Trying to cache them all...

Just some more fun Caching Adventures!

***SPOILER PICTURES!***

I have Sunday Brunch with one of my most favorite people on the planet about once a month, and she's also pretty competitive and we now do some caching after brunch!  It's a good way to walk off the bubbles.  Ha! 

We tend to brunch in Downtown Santa Ana and there's some person who has hid a bunch called B.R.C. Caching.  This person hid caches all along the PG&E Santa Ana Line and named them all after states.  So there's a whole bunch!  Julie and I had found 1 last time but were super ambitious this time and found 4!  We would have found 5, but one of the locations is really gross so we had to skip it.

Julie feeling around the scarier parts with her foot

Found it!

We couldn't find this one last time, but did this time!

Parking Garage Cache

We're getting good at this!

So the boyfriend is trying to get his little to enjoy hiking more.  He found there was a this trail in Aliso Viejo that had little fairy houses.  So we headed out to check it out.  As we started to walk he turns to me and says "Aren't you going to turn on your Geocache App?!"  I didn't think he'd actually want to cache, but I think he's trying to find other ways to get the kiddo interested and of course caching could be fun right?!  Sadly I was unprepared, so I didn't have a pen on me.  I did have a couple of little swag dragons though.  So I couldn't log dammit, but we still looked.  Note - this will never happen again.  I now have a pen and dragon swag in my purse, my going out purse and my hiking backpack.  I should be set.

Anywhoo - the trail is a super chill nature walk like trail in an adorable park.  We found 3 caches!

Super cool mosaics everywhere!

Fairies!

Hunting Fairies

Elise found our 1st cache!

Sigh.  Can't write in the log

Such a pretty trail!

Peace Tower

Teaching the kid tongue pictures

Found the 2nd cache!!

I found the last cache but made the boy dig it out from under the stairs

Thanks babe!

This was actually a memorial cache.  A little boy was killed and this cacher decided to do a cache in his memory.  He loved toy trucks so that little truck is to stay in there for the little boy who was named C.T.  We left C.T. a little dragon.  RIP little boy.

I did my very 1st Earth Cache.  It was a super easy one but still.  It was at Knotts Berry Farm!  The cache is called Ghost Town Rocks and when you read it, it talks about geodes and how they are made and how they are cut.  It's actually super interesting.  To log the cache you were to go to the Geode shop in Knotts.  I was there for Knotts Merry Farm with my mom, the boy, Taylor and Keri and when everyone but me and the boy peaced out, we headed over to log the cache!  We wandered around the store and watched a gal cut a geode with a giant machine.  Pretty cool!

Ain't we cute

During our holiday break - Pat was off too - so we decided to do a hike up in Pasadena on our Friday Vacay Day.  Unfortunately the Chantry Flats hike we planned was closed.  Damn!  Sad Panda.  We opted for a much more brutal hike down the way called Mount Wilson Trail.  Pat had suggested Chantry because my tummy wasn't 100% and that was easier.  But I didn't want to not hike so we did the harder one.  We just didn't do it as long as we would have liked.  But we did some Geocaching!

Sadly this wasn't a very successful one.  We looked for 4 but only found one.  I was hell bent to find this Letter Box Cache, but dammit we could not find it and we looked twice!  Ah well.  At least we got the one!  And of course the hike was gorgeous!  Seymour joined us as well.

So very pretty!

Quite green too!

Seymour was not into the geocaching

FINALLY FOUND ONE!

It was a Game of Thrones themed cache, so I'm sure they'll be quite happy with the swag I left!

Random Xmas Decor

Still having so much fun Geocaching but I need to get going for 2019!  We're already way into the 1st month and I haven't got out there!  I will remedy this.

SNOW!!!!

Ok, you all may think this is silly.
And yes - I don't live far from the snow at all.
But - I don't know how to drive in it.  I don't have clothes for it.  And I guess I've just never really had any super snow bunny friends to go with me or get me to go.

