Camping Time!

I spent this past weekend camping with Thomas and many members of his family (I think that there were 40 different people there over the course of the 4 days!). When Thomas and his siblings and cousins were little his parents would take them all camping. One of this cousins, who now has a 2 year old, wants to restart this tradition so she put together a nice family trip at El Capitan State Beach.

I took Thursday and Friday off work (Thomas took the whole week). We headed up on Thursday and started to set up. Like normal I was really bad at taking pictures, but we did get some nice ones.

The only camping I ever did as a child was with girl scouts and not nearly as often as Thomas seems to have gone. I think I was more excited about the camping trip than most of the people there.

El Capitan State Beach is slightly north of Santa Barbara, so on Thursday afternoon we were looking to get some Jamba Juice and the only one around was on the University of California, SB campus. I have never seen so many bicycles in my life. The campus has bicycle paths for them to ride on and the bike riders have the right away on those. It was pretty cool to see.

On Friday we headed to the beach for a while, where Thomas tried very hard to throw me into the water. He succeeded in just taking me in waist deep. That water is cold though! I much prefer the Atlantic for going in.

After dark on Friday Thomas took me back down to the beach, in the dark, so that we could have a romantic moment under the stars. I know some of you live in small towns where you see lots of stars nightly, but when you live in a big city with lots of lights it is amazing to be on a beach and see all the stars. It was gorgeous.

On Saturday Thomas and I spent most of the day with one of his cousins’ and his faincee (they are getting married on Friday! We went back down to the beach and then the kids, I mean Thomas and his cousin, played rock wars.

We then spent most of the afternoon playing different board games. It was a great evening. 

We took a family picture on Friday and Saturday nights since some people left and others arrived. 

I am having technical issues. Facebook pictures do not want to show up for me. I think this means I need a new computer. Or at least I'm trying to convince Thomas of that.

Mickey's Halloween Party!

Last year a co-worker took her daughter to Disneyland for their Mickey's Halloween Party. For you non-Disneyland goers - it is special night time event at Disneyland in which kids (and adults!) can dress up and go trick-or-treating around the park! 

I put the idea in my mom's head that we should take the kids this year as a birthday present for my niece (who turned 10 on the 7th). She agreed! So on Tuesday, my mom, the kids, and I headed out to Anaheim (about an hour or so away) after school to partake in this exciting trip! 

Jonathan got to participate in some dancing with the guys from M.U. He was jumping all around and entertaining one of the guys that was working there for the show, so he got invited to participate in the Scare Contest. 

Along with everyone else he got  a Scare Champion pin - it was very cute and he had a lot of fun. He could've danced all night but it was time to go soon after.

Jonathan rode with my mom on the Haunted Mansion ride. He enjoyed it.

#MyConversations - Link Up!

I'm once ahead participating in Knock On Wood's bi-monthly Link-up about conversations. Check out her blog and the others who are participating! 

Monday’s thru Wednesday’s I take the kids to school along with my mom. One day as we were getting out of the car my mom asked Jonathan about taking his folder and backpack to school.

Mom: Do you want to take your backpack? Or just your folder? The only thing in your backpack is your folder.

Jonathan: You never know when you’ll need your backpack!

Earlier this year Jonathan decided on his career plans. My brother upgraded his phone so my nephew got one to play with. It was still associated with an open line so he got to make a call or two to me and his dad. One day he told his dad something along the lines of…

Jonathan: Now that I have a phone I can get a job.

David: What kind of Job?

Jonathan: I can open a hot dog stand. I’d be good at that.

After hearing this story I asked Jonathan how to make a hot dog, which he explained to me in detail. My brother and I tried to dissuade him from this career choice, but he is sure that he will be a great hot dog salesman.

Oh, and by the way… he doesn’t eat hot dogs.

Finally, one afternoon my niece complained to her dad that some girls teased her at school about the way she plays volleyball. Jonathan overheard, went to his sister and said:

Jonathan: Nikki, let me tell you something. Bullies will be bullies! 

