Blogukkah at RyanandEmma.com

Day 3 - Paris (Part 2/2)

2011-07-31T16:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we were saw Paris from high and were insulted by a sad French man. Today, we travel to the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, and Notre Dame.

Behold, the Arc
After leaving Fnac, we walked up Champs de Élysées -- the equivalent of Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive -- all stores we can't even think about affording. So Em was allowed to ooo and ahh, but rarely actually go inside said stores.

The avenue is quite striking though -- huge and wide sidewalks with cafes and their annex 30 feet away near the street and a tangible energy and spending of cold cash. It's also the site of past military parades and the last leg of the Tour de France.

'Bout a mile of walking later, we come to the Arc de Triomphe. Massive structure. Just huge. Much bigger than I thought it'd be (it stands 50 meters high; 164 feet).

Let's put it this way -- it's so big that somebody's flew a plane through the arc in 1919. Photo is here if you don't believe me...

Equally stunning is the roundabout ...around... the arc. Twelve different streets feed into it, and with no lanes, watching cars navigate their way around the monument is pure panic and terror.

So it goes without saying that we didn't walk across the street Frogger style to get to it. Instead, you walk underground, under the roundabout and come up in the middle. Walking up the stairs, you look for the sunlight, breach the top and suddenly you're staring up at the arc -- amazing.

The reliefs on the arc facades -- there are six of them -- are so detailed and ornate; fairly impressive for a monument built by Napoleon back in 1836. The same goes for the inside and ceiling of the monument -- decorated with art and the names of some 500 French military figures.

For a small fee, visitors can actually go into the Arc's attic/museum, and then up to the roof for a view from the top. But this trip carried a theme wherever we went -- no lines. So we avoided lines and rarely went inside anything, anywhere. This was no exception.

Instead, we sat down outside, admired the scenery, scoffed at the traffic, observed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and reflected back on how many people stood in the same place -- Napoleon, Hitler, JFK and wife, Charles de Gaulle, and countless others -- all under very different circumstances.

Onward to the Louvre
After spending our share of time in and around (but not on) the Arc, we walked back across/under the street to where we'd enter the Champs de Élysées metro station.

My agency background was at a firm that dealt exclusively with public transportation agencies. So I'd by lying if I said I'm not a bit cocky about easily using public transit and planning trips.

And then we got to Paris. And the Paris transit system slayed me.

It's not that the system doesn't go everywhere, it does. It's more that the routes and vehicles aren't blatantly apparent.

I'm a guy; I require 'blatantly apparent.'

Before we left the country, I found the subway line we'd need to go to the Louvre. I'd mapped it out, knew how many stops it'd take to get there.

So when we arrived at the station, we easily paid our fare, we easily followed the signs to the correct platform, and then we probably stood on said platform for 15 minutes -- watching subway cars fly-in, hundreds of people disembark, and fly-away.

I'd never seen a system move so quickly. But the trains weren't branded and they didn't have any exterior signage where they were going.

My hesitation being, I didn't want us boarding in haste and confusion only to find out we'd boarded a train out of the city.

We finally just boarded a train, and once inside, there was signage galore confirming that yes, this was indeed the right train. ...woulda been nice to have that same signage near the platform... ya know, for this lame American travelers...

Ten minutes later we'd arrived at the Louvre.

First, you should know that I was among the hoards of people who read Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code years ago, and then saw Ron Howard's silver screen version -- in which the Louvre plays a fairly large role.

So walking through one of the Palace's arches to be greeted by the Louvre's iconic (whether the French like it or not) pyramid was breathtaking.

The palace, which houses the museum, was used as a fortress (the Louvre is a stone's throw away from the Seine) beginning in the 12th century -- think about that. This place (or select pieces that remain of it) are medieval. It wasn't until around 1800 that the palace was converted and used as an art museum. Then in 1989 the icon pyramid was built -- the entrance to the monstrous museum.

In the courtyard stands the pyramid entrance we all know too well as well as fountains and pools. It made for a nice place to rest and take in the sights; which is something we found repeatedly throughout Paris -- a clean, safe place to sit, nothing more.

Just like our trip to the Eiffel Tour, the queue to get into the museum snaked long throughout the courtyard. But with our prepaid tickets, we skipped the entire thing and immediately entered the museum.

We probably got to the Louvre around 4:00 p.m.; we were tired and hungry and hot. So being the great, understanding and compassionate husband that I am, I led my wife through the museum on a trek to find Mona Lisa.

As one of the museum's most popular pieces, ya'd think they'd have a prominent exhibit for her, instead, it was a marketer's dream location -- kind of like putting milk in the back of the grocery store. We probably followed signage through the museum for 20 minutes, a new walking tour.

Before we'd left, I also downloaded a podcast and PDF map from Rick Steves to help us through the Louvre on a short timeframe. We resigned ourselves that there was no way we were going to see everything, so we'd see whatever we could.

So there we walked, through one of the world's most amazing museums with iPad in hand, leading the way and pointing out some of the most famous pieces.

We made our way through the Grand Gallery, which is filled with Italian painters (only Italian painters I believe), took a right into a room, and there before us was Mona Lisa -- behind plexiglass, behind stantions, behind a crowd of packed people.

But still, there she was. And then, we had to remind ourselves, that, there we were too.

After taking the same photo 3 times and raising our elbows to ward off spatially-challenged tourists, we continued walking through the Grand Gallery -- Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo (not the turtles). As we walked, I took photos, Em manned the iPad, showing where the next piece was.

The shocking part to us, was the amount of flash photography being used. It was everywhere. And people would stand there in front of a plexiglass frame, using a flash, and wondering why there was a glare in the photo; so they'd try again and again and again. Idiots.

As we walked through the gallery, I woman our age came up and asked Em if she was using an iPad app to get around the Louvre with the iPad. Em responded that it wasn't an app and that it was "just a map that some guy drew."

The girl looked down at the iPad again and said, "Oh! That's a Rick Steves map!" I hadn't exactly told Em who drew what and who Rick Steves was, so she was appropriately puzzled.

The girl continued, "Rick Steves is here today, I saw him downstairs eating a carrot!" And thus concluded our awkward conversation of the day...

After walking the entire gallery, we also went downstairs to see if Rick Steves had anymore carrots; we were hungry and cranky. Rick must've hopped away, so we visited the Louvre cafe instead. Here, we shared a sandwich, a pastry and a Coke.

This would be a pattern for us, we'd share a meal and wonder why were were so hungry. We'd also think any and all food we had was "the most amazing ever. We're still unsure if this was due to hunger, or if in fact, everything was the most amazing ever.

Before we left, we went up to see the Greek sculptures -- Venus de Milo and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss among them. But the piece that shocked me was Winged Victory.

Installed at the top of a staircase, Winged Victory stands by itself, headless, armless, but gorgeous and powerful. This piece completely made the visit to the Louvre for me. Ya know...cause the hundreds of thousands of other priceless works of art just didn't make the cut.

More walking
It was 7:00 p.m. and we had a choice. Either we walk North for a mile and a half to the Ritz Carlton (Em's mom stayed here years ago and it was our hope to find her room from the garden cafe -- the same view seen in 1904's painting by Pierre-Georges Jeanniot) or we could walk Southwest for a mile to Notre Dame.

It came down to a matter of which we wanted to see more, or be upset if we didn't see. So on to Notre Dame we went.

It was a nice walk along the right bank through a part of town that wasn't as touristy and busy as the Trocadero area.

About 20 minutes later we took a left, saw the Seine on the right side, and in front of us stood Notre Dame's towers.

When we arrived, it was closed, the doors were locked, the gates shut.

So we admired the architecture from the outside, doing a lap around the property starting with the west facade, noting the detail used throughout, as well as the number of gargoyles.

At sunset, it was stunning -- the light, the Seine, the architecture.

When we'd completed the lap, somebody walked out from the church, unlocked the gate and began letting people in for a special video presentation.

So in we went, not for the presentation, but to admire the stained glass and interior with what was left of the day's sunlight.

The setting sun added a different feel to the interior, it was subdued, but still brilliant. Quiet, but still demanded your attention.

How do we get back?
It wasn't really a question, just a statement.

We were 4 miles away from our hotel and it was nearly 8:30 p.m. We hadn't eaten since we'd shared a sandwich at the Louvre and the sun was setting.

So we hailed a taxi and had him take us back across town -- well worth the 11 Euro price tag. It was pretty much the first time we'd sat down all day.

But as relaxing as the taxi ride should've been, it only reminded me of the Bourne films. We were speeding along the Seine in a taxi. Across the river was a European-sounding siren, and vespas seemed to be scooting past you at every turn.

I full expected Matt Damon to jump into our cab, break our driver's neck, and ask to pay if he could use our taxi. Sure Matt Damon, go ahead, but could you kindly stop at 3 Boulevard de Grenelle first? We're awfully hungry.

We dropped into the room, freshened up a bit and headed down to a different cafe on the corner of Boulevard de Grenelle and Quai Branly.

Here we had (shared) a salami pizza and green salad. And of course, after we dropped by to see our crepe friend and ordered another chocolate crepe with chantilly -- which melted extremely fast but tasted oh so good.

Over dinner we agreed that we could live in Paris. Its energy and personality are appealing enough to make me want to move to a smaller pad with two dogs and no doubt, new French men to insult me.

The next morning was an early pick-up for our flight to Barcelona, so we took a look at the lit-up tower once more and headed to bed.

NEXT
Paris -> Barcelona
Day in Barcelona

Day 3 - Paris (Part 1/2)

2011-07-30T00:27:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: We did a lot this day in Paris. Saw a lot, said a lot, ate a lot. So this day's post is appropriately really long -- two day's worth actually. So read at your own risk.

When we left off, your traveling heroes -- Ryan and Emma -- went to bed around 3:00 p.m. Los Angeles time, and somehow, we managed to get around eight hours of sleep.

It wasn't good sleep, but it was more comfortable and relaxing than 17" of leg room. Still, exhausted.

A redeeming moment though -- still in bed trying to wake up, through the open window comes the sound of a woman singing opera. At 8:00 in the morning. In Paris. Gorgeous.

Sure, the singing source was a stereo coming from an apartment around our hotel, but the environment was something special.

We need to eat
When we were planning out this trip, one of the items we agreed we simply had to do was find a cafe in Paris, sit, and have a pastry.

So that's what we did. Because it was something on our list, and also because the today would mostly consist of walking throughout Paris, and we needed energy.

We went back downstairs to Le Ponte de Seine for a quiet brunch consisting of a pancake with sugar (crepe, not the syrupy kind), tea, orange juice, and perhaps the best croissant we've ever had.

It was a quiet brunch because there weren't many other people in the cafe (me thinks the late night life means a later morning brunch), not because of the 70s era French music videos playing on the flat screens around us. Truly scary.

The tower, finally
It was my one goal for the entire trip. Seeing the tower from the plane was exciting. Sleeping just a few blocks away was grand. But in order for our entire trip to be a success, Emma had to touch the tower, she had to be on it (in it?).

We walked the few blocks from our neighborhood, up along the Seine, passing street vendors and their sheets of identical keychain towers, towards the tower itself. And as you get closer, you're reminded how monstrous a structure the tower is. Simply huge.

Back home a few months earlier, I bought tickets for the tower online. Turns out it would be one of the smartest things I've ever done. We had an appointment to go up at 1:00 p.m.

We got to the tower around Noon, took a photo of a happy, Parisian-dressed wife standing closer to the tower than ever before, kept walking -- passing underneathe the tower, looking up at its lines, looking down at the shadows it cast, and looking around at the thousands of people waiting in 2-hour lines.

We wasted time walking around the Champs de Mars, down to the old French military school where Napoleon learned how to be small and powerful, and then back along the Christmas tree lined open grass area, back to the tower for our ride up.

At 1:00, we entered a line with maybe 30 people in it. A big contrast to the snaking lines of thousands of people. Lesson: buy your tickets before you leave.

A few minutes later, we piled into a lift in the East leg of the tower with 40 of our closest friends.

Quickly and smoothly, you rise above Paris; surreal. The lift makes a stop at the first level, but only allows exit for those passengers who have reservations at the swanky restaurant -- Jules Verne.

We didn't, so on to the second level we rose.

At 115 meters (377 feet) above the Parisian ground, you have quite the view of Paris from four very different angles.

'Twas our plan (and frankly, I paid for it too), to go up to the third level (276 meters), but it was already closed at the time of our visit due to capacity. And then it was closed due to the wind. In either case, the top of the tower was closed. But the second level was plenty high enough; amazing views up there.

So on the second level, we looked out over the Seine, we saw the towers of Notre Dame, and we spied the Arc de Triomph in the distance. Here, we stared out at the Arc with a bit of worry -- seeing it looked really far away, and that was our next destination... walking the entire way.

After an hour or so of photographing the same buildings in the distance over and over again, we decided to head back down.

When you're up on the tower, you have the option to take the lift back down, or you can walk back down via the staircases. The staircases are built well, they're sturdy, you're "in" the tower, but it's still open-air. And that's an interesting part of the tower -- it's not as tall as other structures around the world, but it's the only one where you're not actually "inside."

What we learned walking down the tower was that you can stop at the first level at will. So we did. Partly because Ryan's now-30-year old knees were starting to get whiny, but more because it was another place to explore.

The crazy discovery being that there was not only the swanky restaurant on the first level, but there was also a separate bookstore, a separate cafe, a garden area, and a host of factoids scattered around the walk around the tower.

It'd been a good 4 hours since our last "we need energy" meal, so here, on the Eiffel Tower, we had lunch. Or an excuse for lunch -- two sausages (hot dogs sans buns), French fries (they actually call them French fries; lame), and a Coke (or as Emma diagnosed it, "this Coke is flat!).

Whatever it was, the food was enough to keep us going. And more than that, it was crazy to eat a meal on the tower, outside in the middle of a garden.

We're both so glad to have stopped there -- to learn about the tower's design changes throughout the years, the colors that've been used throughout its history, the secret plan to move it to Montreal in the 80's, and other really interesting stuff.

All stuff you can learn when you take us out for dessert.

And it's all stuff we would've missed if we had taken the lift back down.

Flame of Liberty
Back on the ground, the Parisian walking tour resumed. On this leg, we'd end up at the Arc, but not without two stops along the way.

First, we walked along the Seine with our backs to the tower. Then we walked across the Seine. On the other side, we came to our next scheduled stop -- the Flame of Liberty.

The flame is a full-size, gold-leaf replica of the New York-based Statue of Liberty's torch flame, given to France to demonstrate the warm relations between America and France, but given via donations from around the world. The flame itself is interesting to take-in (it's about 10 feet tall), but more so may be its location.

The flame sits atop one of many tunnels in Paris. But this tunnel isn't just any tunnel.

This tunnel is the tunnel in which Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed died.

Walking just past the monument and looking down at all the cars driving by is a bit strange -- to think about the significance of what happened just "down" there and how it likely changed the landscape of the social world.

On the day we visited, Princess Diana would've been 50 years old.

So around the monument, we found cards, floral arrangements and well wishes.

But on the tunnel wall itself we found permanent wishes from fans across the world who've visited the site -- each writing their own messages.

So while the flame was installed in 1989 (years before their deaths), it's been adopted as a Princess Di landmark. Not sure how I feel about its evolution, but the location itself was breathtaking.

How were the people?
This is one question everybody seems to want to know -- were the French mean? Sad that the idea of that is so prominent, but with one exception, I can honestly say they were terrific. Accommodating, friendly, made us want to come back.

