Trip to Winter Wonderland Trip, Day 2 : Stroll to Bow River

We bundled up after breakfast to head out for a major stroll. We had purchased many winter items through Costco to stay warm, including snow pants and shoes. I took note of some nearby Calgary landmarks that would be interesting to see, not knowing if we could reach them by foot, depending on the weather and how cold it would be for us. We soon found out that as long as we were moving, we stayed comfortably warm (except for our faces).

People in the city were working so hard, clearing the walkways, even if we might be the only ones crossing them. We walked along the Bow River, to Prince's Island Park and eventually to the Peace Bridge. Everywhere was quite peaceful and serene, so much untouched snow. We were one of only a few people crazy enough to enjoy the chilly outdoors, but the beauty of it all made it so easy to enjoy. The "stroll" ended up being 5 miles once we returned to the hotel.

Trip to Winter Wonderland Trip, Day 1 and 2 : Calgary

On Christmas morning, Yumi drove us to John Wayne Airport and we started our journey of three United flights (to San Francisco, then Denver, then Calgary) to Canada, where we would eventually meet up with Kim's family for vacation. Despite the winter weather, the flights were quite smooth and we reached Calgary in the late evening, got our Avis rental car and drove to the downtown Hyatt. The next morning, we had a delicious buffet breakfast and headed out for a chilly stroll which started off at the skyscraper, the Bow, decorated with the Wonderland sculpture at its base.

Dino Dash 2016

20th Anniversary in L.A.

While we had celebrated our 20th anniversary in the spring with our trip to Italy, we took a day trip to Los Angeles closer to our wedding date. We started the morning off with brunch at Bottega Louie. We enjoyed beignets, tartufo pizza (with black truffle mushroom pate) and salmon benedict. We couldn't forget the kids as we picked up some macarons before heading to the LA County Museum of Art. The Levitated Mass was a highlight of the different art exhibits. Finally, we went to the Albright for an early dinner of fresh oysters and a lobster roll. We were able to fit in many activities in a day to celebrate our anniversary!

Sam Racing in HB