Rainbow Loom Love
We gave k a rainbow loom for her birthday back in December. Surprisingly, n was into it, so we bought him his own loom for his birthday in March. Being a crafty person, I like how it encourages kids to make things with their hands. While the fad seems to have died down at k’s school, it is still going strong in our house, especially with n!
n wanted to wear all of his bracelets at once. He has made a good number on his own. His specialty is the “Triple Single”.
My favorite site for patterns is www.loomlove.com.
Mazda Bring Your Family To Work Day
Last Thursday, n was able to go to work with D for the morning. He was quite excited about it. We chose not to pull k from school, although some parents did. This was the first year that Mazda held this event, and it is nice that n has a better idea of where D goes every week day.
I joined them for lunch (taco truck) and drove n home.
Grand Canyon: Breakfast @ El Tovar
On Saturday morning we went to El Tovar, the famous lodge situated on the edge of the Grand Canyon for breakfast.
It was built over one hundred years ago. The inside is rustic, yet classy.
I had read about the fancy hot chocolate service, so we ordered it. There is whipped cream and chocolate chips in the cup, and the hot chocolate is poured over it from a carafe. This made the hot chocolate not at all warm enough for my mom’s liking, but it ended up being the perfect temperature for the kids from the first sip.
We ordered two sweet dishes: pancake trio with pinion nut butter and prickly pear syrup and wafffle with lemon curd and blueberries.
We also ordered two savory dishes, which were quite hearty: breakfast burrito with pork and breakfast quesadilla with beef.
These dishes were definitely enough for the six of us. It was a nice way to end our vacation.
Afterwards we took one last glance at the canyon from the back of the hotel property. The bottom picture shows two huge birds (turkey vultures?) that were just hanging out on the rocks. I definitely need to look for better zoom capability on my next camera.
On our journey home, there were some low-lying cumulus clouds that fascinated me. I also read that a storm hit the Grand Canyon the afternoon we left, so we just missed it. Our next national park trip is already in the works: Kings & Sequoia!
Grand Canyon: Rim Trail and Maswik Pizza Pub
On our way back into the park on Friday morning, we stopped by the entrance picture to take a picture. There was a actually a place for the camera to take a timer shot, which we did, but I like this pic better.
We also saw this guy, an elk, up close and personal on the way into the park.
We met my parents at Bright Angel Café, close to the Visitor’s Center for breakfast. In retrospect, we probably should have bought breakfast at the General Store, since the selection was pretty limited. We also picked up some sandwiches for a picnic lunch.
The kids were able to become the first junior rangers of the day. It was nice that we beat the crowds at the Visitors Center.
Most of the rim trail is paved, and at some parts you are quite close to the edge. It is a very easy trail, perfect for the kids. It was also an overcast day, so at least we did not hear any complaints about it being too hot. n refused to wear his sweatshirt, however, which became a different battle.
You cannot really see it in the picture above, but there was a squirrel sitting precariously at the edge of the rock, which was entertaining to all of us tourists.
It was interesting to see different parts of the Colorado River.
We took turns walking between points and taking the shuttle. This was the Powell monument.
Visiting this part of the rim provided a nice escape from the crowds that we experienced at Mather Point. We were often the only party at many of the lookouts.
On the west, the end point of the Rim Trail is Hermits Rest. There is a gift store and small café.
We found a picnic bench and ate our sandwiches. By this time, the wind was kicking up and it was getting cold! I was afraid it was going to start to rain, but it did not. We ate quickly and hopped back onto the shuttle.
When we returned to the Marketplace, we did a little souvenir shopping.
No, this hat did not come home with us.
Then, we checked into the Yavapai Lodge. This was definitely a step up from the Red Feather, and the kids were happy to play, watch a little tv and rest.
This was the view from our room. It felt nice and cozy.
For dinner we met my parents and ate at the pizza pub at Maswick Lodge. We shared two side salads and a pizza. I thought the pizza was pretty good—the crust was nice and crisp and not too thick. I thought this was a good option for eating inside the park.
Grand Canyon: Yavapai Cafeteria and Mather Point Sunset
After the ranger presentation, we headed back to the visitor center on one of the shuttles. The shuttles were convenient, and the kids even found them fun!
The shuttles were often crowded and standing room only. The drivers ranged from grumpy to impossibly cheerful, such as the one woman driver who would say “Doors are closing [dramatic pause]…and the bus is rolling” after every single stop.
We checked into our respective hotels. My parents stayed at Yavapai Lodge both nights. I was unable to get a room there for both nights, so we split our stay between the Red Feather Lodge and Yavapai. The Red Feather is just outside the park, and was a little cheaper, but not by much. I would give it a 2.5 star rating. We returned to the park to meet up with my parents to eat dinner at the Yavapai cafeteria.
My expectations for the food were not too high, but it turned out to be pretty good. Baba declared the chicken pot pie “better than Marie Callender’s”. D and I split the half chicken dinner (and D had some of n’s hot dog) while Zaza and k shared a hamburger.
We also split two soft serves for dessert.
It was nice to sit by these big windows.
After dinner, we headed back to Mather Point to catch the sunset.
