August 10, 2014

Summer Vacay: Utah

August 10, 2014/ Heather Brown

At long last I'm writing about our Utah trip. I know, I know, it took me for-ev-er. But really it was only a month ago. Since returning, I had the conference and a LOT of work. Plus, I wanted to get my millions of photos cleaned up and posted. But now I'm here and ready to share.

No, I'm not Mormon. This tends to be the first question people ask (or think to themselves, at least) when I say I went to Utah. Yes, we went to Utah and no not I'm not Mormon. We chose Utah because my in-laws invited us and a good friend of theirs had lent them a great condo (Mont Cervin) in Deer Valley. Lucky us - we basically got a free place to stay, and it was killer to boot.

I don't want to bore you with every last detail. Oh, and you know I would. Ask Josh how I detail out every thing in my day when he asks the innocent, simple question: "How was you day?" So I'm going to do my best to cover just the highlights.

Salt Lake City

We weren't in SLC very long--most of our time was in Deer Valley just near Park City. But we flew in/out of SLC. Our first day, we did a little touring of the city. As you probably guessed, the main attraction is the Mormon Temple. Man, it's a huge and impressive temple. It just towered into the sky.

Fourth of July

Our first, full day on the trip was the Fourth of July. We headed down to Park City for a true blue American parade. I hadn't been to a parade since I was a little girl. It was fun to see the USA spirit and celebrate our great country.

In the evening, we went to the Deer Valley Music Festival and saw the Texas Tenors. We had a nice picnic on the lawn and listened to them sing American, country, and other fun songs. At the end, they advertised their Valentine's Day cruise...umm, no. But it was a fun evening.

Heber Raft 'n Rail

This was one of my favorite days. We went on the Heber Raft 'n Rail adventure. We took a classic steam locomotive, the Heber Creeper, down Provo Canyon. Then we hopped into a raft and went down the Provo River. It was Class I rapids, so let's just call it like it is...floating. Our guide, Jessie, let me guide the raft for a few minutes. Check me out rowing (in slow motion) - look at that determination, look at that strength.

Sy's Ranch & Fishing

Sy Kimball is the good, family friend of the Brown's that lent us the most awesome condo for the week. He also has a ranch nearby. Josh and Don enjoyed a father-son morning fishing on the Ranch. We also visited the ranch and meet the horses. Sy's ranch encompassed all the Utah beauty - sky, mountain, lakes, horses...just beautiful.

Culinary Adventures

One evening, Josh and I headed to the Riverhorse on Main in downtown Park City to enjoy a fancy date night meal together. The food was delicious. I had Utah Red Trout and Josh had a Trio of Wild Game (buffalo, elk, and venison). It was deeelicious.

We also enjoyed a breakfast at one of Park City's coffee shops, Publik. We enjoyed their coffee, of course, but also some speciality toast. Did you know toast is a thing these days?

And we got several shakes - delicious ice cream shakes that were perfect for the hot Utah days. My favorite was the Banana Cream Pie shake from Hi-Mountain in Kamas. But the Oreo shake from Granny's was pretty dang good, too.

Kamas & Oakley

One afternoon we just drove around the countryside. We ventured out to visit Kamas and Oakley. They are the quintessential small towns with diners and random shops. We just enjoyed the drive around and soaked in the beauty of the area. And just so you're clear, no Oakley isn't the hometown of the Oakley sunglasses. It is the home of the Oakley Rodeo, though.

Sundance & Provo

You know the Sundance Film Festival, right? Well, Sundance is in Utah. We had a lovely lunch on the patio there and then took the ski lift up to the top. We got some great views of the area and had fun on the lift.

We also explored Provo, home of Brigham Young University. I'm pretty sure it was like 10 degrees hotter in Provo. Luckily, we went to Swig for their quirky sodas and famous sugar cookies (if you're on Pinterest, you know what I'm talking about).

Utah Olympic Park

You may remember that the 2002 Winter Olympics took place in SLC/Park City. Well, there is now the Utah Olympic Park which is a training center for budding Olympians, but also had fun activities for regular folks like us. Josh and I opted to go on the Alpine Slide. We also enjoyed watching the ski jumpers practice. Yes, ski jumping in the summer - you jump into a pool instead. Watch this awesome video I took of someone jumping - pretty dang amazing. Next time, I'll grab a ride on the bobsled.

Relaxing & Beauty

Utah is a very pretty state. The flowers, mountains, and water are so serene. As you can tell, we did a lot and had a lot of fun. However, we did get opportunities to just relax, read, work on puzzles.

See All The Photos

People. Photos take forever to touch up and post. It took me all month to get it done. Appreciate! All the beautiful photos are on my Summer 2014 album - scroll down past NYC photos and you'll find them.

Yay Summer vacation! I wish I were back in Utah right now.

July 09, 2014

While on Vacation #2

July 09, 2014/ Heather Brown

Today is my last day of vacation. I've been moping all day. Vacation is over. Said goodbye to my in-laws. Going back to real life. Sad face.

We flew home early afternoon, so we have just finished unpacking and getting a few groceries to tie us over until the weekend. Now, I'm downloading my 200+ photos and reminiscing. Once I my photos in order, and I have some free time, I'll share more about this wonderful vacation with you. Until then, I thought I'd continue to share the daily collages.

Day 6: We drove through Kamas and Oakley - great countryside and small towns. We saw a great wagon to photograph, the Rodeo sign telling us to hurry back, and got the best shakes (mine was Banana Cream Pie...drool). Then we went to the Utah Olympic Park where we saw summer ski jumpers, and we took the Alpine slide down the mountain.

Day 7: We started the day with coffee and toast at Publik. Then we visited friends Diane and Don who have a neighbor who makes dog collars - we saw her in action. Next we had lunch and took the ski lift at Sundance. We drove out to BYU and toured the campus, with a pitstop at Swig (with their infamous sugar cookie on Pinterest). We topped the day off with dinner and drinks at Burgers & Bourbon and seeing gorgeous clouds in the sunset.

Day 8: Today, DOM (day of moping). No collages as there was nothing to share really. Just getting back to normal, every-day life.

More to come later, but I hope you enjoyed this preview.

