Lake Tahoe, Take 2

This Thanksgiving, we decided to get away and spend some time in South Lake Tahoe. This was our second trip to Lake Tahoe since we moved out west. Our last trip (which you can read about here) was in June and Andrew had been looking forward to winter for some snowfall to ski.

On Thanksgiving day we skied at Heavenly. This was my first time ever so I wanted to do a beginner class. And although Andy has skied several times he took the class with me. Having him by my side made it much more fun. He was very patient with me while I tackled the bunny hill over and over then he spent some time on some real hills while I sipped hot chocolate in the lodge.

For our Thanksgiving meal, we ended up at a pizza place. We assumed we would have our choice of restaurants, but South Lake Tahoe is a pretty small town and most places were closed.

Next year we'll be be doing some better planning for the holiday meal, but other than that it was a great trip!

So Much to be Thankful For

This Thanksgiving I wanted to reflect on all the amazing blessings in my life. Here it goes (one for each day of the month, in no particular order).

1. God and Jesus- For being my creator, dying for me, forgiving my sins, answering my prayers, being by my side so I never go through any struggle alone, and the promise of eternal life.

2. South Bay Church- For helping me get back on track with Christ. I love my women's life group and volunteer group. The pastors and congregation are so friendly. It feels like family when I am with you all, and that's really comforting when I'm so far from "home."

3. My husband- My best friend and partner through life.

4. Family- Including the most loving and supportive parents a girl could ask for.

5. Friends- Old and new.

6. My Dog- I love how she squeals with excitement when I walk through the door. She's a sweetheart and a great companion.

7. Places We've Lived- We've had the opportunity to live in a handful of states and gotten to explore areas we might not have been able to otherwise.

8. My Body/Good Health- I'm so blessed to have no physical limitations.

9. Living in America- I so often take for granted my freedom. I am so thankful for the soldiers who put their lives on the line for our country, and for the families of soldiers who sacrifice while their loved ones serve. I'm also thankful for the police, fire, and rescue workers who fight to keep us safe.

10. Great Food- I love eating. It's one of my favorite hobbies. So I'm thankful that I have so many options to keep my mouth and stomach happy. I like just about anything but sushi, pizza, apples, yogurt, and just about any dessert are my true (food) loves.

11. The Outdoors- Green grass, pretty flowers and trees, blue skies with fluffy clouds. The sun and rain for helping to grow the beautiful things in nature. Also, the sun for keeping me warm and rain because I love a gloomy day every once in awhile.

12. Naps- Few things are better than a mid-day nap. But, if it just happens to be raining when I take a nap and I can hear that soothing sound as a fall asleep, I am seriously in heaven.

13. Seasons- As soon as I get tired of the heat of summer, Fall rolls in with its cooler temperatures. Winter puts me in "cozy mode" where I love to snuggle under blankets and bring out my favorite clothing...fleece! And just when I'm done with being cold, Spring starts. It gets a little warmer and nature comes alive again. Then summer begins and the shorts come out. How lucky we are to have four changes in the weather each year.

14. Books- Some to gain knowledge, some just for fun. I'm thankful for authors who share their gift. I'm also thankful for an amazing library with so much to choose from.

15. Blue Ridge, GA- The small town where Andy and I got engaged and were married. I love it.

16. Bodies of Water- We grew up in a lake town and lived for years near the ocean. We feel at home where there is water.

17. Andrew's Great Skill- Andrew was blessed with being tech-savvy. He knew his gift from a young age and has been building on it ever since. I'm so thankful that his knowledge has provided for our family.

18. "The Basics"- I have never needed to worry about having a home, car, clothes, heat, etc. I am incredibly thankful I have all these needs provided for.

19. Growing and Discovering on a Daily Basis- There are new things to learn every single day. How cool is that?!

20. Senses- I have all 5 and am so thankful I get to experience life with each.

21. Adventures with Andy- We've been on so many. I'm really glad he pushes me to do things I wouldn't normally do. I know I would have never been rafting, scuba diving, kayaking, or skiing (snow or water) had it not been for him. He also pushes me to go on camping trips way more often than I ever would.

