Category Archives: travel

Oh Maroon 5 & Kelly Clarkson…We are so bummed to have missed you!

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View of the theater from our camp site

View of the theater from our camp site

Way back in the spring my husband and I were listening to the radio and heard an ad for Maroon 5 & Kelly Clarkson coming to The Gorge Amphitheater in September. The girls love their music, we figured it would be a fun, family concert and The Gorge is an awesome venue to see any show. We knew in late September it might be a little cold but it will be okay. We planned to go over in the camper, spend the weekend and have a great time rockin’ out.

Well, the weather had other plans for us.

We headed to Eastern Washington on Friday night after school, the weather was fine as we drove over, even nice enough for us to have a glass of wine outside before going to bed Friday night. When we woke up on Saturday morning, the crowds were coming in for the show, the Terrace Camping area was filling up and people were getting excited. Our family passed the time by playing cards, frisbee, a little volleyball and walking around checking out the area.

Hanging out before we head to the show.

Hanging out before we head to the show.

By 5pm, the concert doors were getting ready to open and we were ready for the show. At this time it was pretty windy, in fact the wind was pretty strong all afternoon, blowing people’s tents and canopies all over the place. We had an early dinner and packed up all our blankets, extra hats, gloves, tarps, etc. Making sure we were prepared for whatever weather we encountered, we were going to make it through that concert!

But the weather and the show producers had other ideas. After the opening band, Rozzi Crane performed, there was a bit of slow down in action. People kept moving back and forth on the stage moving equipment, for what we thought was for the next act. But in reality it was being taken down. We started to see crowds of people leave the amphitheater, as we huddled under our blue tarp, staying dry from the rain that was now blowing sideways, I would not leave until I heard that the show was officially cancelled. And then, our friend Adam Levine came out and told the crowd “This sucks guys!” … yes it does Adam! And then running in from off stage is Kelly Clarkson, “I had to run over here from my bus, sorry guys we have to cancel”. LAME! That is what we all said. We get it the wind was blowing sideways, there was huge metal scaffolding on the stage that these performers were going to have to spend the next few hours under in the wind and rain. If anything fell, they would be dead. We get it, Safety First.

Pop-star Nadia waiting for the show to start

Pop-star Nadia waiting for the show to start

But I must say we were a little more than disappointed. Poor Nadia, who desperately wants to be a pop-star when she grows up, really wanted to get some pointers from KC on stage. I will give props to Ticketmaster, they are refunding everyone’s tickets and even our camping. And I didn’t have to make one phone call, we got an email and it will be back on our credit card. In the end, we basically got a free weekend of camping. I was secretly hoping that Maroon 5 was going to pop over to the Terrace Camping for some coffee and donuts on Sunday morning and do a few acoustic songs… no such luck… a girl can dream!  So, until next time, we will remember maybe no concerts at The Gorge after Labor Day and we will have to wait and see Maroon 5 indoors next time they come to town.

Huddled together, still having fun, even without a show

Huddled together, still having fun, even without a show

Surf Weekend: Feeding My Soul

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Traveling and experiencing new things this is what my heart yearns to do. This weekend was one that I will never forget and that filled my heart to the brim!

This weekend myself and four amazing, lovely, wonderful ladies and mom friends headed down the Oregon Coast Friday morning in a quest for fun, relaxation, challenge and time away. We had all signed up for the NW Women’s Surf Camp and it was everything and more than we expected. It might sound cheesy and a little over the top, but our weekend was EPIC!  When we arrived at our rental home it was beautiful, with an amazing view overlooking the Manzanita beach. We could hear the quiet sound of the waves on the beach and nothing else. Which to me is my most favorite thing.

Our surf team (the 5 of us = Team Ballard) were all on the same page which makes travel and trips like this ever more amazing, no quarrels, no fighting, no judgment, just us being us and enjoying each moment. Our first night we headed out for dinner in Manzanita, which was great because we were able to walk to and from the restaurant on the beach – a little warm up for the next day’s surfing adventures. Dinner was simple and easy and then we had some dessert on the beach. We needed to turn in early for our big day. Saturday at 9am we started our lessons, first thing was the hike carrying our boards down the mile trail at Oswald West State Park (not an easy feat) then we learned about tides, did some yoga on the beach, practiced our moves and had an amazing lunch. The second part of the day was in the water, putting it all together.

I did not leave this weekend as an expert surfer – not in any way, shape or form. But what I did become was a surfer. I got the bug, I am now trying to figure out the next time I can rent a wetsuit and get back in that water. Every day, every wave is different and all I wanted to do was keep trying. Keep trying to get up, keep trying to plant my feet correctly, put my butt down the right way and keep my eyes on the beach. There is so much still to learn, which makes this sport so amazing.

After the first day of surfing, Team Ballard was beat, but us moms put together an AMAZING dinner, sat on our beautiful deck and took in the spectacular view, food, conversations and friendship. Sharing all the stories from the day, laughed at our epic crashes, praised each other for getting out there and doing it and got psyched for the next day of surfing.

The next day for me, started like a dream. Slowly getting up early (before the others) getting a cup of coffee and sitting on our deck enjoying my book and the sound of the waves. Why can’t I do this EVERY SINGLE DAY? There must be a way to fit that in somehow! As the ladies woke up, we all enjoyed the slow morning on the deck, then as moms do, we organized and motivated, got our boards and suits and headed to the beach for another day of playing in the water.

