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Your Top 12 Favorite Adventures of 2016

January 5, 2017

January is the perfect month for a bit of personal reflection. We can ask ourselves some thought provoking questions like: What did we do right? What can we do better? What did we enjoy most? What should we try to do this year?

Lots of people are writing their top lists of the year. Don’t you just love seeing your favorites come back by for one last look? This list below is in no particular order, but they are the most popular posts of the year. Craig and I tried to narrow down our top adventures too, but there were too many! So I thought 12 was a good number – I hope you will agree!

What were your favorite adventures?

I am the queen of enthusiastic adventures! As people in midlife we have arrived at a significant crossroad in our personal journey. Our primary focus of parenting is still very important, just not something we do on a day-to-day basis. Now we can refocus our energy on our goals, dreams and ADVENTURES! We can move in a different direction if we wish, so much easier.

Three years ago, I took a leap of faith and created Adventures of Empty Nesters. My goal was to bring together empty nesters and people in midlife, as well as their interested adult children all together to promote positive activities. To share stories of travel, family, delicious food, great products and inspiration.

We have done that, and much more! We have connected and supported each other and I could not be more appreciative or proud! Thank you so much for your support, participation and enthusiasm!

The Beauty of the Rose Parade ~ Up Close!

January 3, 2017

An Adventure at the Rose Parade ~

Although unseasonable cool, the grey skies did not dampen the colorful beauty of the Tournament of Roses Parade! There were exactly 41 floats, 19 marching bands and 20 equestrian units happily marching 5.5 miles down Colorado Blvd.

Through some close friends, we were able to get a pass which allowed us to park about a 1/2 block from the staging area in front of the Tournament of Roses House. Setting our alarms for 5:30am we raised our sleepy bodies up and out the door in order to see these magnificent floats up close. It was so worth it! I thought you might like to see what we experienced!

An Inside Look & Rose Parade Float Building Adventure!

December 31, 2016

Do you love a Rose Parade float as much as I do?

Have you been to the Tournament of Roses Parade? Have you ever considered sleeping on the icy cold sidewalk overnight in order to save your place to watch the Parade? I did that in junior high, that is for die-hard fans and so admirable. The parade route is quite festive on New Year’s Eve, because people are camped out in their sleeping bags right there on the curb in order to get a front-row spot for the parade.

The floats in the parade have evolved through the years into BIG business. Heavy hitter sponsors and large corporations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars or more to have a float built. There are still plenty of small private groups too that enter a float and the variety of ornamentation and design make the parade quite exciting.

Christmas in the Empty Nest ~ Pasadena Style

March 24, 2020December 21, 2016

Yes, life is different once again this Christmas in the Empty Nest. Not bad different, just different. Actually… exciting different. We have experienced so much change in the last couple of years that this little bit of stability feels good. Both of the kids will be here this holiday season, the fixer upper renovation is finished …

Saturday News- Great Stuff We Find on the Web

December 17, 2016

Saturday News ~ Links to articles I found interesting, entertaining and delicious. I do receive links from family and friends to add to my list. Feel free to email me a link for next weeks round of up news.

For the Foodie Fans Who Love San Francisco

This first link was the spark for this week! Nick’s thoughtful girlfriend Kiley, sent me this article because she thought I would enjoy it! I just loved it and thought you would too. A gorgeous replica of the Ferry Building in San Francisco…made of gingerbread! It comes complete with a farmer’s market.

Read here ~ How to plan a weekend getaway ~

From the Los Angeles Times ~ For the beer lovers in your life – I know a couple… Six Gift Ideas for the Beer Lovers on your List!

I love to receive gifts that friends have made just for me in their own kitchen. If you need a couple of ideas… Here you go! 10 Best Homemade Gifts from the folks at FoodandWine.

Petit Trois ~ A Teeny Tiny Paris Bistro in Los Angeles

December 14, 2016

Tiny but mighty Petit Trois

The dining room consists of two bars, one made of wood and one of marble

With only 21 stools (no chairs), this is a small, but mighty, little bit of heaven on Highland, just off of Melrose Avenue in LA. Petit Trois is the second collaboration of Ludo Lefebvre and the super star Los Angeles chefs Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook of Animal.

When Life Brings You Lemons… It’s Knee Surgery For Me

December 12, 2016

Yep, knee surgery. All of that exercise I have been doing is catching up with me.

You have been there through all of our adventures, from the big move from Orange County, to the buying of the fixer upper and subsequent renovation, my dad’s illness and death, our temporary move to Seattle, all of the fun travel and food adventures and now I am sharing my injured knee adventure.

I have to admit, I have been wallowing in a little self-pity. I don’t like to sit still for long, hobble from place to place, I can’t exercise, walk the dog or more importantly TRAVEL, it is sure frustrating. HOW IS A TRAVEL BLOGGER SUPPOSED TO DO HER JOB WHEN SHE CAN’T TRAVEL?

BIG DILEMMA!

I cancelled my Christmas trip to New York (Craig still went) and I am pretty disappointed. UGH! I never took my health for granted and I was always grateful to be able to participate in all of the activities I desired, but everything has come to an abrupt screeching halt.

photowithroccoonoregontrip — Rocco and me on the Oregon Coast

In late November, while walking Rocco, my knee started to hurt and then got progressively worse. I found a great orthopedic physician, got the necessary MRI and found that I have torn my meniscus in my right knee. Who knows how it ultimately tore, but it did and now it needs fixing. I do understand that this is not the biggest injury in the world, and MANY of you have dealt with this type of injury. That my friend is exactly why I decided to write about it.

What’s in the News? My Saturday Round-up List

December 10, 2016

What’s in the news? Focusing on the happy part of the news here!

We are inching our way closer to Christmas. How does it feel? It feels good. I love the lights on the houses of our tree lined street, I love planning our gift list, I love “Best of” lists, I guess I love me a good list!

I collected a “list” of a few articles from the news this week that I found quite interesting. You won’t find politics on Adventures of Empty Nesters, I will leave that task for other people.

Where to Eat in Pasadena ~ The Best Restaurants and Bars

December 7, 2016

Are you coming to Pasadena anytime soon? Is your favorite college team in the Rose Bowl? Are you up to your knees in snow, icy wind and rain? Do you long for winter temps in the 70’s? What? Yes, the 70’s.

Yes, my friend it is so. The winters are mostly sunny and mild, with no humidity, the mountains are lovely and it is only a short drive to the gorgeous beaches of So Cal. However, we do have plenty of people living here, so just a visit, ok?

Seattle Cooking Class: How to make pizza at home (It’s pretty easy)

December 5, 2016

How to make pizza at home ~

Good news! I learned how to make pizza at home and it’s EASY! Well, not super easy, but certainly doable. I always thought that it would be a big mess and/or too hard to actually make delicious pizza in my own kitchen. I never understood how I could get my regular oven hot enough to cook a pizza effectively.

Here’s the answer to that question: Line a sheet pan with several unglazed tiles (about 1/2″ thick) place it on the bottom of your oven, then cook the pizza directly on top of them.