Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

Adele Meets her Aunties! August 13, 2012

Filed under: Baby,Family,Los Angeles — Kelocity @ 10:48 pm
Tags: , , ,

This week, Adele got to finally meet her Aunties, Sarah and EJ! Of course, it was love at first hug.
DSCN1124

It was so nice having them visit. And Adele loved that there were twice as many arms to rock her to sleep. haha
DSCN1097

DSCN1122

We knew they wanted to have maximum snuggle time at home with her, so we didn’t do too much. But on Wednesday, we ventured downtown to explore for a little bit. Adele has a new habit of screaming in the car lately. I think she just doesn’t like sitting by herself (who would, right?) But the white noise app on my cell phone seems to do the trick everytime. It’s starting already… my daughter is already hogging my phone!
DSCN1105

Of course, she fell asleep soon after, so we snapped her into the stroller and walked around downtown LA.
DSCN1113

First stop: The NBC Olympic Village. (I miss the Olympics already!)
DSCN1109

DSCN1110

Adele gets the Bronze because she’s so little. haha
DSCN1112

Our wanderings led us to the LA Public Library. (Side note: I think it’s one of the best kept secrets in LA. It’s awesome! So many cool things to see inside. They even have a flyer in the lobby you can pick up so you can do a self-guided tour. Worth a visit if you live local!)
DSCN1114

We just happened to arrive during the Baby Story Hour!! Adele loved it! I can’t wait to take her to things like this in the future. I hope she loves books someday!
DSCN1115

After that, we headed back outside to have lunch at Bottega Louie! EJ and Sarah remembered it from my blog a while back and requested to eat there as well! We were happy to oblige!
DSCN1119

It was another great meal. Worth the wait and the price. Such a unique restaurant.
DSCN1121

[insert a lazy afternoon at home]

And for dinner, we walked over to a local burger joint. EJ would like to point out her fine babysitting skills. Baby in one hand… beer in another. #winning
DSCN1126

Just kidding. She was actually the token baby whisperer this weekend. She rocked, danced and fed Adele with all the love that only an Aunty can give. So sweet.
DSCN1144

If you can get her to go to sleep that quick…. come visit any time! =)
DSCN1146

And just for fun… cute shot of the day:
DSCN1141

 

Poolside Flowers August 10, 2012

Filed under: Baby,Yosemite — Kelocity @ 4:55 am
Tags: , ,

Sometimes a little girl just needs some time to stop and smell the roses flowers.

IMG_4699

IMG_4701

Photos taken at the Wawona Hotel in Yosemite.

 

National Pride is hereditary!

Filed under: Baby — Kelocity @ 4:06 am
Tags: , ,

Found this picture of Irving when he was little! Pretty appropriate for this year’s Olympic games!
Looks like National Pride runs in our family!
olypmics img_4538

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And because I’m a sucker for comparison photos… it also appears that Adele has inherited Irving’s dimples too!
olypmics IMG_4467

 

Passport to the Parks August 9, 2012

Filed under: California,Yosemite — Kelocity @ 1:58 pm
Tags: , ,

YAY! It’s official!!! Adele has her first passport! But not the kind you’re thinking of (although I can’t WAIT to get her the real thing!) This weekend we bought her the official Passport to America’s National Parks!
IMG_4951
I’m not sure why she’s making that face, inside, she was SUPER excited!

Almost all of our National Parks have a unique stamp that you can collect in your Passport Book. Hopefully in her lifetime, she can fill that baby up with lots of stamps! Her first one was Yosemite!
IMG_4939

IMG_4940

On Sunday, we checked out of our hotel and made the drive back in the Valley Floor to do a tram tour of the major sights.
IMG_4945

But first, we walked around Yosemite Village and checked out the visitor’s center.
IMG_4943

I’m a total nerd and again got giddy with excitement to have Adele there. When we were inside, we saw a few little kids getting sworn into the Junior Ranger program. They were SO cute! Someday she will be a Junior Ranger too and pledge to protect our beautiful parks. Ahhh I can’t wait!

