Category Archives: Drinking

Farewell Mammoth Trip

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Carrie

Last weekend, we drove up to Mammoth Lakes to go on our last vacation in the area – at least, our last vacation there for a long time. After we move to Colorado, we’ll be exploring Colorado resort towns and we likely won’t fly back to Mammoth for awhile. We all love Mammoth so, so much; therefore, this trip was bittersweet. We did all of our favorite things while we were there and even squeezed in a new activity or two. Continue reading →

Posted in Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Sightseeing, Skiing, Travel | Tagged Bishop, Canyon Lodge, Erick Schat's Bakery, fireplace, gondola, hot tub, junior ranger, Main Lodge, Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Town Trolley, Manzanar National Historic Site, mountain coaster, pool, powder, Shady Rest Park, ski school, skiing, sledding, The Mill, The Stove, The Village at Mammoth, The Westin Monache Resort, tire chains, tubing, Tusks Bar, Woolly's Adventure Summit, Woolly's Tube Park | Leave a comment

Grateful Turkey

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Carrie

This year, Thanksgiving was a mere three weeks after Halloween and it creeped up fast! It seemed like we had just started making a dent in eating bags of candy when it was time to start eating turkey and stuffing. Continue reading →

Posted in Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Holidays, Running, Sightseeing, Snoopy, Travel, Wine Tasting | Tagged 10k, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Bay Bridge, cousins, First Street Wine Company, Forma Gym Turkey Trot, gelato, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate View Point, Livermore, Lombard Street, McGrail Vineyards and Winery, Napa Valley Burger Company, OAK, race, running, San Francisco, Sausalito, SNA, Snoopy, sunset, Thanksgiving, Walnut Creek | Leave a comment

Hiking the Eastern Sierras

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Carrie

Our family loves Mammoth Lakes, but we’ve only all been up in that area in the winter months for ski vacations. We decided to add in a Fall trip this year to see sights that we can never see in the winter when every place is snowed in. We got lucky and our trip fell right at the peak of Fall leaf colors – the aspens were gorgeous! We hiked roughly 20 miles over six days, visited a historic state park, and explored a few town sites. Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Hiking, Sightseeing, Travel | Tagged Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, aspen, Big Pine, Bodie State Historic Park, brine shrimp, Convict Lake, Discovery Trail, Distant Brewing, Dog Lake, Eastern Sierras, ghost town, Half Dome, hiking, horse riding, Hot Creek Geological Site, Inyo County Free Library, Inyo Craters, Inyo National Forest Junior Ranger Program, John Muir, Lee Vining, Lembert Dome, Mammoth Lakes, Mammoth Lakes Foundation, Mammoth Mountain, Mammoth Museum at the Hayden Cabin, Mammoth Roasting Company, Manzanar National Historic Site, Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, Mono Lake, Olmsted Point, Parker Lake, Rainbow Falls, Schulman Grove, Sierra Nevadas, Snowcreek Resort, South Tufas, The Basin Cafe, The Stove, Tioga Road, Tuolumne Meadows, White Mountains, Yosemite National Park | Leave a comment

Disney Birthday Celebrations

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Carrie

As I stated in my Spring 2023 birthday blog post, we skipped hosting birthday parties for the kids this year and instead took them to Disneyland and California Adventure. None of us had been visitors at the parks since Fall 2019 (well, Irene had never been!), and as SoCal residents, we were overdue for some time at the “most magical place on Earth.” We stayed at a bucket list hotel for us – Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa – in between our days at the parks. In addition to all the theme park fun, we also squeezed in pool and hot tub time and I got a facial at the Tenaya Stone Spa. Continue reading →

Posted in Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Sightseeing, Travel | Tagged "it's a small world", birthday, California Adventure, churro, Churro Carts, cocktails, Craftsman Bar, Craftsman Grill, Disney, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland, Flo's V8 Cafe, Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!, hot tub, King Arthur Carrousel, Mickey Mouse, mocktails, pool, Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, rider switch, Splash Mountain, swimming, Tenaya Stone Spa, Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, water slide | 2 Comments

