A Holiday for Holiday's Sake.
Fabulous Las Vegas
It was that time of the year again…and this trip I got
invited to the party! ;) First stop, Las
Vegas. I had a car (a very nice Mercedes SUV) and all the time in the world for Starbucks and Target shopping sprees. It's good to know that Target still makes my heart happy...it's the little things in life...
Late night drive...nothing beats the neon of Vegas!
The Sirens show at Treasure Island...love it!
Born in the USA.
A hilarious Target find....I was so tempted to buy this cookbook, but I settled for a photo instead.
ROAD TRIP
Nothing beats a good road trip in the States...wide open roads, tons of Starbucks along the way, great tunes, and beef jerky and pork rinds on hand...life is good! We took the desert roads from Las Vegas to CA, it is a beautiful trip.
The lonely desert road...straight as an arrow and goes on for miles and miles. I did find out that it is very hard to find a suitable bathroom area, due to snake holes all over in the sand. Scary!
Sunsets don't get much prettier than this.
Stopping en-route at a ghost town...there we saw a little fox hiding in one of the abandoned wells.
Fint and Updesh....road warriors.
When we just reached the LA area there was a vintage car show in a Hooters parking lot...of course we had to check it out. And there was the perfect Mustang for my outfit. I do love pink! ;)
California Dreaming
Our CA holiday was truly a dream…a real traditional
vacation. Bike rides along the beach,
ice cream cones on the sandy beaches and hamburgers on the pier.
Nothing quite compares to a holiday like this one; fun,
relaxing and rejuvenating.
The Balboa car ferry....we took this ride numerous times during our 2 week stay. Such a fun way to get to and from Balboa Island. We even took our bikes across one afternoon.
My new bike accessories, Blingy stickers and a basket liner. Once they are on my bike (with my new coffee cup holder) I will post photos of it.
Riding bikes along the beach with the sound of the waves crashing, people playing on the beach and the fresh sea air filling our lungs was a dream. The cool air made it possible for us to go for miles and miles, hour after hour. At zero humidity and around 75 degrees F it was a refreshing change for exercise. Not to mention, the super comfy beach cruisers we rented...they are not only cool looking, they are comfortable to ride all day on.
One bright and sunny day we headed over to Balboa Island and rented a little motor boat to tour around in. What a spectacular day it was for it too; beautiful sunshine, not a cloud in the sky and a beautiful area to explore by boat.
Some highlight of the area were, Nicholas Cage's house (second photo down on the right), John Wayne's old house (second photo down on the left) and John Wayne's old boat "Wild Goose". There were also beautiful sailboats out on the water, rowers, stand up paddle boarders and people lining the sandy beaches. It was absolutely picture postcard perfect. Days like this make all the hard work worth it.
According to our sea map, John Wayne use to stand in his garden and wave to the boaters that passed by...and I can just imagine why, living in such a beautiful setting would make anyone happy and friendly. One simply cannot be grumpy in such a beautiful area.
A couple mornings we stopped at this little café just off Newport Beach, and we had these amazing breakfast bagels made with jalapeno bagels, super ripe tomatoes and avocado and lemon pepper. So simple and so delish...I had to share it with you. ;)
Zoltar...just like the one from the movie Big in the Balboa Arcade.
Fint's first corn-dog....American junk food at it's finest. Nothing beats deep fried meats on a stick, tasty and convenient to eat on the go! We ate them the only way to eat them, in my opinion, with lots of mustard to dip them in and a cup of crappy coffee to wash them down with!
FYI: Fint did like them, quoted as saying "They are another uniquely American experience."
The Crab Shack...what a fun place for a bite to eat.
See we were on this holiday together! A very nice woman offered to take our photo when she seen us photographing each other. ;)
We had so many beautifully sunny days, CA spoiled us with lots of sunshine and a sea breeze.
Tree Pose on Newport Beach.
The man and the car...because driving should be fun! ;)
Surfers
On one of our bike rides we found this beautiful flower lined lane, with a super friendly and pretty kitty. How does one not ride down this inviting secret garden. I know I couldn't pass it up.
Sunset on Newport Beach
I could live on the beach.