22. Kindness of Strangers- I love when someone you don't know goes out of their way to do something nice for you. Even just a smile or 'hello' from someone I cross paths with makes me happy.

23. Clean Water- I am so blessed to have clean water in abundance. Clean (and cold!) from the refrigerator, kitchen sink, bathroom sinks, outside hoses... Some people don't have clean drinking water, and we have so much clean water we can use it to bathe and swim in and even water our lawns.

24. Technology- Cell phones, the Internet, email. I am so glad I can use all of these to be connected with others.

25. Our Bicycles- Andy and I love our bikes! We ride around our neighborhood and take them to parks in the area. We also like running errands together on them.

26. Music- I have no vocal or instrumental talent, so I really appreciate that those who do share their gift. Music can completely transform my mood and I am always singing along to the radio or some mp3s in the car.

27. Great TV Shows and Movies- Because life would be so much less fun without Nurse Jackie, Dexter, The Office, or any of the great movies we are able to watch.

28. Weekends- I love having two days each week when Andy and I can connect and have fun.

29. Understanding/Forgiveness/Compassion- Because I am not perfect (that's a big understatement!), I'm so glad others still accept me regardless.

30. My Teachers Throughout the Years- I've had so many terrific ones. A big 'thank you' to all of them for passing on their knowledge.

And a Bonus:
31. Holidays- I'm like a big kid at holiday time. I love them all. I'm glad that we have so many throughout the year to bring a little extra excitement to life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Be Thankful photo found here.

Carolina Weekend

This weekend we got to spend some time out east! Andrew needed to go to North Carolina for a short work trip so we decided to make it a mini-vaca and I would go out there to meet him for the weekend. He flew out on Wednesday morning and I left Thursday afternoon. What an amazing weekend! The weather was perfect and the views were awesome. We are suckers for the fall. There's something so cozy about the cooler temperatures, bringing out warm clothes and blankets, and my very favorite part is the way leaves turn their red/green/orange colors.

We ate some awesome food out there. Andy and I have never been fried chicken eaters, but decided to try Bojangles' for the first time. I know, we lived in North Carolina for over a year and never ate there which is like a Californian who has never eaten at an In-N-Out Burger (and I'm ashamed to admit I have never eaten there, either!). So all I have to say for myself now is that I have a lot of years of fried chicken eating to make up for. It was pretty great. We also ate some amazing barbecue that must be mentioned (you can't be in NC and not eat barbecue, at least, that's my excuse). Thank you, Eric, for the recommendation!

We spent our time checking out the Lake Hartwell (Anderson/Clemson, South Carolina) and Lake Norman areas. We loved the towns of Mooresville, Cornelius, and Huntersville. And this pumpkin decoration in the yard of an area home was so adorable:

And we really loved Lake Norman. I'm pretty sure that Heaven for Andrew would be a house and boat (with skis and a spotter) on the lake. That sounds pretty good to me, too.

Andy was also happy to get to see the U.S. National Whitewater Center which offers rafting, rock climbing, kayaking, and hiking... all Andrew-esque activities.

Andrew even found a new pair of pajamas at Target (he didn't really get them but I think it must be said that adult footie pajamas are awesome).

We were sad when it was time to leave but we were so glad to get home to see Hazel. Andy picked her up at Petsmart this morning (we arrived back in San Jose late last night when they were closed). Like any proud mother, I have to show off her report card:

Miscellaneous October

Here are some random moments from this month that I thought were worth sharing:

 Andy brought home a foam pig for Hazel. We knew it wouldn't be a long-lasting

toy but this was the destruction she did in just 10 minutes alone with it.

At the Hiller Aviation Museum

Andrew kept himself entertained in the clearance section at Kohl's 

while I did some shopping. That's my husband!

Every once in awhile we like to "camp out" in the living room. 

