Summer Getaway #3

Shoving in three getaways in one month was exhausting but in a good way.  Each vacation was different - one with friends, one with family, and one with girlfriends.  This last one was the first of its kind.  I don't belong to a mom's group and haven't experienced many girls' nights out.  I have girlfriends but we usually get together for a reason (i.e. birthdays, mainly) and we are all pretty quick to get back to our kids/husbands.  So, a girls' trip was quite a treat.  The three of us decided on a two night trip to Vegas - close, lots to eat, spa.  We had a great time catching up, talking about whatever crossed our minds, reading magazines without interruption, working out without watching the clock, and a spa day. 

I finally got to eat at Bouchon.  We had oysters on a half-shell which were perfect and steak with fries.   

Breakfast at Payard was fabulous.  Try the croque madame if you are in the area.  And that is it for pictures because I'm not sure if my friends want their mugs on graceface.  I haven't even posted a picture of myself yet...

Baking for Dummies

I think I've mentioned this before but I am no baker.  Any baking recipes on graceface are therefore foolproof.  

A good friend of mine alerted me to this David Lebovitz recipe.  I would recommend that you bake it at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.  You can use any jam.  Raspberry is my favorite so far.  Strawberry is pretty good too.  


I had some dough leftover so I made cookies and it was delicious!  An accidental discovery of a good polenta cookie!  

Summer Getaway #2

Summer Getaway #3:  Seattle and Vancouver.  

Seattle night sky taken by John on our Canon PowerShot...not bad, right?

Taken by Kelly

The W Lobby.  Daily complimentary coffee, yummy iced teas and herb/fruit infused waters.

Dinner at Serious Pie - Mozza like pizza joint without the LA tude.

Kelly especially enjoyed the yukon potato rosemary pecorino pizza.  

This was my second time in Seattle.  My first trip was during my senior year at Cal.  This trip was vastly different but just as memorable.  

Granville Island in Vancouver

One of the best things about this trip was the time my kids spend with my parents.  Kelly and my dad had many heart to heart conversations.  I'm glad for the time together.

Summer Getaway #1

We've got a busy month ahead.  Getaway #1: Palm Desert.

Summer in Palm Desert has become somewhat of a tradition - this year marks Palm Desert Summer #5.  The first year, we had two kids to look after.  This year, there were nine!

It was hot (but not crazy hot) and the grounds were beautiful and empty.  Empty is a good thing when your group is almost twenty.

We had the theater all to ourselves (temporarily). 

The kids freely roamed the empty golf course chasing after jack rabbits.

There were three pools and we had one all to ourselves!

What better way to end the day than in an empty parking lot with an ice cream cone.