Elliott January 2013

Making New Year's Breakfast:

 Sword fighting with Dad:

 Dinner Time:

 Just woke up:

 Popcorn and movies!:

 Duck egg quiche at Dad's work:

Black Market Bakery

 My mom's acquaintance/friend opened a new bakery store front, which I was excited to check out on this trip to California. It is at The Camp, a healthy/active lifestyle group of stores in Costa Mesa.

Bike kitchen!

 I was too enamored with the construction of the display tables to photo the actual baked goods...

The owner's husband made these beautiful tables of wood stained black and white subway tiles.

 Everything was delicious! consult the menu for an idea of what she makes, but it's a mix of the basic bakery items and several inventive twists, plus plenty of packaged delicacies and bread to take home or gift.

Grandma's 80th Lunch Cruise

 

My Grandma Nancy turned 80 last week! Happy Birthday!

Isn't this a beautiful high school graduation photo? Nancy looks so pretty and the way the portrait was posed and photographed is far more flattering than what I remember in high school.

Elliott and I flew to my parents' house in California for Grandma's party and to spend time with my family.

My mom and her sister, Carol, planned a beautiful surprise lunch cruise around San Diego Harbor with family and friends from my Grandma's life. The day was gorgeous with sunny 70-75 degree weather, the surprise worked, and everyone enjoyed catching up and celebrating Grandma.

 Our group, waiting to board:

 Nancy arrives!

We had three tables reserved for our group on The Hornblower Champagne Brunch Cruise:

Elliott devoured the fruit:

 

San Diego in our wake:

 Boats are exciting places for toddlers! The safest place was the stairs:

 Candice and her childhood friend/neighbor, Natalie:

 Mom, Candice, Tess, Thom:

 My Mom with her brother, Hap, and sister, Carol:

 Saying goodbye to the birthday Grandma:

 Some of my cousins - Elise, John Paul, Elizabeth:

 We got a ride in a bike taxi!

 After the party, we met with some family friends who also live in San Diego. Nick and Alex grew up on the street next to us and have children about the same age as Elliott. 

New Year's Snocation!

After Christmas, but before New Year's Eve, we took a 4 day ski trip in our Argosy (aluminum motor home). We woke up the day after Christmas and decided we needed a ski vacation, so we started packing and prepping the RV, but by the time we left, it was 2 am! We arrived at Steven's Pass RV lot at 3:30 am! We then had two full days of skiing and one day of snow shoeing before we drove home. We had planned to go for 5-6 days and ski at two different places (Steven's Pass and Mt. Baker), but our furnace broke, so we cancelled the second location because they had no electricity to run our space heater. 

The RV lot at Steven's Pass was so much fun! I totally recommend it to anyone - it had a friendly, neighborly atmosphere since everyone was on a ski vacation, as opposed to actually living in an RV as their primary home. At night, most of the RVs had Christmas lights on their dash and there were fire pits to roast mallows.

The RV lot is right next to the resort, so you could get to the ski lift in a few minutes walk. Here is Adam, rolling out of bed to get the first runs!

Elliott did not take to the snow very well. It was difficult for him to walk and his clothes weren't warm enough. I will be better prepared next time!

 At night, we ate dinner (duck feast leftovers), roasted marshmallows from my mom's s'mores kit, and watched "Legends of the Fall." I had never seen it before, and it had been many years since Adam had. We loved it! It is our dream movie, hahahah!

 20 feet of home sweet home!

 On our last day, Sunday, we snow shoed up to a lake - nothing too far, Elliott was not "happy and warm."

 It was a beautiful clear day, here it the gorgeous view on our trail.

Then, Adam got the Argosy revved up and we headed home: