hello, yosemite.

It had been about a year since our last trip out to Yosemite, so being back in the park was much needed. This time it was for our annual summer get together with the family. We brought the dogs; they are, indeed, a part of our family.

The next morning the dogs jumped into the The Burley, and we took a bike ride around the valley floor. The dogs love the ride!

We biked to the trail head of Lower Yosemite Falls and took the dogs on a short morning walk to the bottom of the falls.

We continued to loop around the valley and even stopped to enjoy the views of the meadows.

Later that afternoon, we drove up to Glacier Point to enjoy the view. I have to admit, the view from up here never gets old.

On the way back to our campsite, Maui and Hilo were taking total advantage of Grandma and Granpda, haha! Free love and scratches.

Last but not least, my parents were totally utilizing the Christmas present we got them, an Eno hammock. Silly parents!

Although our trip was short, it was still a fun little getaway for the weekend. Hopefully, we’ll be able to visit before the season ends because I really want to get back on the trails [without the dogs, of course]. I still want to conquer some of the more strenuous ones. Maybe one day.

christmas and NYE 2013 recap.

Umm… where did 2013 go?! Oh, that’s right… back over there! Obviously, I haven’t been blogging very much recently, so I wanted to do a quick recap of some fun moments this past month for documentation purposes. These kinds of posts make a good time reference in the future.

Earlier in December, I finished my first 5k with friends. I can now cross that one off of my bucket list. Wahoo! Surprisingly, it was lots of fun, and it’s something I would definitely do again. As a matter of fact, I’ve been trying to search for my next race. Yup, we dressed up as elves to get us into the spirit.

As far as our 2013 Christmas tree, we decided on keeping it metallic and white. It was pretty much a gold and silver tree this year.

Overall, it was a wonderful holiday season. Yeah, it’s nice to eat delicious holiday food and get lavish gifts, but the best part about this season, at least for me, was feeling blessed to have spent lots of quality time with the people I love.

As for New Year’s Eve, we spent it at the beach, of course!

Later that evening, as we rang in 2014, we popped a bottle and enjoyed the fizz.

To start off the new year with a bang, we drove down the coast this past Sunday. We had a little family picnic on one of our favorite beaches in Big Sur. I think the four of us should just become professional beach bums, hah!

Yup, and that pretty much brings us up to date with life. We’ve got stuffed planned this weekend, so expect a post in the near future.

Happy 2014!

thanksgiving 2013 recap.

Just a little bit over a week ago, Thanksgiving plans changed and I was nominated to host a Thanksgiving dinner. Thank goodness my parents offered up their home for dinner because I didn’t plan on cleaning and prepping our house with a week’s notice, hah! …so I hustled and bustled to get everything done in time for Turkey Day.

After making the floral arrangements, setting the table, and cooking up a storm, I’d say it was another successful Thanksgiving dinner hosted by yours truly.

…and it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a feast! Some of the dishes that I cooked/served are pictured below:

Green beans with shallots and almonds

Chicken Wild Rice

Sausage and Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing

Garlic Roasted Mashed Potatoes

Roasted Garlic Pork

…and of course, the juicy and delicious turkey!

Before we all stuffed ourselves, we remembered to snap some photos. I especially love the ones of G and the dogs; they crack me up.

Candles were lit, grace was said, and a party of eight went food happy.

The best part about Thanksgiving, in my opinion, is the leftovers! Yum! Oh, the gravy… *salivating*

…but now that Thanksgiving is officially over, I can now start decorating for Christmas. Wahoo! I’ve held off up until now.

kickin’ up the leaves and november barkbox.

Fall is in full swing in the Bay Area, and it’s apparent with the abundant leaves everywhere and the cool, crisp air. It also started raining yesterday, and it’s continued to pour today. Over where we are, we’ve busted out our galoshes, and we’re ready to jump around in the puddles!

The dogs, moreso, love all of the fallen leaves on the side of our house. I think they find joy in crunching up the leaves. As for me, I find joy in watching how happy they look just running around in them.

On another note, Maui and Hilo got their second Barkbox this month. Boy, were they excited. They must’ve known what it was because there were tails waggin’ for days, I tell ya!

Anyway, November’s Barkbox was loaded with lots of treats. Perfect because it’s a harvest month! Other than turkey, I know what those two will be getting during Thanksgiving dinner, hehe.

Anyway, here’s what was included in this month’s box:

1. Bocce’s Bakery Truffle Mac and Cheese

2. PetSafe Pogo Plush Slap Happy Dog Toy

3. Twistix Vanilla Mint Flavor Dental Chews

4. Nootie Yumzies Duck Jerky Chews

We haven’t opened any of the treats yet because we’re still working on treats from last month. However, come Thanksgiving, the pups are gonna be spoiled!

If you want to spoil your furbaby and give them a Barkbox (Maui and Hilo think you should), CLICK HERE for $5 off your first box!

barkbox! plus more october layouts.

We are so lucky to have such fabulous friends like David and Ann. They were so thoughtful and got Maui and Hilo a subscription to Barkbox. This was always something we wanted to buy for them, but we never got around to doing it. Anyway, we, more specifically the pups, were so excited that their first box arrived over the weekend.

We didn’t open it up right away, as the dogs were hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa over the weekend, so we opened it up last night. They were so excited to see what was inside of the box. Hilo actually pried open the box by himself, hah!

Hmm… so what did they get this month?! Here’s what was in the October box:

• Fetch and Glow Ball 
• Baker’s Best Autumn Harvest Dog Treats
• Etta Says Crunchy Rabbit Chew Dog Treat
• West Paw Zogoflex Bumi
• Fruitables

Everything in the box was a hit with both of them! Hilo’s been playing non-stop with that glow in the dark ball. My arm’s actually getting tired of playing fetch with him (we’re currently playing fetch while I blog this post). …and Maui loves the blue Bumi toy! We can’t wait to see what’s in next month’s Barkbox. 🙂

On another note, it seems as if my creative mojo has returned. I’ve been popping out layouts left and right. Today, I wanted to share the latest two that I created using October’s kit from The Sampler Kit Club.

I really like all of the stars in this kit. Although simple and small, I think it adds such a fun touch. I’m hoping to get in more play time tomorrow, but we shall see if I manage to find the time. I’ve been working more hours than usual this week.