Dear Blog...

Dear Blog,
I am so sorry to have ignored you for the last week and a half.  I had to go to New York for a little fun with the girls- you know, a little eating (OK a lot), a little drinking (not as much as the eating), a bit of fashion (it was Fashion Week, after all), a splash of relaxation, obnoxious amounts of laughter, and loads of fun, the usual.  I had hoped to be in contact throughout the trip but there simply wasn't time.  You have my sincere apology.
I must admit I feel terrible that my mind has not been racing with blog post ideas for you when I hit the pillow at night.  I'm afraid I feel a bit guilty that my time has been been spent researching issues like trademarks and copyrighting and LL C's and S- Corps and insurance.  Not fun, but necessary for what's around the corner.  So please bear with me, dear Blog.  You will always be my first and I promise I will care for you and pay attention to you, but I can't help feel like I have been cheating on you a wee bit.  My thoughts have existed elsewhere lately and my mind has been wandering to arenas that don't directly involve you at the moment, but please stick with me.   You will be included in a big way and I am going to need to depend on your workhorse abilities to deliver my scattered ideas once they are organized, formulated and formatted for public consumption.  I think you will be proud and you will understand why I haven't been paying you much attention.  I promise we will get your feed glitch worked out and update you to the new format- I haven't forgotten.  I think you will be proud and excited about what I (we) have been working on, yet technically I have been given very specific instructions that I can't show you anything quite yet- you've been known to have a bit of a big mouth at times.  
Okay you want a hint?  Just a little one?  Oh all right, that's probably fine.
It has to do with wine.  Da. 
And people.  Double Da.  
And a simple philosophy that goes along with how it's all supposed to be fun, and easy, and enjoyable, and approachable and not pretentious and......oh shut up already, will you!!!  There you go again.
Just sit with that for now because it's all I'm going to tell you or I will get my ass kicked.  And now I need to go back to work.


Much love,
kc

New York!

Yup.  I'm outta here.  Heading to New York this weekend with some of my girls for a few days of fashion, fun, food, and loads of fodder!  Long overdue, much anticipated, and well deserved.  Will definitely report our antics along the way...


Have a great weekend!

Brrr...

Think positive and stay warm.

Rihanna - Cheers (Drink To That) [Official Version]

I'm having a bit of a Rihanna (or as my 4 year old says, RaNaNa) love affair right now, combined with a Barbados obsession.   How cool would it be to hit Barbados for Spring Break 2012 and dance to RaNaNa?  Love it.

Cheers to the weekend!

Note to my Dad- you will NOT like this video.

Are You Tired Yet? Celebration #2

And the celebrating continues...it's getting exhausting, I know, but it was worth it.  My sister and brother-in-law graciously opened up their home so Mr. C and his longtime pals could whoop it up old style as only this oxford shirt clad group could do.  His family was there, my family was there, friends from grade school, friends from college, friends all the way from Minnesota, hell, even his old girlfriend was there (she's lovely, I adore her) with her husband.  It was a special night and one I believe Mr. C will never forget.

Happy 4-0!

The Gang's all here!

Taco truck from Fork Catering in Sonoma County- delicious, creative, sustainable, a serious winner.

There were kids...

and Dad's and sisters.

There were lots of toasts..

And then came the roasts...

There were glamorous girls...

and 40 year old dancing fools.

And then it got late...

and the dancing got worse...

and the white guys started to overbite.

There were a few spills 

but the gang's still here.

Forever.

(all photos courtesy of the very talented Eric Ullman- thank you!)

We're Back!!

Don't we look just like The Griswold's?

We did it. We survived the Great American Family Roadtrip. We did not kill each other, our children, or any innocent bystanders along the way. And do I dare say, we actually had fun??

We saw rolling plains, majestic mountains, shooting (sort of) geysers, glacial lakes, and national parks.  We experienced marginal motels and luxurious resorts, listened to countless hours of The Grateful Dead station on SIRIUS Radio (the driver's choice), and an unbelievable log of good times. Really. 

There is something about the good 'ole American road trip that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.  I'm not sure exactly what that is, if for nothing more than bragging rights, but traveling the country by car is quite an experience, especially with three boys under the age of ten. I won't give you all the details, only the highlights and maybe a couple of the now hysterical low lights (nearly running out of gas in the middle of nowhere. Twice, but whose counting), but all in all it was a super amazing time that none of us will ever forget.

