Los Angeles - Feb 2013

Keith, Danelle and Shawna

Keith had to be in LA to visit a few properties for work so we decided to make a weekend of it and visit Danelle and Dan and their two kids who we had not seen since they had the kids.  It turns out that at the last minute Shawna had to be in LA as well for a meeting with a client so the timing worked out perfectly.

Accommodation
Chez O'Hearn - We stayed at Dan and Danelle's house for two nights.  They have a beautiful home in Thousand Oaks with open space behind their house.

Hyatt Place - We ended up staying here one night, close to the airport, to catch our early flight on Monday.

Activities
On Thursday, Keith flew to LA for his meetings and stayed the night near the airport.  Shawna flew to Burbank and stayed the night there.  On Friday, after Shawna's meeting was over with the client, Keith picked her up and we drove to Danelle's house.  After we met their kids (who are adorable), we sat down for dinner (they had ordered in), drank some wine and caught up on life!

On Saturday, we slept in and then went to a coffee house / wine bar where we had breakfast.  The day was gorgeous so we sat outside and talked and ended up tasting some wine there as well.  We went back to their house and went for a short walk to the top of the hill behind their house to see the views - it was a bit foggy by this point so we could not see the ocean but it was still quite beautiful.  We then had a late lunch of cheese and bread and then took a nap to rest up for our night out.  They got a babysitter so that we could all go out to dinner that evening.  On the way to dinner, we got pulled over by a cop and none of us had any clue why - then the cop tells us that we were driving without our lights on.  The roads were so bright that we never even noticed!  The cop asked if we had been drinking (which we had not) and Keith's response was "No, not yet, officer"!  Thankfully the cop realized that we were in a rental car and thus he let us go.  Dinner was really yummy - we sat at the chef's table by the kitchen and ordered a bunch of small plates to share.  After dinner, we returned home and crashed.

Dan, Danelle and Keith

We were supposed to fly out of LA on Sunday morning so we got up early but then found out that our flight had been cancelled due to a snow storm in Denver.  Shawna quickly researched other options and found that we could fly out of Burbank via Las Vegas so she purchased the tickets.  The flight was only 2 hours from that time so we quickly scrambled to pack up, say our goodbyes and head out the door.  When we got to Burbank, we found out that we could get to Vegas but then the flight from there to Denver was cancelled as well.  We got our money back and they booked us on a flight out of LA  early the following morning.  We went to LA airport to see if we could fly standby in the afternoon but everything was either canceled or sold out.  So, we decided to make lemonade out of lemons and see some of the local area - we ended up going to Santa Monica in the afternoon, rented bikes and biked all around that area and over to Venice beach.  Keith showed Shawna the property that they are remodeling which is a huge community.  Later that evening, we had a tasty dinner at Gjelina in Venice.

Venice Beach - Canals

We flew out early on Monday morning and returned to work by mid-day.

Restaurants
Leila's - In Thousand Oaks.  We had dinner here with Dan and Danelle.  Food was quite tasty.  We shared lobster tempura, short ribs, pork belly, spicy ahi tartare, heirloom salad, and lamb tagine.

Gjelina - In Venice.  We had dinner here.  Food was awesome.  We shared the raclette, grilled oyster mushrooms, ribs, meatballs and mussels.

Beaver Creek, CO - Feb 2013

Beaver Creek

Rakesh and Simran wanted to go skiing for a long weekend with their daughter, Ria, so we planned on a trip to Beaver Creek over President's Day Weekend.

Accommodation
Chez Dodds - We stayed at our house for two nights - when they arrived and the night before they left.

Westin Beaver Creek - Simran was able to get a two bedroom suite with kitchen/living room for half off by just using 1000 points.  It's a great hotel located just outside the gates to Beaver Creek with free shuttle service to the mountain.  The suite worked out perfectly allowing us to cook at night and relax in the living room.  The hotel also had a great happy hour - service was slow but the drink prices were pretty good - and an awesome gym.

Tom, Keith and Rak

Activities
They arrived on Friday night around 9pm.  Keith went to pick them up while Shawna made dinner.  After getting them settled in, we ate a Thai curry fish dish and then went to bed as we had to get up early the next day to beat the ski traffic.

