Housesitting with Jessica has been awesome. Not only do Katie and I have our own beds (thank God!) (Thank god!) and bathroom, but we've pretty much had the place to ourselves. It's quiet, it's green, it was sunny, it wasn't a city...to be honest, it reminds me of Magnetawan! A little taste of the cottage on the west coast!
Katie and I have been pretty low key the last few days, actually reading books and being all scholarly and stuff. "He's Just Not That Into You" is a great read btw! And athletic too! I think we could go pro at lawn darts. We've been practicing that, our trampoline skills, croquet, lawn darts and monkey bars; hell, we even had a catwalk to walk down... We got skills I tell ya. We weren't put here just to look pretty. Although we do that pretty well too. ;) We're Mullen girls...we can do anything. "We dig our own worms, we bait our own hooks...."
I've got to be completely honest though. Laying low after being on the frickin' road for 2 months was exactly what we needed. We get to take in our surroundings. The bobcat that stalks the back fence by the garage/loft we're staying in, the 2 cats and a dog that we've become BFFs with, the grass, the sun....mmmm.
And if the Universe couldn't get any better we've even made money while we've been here!! Ka-ching! I mean, we worked for it...pretty damn hard too, but it was a win-win. They got cleaner houses, we got money for gas and food. That's all we really need. I mean, we can figure out ways to get all the other 'luxury' stuff like plates, forks, napkins...they keep those things out at the grocery stores for the buffet stuff...why buy the package in the aisle when it's sitting there screaming to be used. :) LOL. Some of you are thinking, "OMG, my girls are stealing plastic dinner ware from grocery stores." HAHA sure are! It's not like we're not buying food there or anything...I mean, we've got a Safeway card now! We get discounts all the time now. We saved like $9 the other day.
We haven't seen the city yet, and we may not. I guess you'll find out in our next post whether we checked it out or not cuz we're headed to Calgary baby! Again, the Universe wants us elsewhere. Who are we to argue? And besides, there's a medium Ice Cap with my name on it. Who's buyin'?
Canada here we come!! Can't wait for Tim Horton's!!! Oh I can't wait!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Where the *F* is my Kazoo and How do you spell B-I-Z-N-A-T-C-H?!?
After Kel and I were done fantacizing about Edward Cullen,..carrying us in the woods on his marble, rock hard body, looking into his topaz eyes, and listening to his smooth voice and smelling his sweet sweet scent... umm, ya I know he's not real. But a girl can dream! Oh he's real...we just haven't found him yet... :) Vancouver?
Anyways, after Forks it was time to hit up Seattle! We caught the Ferry just in time to make the trip over whatever-body-of-water-that-was to the city! We didn't spend much time there. Just to meet up with our hostess for the next couple days, Miss Jessica! And she's fabulous! And hilarious! We followed her all the way home which is actually about a 20 minute drive from the city. And the best part is she lives in the boonies! We have not yet stayed outside of a city or subdivision, besides camping, so it was awesome to see a great backyard, smell the fresh air, listen to silence, and see the amazing night sky! Oh and having a bed to sleep in instead of the car was good too. lol.
But before we hit the hay we partied at the local brewery, Redhook. Again, in Mullen fashion, we sampled every beer offered, and to our surprise they were all delicious!! Really did you expect anything else? Jessica's intuition and random actions have been absolutely perfect thus far!There was also an awesome band playing, Kris Orlowski, so there was clearly no other option but to stay. Great beer + great music + great company = a great night out!
Kris Orlowski is actually the name of the lead singer in the band and he's pretty cool. He came up to our table and gave us kazoo's! Anyone that just has kazoo's to give away is awesome in my books! I think pretty cool is a bit of an understatement. I've never been somewhere where the band actually talks to everyone in the bar! Talk about marketing....Throughout the night we played our kazoo's like it was the best sound in the world and enjoyed the music of Kris and his band. After the show Jessica offered our services to help the band clear out their equipment, so we did. Now we can actually tell people that at one point 'we were with the band'. While doing so we got to meet the rest of the band, Jason and Tim, his Mom, Nancy, and his Dad, Paul, who is Canadian btw, even though he thought for some reason he wasn't really. He was slightly intoxicated so that may have been why. None the less they were all very nice and fun people!
