Happy 40th birthday to my darling husband Daniel. Steady rock, adventurous soul, deep thinker, God-lover, patient father, loyal and kind friend, humble genius who thinks doctoring the underserved is just the right thing to do, mountain man who still makes my heart skip a beat in those worn hiking boots: you are so special today and every day.
His comment? "This 1000-year-old tree doesn't seem too impressed that I'm turning 40." Classic Daniel.
When we woke up Sunday morning, Dan took Daniel to the airport for a flight! That's right. Dan has his pilot's license, and they took a trip to Bremerton to have breakfast and admire the view.
Meanwhile, Jill took the boys and me to Pike Place Market. We got the required photo in front of the Gum Wall (gross but cool), then wandered around the market. Heaven! We admired rows and rows of fresh dahlias, vegetables and seafood; watched cheese getting made at Beecher's (and gobbled up some incredible mac and cheese); picked up pastries at Piroshky Piroshky; and saw the original Starbucks. The kids were troopers but clearly I was more into it than they were. I wish I'd had the real camera instead of just my phone. I could have wandered around taking photos and sampling treats for hours.
After that we drove over to the airport to meet Dan and Daniel. Now it was our turn to go up in the plane for a quick loop over Seattle!
A little nervous but ready for take-off!
I love flying! It reminds me of being a kid and getting to go up in my Grandpa's plane. Dan is a great pilot and it was absolutely gorgeous to be in the air above Seattle with views of water and mountains everywhere.
The Space Needle!
Time to chow on some yummy Dungeness crab (a first for me and the boys!), sourdough bread, salad and white wine. Hello, heaven.
Yummy pastries, and then a trip over to the Ballard Locks to watch the boats go through the locks and see some salmon jumping up the ladders.
This is the view from the rooftop deck that Dan built on the top of their house. Gorgeous!
It was so wonderful to be with dear friends in such a beautiful place. Talk about a perfect day!
Since kindergarten, Owen has been saying he wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up. The Denver Aquarium has a special program called "Swim with the Fish," where you can suit up and snorkel with sting-rays, Moray eels, nurse sharks, a 400-pound Queensland grouper and 400 other underwater animals. Owen has been wanting to do it for months. His birthday seemed like the perfect time to surprise him by granting his wish. Jack was more than happy to be his buddy.
Getting suited up, Daddy-style. It is virtually impossible to get those wetsuits on!
All suited up and ready to dive. A little nervous but mostly excited!
And away they go!
I headed down a few levels to see the tank from underneath. Owen kept the blue floating dumb-bell, so that's how you can tell the boys apart in the pictures.
Both boys loved every second of their adventure and they've been talking about it for weeks.
Classic Kortsch-style games. Ankle balloon popping, a nature scavenger hunt (which everyone loved!), the manatee piñata and of course....
Recognize the fork and spoon, the wrapped present, and the hat, mittens and scarf?
Owen requested an Arctic circle ice cream cake.
Oh, how we love our O-Bear. He brings so much joy to our lives with his bright imagination, adorable laugh, deep insights, and tender, kind heart. Happy Birthday, sweetheart!
So, my birthday is coming up in March, and it's a big one. FORTY! How can that be? Rather than sink into a fug of depression, I decided to take the bull by the horns and celebrate with a trip. Katie and I have been dreaming of traveling together for ages, and late one night I got an email about a retreat in Carmel, California. It combined creative writing, painting, yoga, hot springs, hikes, and beautiful meals on a cliffside property overlooking the Pacific. Um, hello: what's not to like? It was organized by Darling magazine. I've long admired Darling's aesthetic, their no-retouching policy, and most important, their daring mission statement:
In a bold move (definitely not my style), I booked two spots that night. I just knew in my gut I wanted to be there. When I checked the next morning, it had already sold out.
We flew into San Francisco and drove straight to my personal mecca, Tartine Bakery. It was every bit as gloriously and deliciously boho as I'd imagined. And no, we didn't run into Elisabeth Prueitt or Chad Robertson. Alas.
Whoa, these panini were incredible. We ate our weight in bread and cheese, but man, was it ever good. Our favorite was the one with sharp sheep cheese, toasted almonds, lemon and sage. Mmm.
The famous Lemon Meringue Cake. I've had a tattered photocopy of this recipe in my "to make" pile for 15 years. I guess in my heart I wanted to taste the real deal. It was even more scrumptious than I'd hoped.
After braving the twisty and steep (so steep!) roads of San Francisco and drooling over the incredible architecture, it was time to drive down through the mountains and along the coast to Carmel....
Happy 40th birthday to my darling husband Daniel. Steady rock, adventurous soul, deep thinker, God-lover, patient father, loyal and kind friend, humble genius who thinks doctoring the underserved is just the right thing to do, mountain man who still makes my heart skip a beat in those worn hiking boots: you are so special today and every day.
When we woke up Sunday morning, Dan took Daniel to the airport for a flight! That's right. Dan has his pilot's license, and they took a trip to Bremerton to have breakfast and admire the view.
Meanwhile, Jill took the boys and me to Pike Place Market. We got the required photo in front of the Gum Wall (gross but cool), then wandered around the market. Heaven! We admired rows and rows of fresh dahlias, vegetables and seafood; watched cheese getting made at Beecher's (and gobbled up some incredible mac and cheese); picked up pastries at Piroshky Piroshky; and saw the original Starbucks. The kids were troopers but clearly I was more into it than they were. I wish I'd had the real camera instead of just my phone. I could have wandered around taking photos and sampling treats for hours.
After that we drove over to the airport to meet Dan and Daniel. Now it was our turn to go up in the plane for a quick loop over Seattle!
A little nervous but ready for take-off!
I love flying! It reminds me of being a kid and getting to go up in my Grandpa's plane. Dan is a great pilot and it was absolutely gorgeous to be in the air above Seattle with views of water and mountains everywhere.
The Space Needle!
Time to chow on some yummy Dungeness crab (a first for me and the boys!), sourdough bread, salad and white wine. Hello, heaven.
Yummy pastries, and then a trip over to the Ballard Locks to watch the boats go through the locks and see some salmon jumping up the ladders.
This is the view from the rooftop deck that Dan built on the top of their house. Gorgeous!
It was so wonderful to be with dear friends in such a beautiful place. Talk about a perfect day!
Getting suited up, Daddy-style. It is virtually impossible to get those wetsuits on!
All suited up and ready to dive. A little nervous but mostly excited!
I headed down a few levels to see the tank from underneath. Owen kept the blue floating dumb-bell, so that's how you can tell the boys apart in the pictures.
Both boys loved every second of their adventure and they've been talking about it for weeks.
Making a paper mache manatee with Daddy.
Classic Kortsch-style games. Ankle balloon popping, a nature scavenger hunt (which everyone loved!), the manatee piñata and of course....
Recognize the fork and spoon, the wrapped present, and the hat, mittens and scarf?
Owen requested an Arctic circle ice cream cake.
Whoa, these panini were incredible. We ate our weight in bread and cheese, but man, was it ever good. Our favorite was the one with sharp sheep cheese, toasted almonds, lemon and sage. Mmm.