Rak and Keith Ready to Hit the Slopes

Are We There for a Week?

On Saturday morning, we were on the road by 6am and it only took us 2 hours to get to Beaver Creek. We registered Ria into ski school (the class was called Ski Girls Rock - how appropriate) for 4 days and then the boys got their ski passes and rentals and went off to ski for the day.  Kim and Tom, who also happened to be in CO skiing this weekend, met up with Keith and Rakesh to ski together for the day.  We couldn't check into the hotel until the afternoon so Shawna and Simran had a leisurely breakfast at the Park Hyatt, walked around the village and then drove over to Edwards to see the shops there.  They stumbled upon a great sale at one of the sports stores, bought a few things and then had lunch at a yummy Chinese restaurant.  They went to the grocery store to pick up food for dinner and by the time they were done, they were able to check-in.  After getting all of the luggage and groceries unpacked, they went to the gym and were done just as the gang returned to the hotel from skiing.  That evening, Shawna cooked a pasta dish with scallops along with a salad.  We stayed up drinking and then crashed around 9pm with the Snarrs sleeping on the sofa.

That Curran Smile!

Tom and Keith

On Sunday, everyone went off to ski again while Shawna and Simran went to the gym (pilates class followed by the treadmill) and then went to the Park Hyatt for an afternoon at the Allegria Spa.  Shawna got a pedicure and a massage while Simran got a spa package including a massage, body scrub and facial.  The spa is very nice and has a water feature that you can enjoy with multiple hot tubs, cold showers and a steam room.  Simran decided that she liked 'skiing' again and coined the trip "Spa Girls Rock"!  Shawna and Simran returned to the hotel and hit happy hour with the boys and Ria.  Ria met a few friends and ended up roasting s'mores and going to the hot tub.  Due to the 'exhausting' day, Simran did not feel like cooking so we went back to the Chinese restaurant in Eagle to get take-out for dinner.

Ski Girls Rock!

On Monday, the boys decided to ski in Vail and the girls planned on meeting them there for lunch at our favorite restaurant, Sweet Basil.  Before heading over to Vail, Shawna and Simran relaxed on the sofa, checking out various travel sites and planning future vacations.  It was at this moment that Shawna learned about glamping (aka glamour camping) and she is now stoked to try out this place in Montana that Simran introduced her to.  Before the boys left, Keith mentioned that this was a dangerous venture - leaving the two of us alone to do travel research and he was right!  When we arrived in Vail, we met up with the boys and walked around for a while and then had an awesome lunch at the restaurant - Shawna really liked her dish which was a duck confit.  We returned to the hotel for a brief nap and then the boys went to get a massage in the spa at the hotel while Simran and Shawna got groceries for the evening.  Simran made a great shrimp and feta dish to go with the leftover pasta.

Rakesh and Simran

Tuesday was our last day there.  Rakesh had to fly out for the day for a meeting so Keith opted not to ski and we all (with the exception of Ria who was a trooper for skiing four days straight) went to gym and then went to the Ritz Carlton hotel to have lunch at Spaggo.  The food was very tasty.  Simran then picked up Ria from ski school and we packed up and drove back to Denver.  We went to a local Indian restaurant for dinner, Little India, and brought some home for Rakesh who arrived back at our house around 9:30pm.

Uncle Keith, You're Scaring Me!

Due to a snow storm that was hitting Denver on Wednesday afternoon, Rakesh and Simran changed their flight to leave on Wednesday morning.  After a quick breakfast, Shawna saw them off and then returned to the grind stone of work!

Shawna and Keith

Restaurants
Henry's Chinese Cafe - In Edwards.  Had lunch here and then also got take-out for dinner.  Food was cheap and tasty!

8100 Mountainside Bar and Grill - At the Park Hyatt.  Had breakfast here - shared a yummy omelet and tostada.

Sweet Basil - In Vail.  Had lunch here - quite tasty.  Shawna had the duck confit and Keith had the chicken cordon blue upon insistence by the waiter that this was the best dish on the menu.

Spaggo - At the Ritz Carlton.  Had lunch here - also very tasty.  Shawna and Keith shared the beef ragu and we all shared the mushroom flatbread and shrimp as an appetizer.

Little India - In Denver.  Had dinner here.  Food was not good.