July 06, 2014

While on Vacation

July 06, 2014/ Heather Brown

Guess who's on vacation?! -->>This girl<<--

Oh yea, I'm currently sitting in a gorgeous condo in Deer Valley, Utah (just a few miles from Park City). Josh and I joined my awesome in-laws for a nice week long vacay. If you've been following me on Facebook, you'll know all about it. I've been posting a collage per day telling you all about what I'm up to. I thought I'd give you all the same preview of my vacation, and share the first five days of my vacation.

Day 1: This was mostly our travel day SEA > SLC. We flew over Mt Saint Helens (luckily it didn't erupt) and saw the Great Salt Lake from up high. We spent the late afternoon checking out the Mormon Temple and Genealogy Center.

Day 2: This was our first day in Deer Valley. We stocked up on food for the week (Josh wheeled it in to the condo for us), enjoyed some time sitting in the sun, looking out at the Aspens from our window, viewing the rainbow after a brief storm, and just seeing Deer Valley for the first time.

Day 3: 4th of July! We started the day watching the Park City 4th of July Parade where there was a bi-plane flyover. In the evening, we saw the Texas Tenors at the Deer Valley Music Festival.

Day 4: We rode the Heber Creeper train and then went rafting on the Provo river. Then we went to Kimball's Ranch, a family friend of the Browns. We petted the horses (who just happened to smile for the camera). We topped the day off with cocktails at the Stein Ericksen Lodge (next door to our condo). I also started to sport a Heather tan (aka a sunburn).

Day 5: We started the day at the Park City Silly Market. Then Nada (my mom-in-law) and I did some shopping in downtown Park City. To round off the day, Josh and I enjoyed a romantic dinner at the Riverhorse on Main.

And the fun ain't over yet. Still a few more days to go. I'll be sure to fill you in with the rest of the collages. Then I'll up the ante and bring you more details after I've returned.

May 26, 2014

Work in the Big Apple

May 26, 2014/ Heather Brown

People who don't travel for work think that work travel is so glamorous. I don't travel all that much for work, but I have done my fair share of work travel, and let me tell you...it's not as glamorous as all those non-travelers think. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some perks no doubt. But, it's not a free trip to just galavant around some awesome city like a it's a leisurely trip. It's usually short, intense, on a different time zone, working late at the hotel, and being "on" for the client. Okay, alright, I'll stop being a Debbie Downer and tell you about my trip to New York this past week - the good stuff.

Monday

My flight out was bright and early on Monday morning (meaning wake up at 4:30am for a 7am departure time). Basically, Monday was a travel day since you lose three hours going to the East Coast. We landed at JFK, and ended up taking a bus to downtown NYC because the taxi line was crazy long (estimated by the lady to be 1 hour at least. Apparently it can be about 3 hours in the summer. Excuse me?). The bus dropped us off at Grand Central Station. Between the bus and the taxi, I managed a few quick glimpses at the building. Sadly, no time to take a peek inside.

It was evening by the time we arrived to our hotel, the Hampton Inn, in Soho. The team - comprising of a Strategist, Creative Director, Associate Art Direction, and myself (Account Manager) - decided to grab a bit to eat. One of the team members (not naming names here), desperately wanted to try Parm. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be the Italian New York meal we wanted. On the bright side, I think my dish was the best of the bunch.

Tuesday

Tuesday was the first day of meetings. It was more low key since it was just agencies meeting up (no client) so we ended up getting the afternoon to go tour the city a bit. We decided to check out the High Line. The High Line is a park that was built on the elevated rails above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side.

The park is pretty neat with flowers and plants all sprouting up between the rails. Then you look out and see all the cool, brick buildings. Not too shabby for a Tuesday afternoon walk at the park in some great sunshine weather.

The rest of the afternoon we did a lot of walking. And a lot of indecision about restaurants. Walking and indecision. In between, I got glimpses of New York City like the iconic Flatiron Building.

We also ran into the NYC graduation party. I didn't get a photo, but just imagine a ton of purple, and a ton of people. Most of all, I loved seeing all the architecture. I find the fire escapes on the sides of the buildings interesting - although, I'd have to have to go on one...yikes!

We finally got dinner at La Lanterna di Vittorio - recommended to us by some NYU students. It was really tasty pizza. I got the Pizza con Cipolla e Caprino (pizza with goat cheese, caramelized onions, and walnuts). But it was not quite the New York meal I had in mind.

Wednesday

This was the big meeting day with the client. I won't bore you with the details of the meetings, so let's skip straight to the evening. We grabbed some cocktails at the top of the St James (dang, nice hotel! Why didn't I get to stay here?). It's a rooftop bar with great views of the city. You could see the Brooklyn Bridge, One Trade Center, and beyond.

Here's a photo with some folks from the meetings, and an awesome selfie.

There was also some good views of the One Trade Center building nearby.

We had the most delicious meal with the client at Beauty and Essex that night. To get to the restaurant, you have to walk through a pawn shop - hilarious. Then you walked into a chic restaurant with lush seats and a skylight. Not what you'd expect on the other side of a pawn shop. The meal was family style - most memorable was the chicken and steak, which just melted in your mouth. I also enjoyed delicious cocktails. Now, this was the New York meal I had in mind. Nom nom nom.

Thursday

Thursday was the end of the trip. I flew back that morning, after a 2-1/2 hour delay. I'd like to say I took the subway to the airport because I like this photo I took, but I really just took a taxi. But here's the photo anyway.

And now here's a picture of the taxi...or should I say taxis (plural)?

Oh, and in case you're interested, I found two awesome coffee shops while I was there - Everyman Espresso and Ground Support. I'm pretty sure I could eat and drink my way through New York.

Okay, so work travel has it's perks, but it's tiring. I'm glad I got to go, but I'm glad to be home. Next time I hope to visit New York for fun!

See all my photos on the 2014 Summer gallery.

April 03, 2014

Georgia on my Mind

April 03, 2014/ Heather Brown

Georgia, oh Georgia...sing it for me Ray...

Now, that I've got you singing about Georgia, let me tell you about it. I can because I as just there. Yup, I did a last minute trip to Georgia for work last week. It was for a meeting with my client out in Alpharetta (in the 'burbs of Atlanta). Then I managed to tack on a extra two days in order to see some family.

