Sunday, August 29, 2010

Day 10-Seattle, Washington (OUR LAST DAY)










Hard to believe this is our last day! You wouldn't guess it, as we keep finding new things we want to do. However, the kids are getting up later and later each morning. So, I think we have officially worn them out! Today, we swam a bit in the hotel pool and showered in the the hotel spa (it was a hotel guest privilege), Leah especially liked the cool showers and yummy smelling shower products. She even combed her hair, on her own, in the spa dressing room. We checked out of our hotel and headed out to experience a bit more of what Seattle has to offer.

Our first stop was to grab the Seattle Monorail down to the Seattle Center to go up in the Space Needle. Leah was a bit disappointed that it only lasted 90 seconds and was "so short." However, when we got to the Space Needle and Dad bought her the "VIP" Passes to go up in the space needle, she felt much better. We got to skip the lines and got a "free" beverage at the top and a piece of FUDGE! No big savings, but Dad didn't have to wait in the two hour line to get to the top with a demanding 5 year old!

After that, we caught a cab and headed over to the Ferry Boat Landing and took a ferry over to Bainbridge Island. Now that "was a highlight," Guy's words! It was beautiful and we FINALLY were able to see Mount Rainer. What an amazing mountain, actually the 5th Largest in the world and still a live volcano (of some type-had some fancy name for they type of volcano and it escapes me). We thought we would grab dinner on the island. We landed at a quaint and friendly restaurant (I think the name with Winthrop's) and they had amazing hamburgers and very yummy local brews. We also had a great waitress that completed the experience. After dinner, we decided to grab some ice cream for dessert (a local recommended the stop, when we were on the ferry). We stopped at Mora's! Wow...now that was ice cream! Perhaps the best we have ever had. They make it right there on the island. Noah had Blueberry and Peanut Butter Chocolate with Oreo Cookie, Guy had Peanut Butter Chocolate with Oreo and Raspberry Cheesecake, I had Peanut Butter Chocolate with Oreo and Banana Split and Leah of course had marachino (sp?) cherry with sprinkles. It really was a special treat for all of us!

Then we headed back to catch the ferry! Guy remarked...this place is FANTASTIC and I think we should move here! Noah agreed. Leah and I liked it, but we were not convinced that we should move. I suspect we will be back to the island again!

Got back to our hotel and decided to grab the red eye home. Noah has baseball practice on Sunday, school on Monday and we would have to get up so early to catch our 8 am flight, so we are on the way home! We should be back in the Twin Cities around 6:00 am and Gramma Dear is going to pick us up and we can crash in our own beds!!!

Leah's favorite part of our whole adventure..."going to all of the cool pools with my family."
Noah's favorite part of our whole adventure..."visiting the ball parks and Disneyland."
Guy's favorite part of our whole adventure..."the ferry boat ride to Bainbridge Island."
Penny's favorite part of the whole adventure..."experiencing Disneyland with the kids, surfing and all of the luxurious hotels that Guy found for us to stay in!" Seriously, I LOVED the entire adventure. We have so many memories that we get to share forever!

Good-bye until our next adventure! Stay tuned!!!!

The Cierzan's of Minnneapolis (Guy, Penny, Noah and Leah)
August 29, 2010


Saturday, August 28, 2010

Day 9-Seattle, Washington










We finally made it to Seattle, once again our Hotel-Hyatt Olive 8 is FANTASTIC! We could fit likely 30 sleeper rooms from our Amtrak Sleeper Car in our room. We are staying in downtown Seattle. Today, we got a late start, but headed down to Pike Place Market. It was really neat. It had so much to offer, but Leah just couldn't appreciate it. So we headed to a chocolate shop per her request--a chocolate covered marshmallow did the trick!

