Carlsbad vacation part 2

While in Carlsbad we saw our cousin at the restaurant he works at. It was nice to spend some time with him during the week. 

More beach time. Having fun in the waves with Johnnie and Grady. 

We spent a day at the races at Del Mar. Didn't win but had fun watching the ponies. 

Enjoyed a nice dinner with a beautiful sunset. 

Yup, more beach. 

This girl is definitely a beach girl like her mama. 

A beautiful sunset on our last night.

It was a great week relaxing and fun.

Carlsbad vacation part 1

In the month of August, we spent a week at a beach house in Carlsbad. It was a lovely week and though not too far from home it was a nice vacation.

We spent the week with grandma and John, along with friends. Lil J was so excited to see her friend. They hadn't seen each other in almost 2 years since she lived in Florida. They were just two peas in a pos the whole week. 

The house wasn't too far from the beach and had a nice view on the balcony. 

Lots of time was spent at the beach. The waves were pretty mild which was perfect for Lil J. 

We spent a day at the San Diego zoo. 

My favorite. 

J loves zebras. 

Montreal: Halloween and more

So we spent Halloween in Montreal. Unfortunately, it was raining so we didn't really try to find a neighborhood to do any trick or treating in for Lil J. But she still got to dress up in her costume for the evening.

Princess Ariel having some Pho.



Trick or Treat in the hotel lobby.



So yes, I did work while in Montreal. I had a poster presentation with one of my students.



I also chaired a could of symposiums. I was quite busy at this conference. But Lil J and Daddy kept themselves busy. We stayed a couple of extra days after the conference.

We enjoyed Old Montreal.




The Notre Dame Cathedral



Lil J lighting a candle for great-Lola and saying a prayer.





Sleeping after a long day of sightseeing. I love how they sleep alike.



Waiting in customs, ready to head back home.

Montreal: The Biodome

Wow, I am really behind. Let me try and catch up on this blog....

Back in October we went to Montreal. I started back with Day 1, well here is there rest of the trip.

I took an afternoon off from the conference and headed to the Biodome with the family. It was a perfect outing on a rainy day.

Check out the clown in the background. Kinda interesting. Not sure what he was up to.





The penguins were pretty cool. They were our favorite.





This is a capybara, a heavywight rodent. That was one big rodent!



Look, we found Waldo!



My little egg hatching...

Day 1: Montreal

We are in Montreal for a conference. It is a beautiful city. Check out the view from our room. 

It is nice to have my family tag along when I have to work out of town. But while I have to work, they get to play. Great for them a little sad for me. So the first day I had some work to do and they headed off for some fun adventures.

They went shopping at the largest underground mall. I started with them before I had to head off to my conference and got a little lost trying to get out. 

As I worked, I received some texts of their fun time. They went on a bus tour around the city. 

They checked out the church next to the hotel that we can see from our room. 

When I was done with the conference, I met up with them and headed to dinner. 

They had a wonderful time and I am looking forward to getting some time in Montreal toward the end of the conference.

Bon voyage

So we headed off to our first international trip as a family. Our destination: Montreal, Quebec Canada. 

Ready to go. 

Early this morning we headed off to LAX. 

Ready to take off.

It was a nice flight. Lil J is getting to be a great traveler. This is her fifth time on a plane and she was just great. She is a seasoned traveler. 

We got to our hotel, Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, and checked in. We got a recommendation for a place to eat. The best place for the local cuisine, poutine. 

We took at taxi to La Banquise. There was a long line and it got longer and was out the door a few minutes after we arrived. This was definitely the place to be. We had to try poutine. Poutine is French fries topped with a gravy, cheese curd, and a selection of toppings. I had bacon, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions - La Matty.  It was pretty good. What is not to love; French fries! 

Looking forward to what else Montreal has to offer.