The one exception being a guy at Fnac -- which is France's largest retailer (I'd compare it to Borders or Tower...strangely both dead or dying brands).

Again, before we left the U.S., I pre-bought tickets, this time for the Louvre. And while I had assumed we could print them out before hand (like with the Eiffel Tower) or pick them up box-office style, I had indeed pre-bought tickets that could be picked-up only at Fnac locations. Very similar to the way Robinsons-May/Macy's did (does still?) Ticketmaster.

Here, at Fnac, two things happened.

First, I took off the backpack that I don't think I had removed since around 10:00 a.m. This provoked my loving wife to tell me to put it back on because I was sweating through my shirt (did I mention it was around 85 in Paris and I was wearing pants?). But, to be fair, she also offered to carry the bag for me while I "dried out." Needless to say, I continued carrying it.

Second, we encountered the first and only guy who made me want to shove a crepe in his mouth. He didn't do anything really bad necessarily. Let me explain.

We walked up to the ticket counter and said, in English, something about picking up tickets to the Louvre. He responded, quickly, without looking-up, in French. He then sighed, and repeated the information in English.

This pattern repeated itself for a good five minutes. First, he'd say the response in French, then, in English. Each time, to make a point. Yeah, point taken. Tickets, please?

Tomorrow, we'll move on from the lone sad French soul, to the Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, and Notre Dame.

3 Minutes with Richard Simmons

2011-07-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Don't know how, but we forgot to mention that the Air New Zealand safety video was one to remember. You have to watch for yourself.

Day 2 - London & Paris (with photos and video)

2011-07-25T19:29:00.000-07:00

Beware, this post uses the word "amazing" six times over the course of around four paragraphs.

When we left off, your heroes -- Emma and Ryan -- had found a Starbucks in Heathrow's Terminal 4 and collapsed.

We felt sick, neither of us had slept on the flight over, we were irritable, still hungry (the candy bars and "artisan" sandwich from Starbucks didn't do much for us), and we still had another flight ahead of us.

Shocking, I know, but our flight to Paris was 45 minutes late. Which was grand considering I had arranged for a private transfer from the airport to our hotel. And as stated in their Terms of Service, if we were an hour late, the transfer would leave and we'd need to arrange for another.

Back at Heathrow, contrary to our initial beliefs, Air France wasn't the luxury travel alternative of the French.

The plane looked thirty years old and the only difference between first class and economy is a dirty faded blue curtain that crosses the aisle; not that it mattered from our economy seats.

The flight from London to Paris was only 45-minutes long, so that it made it more tolerable. At one point in the flight you can look down and see the English coast on one side and the French coast on the other, with only the English Channel laying below.

Geographically, I knew this was the case. But, still, to see it, surreal almost. And not 'surreal but nice' in the Notting Hill sense.

Paris, finally
Emma always gets the window seat. Why, I'm not completely sure, but it's hers.

On the decent into Paris, Em looks out the left of the plane and spots the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Instantly, the trip was a success. Happy wife.

When we were in Maui, we got off the plane and immediately noticed the air was cleaner, easier to breathe. In Paris, we landed, got off the plane, and smelled food. It was perfect.

Maybe because we had been traveling for the last 14 hours and we just needed something to eat. Or maybe because the Parisian food is just that good.

Unfortunately, the food would have to wait because it took us 3-times as long to get through customs at Charles de Gaulle than it did at Heathrow -- ya know, the airport with its customs agents on strike.

It didn't get much better at baggage claim. Our bags had arrived yet again (yay), but there was an unidentified bag left near one of the turnstiles which completely shut off the exits; nobody in or out.

All that to say, our private shuttle transfer had come and gone. So there, outside an airport in Paris, your heroes -- Emma and Ryan -- stand waiting amid foreign smokers for their shuttle to come back. This turned out to be an hour's wait... what's another hour, right?

We finally arrived at Hotel Eiffel Seine around 9:30 p.m. And yet, the sun didn't set in Paris until around 10:30; sunlight was ours for its abuse!

The hotel had recently been remodeled. It was probably three of four rooms wide and four stories high.

The elevator was big enough for one of us, plus one piece of luggage. So getting up to our room on the third floor took a bit of time.

We walk into the hotel, there's a nice gentlemen manning the desk, we fill out our info, we learn that when we leave the hotel we give the hotel attendant our room key and they give it back to us when we get back (odd), and we're on our way upstairs.

Once inside, we discovered our room didn't have any electricity; neat. Here we were 14 hours after flying 6,000 miles, all we wanted to do was use the restroom, and we ended up doing so in the dark.

The plus side being it was still bright outside and the room was quaint and charming. The room looked back into a courtyard of local apartments.

It was peaceful and picturesque; nothing like it back in the states (and we'd learn this would be a recurring theme).

I booked this particular hotel because of its proximity to the Eiffel Tower. If we got to the Tower and nothing else, the trip would've been a success.

And the hotel was perfect. So close. About 3 blocks close in fact.

We'd walk outside the hotel, pass 2 small cafes immediately to our right, cross the street (looking over the Seine), look up to our right and immediately gaze upon the strength and height of the Eiffel Tower.

We were so impressed by how close we were... and by actually being in Paris, we took a video of it... a video that Emma decided not to be in. Though she'll claim you can see the back of her head in it. Watch it, won't you...(it features some pretty fantastic music)?

After freshening up in the hotel, we walked downstairs, returned our room key to the attendant and told him there was no electricity in our room. To which we learned you actually had to place your room key in a slot near the doorway to activate the electricity. ...woulda been nice to know initially...

Our only goal for the night: remember we're in friggin' Paris, suck it up and power through, walk a mile down to the French Statue of Liberty -- which is found at the very end of a mile-long man-made island in the middle of the Seine.

We walked along the Seine at sunset (an amazing experience) down to the statue (it stands 37 feet high and was given to Paris in 1889) and just kind of breathed for the first time.

When we got to the statue, there was a local gathering at its base; a bunch of people standing around drinking wine. A bit strange.

We came, we conquered, so we started to head back back to the hotel, which was an amazing walk with the Eiffel Tower and Seine in the near and far distance.

You look up, see the Tower, and despite taking a hundred photos of it before, you take another one because it's so deserving.

The closer we got back into our area of town, the darker it got, which meant, the more the Tower lit up. Another amazing experience.

Like I said, there were a couple cafes immediately next door to our hotel, so we sat down at Le Pont de Seine for a 10:30 p.m. dinner. And still at 10:30, the sun was still shining a bit and the city was so alive; bustling with people and sounds and energy and happiness.

While in France, we did as tourists do and ordered Croque Madame and onion soup. Both amazing, both devoured in a few minutes.

Immediately next door to the cafe was the equivalent of a sweet snack bar. And at the near end of the bar is a nice French guy cooking-up crepes on order.

Naturally, we ordered "un chocolat" crepe; which was equally devoured in just a few short minutes. ...the chocolate used was fairly amazing.

Before we called it a night, we walked back across the street, looked up to the right and saw the Tower shimmering and lit up in the night's sky. It was breathtaking.

Plus, we caught it at the top of the hour -- when there's a 5-minute show of sparkling lights. The French may hate the pomp of it all, but to see it and just watch silently was amazing.

And here we stood for about five minutes, and no longer, because Emma (maybe a bit too tired) could've sworn she saw a drug deal happening fifty feet away.

So we went back to the hotel, called it a night at midnight in Paris. After all, it was 3:00 p.m. back in Los Angeles, and we needed some sleep.

If you want to view more photos (in bigger size and better resolution) check out the slideshow below and click through.

NEXT
Barton walking tour (Paris edition)

The Bartons go to Europe

2011-07-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

Em and I have been pretty fortunate since getting married three years ago.

Two weeks in Hawaii, a week in Alaska, two weeks in Central America via the Panama Canal, and earlier this month -- nearly three weeks in Europe.

Across the next few weeks, we're going to share our trip... day by day by day.

How we got started
Back in December, Em and I went to the company Christmas party -- our sole reason for going being the possibility of winning airline tickets.

We went to the same party two years ago and weren't among the fortunate prize winners. This last year was a bit different though -- amid shrieks of surprise and happiness Em and I won 2 roundtrip tickets on Air New Zealand.

Not sure I've ever heard Em scream and giggle so loudly; it was a surprise for sure.. lots of happiness. And a big help towards our end goal of vacationing in Europe -- a couple days in Paris, one in Barcelona, then a 12-day Mediterranean cruise.

But then we started the process of trying to actually use the tickets, which was an entirely different experience.

Blackout dates... can't book more than 60 days out... $500 per leg in taxes... can't get our Air New Zealand contact on the phone, etc, etc, etc.

At the end of the day, we were able to book a flight from Los Angeles to London (then fly from London to Paris), but had to pay our own way from London back home. Not the end of the world, but certainly not 2 free roundtrip tickets.

LAX -> London
Our flight left Los Angeles around 4:00 p.m. We ended up making amazing time down the 405 and got to LAX at noon... a bit earlier than the 3 hours ~~required~~ suggested for international flights.

So we walk into the airport and see this.

If you can't read it, that's a sign reading "We will open at 1:30 p.m." Neat. Swell, even.

So, hyped up for our European trip of a lifetime, Em and I sit outside the airport for 90 minutes before we can even check-in our bags.

Our flight was scheduled to depart at 4:30. At 5:30, a frustrated Emma and Ryan were still standing outside a gate in Terminal 2 waiting to board our flight. First impressions of Air New Zealand weren't exactly ideal.

On a 10-hour flight, I suppose you can still make-up some time, but still... it wasn't the beginning of the trip we expected.

The plane was nice and big, new, and had a great selection of TV episodes, movies, news and games that was available for each traveler on the headrest in front of them.

About 20-minutes after taking off, the captain comes on the intercom and advises there were labor strikes affecting all public and government employees in London. "But we don't want you to stress out just yet," he finished.

What does this mean for us? There would likely be big delays waiting for us because of Britain Border Control strikes.

Not good considering we had a connecting flight at Heathrow, in a separate terminal.

A separate terminal means we had to get off our plane, go through customs, get our luggage, take the train from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4, check in for our Air France flight to Paris, go through security and make our way to our new gate.

About a week before, I woke up at 3:00 a.m. with a panic attack about this flight connection. Heathrow's website estimated that landing, getting our luggage, going through customs and security and getting through the other terminal would take about 90 minutes. And we only had 115 between the time our Air New Zealand flight landed and the Air France flight took off.

So I forked up another $500 and pushed back our Air France flight to its next departure -- two hours later. I figured it'd be worth a two hour wait to make sure we actually got to Paris. Plus, we didn't want to start off our vacation sprinting through an airport desperately trying to get to our flight.

Back on the plane, we tried to relax, watched a few movies, a couple TV shows, and unsuccessfully tried to sleep.

Just over nine hours later -- flying over northern North America via Canada, a little bit of Greeland, and then back south to the UK -- we began flying over London.

And that in itself was pretty amazing -- to look down on Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, London Bridge, London Eye (that big ferris wheel), and Wembley Stadium -- I didn't expect to see all that in 2 minutes.

Ceiling in Heathrow's Terminal 4

We were happy to land (we left Wednesday, we arrived Thursday), happy to be in London (even if we never left the airport area), but we were exhausted; and we still had to get through customs and connect to another flight before our first leg as over.

Before making our way to baggage claim (to see if we'd have clothes for the next 16 days), we had to conquer Britain Border Control -- the same labor strike-stricken obstacle.

Fortunately for us, our terminal wasn't Heathrow's big international terminal, and despite the strike, we made it through customs, baggage claim (with all of our bags, yay), took the subway to Terminal 4, checked-in on our Air France flight, checked our bags, made it through another layer of security and arrived at our gate without about an hour to spare.

That 3:00 a.m. panic attack was worth it; we made it to London, we made it for our connecting flight to Paris, found a Starbucks in the terminal and collapsed.

NEXT POST
London -> Paris
Day 1 in Paris

Rocco Turns 2

2011-03-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Honestly, it feels like we've had Rocco longer than 2 years.

He's traveled with us from our first apartment, to our crappy apartment, and finally to our new home.

So I'm taking the opportunity to post my favorite photo of him.

Sitting up, falling asleep, just hours after he became less of a man.

Getting Creative

2011-03-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

Yup, Ryan's taking on another project.

This time, it's a cooperative workspace built exclusively for creative freelancers called Kreativ.

Kreativ is being built because far too often, the loud coffee shops, stuffy executive suites and laziness of the home life restrict the freelancer. So Kreativ is bringing freelancers from all different industries together under one roof (check out the video below).

We wrote the script, shot it, recorded original music and then recorded the voice over in a little over a week, so we're very, very excited about it.

So for the next couple weeks, we're doing a fundraising project through Kickstarter -- you get to choose the amount you want to donate, and what prizes/rewards/coffee/art/books/Kreativ memberships you'd like.

There's a lot of very cool stuff over there, so I hope you take a look and want to support our Kreativ venture.

You don't need to live in Santa Clarita, you just need to want to support the arts.

Thanks everybody!

The Orange Kitty

2011-03-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

It was a really rough night last night, as we had to put down Tigger -- Emma's cat of 16 years.

Tigger moved with Em from Canyon Country to Saugus, then to our apartment in Valencia, then another apartment in Valencia, and then our home in Valencia.

Needless to say, she's traveled and tolerated her share of dogs -- 5 of them?

Before Thanksgiving, the vet told us Tigger was in the advanced stages of renal failure and she wasn't expected to see the New Year.

Fast forward four months later and Tigger was a fighter.

Last night, Em and I were thinking back to our first apartment and how Bella and Tigger would play in the halls. You might remember this video...

We're really sad to see her go. She was a good friend to Em; faithful and loyal.

And she was the only cat that didn't make my eyes swell in fits of allergy rage. So.. there was that too.

I'm a Paperback

2011-01-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

Sort of. Not me, but my book, "Smart Marketing" is now available as a paperback.

The response thus far to the digital version of the book has been nothing short of overwhelming.

So I'm really excited to be able to make the book available in paperback form for $18.49.

The book is perfect bound and comes in at 177 pages in an 8.5" x 11" format, with a full-color exterior and black and white interior pages.

It's printed and shipped by Lulu.com, which is great... seeing I don't own or operate a printing service.

So if you were considering picking-up my book, here ya go, click here to buy.

And thanks again for everybody's support!

What Happens When Disneyland is Closed

2011-01-07T02:05:00.000-08:00

For six years or so, it was a post-Christmas tradition of ours to go to Disneyland the week after Christmas. For a few different reasons, we didn't get down there the last two years, but this year, we were able to get back.

As we got off the 5 after a 2 1/2 hour drive to Anaheim -- a drive that should take just a little over an hour -- we were greeted by highway signs saying Disneyland was closed. Neat.

Even so, we tried to get tickets... which was hugely unsuccessful. "You can buy a ticket to California Adventure if you'd like," said the ticket attendant. But no, that's not what we came down for.

Instead, we went to the movie theater at Downtown Disney and saw a showing of the latest "Chronicles of Narnia" feature -- which was really good -- C.S. Lewis is an amazing storyteller.

And still after we got out of the movie, Disneyland wasn't letting anybody in the park.

We spent the night about a mile away from the Park and woke up to pouring rain. We made the decision the night before that if it was raining, we'd just embrace it instead of getting pissy and fighting it.

