Sequoia National Park & Yosemite

Dominic, Roxi and I just got back yesterday evening from Yosemite National Park. My friend, Art, had called the park a few months ago to reserve a campsite and he came across someone's cancellation so he was able to book a spot sooner than normal. Originally, he and a friend plus Dom and I were supposed to go, but at the last minute he and his friend both had personal emergencies they needed to take care of so only Dom and I went. It was my first time.

We started our adventure at 5:30am, Thursday morning. We drove to the Sequoia National park first and spent a few hours there.

The scenery was gorgeous, and snow was getting thick.

We pulled over a few times to check out some of the more popular and well known Sequoias. I really wanted to see a bear!
My hair color matches the bark. I think when asked what color my hair is, I'll say "Sequoia" from now on..for lack of a better description :)
Sir Dominic and General Sherman. We be itty bitty.
That's massive. And that's a RAD photo :)
I love the Sequoia National Park THIS MUCH.
We stopped here for the great view...AND to give Roxi some exercise. She was getting a little restless in the backseat. She LOVED the snow. She was pouncing and bouncing all over, and couldn't get enough of her frisbee.
Floating upper body, weird.

Here are the roots of big one that had fallen over.
The deeper we got into the park, the deeper the snow got.

On the way into Yosemite, we stopped at the first rushing river we saw. I like bridges.

Finally that evening we were close to our site and only had time enough to set up camp and make some dinner. We had sausage dogs and chili beans that night. On the road there, we had to suddenly slam on the brakes to avoid about 6 deer that were crossing the street. I love nature.
Here's my Mr. Wilderness, gathering up some old pine needles to give us some more padding to sleep on (since we sleep on mats, not an air mattress) and some more insulation. He has good ideas. Thanks, babe :)
Here's our pride and joy, our 4-season bad ass tent. Oh, night time temps of upper 30s you say?? No biggie...that thing is WARM :)
Friday morning, we ate breakfast burritos filled with scrambled eggs, potatoes, sausage, garlic and cheese. Delicious. We packed up our day packs and I made us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our day away from camp (this pic is of me making Saturday's sandwiches).
We drove out to Yosemite Valley to check out all the views and the waterfalls. It was a gorgeous day and the weather was great. Here are some shots of the breath taking sights.
A close up of Half Dome...which I will climb one day. Hopefully this year. My brother and a group of friends did this last year and I had to miss it because of work. They had a blast and their pics are amazing.
Here is El Capitan! You have to say it with force :) We got out the binoculars to check out some crazy rock climbers that were almost halfway up. This day, we only counted maybe 3 or 4.
Here is a close up shot of 2 guys I think, and one spot is their bags.
Just another one of MANY waterfalls. There was a ton of snow melting so water was everywhere and the falls were very powerful.
When got into the center of the valley, we checked out their store/gift shop, bought some ice cream bars and then headed out for a walk with the dog. We strolled through a cemetery on our way towards Lower Yosemite Falls. Dom made small talk with a man from Texas during our walk and he TRIED to take our pic with the falls in the distance. This is what happens when you have a rad camera ;)
We walked across the bridge for a better view. The wind was kicking up and the mist from the falls was all over the place. Everyone was getting wet...

...including my camera :)
A little further and we were out of the mist and still had a nice view.
We then found a trail called Yosemite Loop that we joined. We weren't really sure where we'd end up but gave it a shot. We stopped after a mile for our PB&J lunch on a picnic bench with THIS outstanding view.
After an almost full day of sightseeing we headed back to camp. On the way, we saw a ton of cars and tourists pulled over on the side of the road, cameras were out and so was a ranger. It could only be for one thing.... A BEAR!!! Pooh bear, Yogi bear, Smokey the bear...
I was so stoked, I had my fingers crossed since we left HOME in hopes of seeing a bear.
That night, Dom made some "stew" that turned out to be super tasty, salad on the side. We enjoyed the campfire again before heading to bed (10:00pm) even earlier than Thursday night (10:30pm). Our long day plus the elevation got the best of us, I guess.

Saturday was very chill. We couldn't take advantage of all the great trails and hikes that the park has to offer because they are NOT puppy friendly. Roxi wasn't allowed to go and we didn't want to leave her in the car. We took our time making breakfast burritos again and enjoying our site. We headed to the meadow at the base of El Capitan again to catch up with the mountain climbers. We lounged in the grass and found about 15 climbers! They're super tough to spot. The sun was out and we ended up passing out for a little bit laying together. We headed back to camp and relaxed. I read for a while from the new book I'm reading, Twilight. You may have heard of it ;) I know, I'm a little behind the rest of the world but I just saw the movie the other day and LOVED it. Kasia lent me the book, thanks! Dinner that night was BBQ chicken, grilled zucchini and cous cous. I finally made s'mores that night, my favorite.

Sunday morning we were up early, had cereal and started packing up. We noticed that the newcomers to one side of us that set up camp the day before had left just about EVERYTHING out...food and trash were everywhere and NOT in the bear box that clearly states they will be fined for not using it properly. It was disgusting how sloppy they were and they were endangering the rest of the campground AND the bears. Dom and I ratted them out to the ranger when we left. Get a clue, people. On our drive home, we pulled over to check out some white water rafters. This looked like SO MUCH FUN. I've done it once in Kern and definitely want to do it more.

