|
Family Vegan Dinner
Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY IN: ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Hello everyone,
While my weekend wasn't very exciting, it was filled with just what was needed - FAMILY. With a little fine tuning for travel plans and then just like that we are back to Monday for some hustle and bustle. Being that I had just arrived back into town last weekend, went to see Chaplin in Seussical a few hours after landing and with the rest of commitments and catching up, I was unable to go to last minute lunch plans in celebration of a performance well done. It was then that the plan was made for this past weekend to celebrate at FREESOUL CAFFE. The plan was to meet there for dinner at 7:30p. My day was going accordingly and I was on schedule to depart at 7:10p to arrive in Tustin and meet up with the Fam Bam. But then I received a message at 6:15p from my mom asking if I'd be ready to leave at 6:45p, because the restaurant (which doesn't accept reservations) might not be able to seat us. When okay, I put myself into a higher gear and started making every move just a bit faster than before, although have you know that at this point I still didn't know what I was even going to wear! Jet contacted me next and asked if I could contact the restaurant and see if they would take a reservation. In the midst of getting ready to go, I had called them and found out that they not only do not take reservations but that they close at 8pm and that the kitchen's last call was at 7:30pm! 7:30pm for last call is a bit unheard of on any night, but this was a Saturday night, what gives?! At this point I was so glad that my mom wanted me to leave early for the "just in case". Note that since we were just upon this time, the restaurant did offer to prepare a table for us. Rush rush rush and out the door I went. But why oh why do restaurants close so darn tootin' early these days?! We caravanned over to Tustin and played a game of "musical chairs" once we arrived. Then within minutes we were placing our orders and receiving them shortly thereafter. As usual, everything at Freesoul Caffe is quite good and we had all enjoyed our meal. So much so that Andrew had wanted to place an order for an additional pizza for take away...but since the clock had already struck after 7:30pm, his wish/order was denied and so were any hopes of me getting a Cappuccino! *Yeah Yeah Yeah, I knowwww that you are not suppose to drink Cappuccinos after breakfast. Well guess what, I like them at all times of the day, night, whenever and I don't care. Consider me a Cappuccino rule breaker. And btw the Cappuccinos that they make at Freesoul Caffe are soooooo GOOD! 
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelicousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
And then there was yesterday... I was on Grandpup sitting duty for a good part of the day. I watched the pups, watched baseball and continued to fine-tune my Costa Rica Itinerary. I received a call from Liz in the afternoon about an impromptu 14th birthday party for Noah. While I knew that I could not make it on time for most of the festivities, I thought that perhaps the rest of the fam bam might have an open schedule and not want to miss out of the occasion. I was not wrong. But since I had already had a plan for a late lunch with Dominic, we realistically could not make it until after 7p. To which we did show up, just about the same time that my mom and Brigitte were about to head out. It is always nice to see the kiddies and catch up with the rest of the fam clan. And my dear Mika had her eyes on braiding my hair! When I agreed, I had no idea what I was in for! 
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
(c)travelincousins.com
Go ahead and laugh. Ohhhh the things I do for these kiddos!
Oki Doki Folks, it's time for me to bid you adieu. Ciao 4 Now, -Travelin' Tanya |
Recap of Paris & Italy Trips with Mom
Elisa's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY IN: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
Happy Monday!
Similarly to Tanya, my weekend was not terribly exciting either. We had a lot of rain and it was very hot out. However, on the flip side, I spend most of the weekend with my buddy Kelsey! We watched movies, went to the mall and even grabbed ourselves a few enjoyable treats out. During the warm weather, we enjoy going to The French Workshop in Garden City for our favorite "Paris" Iced Tea and just shooting the breeze! 
(credit Harney & Sons)
Yesterday, Sunday, we had talked about heading into Brooklyn to the New York Transit Museum in downtown Brooklyn, but we opted to wait until the weather was nicer so we could really enjoy the trip. So stay tuned for my up and coming trip there in a future blog post!
Speaking of Paris, I thought today would be a fun day to do a little recap of my trip to Paris back in 2013, as well as my 2014 trip to Italy with my Mom. I started reminiscing about this because this summer, I started traveling again with my mother (Lancaster, PA) and in October, we will be headed down to Florida together. I'll be telling you more about our itinerary to Orlando in the next few weeks. 
Paris Trip 2013 with Mom (c)travelincousins.com
I can't believe how little my girls were on this trip! It was a super fun trip. Since we went in March, I can tell you that it was rather chilly. Since this would be my third trip to Paris and my mom and girls' first trip, I still remember the look of delight on all of their faces when we approached the Eiffel Tower and they first caught a glimpse of it.
My mom was rather annoyed that we opted to walk there from the hotel, but I told her it was a lot nicer and she would get a better feel for the city that way. There was a lot of belly aching during the walk, and then there we were, in eye shot of the tower and all the fussing ceased to exist. There was a big sigh of delight and then a burst of energy. We lucked out because the weather was absolutely gorgeous that day - sunny and breezy (and a little bit chilly). Mom and Gianna opted NOT to go up the Tower, but Kelsey and I were gung ho for the walk! 
The Eiffel Tower (c)travelincousins.com
Mom's excitement to finally see the Eiffel Tower (c)travelincousins.com
Kelsey walking up the Eiffel Tower (c)travelincousins.com
Mommy and Kelsey taking a selfie on the Tower (c)travelincousins.com
The Louvre was another great day for us! Check out our amazing Treasure Hunt at the Louvre: Top 6 Exhibits.
Who would have thought that a 6 and 8 year old would have been captivated at such an adult-targeted art museum, but as you will see from the article, we found one of the most fun ways to navigate this iconic museum! 
The Louvre (c)travelincousins.com
Mommy & Gianna at the Louvre (c)travelincousins.com
The Louvre (c)travelincousins.com
Mom getting one of her French Chapeaus (c)travelincousins.com
Me and Mom wearing our French scarves (c)travelincousins.com
At Notre Dame (c)travelincousins.com
Jumping forward a year, we found ourselves in Italy for a month-long trip. This trip was incredible (except for my ex-husband having a tantrum and departing,, leaving me, the girls and my mom in Tuscany - but if I'm honest, the trip was much more relaxing and enjoyable after he was gone - but I digress) .
Our trip took us from Rome to San Gimignano, (Siena) Tuscany to Venice and finally to Florence. Mom had been to Italy before, however, had only visited Rome. The other destinations were all new experiences for her and me and the girls got to enjoy these all together!! 
Piazza Navona in Rome (c)travelincousins.com
Hanging with some law enforcement in Rome (c)travelincousins.com
Shopping like locals in Rome (c)travelincousins.com
In Tuscany - in San Gimignano (c)travelincousins.com
Hanging out with Grandma outside our villa in Tuscany (c)travelincousins.com
Cooking Class in Tuscany (c)travelincousins.com
Read all about it: Cooking Class in Tuscany: An Italian Girl's Dream Come True
The water Taxi line in Venice (c)travelincousins.com
In the water taxi (c)travelincousins.com
Taking our Gondola Ride in Venice (c)travelincousins.com
San Marco Plaza, Venice (c)travelincousins.com
Great family travel memories. Looking forward to making more with Mom on our upcoming Mother-Daughter Orlando trip in October!!
That's it for now - -Travelin' Elisa |
