C'mon Already...

This needs to happen soon...

 Or this...

 With one of these (non-alcho of course, because don't drink)

 Or else I'm going to look like this... any day now.

Until then, trying to keep my sanity and just deal with it. 

Take Me Away...

I am so ready for a road trip... get away, just go wherever the road leads you...
Or maybe a cruise... no worries, be pampered and enjoy the Pacific Ocean.

Sounds divine.

But, here I am sitting at my desk, enjoying the sounds of copiers and living life. Normal life.

I am so burnt out with things right now... and blogging has been last on my list these past couple of weeks. I just don't feel like taking the time to write. You'll notice that I have more pictures than writing lately. ha-ha, just me being lazy.

I have been absorbed in reading. More like listening. I've signed up with Audible again and just finished the Fountain Creek books by Tamera Alexander and now onto Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist. All while reading As Sure As the Dawn by Francine Rivers... I kinda like books.

I can go to these far off places and visit without having to board a boat or get on a plane... it's all at my fingertips. The only problem is, the minute I shut the book... I'm right back where I started.

Rockets and Luggage

I had a good, great 4th! My favorite part of the whole evening was sitting out with the neighbors letting off fireworks. Some legal some not... the illegal ones are fun... but when a house burns down, the fun stops. Thankfully, me beseeching God as I ran back and forth across the lawn because of my fear of rockets worked. Thanks, God. :)

Here are my neighbors from our front lawn. I love it. For one night we can pretend we are a mayberry community. One night.

I'm supposed to be packing instead of blogging and facebooking... but I hate packing. I do. I especially hate unpacking. It will be a short trip so not too many things to pack, but I'm a girl - nuf' said.

With all the prepping for my trip, I realized that I didn't have a carry on since the whole family was going. I would normally just take one of their suitcases and not my big boat. But, it was either carry a trash bag or buy one.

I didn't want to look like the above... so I went to *Marshalls* and found one with a big tag that said LOW PRICE. It was cute too, so that was a plus.

Same as this but leopard. Very cute. I'll be styling as I trip my way through security tomorrow night.

Did I mention that we are taking a red-eye? And when we get to our destination we have to decorate and run errands? Well, that's the case. I'm young, I can do it! (not really)

A little flying prayer would help this fearofflyinggirl. :)

I won't be posting until I'm back, so have a wonderful week and I'll have tons of photos to post when I return!

Lake Tahoe - Part 3

Day 4

We headed to Mount Rose to have a look around, the meadows are beautiful!

There was snow on the ground, as you can see in the above picture. We climbed the mountain a little more and came across a lot more snow. Dirty snow.

(Peter and Sonia playing in the dirty snow)

It was soooooo cold. We were in our t-shirts and flip flops not expecting to hit snow and freezing temperatures. Brrrrr! It is not normal for us to be in temperatures below 65 in the summer months. Let alone 50 in the Winter! The temperature read 37 and the snow plows were being unloaded for the expected drop that night, 20 degrees.

We stopped at a lookout point that covered, Incline Village and Crystal Bay. You can see the Hyatt down the street from our town home that we spent some time at at this lookout point. I won $120 after putting 30 cents!! Woohoo! I was soooo excited because I never win at anything. And just to cover my bases, if your a blog reader that would shake your head at me playing a slot machine, then don't play an arcade game... there is no difference! =) thank you. *smiling sweetly*

We went and tested out the community pool and spa. Massive pine trees cover the area and the smell relaxes and soothes you while your swimming in the pool or resting in the spa. I wasn't too thrilled getting out of the pool and shaking so bad my knees were knocking together. It was coooold! We had the area to ourselves, minus the newlyweds and old man. We were the only one's crazy enough to get in the pool.That night we headed over to Crystal Bay for dinner at the Crystal Bay Steak and Lobster House. Good food that I didn't get a picture of... oh well.

(Mom and Dad)

(Crystal Bay Dining Room)

Day 5


This was mainly a relaxing day, we packed a lunch and went in search of the perfect spot. The beach was too cold so we ended inland and found a deserted camp ground that overlooked the Truckee River.




We stopped in Squaw Valley on our way back, the home of the 1960 Winter Olympics torch.