Old Faithful

After our Wienerwagon sighting in South Dakota along with countless Harley's on their way to Sturgis we pushed into Wyoming for a visit to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks.  Now folks, I gotta go out on a limb here. I believe that Yellowstone is the number one visited park in the United States, but I really don't get why. For those of you that have not been there, avert your eyes to the lower part of this page, because I just don't get it. You drive, and you drive, and you drive some more through windy little roads that on most days are jam packed all to stand around a stinky hole in the ground to watch a bunch of water gurgle (and when I say gurgle, I mean gurgle-the fountains at The Bellagio are far more entertaining) out of the ground.  It's weird.  And it smells.  It's also super crowded and the parking sucks. Unless you are going to be camping (no thank you) inside the park and plan to do some serious hiking I'm not exactly sure what else there is to do. Spot a buffalo or two? We didn't see any. If I am missing something here, please let me know.  This was my second visit to the park and I agreed with Mr. C that it is "something every kid should see" so we paid our $25 and entered the gates.  I certainly didn't want to be the family cynic just because my first visit to Old Faithful was with a college boyfriend who was a major douche bag- douche bag he was, probably still is, and Yellowstone is still boring. 
Mr. C agreed. Moving on to...


Teton National Park. Go south of Yellowstone and try this one on for size. Absolutely stunning, gorgeous, snow capped mountains that fall into Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake and God only knows what else that we didn't have time to get out of the wagon and nod our heads ala Chevy Chase and crew in Vacation. Those Tetons, they were amazing- a definite "Must See."  Take the park all the way into the town of Jackson, Wyoming which is a super cool town that has a touch of that cowboy/chic vibe thing going on. You know, like uber tan women (and a few men) that wear a lot of turquoise and suede year round and look like they just stepped out of the Sundance catalog. Those types. We loved it and were lucky enough to snag one of the last remaining hotel rooms in town at the ultra luxurious, very swanky Painted Buffalo Motel.  It was right off the square next to the Gold Nugget Motel, The 49er Motel, and the Stage Coach Inn. Get the picture?

Boys at the antler arch in the square in Jackson, Wyoming

By this time my brood had traveled extremely well.  I mean, blowing our minds, like "who the hell are these children?, and "we should do this for every trip!!" type of traveling well, but we still had to make it all the way through Nevada. In one day. We dorked around long enough in the parks (damn Yellowstone!) that we needed to make up some serious time if we wanted to make it to The Lake by cocktail hour the following day, which meant a killer 12 hours (to the minute according to the indispensable iPhone) through the Nevada desert.  I was nervous the boys would crack their heads together simply for something fun to do through this endless stretch of dust that lies between the towns of Elko, Winnemuca, and Sparks. Nothing to see except tumbleweeds and faded billboards for brothels and slot machines.  All things the average American kid should experience on a family roadtrip, right?  Wrong, but whatever, it had to be done.

Goodbye Tetons...

Hello Nevada.  This is the pretty part

We treated this nasty, endless stretch of Highway 80 as the Yellow Brick Road to the cabin, so we bit our lips, hunkered down for the long day and soldiered onward. The kids must have been anticipating Grama, the new baby cousin they had yet to meet, and the sunset over Fallen Leaf Lake because yet again, they rocked and at the end of the third day The Tahoe Basin appeared like Oz at the end of that fabled road.

And this was waiting on the door of the cabin...

Gotta love the Googling Grama!

Tomorrow I will tell you all about the ride home, and it wasn't quite as smooth as the trip out...

Tales from the Road

1:30 am.

 Mitchell, South Dakota.

"Holy shit! You're never going to believe what I just saw in the parking lot!" Mr. C just finished schlepping our luggage up from the car as I am tucking the sleepy kids into bed after the first leg of our California or bust odyssey.

Judging from his initial shock and excitement I couldn't imagine what just happened in the deserted parking lot of the Kelly Inn.  Aliens, perhaps?  Maybe The Black Eyed Peas stopping for the night on their way to the benefit concert they are giving in Minot, North Dakota?  The Kelly Inn did have down pillows and comforters which I thought was quite something for about $100 a night.   If it was good enough for Fergie, it was certainly good enough for me.