I few out on Wednesday, which took all freakin' day. We left at 10am and arrived at 6pm. Such a shame to spend your whole day on the plane (luckily I made up that lost time on the way home. Anyway, my first taste of Georgia was dinner. My co-worker that joined me had been to Alpharetta before, so he suggested the restaurant. We landed at a charming restaurant called Table & Main in Roswell. This place knocked my socks off it was so good. No offense, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was delicious "farm to table" Southern food. Dang!

Thursday I spent the day with my client, and our meeting went well (whew!). Then I joined a few of my clients for dinner at another great restaurant called Miltons. Combined these two restaurants challenged all my preconceived notions of Southern food. Well done, Georgia.

With my client visit behind me, I drove out to Burford to visit my Aunt Pat and Uncle Ron. They have a lovely home and I got a true taste of Southern hospitality. They treated me like a queen (or should I say Southern Belle?).

I lucked out and got to meet their cat, Mr. Ford. He was a rescue cat and I think I made a breakthrough since Mr. Ford came out from behind the boxes and looked at me, which apparently he never does. I guess I am the new cat whisper. Okay, maybe not, but let's pretend. Sorry, no photos since Mr. Ford is camera shy.

Not to bring up food again (heck we do eat at least three times a day, so why not!), but of course we ate at the Cracker Barrel. What good is a trip to the South without it? Cracker Barrel is more than food, it's an experience. As a kid, I loved the jumbo checker board, the wooden peg game (oh man, if only I had this video as a kid), and the candy sticks from the stop after the meal. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. Oh, and you can't forget those rocking chairs out front...classic.

I actually have a cute story about Cracker Barrel. When I was a kid, and we visited the East Coast, and I found out I loved Cracker Barrel. I loved them so much I wrote a letter to headquarters and told them to open shop in San Diego. Well, no such luck for little Heather, but it was worth a try.

Saturday we enjoyed some R&R at home, but by noon we headed out to the town. I was introduced to Von Maur, a department store from Iowa, which hasn't made it's way to the West Coast (yet). I also got a tour of Dillards, a Southern department store. My favorite thing in the mall was the fact that Starbucks had sweet tea.

The day ended at my cousin Debbie's house. Another lovely Georgia home. So big! And I met their sweet pooch, Sammy. Sammy was a cutie and cuddled on my lap. It was great to catch up with my cousin and her husband, Dave. No joke, it has been twelve years since I last saw Debbie. Craziness.

Sunday I flew back home. I did make up that lost time on Wednesday after all.

And that was my quick, but sweet trip to Georgia. That's it, y'all.

January 19, 2014

Exploring Joshua Tree

January 19, 2014/ Heather Brown

Funny that I grew up in San Diego, but never made it to Joshua Tree National Park. It's really not crazy far from my childhood home - maybe a few hours drive. Go figure. But anyway, I finally found myself there over the holidays. It's actually pretty close to Palm Springs, and my in-laws live in Indio. When Josh and I were visiting for Christmas they took us on a day trip to the park.

One great thing was that it was sunny and warm...in the winter! Getting some Vitamin D is always a good thing. So it already had that going for it as we entered the park. Then, I knew I'd like it when all these funky "trees" started appearing. Not just one, but miles of them.

The reason for the quotations around "tree" is that Joshua trees are not our typical tree. It belongs to the Yucca family. I'm not an expert on these trees, so I'd hate to mis-inform you. If you really are interested in what the heck they are, go to Wikipedia.

I learned a fun fact from my in-laws as we were driving around the park. The name Joshua Tree comes from the Mormon settlers in the 19th century who were crossing through the dessert. They thought they trees were raising their arms up to the sky to pray like Joshua in the Bible.

Besides Joshua Trees, there are a lot of boulders and rocks at the park. For this reason, there are a lot of rock climbers. There is a climber on practically every large boulder. We did a little rock climbing ourselves. But not with ropes and harnesses - just on large rocks.

But just sitting on the rocks suited us fine.

We did some small hikes at the park as well. One was to Skull Rock. A very clever name for a rock that looks like a skull.

There was also a view point out into the valley below where you see Palm Springs, and the San Andreas fault (yikes!). Luckily, no major earthquakes while we were there (whew). But you can totally see how the land has been pushed up.

It was a great day at the park. Sunny, Beautiful, and good company. Can't beat that!

For more pictures, go to my Winter 2013 album (just scroll down the page to Joshua Tree).

January 17, 2014

Christmas Vacation

January 17, 2014/ Heather Brown

Wow, we blew through Christmas, New Years, and Epiphany before I've even told you about my vacation. 2014 is going to be over before I even get to sit down and write to you about the end of 2013! Okay, that's an exaggeration, but really it's crazy how time moves.

But before we move on with 2014, I really do want to tell you about my holidays. They were oh-so-nice. Similar to past years, Josh and I flew down to SoCal for the holidays since both parents are down there. Yes, I know this is incredibly convenient (and lucky). We did a little switch-a-roo and started at my parents house rather than at the Browns. So that's where we'll start, at my parents house...

The O'Neill's

We flew down on Saturday. Lucky for me, the cold I had was on the mends by the time we flew down. Better not be sick during the holiday, or for Disneyland! Yea, you heard me, we went to Disneyland! (Comm'on, you have to say it like the commercials).

I love Disneyland during the holidays.They deck the park with everything holiday. They even switch up the Haunted House for the Nightmare Before Christmas. Some of my family doesn't like how they alter the Haunted House, but for me, I think it's fun. They also have the Jingle Cruise instead of the Jungle Cruise. Love it.

We had the happiest time of our lives - how could you not at the happiest place on Earth?!

Disneyland was a great kick-start to the holidays. The rest of the time with my parents was everything holiday. I squeezed in another Christmas cookie, Peppakakor. We did some shopping, wrapping, and saw good friends.

Christmas Eve we went to a lovely dinner at Vigilucci's and then the candlelight service at my childhood church, Bethlehem Lutheran Church. We sang Christmas songs and celebrated the reason for the season.

Then it was Christmas morning. We were all very good this year because Santa visited us. He came with lots of gifts, so we had to spend the whole morning unwrapping.

See that red-head in the picture? Meet Olivia. She's part of the family. No really, she is. She's related to our relatives in Germany - so like a second cousin. She's from Rust, Germany and staying with my parents for the year learning English and getting the American High School experience.

