weekend getaway. by orange

This past weekend, a couple of us packed up our cars and headed southwest of Seattle for some relaxation time. I was looking forward to it all week and especially felt it was needed after coming home to this fun treat Friday after work:

Our "mellow" dog Meika somehow figured out how to get into our kitchen cabinet (with I'm sure some tag-team help from our other dog, Payton), dump out the trash and then, quite impressively tangle her hind legs into the cords/tubes that connect the faucet to the water/drain.  Oh vey!  I digress.

One of our friend's families owns a beautiful beach house on Harstine Island, WA  Here is a little of what the scenery looks like:

(thanks to Washington Real Estate Resouce for the picture)

Our friend's parents have an itch for antiques so the house was full of beautiful shabby chic and aged furniture that makes you just want to wind down, put your feet up and relax.  So we did...just that.

My favorite moment of the weekend was finally getting some time to read.  There is a gorgeous deck off the back of the house with an amazing view of the Puget Sound.  On the deck there are a variety of lawn chairs all warmed up by the morning sun.  It was heavenly.

And now it's back to work; back to reality...and back to training 101 with our dogs so we don't have this mishap again.

Hope you all enjoyed the weekend!

orange

journey to the windy city. by orange

About 5 days ago at this time the husband and I were on a plane starting it's decent into the Chicagoland area.  Our time in the Windy City went by fast and we managed to fit quite a bit in!  Check out our journey:

a stop at White Castle for the husband to experience the mini burgers

although it was overcast and snow was on the way, we headed to the top of the Sears Tower (now known as the Willis Tower).  View from the top.

at the Sears Tower, there are glass cut outs on the 103rd floor that you can stand in.  I'm not afraid of heights but when first stepping out my heart did flutter just a bit.

the husband enjoying some Chicago snow/sleet.

we visited Millennium Park where we took some pictures by the "Cloud Gate" - pretty awesome reflection with the city.  The husband had to do his leprechaun jump as I think he is trying to do one in every major place we visit.

our picture from the reflection

we visited the Society of Chicago Architecture building and came across a small scale model of the entire downtown.

on to the Bulls Game, a must for the husband.  We scored Amazing seats off Craigslist the day before - row 4!

along with us came Mat & Shelby (Shelby is taking the picture)

why hello Dwayne Wade - how lovely to see you up close and personal.

Benny the Bull making his floating rounds.

action shot

the reason we went to a Bulls Game - the MJ Statue

but of course, another leprechaun jump had to happen outside the United Center

last but not least, on our way to the airport we tried our first Wisconsin "cheese curds" - delicious.

pint o mimosa. yum. by orange

Now that we are a few weeks into January, I felt it was time to revisit some of my photos taken during the wonderful holiday break.  Oh how I miss those days.

During our Christmas getaway to Whitbey we spent one day in Langley.  Langley is a quaint town with about 1.5 blocks of fun.  We came across a very cute diner where we stopped for brunch.  What drew me in?  The pint glasses of mimosa of course!

the mango & "european" mimosa

my scrambled eggs, potatoes and toast - yum!

the husband's bacon, egg & cheese croissant

hope you are having a fantastic week so far!

cheers,
orange

this time last year. by orange

This time last year the husband and I were on our honeymoon. Watching the waves crash, eatting fresh fish at a table in the sand, enjoying an amazing $5 foot massage, taking in the sun, swimming...time flies by just a bit too quick sometimes. Being that we were in Bali just a year ago I thought to dedicate this post to some of the vacations the husband and I have been a part of.

Perhaps these ideas will make you think of your next get-away. Where is your favorite vacation spot get-away?

Husband and Orange first tropical vacation: Akumal, Mexico: Hotel Akumal Caribe

Destination Wedding Trip: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic: Paradisus Palma Real

Honeymoon: Nusa Dua, Bali: Conrad Bali Resort & Spa