Oregon Coast Get-a-Way

If you are a devout follower of my blog you will remember that for Christmas Ryan surprised me with tickets to see Wicked in Chicago and an outfit to boot!  If you haven't read that blog post you should go back and check it out.  It was so much fun and I was so surprised.  Anyways maybe you were wondering what did Sarah get for Ryan?  That is a fantastic question!  I bought Ryan a weekend      get- a -way to the Oregon Coast.  We dropped Roscoe off at the "grandparents" and headed down PCH to Depoe Bay, Oregon.  Our first stop was Oregon Wine Country.  Last year Ryan had an amazing opportunity to attend OPC - Oregon Pinot Camp.  It was a great opportunity to learn more about the amazing Oregon wines and meet several winemakers from Oregon.  One of those winemaker was from the AMAZING Domaine Drouhin.  A quick stop by the winery and buying a bottle of wine was a must!

View from the winery tasting room out onto the vineyard, WOW!

 We continued on our way down the road to lovely little Depoe Bay, Oregon to The Harbor Lights Inn.  A very cute small hotel run by a husband and wife who even cook breakfast in the morning for all the guests.  Needless to say Ryan and I had a very relaxing weekend and enjoyed beautiful views from the coast.  This was a very different beach experience for me as I really have only been to more tropical beaches.  But I think these beaches are even more beautiful!  We shopped, ate lots of fresh seafood, walked on the beaches ,visited Rouge brewery, went to art galleries and relaxed and read books.  A great trip!

Just one of the amazing Oregon coast beaches

I love the contrast between the rough edges of the rocks and the pristine water

These black rock bluffs are amazing!

Wow!  It looks like they are sprouting right from the middle of the beach

So cute!  Sarah and Ryan on the beach!

The view from our last dinner at Whale's Cove Inn just south of our hotel, breath taking!

Orcas Island -Beach Haven

Every year Ryan's family goes on a vacation to the San Juan Islands, specifically Orcas Island. The San Jauns are a small chain of islands accessible only by ferry boat in the Northern part of the Puget Sound on the Canadian border. I can't really even explain how beautiful it is in Orcas Island, the pictures below will have to be my words. It is also the most relaxing place! There is no cell phone service, as when you arrive to the Beach Haven resort area your phone tells you, "You are now in Canada", and no TV. Reading, Kayaking, Hiking, Exploring sea life,Board games, trips into town are the highlights of every day here. Honestly I can not put into words what an incredible place this is. Be warned there are a LOT of pictures. Enjoy! And if you EVER get the chance please go to the San Juans!

Mason and Dyllan playing on the beach

A view of Canada, yes CANADA, from the beach as we read our books

Little island for good fishing affectionately called "Goose Poop Island" by the kids

Gone Fishin' to Goose Poop - truth is we caught a lot of jellyfish and not so many real fish

First Sunset in Orcas

Goose Poop at sunset

There are no words, amazing!

Morning tide pool classroom, this is a starfish!

Sea Anemone! These are soooo cool!

Yes a fairy princess skirt is a necessary accessory to a bathing suit!

View of the Beach Haven cabin from the tide pools

Unbelievable view from the summit of Mt. Lookout a view to all the San Juan Islands

Last sunset at Orcas, I think this may be what heaven looks like

Aww Sooo Sweet!

I just really love this picture of me and Roscoe sleeping soundly, so I had to include it

Anniversary Trip - Chicago 2011

Last Memorial Day weekend I was pretty highly coerced to go out with some girlfriends on a Saturday night to a bar I definitely did NOT want to be at. Little did I know going to the bar that night would change my life. It was that night at the wonderful adult beverage establishment John Barleycorn's Wrigleyville that I met Ryan. I may have said no when he offered to buy me a beer but luckily he was very persistent and I met an incredible man that night, I met the love of my life!

So to remember and celebrate our first amazing year together we traveled back to where it all began, Chicago! We stayed downtown, ate at some great restaurants, saw a baseball game (and Ryan endured his first rain delay ever), spent time with my best friend Erin, her husband Jeff and adorable son Cooper. Aunt Sarah could not believe how big Cooper had gotten in a few short months.

See he is already driving!! Such a big kiddo!

Reason for the rain delay, it was about 12:30 in the afternoon at this time

Rain delay is almost over, let's get a hot dog and watch some baseball!

You should all know what this is, a Chicago dog!!! Summertime perfection!

Delicious!!!

After the game we had to go back to where is all began, John Barleycorn, but this time I let him buy me a beer, the same one I finally ordered that night and Amstel Light (I was watching a Blackhawks game and this is what Blackhawks fans drink). We also had a few other beverages, including this "water", something tells me this is NOT water because it tastes just like tequila!