They had a neat 3D display so we could see what the Valley Floor looks like from above. Awesome! (I know, total nerd.)
IMG_4942

Then it was time for our tram ride!
IMG_4955

It was a two hour tour that gave us the history of the park, and lots of other great information about the rocks and animals inside.
IMG_4944

IMG_4966

IMG_4960

See that giant rock cliff up there?
IMG_4968

We spotted a few climbers way up there! Insane, right?!
IMG_4974-001

It was hot and sunny, but Adele was cozy inside the carrier. We kept her well shaded and she slept the whole time. She’s a champ.
IMG_4975

IMG_4977

It’s crazy how lush and dry everything is in the summer. Apparently in the winter and spring, the river can really overflow.
IMG_4989

Hard to believe the whole valley floods almost every year!
IMG_4979

One of the spots where Ansel Adams took some of his famous pictures.
IMG_4984

We were too scared to expose Adele to the sun, but someday we’ll remind her she was there!
IMG_4992

IMG_4993

Another view of Half Dome, way in the distance!
IMG_5000

So lucky to have such a beautiful park in our country.
IMG_4997

IMG_5010 IMG_5004

It was a great tour. Well worth the trip. We only scratched the surface on things to do in Yosemite, but it was a great overview and I can’t wait to come back again someday.
IMG_5013

And with that, I leave you with a final picture of Half Dome. Incredible.
IMG_5014

 

A Yosemite Wedding

Filed under: Love,Wedding,Yosemite — Kelocity @ 5:37 am
Tags: , ,

The main event from the weekend (and the reason we were visiting) was to celebrate the marriage of Irving’s friends Brian and Victoria. They are an awesome couple who LOVES the outdoors. They visit Yosemite often and have climbed some of the most famous rocks in the park together! Since it’s such a special place for them, they thought, what better place to get married?
IMG_4852

We’re always stoked for destination weddings because it’s a reason to visit places we might not otherwise think to go! Plus, I love weddings in general, so it was a no-brainer we would be there!
IMG_4838

…Even with an 8 week old baby!
IMG_4778

We were all dressed up, so of course it was the perfect opportunity for more photos!
IMG_4789

IMG_4781

Adele couldn’t make it to the wedding (she had big plans to spend the day with Grandma).
IMG_4780
IMG_4790

IMG_4771

IMG_4795

(One of my favorites!)
IMG_4811

IMG_4813

It was fun to introduce Adele to some of Irving’s high school friends. Hi Jesse!
IMG_4842

But soon it was time to pass her off to Grandma for the evening.
IMG_4831

I left her with a few bottles of milk and away we went. Adele was in good hands. =)
IMG_4833

The ceremony was in a gorgeous chapel on the Yosemite Valley floor (a little over an hour away). They had charter busses to bring guests down to the church. What an incredible trip though. The views were just amazing.
IMG_4853

This is Bridalveil Falls! Still had some water running over its cliffs there!
IMG_4848

Soon enough we arrived at the church! SOOO ADORABLE!
IMG_4855

It was right across the street from Yosemite Falls and El Capitan rock.
IMG_4888

I had never been to Yosemite so this was such an awesome experience.
IMG_4860

IMG_4862

It’s wedding time!
IMG_4863

The ceremony was so sweet and so personal. You could feel the love in the room. I love how they customized their vows to fit who they are. I definitely teared up at times. One of my favorite lines from Brian’s vows: (summarized) “You’ve given me so much love, that I will spend the rest of my life giving it back to you.” Ah, so perfect.
IMG_4877

As they walked out of the church, they rang the church bells. So cool!
IMG_4880

I was so excited that we had some time after to take more pictures outside.
IMG_4884

IMG_4908

These are some of Irving’s high school friends! They are going to have some AWESOME wedding photos. I can’t wait to see them all!
IMG_4902

In the Spring, Yosemite Falls is supposed to be stunning. It’s all dried up for the summer now, but I had to imagine what it looked like…
IMG_4906

Good, that’s better! Looks almost like the real thing!
IMG_4906-001

The reception was back at the Wawona Hotel, so we climbed back on the bus for the trip back. Our driver stopped at a vista point so we could get a glimpse of Half Dome and the rest of Yosemite Valley. It’s no wonder Ansel Adams took so many photos here. It’s stunning!
IMG_4911

IMG_4915

IMG_4917

The reception was outside on the lawn of the Wawona. I was worried about the 90*+ heat that we had been having, but it actually cooled off really nice just before dinner.

And guess what I had?! My FIRST glass of wine in 11 months!!! (My last alcoholic beverage was actually in Salzburg, Austria on our trip last year!)
IMG_4921
Mmmmm!

We snuck the baby over to our table for a few minutes because I kind of missed her! She made a polite appearance before she went back to Grandma for the night.
IMG_4922

Such a fun night and a great way to experience Yosemite. Wishing Brian and Victoria a lifetime of happiness and love. We were honored to share their special day with them.
IMG_4932

Congrats, Guys!