I know I may look over dressed for the beach...however, these locals are just die-hards. Living in the tropics has spoiled me and anything under 80 degrees is just plain cold!
The Magical Disney Land!
Yes, we did go to Disney Land...no way could I pass it up on this trip! We rode all the rides, ate far too much popcorn and felt 30 years younger! Fint is so great to have fun and laugh with at amusement parks. We ran around from roller coaster to roller coaster and kept our energy up with Starbucks coffees and lots, and lots of popcorn. The caramel and butter popcorn mix was the best I have ever tasted.
Happy to be in Disney Land and California Adventure. We got tickets for both the parks. In CA Adventure we rode the above roller coaster three times...we enjoyed it so much!! (I think that is apparent by the smiles on our happy faces!)
LA/Hollywood....On my own
Since Fint had to fly out a day ahead of me, I had a whole day to waste in LA. Perfect for a super touristy, cheesy Hollywood Tour. I signed up for the cheesiest one I could find...and boy was it a find! I ended up getting to watch a commercial being filmed on Venice Beach and also seeing Mario Lopez filming live for Extra on E! Entertainment! How lucky!
This fire was on the runway as I was watching the airport from my hotel room around the time that Fint's flight was due to take off. Lucky it didn't affect him or delay his flight at all. Excitement all the same! ;)
I had no problem sleeping in this big comfy bed that night though. It was a beautiful, big hotel room for me on my lonesome....not a bad way to get some "me" time. ;)
The one and only photo I took of the stars on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood on this trip. That girl earned this star...being a great source of Hollywood entertainment and tabloids in her better and more crazy moments. Plus, it's quite funny. ;)
Mario Lopez!! I grew up watching him play his Hawaiian jock character Slater on Saved By The Bell (a tween TV show in the US) and let me tell you...it took everything I had not to yell out "I love you Slater!!" It is actually so bad that when I first seen him I thought to myself...OMG it is Slater!.....where's Zach???
A feast for your eyes...your welcome... ;)
Commercial being filmed on Venice Beach.
Pure Michigan
I have to first tell you that MI welcomed me with snow on my first day there...so kind! ;) It is quite beautiful to look at through a window, though, I am very thankful that it somewhat warmed up during the rest of my stay.
The beautiful Torch Lake.
I went from smelling like sea air and coconuts in my hair in CA to smelling like campfire and pine cones on my sweater in MI. This was an amazing holiday from start to finish!
The beautiful girls, Bells and Lils. Growing up so fast!
Jim, Dewey and Kaid.
I miss these kids so much!
My favorite nephew, Kaid. I sure do love this kid!
The Family...it was so amazing getting to hang out together. I miss times like these.
Love them.
Kaid the high jumper!
My best Napoleon Dynamite dance impression...
Dewey took me for a hike in his land behind his house..beautiful! It has little streams and wild leeks throughout. Such a nice place to take a walk in.
Lills and the pup.
My Daddy.
Lils up a tree...she climbed so high, I was nervous!
Kaid and his truck.
My mom's dog Duke...gorgeous. Not sure why but this boy liked me a lot. I fed him pieces of my banana (which he liked) and he slept by my bed every night. He's a good pup.
We had lots of campfires. So relaxing to sit at with a cup of coffee in the morning.
Even little Penelope loves a campfire! ;)
Family.
Love them!
We even fit a good girl's day in....my Aunt Linde, Aunt Anita, Mom, cousins Christine and Julie and I went out for lunch, shopped and chatted over coffee...meet ups like this are so precious to me. I had so much fun with these ladies and I look forward to seeing them again when I am in the US. Love them. It's the best when family are also true friends.
Love these special ladies!
Me relaxing on my last day in MI on the hammock with a campfire burning away. There is a lot to be said for the relaxing and beautiful Northern MI home my parents live in.
My sleepy angel Penelope...I miss this little one so much. I am so thankful to have my mom and dad taking care of her and to get to see her when I come home.
My mom baked me my favorite dessert....rhubarb pie! Super tart, just the way I like it...thanks girl! I am still thinking about this yummy treat...I could use a slice with my coffee right now...
Yet another amazing holiday.
They may seem to go by fast, but the filled heart and memories last a lifetime.