NOT water - Tequila!

Our last full day there we went to the beach and caught some sunshine. Summer hadn't really arrived in Seattle yet, so the 90 degree plus temps felt amazing to us! Unfortunately, even with sunscreen we both got very sunburned, I guess our Seattle bodies weren't quite ready for summer.

North Ave beach, a Chicago summertime must

Just relaxing catching maybe a few too many rays

Yup, definitely too much sun!

We had such an amazing time in a city we love and fell in love in! This will definitely not be our last visit here, we can't wait to return to Chi-town!

Baseball, Birthdays and Ice Cream

A tradition of spring and summer in any big city is going to a baseball game. In Chicago, I am pretty sure it is a law you must go to enjoy in our nation's pastime, and hopefully you choose to attend the Friendly Confines on the north side of the city! As a loyal Cubs fan, I am also used to the experience at a Cubs game and Wrigley Field (i.e. - the only food available are hot dogs and pretzels, maybe a nacho from time to time and to drink it's Old Style or Bud Light) So my first true Seattle Mariner experience was a little different. Sure all the staples were there, baseball, hot dogs, peanuts, beer, oh but there is soooooo much more! First of all we must remember that this is Seattle and the Northwest, so the entire stadium is GREEN - meaning everything is recyclable and many things compostable!! Also this is the home of Ichiro - and the Ichi -Roll food stand, that's right kids... SUSHI at a baseball game!!!!

Also it is the home of many, many microbrews, so I am talking good, flavorful beers, no Old Style or Bud Light watered down beer here. Oh and are you a little chilly this evening, no worries, there is a Starbucks around the corner, awesome!

And last but not least there are a lot of fun things to do around the stadium. A play area for kids, all kinds of Mariners history and my favorite a place to act like you just caught a would be home run off the bat of any Yankee.

And last but certainly not least, the Peanut Guy. I am very lucky to have experienced buying peanuts from a legend at Mariners game. He pass and throws the peanuts with unbelievable accuracy and brings such happiness and joy to all of his customers. Unfortunately, the Seattle community lost the peanut man this summer as he passed away. I am glad I was able to buy just one bag from him.

On to birthdays and ice cream...

This spring and summer I also started spending time with Ryan's niece Caitlyn on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes it was just to take her to a playdate or speech appointment. Other times we went to the dog park with Roscoe, but we almost always had ice cream. Caitlyn LOVES ice cream!!! - And so does Sarah, so this works out well.

Is this not the best face EVER!!!! Love this girl!

Also this summer was Caitlyn's pre-school graduation and program where they sang lots of cute songs. And her 5th Birthday. I knew for this we would have to go all out... first time Manicures!!!! We had so much fun and now she is always asking me, when will you take me to get my nails done again, I really need my nails done. Oh what have I started!

Flowers after the preschool program

This is so much fun!

Caitlyn and Sarah at our Manicures

Dog Parks and People Parks

So starting in the early spring people parks and dog parks really took a huge priority in life here in Seattle. Green Lake was the favorite "people park" destination for both running and walking. This park is situated just north of downtown Seattle with stores, restaurants, a few beaches and even a grandstand on one end, it really makes for a favorite destination. It is no wonder after visiting the area on at least a 3 time a week basis that this is where we moved in July... more on this is future posts. Anyway, Green Lake is a great place to go for a run as the inner loop is 2.8 miles and the outer is 3.2 miles around. I love to run here and Roscoe loves to go for a walk and even a quick swim from time to time.

Green Lake on an early spring day

Roscoe has quickly come to LOVE dog parks and swimming, you would think he was a water dog! Our favorite dog parks are Magnuson and Marymoor. We love Magnuson because it has a great beach for swimming and Marymoor is like dog heaven, it's huge and so much fun to meet new friends there. I think I have posted a few pictures from Marymoor in the past. Both of these are great parks but we have to drive to them. So one day while living downtown I decided that we really needed to branch out and walk to a downtown dog park. Well, I should have been warned, it was more like a drug park, but Roscoe still made it a great time and fell in love with little kiddie pools while there.

Roscoe with Ryan's niece Caitlyn after a trip to Marymoor

Roscoe enjoying little kiddie pool time at the "drug park"

This park might be a little sketchy but Roscoe always has a good time!

I'm Back!

Hello Blogging world! I am back! My computer is finally fixed and updated and ready to go. I am going to try to catch up on my Spring and Summer events and pictures and then pick up from where I was. I hope all of you are well out there in the bloggosphere...