One great thing about this trip, was getting to try out all of our cold weather clothing (vest, fleece jacket, etc) we've been collecting from REI, along with other gear we've bought to prepare us for our big Bishop trip coming up in June. For the most part, I stayed generally warm at night, but I've already made a little shopping list of BETTER clothing to buy. It's Wednesday and my room still smells of campfire.

We had a lovely time in Yosemite, I'm grateful to Art for setting everything up, but we were both bummed that he couldn't have made it. Missed ya Art :(
I can't wait to head back and hike the shit out of it! (Sorry, Roxi...gotta stay home).

Roxi love

I've been meaning to put these up...

Just a few pics of Roxi having playtime in my backyard a few weeks ago. I had JUST bought her a new toy/frisbee at Petco, along with a goody bag of doggy treats. Look at that SMILE!!!
She's pretty special :)

Vegas

Miss Kasia went and planned a Vegas trip, about 2 months ago. When you've got that itch, there's not much that can stop it. Invites were pretty open, but it ended up being her, her cousin Justyna, Justyna's friend V and myself that signed up. GIRLS' WEEKEND :) We left on Thursday night around 8:30pm and arrived around midnight. We made great time. We stayed in a suite at the Luxor and on night one, we gambled. V stayed in the room, she was super tired. The 3 amigas hit up slot machines for a while, Justyna went back to the room after a while, then Kasia and I were left. I played the blackjack table and Kasia played Texas Hold 'em. We didn't get back to our room until 7am!

Here's a little glimpse of our room, and on the right was my bed for the first night. Our suite had one King size bed and we didn't want to pay the extra $30 for a cot.

Friday we got a late start since we went to bed so late. We headed over to Tao Beach (pool party) since we were on "the list." We got free vodka + mixers for a few hours. The place was pretty busy...hot bodies everywhere and good dancin' music. That night we were supposed to go to Tao (on "the list" again) but 2 of our ladies took too long getting ready so we showed up at 12:02am, which is 2 minutes passed the cut off to get in on the list!!! We could have got in line and paid the cover, but decided against it. We tried out one club in the Venitian for about 10 minutes but weren't feeling it...then went back to the Luxor and hit up LAX for maybe 15 minutes...but weren't feeling it again. That place was ghetto packed and didn't play good music. We decided to call it a night. My friend, Art, strolled into our room around 6am and passed out on the floor, wastey face. *"knock knock"...."housekeeping!"* haha

Mmmmm, nothing like a delicious $25 sushi plate for breakfast! We got to Tao Beach early on Saturday morning to grab a spot on the lounging chairs. We spent a few hours here before heading back to our hotel to get ready for some rock n roll :)

I treated the group to a $65 bucket-o-beer (6 of them) and $45 pitcher of yummy frozen spiked lemonade. Prices are ridiculous, but not so much when your buzzin'.

We had a great day!

We rock it hard.

V, Art, and Kasia having pool play time.

Hey hot mama!

Now that's a gooooood time :)

We made it to the street music fest! Those are TRUE Unwritten Law fans.

Damn, i love my boots!!! I was probably more excited about wearing them than the show. Ok, a close second. UL partners in crime!

Unwritten Law. They rock.

Hottest ladies there. No really. It's not that hard to be though when the crowd is missing teeth, and looks like something the cat dragged in.

Our LAST night...Saturday night. Dresses and heels are on, time to party...at Lavo. On "the list" AGAIN :)

Kasia had some trouble trying to take a clear pic of me with my rad camera ;) You get the idea. Shiny silver Matix dress with matching silver heels :)

We headed back home on Sunday, left around 10-llam and made it back without traffic. LUCKY, because I've heard some horror stories. Back to reality now.

Oh, I almost forgot to say...
I missed MY MAN like crazy!!! And I texted him all sorts of crazy things, haha. There was one point where all I could think about was his arms around me, kisses and cuddles. AND I missed Roxi! He spilled the beans when I got back that he had missed me, too. We went out for a delicious Sushi date on Sunday night :) Thanks, baby! XO

the River, yo.

2 weeks ago I had my spring break...a week off from work...sooooo.....
Oooohhhh my FIRST trip to the "river." It was...awesome. Our friend Mikey's dad was renting this little river rental for the weekend and Dom and I were invited to party :) Dom and I had to leave town after he was through with work on Thursday evening and we didn't get there until around midnight I think. Of course, people were still up having drinks. We slept in the same room as Mikey and his brother Johnny. Mikey SNORES...is an understatement. That guy growls, gurgles, chokes, talks, mumbles, saws logs, calls out to grizzlys...oh man it's loud. Earplugs helped a little, but after the first night Dom and I decided to camp out with an air mattress in the back of his truck for the next two.

We started off our Friday morning with Dominic's tastey Bloody Marys. I can honestly say I haven't had any better :)

After spending some time lounging, relaxing, and playing with the dogs we all loaded on a few boats to head out on the water. Dominic's neighbors were staying with their good friends at their river home and I believe there were 2 other homes of people that were part of our big group, too that went out with us. I know a few of them from high school and mutual friends. Roxi even joined our boat ride...she wanted to be in the picture (or just come over to mama).

