Arizona Trip

So in early August I drove down by myself to Arizona to visit my brother and his wife (one of my best friends in high school). It's a long drive, so I manage it with audio books.  This year I listened to the Number One Ladies Detective Agency.  Last summer it was Odd Thomas.  I have learned though that you need to plan ahead when checking out audio books from the library--a lot of the titles  recommended to me were checked out.

Most of what we did during the trip was stay up and talk late at night.  If felt like high school all over again. :)  On Friday we went to a Mexican restaurant, and I tried to snap some pics, but being a child photographer is rather difficult.  The boys apparently like to stick out their tongues at the camera.  At any rate, this one turned out. 

On Friday we went to the park to see Derek finish a race (though we missed the finish).  We hung out with the kids for a bit, then Mary and I went for a run on some trails near their new house.  I was huffing and puffing.  Being pregnant and out of shape didn't combine very well with the high altitude.  Furthermore I neglected to remember that high altitude means you sunburn really quickly.  Oops.  So we went home, and I had a nap.  Later that evening some of Mary's friends from her PT program came over and we had a little BBQ after which Derek, Mary, and I stayed up too late chatting again.

On Sunday I sent to church and met a nice guy that Derek works with.  Then afterwards the family and I went to the little duck pond.  Here is a duck....I can't remember if the family name for him is crazy hat or silly hat.

I tried really hard to get some successful family photos in...at least in this one everyone is facing forward.

After the duck pond Derek and I took the boys for a trike ride while Mary made some delicious homemade pizza for dinner.  After dinner I played with the kids on the back patio and I tried to get the boys to trace chalk letters with moderate success. Here is a picture of some nice flowers from their yard--I am very jealous that they bought a house with an amazing garden of perennials that they didn't have to plant.

Another fun thing about their yard is their humming bird feeders.  They have more hummingbirds than I've ever seen in my life all at once.  It's like insects buzzing around a porch light at night.  Cool, but almost gross because there are so many of them and they aren't afraid of you.

Anyway, my visit to Arizona was short and sweet but lots of fun!  It looks like I will be driving down again for Thanksgiving this year.

Anniversary

For our third anniversary we stayed a night at a resort up in Midway called Zermatt.

It was a fun Swiss-inspired place.  I was entertained by the border in our room (which unfortunately you can't see very well in this picture). . .

and by the cute details such as dancing bears on the lights in the hall ways.

During the afternoon I checked out the pools while Clint finished up writing a paper for a class he was taking.  Then come evening we decided to head to dinner at the Blue Boar Inn (after a long debate about it's possible merits versus the merits of Z's Steak and Chop Haus).  Clint was intrigued by the dry-aged steak at Z's but I was intrigued by hollandaise sauce at Blue Boar.

They started us out with a free little appetizer with some fancy name.  I can't remember the name of the course.  It was a little cheese tart.

Look at the pretty butter balls that came with our bread.

I got the Blue Boar Salad: "Mixed Greens, Tomato, Manchego Cheese, White Balsamic Vinaigrette." It was very fresh and delicious.  Our waitress was very friendly and helpful and told us all about how they use locally grown produce.

This was my entree: Filet Mignon with Crab Cake, Tarragon Hollandaise, and Yukon Gold Rounds.  I have to say, I was slightly disappointed.  I think that I thought I liked crab cake, but I really don't.  Also I didn't really like the tarragon hollandaise sauce either which is sad because I love hollandaise.  Maybe it was the tarragon.  The steak was very juicy and delicious though.

Clint's entree was called Grilled Pork Porterhouse: Berkshire Pork Chop, Sweet Potato Hash, and Dijon Herb Demi. It was good, but the hash was kinda weird.

For dessert we got a cheesecake and a creme brulee.  I think they gave us one dessert for free because it was our anniversary. :)

After dinner we headed over to the sister resort Homestead Resorts where they had a little campfire with cowboy stories and a lovely guitarist/singer.  It was a nice evening thing to do.  The next day we went over and looked at the crater--a geothermal pool in a sort of cavern that you can swim in.  We looked at it, but passed on swimming.  Instead we then climbed all the steps to get on top of it and enjoy the view from above.  Subsequently it was time for some food so we drove into Midway proper and got pizza at Cafe Galleria.  The pizza was good, but a bit intense--we got the "Roasted Mushroom" with San Marzano sauce, roasted mushrooms, fontina, gorgonzola, caramelized onions, rosemary, and pine nuts.  I wouldn't recommend it as a pseudo breakfast.  Anyway, as we were eating a clock chimed across the way and some silly Swiss wooden figures popped out of the building and spun around.  It was quite delightful.  I am currently rather enchanted with Midway--perhaps we'll be back next year. How could anyone not love an adorable Swiss-themed mountain town? Thanks for a great anniversary, Clint. :)

July 4th, Nicole's Shower, Janelle's Wedding

So I have been grossly remiss in my blogging.  This usually happens when the school year starts, but I'm even behind on the summer's activities.  So here goes a harried series of recaps since it's fall break and I am procrastinating grading.