 But no, it wasn't Fergie and the gang.  It was this.

See, Mr. C is not from around here and still marvels at all things that scream "Midwest"- Crock pots, polka bands, the prolific use of "Uff Da" among seemingly normal folks, Sloppy Joes, hotdish, a beer chaser served with a Bloody Mary, the whole hunting culture.  All of these things still stir up mild confusion for poor Mr. C., but this mobile hot dog, that was something entirely mindboggling and quite frankly (no pun intended) without explanation, super weird to him.

"No WAAAYYYY!!!"  I nearly screamed in the dull, flurescent light of our motel room as he showed me the picture he snapped on his phone. The Oscar Meyer Wienerwagon!! The look on his face was an expression of shock, horror, slight disgust and total confusion.

"YOU know what this thing is? Of course you do."

You see, that magic mobile hot dog is based in Madison, Wisconsin and was once the symbol of the most coveted internship on campus at the University of Wisconsin- Madison.  I actually wanted to apply to drive the thing in college for a summer (well, not really, and even then my driving record was not exemplary so I'm sure I never would have qualified) but it was a seriously difficult gig to land. The job went mostly to marketing and business school students at Madison (my alma mater) and honestly I was never quite daring enough to spend a summer away from my friends in exchange for co-piloting a giant hot dog around the Midwest with some earnest ag- business student from Appleton.

But I was quite tickled to run across the Wienerwagon almost 20 years later with my kids in the middle of South Dakota.  And I must say, the vehicle nowadays is way more slick then it used to be- it was hauling ass down the freeway and seems to have some aerodynamic type of sports package.  It actually looked, dare I say, "cool".  We spotted it several times the following day and it was good fodder for killing time on the drive.  After regaling my family with some of these good, clean college tales outloud they were all quite relieved to know that their Mom (and wife) did not spend a summer of her youth driving the Wienerwagon while conducting a Heinz ketchup cross promotion in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Omaha. 

"Soooo embarrassing!!!"

 I read that it is now a year long paid position for any college graduate.... I think I might put my resume together.

(PS- I do not know how to put that little accent thing over the word "resume" on my laptop.  Just wanted to let you know that I know it goes there.)

　

Vacation

I think I might be married to Clark W. Griswold. 

Tonight we head out on a vacation like none we have ever taken- an almost cross country road trip to California. 

No, we're not going to Wally World, but a little slice of heaven known as Fallen Leaf Lake.  Mr. C. has been there nearly every summer since he was born, and I have been every summer with the exception of one, since we met in 1995.  It is a special, magnetic place on the planet where the air seems different and the sound of the wind blowing the tops of the Sugar Pine trees is all you hear when you close your eyes for a swing in the hammock. 

"The Cabin", as it is affectionately known, is rustic and original with red check curtains, kitsch galore, and memories to last several lifetimes.  The bears are frequent guests and the same families have been coming each summer for decades.  Your feet are always dirty, the lake water always freezing (she was formed by two colliding glaciers, after all) and laughter is constantly rolling when Mr. C's family congregates around the fire each evening.  They are a special group and Fallen Leaf is a spectacular, special place.

Note to readers-

We have a Fort Knox alarm system set up at the house and two enormous bodyguards taking up residence while we are away.  And don't forget the watchful, snoopy neighbors; daily workmen coming in and out who are still working on our damn ice dam project; and the two fierce Tonkinese cats who will scratch your eyes out should you even attempt to come near my front door. 

Stay tuned for tales from the road.

Welcome to the Jungle

If you like adventure, solitude, and lush palm trees lined up and down a deserted endless beach, then Costa Rica might be for you. I seriously thought Tattoo and Mr. Roarke would be standing at the end of the dirt/grass landing strip, frothy cocktails in hand, to greet our Cessna when it laded in tiny Tambor, Costa Rica, the gateway to the Nicoya Peninsula. Our trip deep into the jungle of this spectacular country showed us more than we imagined- warm waters that rolled out the most fantastic waves each day (complete with large sea turtle swimming next to us), the resort's resident iguana peeking in on us each morning, an exhilarating tree top canopy tour where we zip lined from platform to platform while viewing the most breathtaking views out across the Pacific Ocean. We explored miles of sandy beaches on ATV's while discovering secret coves, one discretely protecting Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady's vacation hideaway. We ate fresh fish every day and the staff at our tiny resort, Pranamar Villas, pampered us with exotic drinks and special dishes all week. A truly amazing experience that was most certainly the trip of a lifetime.