So we got up, had some breakfast, grabbed our umbrellas and headed to the park, we we quickly bought our tickets before there was any chance of the park closing again.

Once in the park, we made our way to the first shop and picked up two ponchos... which ended up costing a good $15. But it was worth it -- it made the umbrella less of a must-have for the day.

Between 8:30 and 9:00 we actually went on three rides -- Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain (we figured we were wet already, so we might as well) -- something we never would have though could happen on a normal day. But the park was pretty light on traffic, and we were able to make our way quickly through the park.

By 11:30ish, we ducked in to a dry building for some lunch, and by the time we were done, the sun was starting to peak through the clouds -- where it stayed the rest of the day.

The rest of the day was a bit busier with the sun out. But we still enjoyed an early parade and a few Rose Bowl Parade marching bands -- including the University of Wisconsin marching band, who really seems to enjoy the Chicken Dance.

Overall, it was one of our more memorable trips -- a good story anyway.

But, as I write this, I'm in bed, with a fever, sick, with chills, watching it try to snow in Valencia. So... maybe walking around in the rain with wet feet for hours probably wasn't the best of ideas...

Christmas at the Barton's

2011-01-05T01:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah, this Christmas recap is a bit delayed; we've been busy.

This year Em was excited to have our stockings match the tree skirt -- a white with some sort of bejewling. I'm precise like that.

She was just as excited to have a white and silver wrapping paper motif which made the greater tree area full of glitter. Seriously though, we're still finding glitter in that room.

After going to Christmas Eve service with my parents, Em and I had our adopted, traditional dinner of a bunch of appetizers while watching "White Christmas."

Years past, we ate, watched the flick, played "Santa Drives a Saturn," then headed over to Em's parent's house so she and her sister can make their traditional Christmas Day breakfast -- a cinnamon and sugar monkey bread.

We spent a little more time out that night than before -- that combined with our smoke alarms going off at 11:30 while we cooked the bread -- meant we didn't get to finish the movie -- a first for us.

On Christmas morning, we slept-in, because we're able to, heated up the breakfast bread and sat down to open our stockings.

Last year, Em got me a couple Reese's Christmas chocolates, but Rocco decided he wanted them more than I -- which led to us getting both of the dog's stomach's pumped. This year, Em hid the chocolates a bit higher -- happy husband, extra $300 in our pockets, and happy dogs.

So, I Wrote a Book

2011-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

For the last year or so, I've spent long nights and short weekends writing an eBook called, "Smart Marketing."

The book was written for small business owners and entrepreneurs seeking help marketing their business with limited budgets.

And on Saturday, it went on sale for the first time.

If you're interested in learning more about today's new media marketing industry, know somebody else who could use some help with their business, or simply want to support this publication, you can click here to learn more about the book.

Enjoy and thanks for your support!

The Nutcracker at Royce Hall

2010-12-19T11:19:00.000-08:00

For my birthday earlier this year, my parents gifted a membership to Pasadena's Huntington Library. As we learned last month, part of the membership includes discounts at regional art events -- including a 2-for-1 promotion at the Los Angeles Ballet's production of The Nutcracker.

Neither one of us had actually seen the show; frankly, I was clueless as to the storyline completely.

Last night, in the third consecutive day of Southern California rain, we braved the brakes-locking-hydroplaning-accidents-galore drive on the 405 down to UCLA's Royce Hall (one of the first four buildings built at the university) -- where one of the productions was held.

The hall was completed in 1929, severely damaged in the 1994 earthquake, and restored in 1997 after a $70 million project -- and it shows, the ceiling and the 6,600-pipe pipe organ are amazing (you can see some of the pipes near the ceiling in some of the photos).

I wasn't allowed to take any photos of the production (Emma's more strict about this than the ushers are), which is unfortunate since our balcony seats in the middle were perfect for seeing everything.

After the show, we again headed back out into the all-to-rare Southern California rain, drove home successfully with all limbs and car parts intact, and tried the new Asian restaurant in town, Wokcano.

California rolls, crazy rolls (yellowtail, salmon, crab), beef lo mein, and crispy orange chicken -- all really good. Impressive really. And the same goes for the strawberry cheesecake we shared.

I don't think we'll end up making The Nutcraker an annual tradition, but it was a fun, festive time.

Christmas Ornament Review

2010-12-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Last year was one of the first years since my first apartment that we've had a real, larger-than-table-top Christmas tree.

So last year, we ended up buying a few "filler" ornaments to fill the extra space not taken by our one-off ornaments.

We have a few really special ornaments that Em and I were talking about as we were decorating our tree last night.

Whenever we travel, we try to pick up an ornament to mark the occasion.

On our honeymoon, we picked up the sandal ornament on Oahu -- our first island on our two-week paradise vacation.

A year later, we traveled north 2,800 miles on our Alaska voyage -- quite the opposite from our time in Alaska. Though, we did snorkel in both places -- which was fairly amazing. In Juneau, before our Alaskan Fudge Company stupor set in, we picked up the Eskimo girl ornament.

Taking a break from the "travels" collection, we arrive at our angelic tree topper -- which was made by Emma's grandmother (mom's mom); it's a special piece. And as you'll soon see, angels are a bit of a theme on our tree.

It was a tradition that Em's dad would buy her mom an angel ornament every Christmas. When Em and I first started dating, I did the same. This was the first angel I bought, in 2002... a few years ago...

This angel ornament is very, very special to Em. It's the last angel Em's dad and the girls picked out before her mom passed. It's that simple.

Em has a bit of Irish heritage on her side of the family. In one of my first years at University, I bought her a sterling silver claddagh ring at a street market; she still wears it today. The claddagh has been a symbol of love throughout our relationship -- from the ring, to a similar tattoo on my left shoulder, to part of our wedding giveaway gifts.

Back to the travels, we got this bus ornament in Cartagena, Colombia earlier this year. It wasn't meant to be an ornament, but we made it one anyway. Like the Old City, this piece is full of color. Looking back on our trip their, it probably wasn't the safest at the time, but it's without a doubt, one of my favorite cities.

Sailing through the Panama Canal was amazing. And then that night, docking just outside Panama City and seeing the city lights twinkle off the ocean was equally memorable. The next day we walked around greater Panama City (Puerte Amador) a bit and picked up this ornament. Truthfully, I have no idea what it is (maybe a gourd?) but we like it.

We spent a day in Acapulco this year. Em wore a white dress -- that combined with her sun-bleached blonde hair -- was quite the attraction to the locals. We weren't all that impressed with the city, but we were somewhat taken by the color and art in downtown's old marketplace. We found this piece there -- artwise, it's pretty similar to the art we saw a few days earlier in Huatulco.

And....done. That's not all of our one-off ornaments -- but it's certainly some of the most special ones.

A Christmas Carol

2010-11-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

It's a long-standing Barton tradition -- to visit the Glendale Centre Theater the night after Thanksgiving to watch the opening performance of A Christmas Carol.

This year was no different.

After braving the Black Friday deals -- for which we really didn't buy anything that was on sale, we headed out to Glendale with my parents.

We grabbed a quick bite downtown, then decided to make a quick crosstown trek to Silver Lake to Intelligentsia -- my new coffee snob love. Em, my mom and I grabbed something to drink; Dad elected to walk from the restaurant to save a place in line at the Theater.

Let's be very clear. Unashamed, I find joy in mocking the opening day troubles of the performance; I have for years.

This year though, one of the owners and lead characters had a major back problem, so an understudy filled in. The understudy being, a mix of a British and Jamaican Ghost of Christmas Present -- fascinating, howling, drunk?

But still, the show is always a great way to usher in the holidays. It's been a high of 50 degrees lately, so we haven't had much of a problem with that, but even still, great fun.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T00:07:00.000-08:00

This year was a bit different for us than year's past. Rather than take in two feedings in two different counties, we're trying to simplify things, opting for rotating holidays between families.

In 2010, we started our new holiday plan at the Barton's in Valencia. But not before a traditional helping of Mom's Polish breakfast bread, some eggs, coffee, and a walk with the pups.

Later, at Mom and Dad's house, we fed -- on French rolls and chimichurri, turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, more bread, cranberry stuff and marshmallowy stuff -- stuff being the word for "we don't eat it so we'd rather focus on the "stuff" we do eat."

Oh, and Cole colored with Auntie Em, and played Domino Rally, and Constructs, and watched "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," which is apparently quite frightening for an adult seeing it for the first time.

This Month's Feel-Good Video

2010-11-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

Watch arriving passengers be given a welcome home to remember at Heathrow Terminal 5. Yes, it's an ad, but it's good to see those smiles.

ACE Hotel - Palm Springs

2010-11-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

After "The Phantom of the Opera" showing at The Pantages, we drove for a couple hours east to Palm Springs.

And after finally getting through East Los Angeles, the drive was actually fairly picturesque.

We got to ACE Hotel and Swim Club around 6:30, right as the sun was setting. Em described the atmosphere at the property as "granola chic" -- something a rich hippie would really like.

The lobby windows were covered with hanging nautical ropes -- something really visually entrancing -- free beach cruiser bikes were available to ride downtown, there was a photoboth in the lobby, and all the staff there were really nice and accommodating.

We booked a room that featured a big -- size of our living room -- patio with a fire pit and L-shaped seating.

Inside, the room had concrete floors, a low-framed bed, and slat walls. Also included was a vinyl player with a few records available for playing -- as long as you didn't screw them up -- and if you did, you bought it.

In fact, nearly everything in the room was available for purchase -- bath robes, walking stick, artwork, $300 duvet cover...

That night, we did exactly what he had hoped to do. Nothing. We hung out outside, enjoyed dinner, read our books and relaxed.

The next morning, we walked across the street to a coffee shop appropriately called "Koffi" -- Em had a very frosted cinnamon roll with an iced chai latte; I opted for a ham and egg sandwich with a mocha latte. Good food all around.

And for the first time, we saw the property in daylight -- so we took the opportunity to explore a bit.

Each building featured a communal outdoor fireplace, there were two pools, a communal building -- where a wedding took place the night before, and just some fun decor throughout.

Later that day, we walked around downtown, did some shopping, then spent some time back at the pool. Reading...relaxing... all good.

That night, we turned on the fireplace, hung out on the patio and ordered some food. We shared a brisquet burger, a steak salad with a fantastic dressing, and some corn chips and some great homemade salsa.

...And we're both absolutely not ashamed to say we ordered the same three dishes two nights in a row. When it's that good, there's no point in trying anything else, is there?

We came home Tuesday afternoon -- but not before visiting the photo both. ...cause everybody needs a Hollywood-style photo.

Phantom of the Opera at The Pantages

2010-10-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

For part of Em's birthday, we took a trip to Hollywood's Pantages Theatre for a showing of "The Phantom of the Opera."

The last time we were there was for Father's Day last year, when we went with Mom and Dad for a showing of "Fiddler on the Roof."

There's something I love about this theatre -- the art deco-ness of it all that makes me feel like I've been transported in time. The Orpheum, downtown, has that same effect.

After both growing up listening to the soundtrack to the musical, it was great to actually be able to experience the dialogue of it all -- where the songs came into play and the emotion behind them.

The costumes and staging here are fantastic. The voices were unbelievable -- and to think that the same talent had to do the same thing a few hours later for the night show was a crazy thought.

We'd always heard about the drama of the chandelier crashing scene closing out Act 1 -- but here, it was more of a chandelier-gradually-swaying-its-way-down-to-gently-rest-on-the-stage...to close out Act 1. We both agreed that the raising of the chandelier in the auction scene was more dramatic than this "crash." But other than that, the show was fantastic.

After the show, we headed east to Palm Springs for a couple days of lounging. More on that later...

Happy Birthday to the Wife!

2010-10-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

Today's Em's 26th birthday -- so now she's officially closer to 30 than she is to 21.

And as somebody who's just months from 30, I find some happiness in her "getting older" grief.

Happy birthday wife!

The $35 Pumpkin

2010-10-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Em and I took a trip to Lombardi Ranch in Saugus with Sara, Jeremy and the boys.

It's a tough situation... trying to get into the Fall seasonal, festive mood, but combating the 96 degree heat at a no-shade pumpkin patch at the same time.

I remember standing at the Ranch, wearing some really cheap sunglasses when I was 14 or 15 as a part of a high school basketball team fundraiser. And strangely, I remember manning the booth with my friend, sweating and trying to sell baked goods. ...and more sweating.

You'd think we would've learned by now that Southern California in October can still be uncomfortably hot.

Both Em and I hadn't gone with kids before, so watching Cole and Braydon run around, hit pumpkins with sticks and yell mating calls to passing trains was a bit fun to be a part of.

And no... we didn't buy the $35 pumpkin.

Getaway to Big Bear

2010-10-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

I love the mountain trees, the cool crisp air, the lack of civilization... so it's obvious why we live in a desert suburb outside Los Angeles.

Last weekend, we went with the entire Barton clan up to Big Bear for a few days. We left Valencia around noon, where it was 93 degrees, and after climbing 7,000 feet via a long, winding road we arrived in Big Bear around two hours later -- where it was raining and 50 degrees.

...and it's because of that climate change why I still live in Southern California.

First...some textual highlights:

Somehow Em has a Cole magnet on her... which is more fun for me to watch as he follows her around saying "Auntie Em."
Braydon's hilarious. And loud. And strong willed. And becomes even more alive when he's walking around the forest.
It's fun to watch Mom as she sits back and watches her entire family interact. She's a quiet matriarch, and she smiles a lot.
Me, Em, Sara, Jeremy, Ashley and Greg were up late one night screaming and yelling and playing Grump. The next morning, Mom and Dad said they loved hearing us laugh. They're special people, I would've been upset about it and done my own yelling...
Turns out me and Em just aren't made to wind down one-lane roads in the fog for an hour or two. Just doesn't feel right.

And now...some photo highlights. Enjoy:

We're Not Pregnant

2010-08-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

I repeat, we're not pregnant.

But this video, below, was still really well done.

Now don't get any crazy ideas...

Ventura County Fair

2010-08-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend, with my parents, we headed out to the 20-degree cooler Ventura for the county fair.

It was a beautiful day -- perfect for some cheese fries, hot dogs, fried Reeses, turkey legs, and funnel cakes.

And the weather was nice too...

M Cafe at Calamigos

2010-07-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

Our 2-year wedding anniversary was last week, so, like last year, we went back to Calamigos -- our wedding venue -- to take a walk and remember.

During last year's visit we discovered the grass field where we took most of our portraits was now a lake with paddle boats and waterfalls.

This year, we stumbled on M(alibu) Cafe at Calamigos Ranch. The outdoor venue is only open Thursday through Sunday, but it's a unique and really creative little eatery.

Housed in the middle of the Ranch, the Cafe offers an al fresco lunch by the lake, with a candlelit patio, cocktails, and live music. During our lunch, there was a nice bluegrass band playing. Bluegrass isn't normally my thing, but for this outdoor venue, it worked.

Guests have their choice of sitting in one of the private cabanas, in the field near the lake, or up on the patio by the bar. We opted for the (shaded) patio.

We really enjoyed our lunch there. So we'll definitely be back -- but for dinner. Seeing the ranch at night with the tea lights and live music should be very cool indeed.

Walkin' the Parade

2010-07-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Over 250,000 people live in Santa Clarita, and somehow, on the 4th of July, the City still managed to have a small-townesque parade.

I've lived in the valley for 20 years now, and this was my first time going to the parade. Partly because we're always looking to do something new, and partly because we were doing some grassroots marketing for one of my Rhyno clients.

