A romantic weekend in Cambria, CA.

Wow! Will and I just got back from a trip to Cambria, CA for my friend Amber's wedding. Let me just preface this post by mentioning that Will and I have not had a weekend away from the kids since, well, since we had kids. So, we have to thank Amber for that! Thanks, Amber!!!

The trip started with a long drive through the desert. Pretty much all day Saturday we spent driving. The drive wasn't really very scenic but that was ok because it gave Will and I a lot of time to talk. Also, I figured out that a really fun game to play in the car when you're bored is to just set the radio to scan and whenever the scanner hits a new song you have to dance to it (in your seat) how you think it would be danced on So You Think You Can Dance. Really quite entertaining! Will didn't really play because he was driving but I had fun.

We got into Cambria at about 7 o'clock California time and went out to eat a this local joint that smokes their chicken using redwood. That was kinda cool but the real gem there for Will and I was the grilled calamari steak sandwich. I've never had anything like it. In fact, it prompted me to get out my camera for the first time on this trip. Yum!

We spent a little time on the beach after dinner but it quickly got too cold and windy so we settled for listening to the waves crash from our motel room. Here's a pic of the motel.

Cambria is such a neat place because the whole village is just sort of nestled into the hills right by the beach. There are no commercial buildings just little local stores, family-owned motels and bed and breakfasts. No large chains. Just really quaint and RELAXING! I really could've stayed here forever!

On Sunday, I got up at about 6:30 am and took a jog by the beach (I couldn't resist.) I'm not sure if it was the sea-level elavation or just the scenery but I felt like I could have just kept running and running and running! It just felt so great. But I needed to get back to the motel so Will and I could get breakfast and get ready for the wedding. The ceremony was just beautiful. Amber looked amazing and everything just seemed to fit her to a tee. From the ceremony to the reception, it was all perfect. Here's some pics from the wedding and reception.

After the reception, Will and I spent the rest of the afternoon strolling along Main Street shopping in all the cute little shops. Later, we had dinner at a restaurant with an ocean view. I had this total California sandwich which was avocado, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion on sourdough. Can't get that anywhere else!

We spent the rest of the evening on the beach, trying to take it all in before leaving bright and early Monday morning. Great trip! I'm ready to go back for more!

Fun at Heber Valley Camp!

A couple of months ago, Will's sister, June, lucked into a reservation for one night at Heber Valley Camp (these reservations are usually made a year ahead of time and are hard to come by.) When she called us to see if we'd like to go up, we weren't sure we wanted to go. The whole camping thing really isn't our cup of tea (see last post) but we love to do anything with family and we would be sleeping in cabins after all, so we decided to go.

Heber Valley Camp is an LDS church-owned camp that is used mainly for girls camps but lots of families make reservations for family reunions and things like that. It is huge and has several different campsites. We were in Reeder #4, which consisted of 4 cabins that can sleep 16 people each. In the middle of the campsite there was a kitchen pavilion which included gas stoves and a refrigerator and a huge firepit. It was really nice! Not at all what I usually think of when I think of camping.


Each cabin has wooden bunks and whoever stays is required to bring a mat or pad and sleeping bags, etc. We took this huge bean bag that we have that folds out into a king-size mattress so instead of a bunk we just plopped our bed on a tarp in the middle of the floor. We don't have sleeping bags or camping mats so that worked out great for us.

When we arrived at camp on Friday evening, we were last to arrive so we had just enough time to unpack and then headed straight over to the waterfront area for paddleboats and canoeing. We spent about an hour on the water and were able to spend some time in a paddleboat and then the rest of the time in a canoe. Great full-body workout! My quads were burning on that paddleboat!
We spent the rest of the evening making up for lost calories by eating way too much food and acting silly with the nieces and nephews (hence the Kid 'n Play moves.)

I think we may try out for So You Think You Can Dance next year. Will says we need some practice but I say it's perfect! Let's take it on the road!

While the boys watched Toy Story on the portable DVD player, Will and I stuck by the campfire with a few others. We finally all got to bed at around 10:30-11:00. The next morning we woke up to this-SNOW! Yes, Snow! In June!!! Crazy, right!? It was really unexpected and great fun for the kids to see it snow this late in the season. Once everyone was up, we had a big breakfast of eggs, hash browns, sausage, pancakes and lots of hot cocoa and then packed up and headed home. Coleman's first t-ball game was at noon and we didn't want to miss it. And we didn't really want to hang out in the snow!

All in all, great fun! Looks like for non-campers we sure are getting in a lot of camping lately!

A "campout" for non-campers.

Our church sponsored a father/son campout a couple of weekends ago. Sounds like fun, right?! Well, Will is NOT a camper and even though he had intended to go, at the last minute he decided it wasn't for him. However, in the spirit of being one with nature, we decided to have our own "campout" at a nearby park. Our campout was essentially just a cook-out but the boys were so excited to be camping that we let them believe that's what camping is. (Who wouldn't want to go camping if it means eating hot dogs and s'mores and then going home to sleep in a nice cozy bed?!)

I have to admit that I was a little worried that Will wouldn't be able to start a fire. He's never been a boy scout and if you consider the friends he hung out with as a kid, the closest he's ever been to fire was probably first-degree arson. But he surprised me! I guess he did a little homework and asked his co-worker how to build a fire. He built the little firewood stack and voila, fire!
I was impressed! I was prepared to be eating cold hot dogs and stiff s'mores but ol' hubby is more manly than I thought! The boys were very meticulous when it came to finding wood to feed the fire. They loved impressing their Dad with their finds. Here they are looking for the perfect sticks.
Cooper found one!
The fire was blazing and Coleman was convinced that he needed to stand on the picnic table while roasting his marshmallows in order to keep safe. That child is quirky!

Here are a couple cute shots of Super Cooper-

The boys had so much fun that we are planning to do this again and again this summer. Who knows, maybe Will will be one of those Grizzly Adams types by next years father/son campout?! Ha!