Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Crafts to Distract Me! June 2, 2012

Filed under: Baby,Crafts,Travel — Kelocity @ 11:26 am
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No baby yet! I just got back from another 3-mile walk and I’m still drinking my Raspberry Tea, but baby is being stubborn and wants to wait a little while longer!

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To keep busy last week, I made those fabric flags for the nursery. It took a couple of days and it was so much fun to do something creative before the baby comes.
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I bought way too much fabric though and wanted to put it good use somehow. After a little bit of Googling and Pinteresting, I decided to make some cloth baby blocks like this:
 
[Source: one, two]

I followed these instructions and cannibalized a couple of pillows to stuff them. But I think they came out pretty good!
(They are 6” squares).
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I love that the fabric matches the rest of the room too (we’re a little obsessed with sage and brown!)
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Hopefully the baby will like them too!

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And if that wasn’t enough crafting for one week… I worked on finding a way to display my postcard collection! When I was in  Europe, I started buying postcards of the art I saw in museums. Over time, I ended up with a whole shoebox full of great photographs and art. It was a shame it was sitting on a shelf. So I bought some ribbon and hotglued them to it and hung them on a blank wall. I LOVE it!
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It fills the space and keeps my eyes busy. So fun!
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Clearly, I have too much time on my hands now! Hurry up, baby! =)

 

Baby Does Las Vegas April 25, 2012

Filed under: Family,Las Vegas,Travel — Kelocity @ 7:09 am
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This past weekend was the baby’s SECOND trip to Las Vegas in utero! (The first was back in December!)
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We went to meet up with Irving’s Aunt, Uncle and Grandmother and do a bit of relaxing too! The temperatures peaked at 100*, so we stayed in as much as possible. My goals for the weekend were to avoid the sun & heat… and stay away from the casinos (didn’t want to be breathing in smoke at 8 months pregnant, ick). We didn’t have much on our agenda, and my only request was to take pictures in front of the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. I’ve been to Sin City probably 15 times or so and I’ve NEVER seen the sign!!
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I was so excited to see it in person and take a few pictures. It was SO worth it!
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Thanks to the nice Aussies who took this picture for us!
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We stayed one night in the Polo Towers, which was very comfortable and nice. But the highlight for SURE was our second night in the new Elara Hotel (owned by Hilton). Oh. My. Gosh. I thought the Encore by Wynn was the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in, but this one takes the cake.
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The décor was ‘Hollywood Chic’ and it was incredible.
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The views weren’t that bad either! We could see MGM, New York New York and the Mirage from our room!
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We were invited to share a 2-bedroom suite with Jake and Janie and the living area in between the two was HUGE! The pictures don’t do it justice.
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When we woke up on Sunday morning, we found that they had decorated the room for a Vegas-Style baby shower! How Cute!!!
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The theme went right along with our shower last week! Tiny Traveler!
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It was so cute, we were really touched by it. So many people already love our baby so much.
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See that huge window in the room?
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The views of the strip were incredible from there… but more impressive for Irving was the huge automatic screen that comes down to cover it. Each room had a projector, which made for optimal soccer game viewing.
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We had some nice meals out, played a few rounds of Bananagrams and enjoyed the time with family. It was such a nice weekend and were so thankful to be able to spend it with these special people. Thank you!
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Next time we’re back in Vegas, we’ll have a baby in tow! Can’t wait!
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Lake Tahoe: A Prairie Walk February 22, 2012

Filed under: California,Family,Friends,Lake Tahoe,Travel — Kelocity @ 8:43 pm
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On Sunday, we made plans to have a quiet day in Tahoe, everyone split up to do their own thing and we made plans to catch up with one of Irving’s high school friends and his girlfriend. At first, we tried to grab lunch at a place we found on Yelp called Lake Taco. We thought the name was hilarious and searched and searched for it… turns out, it’s basically a beach hut that is only open in the summer. Fail.

So we ended up at a place up the street called Margaritas. It was pretty good, though I just had a basic quesadilla with some rice and guac. 
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And then we drove to a walking path and took it wherever the trail led us, which happened to be this gorgeous sprawling marsh (looked like a prairie though!)
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I’m sure that on an average year, this place is packed with snow, but it has been a strange year, and it became the perfect place for a winter hike.
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PS.. major points for being able to zip my winter coat! It was a tight fit, but me and the baby were able to stay warm!