Not something you usually hear from a 6 year old! 

Fall Dates

I love Fall, except that we don’t really have one here. I mean, we’re just about in mid-October and the forecast calls for 90 degrees for the next 10 days.

Also, Thomas and I don’t really go on “dates”. We usually just stay in or go to his parents’ house for events. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like some dates!

Assuming the weather cools down and we get some fall-like temperatures, I would love to go to a pumpkin patch to pick some pumpkins. Who am I kidding, I’ll go even if it’s 90 out.  I’ve never actually done this before, but it seems like so much fun. Now that we have our own home we can decorate and I love fall decorations. I already bought some mini pumpkins to put in the living room.

We headed to the festival at the local college/farm. I had never noticed that they had a pumpkin patch. They had freshly growing pumpkins but mostly they had pumpkins that had been placed there. Either way we had fun and found a nice sized pumpkin for $4!

Haunted Festivals! I love to be scared. I love to feel protected by my husband even more. Although it has been my experience that more than protect me he delivers me to the people doing the scaring. Either way, I enjoy going to the haunted houses. This year we had free tickets!

On Saturday night we went to The Rise of the Jack O Lanternshttp://therise.org/ - an event that is hosted in Los Angeles and New York every year. It's about 5,000 pumpkins (or funkins) that are carved out. They have a ton of amazing ones:

Movies. I guess this doesn’t really pertain to being an autumn date, but we never really go out to the movies. We usually watch them at home, which is nice, but it can get boring, too. I think there are a couple I’d like to check out in the next couple of months.

We didn't go on a date to the movies, but we did go see the Alexander movie with my brother and the kids on Sunday afternoon. Very cute movie! 

I’m pretty lame. These are as fun as it gets in my head. I’m looking forward to reading other dating ideas to beef my calendar up a bit!

Favorite Fall Drink

I confess…

I don’t love coffee. I know! I KNOW! Please don’t hate me.

I just can’t deal with the flavor drinking it. I’ve tried. I’ve tried drinking it with different syrups, flavors, sugars, whatever. Nothing works. Even the pumpkin spice ones. I only ever drink it if I’m to be driving long distances and need something to keep me awake. At which point I get it iced so that as the ice melts it tastes less and less like coffee.

HOWEVER, I do like dipping my donuts in coffee. I also LOVE the smell of coffee. 

Still, I have a Starbucks favorite. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate  Some people get freaked out by the salted part, but it is amazing. I wish it were under 90 degrees here so I could enjoy this today, but it’s super-hot. I have to wait another month before it’ll be cool enough to drink. They put the salt on the top, and add caramel and toffee syrup. The toffee is what really makes it amazing. It should be called Salted Toffee Caramel Hot Chocolate.

I’ll sometimes have this during the year, even once the stores run out of the salt. I just ask them to make it with the toffee. Of course that toffee makes it so high in everything that it’s horribly bad for you, but I don’t have it often, so that makes it okay, right?

If you’re ever in the mood for hot chocolate I definitely recommend this drink at Starbucks!

Weekend Round Up + A Fractured Wrist (Not Mine!)

My time here has been seldom lately. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve been super busy and had to put the blog in the back burner until some things were completed.

One of the bigger things was a surprise party I threw for my dad. I had been planning it for several months and it finally occurred this past Saturday.

My dad turned 80! Since we share the same birthday and he has basically handed them over to me the past 30 years, I thought he should be able to have one just for him. I went ahead and invited many people he knew from work (he retired just 3 years ago) and I’m glad I had many show up. I had Stone Fire Grill cater with some pasta and I ordered a cake from the same person who made my wedding cake. It was AMAZING, both in taste and looking at it!

My sister and her family drove down from the Bay Area on Friday night – I think that’s what surprised him the most! He walked in and saw the his daughter and grandkids.

It was an overall success. I’m very thankful to my friend Dante who came over early to help me decorate. She was a life saver. I have learned that I like things to be perfect and I get upset if they aren’t perfect. This is especially true when I have a 12 year old, two 9 year olds, and a 6 year old.  Her arrival was much needed and calmed me down.