The Mountains Were Calling: Yosemite

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Carrie

In early May, we ventured up to Yosemite National Park and spent 5 nights/6 days hiking and exploring. Dan and I had been to Yosemite before with friends and family and with each other to hike Half Dome, but the kids had never been. We were so excited to show them another national park, especially one as famous as this one. Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Hiking, Sightseeing, Travel | Tagged Ahwahnee Bar, Alex Honnold, Base Camp Eatery, Big Oak Flat Road, Bridalveil Fall, Carlon Falls, Columbia Rock, crafts, Dead Giant, El Capitan, Free Solo, Groveland, Half Dome, Hetch Hetchy, hiking, John Muir, junior ranger, kids menu, Kolana Rock, Merced River, O'Shaughnessy Dam, reservoir, Rush Creek Lodge and Spa at Yosemite, shuttle, snow, spa, Stanislaus National Forest, Swinging Bridge, tavern, The Ahwahnee, The Yosemite, Tueeulala Falls, Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias, Tuolumne Meadows, Tuolumne River, Wapama Falls, Yosemite, Yosemite Fall, Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Valley Lodge, Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, Yosemite Wilderness Area | 3 Comments

2023 Q1 Holiday Recap

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Carrie

We have made it to the end of the 2022-2023 holiday season – yeah! Although Easter on April 9 ended the holiday season, it’s still close enough to March to include it in a 2023 first quarter recap. The three post-Christmas season holidays that we celebrate are Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter. This year, we celebrated all minimally and without too much fuss, which this busy and tired mama was happy about. Continue reading →

Posted in Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Holidays | Tagged Baker Ranch, choir, cutout cookies, Easter, Easter baskets, Easter Bunny, Easter Eggstravanganza, egg hunt, eggs, eggstravaganza, green beer, Ina Garten, Irvine Park Railroad, leprechaun, M&Ms, Nana, roast chicken, Sally's Baking Addiction, Santiago de Compostela Catholic Church, soda bread, St. Patrick's Day, sugar cookies, Valentine's Day | 1 Comment

Vacaciones de Primavera 2023 en Cabo San Lucas, México

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Carrie

We recently returned from our first international trip with the kids – a Spring Break trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. After extensive planning and prepaid bookings, this trip almost didn’t happen, but we’re so glad it did because it ended up being one of our best family vacations. Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Hiking, Holidays, Sightseeing, Travel | Tagged Aeromexico, Alaska Airlines, Cabo Adventures, Cabo Dolphins, Cabo San Lucas, Church of Saint Luke, crafts, dolphins, Enfora, hiking, Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort, horse riding, infinity pool, LAX, mango, margaritas, mariachi, massage, Mex Rent a Car, Mexico, ocean, Palm Sunday, papaya, Parroquia de San Lucas Evangelista, passports, Plaza Amelia Wilkes, pool, San Jose del Cabo, spa, Spring Break, swimming | 1 Comment

One Night in Vegas

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Carrie

Last Christmas, Dan gifted me tickets to see one of our favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan, on The Fun Tour at Wynn’s Encore Theater in Las Vegas, NV. I planned everything out for each kid, packed everyone’s suitcases, bought plane tickets, made dinner reservations, and did a million other things to prepare for one night away from the kids. Then, the afternoon before we were supposed to leave, the show that we were scheduled to see got canceled because Jim Gaffigan contracted COVID-19. No!!! Since we’d already done so much planning to make this one night possible, we forged ahead with alternate evening plans, purchasing tickets to see Bill Maher at The Mirage Theater instead. Continue reading →

Posted in Drinking, Eating, Sightseeing, Travel | Tagged Bill Maher, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery, Christmas gift, comedian, coronavirus, COVID-19, Encore Theater, gondola, Grand Canal Shoppes, ICSC, Jim Gaffigan, Las Vegas, Nevada, pool, SNA, Spirit Airlines, swimming, The Fun Tour, The Mirage Theater, The Venetian Resort, Wynn | 1 Comment

