Round 1 of Reviews

Ok, so I might as well dive in and give you a more detailed recap of the weekend.

Friday, Jason and I left town around ten to head up to Vail for the weekend. We made it up there just in time for some lunch on the patio of a cute little place in Vail Village. The sun was shining and we sat on the patio just soaking in the first day of a 3-day weekend.

We then went and checked into the hotel:
We stayed at the Arrabelle - a Rock Resorts property and it was just incredible. Loved it and highly recommend checking it out if you ever need a fab place to stay in the Vail valley. The prices are a little steep in the winter, but offseason specials are GREAT.

Friday night we went to have dinner at Larkspur based on Lauren's recommendation. OMG! It was a great meal. They were running a three course special for $39 and 50% off all bottles of wine. Jason and I split a bottle of white wine. I started with the butternut squash soup, it had one fried rock shirmp in it, and oh man, that stuff was so good. I'm going to try my hand at making butternut squash soup soon. Then for my entree I had the Maine sea scallops and they were delightful, followed up by the BEST dessert ever. I had green tea creme brulee. I know sounds a little strange, but it was killer.

I failed to mention that the staff of the Arrabelle drives you everywhere you need to go, so they came and picked us up from dinner and then we headed straight for the roof-top hot tub. Couldn't ask for a better day one in Vail - stay tuned for the not to be missed recap of Day 2.

Hello Portland?

Jason and I are in the beginning stages of planning our next trip... didn't I just say I wanted to stay home for awhile?

We are tossing around the idea of Portland. With so many of the low cost carriers flying there now we are able to find some pretty reasonable airfare (whereas most places are out of control right now with the effects high fuel prices).

So I toss it out there, anyone have any Portland recommendations? I'm hoping that a few of those who read this have some thoughts, comments, suggestions...

I left my heart in San Francisco

I have returned from my third vacation this year. I have to put a stop to the madness, I haven't even unpacked my suitcase by the time I need to pack my suitcase again.

We left for San Jose on Wednesday night, got in VERY late and drove to Stocken. Thursday we headed to Lodi to do some wine tasting and visited about 5 wineries. We bought a couple bottles of wine and drank a lot. So beautiful out there in the valley.
Friday we spent the day in San Fran. We went to Pier 39 and saw the seals, then drove down Lombard Street and took a few pictures, did a little shopping in the square and had some great meals along the way.
Saturday was Allison's graduation at Sonoma State, and even though the weather was rainy it was a great afternoon. We ate dinner at the Swiss Hotel and had our party in their wine cellar.

Sunday we took the boat out and motored to downtown Stocken. And then the weekend was over.

If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...

The Dish

On Tuesday morning, we boarded a Frontier plane (with Bob the bottled nose dolphin - Flip's cousin - on the tail and wings). We landed in beautiful Mexico with the weather just perfect, a near 90 degree day with a slight ocean breeze. After checking into the hotel we tore open our suitcases to find our flip flops, headed to the bar for a drink and made our way to the ocean!

Wednesday we went on a 2-reef snorkeling trip. After a twenty minute boat ride we had made it to the national park under water. The reef was so beautiful with plenty of sea life. The fish would swim right up and through the snorkel group. Jason got a little ill while at that reef, and decided once we got back on the boat to go to reef #2 it was best he just lay down and pray that he would live to see the shore again. The 2nd reef wasn't that great and I thought it almost looked dead - so I guess he didn't miss much because he was sick. (Side note, many other people on the trip skipped reef #2 because they weren't feeling well either, and on the boat ride back to dock I started to feel pretty green myself.)

The next day we made out way into town and did a little site seeing and shopping. We also had lunch at Senior Frogs - which was one of the few decent meals we ate in Mexico. It was the first time I had been to a Senior Frogs and talk about an experience. I enjoyed a Sprite and tried to rehydrate myself while watching everyone else enjoy the shots and yard drinks. The food at our resort was down right horrible! The rest of the trip we spent lounging by the pool, dipping into the ocean and wiggling our toes in the sand.

Friday while we were there, Jason turned 30! It was a pretty low key birthday, but I can't really imagine a better way to spend it than on a tropical vacation.

Saturday we made our way back to Denver, and I tried to pretend that my sore throat could be cured by cough drops and hot tea. It was a great trip, and I can't wait for the next vacation.

Sneak Preview

Lady Luck my BFF

Just returned from a weekend vacation to Vegas. I didn't return a big winner, but it was a fun time. Jason and I enjoyed taking a trip to the top of the Eiffel tower at the Paris, taking a gondola ride at the Venetian, saw Stomp Out Loud at Planet Hollywood, watched the fountain show at the Bellagio, watched the end of Atlantis at Caesar's Palace and basically had a great time in Sin City. I will hopefully post a few pictures tomorrow once I get them loaded off my camera.

For now it is back to work until the next vacation comes and I can lay on the white sandy beaches of Mexico.