After we closed up the brewery we hung out with everyone at Daddy's. Katie and Jessica played pool and I chummed around with Pappa Dukes Orlowski. Very cool guy and Kris' mom Nancy, she's a doll. Proud parents! Kris gave us a list of cool things to check out...it's signed on our CD cover...When he makes it big you'll all be jealous! lol.
Dad gave us a little inside scoop on the song Jessi. It was written about Kris' ex-girlfriend. He told us where she was from and we jokingly...well maybe not...asked for her address and gave him a napkin to write it down... from the mouth of Paul, "Um, how do you spell Biznatch?"LOL
Seattle has been fabulous so far! Can't wait to see what else it brings! We're house sitting with Jessica so I can only imagine the trouble we can get into!!! hehehe...
For more vids from this night click here.
Anyways, after Forks it was time to hit up Seattle! We caught the Ferry just in time to make the trip over whatever-body-of-water-that-was to the city! We didn't spend much time there. Just to meet up with our hostess for the next couple days, Miss Jessica! And she's fabulous! And hilarious! We followed her all the way home which is actually about a 20 minute drive from the city. And the best part is she lives in the boonies! We have not yet stayed outside of a city or subdivision, besides camping, so it was awesome to see a great backyard, smell the fresh air, listen to silence, and see the amazing night sky! Oh and having a bed to sleep in instead of the car was good too. lol.
But before we hit the hay we partied at the local brewery, Redhook. Again, in Mullen fashion, we sampled every beer offered, and to our surprise they were all delicious!! Really did you expect anything else? Jessica's intuition and random actions have been absolutely perfect thus far!There was also an awesome band playing, Kris Orlowski, so there was clearly no other option but to stay. Great beer + great music + great company = a great night out!
Kris Orlowski is actually the name of the lead singer in the band and he's pretty cool. He came up to our table and gave us kazoo's! Anyone that just has kazoo's to give away is awesome in my books! I think pretty cool is a bit of an understatement. I've never been somewhere where the band actually talks to everyone in the bar! Talk about marketing....Throughout the night we played our kazoo's like it was the best sound in the world and enjoyed the music of Kris and his band. After the show Jessica offered our services to help the band clear out their equipment, so we did. Now we can actually tell people that at one point 'we were with the band'. While doing so we got to meet the rest of the band, Jason and Tim, his Mom, Nancy, and his Dad, Paul, who is Canadian btw, even though he thought for some reason he wasn't really. He was slightly intoxicated so that may have been why. None the less they were all very nice and fun people!
After we closed up the brewery we hung out with everyone at Daddy's. Katie and Jessica played pool and I chummed around with Pappa Dukes Orlowski. Very cool guy and Kris' mom Nancy, she's a doll. Proud parents! Kris gave us a list of cool things to check out...it's signed on our CD cover...When he makes it big you'll all be jealous! lol.
Dad gave us a little inside scoop on the song Jessi. It was written about Kris' ex-girlfriend. He told us where she was from and we jokingly...well maybe not...asked for her address and gave him a napkin to write it down... from the mouth of Paul, "Um, how do you spell Biznatch?"LOL
Seattle has been fabulous so far! Can't wait to see what else it brings! We're house sitting with Jessica so I can only imagine the trouble we can get into!!! hehehe...
For more vids from this night click here.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
MMMMMMMMMarch!
