Hike to Mitchell Peak

So, back when I was telling you that we went on vacation to Hawaii, and then took a couple stay-cation days at home, I mentioned that we did a hike and that I would tell you about it. So here it is! This was a hike to Mitchell Peak (yes, it was actually the tippy-top of a mountain). It was a 7ish mile, round-trip, hike in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, which I kind of didn't realize was so close to where we live (about an hour away). 

Right away from the first 20 steps, which were, of course, up hill, I knew this was going to be a hard one. I don't think I've ever complained so much on a hike, as I did this one (although my mother would tell you about the famous Mother's Day Hike we took as a family, where us kids were miserable monsters). I don't think I even complained once when I did the 15-mile Half Dome hike. Luckily I have an amazing husband who put up with me on this one.

 By the time we got near the top I had to take a breather every other minute. The elevation was over 10,000 . . . so I told myself that it was ok to be winded. The summit was actually a huge pile of rocks above the tree line, so we had to do a little bouldering to get to the top (Yay, finally!) We had a fantastic 360 degree view from which to enjoy our tuna sandwiches and to take some pictures. The whole thing was definitely hard work, but worth it for the view. 

After our hike I decided that I was tired of being out of shape, so now I'm back to running. And I'll do my first race in December!

  

Reclaimed Wood Side Table

What do you think about this new table in our living room set up? This little guy is metal and reclaimed wood, and is actually a table that is designed to fit under a regular sized coffee table. We only got this size, and initially we felt like it was strangely sized for either a small coffee table, or for a big and low side table. But it's kind of growing on me as a short side table. What do you think? Keep, use somewhere else, or sell?

Re-done Nightstands

Happy weekend everyone. Check out our newest project. We've been married a year now, and finally just got some nightstands at Hume Lake's annual Country Fair for $10 each. We repainted them black with gray drawers, laquered the tops, and kept the original hardware. I'm thinking I may starch some fun fabric into the drawers. 

Soakin' Up the Hawaiian Sun

Vacation. Ahhhh. I kind of wish I could be on vacation forever. Especially if it's with this guy . . . the location doesn't even matter. We celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary on the North Shore of Oahu, soaking up the sun, hiking, reading, sleeping in, snorkeling, and watching sunsets. Then we did a couple of stay-cation days at home, and that was just as fun. More to come on that! Today was our first day back at work, and we were reminded of how important it is to take a break, slow down, and just enjoy the important things. Plus, it makes work not so bad after a break. 

You may be wondering, how to do two newly married, non-profit employees, both with degrees from a private university who hate debt, pay for a Hawaiian vacation? Here's how:

1. Pay off college first.

2. Take the new flight from Fresno, CA to Honolulu at only $150 each way.

3. Stay in a home rental instead of a resort (about $100 per day).

4. Make our own food and don't eat out.

5. Get a rental car through Costco ($86 for the week!)

We hiked to Hidden Beach, and had it all to ourselves. 

Sunset at Sunset Beach

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches

A few weeks ago I made some homemade ice cream sandwiches for Nathan's birthday. There was homemade lemon ice cream with molasses/ginger cookies (which seems to be our favorite flavor combo lately) and Tillamook vanilla ice cream with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Here's a few tips I learned while making these in case you want to make some too:

1. Melt the butter in the cookies before it's mixed with the sugar. The warm butter will help make the cookies flatter.

2. Freeze the cookies prior to making the sandwich part. They aren't as fragile then.

3. Scoop the ice cream (not too melty, but not too hard either) with a small cookie dough scoop. It's easy to control the portion and the sandwiches end up with about an inch of ice cream.

4. Press both cookies and ice cream together slightly so it all sticks. Then refereeze till your ready to eat!

Missing My Mac

You'll have to excuse me if this post doesn't look too great. It's really just a test. My MacBook Pro decided this week that it was time to quit unless I'm willing to do a $300 fix. Insert sad face. So until I figure out a new computer situation I will have to settle with the Blogger App for the iPad, which so far, is not awesome. I will gladly be accepting any Apple computer donations. I'm the mean time, let's see how this app does with pictures. Although, blogging by an outdoor fire is pretty great on a holiday weekend. Insert happy face.

Glass and Wood Drink Dispenser

All summer long I have been been wishing that I had a drink dispenser that would hydrate more than 4 people. So when I came across this guy, a 7 liter glass and wood teardrop dispenser from World Market for only $20 . . . I couldn't resist. Plus I still had a gift card from my birthday, 5 months ago (anyone else love stretching gift cards out as looooooong as possible, like me?). Happy late birthday to me. We used this for an outdoor movie night party on our deck to celebrate the hubby's birthday last week. I guess it's happy birthday to both of us!