It's definitely a lot easier and cleaner than outdoor camping.

Hazel getting into the Halloween spirit!

A car we were parked next to that made us both smile :)

We'd Like Our $15 Back

So this post might seem kind of random among our weekend adventure posts, but my experience with the newest "as seen on TV" fad had to be written about. I've been the proud owner of quite a few of these items. I've peeled potatoes with a Rotato, turned on/off lights with The Clapper, grown Chia pets, and pulled hair out of clogged drains with the Turbo Snake. But last week Andrew made our worst As Seen on TV purchase yet... Eggies.

These are supposed to be easy-to-use containers that hold the cracked egg while it's boiled, eliminating the need to peel the egg after it is done. The box says it all, right? Just crack, boil, and twist. NOT SO. The first step was to wash all the plastic. This was when I realized there are four pieces to each Eggie, which wasn't such a big deal I suppose, it was just my first sign that these were going to be more complicated then just "crack, boil, twist."

With the pieces clean, my next instruction was to use nonstick spray on the inside of the pieces (hmm... they didn't mention that on the box). It was then time to attach each Eggie base to its top with a collar. Because the pieces did not fit snugly due to cheap plastic threading, it took multiple attempts to screw each Eggie together. Now they were ready to fill with an egg. Even this proved difficult.

The yolks were too big to pass easily through the top so they got beaten up and broken. And while the yolk rested on the top of each Eggies waiting for gravity to have its way, the white dripped down the outside.

So now I screwed on the tops to the Eggies and put them in a pan of warm water and turned the burner on high to boil.

See all that egg white mess that leaked out? After letting them cook for the recommended time, I pulled them out and let them sit to cool so I could unscrew the pieces. Here's how they looked:

I don't know why I was expecting a round egg. I should have figured that they would have a flat surface, but it was just so weird for me to see this outcome. What was even weirder were the little holes in the surface of the whites:

Ugly, huh? And a lot of work. I was left with a sink full of plastic pieces with egg stuck on them. I left them to soak for awhile. My plan was to clean the pieces and put them in our "to donate" pile. But the egg white was refusing to come off and the non-stick spray was leaving the pieces kinda greasy. Then Andy came home. I shared the Eggies horror story with him and through the laughing he said, "So what you're saying is you intend for someone else to buy this garbage so they can discover it's junk, too?!" Point taken. I stopped scrubbing and the Eggies went in the trash.

This morning I got this email from Bed Bath and Beyond:

Really?! Can't live without it?? I bet you I can. And I bet these people can, too:

The ugly hard boiled eggs did get eaten and tonight I did my next batch the old fashioned way (boil and peel). After my Eggie adventure, I had never been so happy to peel a regular hard boiled egg. I was also happy to be able to use my new deviled egg tray with conventional round eggs.

I left these on the counter to go upstairs with Andrew to do a couple things on the computer. He went down to grab one and yelled up to me "Lindsay, did you leave the eggs on the counter?  I don't see them... [pause...then laughing]...uhhh, I think Hazel ate them all!" Yep, our little 10-pound dog jumped up onto a bar stool and onto the counter and ate the plate of eggs. Maybe I'll take a break from eggs for awhile.

What Happens in Vegas

We just celebrated our two year anniversary with a long weekend in Las Vegas! We dropped the pup off at Petsmart's PetsHotel early on Friday morning.

 We had to wait a few minutes in the car until they opened. This is Hazel giving me the 

evil eye because she knows she is being left while we go on vacation.