Drive to Carlsbad from Arizona - 5 hours
Time spent watching AI with the Musselman's - 2 hours
Listening to Isabel talk,..and talk and talk.. - indefinite
Watching Mickey flail his arms and legs in the air while in a lay-z-boy - PRICELESS
Time spent watching AI with the Musselman's - 2 hours
Listening to Isabel talk,..and talk and talk.. - indefinite
Watching Mickey flail his arms and legs in the air while in a lay-z-boy - PRICELESS
Time Kelly spent on her ass in a seminar writing notes - 50 hours
Time Katie spent sleeping in - 11hours
Amount of time gathering everyone for the bar - 5 minutes
Hanging out with Peak friends and family, having a few drinks after a long day - PRICELESS
Wine tours in Sonoma - Free
Eating good food at a new restaurant - Free
Ice Cream from Safeway - Free
Listening to Mari's reasons why her words in Scategories are right and watching Keith just shake his head, and then Mari giving herself the point anyways - PRICELESS
Amount of orange juice brought to pre-drink at Dan's place - half a jug
Amount of Vodka to mix with O.J. - way too much
Amount of texts it took to get Dan to the Lexington - 5
Doing the 'Dan Martell' anywhere, everywhere, and all the time - PRICELESS
Percentage of time Chantelle, Hoan, Katie and Kelly were tech nerds - 75%
Percentage of time Hoan talked about the SlapChop - 50%
Percentage of time Chantelle got distracted from her work - 30%
Watching the Sneezing Panda over and over again - PRICELESS
Thanks to all our friends and family we've seen this past month. You've made California memorable! And interesting!
MUCH LOVE,
Katie and Kelly
About three things I was absolutely positive...
...first, there was no way we were going to Washington and NOT visiting Forks, second, there was a part of me - and I'm not quite sure I know how strong that part is - that wished Edward Cullen actually existed and would be there, third, I was extremely excited and anxiously awaiting our arrival!
AH! Forks! For anyone who has read Twilight you will know exactly what this post is for as soon as you read the title. :D If you haven't read Twilight you may be lost, and you should read it!!!
We woke up on Friday after sleeping in our car for the second night in a row. It was cold and wet, but the day started off well. We thought we would get dressed, go to the bathroom and leave. But to our surprise there were people outside serving hot chocolate, tea, and chocolate brownies! At the rest stop!! lol. It was the best breakfast surprise ever! And the hot chocolate was delicious! Kel chatted with them and found out there's a waiting list for people to set up shop at the rest stop to serve drivers in the morning. It's all FREE too! Just donations if you wish. It was honestly the nicest surprise and from the nicest people!
With a whole day ahead of us and a great start to the morning it was only appropriate that we make our way to Forks, and keep up the good energy. So we did! The drive there was beautiful. Everything was green! The sun would shine off and on throughout the day, but there was a slight overcast, and it would start spitting randomly. The coast of Washington really is gloomy most of the time. lol. There are also a lot of little towns and simple living, much like Leamington and surrounding areas. But it was an awesome drive through the forest and it looked exactly like Stephenie Meyer described in the book!
Forks is basically the smallest town and there is nothing really to do there. Hiking is probably the only thing, and the forest, again, is beautiful! Our first stop was the visitor's centre where we saw Bella's truck. It wasn't the one from the movie but it's close enough. I usually compare things to the books anyway, they're way better! Kel and I were greeted by a woman who was very enthusiastic about Twilight and Forks! She gave us a map that was specifically made for Twilight fans. So we knew exactly where everything was! Perfect! She also talked as if the the Cullen's and Bella were real people living in Forks. I liked her! haha.
It was easy to find everything. We usually just followed the teenage girls with their cameras! lol. Lots of people,..well mostly females, of all ages, were in Forks to get the Twilight tour. It was quite funny actually. It's definitely blown up this small town!!
Of the many things we saw there, I have a few favourites...the sign at the hospital that was reserved for Dr. Cullen, it seemed real! I liked the sign on the motorcycle parked in the spot that read, "Give blood, date a Cullen!"And of course the Forks sign, obviously! And most definitely the Cullen house! It was really old and really cool!The Cullen house is actually a B&B and Esme writes a note every morning saying where they are. When we visited they were visiting Renee, Bella's mom, in Florida. haha. Thy're really into it! I think what I liked most though was seeing the actual place that Stephenie Meyer based her story on. The way she described things in her book is exactly the way it is. It's awesome! And then you start thinking about the story and how her vision came to life. It's quite inspiring actually to put yourself in her place as you go through Forks and wonder how she came up with such an amazing story from such a quaint town.