Day two was a lot tougher for me, my body was sore, the waves were bigger and I think maybe my mind was a little too relaxed. Surfing is about repetition and doing the same moves on the board every time, no matter what the wave is doing.  But it is also about getting out to the waves, which takes up a lot of energy; needless to say, I was beat by the end. And yet, I still wanted to keep going out (that is power of the ocean). But I felt I made a good choice after about 2 hours, it was time for me to realize that my body was done and no matter how much more I wanted to fight those waves, for my own safety it was time to come in for the day. Just for the day though, now it’s time to plan the next trip. Maybe a trip to Hawaii (with no wet suits – heavenly!) or possibly just another visit to the Oregon coast, which is probably more realistic and also amazing.

Bottom line: these types of trips, traveling, trying new things, getting out of your comfort zone a little bit to challenge your body, hanging out with amazing people and surrounding yourself with the beautiful nature that is right outside our door is what I need to do more of, it feeds my soul and helps me grow and become more in tune with what’s really important. Thank you to my friends for helping make this one of my best experiences, I will never forget! Until Next Time – Surf’s Up! 

Holiday On the Road

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As we settle into the new year, I wanted to jot down some of the highlights of the holidays. This year for Christmas my family hit the road and headed South to California. The idea was a fun, family vacation with my parents, my sisters, their families and my little brother. We planned to start the holidays at my aunts in Camarillo, CA and spend the rest of the trip in the quaint beach town, Huntington Beach, CA. My husband and I decided to mix up the trip (and save some money) by driving down. I think this was one of our best choices of the trip. It was very relaxing driving down the 101 through the Redwood Forest, along the Pacific Coast, seeing all the beauty that is out there. During the trip through the Red Woods we discovered another traveling company, 7cees.org (looks like a very cool organizaiton). We made a detour into San Francisco so our girls could see the Golden Gate Bridge and met a friend in Palo Alto (thanks for the cookies April!). We took our time and enjoyed the ride. And of course, as I promised my girls we made sure to drive through a tree!

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On Christmas Eve, we started our day by watching the surfers and playing at Pismo Beach. Then we arrived at our hotel to swim and freshen up before we enjoyed the Seven Fishes Dinner with my extended Sicilian Family. There was plenty to eat and drink and lots of songs sung and laughs had. It is always a treat to meet new cousins and connect with the ones we don’t see very often.

Christmas in a hotel room is an interesting adventure, with 2 little girls that still believe, the story of how Santa finds us in our hotel room, gets in and puts out presents is actually a little creepy. I am pretty sure my 8 year old knows whats going on but she doesn’t want to let on. On Christmas morning the presents appeared and we tore them apart and then enjoyed some complimentary breakfast at the hotel! Christmas in California is another interesting experience, the sun was shining, it was warm and I was able to take a walk with no coat – what a concept. I do enjoy the snow on Christmas, but if there is no snow, I will take the sun!

The next day we headed South again, on to Huntington with a stop in LA to visit with the cousins. We visited Kermit the Frog’s house (a neighbor of cousin S & H), the Hollywood walk of Stars, met Shrek and ton of other crazy characters, we took an awesome walk in the hills and had some delicious Mexican food on Hollywood Blvd. When we arrived in Huntington Beach, we were the last ones, which means we got last pick on the rooms. Of course, I don’t like to complain but unfortunately our room had 2 doors and was basically a breezeway to both sides of the house. Needless to say, not much privacy. But of course that didn’t stop us from having fun. We completely enjoyed the Beach, we took runs & walks on the beach trail, Andrew and I ran almost 7 miles barefoot on the beach. The girls had a fun day splashing in the water. I spent that afternoon paranoid they were going to get pulled into the riptide. I figure if I lived in CA near a beach, that is something I would have to get over.

Of course when in So Cal, you can’t miss Disneyland! We started by fueling up at IHOP, which included another cousin visit! Then we hit the park. My sister Chrissy took charge and we all followed. I tried to make sure all kids were accounted for and then just followed along. Even though the park reached maximum capacity (80,000 people) at 10:30am, we still got on all the great rides, we learned the 5 year old twin cousins both love roller coasters and we had a super, fun time.

During the entire trip we had tons of amazing dinners and lots of lively conversations. And still fit in plenty of downtime. We did smores on the beach with our big bon fire which is so cool in December. And we watched lots of surfers catch some amazing waves. It is such an amazing culture – the Beach Life – get up, go surfing, head to work. Or take a run on the beach, pop into the ocean, then on to real life. I definitely think I could get used to it. To finish the year and the end of our trip, we spent New Year’s Eve day exploring Marina Del Ray by sailboat, another side trip to visit cousins S&H. The evening of NYE was mellow as we had to pack up and travel home the next day.

Overall the week was great. I was happy to spend time with my family that I don’t see very often. Since my sister and her family live in Virgina and my brother is in Montana, these vacations are the only chance we get to spend time together. I am grateful we had the opportunity to have this trip. I had some great talks and walks with my family and I am happy for that. As for the romantic, quiet vacation with my husband, well, that we will have to plan another time. This was not that trip. This was about the larger family, cousins hanging out together, family dinners and tons of chaos. After this trip, I am ready for another, the trip down the coast is a fun adventure that I hope we get to try again. Maybe another trip to Disneyland or just a week to hang out on a new beach! We will just have to wait and see, until next time. — kg