Some dramatic clouds were rolling in, which muted the sunset colors, but made for an interesting sky.
Grand Canyon—Mather Point, Yavapai Museum and Trail of Time
In our quest to visit as many national parks as we can, we decided to go to the Grand Canyon during k’s spring break. My parents (aka Baba and Zaza) also went, as they had never been before. (D went when he was a kid with his parents).
We left early, just after 5 a.m. and drove about seven hours. I had promised the kids that they could watch Frozen on our portable DVD player, but the cord broke! They kept themselves busy by looking for car makes and state license plates.
As expected, there was a line at the gate. Actually, there were multiple lines. It felt like Disneyland!
After finding a parking spot (no easy feat!), we met my parents at the Visitors Center. Unfortunately, the Visitors Center’s movie was broken, so we were not able to watch it. Instead, we walked to nearby Mather Point to get our first glimpse of the canyon.
I felt dizzy just looking down, which is a distance of about one mile.
It was very crowded, as you can see.
Then, we followed the trail to Yavapai Geology Museum.
I thought this would be a nice place to hang out, but it was crowded and stuffy.
It was nice to have more family shots since we had built in photographers. 
The park does not sell water bottles, but has various filling stations to encourage you to use your own reusable bottles.
Enjoying the view.
Next, we walked part of the Trail of Time, which is adjacent to the museum.
Afterward, we sat in on a Ranger Program about geology in order to fulfill the kids’ junior ranger requirement.
Easter 2014: He is Risen!
A Perfect Day in Minneapolis: Part 2
After we finished shopping, we drove to Sea Salt Eatery. This cute restaurant is only open April-October, and it just so happened that we were there for opening day.
We ordered shrimp tacos and fried fish tacos. The fried fish tacos were an absolute bargain—$4.95 for these two huge pieces of fish. The shrimp were a nice lighter counterpart.
There is seating on the wrap-around deck. It was a lovely day to enjoy the sunshine. And, the best part may be that it is located just across the way from a waterfall called Minnehaha Falls.
After lunch, we checked out the waterfall and took a little stroll through the park.
We sat on a bench and munched on some of the apple fritter that we had picked up at the Angel Food Bakery. I actually was not too impressed since there were no discernable apple chunks, which is key to a good apple fritter, in my humble opinion.
Our next stop was the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
There is a wide range of artwork, including some Van Gogh, Renoir and Matisse.
We went back to the hotel and rested for a bit. Then it was time for dinner. We decided on 112 Eatery.
We started out with the crab salad. They kindly split everything onto two plates, which was appreciated.
This was so nice and refreshing! I believe it had a Vietnamese influence.
The pan-fried gnocchi was a pretty much a gut bomb. Very tasty, but very filling. I really enjoyed the gentle crispiness on the outside. This portion would have been easily enough for four people. Some sort of dipping sauce would have been nice too.
Finally, we split the cheeseburger, which came on a buttered English muffin and melted brie. Again, delicious. I can see why this restaurant is popular. We had called earlier to make reservations, and they said their first seating was at 9:30 p.m. that night! However, since we were a party of two, it was fairly easy to find a place at the bar.
We walked back to the hotel amongst Twins’ fans headed for the game. This is the public library, which I found impressive. We ended up at Barnes & Noble, which was a favorite hangout for D and me back in the day. The next day we flew back. Minneapolis Airport was a breeze, but our Southwest flight was delayed. Overall, it was a great trip, and a wonderful way to celebrate ten years of marriage.
A Perfect Day in Minnesota: Part 1
Friday was the first day we had all to ourselves. It was filled with my favorite things—eating, shopping, and sight-seeing.
We ate breakfast at a restaurant ominously called Hell’s Kitchen. The dining room where we were seated was aptly located underground.
We shared a savory dish (Huevos Rancheros) and a sweet (Lemon Ricotta Pancakes), my favorite way to do breakfast. Both were excellent. I enjoyed the different textures in the Huevos Rancheros and layering of flavors. The lemon really stood out in the pancakes, and were light and fluffy due to the ricotta.
Even though we were full, I could not resist picking up a little something at the related Angel Food Bakery—get it?
The bakery was so cute. We saved our treat for later in the day, so I will write about it later.
Our next stop was the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center. Admission is free, and it is open early in the morning, so it was a good second stop.
The garden’s most iconic sculpture is “Spoonbridge and Cherry”.
Different angles.
Our next stop was the Mall of America, in Bloomington. It is about a twenty minute drive from Minneapolis.
The mall itself is not that unusual, except that it has a Nickelodeon Universe, a small theme park, in its center. D bought a watch from Swatch. I told him it was his anniversary present. 
My favorite store ended up being Typo, a stationery store which is based in Australia, but I showed restraint and did not purchase anything.
We stopped by at the American Girl store. These dolls reminded me of k and n. The camping set-up was cute too. I don’t even want to know how much it costs!
There were plenty of Minnesota-centric stores as well.
After walking so much, we refueled with a kale smoothie from Jamba Juice. D wanted to try something new, and I must admit, it tasted pretty good! I wonder if the kids would go for a homemade version.