One thing is undeniable though, the forest is MAGIC and has lots of character! I could picture Edward running through the woods and Jacob with his tribe! For real, it's crazy!! I really think the forest is what attracts people to the area, it's hard to deny it. I think for me, because I saw the movie before I read the book, I do a lot of comparison to the movie and they were absolutely bang on with everything! I mean, the houses and buildings aren't the same as the movie, but are definitely in sync with the book, but the character and the tone that is set in the movie is absolutely perfect.
After Forks we made our way to the Quileute Reserve. Sooo gorgeous! La Push Beach was so amazing, the view was awesome! I'm so excited for the New Moon movie! It's gonna be sick!! AH!! Going to La Push was just the thing I needed to get me into the Jacob spirit! lol. And I can't wait for the cliff dives!
AH! Forks! For anyone who has read Twilight you will know exactly what this post is for as soon as you read the title. :D If you haven't read Twilight you may be lost, and you should read it!!!
We woke up on Friday after sleeping in our car for the second night in a row. It was cold and wet, but the day started off well. We thought we would get dressed, go to the bathroom and leave. But to our surprise there were people outside serving hot chocolate, tea, and chocolate brownies! At the rest stop!! lol. It was the best breakfast surprise ever! And the hot chocolate was delicious! Kel chatted with them and found out there's a waiting list for people to set up shop at the rest stop to serve drivers in the morning. It's all FREE too! Just donations if you wish. It was honestly the nicest surprise and from the nicest people!
With a whole day ahead of us and a great start to the morning it was only appropriate that we make our way to Forks, and keep up the good energy. So we did! The drive there was beautiful. Everything was green! The sun would shine off and on throughout the day, but there was a slight overcast, and it would start spitting randomly. The coast of Washington really is gloomy most of the time. lol. There are also a lot of little towns and simple living, much like Leamington and surrounding areas. But it was an awesome drive through the forest and it looked exactly like Stephenie Meyer described in the book!
Forks is basically the smallest town and there is nothing really to do there. Hiking is probably the only thing, and the forest, again, is beautiful! Our first stop was the visitor's centre where we saw Bella's truck. It wasn't the one from the movie but it's close enough. I usually compare things to the books anyway, they're way better! Kel and I were greeted by a woman who was very enthusiastic about Twilight and Forks! She gave us a map that was specifically made for Twilight fans. So we knew exactly where everything was! Perfect! She also talked as if the the Cullen's and Bella were real people living in Forks. I liked her! haha.
It was easy to find everything. We usually just followed the teenage girls with their cameras! lol. Lots of people,..well mostly females, of all ages, were in Forks to get the Twilight tour. It was quite funny actually. It's definitely blown up this small town!!
Of the many things we saw there, I have a few favourites...the sign at the hospital that was reserved for Dr. Cullen, it seemed real! I liked the sign on the motorcycle parked in the spot that read, "Give blood, date a Cullen!"And of course the Forks sign, obviously! And most definitely the Cullen house! It was really old and really cool!The Cullen house is actually a B&B and Esme writes a note every morning saying where they are. When we visited they were visiting Renee, Bella's mom, in Florida. haha. Thy're really into it! I think what I liked most though was seeing the actual place that Stephenie Meyer based her story on. The way she described things in her book is exactly the way it is. It's awesome! And then you start thinking about the story and how her vision came to life. It's quite inspiring actually to put yourself in her place as you go through Forks and wonder how she came up with such an amazing story from such a quaint town.