Santa Teresa Beach

We spent long, lazy days walking up and down the beach, never seeing another soul. We lounged on our veranda, books and drinks in hand reading and relaxing, hearing nothing but the sound of the waves and the call of the birds.

our iguana neighbor

The wildlife was incredible. Luckily it was the dry season, so to our surprise (and delight) there were absolutely no bugs, flying or crawling. But the iguanas were plentiful and kept the kids busy for hours- watching, stalking, and luckily never successfully capturing any. We witnessed a gorgeous species of crab announce the beginning of the rainy season by making their way down the mountain to the beach; getting lost and detoured by our open air bathroom, swimming pool, veranda, and the restaurant. They are a beautiful blueish orange and when they finally arrive at their beach destination they bury themselves so deep in the sand that an enormous pile has accumulated above them. Up and down the beach for twenty four hours we witnessed these amazing creatures secure their place in the Eco-chain by making mountain after mountain of sand, disappearing to God knows where. The next day it was as if the Earth swallowed them up and delivered them to safety...wherever that may be. Not a crab to be seen.

yes, that is my child heading out across the jungle canopy on a steel cable, ala Go, Diego, Go!

I must admit that when it comes to vacation I am perfectly content lounging for a week straight, drink in hand, enjoying the occasional swim in the pool or romp in the waves. Costa Rica, in spite of the intense heat and humidity, begs you to explore, hike, surf, snorkel, and zip line. But whether you are the lounging or active type, Costa Rica will still reveal it's treasures to you. While out exploring we saw sea turtles floating in the waves, gorgeous views over the canopy of trees while zip lining, a strange variation of squirrel searching for nuts on the side of the road, or those crazy crabs again literally covering the dirt road at night in search of the beach. Unfortunately, some of them never quite made it as they became victim to ATV wheels and SUV tires.

fresh fish and sushi every night

I knew Costa Rica had monkeys. Three species to be exact, but the Nicoya Peninsula is home to the elusive Howler Monkey, perhaps the coolest primate of all. As I said in earlier posts, there were no clocks at the resort and we were never quite sure what time of day it actually was. We figured out daytime needs by when we felt the urge to eat, drink, or nap, and we marked the end of the day by the call of the Howler Monkey. Next to the Blue Whale, these buggers are the loudest creatures on Planet Earth. No joke. And when you get a pack of them jumping through the branches of the resort, it is quite a spectacular show. We actually only SAW them once, but HEARD them every day at sunrise and sunset. It took a few days to figure out exactly what the eerie, guttural, primal hum was that literally vibrated through the trees with the intensity of a freight train. One morning with the sun barely peeking through, I thought the yogi's were finishing up a rather spirited class with a powerful, collective "OMMMMM". Nope. Just the monkeys saying good morning. Another day just after the sunset was swallowed up by the Pacific I headed to my open air shower to cool off. The four walls started to almost sing with the deepest octave my human ears have ever heard. Were the people in the house next to the resort turning up the bass on the stereo to start a little sunset soiree? I had not a clue, but yes, you guessed it. The monkeys. Watch the video and if you can ignore the unsteady hand and occasional commentary of the nine year old videographer, you will no doubt be mesmorized by the magical Howler Monkey.

Entranced, enchanted, thoroughly captivated. We will be back. We are in love with Costa Rica and completely embrace it's Pura Vida.

Mr. C's Surf Camp

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

So the boys hit the waves this morning for their first surfing adventure. Mr. C used to Hang Ten back in the day, so is was his job to educate the kids on the way of the waves. To my surprise they didn't come stomping back the first time the epoxyed, fiberglass board got kicked up by a swell and conked their collective heads. They actually worked hard, stuck with it, and mastered what I believe to be an extremely difficult sport. I was so proud of them, watching their tan little arms paddle out behind their Dad in search of the perfect wave.

Another perfect day in paradise.