At halftime, eh hem, I mean after the Christmas tree presents, we switched to stockings. My mom takes stockings seriously. You DON'T MESS with stockings, man. Everyone gets the same number of gifts, and you have to open one by one around the room. Let me tell you, these stockings are crazy. The gifts spill out of the sock, and some (like a hula hoop) need to just hang out by the mantel.

Also, we got some visitors. My cousin Brennan, Anne, and their little girl, Marina came over. Marina was very much into the gifts, too - especially dropping them. Keely (that's the other daughter, I mean dog) was thrilled for all the people around to pet her - she's just too cute not to pet.

Around noon, it was time to transition, and we packed the car and headed off to...

The Brown's

The drive takes about 2.5 hours to drive, and you cross over the San Jacinto mountains. We arrived mid-afternoon, just in time for more gifts and a homemade turkey dinner.

We finished off Christmas with more gifts and a tasty dinner. What a great holiday!

For the rest of our stay with the Browns, we had some fun at Joshua Tree. More about that later. We went to the movies, and just relaxed. It was heavenly. Not to mention the warm weather, iced beverages, and short sleeves.

I love Christmas - it's the best time of year. And in the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone."

For more pictures, go here!

October 15, 2013

Across the Sound to Victoria

October 15, 2013/ Heather Brown

Life has been pretty hectic lately, especially with work. But fear not, I'm am dedicated to telling you about my exciting life. The latest edition in my exciting life is the trip Josh and I made at the end of September across the Sound to Victoria, BC.

My good friend, Irene, from Holland, and her boyfriend, Jochem, were journeying through Canada and we decided to rendezvous in Victoria. Josh and I took Friday off to make it a nice, long weekend. To get us there, instead of driving and all that crazy hassle, we hopped on the Victoria Clipper. The Clipper zips you from Seattle to Victoria in just under 3 hours. Easy breezy.

We arrived by 11am in Victoria, and we were ready to explore. Oh wait...make at 1pm because we got trapped in a random security check at the border control. Wah-wah-wah.

We met up with Irene and Jochem at our "hotel" - an apartment we booked through Home Away. Then we began exploring the city together. We began with a stroll through Beacon Hill Park. We saw peacocks, dogs, dogs chasing peacocks (no joke), ducks, and pretty views. We also cross a "medieval bridge" (in photo below). Not quite sure how it was medieval, but whatever, we get it...very old.

The exploration continued on past Thunderbird Park (aka a bunch of totem poles), Parliament, Fairmont's Empress hotel, and then along the waterfront.

Thunderbird Park, The Empress, and Parliament

After all that walking, we needed a tea break. We found ourselves enjoying a spot of tea at Silk Road Tea near Chinatown. (Fun fact, apparently Victoria's Chinatown is Canada's oldest Chinatown.) After our tea, we explored some more - you guessed it, in Chinatown. There was a cool, narrow alley called Fan Tan Alley. (Another fun fact, Fan Tan Alley is Canada's narrowest street. Boy, am I full of facts, or what?!)

That pretty much sums up our first day. Now on to the second day, Saturday. Saturday brought rain. Lots of rain. We heard it was the end of the cyclone that hit Hong Kong. But we were troopers, and we will have fun even in the rain. So take that rain!

Jochem and Irene had a rental car, so we drove out to Duncan for some fun outside of Victoria. Duncan has a very nice farmer's market, even in the rain. In fact, when I stopped to look at the Victoria Island Salt Co. stand, the guy said we would take whatever salt we wanted because it was wet and would never re-sell. Score! (got some fleur de Sel and flavored salt - our lucky day). So my favor in return is to tell you now...to buy salt from them -- debts are now returned.

Next, we found ourselves some lunch, cookies, and a view into the rainy bay at Cowichan Bay. After lunch, it was still raining, so we took a scenic route back towards Victoria. We stopped for a quick look at a scenic lake - and a 5 minute break in the rain!

Happy Heather & Josh at lake near Cowichan Bay

We made a pit stop at Mattick's Farm, which we thought we be more of a farm than a shopping center. Turned out to be the latter (dang it, I hate not having Internet Internationally for reasonable prices - raise fist up in anger). And we wrapped up the day with a cocktail at the famous Bengal Lounge in the Empress hotel.

Sunday was our last day. And it was still raining. We started our day with some munchies at Murchie's (sorry had to). Then we checked out the new Victoria Public Market. And by new, I mean, opened just a few weeks ago. And best part - it's inside! No wait, the best part was the cheese. Nom nom nom, cheese in my belly. We had to take some home.

Bengal Lounge, Murchie's Tea, and Victoria Public Market

We left Victoria via the Clipper at 2pm Sunday. And so ended our exciting weekend with friends. We did have to take some dramamine on the boat back - as advised by Victoria Clipper team members - because of the choppy, stormy weather. But we got back to Seattle without a scratch (or anything of that sort).

In conclusion, it was a fantastic trip.* And we give Irene's boyfriend, Jochem, our approval as a new friend.** And of course, it's important to get our approval since I mean...it's us. (I'll get off my high horse now).

Good trip, good friends, good times!

P.S. Didn't get enough pictures. Check out the album.

*Wow, I sound like I'm writing an essay. It sort of feels like an essay with the amount of writing I did here. Hope that's okay. Do you like essays? Wait, let's call it a novel, that sounds better

**Sorry, I didn't mention, we hadn't met him yet. Holland is a bit far away.

September 07, 2013

Weddings & Family in Chicago

September 07, 2013/ Heather Brown

Wedding + Grandma + Family = Trip to Chicago

That's the formula for a visit! And so between August 23rd and 26th, I was in the Mid-west.

1. Wedding

One of the main reasons was to see my cousin Jeremy wed. The wedding took place in Milwaukee at the Pabst Brewing Company factory. I have to say, the venue was pretty cool. Pabst has been around since about 1884, and I think the factory building since 1880 (I figured it's 1880, since that's the year on the building. I'm so clever).

But this visit wasn't about the building or the factory, it was about my awesome cousin Jeremy marrying Nikki. The ceremony was short and sweet and was in a courtyard. The reception was on of the larger rooms in the building. In a nutshell, they were very happy and everyone had a lovely time. {More Photos in the album here}

2. Grandma Ruth

My Grandma Ruth is 92 years old and still chugging along. I am so glad to see her every year as she is very special to me. We visited her for lunch on two days during my visit. She was so happy to see us, and even mentioned how we'd traveled all the way from California (I'll give her the California thing, 3 of the 4 of were from Cali; Seattle would be hard to remember).