After a while the kids got bored and ended up in the swimming pool which they enjoyed very much.

After the party the kids, my dad, and I headed over to my in-law’s where my sister-in-law “threw” a party for my father-in-law’s birthday (which was the day before mine). We stayed there for a while, but I had to head back by 6pm because my mom was waiting to go shopping with my nieces. We spent a nice time at the mall and my mom got the girls some things.

The my sister, brother-in-law and the girls left fairly early on Sunday morning. Jonathan woke up with a rash all over his body.

At first we thought it was Scarlet Fever, however Jonathan lacked the fever part of it. A trip to the Urgent Care that morning declared him free of bacteria but instead with the Adenovirus. Which apparently is a pretty common virus that usually goes by unnoticed because the body fights it off pretty well. However it left Jonathan tired and ready for an early bedtime on Saturday night and with a rash all over this body on Sunday. It seems to have gotten worse since it first showed up. He was held home on Monday but was given permission to go back to school on Tuesday.

My mom, Nikki and I went to place some flowers at my sisters’ niche (something we do just about every Sunday).

And then did some grocery shopping. After which I headed home and watched TV and a movie with Thomas. It was a nice lazy afternoon.

There are some exciting things coming up for me still. Today is my niece’s 10^th birthday. On Saturday it is her party – sadly Thomas and I have dentist appointments at the same time. Friday night I’m going with Thomas to some haunted houses which I’m excited about. We didn’t make it last year and I was disappointed. This year Thomas’ cousin began working there so he got us some free tickets (saving us about $40 - $50!). It also means a funnel cake!

On Saturday night we are going to a pumpkin light show which I’m looking forward to! It looks like a lot of fun!

I wrote this at work on Monday. Then I call home to check on my nephew to find out that my dad fell on the stairs Sunday night and was in pain and his arm swollen. I left work at 3pm and took him to the ER. Fractured wrist. 

Waiting to be called back. 

Happy Birthday!!!

On this day, many, many years ago a lovely baby was born. That baby turns 80 today!

No, not me – my dad! Today, on top of it being my 30^th birthday, it is my dad’s 80^th.  I was my mom’s gift to my dad on his 50^th birthday. That’s what happens when there is a 10 year age difference in marriage (my mom was 40.5 when I was born).

I’m not sure what’s going on for my birthday today. Last night we went to dinner because it was my father-in-law’s birthday. And I think we’re going to dinner tonight at Ruth’s Chris, but I’m not sure. See… that was my favorite steak restaurant until I went to Steak in Las Vegas (Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant). Steak is amazing. Ruth Chris… well it’s almost as expensive and not at the same quality as Steak so I feel that it’s a waste to spend $150  for dinner for the two of us for food that I just don’t feel is worth that amount.

However, I think my mother-in-law told Thomas to take me there and I think he went ahead and made reservations. Which will be just fine. I guess I’ve concentrated so much time towards my dad’s party, that I’m a bit bummed that there isn’t more attention to mine. I love birthdays’, especially mine. I feel like this is a big one and I feel like I’m going to be let down. Some other stuff happened, birthday related, that really irked me, so that hasn’t helped.

I guess I wanted attention… and I don’t know how much I’ll get. I guess that’s the negative of sharing a birthday with your dad.

On the bright side: there will be a great cake and great food at my dad’s party on Saturday and I cannot wait to see how surprised he is. I’ll be scanning in pictures from when he was a baby until now and putting them up on a board for people to look at. He was a very cute kid! I’ll be sure to post pictures next week after the party!

I will also be celebrated at work. We're bringing lunch into the office today and then we're going to lunch on Friday. It'll be nice! Look out for Instagram because I know my cubicle will be decorated when I get to work! 

(I hope I didn't sound too negative or whiny!)

I also wanted to wish a happy birthday to Faith over at 'Cause You Gotta Have Faith who shares this wonderful day with me.