This place is so beautiful. The colors of the trees and meadows. The funny thing that stands out is the black resort against the mountain, now why would they do that?

Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places on this earth... or one of the most beautiful places I've been to.

The end...

-Daily B-

Lake Tahoe - Part 2

Day 3

This was my favorite day. We headed to Virginia City, no matter how many times we go I feel like I still don't cover it all. It seems you have to go to all your favorite places and then start on the new... unfortunately we're never there long enough to start on the new.

(mom relaxing on the way to VC)

We stopped in at the Bucket of Blood Saloon to take some pictures out of the huge picture window overlooking the town. The saloon is setup up with old antiques and new slot machines.

These Hotties were to irresistible to pass up...

Our next stop was an old photo store where Peter and Sonia had an old fashioned photo taken of themselves. It was pretty funny because the outfits were open in the back for quick dressing and undressing. Sonia's backside was hanging out and we had to cover her with clips, after we made fun of her, I offered to help her change forgetting for a split second that her HUSBAND could help her. lol. The last time we were in Tahoe, Sonia, Cath, and I shared a room because her and Peter were not married. So coming back it feels like things haven't changed, of course they had their own room now. lol. I ended up helping her anyway, the picture came out so cute, but not showable to anyone but family and friends of theirs since she was a saloon girl and he was a... I don't know what he was but he looked good standing there.

We always make a stop at the Christmas store, little place close to the end of the town "strip". They seemed to be in short supply, so for the first time we didn't come home with an ornament for the tree.

Grandma's Fudge and Ice Cream is MY favorite place. You can't find anything like this in Orange County unless you're at my actual Gramm's house. I have such a hard time in here, that glutton wants to crawl out and buy everything that I know won't fit in my tummy. I settled on a HUGE chocolate covered strawberry and a chocolate covered Oreo for later. I also left with a cone of Grandma's Cookie & Cream.


We stopped at the Delta Restaurant for lunch. The cup of soda was so big I had trouble lifting it! The best chicken salad ever... or maybe it was the hunger from the altitude talking, all I know is that I cleaned my plate.

(Sonia)

(Old rustic doors outside the Delta)

This is what happens when you're in the car too long...

Lake Tahoe - Part 1

::Drive Up - Day 1::

Our drive up is usually 8 1/2 hours, not too bad on the way there. The places that we go through are so different from where we live that it's enjoyable. The open spaces, pastures, meadows - I love it!

We were about an hour, hour 1/2 from our home and I saw a sign and realized that my buddy Becky was somewhere nearby probably getting ready for the day... Wish I'd thought to stop by but not sure if she was ready for visitors at 7:30 AM. lol. Maybe next time!

About five hours into our trip we grabbed lunch in Mammoth and drove up to Twin Lakes Resort. So many fond memories there. Made us sad knowing that we were only there for a few minutes. I took several pictures to share but the camera does not do this place justice. If you prefer cabins there are several along the mountain and it's like staying in a hotel because the resort comes in during the day, makes your beds and washes your linens and towels. Perfect!

at close to 9,000 feet, The elevation level at Twin Lakes makes me sick so my family has postponed our trips there until I can deal with it. Ha.

We got to Incline Village in Tahoe around 4PM and after unpacking we headed to the grocery store. Since the Parents were covering the gas and town home, I would be in dept for a year if I tried to pay that, my siblings and I covered the groceries. Of course, we ate out majority of the time... hmmm.

::Day 2::

We were tired from the trip up and set out around 11ish. We drove around the entire lake, 78 miles. It was a beautiful, beautiful day. We stopped in Zephyr's Cover and ate at this little burger place, Izzy's Giant Burgers aka The Burger Spa. So good! I had a mushroom Swiss burger. It looked like a place that Guy from Diners Drive-Ins and Dives would drop in. Yummo!

We stopped in Emerald Pay for pictures... tons of pictures. Especially of Peter and Sonia. Those two love to take pictures of themselves. lol.

I'm not too big on slideshows but there were way to many pictures to deal with so I gave in.



-Daily B-

Back and... not ready to go back to "life"

I'm back from a wonderful week in Tahoe. I have tons of pictures and stories to share this coming week.