We took her to Hackney's for burgers (Hackney's is a favorite of the family. It's one of the places we visit on every trip). She still has a hardy appetite, which always amazes me. (In the picture, she is waving to the camera!)

Grandma and Family at Hackney's for Lunch

3. Family

Did you know that the majority of my relatives are from Chicago? Both my parents were born and raised there. We were the runaways of the family that moved to California, but the rest remained in the general Chicago area. I have many good memories of summers in Chicago. So it's always great to visit and catch up with the family.

Being that my parents were raised in Chicago, there are a lot of memories there. On Sunday night on our visit, we visited on such memories. We went to Ravinia, the site of my parent's first date. Ravinia is a concert venue where people can picnic and watch the band/artist from their picnic site on the grass. They saw Dionne Warwick (you'll recognize her songs), and when it started to rain she sang Rain Drops Keeping Falling on my Head.

But we didn't see Dionne. Instead, we saw another favorite band of my parents, Chicago. Yes, we saw Chicago in Chicago (you'll recognize their songs, too). We had a nice picnic and enjoyed the music.

And that was my visit to Chicago. Good time with the family.

For more pictures, go to my Summer Photos album on my blog! (I'm going to move away from Flickr albums, FYI).

May 11, 2013

East Olympic Getaway

May 11, 2013/ Heather Brown

Last weekend Josh and I took a much needed getaway to the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula. We started Saturday and went to Sequim to Port Ludlow to Port Townsend and back - see our route.

For starters, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The skies were clear, the sun was out, and we were enjoying it all. Saturday we were joined by our friends Aaron and Liddy. We caravanned out to Sequim and enjoyed some time on the Edmonds ferry planning what exactly we were going to do in Sequim (yes, it was that last-minute). We were debating snow shoeing one last time in the Olympics, or going hiking. Hiking won, and we headed to the Dungeness Spit trail.

Let me tell you...this hike was a TEASE. A serious tease. By the end, I was literally mad (okay, "mad" is a bit of an exaggeration; I did have a good time). But the whole time I felt we must have gotten closer to the lighthouse. But no. The lighthouse remained this tiny spot in the distance. However, before you start the trek, you lookout to the lighthouse and think, "oh, we can totally get there, no problem." That's a tease.

You might be confused because I haven't explained this trail, yet. So, the Dungeness Spit is a five mile, narrow stretch of land that had a lighthouse at the very end. Here's the website, check it out. It's very pleasant on a nice day - the ocean, the mountains, a lighthouse. I wouldn't want to get stuck on it with a high tide, though - yikes!

Although all my whining about not getting to the lighthouse, I still enjoyed myself. Next time, though, we WILL get there. We'll just have to leave earlier, and maybe bring a picnic (wouldn't that be nice). Even better...I'll start a business where I can taxi people to and from the lighthouse on a boat. I will let people walk one way, and then I can bring them back. Too bad it's a wildlife refuge - that spoils my new business venture. Dang it!

I took a bunch of pictures, but I don't want to bore you with them all on this blog. Plus I have more to tell you about regarding our weekend. So check out a few of my photos - such as the interesting logs on the split, Aaron's balanced rock tower (talent, huh?), Liddy on a log (ha!), the never-ending spit, oh and so many more (see weekend album).

After our Spit trek, we all headed our own ways. Aaron and Liddy headed home to Seattle, and Josh and I headed to Port Ludlow were we were staying the night. Port Ludlow was such a charming place. It's pretty secluded, but so beautiful. It didn't hurt that when we arrived, the evening sun was shining down on the resort, the marina was glowing, and a warm breeze was blowing. After our Seattle winter, this could have been mistaken as heaven. I mean look at this place - gorgeous!

We got a bang up deal on the night at the Port Ludlow Resort. Our room was facing the marina, a jacuzzi tub, a comfy king bed, and on top of that we had $50 credit to the Fireside restaurant included in our package. That night, we sat out on the patio overlooking the marina eating a delicious meal.

There isn't a whole lot near the resort, but if you're looking for a relaxing stay with beauty all around, this is it. When I was sleeping in Sunday morning, Josh took a walk and saw a bald eagle (I'm jealous). Speaking of Sunday, we started it off with breakfast on the patio, then we headed out to part 2 of our weekend getaway.

Sunday we headed out to the Finnriver Farm for some cider tasting. Now, I don't like beer, but cider can sometimes be acceptable. Josh is on a mission to get me to like at least cider (since beer seems out of the question. What can I say, I'm a cocktail girl). Finnriver Ciders are pretty dry for my taste (there is a reason I like to bake sweets - SWEET!), but the farm/cidery was fun to visit. We did a cider tasting, which was quite lovely on the farm.

They had us taste most of their cider products alongside a plate of cheese. My favorite was the Spirited Apple Wine (wait, that's not cider!). I also liked the berry cordials that they poured over fromage blanc.

We hit up another cidery after Finnriver called Eaglemont. They seemed to have more selection than just cider, but meads and wines. They had a few ciders that were slightly sweeter (yay!). And their ginger cider made it into Sunset magazine, too. Check out what we tasted: Homestead cider, Ginger cider, Quince mead, Apple dessert wine, and Malbec port (my favorite there).

To wrap up the weekend, we visited Port Townsend for lunch. I was impressed with the cuteness of this town. I always love brick buildings with old paintings (this is sorta hipster of me, I know).

We ate lunch at a tasty placed called Fountain Cafe. Then we walked around town a bit - looked out at the port, the mountains, and ended it all with a nice iced tea at Pippa's Tea. That was it - we had to head home to do laundry, groceries, and the usual Sunday-before-work chores. Sigh. But it was a great weekend getaway. Yay for fun weekends!

January 19, 2013

Looking Back 2012

January 19, 2013/ Heather Brown

We're already 19 days into 2013. Crazy. I wanted to take a moment to say goodbye to 2012, and capture some of the great times. I've created a lovely slideshow to show what my 2012 looked like in pictures. You'll find pictures about...

Trip to Zion National Park
Going to Vancouver with the in-laws
My parents in town (x2!) - Wine & Leavenworth
Snowshoeing & Mt Rainier
Chicago with family
Meandering Seattle

Enjoy the show! Now, 2013, here I come!