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Friends for almost 20 years!
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We had a blast with these guys, wish we lived closer!
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We tried to get some artsy pictures, but the sun was so high in the sky the shadows were tough.
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Notice the mittens? They’re from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics!

As we kept walking, our terrain turned from Marsh to Beach! Lake Tahoe is amazing. So picturesque and everywhere you look has a fabulous view.
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I wanted so badly to make a snowman next to a sandcastle. But it was a little too cold.
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That night, Irving went out to hang with his friends again and Erica and I headed to the Casino to grab a buffet dinner. It was fabulous. I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for, so assembling a plate of randoms (mac & cheese, salad, bok choy, etc!) seemed perfect. I have to really be in the mood for a buffet, but this one hit the spot. The soft serve for dessert was heaven too!

The next day, everyone hit the slopes at Heavenly to ski and I stayed in bed til after noon! Can’t remember the last time I did that! But I wasn’t feeling that great and felt a cold coming on, so I used the time to rest up. I went to the doctor yesterday and turns out I actually have an infection in my lungs that is causing the most annoying cough. It’s been a rough week, but I’m hoping it goes away soon. Every time I cough I apologize to the baby for the earthquake it must be causing in there!

Anyways, looks like everyone had a great time on the mountain though!
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Check out the views they had of the lake from up there too! Jealous!
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On the way out, we grabbed dinner at the Hard Rock Café and then hit the road back home to LA. 8 more hours in the car! It was a fabulous weekend away, and one of the last ones until the baby comes!

 

Lake Tahoe: Where is all the Snow? February 20, 2012

Filed under: California,Family,Friends,Lake Tahoe,Travel — Kelocity @ 11:24 pm
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We had an excellent weekend up in Lake Tahoe. The weather was amazing…blue skies and not ridiculously freezing. In fact, it was so nice that Tahoe has barely any snow! Usually by this time of year they have at least a four foot base, but sadly there was not much white stuff to be seen.

Irving went up skiing on Saturday with a group of friends who were up there for a Bachelor/Bachelorette party and Erica and I got an awesome tour of the area by Jake and Janie.
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A lot of the roads that are usually closed off this time of year were open because of the dry conditions. We got a (normally off-limits) view of Emerald Bay!
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Still got a taste of the snow though. there were patches of it throughout.
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Thank you to J&J for the history behind Tahoe and all the little known secrets of the area. So fun!
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From there, we headed down to the beach to see the lake up close. So strange to see snow along the sand.
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I think these ducks were a little confused though. That water was near freezing!
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Get warm, little ducks!
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Later, we headed into town a bit. First stop, a cute bakery that smelled delicious. I didn’t get anything, but next time, for sure!
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And then a pitstop for lunch at the Red Hut Café.
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Such a cute place! There are three locations in Tahoe now.
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Everyone ordered salads…. and I ordered the grilled cheese (with tomato and avocado, of course).
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To digest, we headed over the border to the Nevada casinos to get a view of the village.
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A little while later, Erica and I went back to the village to window shop and then stopped for some hot cocoa right under the Gondola.
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Can’t beat the view!
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This was also the stop for yesterday’s bump photos!

Once the sun started to set, it got cold so we started to head back to the hotel.
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It was an awesome day, felt like a world away from LA.
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Stay tuned for part 2!

 

Fluffernutters For the Win! February 18, 2012

Filed under: Food,Friends,Travel — Kelocity @ 6:29 pm
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This weekend, Irving and I roadtripped up to Lake Tahoe with our friend Erica. We also met up with Jake and Janie and a bunch of Irving’s high school friends who are all up there for a bachelor weekend! It is going to be one big party and we were stoked to get up there for a few nights away.

But let’s back up to the ‘road trip’ part. It’s an 8-hour drive from Los Angeles, and we didn’t want to loose too much time stopping to eat dinner on the way. Don’t worry guys, I got it covered.
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Erica and I were VERY excited about fluffernutter sandwiches. But Irving is a little crazy and isn’t quite aboard the Fluff Train yet (I’m working on it though). So I put my ‘mom pants’ on and whipped up some sandwiches for the road.

Three PB&Fluff…
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And three PB&J…
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Served alongside some fresh fruit Erica brought, some snacks from Trader Joes and Juice Boxes (essential).
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So tell me… are you ‘Team Fluff’ or ‘Team Jam’?
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Discuss.