We then headed over to the space needle, however, that was a 50 minute wait. So that is something that we have put off until tomorrow. Then we decided since we are here for such a short period of time, we better take advantage of a city tour. However, we unfortunately picked the "historical" tour. As you can tell by Noah's picture on the tour--Guy had to wipe the drool from Noah's face while he caught some zzz's. The tour guide was having so much fun telling his story, that he let the 90 minute tour run 140 minutes. People had to beg to go home.
Then the real fun began for Noah--off to see the Mariners vs. Twins game at SafeCo Field. It was Ichiro Bobblehead night. They showed up 2+ hours ahead of time, ended up waiting in a line that extended to the freeway to get in, missed BP and DIDN'T even get the bobblehead! Needless to say, they were very frustrated. However, the Twins helped out with a victory and made things better. Leah even enjoyed the kids play area. Noah of course added to his team shirt and hat collection. He picked up a Mariners t-shirt and official baseball hat! He did however adjust his ranking of MLB fields...
1. AT&T Park
2. Target Field
3. Coors Field
4. SafeCo Field
5. Angel's Stadium

Oh...Guy was even stopped and asked if he was Kent Hrbek...Seriously!!! I told him he should have signed an autograph! I almost forgot...Leah's highlight was going to the "men's bathroom" with Dad. (As Mom was waiting in a long line for some refreshment). I am sure it will be a unique chapter in the bathroom book that she is working on. (I don't think she has missed one opportunity to experience a bathroom on this entire trip).

Well, we are headed to catch a couple zzz's before embarking on the final day of our annual adventure. I am sure we will have some fun details to share tomrrow.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Day 8-Amtrak Coast Starlight






We made it through the night on the train. Noah and Leah slept like babies. Guy and I on the other hand...thought it was a long night. The train is an experience, not meant to be a place for adults to get a good night sleep. We have a sleeper car, but it is still a very small space! Leah has made a new friend, Maya on the train. We have spent most of the time in the Parlour Car. Which is a fancy observation car for sleeper car people. It also has a movie theatre and comfortable chairs.

We did see some spectacular views of the ocean and the Cascades too. Here is a picture of Guy standing outside our sleeper car, during a short break we had in Oregon!

Day 7-The Train Adventure begins...







All-Aboard!!!!

We had to leave the hotel early as our first Train the Pacific Surfliner left Anaheim at 8:00 am. So we left for the Amtrak station! Everyone was very excited, but TIRED! We finally boarded our Sleeper Car on the Coast Starlight in LA around 10 am, the LA train station looks straight out of a 1930's movie set. It was great, but for the fact that we were TIRED!

We are finally in our sleeping car and everyone fell asleep for about 3 hours...we have enjoyed the train so far and hope to have some fun stories to share tomorrow. (We may even be able to catch a glimpse of our Nilsen cousin's in Oregon as the train goes through Eugene). Leah of course, wanted to know if they could stop for a bit so she could jump on their trampoline with "her cousins" for a while. We'll see, who knows...what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully some respite for all of us!

Day 6-Anaheim, CA Continued...






This was a rough day...however, the kids really took the liberty to sleep in after the long day at Disneyland. Leah slept until 11:30 am and Noah until 11:00 a.m.! That made our day a bit shorter, as we had a lot of ground to cover in a little time.

Gramma Jean wanted to see the kids one more time. So we headed back to LA and visited with her a bit, snuck into the Peterson Automobile Museum (I actually got to see the car from my favorite movie-"GREASE"). It was an amazing car collection. (Another must see destination according to Gramma Jean).

Then we headed back to Anaheim, to Catch the Angel's game. Guy cursed the traffic the entire way back--good news...I don't think that we would ever consider living in or around LA, the traffic was unbelievable. The Angels were playing the Tampa Bay Rays. This was a highlight for Noah. A requirement of our trips is a visit to a major league ball park. Anaheim stadium didn't disappoint! He rated it 4th...
1-AT&T Park
2-Target Field
3-Coors Field
4-Anaheim Stadium

It was an amazing stadium that was very family friendly. Leah of course loved it and found many new things to buy. Her most prized possession was a "pink" rally monkey. Noah on the other hand-scored a Tori Hunter jersey, an official Team Hat and got to sit in right field behind Tori Hunter! Unfortunately, all of our excitement couldn't bring them a win.

Noah, however, enjoyed it so much, he bought his parents Angels baseball hats as a souvenir. (They will match our All-Star's jersey's perfectly!)

It was a late night again...

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Day 5-Anaheim, CA/Disneyland!









We finally made it to Disneyland! Leah's first stop here and Noah's 3rd! (However, the first that he can remember).

We were staying at a FANTASTIC hotel again. Thanks to Guy he really did a great job with our accommodations this time. We had a two bedroom family suite, with three TV's , two bathrooms and bunk beds. The kids (and MOM) were in heaven. A Hyatt again! (I am beginning to sense a pattern). Ironically, we ran into some friends, The Madden's at the airport and they were visiting Disneyland and staying at the same hotel on the same day so we enjoyed some time with them at the park too!

