Yosemite

This past weekend we spent a gorgeous day at Yosemite National Park. We headed out really early on Saturday morning (about 4am). The drive only took 3 1/2 hours but since we would only be there for the day, we knew we had to take advantage of our time and make it there early.

We were completely taken aback by Yosemite's beauty. We spent the day biking Yosemite Valley and doing a couple short hikes. We stopped at lunchtime and had a picnic where two very daring squirrels tried to take our lunch. It was cool to see for myself all the mountains and waterfalls I have heard about: Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Falls (which were at their peak flow this month!), Vernal Fall, Half Dome, and El Capitan. The weather couldn't have been any better. It was just a truly amazing, fun day. Here are the pictures because they can probably convey our trip better than my words can!:





Greetings from Florida!

A few days ago I got back from a visit to Panama City Beach and Destin, Florida. Being back in Florida reminded me of a lot of things I loved that I took for granted while we lived there:

-The beach. I really didn't think moving away from the gulf was going to be that big of a deal for me because I thought I'd be close enough to the ocean in San Jose. But we were lucky enough to see it daily while living in Florida and now it's about an hour and a half away. And the coast here couldn't be anymore different than from the Florida Panhandle. It was so nice to see that powdery white sand and turquoise blue water again.

-The food. I got my fill of oysters on the trip. I'm in love with the things. I don't care for the raw ones but I flip for them when they're baked or fried. I also had tuna dip, fish tacos, loads of shrimp, scallops, a grouper sandwich, hushpuppies, and Blue Bell ice cream. And now I'm struggling to button my shorts. Totally worth it!

-Family. It was so nice to have plenty of time with my parents. My mom and I did quite a bit of shopping and beaching. We would sit on their back porch most nights and talk. I had missed the comfort I feel being in their home, laughing and sharing stories.

-Friends. My friend, Jacqueline, and I spent some time in Destin at the beach, went for a couple dinners, and met our friend, Mary, for a lunch overlooking the water.

Meeting Mary for lunch.

Jacqueline's daughter. She loves the beach and has the cutest swim suits.

-Nature. I didn't realize how much the lack of nature in a big city affects me. There have been many times when Andy will ask what I want to do for the day and my response is something like, "I just want to go sit in a park on some grass with some trees around." I miss seeing green things. And animals.

My parents' backyard, where there are plenty of frogs, lizards, and even turtles.

The sound of chirping frogs that I love. This is actually pretty mild.

It sometimes gets so loud it's difficult to talk over them!

It was great to get my fill of these things before heading back to San Jose. Next time I'm hoping I can have Andrew and Hazel join me. Because even though it felt like I was back home with some of my favorite things in Florida, it just wasn't home without my most favorite person and pup!

Hazel's Ramp

We have a new addition to our master bedroom. Hazel has been having some difficulty jumping up to the bed so Andrew built her a dog ramp. She doesn't spend much time on our bed while we're home (she usually is on the couch or at our feet in the kitchen) but we know that it is her choice spot when we leave the house. Each time we come home, we have to fluff the pillows she has sat on top of:

So when she started whining at the floor to the side of the bed, we knew we needed to figure out a solution before she hurt herself trying to jump up. Andrew went to the Home Depot and spent some time in the garage and came up with our new ramp. It only took a few days of training and about half a bag of treats to teach her to go up.

Unfortunately, she doesn't yet know how to use it to go down. Hopefully that will come with time.

The End of the Skiing Season

Before we head into this coming weekend, we need to update you on the last. Lake Tahoe had received some more snow and Andrew was wanting to get out there and take advantage of it as it probably was going to be the last for the season. We headed out Thursday evening for Lake Tahoe. Andrew skied for a half day both Friday, at Heavenly Ski Resort on the south shore, and Saturday, at Alpine Meadows on the north.

While Andrew skied, I stayed back at the room with Hazel and read. It's going to be awhile until I'm ready to give skiing another chance (since the last trip was a total failure). I love finding places to stay that allow Hazel to stay, too. We were able to take her on a couple walks including one on the beach. She didn't seem to want to play around on this beach as much as she did on the beach in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. Maybe it's the difference in the sand? But she did sniff around for awhile.

On Saturday we saw Rob Schneider perform at the MontBleu Casino. It was a really funny show.

And as we were leaving Lake Tahoe, Andrew was beyond excited to take a trip to this place...

That's the Energy Drink Outlet. Most people know my husband loves the stuff. He was already drinking that Rockstar before we even stopped. He bought some drinks to fuel his addiction and we were back on the road. I also feel I need to include this picture that was taken at a Monster Energy plant in North Carolina. Ridiculous, right?!