We first rolled out of bed at an ungodly hour and headed to the Rotary's pancake breakfast. Not much to explain there. Four bucks for some pancakes and coffee. Cool.

And then with the rest of my Street Team, we walked 3-4 miles handing out free coffee and stickers.

The exceptions being those photos below, almost all of the parade participants were cars and trucks with logos slapped on the side. Not necessarily the creativity of the Rose Parade, but it somehow continues to bring the community together really early one morning, so it's doing something right.

Looking at the photos now and pretending I haven't a clue where they were taken, I can see how the photos would actually look like a small street in a small town.

Instead, it's a main drag that's being 'revitalized' to look old. Never really understood that...

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T09:20:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, I was asked by Daniel over at Vinyl Art to write a guest post for his blog.

And when he asked me to write it about the painting all us kids got for Dad for Father's Day (a portrait of Topol from Fiddler on the Roof), I was thrilled to do so.

What follows below is that guest post...

Nearly twenty years later, I can still see him.

If I close my eyes, I can see the man, standing in the middle of my childhood living room. His arms are raised above his head, shaking them to the left and right. His head -- tilted back; and his eyes -- closed shut. And now, he dances. And as he dances...almost prancing and jumping around the room... his three children giggle with glee.

What those children didn't know that day, was twenty years later, their father would continue to put any shame or embarrassment to the side and channel his inner Tevye to do the "If I Were a Rich Man" dance upon request. And this time, his grandchildren are in the audience.

My family isn't of Jewish descent. And my father? He looks and sounds nothing like Chaim Topol's Tevye. In fact, if you told the employees at his office that he was dancing and playing with his kids, they'd probably scoff at you in disbelief. It just wasn't like him. The confident, black-and-white business man wouldn't be caught doing such a thing.

Except he did anything for his family. Anything to make them smile. Anything to make them happy.

Every five years or so, Father's Day and my birthday fall on the same Sunday; 2010 is one of those years. And the older I get, the more I reflect and realize that my dad did things the way he did to prepare me for the future. His decisions may not have been the easiest or most fun, but they had a purpose.

He didn't talk down to me, but that made it easy to converse with adults. He taught me "average" wasn't good enough, and that instilled a sense of pride for all that I do. He taught me to check my work twice, as if I was turning it into Jesus, and I still check twice before I press "send" on my emails. He didn't buy me a car when I was 15 like my friends' dads did, and that kept me grounded. He taught me my mom was his best friend, and now I have one of my own.

My wife and I don't have any children yet, but I'm certain that when we do, I'll take thousands of cues from my dad as we grow our family. And I know I'll make decisions that my kids will hate. I can only hope they'll grow-up to realize I made those decisions because I care about them and their future.

Giving my dad Daniel's beautiful painting of the singular image of Topol, gazing upwards with the coy smile, is itself, more than a unique Father's Day gift. To me, it was a gesture of understanding and gratitude for what, why and how my father did what he did.

Happy Father's Day dads...

Daily Shot of Happiness

2010-06-18T10:05:00.001-07:00

In case you've been hiding under a rock, this video makes me and around 250,000 other people smile. Enjoy!

The Places 2 Wheels Take You

2010-06-13T03:13:00.000-07:00

The more I ride my bike, the farther I'm able to go. And the farther I'm able to go, the more scenery I'm able to enjoy.

The Southern California desert continues to surprise me with its beauty. Just miles from Los Angeles and I'm able to ride through such a void landscape with so many different colors and texture -- even in the summer months.

Yup, us Barton's are gettin' allll sorts of outdoorsy...

Bloomin'

2010-06-11T23:09:00.001-07:00

Last year, we moved in to our new home in August -- well after any new life had bloomed. And it didn't help that the previous residents didn't use the sprinklers.

But this year, it seems as if every time we walk into the backyard, we find a new bright-colored flower, or a group of new fuzzy peaches on the peach tree.

It's all so colorful and inviting. So much so, we've decided to share a bit with you...

Groovy Portraits

2010-06-04T12:08:00.000-07:00

This post was originally published over at my business-oriented blog, edited a bit and reposted here today because I'm thrilled to be a part of it. Enjoy!

It's been a busy time at Rhyno across the last month or so. And one exciting project from the last few weeks just launched.

Written by artist, Daniel Edlen, "Groovy Portraits: Volume 1" takes Daniel's original paintings on vinyl records and presents them in a autobiographical chronological eBook.

Working on the design, I wanted it to resemble a true coffee table book. Like you're sitting down, relaxing with a drink, gazing down at an open book. And looking down, you wonder how the brush strokes resemble a life-like texture, and on the facing page, reading how that piece of music impacted the author's musical journey.

Side note: Publishers, print this book, and offer 1) a companion CD with music and videos and/or 2) a micro-site offering a more in-depth look at Daniel's work, plus a gallery of companion music and videos.

Musical journeys are something I can appreciate. Growing up, I made a point to never throw away, giveaway or hide any album I purchased. There was a reason I got it in the first place. Doesn't matter if I didn't like it anymore. It was part of my story. ...even if I skip it every time it comes on my iPod's shuffle.

Daniel and I agreed that it wasn't enough to give people a few images and some descriptive copy though. Anybody can do that. We needed to make this something different. Something unique.

So we aimed for a more interactive experience. On each page, YouTube and Amazon live elements offer opportunities to "See the music. Watch the videos. Sample the albums."

I'm really pleased with the way the piece turned out and hope Daniel is just as proud of it as I am.

Now it's your turn!

Visit Vinyl Art today and take a few minutes to sit back and enjoy some art and music. "Groovy Portraits" features around 20 original paintings, and I'm confident you'll be impressed by each one.

Plus, inside the eBook, there's an opportunity for you to save 10% on your very own Vinyl Art portrait -- so you won't want to miss that. Enjoy!

Day 17 - Los Angeles

2010-06-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

"Home again, home again, jiggety-jig."

I woke up in bed around 5:30 Friday morning, rolled over in the dark, feeling the nightstand surface for the TV remote. Finally finding it, I turned it on, flipped to the bridge cam channel, and in the distance flickered the twilight coast of Los Angeles. Home.

Over the next hour and half, we would slowly make our way into the Port of Los Angeles. And just being berthed there that morning as we ate breakfast before disembarkation was nice.

It wasn't that we didn't love our vacation, it was just nice to be back somewhere familiar.

Around Day 12, we found ourselves thinking that it'd be nice to eat and sleep somewhere that wasn't rocking side to side. And after we left Costa Rica, we (ashamedly) found ourselves saying "well, all we have left now are the 3 Mexican ports." What a ridiculous thing to say...

Especially after coming home and realizing that our favorite ports for the entire trip were probably Cartagena (Colombia), the Panama Canal, Huatulco (Mexico), and Cabo San Lucas (Mexico again).

It wasn't that we didn't love the snorkeling in Aruba or the aerial flight through the Costa Rican rain forest. We did. But there were other ports that just felt right. Some more for me than Em, and the same thing on her end.

We both agreed that Fuerte Amador was a waste of a day. But we might have ourselves to blame for that as we never actually left the causeway for Panama City. I suppose somebody could have the same reaction to Cartagena if they didn't leave the fully-functioning port for the Old City -- which was full of culture and color.

During the trip we met a few couples that mentioned that this was their third or fourth time sailing on this itinerary. And though we were in disbelief when we heard it the first time, looking back we can both see ourselves doing the itinerary again.

With only a day in each country, it'd be a great opportunity to see a different side of each port. Instead of snorkeling in Aruba, maybe we'd opt for a more detailed examination of the Dutch influence. Instead of doing nothing in Fuerte Amador, maybe we'd take a trip on the Panama Rail back for a different view of the Canal.

One thing is concrete -- our second time through the Canal won't happen for a very, very long time. Especially since we're already planning a grand European adventure next Summer.

It's good to be home with family and friends. Even if the dogs steal space in the bed.

Day 16 - At Sea

2010-05-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to the ship rocking in the same 10-12 foot swells it left us in last night.

But this time, the ship's navigation channel told us the outside air temperature was only 52 degrees -- a 40 degree drop from the previous ports. A little extreme. And likely contributed to Emma getting sick a couple days after we got home.

After some breakfast, we went down the Princess Theater for a comedic culinary demonstration by the Executive Chef and Maitre 'D. Watching them prepare a caesar salad, pasta and tiramisu actually turned out to be pretty humorous.

The crew-produced show was followed by a stirring rendition of "My Way," sung by a member of the wait staff -- which closed the demonstration to a standing ovation.

Immediately afterwards, we were fortunate to be a part of a tour of the ship's main galley. The galley boasts 4,800 square feet of food prep space (or three times the size of our entire house). Crazy. Oh, and there's an escalator in the galley too.

The tour also included some fairly disturbing consumption facts. Like that 1,200 pounds of poultry are cooked. Daily. And that's along with 1,800 pounds of vegetables. Daily. Annnnddd 2,000 pounds of fresh fruit are served...alllll to amount to 60,000 dishes washed. Daily. To me, those are some pretty astounding figures.

We tried to walk around the Promenade Deck, but our tropical weather disappeared and was only replaced with 50 degree gale force winds...with large, loud swells. Not exactly great for walking. But on the after terrace of the ship, there was little wind -- which made relaxing a bit easier.

Throughout the cruise, the Cruise Staff held a series of "Amazing Race" competitions inspired by the reality show on CBS. Today was the finale -- which meant we watched as two elderly couples tried popping balloons stuffed inside sumo (wo)men outfits by jumping on one another. But only jumping one each other after they took the glass elevators to Deck 8, ran around Deck 8, then ran down the stairs to the bottom of the Atrium on Deck 5. All while fellow grandparents watched in shared shock and confusion.

It's a somewhat fantastically hilarious sight watching as somebody's grandfather yells to his wife (as he's dressed in a a sumo outfit), "Hit me!!"...and she proceeds to hit him with her boxing gloves-covered hands....right before she jumps on him while he's lying on his back in the ship's Atrium.

Later, with some free time (and no good weather to relax outside with), we went down to the Explorer's Lounge to watch the final art auction of the season. And while I doubt it was influenced by the flowing free champagne, we watched as a man confidently purchased a $20,000 Pablo Picasso sketch. We were shocked.

Did I mention that up in the Horizon Court this afternoon was the dessert buffet? Basically, you could have any dessert you wanted -- they were all lined up for your taking. So Emma made me take a plate so we could collectively have as much as possible. Gluttonous...

For our final (spoiled by the dessert buffet) dinner:

Emma
Appetizer: Watermelon and feta
Salad/Soup: Caesar salad
Main Course: Linguine with clams
Dessert: Love Boat Dream

Ryan
Appetizer: Shrimp cocktail
Salad/Soup: Grilled vegetables
Main Course: New York strip steak
Dessert: Sweet mud pie

As we wrapped up dessert, the lights dimmed and members of the waitstaff gathered for the presentation of the Baked Alaska -- a dessert and Princess staple -- parade. It wasn't as visually impressive as it could've been if the desserts had a real flame, instead of a battery-powered light, but the thought and attitude of it all was great.

After dinner, we caught a showing of "It's Complicated" -- which was actually funnier than I thought it would be. But it was more interesting listening to 600 audience members laugh hysterically at parts of the movie I didn't necessarily find all that funny. Age gap I suppose.

Wrapping up the night, we walked down to the Universe Lounge and caught a few songs by the Princess orchestra doing some standards as a part of the Ballroom Blitz show.

Which was followed by Princess Pop Star -- a version of American Idol at sea. We stayed for 2 1/2 of the 6 final contestants. The 1/2 was the nail in the coffin and signaled our escape. Really, really bad. Just awful.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Los Angeles

Day 15 - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

2010-05-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today's wake-up call came at 4:45 a.m. Holy crap. Out on deck, it's so dark and void of activity.

Even while in the buffet, where we're getting an early breakfast, we were suddenly the only living things under the age of 70, walking around this 90,000 ton empire.

As we eat our breakfast, we're actually still en route to Cabo San Lucas -- where we'll be for around 6 hours or so.

Similar to Fuerte Amador, Cabo is a tender port -- meaning we take a small boat from our anchored ship to the port -- about a 20-minute ride each way. Little did we know this ride would be among the highlights of the day.

We were asked to meet with our tour group in one of the lounges downstairs at 6:30 a.m. -- which was a bit odd considering we wouldn't really be anchoring until 7:00 a.m.

Shortly after arriving in the lounge, we stepped out onto the floating dock where we were board the tender. And the view was simply amazing. The ocean below us was a bit chopping, but the sunrise in front of us was gorgeous. On the horizon, visible rays were shooting out from behind the sun. The photos below aren't retouched -- I didn't change any colors or balances.

Twenty-minutes later we stepped from our tender, took a few steps on the Cabo pier, and then stepped aboard a yacht for a ride around El Arco de Cabo (Los Arcos) -- a distinctive rock formation at the southern tip of Baja California. You recognize it in photographs, but it's exponentially more impressive in person.

So tall, such texture in the towering formations, the smooth beaches, the pelican and sea lion colonies.... and of course, the way the ocean reacts when the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean. In a word: angry.

Once our yacht turned around the tip of Baja California and into the Pacific Ocean, large swells rocked our 30-foot yacht pretty royally. And for 5-minutes (that felt like hours), I felt terribly sick and Emma felt terribly anxious. I was going to throw up, and Em was going to march up to the captain and tell him to "go faster." And suddenly, he turned around and all was well. And we felt stupid... kind of like the guys in the plane scene in "Almost Famous."

Once we returned to the harbor, we took some taxis to Baja Cantina -- a private beach overlooking the harbor and Los Arcos in the distance. Our package included lunch and beach-side relaxing.

There was literally a roped fence around the resort area -- which designated where vendors were allowed to be. So when we arrived, vendors blocked our oceanview with trunks full of sunglasses, bracelets, and wood carvings.

After a few morning hours in the sun, we ventured into the Sea of Cortez for a swim. And were immediately shocked by how cold the water was -- definitely a good 10-15 degrees colder than the water in Huatulco.

After dragging Em into the water -- under her shoulders -- it wasn't so cold anymore; instead, it was quite refreshing. But even if the water wasn't nice, we would've forced ourselves into the water -- after all, after swimming in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Alaska, and the South Pacific, we had to go for a dip in the Sea of Cortez.

Today's excursion also included a beach-side lunch -- so we ordered a few steak tacos and a plate of chicken nachos. It was so fresh with so much color. And free to boot! ...and that makes everything taste better.

Our solitude was interrupted a bit by our fellow passengers -- who were all Canadian, and all wanted (for some odd reason) wanted to buy anything from any passing vendor. So, in front of us for most of the day, stood a sea of white-collared vendors. Oh!...And Los Arcos too...

Today's vendors had a few new catchphrases -- of course, the standard "Lady!" and "Special deal for the honeymooners!" were present. But new in Cabo were "Buy now, pay later" -- just to let you know they take credit cards -- and the new one, "Almost free!" But when I asked how free was "almost free" (is a penny free??) the vendors got upset and kept walking. Oh well..

As we stood in line waiting to catch a tender back to the ship, we were both surprised by the size of the Federale's guns. Seriously. They looked like toys.

A little after 3:00 p.m., we pulled anchor from Cabo and began our trip North toward Los Angeles. And immediately as we made the turn across the tip of Baja, we were met with gale-force winds again. White caps across the ocean and nautical flags which are so wind blown it looks as if they have too much starch in them means it'll be a rocky night. Which is unfortunate especially since tonight is our last formal night.