One thing is undeniable though, the forest is MAGIC and has lots of character! I could picture Edward running through the woods and Jacob with his tribe! For real, it's crazy!! I really think the forest is what attracts people to the area, it's hard to deny it. I think for me, because I saw the movie before I read the book, I do a lot of comparison to the movie and they were absolutely bang on with everything! I mean, the houses and buildings aren't the same as the movie, but are definitely in sync with the book, but the character and the tone that is set in the movie is absolutely perfect.
After Forks we made our way to the Quileute Reserve. Sooo gorgeous! La Push Beach was so amazing, the view was awesome! I'm so excited for the New Moon movie! It's gonna be sick!! AH!! Going to La Push was just the thing I needed to get me into the Jacob spirit! lol. And I can't wait for the cliff dives!
Goodbye California
After spending nearly an entire month in sunny California, it was time to say goodbye. We left San Francisco a day after we planned (it was a sign...don't leave, don't leave!) and crossed the Golden Gate bridge into what seemed like a completely other world! Leaving California was sad and somewhat appealing all at the same time. There was a part of me that was thriving to see new things and another that was saying "There is no sun in Oregon, you're heading North, why the hell are you leaving me?". Extremely tempting, yes, but it was time move forward. And Oregon is beautiful in it's own way, sun or no sun.
We stopped to get an oil change and grabbed a bite to eat. I tried out my negotiating skills on the guy at Jiffy Lube....the cute girl discount didn't fly. I did catch him off guard though...lol. Never hurts to ask. At the grocery store I got a Safeway discount card. Apparently it doesn't matter if I'm Canadian. I like when people want me to save money! I'm a money magnet! Canadians deserve Safeway cards as much as anyone else. And we are currently their #1 customer. We shop there all the time. Now we have discounts!
So anyhow, we headed up Highway 1 along the beautiful coastline again for Mendicino.
Unfortunately that plan got kiaboshed by a forest fire so we decided to bypass that area and just head right up to Redwood National Park. I think we've got something for giant trees. Sequoia last September before Warrior was absolutely 100% magic and the Redwoods didn't disappoint either. They are sooooooo tall! They're not just trees, they are spirits.
After weaving in and out on the old stagecoach road through Jedediah Smith State Park we crossed the state line into Oregon! I can say this in reference to my travels down under. California is like Australia and Oregon is like New Zealand. Brut forces along that coastline, but still magnificent.
Driving through Portland I had this gut feeling that we should just stay the night, but of course, in typical Kelly fashion I ignored it and we crashed at a rest stop for the night. (Best rest stop ever btw.) Checked my email to find out we have family in Oregon!? If I had trusted my gut, we would have stopped, checked our email and been hanging out with another Mullen in no time! But the universe is perfect. Lesson learned... At least we're still on the same coast so we can go back!
We stopped to get an oil change and grabbed a bite to eat. I tried out my negotiating skills on the guy at Jiffy Lube....the cute girl discount didn't fly. I did catch him off guard though...lol. Never hurts to ask. At the grocery store I got a Safeway discount card. Apparently it doesn't matter if I'm Canadian. I like when people want me to save money! I'm a money magnet! Canadians deserve Safeway cards as much as anyone else. And we are currently their #1 customer. We shop there all the time. Now we have discounts!
So anyhow, we headed up Highway 1 along the beautiful coastline again for Mendicino.
Unfortunately that plan got kiaboshed by a forest fire so we decided to bypass that area and just head right up to Redwood National Park. I think we've got something for giant trees. Sequoia last September before Warrior was absolutely 100% magic and the Redwoods didn't disappoint either. They are sooooooo tall! They're not just trees, they are spirits.
After weaving in and out on the old stagecoach road through Jedediah Smith State Park we crossed the state line into Oregon! I can say this in reference to my travels down under. California is like Australia and Oregon is like New Zealand. Brut forces along that coastline, but still magnificent.
Driving through Portland I had this gut feeling that we should just stay the night, but of course, in typical Kelly fashion I ignored it and we crashed at a rest stop for the night. (Best rest stop ever btw.) Checked my email to find out we have family in Oregon!? If I had trusted my gut, we would have stopped, checked our email and been hanging out with another Mullen in no time! But the universe is perfect. Lesson learned... At least we're still on the same coast so we can go back!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Hello Foto!