According to my Google Reader, every one's been blogging like crazy, I have a lot of catching up to do!

-Daily B-

Is it here? Yes!

It's here! It's here!

I have been chained to my desk this past week. Covered in last minute request, five months of backed up work, and lots of paperwork. All this to spend a workless week in the beautiful land of... Lake Tahoe!

I can't wait. We leave this weekend and I am so excited. The drive up is long and tiring but beautiful.

We are returning to this spacious town home across from the lake, oh joy!
I can't wait.

::

My nephew spent the night with me last night. He almost two and is so hyper. I have never seen a kid this hyper. He is constantly jumping and chattering and making noises and he is interested in everything. To top it off he has a fear of nothing... well almost nothing. He does get scared of dark hallways and the little straw snakes that crawl when you drop your drink from the straw on them. lol.

Anyway, he's learning his colors and blue (bwoo) and purple (Pupal) are his favorite right now. He is also trying out sign language. Did I brag enough? Well to add to it, he is taking horse riding lessons and joining the gym! All before he turns two!

For his first sleep over he did great. I'll share some pictures of my boy angel when I get back.

I'm off to a beautiful sun, pine, and tourist city. I'll see you, my friends, next week.

-Daily B-

Picture This... Ugly Side of Caviar

If you scrolled down you've seen the ugly side of the luxurious treat, Caviar. My family loves to fish. Our favorite place for a fishing vacation is Mammoth Lakes, CA. We stay at the Twin Lakes resort; heaven on earth!

(Birds eye view of Twin Lakes, CA)

I am a girly girl through and through, but I must admit one of my favorite things is watching my Dad clean the fish after a long day of fishing. One summer we caught 154 fish, that was a fish cleaning dream. lol. The picture below is a picture of my Dad and his prize fish for the trip. This fish was bulging... no wonder.

-Daily B-

MAMMA MIA, Here I Come!

I don't remember when I first heard of this show, but I do remember that it was before my 21st birthday. I used to go online to the website and listen to the music over and over. I finally bought the soundtrack and fell in love with the music and story. MAMMA MIA the movie (click to see trailer) is coming to theaters soon and guess who it has... Colin Firth. Perfect... (Is he looking old?)

I became interested in music from ABBA when I saw the Australian movie, Muriel's Wedding. I love this movie but haven't seen it in so long. I wouldn't recommend this movie unless you were really good at muting and forwarding. lol. Too many not so clean parts and language. Anyway, I had never really paid attention to ABBA music before then.

We had a girls weekend in Vegas for my 21st birthday and my mom was going to take me to see Mamma Mia at the Mandalay Bay. I was beside myself with excitement. We walked up to the ticket booth and found out that the show was sold out for that night, Saturday, and they had no shows for Sunday... Our last day there. Bummed does not describe how I felt. So bummed out.

I have been making plans for 5 years to see this and finally, FINALLY it is happening.

I received an email from Ticketmaster yesterday and decided to open this one, I usually delete them. I scrolled down and noticed Michael Buble', scrolled some more and there was MAMMA MIA. Hmm... I clicked on it thinking that maybe I should go to Vegas again for my birthday and try to see it... My eyes bugged out the minutes I saw where it was... Pasadena, CA! OMW, Not that far from me.

I quickly calmed myself down thinking, "there's no way there are tickets available."., well... I was wrong! Not only were there awesome tickets available, they were affordable and for this weekend! Mothers Day weekend.

It has become a tradition in our family, every Mothers Day the women in m family take our Mothers out for a special day sometime around Mother's Day. This year we didn't really plan anything. I let everyone know about these tickets and within a couple of hours we had a group going.

I can't believe after all this time I am going to MAMMA MIA. Oh Joy!

Picture This...My Favorite Vacation Place

My family vacations in Lake Tahoe during the summer. Lake Tahoe in the Summer is incredible! This is one of my all time favorite places. We were unable to make it last year due to my Grandmother passing away, but we are planning our trip early this year... I am counting the days! Here are some pictures that I took on our 2006 trip.

Beautiful Lake Tahoe
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Virgina City Boardwalk