Over 4th of July weekend Clint and I went to Idaho Falls to enjoy the traditional parade, breakfast on the Boulevard, and fireworks.  Clint's brother Greg was also getting married this weekend, so I was invited to attend his finance (now wife's) bridal shower.  It was a tea party in a historic house and all were asked to bring cookbooks as gifts.  It was fun and unique shower--the proprietor dressed us all up in hats and explained some of the traditions of tea parties (and weddings).

I sadly did not take any photos at Greg and Nicole's wedding because I assumed the photographer would cover it, not really thinking that I wouldn't end up with any photos myself.  Anyway, the ceremony was nice and the bride was beautiful.  I then rushed off to another wedding happening in Rigby at the same time--my friend Janelle's wedding (from the pahty).

It was fun to see these ladies in person after being in touch only long distance for so long.  If only we could have had a full pahty reunion! This was also a lovely wedding with a beautiful bride.   I loved the whimsical touch of the bride and groom llamas! Also I was a bit jealous of Janelle's pond.  Ok a lot jealous.  Clint will probably use this as a tool in his "we should move to the country" argument.  Oh well.

Morristown and Medieval Times

Our next adventure was to Morristown Historical Park. We started at Jockey Hollow where the Continental Army stayed the "hard winter" of December 1779 – May 1780.   The army unfortunately had to stay in tents in the snow (most with inadequate clothing/shoes) until they could build their cabins. Before we saw the little cabins, we stopped at the Wick house where an employee in historical dress gave us information. We also walked around the little colonial garden. I am pictured below with Larkspur, but we became fascinated by the herb Lemon Balm.

As we walked up a woodsy path to see the cabins more closely, we discovered the forest was infested with cicadas. Elena wasn't so sure about holding them.  I do have to say, their little feet were rather prickly.

Afterwards we drove into Morristown proper and visited the Ford house where George Washington stayed the winter.

Later that night we headed to Medieval Times.  I attempted to take some pictures of the kids but they were over-excited and uncooperative since there were swords and princess hats to be had.  We enjoyed the jousting show and eating medieval food with our hands.

Van Saun, Patterson Falls, and Batting Cage

The next day in Jersey we went to Van Saun park and rode the little train and carousel.  It was really hot though and the kids were tired, so we didn't stay long.  I had a nice nap afterwards myself.  On my last full day we hit the local batting cages, which was highly entertaining.  I even batted myself!  I have to say, my hubby was the star of the show. :)  Too bad I didn't get pics.  Afterwards we went to Patterson Falls to snap some pictures.  The falls are very beautiful, but be careful when walking around the upper parking lot.  There is ALWAYS trash everywhere and this time when we walked down to the water we actually saw toilet paper and a pile of human poo right in the path.  Um, gross.  I recommend the lower lot--the pictures are better there anyway! We also saw some big ground hogs running around which excited some of the tourists.

Later that evening we had our last dinner in Jersey at a Mexican Place with Mom and Dad.  (Megan's family left after the falls.)  On our way to the restaurant we noticed another restaurant called "Taste it Again."  I'm not sure that this was the best marketing strategy..hah!

Anyway, the next day we flew home (and Mom was brave enough to drive us to Kennedy.)  This will be my last trip to Jersey sans baby! So, next time there will probably be fewer plays and more parks. :)

New Jersey Part Two: Liberty Park

Our next adventure was to the Liberty Science museum where we played with some pretty cool hands on activities.  We all went through the touch tunnel--which is essentially a maze that you wander around in total darkness. We also used a computer simulator of the type surgeon's use to practice for internal surgeries.  I pretty much rocked at performing surgery, and beat Clint. :) I also messed around in a wind tunnel in the Sky Scraper exhibit, and Clint was fascinated by the kalliroscope. Afterwards we took some photos in nearby Liberty Park.

New Jersey Trip 2013: Birthday, Rutt's Hut, and Hunterdon Hills

Ah yes, I am finally updating my blog.  So, we flew into Newark on June 15--Megan was there with Mom to pick us up from the airport and this is when I told her my big news about the bebe. However, she had to return to Connecticut after this. Clint then went off to a car show, and I went to Thai with Mom and Dad. Yum.  Then on Sunday it was Clint's birthday and we had cake #1, a cheesecake.  We also walked around Brookdale Park and saw a cute raccoon living in a storm drain, but the pictures didn't turn out.

Then on Monday we went to Rutt's Hut for dinner which is supposedly some famous diner in Clifton that has been open since 1928. They are famous for their Ripper which is a deep fat fried hot dog.  Does this look appealing to you?

Yeah, I wasn't in love.  And I had the misfortune to learn about cube steak. Don't be fooled by so called steak and cheese sandwiches. Anyway, it was a good cultural New Jersey experience. :)  Later that night Megan and her family came back, and we had birthday cake #2 for Clint--a delicious Costco fudge cake.

Then Tuesday morning I went on a run with my sister, Megan.  She has decided to become a runner--hooray! Afterwards my mom and I went to the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse.  We had lunch, an amazing dessert buffet, and watched the play Wake Up, Darling.  

It was a lot of fun, but we felt like senior citizens because pretty much everyone there arrived on tour buses from retirement homes. Those old ladies can get pushy in the bathrooms I tell you! Anyway, we also had fun walking around the grounds after lunch--there was a quaint little gazebo next to a pond.

I shall continue the narrative on the next post. :)