What can I say, Dom just makes my hair stand on end :) Blah blah, ya ya windy boat ride, ok.

The sexy Captain and their firstmate....but...which one is which???? ;)

A BOAT LOAD of fun right there. We're stoked that we're almost to our destination....

The famous RoadRunner!!!

Rad.

This is one of about 7 pics that Mikey took of us.

Part of the group...complete with RoadRapers :)

Another group shot. This is about the time of day when I start losing a little of my memory. I don't remember much of our first trip at RoadRunner's.

I definitely don't remember the Steve Sandwich.

And here we have Dommer, the Cherry Bomber! This guy was all about Cherry Bombs (cherries soaked in some crazy alcohol...Everclear maybe??).

He was poppin' em in everyone's mouth. I have lots of other random pics where you can see him in the background, feeding them to anyone around. Looks can be deceiving...I do NOT like them cherries!

Mikey and I..right before heading back home.

Steve...coooool hat!

We're definitely buzzin' and lovin'....yup, we were all sorts of yummy.

That night Dom and I passed out so EARLY...around 9:30pm. We were out. I guess a bunch of the group headed to the casino on the water and partied til late. This is the next day on the water...and another trip to RoadRunner's for lunch and of course more boozin'.

On the way back, Johnny and Heather took a dive. He mooned us and she flashed on the way down. Pretty funny. I'm so jumping next trip.

Beautiful evening.

Late Saturday night, we all headed out for a midnight boat ride to RoadRunner's again, had more RoadRapers and Cherry Bombs. Then we all went to the casino. I lost like $20 or $40 and I think Dom lost some, too.

Overall, what a great trip. The only complaint was that it could have been a little warmer. It was nice, but enough to really give a nasty sunburn. I came home with color, Dom just a little. We had so much fun together, with no issues or drama...just straight up smilin'. On the way home we stopped by a local cafe for breakfast, then stopped by Casino Morongo with Mikey and Johnny where Dom scored like $120 from Blackjack. Way to go. It was a long drive home, but worth it. I want to go back....like now :)

A shakey Easter

Here is the project my 2nd graders did for their Easter project. We painted an "artistic sky" with acrylics on canvas and then painted blue flowers along with white "highlights." Even thought everyond did the same project, they all came out with a different personality :)

I also started my famous clay handprints with my 4 year olds. This is just the beginning stage. These take a lot of work, 2 trips into the kiln and 3 coats of glaze on all 40 of them. They will be finished just in time for their Mother's Day gift.

The day beofre Easter, Dominic and I went to a nursery to buy some flowers. He wanted to plant them and beautify his garden before Easter guests arrive the next day. I love his GREEN THUMB :) ...AND the work, heart and patience he puts into his garden that he created from scratch...with his own two hands.

And wherever Dominic is, Roxi isn't too far away :)

While at the nursery, I decided to build my own (with Dom's help, of course) flower arrangement for my mom's Easter gift. It wasn't cheap, but to me the process of personally choosing the flowers and wooden pot, and then fitting everything in just right was worth it. Hers is the one on the left, Dominic made this beautiful arrangement on the right.

After I left Farmer Dom's, I headed straight home to make these Easter-Chick-Butter-Sugar-Cookie-Eggs. What? I was really happy with the blue and yellow icing I painted on, but I was in such a rush to finish and it was already about 9pm that I just plopped on chocolate chip eyes (which I think are far too big for their size..like owls) and squeezed on orange beaks with vanilla frosting. They look a little silly, but tasted great and Dominic's family loved them :) A few of them also made their way into the Easter basket I made for Dominic and for his dad. Roxi even had an egg in there (full of dog treats).
That night, Dominic and I dyed our first Easter Eggs together. We used rubber bands and pieces of tape to get certain looks and designs. Not too bad...I don't even remember the last time I did this. Now it's egg salad sandwiches all week!
On Easter morning, Dominic came to my house for a special breakfast that my stepdad only makes on this day each year. It's called Eggs Goldenrod and it's delicious. Pieces of bread are stuffed into muffin pans and baked for a few minutes so that they take the shape of a flower. A light gravy is made and includes chopped whites of hard boiled eggs, then it's poured in the bread. The hard boiled yolk is crumbled and sprinkled on top (looks like pollen). Potatoes, bacon and fresh fruit were served on the side. It was a nice morning with my guy, brother and parents.

Then, it was a ham and sausage Easter dinner (at 3pm) at Dominic's house. There were 11 of us along with the really good food I've come to love and expect from such a great group of people. I think the sweet potatoes are my favorite dish. There were a lot of great conversations flying across the table, it's hard to choose just ONE to follow. Some might find it offensive, but I appreciate how they all speak their mind and tell you their honest truth..and some even get into debates over differing views, lifestyles and opinions. At some point during all of this, there was a 7.2 earthquake right across the border into Mexico. People in the neighborhood felt it here, but since we were all deep in conversation, none of us did. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and cuddling...perfect way to end any day.