Yosemite Part 1: Day 1, Tunnel View, Curry Village

We had always been interested in visiting Yosemite as a family but knew that accommodations had to be made far in advance. Browsing around online two weeks before our trip, luckily we were able to reserve a tent cabin in Curry Village, one of three lodging areas within Yosemite Valley.

Getting to Curry Village included a lengthy drive on a windy road (which had Sam getting carsick), but the reward was the view after emerging from "the tunnel", with views of Half Dome and Bridalveil Falls. Once we were able to park our car near the tents and stretch our legs out, everyone was refreshed by the beautiful scenery and clean air surrounding us.

Our tent cabin had a double bed and two singles, solid walls with canvas roof, and surprise, an outlet. Bathrooms and showers were a short walk away. We enjoyed dinner at the Pizza Deck before taking an evening stroll on a mysterious wooden path which led us to a walk along a river.

There was much to see and do within walking distance of our tent cabin. We were asleep well before the 10pm curfew to prepare for the next day's activities.

OC Fair 2011

As I was scrolling through my summer photos, I realized I forgot to blog about our July trip to the Orange County Fair! This was as crowded as the fair has ever been, yet we still managed to find our way through to some fun activities. The three areas of interest for us this year included Food, Freezing Temperatures, and Furry Friends. The food we devoured is pictured below, the caramel apple dippers and the funnel cake. We experienced chilly weather in the Ice Museum and admired the lovely sculptures. It was a good thing we wrapped ourselves in the blankets they provided, for the sub 20 degrees inside the building. Finally, we couldn't resist admiring the bunnies in the animal displays. Our photos with the cut-out characters wrapped up our fun day at the fair.

Mom's Work Picnic

My mom's work hosted a super fun picnic, complete with face painting, caricature drawings and games, along with a bbq lunch. Families were invited, and my mom probably had the biggest group of attendees, with us kids and grandkids.

Playdate with Jaxon and Lexie

Tracey and her family now live in the next city over so we took a quick drive over for a playdate with her kids. It was evident that Jaxon loves playing with older kids, and Sam and Anna had a lot of fun with him. I enjoyed holding Lexie for an extended amount of time. When we left, Sam and Anna asked why we couldn't stay longer.

Extraordinary Desserts

Last week Tho and I drove down to San Diego to meet up with Meghan for lunch and dessert. Extraordinary Desserts specializes in... desserts. Cakes, pastries, ice cream... we shared a Moroccan cake with pistachios coating the frosting, a berry-filled cake with buttercream, and vanilla bean ice cream. It was a fun and delicious day and I really miss working with these girls.

Newport Beach

Orange County Great Park

The Orange County Great Park is built upon a former air force base, and is known for its tethered balloon rides and upcoming developments to the vast space. We were too late to catch a free ride on the balloon, but I did make the kids go on the carousel with me. Later we found a nice open space for snack time and volleyball fun.