January 12, 2013

Christmas in California

January 12, 2013/ Heather Brown

Christmas seems like ages ago now. Hard to believe it was just a few weeks. I've been back to work for a week and a half, been sick, had a sick husband, and cleaned up the house. I guess that might be part of the reason Christmas seems so long ago.

But it wasn't that long ago, and I haven't told you much about my actual time off for the holidays besides teasing you with Swedish Coffee Cake.

Josh and I had a great time for Christmas. It was about 10 days in California. We started by flying to my in-laws in Palm Springs (actually, Indio, but more people know Palm Springs).

We did some relaxing, some shopping, and got our nails done. On Christmas Eve, we took the tram up to get a great view of the desert.

The tram rotates 360 as it goes up to give you great views of the city below. Although the top is pretty darn cold. So cold there was even snow. In 15 minutes you go from the warm desert ground, to the cold snowy top. But you get some great views.

Christmas Eve we went to Southwest Church to celebrate with the candlelight service. Then we enjoyed a nice family meal at Indian Wells.

We opened a few gifts on Christmas Eve, and the rest were finished off in the morning. Then the next part of the Christmas journey began. We packed up the car, and all four of us drove out to Encinitas.

Josh and I then spent time opening gifts with my family. We really rushed because early afternoon guests starting arriving.

We had about 16 people at the O'Neill house for Christmas dinner. There was turkey, hame, potatoes, broccoli, jello, sweet potatoes, wine, cake, and cookies. It was an excellent way to finish off the Christmas holiday.

We stayed in Encinitas with my family after Christmas. Even though it rained a few times, we caught some breaks and enjoyed some sunshine (not to mention, warmer temps). We headed out to Coronado and visited the Hotel Del (pic) and took a walk on the beach. Another day we went to La Jolla, but got caught in the rain. It was pretty awesome seeing the storm over the ocean coming towards us. There is a little more of a story here, but basically it ends with Josh and me getting soaked. But we warmed up with some delicious coffee at Bird Rock Roasters (BTW, another coffee find on our visit was the Lofty Bean in Encinitas - yay good coffee!).

What else did we do? Well, we enjoyed some time with family friends - the Hartleys, the Troglers, and the Richardsons. We ventured to the theaters and saw Les Misérables (worth a see!). And that's about it. Just some quality time with the families celebrating a wondering holiday. We flew back to Seattle New Years Eve into much cooler temperatures.

Because I can't post every photo, you may want to check out all my Wintertime photos on Flickr!

December 05, 2012

Wedding Then Anniversary

December 05, 2012/ HeatherJoy

I was originally going to break this up into two posts, but time kept slipping away. Then as I was taking a shower this evening (yes, I'm a night shower person, deal with it), I had a revelation...wedding, anniversary, those go hand-in-hand, I can easy make into one.

And so, my friends, this is a single post about my two weekends in November that involved a wedding one week and an anniversary the next.

First, the wedding.

Josh and I headed down to see our college friend, Manuel, get hitched. And Josh was special enough to be in the wedding. What better place to see your college friend get married, than at the church on your old campus, eh?

It was nice to be back in our old stomping grounds and hanging out with "the gang" - just like the good, old days (wow, I'm already using that phase). However, it was weird to be in our old stomping ground, but not living there. It's not like you need to do tourist stuff. So then there's shopping, but we only brought a small suitcase (and there's that money thing).

But I digress; back to the wedding talk. The wedding was very beautiful. Alley, the bride, now friend, was gorgeous and radiating happiness. I just love weddings. They are just so happy! The ceremony was at the Mission Church, and the reception was at Dolce Hayes Mansion. I have to give it to the bride & groom, they went all out with the reception. There were chandeliers, uplights, and a photo booth.

Did I mention, there was a photo booth? Oh yea, we had fun with that. Good times were had by all. And so as not to bore you with all my pictures, here's a college. Or better yet, check out the wedding photographer's photos.

Next, the Annivesary.

Big news for my parents...they have been married 40 years. That's a mighty long time together, and they're still going strong. I flew down home to join in the celebrations.

We did all the usual Heather-at-home activities. We went to Honey's for breakfast (I got a muffin, big surprise). We went to the Forum, UTC, and Golden Spoon yogurt. But, the big event was Saturday night dinner for the big celebration.

We went to a restaurant called Hexagone in Hillcrest (French, of course). Sadly, the restaurant didn't live up to our expectations (this reviewer says it all for me). But, all that aside, it was good to be with friends and family.

Brunch at the Cottage the next day made up for Hexagone's mistakes. We had them put candles in the french toast, and they gave my mom a free bag of granola. And everyone was happy once again.

It was great to celebrate with my parents on their big 40th anniversary, and I'm so glad I was able to fly down and join in the fun.

Now, you know why I was so busy in November. Two back-to-back weekends of travel, with crazy busy work weeks in between. I think I'm almost caught up now, almost. ; )

October 27, 2012

Bay Area Fly-by

October 27, 2012/ HeatherJoy

I'll keep this post short...mainly because the trip was short. Super short. Like 24 hour where 7 of those hours were sleeping, short. But, it was sweet...short and sweet, that is.

Last weekend we were doing in the Bay Area from Nick and Annie's wedding. Nick is Josh's cousin, who also happened to go to Santa Clara University. We headed down on Saturday morning to catch the wedding Saturday late afternoon. Unfortunately, we got stuck with fog. Darn you SFO and your stupid fog! And luck was not our side, as the rental car line was crazy long, and there was random traffic on the 101. Sigh.

Alas, we missed the ceremony, but we made it in time for the reception. We were bummed to miss the ceremony (it was at SCU Mission!), but...

Luckly, the reception was a blast. It was at the Allied Arts Guild which was a top runner when Josh & I were considering getting married in the Bay Area. It's a little gem of a place in the middle of a Palo Alto neighborhood.

Nick and Annie were a beautiful couple, and we were happy we made it (or, at least to part of it!).

Sunday we had breakfast with the family. Being Seattle coffee snobs, we were sure to grab a coffee nearby at Philz Coffee (I mean, who wants hotel coffee!). This place seems to be all the rage. They do the pour over method. Not half bad...

Before hitting up the airport, we made a quick escape Now, where do you suppose I'd go if I got 30 minutes time in the Bay Area? If you know me, you know it's...YUMI.