Like we said before, tonight was the itinerary's last formal night. But since we had breakfast at 5:00 a.m., lunch at 10:00 a.m., and second lunch at 2:00 p.m., our dinner may have been a bit spoiled.

Emma
Appetizer: Caesar salad
Main Course: Lobster tail with shrimp prawn
Dessert: Carrot cake

Ryan
Appetizer: Peach mango cold soup
Main Course: Beef wellington tenderloin
Dessert: Chocolate pudding pie

As we walked out of the dining room, we hung out in the Atrium for a bit for the Captain's Farewell message -- which was all of "Thanks for joining us on an epic journey from East to West Coast" in a broken Italian accent.

Here, we also learned that the ship's miles per gallon were an industry-leading 35 feet per gallon. But then again, we also weighed more than the average SUV...and carried around 3,000 more people than the everyday vehicle. Across the cruise, we collectively consumed over 10,000 bottles of beer, 4,000 wine bottles and 6,500 pounds of self-serve ice cream.

After dinner, we saw a comedian who evidently has a pilot airing on Fox in 3 months. But if his 45-minute show is indicative of his upcoming sitcom, his Jersey-boy comedy will quickly fall short.

Following his act, we walked down midship to watch 3 couples participate in the Not-So-Newlywed Game. One couple, who were married over 20 years, knew nearly nothing about one another. Very sad.

But we left encouraged by the coupled married 40 years who knew each other without flaw. Oh, they also compared their love life to the energy of Superman.

Nineteen hours after waking up, we decided we'd had enough activity and went to bed.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 14 - At Sea

2010-05-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

For the past week and a half or so, we've had high, heavy humidity coupled with high temperatures -- giving us that wonderful "I'm melting" feeling.

Once we left Costa Rica for Mexico, the climate and surrounds changed -- from lush green and sticky to dry heat and brown hills.

Now, as we sail from Acapulco to Cabo San Lucas -- located at the southernmost tip of Baja California -- out on deck, we're experiencing the coolest weather thus far. It's overcast, very windy and hasn't yet broken 80 degrees.

As we lay by the pool, the wind makes it a bit difficult to read as our pages are being flipped by the wind faster than we can read the words on them.

We realized earlier that between our Alaska cruise last year and this Central America venture, we've spent nearly a month at sea (23 days) just in the last year. Craziness.

Tonight was the Chef's Dinner -- with items created uniquely by the Executive Chef -- Chef Nilo -- and created specifically for our itinerary.

Emma
Appetizer: Goat cheese souffle
Salad/Soup: Boston lettuce salad
Palette Cleanser: Strawberry sorbet with lime
Main Course: Rack of lamb
Dessert: Menage a' trois with amaretto ice cream

Ryan
Appetizer: Goat cheese souffle
Salad/Soup: Mushroom soup with tomatoes
Palette Cleanser: Strawberry sorbet with lime
Main Course: Braised pork tenderloin
Dessert: Menage a' trois with amaretto ice cream

At dinner, we sat near a nice couple from Toronto who had a strong interest in all things California -- our failing economy, fickle weather, etc. The California Tourism Board would be proud.

After dinner, we picked up some drinks and headed back to an absolutely packed Universe Lounge for a juggling comedian named Dan Bennett. For me, running on the treadmill was hard, so I can't imagine what it's like to try and juggle on a bouncing ship. His jokes may have been a bit crude for the audience, but his hand/eye coordination was impressive.

While swimming in Huatulco's ocean, we saw some terraces on the aft of the ship. So part of our lazy day included finding the portal to these not-so-available balconies. At the back of the ship, these terraces are found on most decks and feature ample space for a lounger, plus a great view of the ship's wake. Very quiet and relaxing.

It's just a shame it took us 12 days to find a great, private corner. Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll be heading to the aft terrace to read -- after all, it's void of old men in speedos to seem to be absolutely unashamed of all things body-related. And surprisingly, these aft terraces are only featured on Island and Coral Princess -- the other 15 Princess ships don't have them. Kinda strange.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Day 13 - Acapulco, Mexico

2010-05-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

So I'm currently sitting in the Acapulco port terminal before we board the ship after a day in the city. Emma is finally talking to Marina on a nice long distance call, and while I sit here, my shirt is drenched with sweat. I feel disgusting.

Today's Monday -- and it is today that the residents of Acapulco are celebrating Mother's Day -- or at least that's what all the street vendors are telling us. Not quite sure if they're telling the truth or if they're just trying a new angle to increase sales.

From the ship, Acapulco looks impressive -- hilltop resorts, inviting water and boats galore. But it isn't until after you step across the secure port border that you're attacked by cabbies and "government paid" tourist guides. I'm still not sure which guides were actually sponsored and which were impostors.

We made our way along the harbor shoreline -- past the fisherman fileting this morning's catch near the sidewalk. Each tourist-looking couple we passed along our way said the same thing: Not much to see here. The alternative being paying to watch a lunatic diver jump off a cliff.

So instead, we walked near downtown -- with a pseudo government-sponsored (maybe) guide wouldn't leave our side -- to the Old Market.

The market seems to be one big cooperative with store owners helping in other's stores. As we walked from booth to booth, the owner would turn on the lights and the fan to make sure we were comfortable -- so we'd spend as much time there as possible. And as we walked out, off go the lights and fan. In one store, we were admiring a wood-carved bowl which appeared to be hand-painted and glazed. We started at $75, got it down to $25 and then walked away wondering how much the bowl was actually worth.

We picked up some maracas for Cole and Braydon -- because Sara and Jeremy explicitly asked for a very loud and annoying toy for the boys. <--- sarcasm

After the shopping spree, we headed down to Fuerte de San Diego and museum -- only to find out it was closed on Mondays. Neat.

Did I mention Em did her best to blend into the Mexican culture today -- my petite white girl with the blonde hair wearing a new white dress we bought in Fuerte Amador. My all white companion...

The downtown cathedral is small but vibrant. When we arrived, mass was being held so we quietly observed the ceremony without taking photos or video. Which is a bit of a shame seeing how beautiful the interior of the dome was.

Today was also a change for us. While walking through Cartagena, Em was called "Lady" while bracelets were being thrown at her. But here in Acapulco, the sales pitch changed to "best price for the honeymooners." Oh silly street vendors, how you slay us...

Even though we're only a couple hundred nautical miles from Huatulco, it's amazing to see the difference in cultures. There's of course the Mexican standards (cuisine, music, colors, etc.), but Huatulco was more of a small-town feel. Which we absolutely preferred.

Back on the ship, we somehow managed to take a nap before the Italian-inspired dinner in the dining room.

We arrived at the dining room a little later than usual, so we didn't have our normal wait staff. Instead, we were assigned Jorge -- who would give us a menu -- but then tell us "No, you don't want that. You want this instead." Okay Jorge..

Emma
Appetizer: Eggplant Parmesan
Salad/Soup: Minestrone vegetable soup
Main Course: Pot roast / shrimp to share
Dessert: Tiramisu and rouleau to split

Ryan
Appetizer: Nippy peach soup
Salad/Soup: Minestrone vegetable soup
Main Course: Fish saltimboca and fettuccine / shrimp to share
Dessert: Tiramisu and rouleau to split

I wish I could tell you the dishes' exact names...but Jorge's method didn't really allow for it.

We sat next to an older couple who had sailed with Princess 11 times -- and with an August Alaska trip planned. Watching them interact was great fun -- listening to the wife tell her husband he needed to finish his potatoes and take another bite of his salmon before he could have his Love Boat Dream dessert.

Tonight was also "Island Night" on the top pool deck -- where grandparents take their shirts off, drink alcohol from neon glasses and dance to the macarena without abandon. Which is a trainwreck to watch, but still impressive to see that many people all having fun at the same time. Especially when one of the games that night was called "Chunky Hunky Man" or as we know it: musical chairs.

Walking back to our room, we encountered one Asian lady who may have purchased every pool toy available... as she carried them back to her room. If anything, it was funny. At least it was that night. Very random. Especially since we never saw anybody in the pools with pool toys.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 12 - Huatulco, Mexico

2010-05-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

We pulled into Huatulco (pronounced Wah-tool-coh) a little before noon -- an hour earlier that our itinerary suggested. And that was nice, especially considering the call was only a few hours anyway.

When we walked outside, one thing was immediately clear. Gone was the constant, heavy humidity of the previous 11 days. Now, in our first of three Mexican ports, the very dry heat was here.

The small town of Huatulco is expected to be the next Acapulco -- which, as we would find out the next day -- would be pretty upsetting. For now, it's a quaint port, and full of the Latino culture. It's almost like a Mexican version of Venice -- with water taxis and canals galore.

We walked the small shop circuit, avoiding the men without boundaries who only want to pull you in to make eye contact.

After picking up a few souvenirs -- including some colorful and festive decorative plates for the backyard -- we headed down to the soft, sandy beach at the front of town for a quick swim.

The water was extremely warm (we'd later find out back on the ship that it was 88 degrees warm). It wasn't the cool retreat we really wanted it to be -- in fact it was almost like looking around to find the kid peeing as he's swimming past you, only to realize, nope, it's just that warm here.

It was a little strange walking around -- especially just outside the secured port -- and passing Policia Federal armed with rifles that just didn't look real. But it should be said that we never encountered any violence currently associated with vacationing in Mexico. None.

Until we arrived that day, we were considering a mountain bike excursion that visited the big three bays of Huatulco. But after getting slapped around with the heat, there was no way we were voluntarily paying to exercise. Not that day.

Looking back, Huatulco is one of our favorite ports. It was different, it was a pleasant change, and it wasn't too busy. It was nice and relaxing. Quaint and funny -- especially when the trumpet in the mariachi band wasn't able to hit that high note in "Tequila!"

For dinner:

Emma
Appetizer: Crawfish pastry
Salad/Soup: Thai chicken soup
Main Course: Beef tenderloin
Dessert: Vanilla souffle with Lady Godiva cream

Ryan
Appetizer: Fresh mozzarella and tomatoes
Salad/Soup: Potato and ham soup
Main Course: Tilapia
Dessert: Oreo and peanut butter chocolate pie

Later that night, we tried watching "Avatar" in our stateroom (there was no way were spending 3 hours downstairs in the Theater) -- but couldn't help finding blatant comparisons to Pochahontas and Dancing with Wolves. Especially on our 17-inch screen. Oh....and what's up with the weird beastiality thing in that movie? Weird, right?

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: Acapulco, Mexico

Day 11 - At Sea

2010-05-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

After spending 8 hours in the heavy, hot and humid rain forests of Costa Rica, a sea day is a nice break. No obligations or early morning meeting places for the day's excursions.

Instead, we wake up whenever we want and take our time doing everything and anything -- whether it's a long shower, a no-hurry lunch from The Grill or reading poolside.

Today, as we sail past Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras we plan on doing just that -- nothing.

We actually won't arrive in tomorrow's port, Huatulco until around 1:00 p.m. tomorrow -- maybe sooner if the Captain "floors it."

In all directions around the ship, only blue ocean is visible. But back at the mid-ship pool, we find natural wonders of the "at sea."

Men and women with no shame, bright red bellies, gorilla-like back hair and some of the uglies hats known to man.

It doesn't make it better that the pool is "endless" -- there's a 2-foot high wall around the perimeter of the pool so water doesn't escape during rough seas. But that also means when we look up from our reading, we watch as a large man moves from lying down in the 1-inch water around the pool and slowly executes a not-so-graceful turn into the pool itself. Very Discovery Channelesque.

After a Horizon Court dinner (remember, today's a day of no obligations, so dinner's included in that thought), we went downstairs for a comedy/magic show in the Universe Lounge.

The entertainer said if the magic trick didn't work, it's suddenly the comedy portion of the show. Hmm. Despite all his tricks, his routine was pretty elementary... and boring.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Huatulco, Mexico

Day 10 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica

2010-05-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

We pulled into Puntarenas, Costa Rica -- the actual port was called Caldera -- around 5:00 a.m. this morning. Today's call is actually pretty long -- 14 hours -- and that's mainly because very little is actually in the port city.

Our excursion today, for example, was a 2-hour bus drive away. The end destination? An aerial tram ride, walking tour and lunch in Costa Rica's tropical rain forest.

Our young tour guide, Joseph, was impressively sharp. Very well spoke, better educated, and a passion for his country that was unmatched.

Listening to his commentary as we drove, we learned about the country's deep pride and commitment to itself. They pride themselves and exporting better tasting coffee than the nearby Colombia (which is true, their coffee is fantastically-smooth), being labeled the "happiest people" in the world by a CNN study, and being ecologically-friendly in any circumstance -- they (as a majority, of course) actually volunteered to pay nearly $7/gallon of gasoline being imported from Venezuela than harm their own coastal reef in search of its own resources.

This same though extended to the aerial tram itself. The tram soars over 1,000 feet above the ground -- and if stepped back you could see the tram's structure were built in a natural valley, not one carved about the by company. Further, the peace and natural sounds of the rain forest itself aren't ruined by engines operating the trams. Instead, the tram ride is functioning completely silent. They mentioned that rather than ruin the vegetation with construction road up the mountain, in its initial building stages, the company opted to install the tram towers via helicopters -- lowering each tower down into place.

Each of the aerial gondolas seated 8 passengers (which were distributed by weight... a little weird, but understandable) along with a tour guide, seated in the bag who gave commentary on what you were seeing and pointing out any wildlife that you might normally miss.

Along our 40-minute flight, we were fortunate enough to see a wide variety of butterflies, hummingbirds, waterfalls, streams, "old growth" vegetation -- which is thicker than most rain forests, wild turkeys, alligators and tucans who liked "kissing" each other -- and all without ruining their native habitat. Unfortunately, because we're in their home, they were either too far away, too quick, or blending in too well with their surroundings for us to actually get a photo of them.

As you're sitting in the gondola, (look up, look out, look down and repeat) you're overwhelmed with green. It's everywhere, in different shapes and sizes. And for a moment, a caught myself wondering when we'd see something different -- you know, to break up the green forest we were sailing over. But I had to remind myself that this was some garden with colored flowers and bright trees placed for variety. This was the rain forest in its purest form. Idiot...

Later, Em and I were talking about how attractions like Disneyland's "Jungle Cruise" are so dominate in our minds it makes it a bit difficult to differentiate between a man-made forest attraction, and the original. Yes, we know one is real and one is built over an orange grove, but it's almost like we had to force ourselves to be impressed by the Costa Rican version. So sad.

Everyday, we like to sit back and boast to ourselves where we've been thus far. Yeah, I'm checking email from Costa Rica, sorry, service was a bit sketchy in Cartagena, and not much better in Panama. And in our fantasy bragging, we realized that even though these countries are culturally very different, their stances on social classes are actually pretty consistent.

Today, as we traveled away from Puntarenas and closer to the city of Jaco (where our rain forest adventure began), you noticed as real estate billboards stopped reading "Se Vende" and started reading "For Sale" -- basically the acknowledgement that wealthy Americans were seeking retirement homes in foreign countries.

After our aerial tram, we walked on the ground -- a different view of the same forest. Passing by colorful ginger and oregano plants, and not-so-colorful cocoa and coffee varieties, we also manages to stay away from the snake exhibits.

The last part of our excursion was an outdoor buffet lunch -- with this amazing chicken, fresh pineapple (did you know Costa Rica exports more pineapple than Hawaii does?), and chilled drinks.

