toblers @ balboa: part 2

The next week started off with a lovely Sunday and a stroll around the Newport Beach Temple - my fave.

Brendan and Megan hopped on a plane back to the Midwest earlier that morning diminishing our party by two.  So very sad. 

And to add sadness to sadness, I sent Dave off and back to work on Sunday night.  I'm so silly, but it was crazy hard to say goodbye for a whole week!  We did this for almost 3 months while we were engaged, but I guess something about living together everyday for the last two years has gotten us a little attached to each other or something.

Needless to say there was a lot of this going on during the week:

Sans David we did throw Chris an early surprise 30th birthday bash that was pretty darn fun.  Good friends, sloppy joes, and ice cream cake.  What more could a soon to be 30-year-old want?

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and we made one final BalBar run on Tuesday night and said goodbye to Chris & Kristin on Wednesday morning.  Leaving it just the three girls and dad at the beach house.

And once everyone left the weather somehow took notice because the sun went into hiding and afternoon showers weren't unheard of.  

But we decided not to care.  Seeing as how we only had three bikes, and there were only three of us left (with dad at work during the day) we figured a bike ride on the peninsula was in order.  We rode the ferry over - which is always so fun - and cruised the Newport boardwalk.  My bum was a bit (a lot) sore afterwards, but such is the price you pay for choosing the bike with the tiniest seat.  My fault.

Fortunately the clouds eased up a bit and proved to be excellent canvas for some spectacular sunsets.  So I won't complain about them too much.  

And them, boom!  When David joined us again on Friday?  Sunshine.  Just like that.  If I'd known it was going to be that easy I would have made him come down sooner ;)

That last Friday was spent basking in the sun, reading on the porch, swimming the canal in front of our house (exhausting to us non-swimmers) and, of course, strolling Marine Avenue for dinner and a BalBar.

And that was a wrap!  We woke up early the next morning, swept the kitchen, packed out bags, Dave said hello to Bubbles the pug down the street, and we said our goodbyes to Baron Cottage.

I could get used to an annual family tradition like this...

highlights #65

It's been such a fun (and long) two weeks away that it's kinda been hard to adjust back to the day-to-day of normal life!  What is it that do again?  I guess it doesn't help that I'm sick and down for the count right now.  While I go take more DayQuil and find a kleenex here are some fun finds from my last few days of couch sitting.

go away, I'm reading

I'm in love with this bathroom (especially the tile floor!)

I've started to do a one-line-a-day journal from my phone and am totally loving my DayOne app

this blows my mind, definitely watch the video of how it's done

never get tired of the Brits and their fascinators 

a great story for all you Craiglist hunters

David sent me this link the other day.  Enjoy.

and for some reason I was looking at wedding dresses this morning - this one and this one are so perfect
(and while we're talking weddings, this one - shot by my fave Jessica Claire - is so stinkin' fun and full of whimsy)

xo

toblers @ balboa 2013

Two weeks in the sun later I'm baaaack!  I don't have much of a tan to show for it, but I do have a lovely summertime cold.  Ah well, it's been known to happen.  So I'm going to sit on my couch watching Scandal in my pj's, and blog about the past few weeks of family time.  And what a lovely couple weeks it was!

All nine of us stayed in a tiny little beach house on the East Bay Front of Balboa Island that only had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and only two of those bedrooms had doors to them by the by...good thing we like each other.

We also took family pictures for the first time in something like 7 or 8 years which is something of note.  We added three new faces since those last pictures were taken and new ones will probably be around when we go to take the next ones.

We putted around the island on a Duffy boat one morning:

And we also took it upon ourselves to solve one of the Island's the world's biggest questions: Which of the 3 sweet shops on Marine Avenue, Dad's Donuts, Sugar 'N Spice, or Too Sweet, has the best BalBars and frozen bananas??? 

A completely serious blind taste test was conducted and the results were...

In case that picture is hard to read Too Sweet completely swept the board for best frozen bananas and it was almost a tie for the BalBars.  There were 3 votes for Dad's and 4 votes for Too Sweet.  Megan and I were the mediators and, therefore, didn't participate in a full blind test, but if it's worth anything we voted for Too Sweet for both. (Sugar 'N Spice didn't do so hot...they actually got no votes at all! We laughed every time we saw their long line after that - they were, however, the first BalBar stand on the island and get bonus point for that)

We spent the rest of that afternoon out in the water.  With kayaks and SUP's (stand up paddle boards) to go around we overloaded all of them and got the whole gang in the water.

 **Those are NOT two-seater kayaks by the way...

While we were out on the bay the day before we actually saw people doing yoga on their paddles boards...what the what??  Obviously I'm having no problem doing my warrior 2 pose above. (??)

Next was the 4th of July which was so very festive and fun.  The flags were up and out all over the island and everyone was in the red, white, and blue.  The 4th of July also happens to be all the in-law's favorite holiday (no pressure) so it was extra fun to be all together.  The boys went golfing, the ladies stayed and relaxed, a boat parade went by, good food was eaten, Lucky Undies was played (card games people), and fireworks off the North Bay front were watched.  It was a full and festive event.

The rest of the week was spent eating delicious cinnamon rolls from a local bakery (which I am craving right now).

We also finally made it across the bay to the peninsula to find some waves, wrecked havoc on the beach with a giant sling shot of sorts, and generally enjoyed every minute.

** I promise Dave is wearing shorts

 
And that was only the 1st week!  Unfortunately most everyone was gone the second week we were there.  Actually, that includes David.  Since I am currently jobless I would have just sat around at home in Santa Clarita...so why not sit around at the beach house instead?  A whole week is the longest Dave and I have ever been apart and we celebrate our 2nd anniversary next month!

Craziness.

Part two to come!