And that was basically it. Fly down, party, sleep, hang with family, yogurt, fly home. A fly-by trip for sure. And we came home to this:

September 30, 2012

Vegas - Zion Recap

September 30, 2012/ HeatherJoy

Now that it's been a week, my trip seems like a long ago memory. A great memory, but feels like ages since I was there. But, I'm not ready to let go yet, so let's do a quick recap of what we did on our trip.

Saturday & Sunday: We arrived at the Las Vegas airport, and that's where we started our trip. I can't tell you what happened there because...what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Okay, we're not that crazy, I'll tell you. We walked around the hotels, ate some good food, and saw a fab show. Read more at my post: What Happens in Vegas

Monday: Mostly a driving day. Don and Nada drove us out to Zion. We did a stop for delicious shakes in St. George. Banana Cream Pie shake, uh hello delicious. Once we arrived at Zion, we did a quick park preview, and had dinner in town.

Tuesday: This was basically my introduction day to Zion. We went to the lodge, took the tram, checked out the visitor center and natural museum, and had lunch at the lodge. Then we headed to the east side of the park to capture some pictures of hoodoos and of Checkerboard Mesa. Isn't hoodoo a fun word? Are you even sure you know what it is? Here's a photo:

Wednesday: Did you know the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion are all on the Colorado Plateau? We took the day to go visit Bryce. What a crazy place?! You just look at the canyon and see thousands of hoodoo and doohoos (I made up the 2nd word). Read all about my day on my post: Flip Flopping in Bryce

Then, on our drive back, we saw buffalo - right up against the fence! And some big horn sheep, which I hear is rarther rare (and we saw a whole herd!). And captured a cool tree. Ready it on: Buffalo, Sheep, and a Tree

Thursday: This was our big hike day. We hiked the Narrows. Basically you hike through the river with towering canyon walls on either side of you. Crazy awesome, and beautiful. Probably one of the best hikes I've done in my life. Read my post (do it): Walking in Water

Friday: Do you love lazy days? I do. So relaxing. Friday was pretty relaxing (and time to recuperate from the hike). We celebrated our anniversary with a tasty lunch at the Flying Monkey (great pizza, btw). We randomly saw my Aunt Jan & Uncle Dave at the grocery store - crazy weird. We picked apples at the orchard, I make a dang good apple crumble. To top if off, we visited Grafton. Read more: Ghost Town and a Tractor

Saturday: We did some driving in a beautiful area called Kolob for the first part of the day. We saw some changing colors of fall. And just some beautiful sites. At the end of the day, we saw incredible petroglyphs. Can you believe people like 7000 years ago roamed the Earth? Hear more about my thoughts on this matter: Off the Beaten Path

Sunday: Today was a celebration day...Nada's Birthday (my mother-in-law). We did a little walking around Springdale, and then enjoyed some time at the spa. Ahhh spa.

Monday: What a sad day...our last day. We finished it with a hike to Emerald Pools. Then it was back to Las Vegas airport and back home. Tear.

What a great trip!

"Iconic" Zion

September 24, 2012

Ghost Town and a Tractor

September 24, 2012/ HeatherJoy

All my life I assumed a ghost town had ghosts; that it was haunted. I don't think anyone has ever told me this directly, but I just assumed with the word ghost. I guess I assumed incorrectly. Apparently it's just a town that has been abandoned.

Or so they think, how could a town that was first flooded, and then attacked by Indians, not have ghosts? I'm pretty sure there must be a ghost roaming somewhere, right? Think about it.

When I was there, I didn't get goosebumps, or feel a cool breathe on my neck, but I did see a neat cemetary and a few houses at Grafton on Friday.

Here's the town. (This awesome panaramic was taken with Josh's iPhone using the new iOS6.)

There is a church-schoolhouse, a two-story home, and an older, single home.

Just a short jump-skip away is the cemetary. Ohh, spooky. Any ghosts here? Maybe. I just didn't see any. The cemetary is relatively small, but the graves are cool. They seem to date mostly in the 1800s. Unfortunately, I hear there were headstones that were stolen not too long ago. But some still remain, like the Ballard family. I think they passed away due to diphtheria. Others killed by Indians, or fallend off a swing. Crazy to think about their stories. (got this info from the sign, and this site...if you need me to quote sources).

And in the field nearby, we came across a tractor. Maybe the ghosts are running the tractor? Probably not. But it made for some great photo opps.

Here's a cool close up.

Do you believe in ghosts? If so, you might want to invest in a app for it.

But to end on a calmer note, here's the beautiful Grafton view.

September 23, 2012

Flip Flopping in Bryce

September 23, 2012/ HeatherJoy

On Wednesday we took a day trip out to Bryce Canyon. What's cool about Bryce is you get immediately "wow" factor when you see the canyon. You look out and you see red hoodoos popping out everywhere...it's just...wow.

From what I can tell, Bryce is more popular than Zion. When I told people we were going to Zion, many didn't know where it was; however, they always seem to know Bryce. And yet, Bryce is smaller than Zion. It's gotta be that immediate wow-factor. Anyway, I like them both as they are both quite different. They may have the same stone, but the way they eroded over the years is different - Zion has high, towering walls, but Bryce dips down. Zion is more flat surfaced, and Bryce more curvy. In my opinion.

I have to say, I was wow'ed by Bryce. In fact, I think I said, "oh wow!" when I stepped out of the car. I mean, look at it:

We stopped at several points around the park. My favorite was Sunset where there is the most awesome trail, The Navajo Loop Trail. You hike down into the rocks and see everything up close - trees and rocks soar upward.

Then you get to points where you just look out into the canyon. In this picture, I peek out from a rock "window." The colors are awesome.

At this point, you might be wondering why I chose to call this "Flip Flopping in Bryce." Well, I forgot to change out of my flip flops for the Navajo Loop hike, so I hiked in my flip flops. I'm talented like that.

We topped off our visit with a stop at Ruby's Inn for a lil' snacky-snack.

Oh, and on the way out, we were sure to get a glimpse of Red Canyon. It's also pretty "wow" too.

In a nutshell, it's all just WOW. So you should go someday and be "wowed."

