California Dreamin'

Nate and I had a BLAST in California. It started great (se previous post) and just got better. Not only are my parents the best hosts in the world, they're a lot of fun! And they like to do the same fun things that we like to do, which is an added bonus.

Exhibit A:  We all love to eat cinnamon rolls. Fortunately for us, my mom makes the best cinnamon rolls on the planet. Aren't these beautiful?

Exhibit B: We like to tromp around in the woods and see cools stuff. First we stopped by the Empire Mine and toured the visitor center and grounds. I tried to wrap my mind around going to work 11,000 feet below ground every day. The visitor center had a model of what the mine looks like under ground and it was incredible. The grounds were also beautiful.

Next we went to Malakoff Diggins and hiked around the rim, ending in the old mining town North Bloomfield. It was all very pretty, and here's the proof.

GREEN!

My dad and Nate wanted to hike through this tunnel even though there was a bunch of freezing cold water running through it. But eventually they decided against it, and we hiked around instead of through.

Sometimes my dad is silly

My parents are so cute

This is my favorite picture

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of it, but we wrapped the trip up with a little (and by little I mean huge) hamburger lunch at the Squeeze In:

Does it sound like we're obsessed with food yet?

Monday we went to Old Sacramento and had a great time at the Crocker Art Museum and looking at the little shops and the river walk.

Reminded me of the Tower Bridge in London....only not as crowded!

Hot fudge sundae in a waffle cone? Yes please!

Cute boy

We're dreaming of the day we get to come back and play more!

Valentines Day Happenings

We went to California to visit my parents over Presidents Day weekend, and just happened to get to spend Valentines Day with them too! I think I can safely say this was my favorite Valentines day I've ever had.

My mom is the cutest mom in the entire world and made Nate and I this adorable breakfast, complete with heart shaped hash-browns, bacon, and Belgian waffles. She also made these really cute wooden blocks, decorated with hearts and family pictures and they're the perfect decoration. And we had little valentines and favorite candy waiting for us on our plates when we came out. It really reminded me how important it is to do fun things like this - clearly extra work and preparation, but I felt SO loved and it made the day extra fun and special.

We also fulfilled the dream I have EVERY Valentines day and made heart shaped sugar cookies with pink frosting. I always consider it a success if the cookies actually get made, without me eating the entire batch of cookie dough first.

We decided it would be fun to cook our own fancy dinner that night and I must say, it did not disappoint. For me, this was due to three things:

1. My mom had scouted out these beautiful china dishes just the day before. It was a huge set of gorgeous  china for a smokin' deal, and therefore purchased (for me!). Using the newly acquired china was really fun, and make the table look extra fancy and beautiful.

2. Nate took the role of steak chef very seriously and with the help of YouTube and allrecipes.com, he made the most delicious steak I have ever eaten in my life. I'm not kidding when I say that I was still thinking about how good the steak was later that night as I was drifting off to sleep. And I don't even normally love steak.

3. Spending the night with my three favorite people. Obviously. They're SO much fun.

Oh yeah, and it never hurts to follow it up with a little cream puff cake (also a close up of the china - though pictures really don't do it justice)

If it sounds like we focused a lot on food this Valentines Day....well, you're probably right.  

It should also be noted that Nate conspired with my dad to have a dozen red roses waiting for me on Friday morning (tricky since we flew in late Thursday night). I wasn't expecting it. Sneaky Nate!