend, James. She is like a second mom to Steve and the way she opened up her mountain home and heart to us girls made us feel like family too.


We spent our time reading, taking walks and naps, doing crafts, playing in the American River and just enjoying the cool outdoors with Phyllis and James' wife and son, Debbie and Russell.



And we even got a little quality canine therapy time (for those of you that know our girls well...this is a monumental step).



For all of our friends with dogs that have graciously crated, corraled and sequestered your pet on behalf of our girls...it seems that accessorizing your pooch helps break down some of the barriers of intimidation.

Road trip

After driving about 1,660 miles round trip, consuming roughly 60 gallons of gas, spotting 24 different state license plates, and too many cows to count (we stopped in the 200's) we're back home safe. We did the 14 hour trip home straight through so that we could wake up in our own beds and be home for the whole day before going back to work. I'll share some of the pics and adventures from the trip soon.

Gone fishin'...

and swimmin' and hikin' and just plain ol' relaxin' in the cool pines of the Sierra. We're heading out on the semi-family vacation to Kyburz, CA. (I say "semi-" only because Steve's breaking off for a few days on his annual "Guys' Golf, Gas & Gambling" trip in Tahoe. But the 20+ hours in the car makes up for any time apart). Looking forward to the time away to recharge. Even hoping I don't have Blackberry service up there...a girl can dream.

Since we won't be back until Tuesday...I'll leave you with this funny clip courtesy of Jill's brother to keep you amused while I'm gone.



A shout out to gregariousred...when you were a purchaser for the ship builder were they using rigorous "maritime engineering standards?" Were you ever directed to purchase any cardboard derivatives by chance? Hmmm?

Students of herpetology

Disclaimer: No reptiles, crustaceans or small children were harmed in the making of this post.

We spent the weekend camping at Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area. A 4-star accommodation as far as campsites go. The tent sites are right on the lake and great bathroom facilities (showers, flushing toilets and a dish washing sink) are a modest distance away. My kind of camping...still in a tent and communing with nature...but with some luxuries of modern living.

Ask Emily what she enjoyed the most and she lists off swimming in the lake, catching crayfish and petting the water snake. Yes...this teen caught the snake, as it was crossing the river, with his bare hands.



Ask Megan what animals she saw and she'll tell you, "a big snake," referring to the snake that happened to be crossing the road. No catching this one with bare hands but instead it was photographed from the car. (I wasn't with them but when I saw the picture it looked a lot like a rattler to me. But Steve assures me it was a gopher snake. Rattlers will take that accommodation rating right down to 1-star in a hurry).


Certainly an interesting theme there...but I assure you we won't be getting any snakes as pets anytime soon. I'm afraid Grandma would never come to visit again.

A mother's life for me.

I hope all of you mothers had a very Happy Mother's Day and that your children provided you with lots of love, affection and praises of thanks and appreciation. I was blessed with a wonderful weekend with the family that Steve planned at our favorite resort in Tucson.

On Saturday morning we drove down to Tucson and enjoyed a yummy pizza lunch in the 4th Avenue Shopping District then rode the Old Pueblo trolley car over to the University of Arizona. The girls' favorite part was ringing the trolley bell. While being guided to a Student Union restroom by two amicable coeds, Emily announced that she cannot wait to go to college. (As happy as we are that she got that college goal embedded in the brain, we also fast forwarded ten years and realized that in the blink of an eye we'll be spending a summer touring college campuses. Good grief....I had a hard enough time with sending the her off to Girl Scout camp. Let's not rush this.)

The rest of the weekend involved tasty meals, swimming in the resort pool, ice cream in bed and a lazy Sunday evening at home. Had I not left the camera's memory card back at home I would have had some fun pictures to share, but I did so you'll just have to take my word for it.

The Great Outdoors

We took a family camping trip up on the Mogollon Rim this past weekend with some good friends. Here are some of the things we learned:

1. Our girls are great campers.

2. When camping 135 miles from home, don't forget to feed the neighbor's 13 year old cat.

3. To appreciate a well maintained spare tire and camping just 30 miles from a tire store.

4. Crawfish like hotdogs almost as much as Megan does.

5. Our tent can survive a night of gale force winds.

6. We need a new camping stove.

7. The Rim still gets pretty cold at night at the end of April (35 degrees cold).

8. Megan likes collecting ladybugs almost as much as she likes collecting rocks, but not nearly as much as she likes eating hotdogs.

Despite a few set backs, we all had a great time and we're looking forward to a lot more camp trips at cool places this summer.

Serendipity

I had a rather last minute opportunity to go to Seattle on business this week. My company was holding a training seminar up there and some spots opened up that provided 7 people from my office the invitation to attend. One of those 7 people happens to also be one of my closest friends, Jill. Jill previously lived in Seattle for about 8 years, so it was sure to be a very good time.

The training was good enough but we mostly enjoyed the opportunity to take in some sights downtown on what turned out to be a couple of beautiful spring days for Seattle. Here’s Jill spotlighting Pike’s Public Market and the afternoon ferry boats.


The training was on Thursday so we flew up on Wednesday evening. After I settled up with the taxi driver I turned the corner of the cab and low and behold who is walking out of the very same lobby that I’m about to walk into but my brother-in-law, Michael. Michael lives in San Jose, CA but frequents the Pacific Northwest for business. It would have been enough if a couple of days from now Mike and Steve spoke and through conversation realized that I happened to be in Seattle on the same day staying at the same hotel. Surely we would have chuckled at what a coincidence that alone was. But because my flight was an hour late and because his colleague needed a few extra minutes to check his email before going to dinner, we bumped into each other at that exact moment. Darn wild if you ask me.

Jill and I enjoyed a great dinner at Palomino’s with Mike and his colleagues (thank you!). Then Mike enjoyed a post-dinner bottle of wine and dessert with my colleagues once they arrived from a later flight.

All in all a delightful business trip.

Good times

A couple weeks ago we kicked off Emily’s spring break with a wonderful visit with our good friends, Bill and Jeannette, at their new home in the San Fernando Valley, CA. The trip included lively conversation, delicious meals and a couple touristy trips into Malibu and Hollywood.

Thanks to you both for a wonderful time!