When in France...

Sip cafe during the two hour lunch break...

Make dinner from a recipe out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking...

Bonjour!

And now back to my slice of walnut cake from the market... many many many stories & photos to come.

Long-Short Getaway to Los Angeles

In March we decided that it had been way to long since we had traveled.  It had been since Costa Rica.  Way to long.  We also were due for a get-out-of-Chicago trip.  A steep discount for a hotel in LA presented itself and the place was picked.

 

 

 

 

 We laughed a lot.  We people watched.  We dined slowly, out doors, with no rush.  We noticed how very bright the sun shown.  We relaxed.

We layed by the pool.  And picked on the unassuming pool companions.  We accidentally got sunburns.  And drank the most expensive coronas ever.

Skipped going to Sprinkles Cupcakes.  Drank Sofia Champaigne.  Felt like kids in a candy shop at the produce section of a grocery store.  Found a restaurant were the bartendar made his own blood orange bitters and had spiced lined up ready to craft an individual drink for his patrons and were the waitress clearly found us to be very unimportant.

We took a LA public bus to Santa Monica.  Walked and had dinner on Melrose Avenue.  Went into an Oliver Peoples shop and walked right back out.  Considered going to Rodeo Drive just to go into a shop and say "Big mistake.  Big. Huge."  Decided to skip Rodeo Drive.

Walked along the beach.  Walked along palm tree lined streets.  Ran through Beverly Hills.  Thought about how lame it would be to have such tall walls around your backyard.  But how amazing it would be to have such perfection in climate.

Thoroughly and completely enjoyed every single minute.  And we are still singing Beverly Hills, thats were I want to be!

California!California!

On the stereo
Listen as we go
Nothing's gonna stop me now
California here we come
Right back where we started from...

Ahhhhh.  I already miss our lazy, relaxed days in California.  Something about California feels so right.  The soundtrack to the trip included a bit of the OC Theme Song and of course Weezer...

Beverly Hills
That's where I want to be
Livin' in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills
Rolling like a celebrity
Livin' in Beverly Hills

In other news, I am going through a serious case of antsy in my pants as I wait for Lightroom to arrive.  I have several weeks of photos in addition to those from our trip to process.  I am antsy to see the final products.

So, more about our long-short weekend getaway very soon.  For now, we will just say that we can't wait to go back...

A Costa Rican Honeymoon

After the wedding we were definitely in need of some rest and relaxation. And we had been dying to break in our passports so we jetted off to Costa Rica. We definitely rested and relaxed and found time for a little adventure...

One of the things that took center stage on our trip was dining... We went to some very cool places for meals, tested out the local snack foods, and of course had to have a pizza night. We had tons of fruit but little for vegetables. Dan's drinks for the trip were Mojito's and their local beer, Pilsen. Mine were Lime or Pineapple Daiquiris or Coca Cola Light.

{Click image to see full size}

The various modes of travel added in the adventure aspect of the vacation. From sitting on a plane on the tarmac in Miami to driving up 4WD only, clay roads in the rain with no idea what the road name was (I don't think they have names personally). To getting weighed before boarding a small turbo-prop plane and waiting for the cattle to cross the road. To discovering that in Costa Rica "No Paseo" is not a phrase you want to hear and that temporary bridges can be very scary... Good thing my husband is an excellent driver!

Costa Rica is of course an ecological wonderland... We saw some pretty cool animals like a toucan, scary spiders, an active volcano, and just amazing vistas of forests and interesting plants... I even got to watch a monkey play in a tree while I sat on the terrace sipping my morning coffee!

And of course, just had good ole quality couple time! We hung out at the beach, played at the pool, did a little hiking, checked out a butterfly farm, goofed around at dinner, and just enjoyed traveling together... and being able to spend time together that wasn't filled with wedding projects/errands!

We primarily stayed on the Pacific Coast in the towns of Tamarindo, Quepos/ Manuel Antonio, and Herradura with a detour to Arenal. While we were definitely ready to come home, it was a fantastic trip filled with many amazing memories.

For the collages above if you click on the picture it will open up to full size. And of course we have loaded up the pictures onto flickr. Click here to view them.

Day 6: Ending the trip with time at the beach

The Kahala
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

And sadly that brought us to the end of our trip... we spend the last afternoon back at our hotel beach drinking a few more mai tais and finishing off our tan. And yes the little bit of burn did end up as a tan and my hives went away within a day of being back at home and now 3 months later Dan can eat fish again.

Day 6: Kawamoto Orchid Nursery

Kawamoto Orchid Nursery
Originally uploaded by tarakay827.

We made a point to make a stop at the Kawamoto Orchid Nursery so that we could send orchid's to our mothers for mother's day. And man did this place have a lot of orchids to choose from!