Disneyland

I was back in California in February, this time for a real period of time to soak up some sun...and see the family too I suppose.

One day a few of us hit up Disneyland. We did all the fun kiddy rides, met the princesses and rode the tea cups a few times.

I swear we had fun, though you probably can't tell from our faces here...

A Sunny Weekend

So I never blogged about this trip because I didn't have a photo. Thanks to Dave for posting this one up on the book face.

Way back when, July 9-10th, 2010 to be exact, the four of us drove out to Walton on the Naze for a quick day trip. Wanting a weekend in the sun, we checked the weather and randomly selected this little beach town. What a find! We left Friday night, hit up a carvery for dinner, basked in the warm evening sun, and set up camp on a cliff overlooking the sea.

Other highlights included:
-Convincing the parking attendant that we were not staying overnight as we held our pillows, blankets and small tent in his car's headlights
-Late night chat under the stars, including some probing "true or dare" questions
-Waking to the sunrise over the ocean
-Spending the day on a white sandy beach in the sun
-Taking a dip in the sea; the water was actually warm enough to swim in. Who'd have thought?
-Finding a book about improving your memory for Dave at the little shop above the beach
-Walking down to the seaside town for a dinner of fish and chips on the pier
-Lots more chatting, relaxing, card playing and bonding

A shot before we embarked. Dave, Emma, me and Erika.

Iceland: Home of the Bell

Judge if you must, but I'll be honest and let you know that this was a big highlight in the trip to Iceland - Taco Bell.

This is how it went down.

Me: "Haha, guys I thought that sign ahead was for Taco Bell and I got really excited! That would be funny. A Taco Bell in Iceland......WAAAAAIT A MINUTE! It IS a sign for Taco Bell!!! We HAVE to EAT THERE!!! REMEMBER WHERE WE ARE FOLKS!"

A day later, we were at the Bell. I've documented the meal for posterity. Yes kids: your mom loved the Bell. Not that that will be a surprise, you kids will be definitely be exposed to this food if I'm in charge of feeding you...

Oh the excitement. Fake cheeeeese nachos and cinnamon twists....they can't be beat!

Feed the beast!
The sauce packet reads "Ahhh...we meet again." Well said sauce packet. Well said.

We scarfed this stuff down in nearly 3 minutes flat.Booyah! It was the cheapest and - dare I say it - the best meal of the trip. Ok not really. But it did beat our homemade sandwiches which consisted of some sort of flavored cheese spread, cheese slices and some form of sandwich meat.

Iceland. Aka Land of Ice.

It's finally here folks: my blog about ICELAND. I went back in November 2010 (4th - 7th) with my buddies Justin and Monica.

We had a fab time and Iceland is a really beautiful place. Key adjective: vast. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. Warning - there are a lot of pictures to follow...

This was the sunrise: at about 10am (it'd set around 4pm)

This is what I'd probably look like if I were ever to get drunk

Monica = seductress

















This seemed like an appropriate place to practice Yoga. You know...being all close to nature and stuff.


Couldn't resist the temptation to reenact this sculpture. We weren't really sure what it was, but later found out it's ancient wrestling form...


At the Geyser. The original one. The one that gives all other Geyser's their generic name.

Iceland's favorite holiday drink!!! Those suckers probably cost like $5 each. Did I mention yet that Iceland is EXPENSIVE





Frozen ginormous waterfalls = cool. Literally.

Sunset around 4pm. It always felt like late afternoon when there was any light in the sky.

The lonesome road. Did I mention Iceland is vast? Yeah...it's super vast. And super empty. We saw very very few people around.



We hiked to these hot springs, and took a dip. It was cold outside, and moderately warm in the little stream.

Engagement shot!

We thought this was the famous Blue Lagoon. It was not. It's the power plant right next to it.

This is a portion of the Blue Lagoon. It was really blue. It was also very cold outside and moderately warm in the water.

All in all, a gorgeous place for a fun weekend. Check that country off my list :)

Christmas Eve London Style

Christmas Eve 2010, I headed off from work and took a bus down Oxford Street. It was pretty calm (things actually close down around here - no such thing as midnight shopping), and gorgeous with the lights all down the street.

I couldn't help but stare out the bus window, beaming while desperately trying to savor the ride and the soak up the moment.

And then I arrived at the Royal Albert Hall for a festive Christmas Eve concert. Our tickets were perfect, in the chorus seats so we could see the stage and the entire audience. We listened to lots of Christmas music, and sang lots of carols, rounding out the evening with a powerful rendition of Hark the Harold Angels Sing.

'Twas the night before Christmas. A night to remember.

It snowed in London

And the timing was impeccable: the day my bosom buddy Monica moved out (Dec 18), the sky was shedding tears. More like dandruff flakes.

And while it did cause some chaos, it was absolutely beautiful. Got to her new place down south and it was really coming down hard (yet soft...) It's strange seeing a place you're so familiar with transformed by being covered in a blanket of snow. Absolutely magical. The city felt quiet and peaceful. And I loved it.

This shot is of my street a couple days later. Yes, a but slushier, and dirtier, but still lovely in its own way.

Thanks for the treat mother nature!

When I grow up and have teenagers

They will drive this van to school as punishment.

Driver's side:
Passenger's side. There is no hiding from this embarrassment.
Although I will secretly think it is awesome and drive them everywhere in it anyway.