Upon our return back to port, we walked the volcanic black sands of Costa Rica's beaches and perused the selection at the local flea market.

A somewhat comedic sighting on our walk up the pier to the ship -- a series of speaker rocks playing some flavorful Costa Rican music. Seeing a rock-shaped speaker, sitting on a concrete-coated pier, with wires hanging off the edge made us smile -- we were happy they tried to make us feel welcome, but laughed at the foreign placement of all these rocks.

Back on the ship, and after cooling down with those frozen towels, we returned to the main dining room for dinner:

Emma
Appetizer: Calamari
Salad/Soup: Beef and vegetable stew with empanadas
Main Course: Braised oxtail with pasta
Dessert: Apple strudel

Ryan
Appetizer: Calamari
Salad/Soup: Frozen melon trio soup
Main Course: Beef stroganoff
Dessert: Almond toffee with chocolate chips

You'll note we both had the calamari appetizer -- we both love fried calamari. But to our surprise, this dish wasn't fried -- so on our plates were squid tentacles, plain and simple. Not bad, just different.

We pulled out of Costa Rica a little after 7:30 -- and marking the first time we were joined in port by another cruise ship. Which is a bit strange since during our Alaska trip, there were always a minimum of three ships in port at one time.

After grabbing some mochas from the bartender in the Atrium unabashedly singing Elton John's "Your Song" ("I hope you don't mind! I hope you don't mind!" ...no other lyrics, just those.), we found ourselves relaxing out on the Promenade Deck as the ship's wake washed in the background.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 9 - At Sea

2010-05-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

Every night after dinner, we receive a 4-page document called the Princess Patter -- it's basically an outline of all the activities available on the ship for the next day.

The usual content often includes some background about the next port, how we'll be sailing there, the entertainment line-up, special activities, etc. But last night, the note from the ship's navigator was a bit interesting. It encouraged us to look from the side of the ship, as we sail, for birds diving into the water for fish. The name of the birds? Brown Boobies...

As we read that one little paragraph, we hoped it was a misspelling... I mean, come on really-important-science-researchers! You couldn't give it another name??

Today has been a lazy day thus far. Reading by the pool, having lunch by the pool, watching a crew member carve a fish out of an ice block, grabbing some blended drinks in the Atrium and now, relaxing..again.. but this time on the Promenade Deck. There's a nice breeze and a great horizon view.

Tonight was the second formal night on the itinerary. But to mark the occasion, we dined at one of the ship's two specialty restaurants -- Sabatini's.

Sabatini's is a separate venue all in itself -- from Italian-inspired decor, extremely attentive waitstaff (you could tell these guys were hand selected for this job), not to mention a huge 6-course feast.

The waiters were great the entire night. Everything from offering "freshly-squeezed water from Alaskan glaciers," -- which as a joke is probably funnier on Alaskan cruises, but it still worked -- to one Romanian waiter saying "holy moly guacamole" for occasions that might not have called for that phrase, to calling each other gigolos, to kissing the hands and and hand-serving bites of ladies' meals at the nearby table. It was just a really fun, relaxed atmosphere.

And the food? It's not your Olive Garden, generic Italian food from back home. With hundreds of Italian crew members onboard with you, this was an authentic, Italian meal made from only the freshest ingredients. And you could tell.

They gave us a menu when we sat down, but told us shortly after that we would only be ordering a main dish and dessert for ourselves. Everything else was already ordered for us... if only we knew..

First, we were served a sample platter of cold appetizers (peppers, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, shrimp, anchovies, prosciutto, etc.). The second course, hot appetizers, included crab cakes, ricotta cheese, calamari, zucchini and 3 slices of artisan pizza.

So by this time, already not knowing what was still ahead of us, we were a little stuffed, but diving into this selection. Really.. how often do you get to have all of this food, that you've never really had before...in one sitting?

The third course was pasta. The Barton family loves pasta, but not as much as the carb-loving Godwin side of the family. So this course was a bit of heaven.

Here, we enjoyed ravioli with goat cheese and truffles (which was, dear Lord amazing) and egg noodle pasta with a wine sauce, which was reduced over a two-day process.

Fourth course was soup or salad -- we both chose soup -- and sampled some minestrone and seafood options. Again, amazing.

And finally! We're sitting there waiting for our main courses, looking at each other and not really knowing how we're going to eat a main dish and a dessert to follow. So we tried to just sit and let some time pass, enjoying our window view. And all of 3 minutes later, our dishes arrived. For me, a Chilean sea bass, and for Em, lobster tail.

Finally, we capped off our night with some amazing tiramisu (which our waiter called tira-miss-me) and white chocolate mousse and limoncello.

We said "amazing" a lot during this meal. So yes, completely stuffed.

The specialty restaurants carry a $20 cover charge (per person), and it was well worth it. It's not just a different place to eat, it's a completely different experience... and actually a completely separate galley from the main dining rooms.

After dinner, we stopped by the Universe Lounge to see a production show starring Adrian Zmed (of TJ Hooker and Grease II "fame"). We saw a good 3-minutes of the same show during our trip to Alaska -- but after just 2 minutes of the same show this night, we remembered why we walked out of it eight months earlier. It's just not fun watching a former television "not-really-a-star" on stage, out of breath, tone deaf, drinking from a water bottle and talking about his career. So sad.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Day 8 - Fuerte Amador, Panama

2010-05-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

After passing through the Mira Flores Locks yesterday, we anchored a mile or so outside Panama City in the harbor for an overnight stay in Panama. Again, shocking to just say the words, "we're staying overnight in Panama."

Our itinerary boasted a 2-day Panama Experience -- so yesterday was about the Canal while today was about Fuerte Amador (our port of call) and Panama City (the closest city of interest).

Fuerte Amador is actually a tender port -- meaning you and a hundred of your newest and closest friends cram into a lifeboat-style vessel taking you shoreside, where a larger cruise liner wouldn't fit or be able to navigate.

The port itself is actually a causeway built outside the Pacific entrance to the Canal -- and it's made from the dirt and rock excavated during the Canal construction. Now, it functions to keep silt out of the Canal (where depth of the Canal) is a concern. It's also the gateway to Panama City.

Going into today, we had no intention of venturing into Panama City, but we took the tender into Fuerte Amador just to look around.

The tender's a bit of an interesting ride... especially when you're boarding and the tender is slamming up against the hull of the ship... really not making you want to tumble into the sea or anything...

Twenty minutes later we were ashore and experiencing the hottest, most humid weather to date. Understandable I suppose considering we were only 7 degrees north of the equator.

One of the day's objectives was to find an ATM (the ship's was out of order). And for some reason, we were surprised by how many blank, confused stares we got when asking for the closest ATM. My Spanish capabilities aren't as sharp as they once were, but we did okay. Even if we did get my Dad a genuine Panama hat... made in Ecuador.

Along with that, some wood colored pencils and a bilingual coloring book for the nephews, that's about all we did in Fuerte Amador.

Back onboard the ship, we savored the Cinco de Mayo fiesta buffet -- burritos, rice, margaritas, fun decor, etc. Interestingly enough, native residents don't celebrate May 5th -- only us holiday-lacking Americans.

Later, we decided to skip dinner in the dining room, and instead, opted to lounge in and around the pool. Which also meant, spoiling dinner for myself by accepting a soft, warm cookies from our poolside attendant -- a Princess signature feature -- afternoon cookies and milk.

Wherever we are, it's fun to take a moment and remember where we actually are, and how far away from "home" we are at that moment. After all, we'd hate to forget what it feels like to have that privilege at this time in our lives.

Today was, for the most part, a relaxing day, but in hindsight I'm not sure either of us really needed a second day in Panama.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 7 - Traversing the Panama Canal

2010-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

This morning's wake-up call came at 5:30 a.m., because we were scheduled to traverse the first locks -- Gatun Locks -- by around 6:00 a.m.

The Panama Canal itself is an engineering wonder. It doesn't use any water pumps, any hydraulics -- only gravity. Secondary to the engineering, the ship has, at most, maybe two or three feet on either side of it. Craziness.

Evidently, other passengers' wake-up calls came earlier than ours -- because the front of the ship was three people deep.

After we got through the first set of locks -- which takes around an hour (to fill up and rise at each stage), we anchored near the entrance to the man-made Gatun Lake for a couple of hours. The Canal's...canals aren't all wide enough for two ships to pass in opposite directions (North or Southbound). So we had to wait for the "traffic" to pass.

The region around the Canal is simply gorgeous with rainforest terrain on all sides. Beautiful.

Think of the Canal like a giant toll booth. For our ship to pass, we had to pay over $330,000 -- which is based on your vessel's weight. In contrast, American adventurer Richard Halliburton swam the canal in 1928 and only had to pay 36 cents.

One thing that comes to mind when staring from the ship rails is how incredibly lush the Canal's shores are. Different gradients of green in the trees that seem to go on and on for miles.

Even more interesting is to consider that the tree tops we were staring at were -- at one point -- the tops of mountain ranges that are now covered with dammed river water.

As we sail through, it's taking around 9 hours to go from the Atlantic side to the Pacific side of Panama, we're finding it highly difficult to snag a lounge chair on the sunny top deck. So instead of fighting the leathery orange people, we elected to relax in the same chaise loungers on the Promenade Deck. Quiet, shady and unparalleled views.

The Canal has three sets of locks -- Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Mira Flores. And at each one, passengers crowded the decks to watch as the ship rose and fell -- 85 feet up, and then down again. It's truly amazing to watch as water's gravitational pull raises a ship weighing 92,000 tons in the matter of minutes.

It's even more captivating when, while inside on Deck 5, you look out the window only to see pure stone walls that are nearly 100 years old.

On our Alaska trip, when sailing out of Vancouver, B.C., we passed under Lion's Gate bridge. There's something "world-traveler-romantic" about sailing under a piece of architecture so monumental. And this day, we sailed under the Centennial Bridge and then the Bridge of the Americas -- marking the end of the Canal and entry into the Pacific Ocean.

At the last set of locks -- Mira Flores -- we made sure to wave around our homemade "From Panama with Love" sign. Ours read: "Dear Panama, Canal we stay lil' longer??" Unfortunately, I think all but two gentlemen actually recognized our pathetic play on words. We thought it was clever anyway...

As we passed under the Bridge of the Americas and into the Pacific (where we anchored for the night), we were slapped with the reality of the day's trip. It was made possible by one engineer -- and thousands of other men... One hundred years ago, where we were sailing wasn't a river, it was a series of mountains. That was a crazy realization.. for me at least... especially as the skyscrapers of Panama City slowly creep into view over the treetops.

For dinner, we skipped over appetizers since during the transit a fruit buffet was available:

Emma
Salad/Soup: Caesar salad
Main Course: Filet and shrimp
Dessert: Crepes with chocolate cream

Ryan
Salad/Soup: Chicken wonton soup
Main Course: Red snapper
Dessert: Sache torte

At dinner, the lady sitting near our table leaned over and told us her favorite part of the day was when she was done with dinner and would walk out of the dining room without paying. And she's right. We didn't pay extra for the day's sights, music, food, bedroom or sloppy entertainment. And that made it easier to escape completely from our reality.

We're now anchored outside Panama City, where the sunset and the lit skyline is quite the impressive sight to end our night.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: Fuerte Amador, Panama

Day 6 - Cartagena, Colombia

2010-05-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

Laying in bed and watching the ship's bridge cam as we approached Cartagena was a bit strange -- for all you could see was a wall of high rises. Some were complete, but more were in the in-between stages of construction.

Last night at dinner, we sat next to a nice older couple that mentioned they visited Cartagena on a previous cruise through the Panama Canal. And when they did, they saw the city by tagging along with a few other random passengers from the cruise on an independent tour.

And since we didn't arrange a Princess-sponsored excursion in Cartagena, we decided to do the same. Safety was, of course, our highest priority. So traveling in a group was a must.

After we docked, we were greeted by 1) very thick humidity, 2) a fully operational port, and 3) a swarm of Colombian men -- each in white polo shirts and each one (somehow) offering "the best way to see the city."

A tall man, Franklin, offered to take us around the city -- and -- with a group of travelers from our ship in a van. So for $20 a person, we took him up on it. ...only to realize 20 minutes into our almost 5-hour tour that I only had $13 in cash. Neat.

So that's correct Emma's family! As her husband, I took Emma into the country of Colombia, agreed to pay a stranger $40, and then, only after he took us a few miles into town in a blank white van, I decided to tell him I lied to him, and didn't actually have the money we were supposed to pay him.

Following a brief panic attach, he graciously allowed us to pay him with a credit card at a jewelry store he partnered with. Annndddd, crisis averted. I'm allowed to have one screw-up over 17 days...right?

Our first stop was the historic Spanish fort, Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas. Some background info:

Building was complete in 1789 (a 200-year process), creating the largest fort to guard Cartagena against pirates, who besieged the city five times between during the sixteeenth century.

The fortress is built of red brick and concrete, and designed so even if one part of the fortress fell to invaders (which never happened), the defenders could fire from another part.

An extensive system of tunnels is connected underground and were all constructed in such a way as to make it possible to hear footsteps of an approaching enemy.

Our $20 tour didn't include entry into the fort, but it was quite the view from outside. Looking up at it, you couldn't help but think you were on a leg of the Amazing Race.

We didn't even get out of the van before a group of vendors started hawking souvenirs by pressing them up against the windows and screaming "Lady!" We got out and were a bit overwhelmed by the no-personal-space approach of the vendors. For one man, a vendor wanted $10 because he put a hat on a gentleman while he wasn't looking. The same went for beads, necklaces and other jewelry.

Cartagena has both an Old City and a New City. The Old City has an 11-mile wall (in some places, the wall itself is 15-meters thick) around its entirety. And at one point, the wall, which was built with military purposes, approaches a view of the Caribbean.

An interesting part of the trip -- when describing attractions or regions, Franklin made sure to tell us the social class of its residents. People weren't "poor," they were "down" class. It was strangely important that he made that distinction.

During our tour, we also visited the Cartagena Cathedral, Plaza de Santo Domingo and other attractions within the Old City walls. It's hugely vibrant -- such bright colors, amazing architecture and sweet peas flowing off balconies -- not bad for a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The night before our arrival, the City received a bit of rain. But between the 95% humidity and the lack of an irrigation system, many streets in both the Old and New Cities were completely flooded.

Evidently, Cartagena is also the (maybe self-proclaimed) emerald capital of the world. So part of our trip, we think because Franklin was part owner in the jewelry shops, included two stops at emerald shops in the New City. Very pretty. Very colorful. But very expensive. Especially considering they weren't imported out of the country. But maybe the price was because they were "authentic." In either case, we didn't claim any jewels on our customs form...you do the word math...

For dinner:

Emma
Appetizer: Mesquite chicken breast
Salad/Soup: Caesar salad
Main Course: Beef medallions

Ryan
Appetizer: Fruit cabob
Salad/Soup: French onion soup
Main Course: Fettuccine alfredo

Back on the ship that night, we went to a production show called "Piano Man" -- which was a tribute to Elton John, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Manilow and Liberace. It wasn't bad, but not out-of-my-seat entertaining.

After the production show, we went for a showing of "Have you Heard About the Morgans?" -- a film with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker. Once again, Em watched, I slept.

