vacation | Ms Giggles

Our Labor Day Trip to Camp Van Vac

September 8, 2014

Every other year, Breon, Sen, and I head up to Ely for a weekend of relaxation, outdoor activity, and fun. This year, we left on Saturday morning with the weather looking to be chilly and rainy (sad). As we arrive, we grabbed groceries from the market and headed to our rustic cabin at Camp Van Vac.

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We ate dinner at the Rockwood. This used to be a pizza hut or something… very happy they got rid of that! We then headed to the International Wolf Center to check out “What’s for Dinner.” The wolves got to eat some delicious venison!

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The rest of the time involved relaxing, reading, and bonfires. We had a blast. We decided to leave a day early because we thought we could make better use of our time unpacking the new house (more on that soon). Plus, the weather wasn’t cooperating.

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My favorite places in Ely, MN:

The Pebble Spa {I recommend a tub soak and a hot stone massage}
The International Wolf Center
The Bear Center
Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA)
Camp Van Vac
Echo Trail
Front Porch Coffee
A Taste of Ely
Miner’s Lake Walking Trail

Camp Van Vac is located on Burntside Lake 10 minutes outside of Ely, MN. It’s a perfect rustic getaway. The cabins have just enough to get by but the camp still has beautifully maintained restrooms and showers. Plus a sauna, wifi cabin, and a lovely beach. If you can ever head up there… do it!

Wedding Weekend – Part 1

May 29, 2014

Two weeks ago (holy crap), I wed my bestie and love Breon in a ceremony overlooking the ocean. It was spectacular. But let’s start at the beginning.

Jump to Part 2 or Part 3

Wednesday

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Bright and early, my mom and I left for Carmel. We traveled a day in advance of everyone to get grocery shopping and misc. errands done. Upon arriving in Pebble Beach (that’s where their house was), we checked into this amazing house…

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We quickly got adjusted sat outside in the nice dry heat (90 degrees) and made our lists. We then proceeded to spend hours shopping for the essentials. After shopping, my mom made a quick dinner for the both of us (thanks, mom) and we put together the welcome bags (more on those later).

Thursday

I promptly rose at 6:00 am (Thanks Pacific Coast time)! I continued more lists and prepped to check into our house in Carmel. With the welcome bags in the car, my mom and I drove to TJ’s, ACE hardware, and Safeway before heading to Carmel.

Oh. My. God.

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The views were breathtaking. Upon opening the front door, you’re welcomed to a wall of windows overlooking the most beautiful scene of the Pacific Ocean. Waves were crashing in the distance and, I kid you not, there were seals playing within earshot. I was in love.

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I put the welcome bags in place, took my computer out to the sun porch and finished some final emails. I made lunch and ate out on the deck with nothing but the sounds of the ocean!

After lunch, my dad, step-mom Patty, and step-siblings Jack and Claire arrived and had the same reaction I did. We walked down to the “beach” (which is a bunch of rocks on the ocean level) but that didn’t stop them from jumping in.

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We mostly relaxed and enjoyed the house. We left and stopped at a deli before heading to the beach for our first group get-together: the Beach Bonfire.

Beach Bonfire

In case you’re wondering, you can have beach bonfires in Carmel, CA. I had difficulty finding other locations in Northern Cali (maybe I didn’t look hard enough). You can set up a bonfire on Carmel Beach and enjoy the fire into the dark. We loved it. Some of us cool people even made s’mores. The best part is you can find firewood at most of the grocery stores and they have easy to use styrofoam coolers for beverages.

Breon had taken his mom, her boyfriend Bob, and his cousin Steve into San Francisco for the day. I hadn’t seen him until he arrived at the beach. We kissed and watched the sunset with our families. It was awesome.

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Stay tuned for Friday, Saturday, and the HONEYMOON! 🙂

{Photos} California Day 2: Half Moon Bay

October 1, 2013

After our day in San Francisco, we headed down the coast to Half Moon Bay. It was quite busy (being Labor Day weekend after all), but we were determined to look at our beaches. We looked at about 5 beaches and loved the ones further down the coast but all in all, after the entire trip we decided that Half Moon Bay was just not right for the wedding. We still love the area though!

Must-Do’s in Half Moon Bay

Enjoy a drink and dinner at Pasta Moon
Grab a coffee at Half Moon Bay Coffee
Walk down Main St
If you are into golf, check out the many options for golfing
Take a book and blanket and relax on Pomponio State Beach
Get a massage at the Ritz-Carlton

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Breon at Montara State Beach

Montara State Beach - Beauty

Half Moon Bay Main Street

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pasta moon lasanga

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Up next? Monerey, Carmel, Pebble Beach! Stay tuned!

{Photos} California Day 1: San Francisco

September 24, 2013

I hope you are having a great week so far. I am. It’s our annual conference (Anytime Fitness) and even though I am not going, the office is buzzing with excitement. It’s a very fun environment. I am finally getting around to looking through my photos from California. Here are some from our first day in San Francisco. We mostly drove around, checked out the farmers market, some beaches, and japantown! Check it out:

Delicious finds at the Farmer’s Market at the Ferris Building Marketplace. I specifically enjoyed a delicious white nectarine which was perfectly ripe and juicy!

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This was a fantastic find I saw as we were driving to the Golden Gate (which was hidden due to extreme fog). It was a portable circuit workout. It was fun to watch people do kettlebells, box jumps, and push-ups!

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We stayed at the Hotel Kabuki in Japantown which is a very beautiful hotel! It also had a Japanese soaking tub which was fantastic. Oh my goodness, that is totally on my dream house wish list!
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I had forgot my USB cord for my camera. It was a sad moment but then we realized they had a DAISO store. If you are ever in Japantown, this store is just fun to walk around…plus it’s very cheap! Walking around Japantown you will find Sophie’s Crepes and fun Alpaca games! What fun.

And we are on the road…to Half Moon Bay. Stay tuned for more photos!

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