The ride ended up being about 8 1/2 hours long (a breeze compared to the 40 hours it took us to drive from Florida to California when we moved!). We saw two shows this trip. The first was the Justin Timberlake and Friends Concert on Saturday night at Planet Hollywood. BIG BUMMER. When we bought the tickets, there was no forewarning that this was an "old school jam." It was only when we rolled into Las Vegas that we found Justin's "friends" included Earth, Wind, and Fire, the Commodores, Color Me Badd, and Sister Sledge. We're a bit young for these bands so sitting through five hours of their music was tough. We did like Turbo B (from Snap!) singing the hits "The Power" and "Rhythm is a Dancer." Also, Wayne Brady hosted the event and he was awesome. He even did an improv serenade for a woman in the audience. When it was time for Vanilla Ice to take the stage, we were super psyched. Unfortunately, Vanilla Ice has a new style and it's downright creepy (think skulls, a dancing clown, sparks from a grinding wheel, and his new trying-to-sound hardcore metal [but just sorta-demonic] voice). And to top it all off, Justin never sang. Not a single song. Not even a single lyric. Past shows have features friends like Elton John, Christina Aguilera, Salt-N-Pepa, Alicia Keys, TLC, Snoop Dogg, Rihanna, and Boys II Men with two hour performances by the man himself. I can't help but feel like we got the short end of the stick at this concert.

Buuut, there's good news ahead! We did go see Phantom at the Venetian and it was amazing! The theater/stage was gorgeous and effects were awesome. During the day, I hung out at the pool and did some reading. Andrew joined me for awhile but did spend some time in poker tournaments each day. And, of course, we did a lot of walking up and down The Strip.

 

We drove back to San Jose on Tuesday. We were so excited to pick up Hazel and were glad to see she had a good time being a "party animal" at Petsmart.

Hazel's report card

Fail Weekend

This past weekend didn't go quite as planned. We headed out on Friday late afternoon-ish to go to camping at Fremont Peak State Park. When we got there, it wasn't what we had in mind. We had brought along our bikes and were hoping for some trails but there were none. Just a handful of crowded sites at the top of a mountain. We decided to keep driving and try our luck at a national park with a campground about an hour south. On the way out, we risked our lives to get a picture of this little sweetie:

Really, we almost got plowed over. Apparently we weren't the only ones trying to get out of there in a hurry. 

When we arrived at Pinnacles National Monument it was pitch black and we had a difficult time navigating around the campground and finding an open campsite. But we finally did and set up for the weekend. When we got up the next morning it was h-o-t and everything was covered in dust. I have never camped in the desert before and was quickly realizing that I didn't like it. Not. At. All.

We hopped in the car and tried to find some cool areas that we could explore but weren't having any luck because: a) Hazel wasn't allowed to be on any trails and b) we were in the stinkin' desert and everything was dry, open, dusty land.

We decided to abort the mission and head back to the campsite where we could just relax and read in our camping chairs. So we got back and then it happened... Attack of the flies. These guys were EVERYWHERE. So we packed up our dirt-covered belongings in the million-degree heat (that's just a slight exaggeration) with flies swarming us and got the heck out of there.

We stopped in Hollister, CA on the way home thinking that there had to be something cool there if a clothing line named themselves after the place. Wrong. Oddly enough, though, we saw several yard sales with clothing laid out piece-by-piece covering the whole lawn like a giant t-shirt blanket.

We got home and unloaded our camping gear. We kept the bikes on the car and then drove to Quarry Lakes Recreation Area (about 20 minutes from our home). We rode along the trails and also read by the lake.

On Sunday we were heading to the water park and saw they were closed as we approached the gate. I'm sure we had the same feeling the Griswold's had when they got to Walley World, minus the moose punching.

The trip wasn't a total bust because we did get to see an afternoon karaoke session the park was hosting. I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera/video recorder when an older lady took the stage and sang Justin Bieber in full-out fan gear with dance moves. Hilarious!

(My Photoshop creation)

Then we went to a park by our house where we read and played with Hazel.

And finally, we did one of our favorite new activities, riding our bikes to the grocery store. I love this because there always seems to be just a couple things I'm missing to make dinner and it's way more fun than a trip in the car. Notice something in the following photo?

We have neighbors that steel shopping carts. On any given day, you could walk around the block and see someone pushing a cart to their house. Some leave them tucked in bushes while others keep them right out in their front yards. I know what you're thinking: Classy place they're living in...anything for sale?  

Marty Moose image found here.