September 22, 2012

Buffalo, Sheep, and a Tree

September 22, 2012/ HeatherJoy

Thursday we took a day trip from Zion and headed out to Bryce. I'll write about Bryce later because right now I want to tell you about the buffalo, some sheep, and a tree.

That might seem like an odd mix, but this is exactly what we saw on our way home from Bryce. First we were driving along and saw just a herd of buffalo munching on the grass. Don did a U-ie (aka a U-Turn), and we hopped out of the car.

These buffalo were super close to the fence; it was crazy. And the light was perfect. It was the "magic" light time. This is really, no joke, a photography term and is a photographer's dream time of day. So, Don, being my photography teacher for the week, thought this would be an opportune time for some lessons.

Here's the buffalo shot I got:

We kept driving, and around the Checkerboard Mesa area, we saw some cars pulled over. This is a telltale sign that there is some wildlife present. So, we stopped. And I look out the car window, and standing right there is a huge heard of Bighorn Sheep. It was absolutely amazing. I couldn't get a good shot, but in the distance was a big ram with the horns that circle around. This is one of the photos I got from my window. They look so unreal...crazy.

Lucky for us, it was still the "magic" hour when we passed by this super cool, twisted tree. Don and I hopped out and climbed up to get some shots of the tree. My favorite is the close up I got from the tree:

Here's another angle of that same tree. Isn't that light great?

And that, my friends, is the story of how a buffalo, sheep, and tree are related.

September 21, 2012

Walking in Water

September 21, 2012/ HeatherJoy

Yesterday we walked in water. Okay, it was a hike and it was through Zion's Narrows. It was a breathtaking hike with the walk off the canyon stretching way up above your head. The canyon twists and turns following the Virgin River.

We had to rent special water shoes (although there were some fools that just went in tennis shoes, bare feet, or sandels...idiots). Don't I look stylish in these shoes. Not to mention, my even more stylish board shorts in Hawaiian print.

We started off in the morning around 9am (after taking a tram to get to the trail head). The hike starts off as a leisurely sidewalk hike, then the real fun starts when you reach the beginning of The Narrows. While the tourists behind us stayed on the trail, we walking straight into the water to continue the hike.

The start of The Narrows

Yes, you heard me, you walk through the water. There are bits of land here and there, but for the most part you trek through the flowing water, which mind you, is pretty chilly in the morning.

But you bare the chill, and walk because you get great views:

The towering walls are so majestic.

Gosh, did I say how beautiful it was?

I might have to say, this was my favorite hike ever. And we had such a great time. Here's the happy hikers:

P.S. If you've noticed, I've also been practicing my photography with the help of my dear father-in-law, Don. He's such a talented photographer and I'm learning lots (more to come on that though). He also has a blog - great photos so check it out. I've been an obsessed maniac taking TONS of pictues and then editing on Aperture in the evenings. I've begun uploading to Flickr, so be sure to check out all of The Narrows (and more!).

September 18, 2012

What Happens in Vegas...

September 18, 2012/ HeatherJoy

Does not always stay in Vegas. For instance, this post. I'll pretty much tell you what we did because I'm cool like that. No secrets from my blog buddies. ; )

Saturday was the beginning of our "big" vacation of the year. Most of the trip is to be spent in Zion with my in-laws. However, we decided to take on Vegas at the beginning since were were flying in/out of the LV airport.

We arrived Saturday afternoon (just in time for the late-night party-ers to be getting up). We decided to make our base camp at the Venetian. We got a pretty good deal on Priceline (go us). I think I said, "oh wow" as I stepped into the lobby. Very grandiose stuff here. And our hotel room was like a small apartment. Not too shabby.

Now, before I go telling you about our visit, let me remind you, I have not been to Vegas since they were building the Luxor. Yes my friends, it's been that long. So, you can imagine, when we stepped onto to the strip, it was like a whole other world. It was sensory overload -- lights flashing, music blasting, people pushing...everything is just IN YOUR FACE. Pretty wild.

The afternoon was spent walking from hotel to hotel. I think we visited practically every hotel (except the ones at the extreme ends of the strip...my feet can only take so much walking). I have to say, my favorites were the Bellagio and Cosmopolitan. We had our first Vegas cocktail in the Aria, which was also quite nice.

Dinner the first night was at a newer, up-and-coming buffet called The Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan. We heard it was cheaper and better than the Bellagio buffet. I think we tried everything offered there. Just bites of everything, people, we're not total pigs...gosh. My favorite, though, was dessert. It was so fun to grab each thing and taste - the coconut flan, the brownie pop, and the peach cobbler were among my favorites.

Then, we topped off the day with the foutain water show at the Bellagio. Okay, I lied, slightly, we saw it twice - one in the day and then we ended the night with the show again.

Sunday we spent more time shopping, mainly in Caesar's Palace. Have you noticed that all the Vegas hotels seem to have the same set of stores? You really only need to visit one's shopping area and you've seen them all. Heck, you don't even need to let your own hotel if you don't want to...everything is everywhere at anytime in Vegas.

The in-laws drove out and met us for lunch at Holsteins for some burgers. We toured some more hotels like the Wynn. Then we went our own ways for the evening. Josh and I went off to celebrate our 1 year anniversary with dinner at Joe's. It was a classic restaurant known for it's stone crab and fish. Let me tell you, these stone crab claws are huge (and we got the small ones). If you ever need to try crab legs, go here. I had halibut and Josh had steak. We finished with awesomely delicious pie (which seemed fitting for our anniversary--why? because we had pie at the wedding).

The big event of the Vegas trip was Sunday evening. We had tickets as a gift from my in-laws from my birthday to see Cirque du Soleil "O" at Bellagio. Oh my, it was so great I don't even know how to describe it. It didn't hurt that we had front & center seats - literally we were 7 rows from the stage (Thanks Don & Nada!).

The acrobats were fascinating. They diving from about 50 feet high, they swung from hoops hanging from each other's feet, they were contorting into crazy positions. I was entranced the whole time. Absolutely recommend it. Sorry, they were uber strict about photos. Check out the video!

We ended our evening with drinks at the hip and trending bar at the Cosmo hotel. Then Monday rolled around, we had breakfast with the Browns, did some more shopping, and headed out for nature at Zion.

Total flip from chic urban city Vegas, to nature filled Zion. Fun times though. Vegas is really a Disneyland for adults. And my new term from the trip: Vegafied. Take something normal and Vegafy it.