Looking back, we're both really glad we decided to venture into Cartagena -- it's a city full of life and color. Even more happy we saw it with a guide. If we hadn't, it wouldn't have been one of our favorite ports on the trip.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: Traversing the Panama Canal

Day 5 - Aruba

2010-05-18T03:06:00.000-07:00

We've all heard The Beach Boys' song that goes "...Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I wanna take ya...," but when you're in the bright blue Caribbean water and snorkeling off the Aruban coast, the lyrics take on a whole new meaning.

But do you know where Aruba actually is?? Because we didn't.

We knew it was in the Caribbean, but it's actually only 17 miles off the coast of South America's Venezuela and is actually part of the Netherlands. So we were pretty far from home -- and that's sometimes a very cool feeling -- to know that we're in the Caribbean, between Venezuela and Aruba. So cool.

When we pulled into port, we climbed aboard an open-air party bus -- complete with reggae music and a bus driver that honked the bus' horn to the song's beat. ...And the same bus driver that drove around the round-a-bout twice before he said "oops! wrong way... oh well, get your hands up! right! left! right! ..."

We took the party bus to a beach outside town for a snorkeling trip. And by 'outside town' we really mean, just a few miles away -- especially since Aruba is only 21 miles long by 6 miles wide. One side of the country is very beach/resorty, while the other side is very desertesque with cactus throughout.

The snorkeling itself was pretty amazing -- and great for comparison when we've also snorkeled in Hawaii and Alaska. What a privilege!

Compared to Hawaii, it was interesting to see the fish in Aruba not dart away when you dove underwater. Instead, they just kinda stared you in the face, waiting for you to make a move. We also expected the Aruban fish to show-off with bright colors and variety. But they were actually pretty tame; the water itself though was crystal clear -- and very warm 86 degree water.

The ship pulled out of port around 1:00 p.m. , so after our excursion, we didn't have any time to actually walk around town.

Instead, back on the ship, we spent the rest of the day making a "From Panama with Love" poster for our transit through the Canal. Evidently, holding a sign from the ship for the locals to see is a popular activity -- you'll see our design in a couple days... but, turns out painting on a moving cruise liner isn't the easiest thing to do...

Again, we enjoyed dinner in the Bordeaux Dining Room:

Emma
Appetizer: Crab cake
Salad/Soup: Iceberg quarter with hard-boiled egg
Main Course: Pork shoulder with chimmichurri
Dessert: Warm brownie

Ryan
Appetizer: Caesar salad
Salad/Soup: Strawberry smoothie soup
Main Course: Homestyle turkey with dressing
Dessert: Strawberry shortcake

After dinner, we tried to catch a comedian, but the entire Princess Theater was packed with white hair.

We quickly headed out of the Theater and tried watching a crooner in the Universe Lounge -- who I'm fairly certain actually believed he was Sinatra.

So we left that show too, and elected to walk around the ship's Promenade Deck. This was followed by some card games, Uno and a game of checkers -- which Emma still believes I cheat at... but I'm still confused as to how you'd cheat at checkers...

To close out the night, we went to a showing of "Precious." And by 'went to a showing', I of course mean Emma watched while I slept in the chair next to her.

Photos from the Day

Video from the Day

Tomorrow: Cartagena, Colombia

Day 4 - At Sea

2010-05-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

To make sure we didn't sleep another 12 hours, we muted the channel on our stateroom television that showed the ship view from the Bridge. It acted like a window. So when the sun rose on the bridge cam, a bit of sun would also fill the room, and soon after, we'd also rise out of bed.

Like yesterday, gale-force winds rocked the ship. So that meant running upstairs in the Fitness Center was tough -- swaying from side to side mid-stride, nearly falling off the treadmill, etc. An experience that was unpleasant enough to be the last time I visited the Fitness Center for the next two weeks.

For lunch, we grabbed some pizza at the poolside pizzeria and laid out on the top deck to enjoy some sun and books.

An hour or so later, I headed aft to Centre Court for a basketball game. Unfortunately, in my walk there, the clouds opened and gave us some gale-force wind-supported rain. A 5-minute surprise to say the least.

After losing a game of HORSE to the only other guy in a rain-soaked shirt, I headed back to the pool and promptly fell asleep. Sleep -- which would prove to be a theme for the next 12 days or so.

That night, we returned to the Bordeaux Dining Room for dinner.

Emma
Appetizer: Chicken and eggplant empanada with plantain chips
Salad/Soup: Caesar salad
Main Course: Skirt steak fajitas
Dessert: Some sort of chocolate dessert we can't recall

Ryan
Appetizer: Shrimp cocktail
Salad/Soup: Caesar salad
Main Course: Seared salmon
Dessert: Strawberry and pineapple ice cream sundae

Following dinner, we tried to walk around the Promenade Deck, but it was far too windy. Not cold; just windy.

So instead, we played a few games of ping pong in the Lotus Spa pool area. Em has a problem with miniature sports (golf, ping pong, etc.). While miniature in size, she still powers through her stroke. So things tend to get a little carried away.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Oranjestad, Aruba

Day 3 - At Sea

2010-05-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well that was interesting...

Last night, in our interior, windowless, stateroom, we went to bed around 12:20 a.m. And when I woke up, I did so in complete darkness; you know, no windows and all.

I looked at the clock, and it read 12:24. But there was no way I'd only been asleep for 4 minutes. And that's when I saw the little "P" next to 12:24. And shortly after, dawned the "Holy crap, we've been asleep for 12 hours! Our day is half gone!" feeling.

Evidently, we needed the rest.

After rising from our half-sleep, we walked out into the balmy weather the Caribbean Sea so kindly offers -- along with a freshly-grilled burger from the poolside grill. Oh and gale-force winds. Seriously, the Captain's channel on the stateroom television actually said "Gale Force 8."

And gale force winds mean bigger waves which mean pool water that doesn't like to stay in the confines of the pool... as seen below.

We skipped the first formal dining night (there are 3 on this trip) and opted instead for a more casual venue at Horizon Court. So no cuisine photos to brag about this day...

We capped off the night seeing Dan Horn -- a comedic ventriloquist, the Champagne Waterfall, and finally a showing of "An Education" -- a movie, with the screenplay written by one of my favorite authors, Nick Hornby. He also wrote the novels that were the base for movies like "High Fidelity," "Fever Pitch," and "About a Boy." This movie was a bit different from his other projects, but still well done.

Seeing we slept for half the day, we only spent around an hour or so out by the pool -- reading and napping. But in those 60 minutes, Emma managed to burn herself to a crisp -- on one of the first days at sea. Realllll nice.

Hopefully, this $11 bottle of aloe vera will do the trick...

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 2 - Island Princess Sailaway

2010-05-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Did I mention we slept in a full-size bed last night? Or more accurately, I slept and Emma tossed and turned all night.

Our bed at home is a queen-sized bed; not huge, but certainly more space than the full-sized piece of furniture from this night. But with 2 dogs and a cat stealing valuable real estate from us, you'd think that without them a full-size bed would be sufficient. But that'd be wrong. Especially when the night stand separating the 2 full size beds seems to be connected to the floor.

If I can arrange it, I try to travel in the daylight, if only so we can see the city we're sleeping in. Well, as the sun rose and our wake-up call came in, "Good morning, today's high is 80 degrees with a low of 71," we were greeted with a strange rooftop view -- from our 3rd floor room.

Downstairs in the hotel lobby, while waiting for the bus transfer to Port Everglades, an elderly German lady leaned to Em and commented that we were probably the youngest couple on the ship -- seeing we were surrounded by "eagles" -- people with white hair. In broken English, it sounded heartwarming. Especially after she gave Em a German fashion magazine in exchange for Em's US Weekly.

Going back to Princess -- let alone the same ship we sailed in Alaska -- was a bit like a homecoming. Comfortable and familiar.

We're a deck lower (Baja, Deck 11) than our last trip; with an interior cabin -- where we were greeted with a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries from my parents. Absolutely amazing.

The sailaway party on the top/Lido Deck featured live music from a band called "Passion," who would play around the ship throughout the cruise. But for the sailaway party, it was the first opportunity for passengers to escape completely and become people they wouldn't let their coworkers see -- like when they danced the Electric Slide. Kind of shocking to see grandparents dance with strangers with a drink rocking in one hand.

Part of our cruise included Anytime Dining -- our option to eat whenever and with whoever we wanted to. Each meal included an appetizer, a soup/salad, a main course, and a dessert. And just for you, we recorded every dish we had the pleasure of eating..

Emma
Appetizer: Shrimp cocktail
Salad/Soup: Caesar salad
Main Course: Cajun creole pot pie
Dessert: Flourless chocolate cake

Ryan
Appetizer: Melon trio
Salad/Soup: Spinach tortellini soup
Main Course: 5-Star Princess rib
Dessert: Love Boat Dream

That night, we watched "Nine" -- which wasn't the greatest of movies -- kinda slow, kinda boring.

After, we headed up to the Fitness Center for a run before we headed up to the Horizon Court -- the 24-hour buffet -- for dessert. We enjoyed free hot chocolate in Alaska, but in the Caribbean, hot chocolate is only available for a fee. Still good. Just not free good.

And while I know we're only 8 hours into this sailing, it's already just as rocky as our voyage across the Gulf of Alaska -- around 7.5 foot swells. Not too bad, just not exactly comfortable.

Video from the Day

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: At Sea

Day 1 - Ft. Lauderdale

2010-05-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

This morning around 7:00 a.m., along with 1,800 other travelers, we pulled into the Port of Los Angeles aboard the ocean liner, Island Princess.

After 15 days at sea, cruising the Caribbean, transiting the Panama Canal and exploring the Mexican Riviera, it was good to be home. But what an amazing adventure it was.

And to make sure we remembered every moment of the once-in-a-lifetime trip, we did 3 things: took around 1,000 photos, shot around 30-minutes of video, and I kept a written journal of the day's activities.

For the next week and a half or so, if you decide to -- you can view, watch and read it all.

Panama Canal Adventure - Day 1 - Ft. Lauderdale

So! First up, we flew from LAX to Ft. Lauderdale aboard Virgin America. It was the only non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale... especially after United wanted to charge us $800 for one, one-way ticket. Neat.

Shortly after we got through LAX security, we had the trip's first celebrity sighting -- John Lithgow -- who was waiting for a flight to JFK.

For those who haven't flown on Virgin, the airline offers a very customized travel experience -- from unique decor, satellite television, cuisine, games, web access, etc.

And it was here that we had the trip's 2nd celebrity sighting -- Suge Knight -- eating outside the airport's Chili's ToGo venue. Except that I made the mistake of thinking it was just a guy who looked like Suge, and proceeded, within earshot, to say "Look Em, it's Suge Knight! Maybe he knows where Biggie is!" And we somehow managed to get out alive.

But compared to Alaska, where the only celebrities were possibly Palin or the cast of "Deadliest Catch," Lithgow and Knight were a bit of a surprise.

In our August trip to Alaska, we fell in love with the walking-friendly city of Vancouver, B.C. In contrast, Ft. Lauderdale isn't. Unless the local Hooters qualifies; and it doesn't. So instead, we had dinner at the Marriott, followed by a candy bar dessert up on the pool terrace.

And that was really nice. A cool breeze off the pool, sitting together on an oversized recliner and looking up at the moon while classical music was piped in through a fake rock nearby.

We wrapped up the night with a hot cup of Cozy Chamomile -- which became a nighttime staple during our Alaska trip -- during a disturbing episode of TLC's "Hoarders." Seriously, I'm not sure how TLC gets away with still leveraging "The Learning Channel" as their name.

Already, the 3-hour time difference is screwing with us a bit -- especially when our luggage needs to be outside our room for transfer to the ship the next morning by 9:00 a.m.

Photos from the Day

Tomorrow: Island Princess

Hello from Cabo!

2010-05-12T07:07:00.001-07:00

Hello from Acapulco

2010-05-10T10:23:00.001-07:00

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Hello from the beautiful Island Princess.

2010-04-29T10:20:00.001-07:00

Dessert with the wife on the pool terrace.

2010-04-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

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2010-04-28T16:33:00.001-07:00

Hello from a warm Ft. Lauderdale.

2010-04-28T11:34:00.001-07:00

Aboard Virgin America with service to Ft. Lauderdale.

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A farewell for now from LAX...

2010-04-28T10:11:00.001-07:00

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Random on Purpose -- Part 3

2010-04-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here again, is a your short and concise gathering of all things Ryan and Emma. And only short and concise because we can't devote enough time to writing dedicated posts on each of the topics. Not yet anyway.

Eating healthy is expensive, but totally worth it. Between our quest for "food color" and all things organic (which has become easier thanks to Abundant Harvest), going to the market is a bit of a new adventure.
In related, but hypocritical news, we bought tickets for the "all-you-can-eat" seating section at Dodger Stadium... All the processed hot dogs, high-in-sugar sodas and fattening nachos you could want...
...unfortunately, we're 0-for-2 in games we were planning to see but weren't able to actually attend. I guess that's what happens when Southern California is treated with springtime rain.
We took a day yesterday and went to the Festival of Books at UCLA with the entire Barton clan. Thinking back, I think me and Em have gone every year for the last five years. Each year is a little bit more crowded, and fewer things surprise us. Like the guy with the pocket protector towing a stack of books in a kid-sized Radio Flyer, all while spilling his lemonade on your sandals as he passes... yeah, he's normal. Cole enjoyed the face painting/tattoos, spending time with his Auntie Em and seeing books galore. And Braydon liked running. He always likes running. ..who wouldn't?

While at the Festival, I again realized what a huge fanboy I am for all things Dave Eggers and McSweeny's. Their publications exude creativity. And I can't get enough of them, even though I can't spot the time to give them the literary justice they deserve. And if you really want to know more about Eggers, watch his TED talk here.
In 72 hours or so, Em and I take off for our trip to Central America. A little over two weeks of doing absolutely nothing... unless we want to do differently. So far, snorkeling in Aruba, enjoying an aerial view of the rain forest in Costa Rica and taking a trip to Los Arcos in Cabo are on the list. We'll be sailing on Island Princess, just like we did when we vacationed in Alaska. Many thanks to (Emma's) Sara and Ashley for taking care of the kids while we're away. If you'd like to watch us transit the Panama Canal in real time (and are keen on waking up around 3:00 AM), you can watch the ship's bridge cam here.

When we do get back, we'll be covering each stop along the way with its own blog post. Last year's Alaska trip was a bit overwhelming -- one post covering 7 days with a 20-minute video. Not exactly easy to digest.

That's it for now...more when we return!

Want to See a Scary Photo?

2010-04-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a few weeks ago... and as Emma may have told you, I've been a bit of a fitness/diet freak lately.

The reason? Shortly after Thanksgiving I was slapped with the fact that I had reached an all-time high weight. Don't know how it happened. I didn't really take notice of it; and Emma *says* she didn't notice my weight gain, but it happened. If you saw it..shame on you for not telling me.

Regardless, our Wii Fit confirmed it when it showed me that according to its BMI calculation I was statistically on the 'overweight' border. But now, the almost-always-creepy-little-Wii-voice congratulates me for lowering my BMI and losing 32 pounds. Neat.

So here you go -- its the scary photo. They're both photos of Em and I -- the first, taken at Thanksgiving, and the second, taken recently at Easter.