Katie and I always joke about our 'continuous' setting on our camera about photo shoots...we actually got to be in one this time! I did more tasks actually. I held the toilet paper for Chantelle, got her different shirts, and took video. The people behind the scenes are just as important! :)
Chantelle and Hoan were doing a photo shoot for their music website. Anthony Kearns was the photographer. It was pretty sweet watching the whole process go down. I mean, photographers are really good at what they do, but somewhere I feel we're all photographers at some degree.
Anthony got some really cool shots even after his camera decided to bail out on him :( Didn't matter though, he got the job done and it was awesome!
Here's some pics from my perspective...
Chantelle and Hoan were doing a photo shoot for their music website. Anthony Kearns was the photographer. It was pretty sweet watching the whole process go down. I mean, photographers are really good at what they do, but somewhere I feel we're all photographers at some degree.
Anthony got some really cool shots even after his camera decided to bail out on him :( Didn't matter though, he got the job done and it was awesome!
Here's some pics from my perspective...
And it wouldn't be a photo shoot with out some goofy video...Hoan is always good for that!
To celebrate we hit up St.Francis for some sammies and malts! And a Rick Roll isn't always bad either! Sickest prank calls I've ever seen! Check 'em out @ http://iprankd.com/
Stay tuned for our photoshoot soon! ''It's sexytime!''
Thursday, April 2, 2009
An Afternoon in Wine Country
The phone rang at 9:55. "Are you guys up yet? You're still going to be here at 11 right?" Thank god for Keith! lol
Now of all the random things that happen I would have never expected to run into someone I knew in Australia on a random sidewalk in CA. Garett was at University of Sunshine Coast when I was and he lived with some of my friends. Although I was chasing after him calling him John he recognized me from somewhere! So I mixed up the names! At least John was his roomates name.
WHAT!?! haha.....
I honestly don't think Katie and I have ever gotten ready that fast! Maybe it was the prospect of wine...after a night of drinking....or maybe the thought of being out of the city for a day? Either way we were excited to go to Sonoma with Keith and Mari!
We went to a few wineries before we even tasted anything. At Bartholemew Winery we stopped to have a picnic and a nap! What a glorious day it was too! Wine country is absolutely gorgeous; the weather the vinyards, the peace of more nature than concrete! It was exactly what I needed to cure my hangover. Some FRESH AIR!!!
And then we went to Buena Vista Winery. Quinn, our conesour, was awesome! He worked us pretty good with all his knowledge of wine and what they go best with. And if there weren't already enough to taste on the list already I think he poured us 3 more on top of that. Keith and I were getting pretty giggly! I love a glass of wine! As you can see...
Moi, on the other hand could not even smell the wine without feeling a little naseous. I think Keith thought I was gonna puke the whole morning. lolWe toured the Sonoma Square and had lost of free samples of cheese, fudge, deserts and even saw where Keith and Mari got married! Awe... Off to Chateaux St.Jean for a wine tasting far less interesting, far less elaborate and far less entertaining! Quinn, you need to be duplicatable!
We headed back into Oakland for free dinner at a new place in town. No really I said FREE! They put out all sorts of appetizers for a few hours and all you have to do is buy a drink or many in return. Good food too!
Now of all the random things that happen I would have never expected to run into someone I knew in Australia on a random sidewalk in CA. Garett was at University of Sunshine Coast when I was and he lived with some of my friends. Although I was chasing after him calling him John he recognized me from somewhere! So I mixed up the names! At least John was his roomates name.Him and his two friends Mike and Matt were visiting for a few days. They really liked it out here, but what's not to like when your commute into NYC everyday is 2 hours both ways. I think that should be a crime! Very cool guys. I don't know why I ran into them, but I don't care...it's always good to run into friends in the least expected places!
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