Kelocity.com

A runner with an appetite for adventure!

First trip to Disneyland! February 27, 2012

Filed under: California,Disney,Friends — Kelocity @ 7:52 pm
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This weekend, Erika and I drove down to Disneyland to meet up with our high school friend, Courtney. I know I’ve been hanging out in “sick alley” all week, but when a friend you only get to see twice a year flies 3,000 miles to California… you make every effort to celebrate! I wouldn’t have missed it! We had a blast!
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This was my first time in Disneyland, so I was just excited to see the park and check out a few attractions! (I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon in 2006, but didn’t get to go on any rides!) Luckily, Erika is a Disney expert and guided us all through the park without a map.

We enjoyed lunch and then spent a few hours trying to find rides that both me (and 9-month old Sophie) could enjoy with everyone! First up: It’s a Small World!

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It was so cute to see Sophie bopping her head along to the music. I think she really liked it!
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After, we did the Jungle Cruise and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The lines were not too bad, and we had a blast chatting and catching up.

By the way, if you’re in the market for a stroller… there’s no better place to compare than the stroller parking at Disneyland! Seriously, I couldn’t believe how many there were at each ride. Woah.
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The longest line we waited in all day was actually for FOOD! Erika had raved about the Dole kiosk that sells Pineapple Floats! It was awesome! Totally hit the spot. And now I want another one.
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Baby’s first trip to Disneyland!
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Can’t wait to come back someday when he/she is old enough to experience the magic!
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What a nice afternoon with some of my favorites. =)
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What’s your favorite Disney attraction?

 

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!

 

Happy Two! July 11, 2011

Filed under: California,Food,Love,Wedding Anniversary — Kelocity @ 7:00 am
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Today is our SECOND wedding anniversary!!!!!
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Happy Anniversary, Irving. These past two years have flown by, and I love and appreciate you more every day we spend together. Thank you for giving me a life filled with fun, travel, laughter, Menchies and Love. I need you in my life more than you know. I’m so lucky to call you my husband.
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We celebrated yesterday with a day filled with Southern California adventure. We started with breakfast at the corner bakery. We sat over cups of coffee and talked about current events, politics and some future travel plans. This is what being married is all about. It was perfect.

Oh, and we split a brownie after too… at um… 10am. Hey, it’s our anniversary!2011-07-10_10-24-18_353

Traditionally, the 2nd anniversary gift is supposed to be “cotton”. We were racking our brains all week thinking of something small we could get to celebrate two great years together. We decided on new beach towels! Our current ones are seven years old and were from the clearance rack at Target. Time for an upgrade!

Success at Macy’s! Two extremely plush and oversized beach towels!
The second anniversary gift is cotton..

His & Hers… they are so soft!
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We didn’t really have any plans, so we kept driving up the One-Oh-One towards Oxnard and the Channel Islands. We found a beautiful marina and pulled in to walk around for a bit.
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We pretty much decided that it would be awesome to live on one of the canals there. All the charm of a marina, without the touristy crowds.
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We crossed the street, kicked off our shoes, and headed to the beach!
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I was very surprised to see sand dunes there! That’s such an East Coast thing!
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There weren’t too many people there, despite the hot weather. It was nice to enjoy the sea breeze hand-in-hand.
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Hi Seagull!
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There’s Mr. Seagull again!
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After my calves had enough of a workout on the sand, we drove over to the Channel Islands Visitor Center to learn more about the islands. Someday we’ll get to go kayak and camp there. It’s a set of islands 11 miles off the coast that is supposed to be gorgeous. It’s on our list!
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We headed over to the Pacific Coast Highway and drove for an hour towards Malibu.
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Hey, are you following me?
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We chose to eat dinner at the Beachcomber Café in Malibu. It’s a popular restaurant right on the pier. We bought a LivingSocial coupon a while back and figured it was time to cash it in.
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Let me just say that we were not impressed. It’s one of those places that is way too popular for no good reason. The hostess and staff were slow, rude and confused. But we just laughed at the comedy of errors and had a great time anyways.

At first they seated us in an interior table (even though there were a few water front tables available).
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But we sweet-talked the waiter into finally letting us jump over. Much better!
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We had great views of the pier and the crashing waves.
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We started with the artichoke and spinach dip that was baked and served with bread.
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Irving got the Kobe burger. I was a little jealous.
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And I ordered the filet mignon chopped salad. It was pretty good, but nothing special.2nd Anniversary Oxnard (31)

But I admit, I was saving up for dessert! Let me introduce you to this!
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S’mores sundae! It had ice-cream, toasted marshmallows, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. And it had graham crackers along the edge. YUM!
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What a perfect day. It’s nice to not have an agenda or specific plans. Sometimes it’s fun just to wing it and hit the open road.

Happy Anniversary Darling!

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Read about our 1st anniversary here!

 

The Hike to the Other Side June 7, 2011

Filed under: California,Workout — Kelocity @ 7:15 am
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Our last day up in Big Bear was relaxing and full of nature. We were looking for a few days to disconnect, unwind and relax, and we definitely found that this weekend.

Our morning started with a bowl of fresh fruit. Some grapefruit, orange and cherries that were dusted with sugar and accented by fresh mint. (While I was blogging on the porch, I saw the chef come out and snip the fresh mint from their garden! Couldn’t be fresher!)

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We also had some baked french toast and maple bacon too. Served with fresh coffee and OJ. I already miss those fresh country breakfasts!

Our only plan for the day was to walk to the other side of Big Bear Lake. They have a great walking trail, and we just wanted to enjoy the views and stretch our legs before our drive back to LA. It’s funny to see ski mountains without any snow! I love looking at all the runs.

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I wish we had more nature trails near us in LA. It was so nice and quiet to have a dedicated path for walking and biking.

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And I had great company for our 7 mile walk. We never run out of things to talk about. He really is my soul mate.

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I love wooden bridges! Something about them makes me feel like a little kid.bigbear (27)

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PS, my jacket has zip off sleeves!

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We had such a great time up in Big Bear. Hope to get back again soon! We are SO lucky to have these getaways so close to our home! It didn’t feel like California at all!

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Check out my next guest post on Contiki’s blog! What to pack on your next international trip!