A Blessed Life

Out to Sea

On Saturday afternoon we went kayaking in the Ventura bay.

On Sunday, after church, we traveled to Ojai and had burritos in the Park. Then we were off on a short hike where we overlooked the valley.  Then, it was off to Santa Barbra to ride bikes and Rollerblade along the beach.

Food, Food, and More Food!

A few weeks ago we flew into LAX to visit with our friends Victi and Gumby. (Some names have been changed to protect the innocent.) Our journey began with the ever so famous Philippe French dipped sandwiches.  Since we knew that Philippe’s wasn’t our only food stop that night we took a walk down Olvera St. to work off a little bit of what we ate.

The second place we ended up that night was at Pazzo Gelato. Bryan and I split the limoncello and some other fruity flavor. Obviously, the other flavor wasn’t  memorable, but the limoncello was perfectly sour with the right hint of sweetness.

Our final stop (thank goodness as my tummy couldn’t take anymore) of the evening was at Pinks. For those of you who don’t know Pink’s is a hot dog place. I’m thinking the place is pretty popular since it was pretty late and there was a significant line in front of the place.

When we got back to their place there was even more food waiting for us. We felt as if we were staying in a 5 star hotel with a free minibar. Well, there was no booze, just some tasty treats that enjoyed at a later date.

In and Around Washington!

Some friends from California came to visit us at the end of August and we had such a blast exploring the Puget Sound region. I made some earlier posts about what we did during their time here, but I have some other pictures that didn’t fit with the other posts. So, I just posted them below.

*Thanks for the pictures Victor and Tamira!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat!

In August, Bryan, some friends, and I decided to go canoeing on Lake Washington. Our friends got a canoe, and against Bryan’s better judgment he let me talk him into getting a row boat. We paddled out a short ways when Bryan noticed that there were no clips to keep the oars in their holder. So, every time he went to lift the oars out of the water they would come out of the holder and he would have to stop rowing to put them back in. So, soon after our revelation we stopped to eat lunch. While we were eating lunch we became surrounded by geese. After lunch I tried to row; fortunately, Bryan was super patient with me. Unfortunately, while I was in control we only went in circles. So, Bryan being a wonderful and loving husband he is, took control of the boat again and got us back to the dock. Lesson learned; rent a canoe next time.

Take me Out to the Ball Game!

In August while some friends were here visiting we went to the Mariners game. They played the A’s and lost 0-1 in the last inning. Fortunately, Victor got us some awesome seats so we got to see the loss up close and personal.

Running with the Salmon!

Some friends from California came to visit us last week and we had an awesome time visiting and showing them around Seattle.  

On Tuesday, we were blessed with beautiful weather; so, we went to the locks in Ballard. We actually got to see the locks in action! Some boats were moving from Lake Union to the Puget Sound and it was interesting to watch the process. We also saw some of the ships from the show “Deadliest Catch”. Since it was salmon season we were able to see the salmon in the fish ladder on their way to the spawning grounds. I was trying to figure out how to snag a salmon for dinner without anyone noticing, but decided just to wait and buy some fish at Pike’s.

Of course we had to take them to the famous Pike’s Place Market. We visited the first Starbucks; however, our friends aren’t too keen on over roasted coffee so I’m not sure that they were very impressed. At the market we bought raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and enough salmon to feed an army. Tamira and I made the Salmon for dinner with some risotto and salad. Then, I used the berries to make a mixed berry crisp that I served with Tillamook Vanilla bean ice cream.