The day at Disneyland started rough...Leah was overwhelmed and "wanted everything" at first. The good news, the park was not too busy. Noah on the other hand, for those of you that know him well won't be surprised, was rather anxious about the rides. He acts like a thrill seeker, but really isn't. However, he was determined to change his ways. He visited Splash Mountain first (actually went down it 3 times) and was in love with the fast rides, he tried some others, before his Dad took him on Indiana Jones.

Leah and I took a quick trip to Fantasyland to ride Dumbo, and met up with them afterward to eat lunch at my favorite restaurant-"Blue Bayou." (The Monte Cristo-is FANTASTIC!) Noah was a bit wobbly, weak, thirsty, hungry and certainly NOT going on that ride again. Unfortunately, we learned after a quick trip to First Aid-he was dehydrated from not drinking water and being overly anxious about the rides. I should note it was VERY hot that day...95 degrees.

He quickly regrouped after about 2 liters of water, some ibuprofen and a visit to an air conditioned ride. He was back in action and ready to go...we visited many other rides and visited with our friends. Leah designed her own ears, Noah found some with baseballs (MLB of course) and Mom and Dad helped them close the park down. We didn't leave until midnight!

Leah's favorite ride: Tea Cups (I think it was because Dad rode it with her). However, Toontown was a favorite too!
Noah's favorite ride: Space Mountain (Can you believe it, after the day he had!)

In the end...having been to both theme parks, both kids gave the edge to Disneyland. However, the castle is much smaller than the castle at Magic Kingdom in Florida.

Day 4-Last Day at Huntington Beach





Ok...we decided to skip Catalina Island. Afterall the resort had more than enough for us to do and the water was rather rough. So I negotiated a very late check-out, before we headed off to our next destination.

Our final day at the resort was really run by Leah and Noah. They wanted to "live in the pool." Leah had her hair braided, pool side. They ordered custom smoothies from the poolside bar. Oh...how could I forgot the fancy cookies they made poolside. Noah played more football with Dad in the pool and listened to all of Dad's comments about the folks sitting around the pool. I can't publish them, but believe me there were some very interesting people at the pool.

We wrapped up, showered and packed up, hailed a cab and headed to Anahiem. Next Stop...Disneyland!!!

Day 3-Huntington Beach-Continued...









We continued on with our plan of more R & R! The sunshine was addicting! We loved the vitamin D. However, Noah and I started the day at 7:45 am with a surfing lesson on Huntington Beach! Something Noah really wanted to do, Guy and I drew straws and I got the short one...I had to put the wet suit on and made a fool of myself. (Honestly, it was not a flattering fit!) The sad thing, is that I really liked it! It was fun, but scary. Scary because apparently the tide was unseasonably strong. Our instructors words, the "roughest this summer." (Pictures will be posted soon--as the train's internet doesn't work well downloading the pictures).

At one point I did get scared...Noah was out in the waves with the instructor, I was watching on shore--suddenly I noticed a gray dorsal fin come up and go down. I gasped, but didn't know what to do, then another one popped up, then another...I was so stressed, trying to get everyone's attention. Then imagine, how embarrassed I was when a pod of dolphins began jumping over the wave that Noah was going to try and surf on. It was a cool experience, despite his mom looking like a crazy person on shore.

I did swallow my pride put on the wet suit walked to the beach (not a pretty site) and attempted to surf. It was very exciting, but VERY hard! Noah did the best!

Dad and Leah met us at the beach after their leisurely breakfast at the hotel and attempted to build sandcastles with us and a company called "Dig It" a professional sandcastle building company! The good news, we learned the "right" way to build a sandcastle, the bad news...Noah learned that you cannot dig a hole through the center of a sandcastle and keep it standing! However, they have big plans back home! Watch out--they really know what they are doing now!

We ended the night with a rickshaw ride down the beach to "Dukes" for dinner. Leah's favorite thing to do...if you recall we did the same thing in Denver last year. We had to race Dad and Noah. We won of course!

We finished the night off with smore's we made at one of the many firepits around the resort. Leah only liked the chocolate and Noah liked making them with Dad!