Mahalo Maui

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Carrie

What sounds more relaxing than taking your four small children on a tropical Spring Break vacation? Almost anything! But, since we traded in relaxing vacations for parenthood a long time ago, we thought that we’d fly our crew (plus my Mom!) out to Maui for, if not a relaxing, than at least fun-filled, Hawaiian Spring Break. Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Hiking, Holidays, Sightseeing, Travel | Tagged Aloha, aquarium, banana bread, birthday, coconut, Dragon's Teeth, Fox Rent A Car, Haiku, Hale Moolelo, Haleakala, Hawaii, hiking, Hookipa Beach Park, Hookipa Lookout, Huihui, Ironwood Cliffs Trail, Island Tacos, Island Vintage Shave Ice, Kaanapali, Kahului, Kapalua, Kapalua Labyrinth, Lahaina, Lanai, Leilani's on the Beach, LGB, lizard, Long Beach Airport, luau, mahalo, Maui, Maui Ocean Center, minivan, Miso Phat Sushi, Molokai, Nakalele Blowhole, ocean, OGG, Old Lahaina Luau, Pi Artisan Pizzeria, pineapple, pool, rainbow, sea turtles, Seascape Restaurant, Slumberpod, Spring Break, sunset, swimming, The Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas, The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, The Westin Nanea Ocean Villas, Toyota Sienna, Twin Falls Farm Stand, Wailele Luau, Whalers Village | 2 Comments

Holiday Road Trip 2021

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Carrie

At the end of 2021, we ventured out on a five-state, 2400 mile road trip across the Western U.S. We visited ghost towns, national parks, luxury resorts, family, historic sites, and Las Vegas, Baby! Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Baby & Kids, Drinking, Eating, Hiking, Holidays, Sightseeing, Skiing, Travel | Tagged Albuquerque, America the Beautiful - National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass, Arapahoe Springs, Arapahoe Springs Bar & Grill, Arches National Park, Arizona, Arkansas River, augmented reality, Aurora, Balanced Rock, Bearizona, Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon Grand Hotel, Bonvoy, booster, BreckConnect Gondola, Breckenridge, Brues Alehouse Brewing Co, Bryce Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park, bumper cars, bunk beds, Calico Ghost Town, Calico Odessa Railroad, California, Canyon Rim Trail, cargo roof box, Chevrolet Traverse, Christmas, Christmas lights, Colorado, Colorado National Monument, Colorado River, cookies, Copper Mountain Chapel, coronavirus, Courthouse Wash Rock Art, COVID-19, cross country skiing, Delicate Arch, Denver, Double Arch, fireplace, Flagstaff, Flagstaff Visitor Center, Frisco Nordic Center, Fruita, Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, gingerbread house, Gobble, Grand Junction, Grand Lodge, hot tub, ice skating, Instacart, iPad, junior ranger, Kuckelman Caboose, La Fonda on the Plaza, Landscape Arch, Las Vegas, lasagna, lazy river, Little America Hotel, Maggie Mine, Marriott, merry-go-round, miniature golf, Moab, Mom's Cafe, Mountain Pass Sports Bar, Mrs. Claus, mules, Mystery Shack, nativity, Nature Trail, Navajo taco, New Mexico, Nutmeg, Old Miner's Cafe, Omicron, Painted Desert, Painted Desert Diner, pandemic, Petrified Forest, Petrified Forest National Park, Pfizer-BioNTech, Pine Tree Arch, playground, Plaza Cafe, Ponderosa Steakhouse, Pueblo, pulk, putt-putt golf, Rim Rock Drive, road trip, Roggen, Runway Sledding Hill, Saddlehorn Visitor Center, Salina, Santa, Santa Fe, scavenger hunt, Silver Pine Restaurant, Ski Village Cantina, sledding, sleigh ride, Slumberpod, snow, SpringHill Suites, stocking, The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, The French Pastry Shop, tire chains, train, Tunnel Arch, TwoBelowZero, Utah, vaccinations, vaccine, Walmart, water slide, Wendy's, Wildlife Rescue, Yakima, Yermo | 1 Comment

	Carrie on The Mountains Were Calling:…
	Carrie on Disney Birthday Celebrations
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	Diane Chambers on The Mountains Were Calling:…

Category Archives: Drinking

Farewell Mammoth Trip

Grateful Turkey

Hiking the Eastern Sierras

Disney Birthday Celebrations

The Mountains Were Calling: Yosemite

2023 Q1 Holiday Recap

Vacaciones de Primavera 2023 en Cabo San Lucas, México

One Night in Vegas

Mahalo Maui

Holiday Road Trip 2021

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