Back when I was in High School I dated a guy who was a big skier.  We went to the snow a bunch but I didn't appreciate it that much.  I have seen snow fall out of the sky 1 time in my life on a senior trip to New York in 1993/94. Then the last time I was in the snow was when I was married.  Sometime between 1999-2004 my then husband and I went with a bunch of other couples and rented a cabin in the snow.  It didn't snow while we were there, but snow was everywhere and we had a great weekend of drinking, playing games and sledding.  That was the very last time I was in the snow.

I think snow is so beautiful!  Now - I'm not a skier, or a snow boarder for that matter and being cold and wet is not an ideal situation for me.  BUT - snow is so beautiful!  And it's romantic.  And it can be fun right?!  Making a snowman, making snow angels, kissing in the snow fall, going tubing or sledding, looking at snowflakes and just admiring how beautiful it makes everything.

 A bucket list item is to have a white Christmas some day.  My very favorite scene in A Christmas Story is the very end when the mom and dad sit by the lighted up Christmas tree in the dark with a glass of wine and snow is falling outside.  Seriously one of the most beautiful romantic moments EVA!

How pretty right?!

Also - I know it's so corny - but it's so sweet and romantic whenever anyone is kissing in the snow fall!!!

So romantical!

Right?!?!

I mean come on!!!

Ok...I'm getting very carried away.

Anywhoo - I got to go play in the snow yesterday!!!

Pat text me on Sat saying he was thinking of taking Elise up to Wrighwood to go tubing and was I interested in joining?




 I borrowed some snow clothes from 2 girlfriends of mine and was ready to go!

Wrightwood is like RIGHT THERE!  It only took us an hour to get there, there's no swirly mountain roads and IT'S RIGHT THERE!  I don't know why I haven't gone before.  One tip - go early.  Our plan was to go tubing.  They have an actual tubing area you pay (not cheap) to tube, but you can go ski/snowbard/etc.  It's Mountain High!  I've heard of this but didn't know it was so friggin close.  We left the OC area about 7am and zipped there in about an hour.  We parked, got right in and got tickets for the 1st slot for tubing - 8:30-10:30am.  It was awesome!  There was barely anyone there.  I don't think I waited more than 1 or 2 tubes behind at a time.  But when we left - Holy Crap the line of cars was INSANE!  So - go early!

I'M IN THE SNOW!

Weird Yeti

We almost tubed the entire time.  I so would have gone up until 10:30 on the dot, but the little was over it a bit before that.  But we got so many rides in!  My 1st 2 rides were really slow so Pat told at me to get another tube.  I did and it was way better!  I sailed down the hill!  They had a little conveyor belt that took you to the top then folks were up there pushing you down the hill.  So much fun!

My love tubing

Hi baby!

Elise tubing

Hey girl!

Look at me!!! In the snow!!! 

Since the traffic was too nutty to turn left, we headed back out but stopped in the little town.  They had a tiny little park so we got to actually play in the snow a bit.  There wasn't much but just enough to make a tiny snowman, have some snowball fights and look at the beautiful scenes that the snow made!  There was even a moment when I leaned into Pat as he was leaning against a table and he wrapped his arms around me while Elise was playing in the snow - that feeling - the quiet snow melting around us - so beautiful - I had my little romantic snow moment. 

He may be like 10 inches but I was determined to make a snowman!

My pictures didn't catch the beauty but man!

Looooooooooooooved the snow on the branches!  So gorgeous!

I was loving the little paws we were seeing in the snow

Look how pretty!!!!

So pretty right?!?!?!

The snow was melting and dripping like quiet rain and it was just so damn pretty!! 

I really wanted to make a snow angel

But there wasn't enough snow.

Look at the pretty snow!!!!

We then had an early lunch in a super kitschy cafe.

This creepy AF owl would lower and raise every time someone would open the door.

Then we hit the candy store then headed back home.  We were back in the OC by 1pm.  Talk about a whole bunch of fun packed into half a day!

I'm so excited to do this more!  I'm probably going to need to look into investing in some of my own snow clothes and boots, but now that it looks like I can get to the snow a bit more it'll be worth it!

I know it really does seem like a simple thing, but I thank Pat so much for getting me to the snow which I've been trying to do for years!!!  I know we'll have more snow adventures with maybe even more snow!