So! For all you who told me I didn't have weight to lose, you're wrong; evidence is above. And for everybody else who wanted to know what I did, here ya go -- 10 steps, in two broad categories:

>> Exercise

Bike - I started by riding my bike in the morning before leaving for work. Partly to wake up so I'm not in a half-sleep when I'm at the office. But biking is also a great way to exercise. It's not a "rough" exercise, and you get to ride through some pretty fantastic scenery. Em joined me from the very beginning and it's turned into an activity we look forward to doing together on the weekends. Now, I finally bought my road bike, and am enjoying the sport even more.

Kettlebell - Think of a kettlebell like an all-in-one gym. It's basically a cannonball with a handle on it. And because of it's 'no-center-of-gravity' attributes it's a great fat-burning tool. Em and I each have one and try to use them daily for 20-30 minutes. They work to enhance your core muscles and balance -- all while shedding fat due to the still-active rest periods.

Run - I hated running a couple months ago. But since giving myself the "Before 30" goal of completing a triathlon, it's grown into part of my routine. Along with my new Vibram Five Finger shoes, I've been working to build up my distance tolerance rather than bugging myself about intervals. Running is now more of a goal I want to tackle and triumph over, rather than a nagging activity I need to do.

Swim - The final component of my triathlon training is new to the routine. Once upon a time, I was a budding smooth-stroke swimmer. And now, I'm still trying to find my stroke. But when I'm able to tap into that smooth cycle, swimming is really fun -- especially now that I have my waterproof iPod case and headphones.

Walk - Em and I try to walk around the neighborhood a few times a week. It helps us 'come down' from the day at work without immediately sitting in front of the TV. But we try to walk whenever we can; walk instead of wait for the closest parking spot, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk around the office complex at lunch just to get some sun -- it all adds up...

>> Diet

Livestrong.com - Without a doubt, I wouldn't have made any progress if it weren't for Livestrong. Every day, I visit the 'MyPlate' section of the site and log any and all food I have, plus any fitness activities. By telling the site what my height and weight are, coupled with how many pounds I want to lose each week, the site gives me a daily caloric limit. And by logging my day's consumption, I'm able to see what foods are better for me than others. It's free, easy to use, and highly motivational.

Paleo - Have you ever seen a picture of a fat caveman? That's basically the entire idea behind the Paleo lifestyle. The Paleo diet asks -- would a caveman been able to eat this? And if not, you don't either. It's a reallllly big extreme, so I've tailored it back for myself so it's more of a "if it wasn't around for my grandparents, I don't eat it" type statement. What you find yourself doing is eating more like a hunter/gather, and less dependent on processed foods.

Color - In every meal, I make a point to add color. Fruits and vegetables are a huge part of it. Before, too many times, the meals were a sloppy cream/brown color -- and nutritionally, that's not a good thing. Make a point to add color to it; help your taste buds out and give them some real food.

Timing - This was a pretty tough -- my "last meal" cut-off became 8:00 p.m. In doing so, I made sure I aided the digestion of my meals before slowing down my metabolism and hitting the sack. I also made a point to eat something following my morning workout, helping to increase and regulate my metabolism.

Keep it Natural - I wanted this to be a long-term lifestyle, not something that I'd lose and suddenly gain back. So you'll note the absence of any over-the-counter pills or anything of the sort. Vitamins are excellent supplements to diet and exercise, but I wanted to stay away from anything that comes with "results not typical" claims.

I'm like everybody else; I went into it thinking that I was already tired enough and I couldn't afford to spend any more energy exercising. But it's true, getting up early and starting out my day doing fitness increased my energy levels and transformed my moods (I'm not nearly as moody anymore...promise).

It may not be for everyone, but it worked/is working for me. It's not always easy or fun, but if you're looking to change your lifestyle -- not a quick fad diet -- some of those points could also be for you.

Any questions, let me know!

Santa Monica ArtWalk

2010-03-22T15:59:00.001-07:00

After Saturday morning's community bike ride, we got ready for the Santa Monica ArtWalk.

But first, no trip to Santa Monica is complete without a stop at Tito's Tacos. A neighbor to Santa Monica, Tito's has served up slow-cooked Mexican food since 1959.

Aside from its long, out-the-door lines, Tito's is special to us for a couple reasons. It was our first date 8ish years ago (an awkward double date) and then, it was our pre-proposal meal before we drove to the Pier (I'm romantic like that...).

After some grub, we headed over to the Santa Monica Airport to see Daniel Edlen's vinyl exhibit at ArtWalk (you may remember my 3-piece collection from Daniel).

Hosted in some old airplane hangars, over 60 local artists opened their studios to exhibit their work.

It was pretty cool to see Daniel's stuff up in the main hallway, and even more fun to hear people comment about which pieces they liked -- especially after producing the introduction video to Daniel's work.

So! Busy weekend. But totally worth it.

Hitting the Trail

2010-03-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, the wife, Ashley and myself joined a few dozen other cyclists for the City's 3rd annual "Hit the Trail" event.

Starting at three different sites around the Valley, the leisurely 6-mile ride was a family event that ended at Bridgeport Park -- where we enjoyed free subs and smoothies from local vendors.

It's the days like this that make us really appreciate where we live. Yes, the neighborhood is very family oriented -- but more than that, getting out into the blue sky, upper-70s-in-March weather simply can't be beat.

10 Tips for Buying a New Home

2010-03-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe, but it's been over 6 months since we moved into our new house. Craziness.

And each time we walk around the neighborhood we feel extremely blessed to live where we do. It took a long time, a lot of stress and a lot of patience to finally get the home we did. It's a quiet, family-oriented neighborhood, it has a backyard for the pups -- it's perfect.

I've been sitting on this post for awhile now; mostly because it's hard to put all our thoughts down on paper. But here's our quick list, in absolutely zero particular order. Share with others as you feel led.

Be careful with timelines. It's no fault of ourselves or our agent, but imposing timelines on a home search can really open the door for compromise. If you do have a timeline, I really suggest doubling your lead time to make sure you're not pressed near the end of it. We began our home search in January and didn't actually close until August...after a 3-month escrow. Which leads us to our next point...

Don't compromise. For us, this was a house we're going to be spending years in. Bringing newborns home to. Raising children in. ...eventually..don't pressure us..we WILL fight back... And because of all of that, we didn't want this home to be something that we settled for because we were frustrated by the process or had a lease term to compete with. Granted, those were both obstacles, but sometimes you need to slap yourself around a bit to rearrange your priorities.

Find an agent that's right for you. Yes, your friend may have really liked Joe Silk Shirt Realtor, but that doesn't mean you will too. As we mentioned, this can be a really long process. So make sure you can see yourself 'courting' one another for awhile. This means being able to communicate the same way too; if you like talking via smoke signals, make sure your agent can too. Just because you meet with an agent doesn't mean you've necessarily hired him. Interview your heart out.

Have fun. Especially if this is a first-time buying experience like it was for us, you need something to break the frustrating monotony of really bad properties. Don't be frustrated by the blue-striped garage mural... laugh it off. No matter how irritating you might think it is, that irritation isn't going to remove the mural. This also applies to cracked sinks, missing cabinet doors, and the classic let-the-kids-draw-on-the-walls-with-marker-before-we're-kicked-out.

Don't get burnt out. Looking at houses, calling your realtor, browsing the MLS, and looking at houses again gets exhausting. Make sure you play too. Go to a movie, go on a walk, go on a weekend getaway. This is the digital age, so don't worry about missing anything. If you're out of town, you're okay. After all, we closed on our house while we were in Alaska. Bryan really pulled through for us while we were on vacation. Not only did we close escrow, but when we got back to the mainland, he arranged for our house to be repainted, and the new floors to be installed so we wouldn't need to worry about it when we returned. So if we can do that, you can go out to dinner. But make sure you have a good agent to back you up.

Identify your 'must haves.' It'll be tough to find that house that has absolutely everything you want, so what are you willing to give up? Do you NEED to have a formal dining room, or would you give it up for a big backyard? These are all up to you, don't let anybody pressure you into anything else. Tell your agent what really matters to you and specifically ask not to see a home that doesn't have a few of your 'hot' items.

Don't fall in love. This was one of the toughest things we dealt with. We'd find a house, fall in love with everything it was, make an offer, and then get destroyed emotionally when we were outbid. You, of course, need to make sure you can see yourself living there, but you may want to stop short of already knowing where the area rug is going. If you fell in love with the house, chances are lots of other people did too. For us, it stopped being about comparing prospective properties with one another. Instead, it was more about comparing properties with our current home. Was it an improvement? Was it horizontal?

Expect to be surprised by something...anything. Every situation is unique -- for us, there were complications with the squatters/tenants. Then there was legal action. Then the short sale was turning into a quick foreclosure. And more. But when we went into this home none of that was really on the table. All of it came as a bit of surprise. There will ALWAYS be something you weren't ready for. So you can freak out about it, or you can be calm, accept the absolute worst case scenario, and then develop a solution for it. We found the latter is much more effective.

Be grounded. It's easy to get caught up in the moment and decide to spend more than you can afford on a whim. Don't do it. You (hopefully) established your financial limits before this journey began. So abide by them. Don't let your sudden love for a house you can't afford change any of that. The same goes for your agent, don't let him push you into something you can't afford. Unless he's willing to subsidize your monthly payments... For us, it was important that we could afford the mortgage on one income. It may be a different rule for you, but don't break your own rules.

Pray. This really belongs at the top of the list. No matter how much you (think) you want something, it really doesn't matter if God's not in on it. Pray for direction; pray for peace of mind. There's really no point in stressing out if you realize you're not really the one in control.

Feel free to add to our list -- surely there's something we've missed!

The Man with the Gorilla Feet

2010-03-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

...that's me!

After I surpassed a self-imposed minute-per-mile mark, I rewarded myself with new running shoes -- the Vibram FiveFingers KSO.

Italian-made, the FiveFingers encourage a barefoot-style of running -- greater agility, shorter and 'bouncier' strides, increased balance, etc. So while promoting the barefoot sensation, the sole still provides protection from the ground.

I'm not going to lie, they certainly take some getting used to -- especially when you're trying to get each toe into its respective 'home,' but after a week or so, they slide on and are great fun -- at least for me. I haven't been stopped yet on a run, but it's a kick watching people try to figure them out.

Join us next week where our hero adopts a gorilla mask to complete his costume...

Random on Purpose -- Part 2

2010-03-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

We're counting down just over 50 days until we leave for Central America for a few weeks. It's kinda crazy. I'm pretty sure we should be more excited about the trip than we currently are.. but we'll blame our exhaustion on that. More on all this as we get closer.

After much thought, I've finally settled on a "before-I-hit-30" goal -- a sprint triathlon (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run). That being said, in addition to my current biking routine, I'm also running (pathetically) and soon to be swimming.

And because of that, if you know somebody who's willing to part with their road bike for absolutely zero cash, I'll actually ride it so you can use that space on your garage wall (Hi Bryan!).

Rocco and Bella are weirding us out. Out of nowhere, they suddenly started licking each other's mouths. Gross. Evidently it's a sign of affection between two dogs living together -- acknowledging and respecting each other. But to me, it's a sure sign I won't do well with a teenage daughter.

I'm over 20 pounds lighter than I was in the beginning of December (I still blame Ashley's cheesecakes for that weight gain). Much of the loss due to biking daily plus a modified diet. I owe a lot of accountability to Livestrong.com. Again, when I have more time, I'll get into that process a little more.

If you actually look at the "what he/she's reading" sidebar at ryanandemma.com, you'll note that Emma's apparently in a morbid mood lately. Like every other female lately, she's been diving into vampire books -- first the Twilight series and most recently, a series that always has the word "dead" in it. Encouraging...

Apparently we live in "Awesometown." This campaign is so discouraging on so many levels. And I've thrice debated critiquing it on the Rhyno blog, but elected not to each time so I'm not appearing overtly negative. But seriously... it's embarrassing to live here now.

It's not fair to blame it on Amy, but I'm a huge Menchie's fan now. Not to say that Emma's not, but in my mind, every time is a good time for Menchie's. In her's, there's also time for a burger.

That's it for now...

When I'm able to get to bed the night before the next day begins, we'll be sure to digress about my upcoming purchase of gorilla-like shoes, my 5-10 steps for shedding weight, and a few posts bragging about all the places we'll be visiting in a couple months.

Laguna: 2 Years Later

2010-02-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, in February, in Laguna, Emma and I took our engagement photos.

So this month, for our Valentine's Day celebration, we took a trip back to Laguna, back to the beach we took our photos, and back to the restaurant we ate dinner at shortly following the engagement photos. All this plus an ocean front hotel room -- where I swear the waves were climbing four stories up onto our balcony and under the sliding glass door.

But we had a fantastically-relaxing time -- reading a book out on the balcony above crashing waves -- along with amazingly-clear weather. Oh, and breakfast at a "too healthy" cafe, a charming bookstore on PCH, and a nursery that never seemed to end -- but in a good way.

So many photos, and so little strength to keep my eyelids open long enough to talk in detail about them. So instead...here's 15 or so photos for your viewing enjoyment.

Sometimes You Just Need to Laugh

2010-02-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

This video is certain to reverse any bad day, mood or otherwise. So share as you'd like.

Color!

2010-01-16T22:23:00.001-08:00

There are many reasons why Southern California will likely be our home for years to come. Aside from family close by, the weather is probably at the top of our list.

Take today for example. Today, Em and I took a late morning 10-mile bike ride, returned to the house and played in the backyard with the dogs, and then took a stroll along the paseos before dinner. And we did so in shorts, a t-shirt and sandals... in January. Or at least I did; Emma doesn't do shorts.

And with today's great weather comes some pretty amazing colors. The vibrant blues, the bright yellow the leaves are still changing into, and the bleached white clouds that somehow turn pink as the sun sets into the Pacific.

Yup, we're pretty blessed.

A Few of Emma's Favorite Things

2010-01-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

There's a neighborhood a couple miles from our house called Bridgeport. It's situated around a man-made lake -- complete with its own unnecessary lighthouse, ducks, paseos, and waterfront views.

This neighborhood has now become Emma's dream neighborhood after we took a bike ride around the lake... and then again when we took the dogs on a walk, lakeside.

I suppose it's my own fault really for showing it to her in the first place, but everybody can have a dream. But I think this dream is going to cost another two jobs. Maybe three.

It's going to be busy around here...

Vagabonding

2010-01-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Over the last week or so, we've been fortunate to have some time off together. With that, we took a Monday day trip to Pasadena.

With the Rose Parade just a few days away (when we went), City workers were setting up bleachers along Colorado Boulevard in Old Town.

After a great lunch at 1810, it was a day spent shopping.

On our way home, we stopped by the Rose Bowl, where the parade's floats were being decorated, marching bands were rehearsing and security was in full force.

Since 'SC played in the Emerald Bowl the day after Christmas (so pathetically disappointing), we went down to The Grove on New Year's Day.

One of my favorite parts of The Grove is the view of the downtown skyline from the top of the parking structure. I have this deep love for the LA skyline -- and the view from The Grove is unparalleled.

Part of The Grove's complex is Farmer's Market -- which just celebrated its 75-year anniversary. After picking up some fresh fruit, we sat for some nice sandwiches and classic Southern California people watching.

While there's a wide variety of retailers at The Grove, only a select few meet our fiscal standards -- we're not the family to pay $200 for a t-shirt -- but we'll certainly browse the bookcases at Barnes & Noble.

It's great to be able to spend some quality time with each other -- especially during the holidays. And even more so when "the holidays" continue to offer 60 degree weather.

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas from Southern California -- where it's 63, sunny, and without a cloud in the sky.

That's how we do Christmas here...