whew

I made it to San Diego & my flight was smooth...and quiet. The middle seat in my row was empty--a 20-something girl was in the window seat and then I was on the aisle. So nice! Otherwise the plane was pretty packed...I picked a lucky row when I checked in online!!!
I dozed a bit & listened to my IPod & read the latest scoop on Brangelina...can never get enough of that!! Now I'm just in the airport waiting waiting for Bob's flight to arrive...only 2 1/2 more hours...but Starbucks has some yummy looking muffins so I'm going to head that way in a minute.
The sky is overcast but I can see palm trees on the hills all around so that's ok! I forgot to take a picture of the doe on the tail of our plane--sorry girls--but I do know that his name was Dominoe. A good name for a doe!
I'm off to Starbucks!!

Buzz Kill

...selfish, ungracious, rude, razzle frazzle....grrrrr.

The head of Bob's conference left him a message today asking if he would consider switching hotels for the San Diego conference to a hotel 1/2 mile away...with a shuttle. Seems that a big-wig needs to attend the conference and needs to be at the conference hotel. The hotel is completely booked & to make that happen means bumping someone out of their room.
Never mind that it's 3 days before the conference.
So dear Bob called her back and reminded her that I was coming, (she encouraged that back in March when they were planning the conference trip) and told her that he'd be more comfortable if I didn't have to shuttle around alone (not to mention my spa appointment and the thrill of the close proximity to the mall). So she said she'd try to ask the other man attending if he'd switch. She just called back and said that luckily, the other man "was gracious enough to give up his room" so that Bob didn't have to.
Can you say 'passive-aggressive?'
Sorry--this is our (my) first grown up vacation since 1997 and we're (I'm) willing to be the non-gracious, selfish, keepin'-our-own-room-at-the-fancy-hotel guys...and I'm trying my best not to feel guilty about it!!

Nesting

Before taking a plane ride, does anyone besides me clean closets to get the house 'in order' just in case? I think it's probably just me. Do you get the urge to write goodbye notes to everyone you know? Just me, again. Put the rosary on the top of the 'things to pack' list? Okay...so I have OCD.

I can't help it...why do the planes have to fly so dang high? Wouldn't it be easier on everyone if they would measure the highest building and fly just above that...or even lower if you're flying over the ocean or cornfields...closer to the ground would give a few of us a better chance of bouncing to survival...

If you haven't noticed, hate to fly, but I love the idea of having a self-indulgent, dare I say, romantic, week-long trip to San Diego--sans kids--next week. (Bob has a conference for school & I invited myself along--the room is already paid for by school so what the heck!). I have grand plans to take the trolley to Old Towne while Bob's in class & somehow get myself to Sea World & the zoo but in reality, I think I'll probably just end up wandering at the mall...all alone...trying on piles and piles of clothes with no one there to "gross I saw your bra" or "ew" at my stretch marks & other well-earned deformities. When Bob's classes are over, we're planning on finding a beach & sitting in the sand & watching the sunset without worrying about bed times & low blood sugar levels...I'm hoping to sleep in, take afternoon naps, finish my childrens' book, lounge by the pool and have sundaes for lunch if I want.

The girls were fighting tonight so I threatened to cancel my trip and just stay home with them...to which they all wailed a resounding "nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!"
I'm loved.
But maybe they need a vacation from me as much as I need a break from the everyday grind of things around here.

I hope I won't miss them too much.
But I hope they'll miss me just a little!

Fore!!

This one's for the Grandpas!!!
Practice...


...makes perfect!!


Bob taught Julia some golf techniques this evening & she did pretty well for her first try with a club!!

House Update

Our builder guy, Les, came the other day to paint our new drain pipe...the last of the exterior post-construction items to be done (until September when then they'll be back to fix our interior cracks/doors etc). They were just going to put up the old drain pipe but nobody could figure out how it went back up once they took it down (?), so they just ordered a new one to install. The basement is all back together, we have a new, smooth sidewalk & we now have an empty storage unit...and a mighty full basement...

When we got back from South Dakota in June, they tore out the entire garage floor and re-poured it. You never saw two people so excited to be able to open a door as Bob and I were when we could finally open the door from our garage to the back yard...it's been a few years since we've been able to use it. It felt like winning the lottery!

Our next big project is trying to coat the garage floor with that professional looking speckly paint stuff but we keep putting it off because the directions sound scary--etching the floor first with acid...lots of warnings about keeping all your parts covered so they don't get eaten away by acid...doesn't sound fun but it's on the list...right after I paint the walls a pretty "Tuscan Sky" blue color (to go with the fancy speckles on the floor)...should be a sight to behold when it's complete. Maybe Bob can have his poker parties out there once it's done......???!

We're relived all the mess and noise is over...but we just saw a sanolet delivered to our neighbor up the street & the tell-tale deep hole in their garage...and our neighbor right across the street just had an engineer at their house...seems they have twisted beams in their basement...yikes...luckily it's over for us but just beginning for them...hopefully the builder won't go out of business before they fix our drywall cracks.......!!!

glug glug

Today was the start of our second week of swimming lessons. Everyone has progressed well...at least trying everything the teachers ask of them...quite a difference from last summer when Julia refused to do anything...(and even got put out on the side for not cooperating...but we won't go there). What a difference a year makes!! We've been lucky to have good weather...only a little fog/rain on the first day...otherwise nice and hot and sunny--good for swimmers but not so great for moms (me) sweltering in their deck chairs!!
Julia waiting her turn

Sophie trying the back float

Emma too

One Two Three Jump
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Emma's famous dive/jump

Surprise!!

Bob's dad just had his 75th birthday today...Happy Birthday!! His wife, Nadine planned a big surprise party and it turned out perfectly! Lots of good food, good friends and quite a surprise for him...he really had no idea! Mission accomplished!! They actually got him out of the car to come to the house without too much trouble (his children were worried about that!), and after a few "Oh God"s at the sight of so many people (60-80) there all for him, he really warmed up and had a good time. We all did!!

Got him...

Catching up

Friends greeting Nadine

Grandpa's girls

The younger set had a fun time too!

Silly

Happy 4th!

One of Bob's favorite holidays is the Fourth of July (that, and Halloween...my two least favorite). So he was in charge of organizing a BBQ at our house to celebrate.

We basically supplied the mojitos & margaritas & everyone else pitched in the rest...yummy bacon wrapped filets & potato salad from Bonnie, elk steaks from Mark & Karen, taco salad & rootbeer float fixins from mom & dad, and Mentos & Diet Coke from Steve...always a fun...and mostly legal fourth of July entertainment tradition! (thanks everyone!)

The Coke blasting wasn't as successful as years past for some reason, maybe the temperature of the Coke, we decided...but entertaining nontheless!
Oh the Suspense!

MaryJane helped herself to a mini coke fountain...

Bob, Grandma Bonnie & Cindy

After all the festivities, we all hiked up the hill in the field above our street where could see the entire horizon of commercial fireworks...the perfect spot & a good end to a fun day...

No Sheep in my Pasture

What the heck?! Yep...the post time on this is correct. Somehow I've gotten myself into this bad pattern of being up all dang night. Now I know what the babies who mix up night and day feel like.

Last night I had the privelege of watching "The Piano" on tv...it started at 1:00...and I watched the whole thing. I was also entertained by a spider who kept lowering himself down from the ceiling right in front of the tv & back up again. Three times the little guy did that...looks like I'm not the only one who can't seem to find a comfy spot!

Tonight I haven't fallen asleep yet either...caught the end of "Dances With Wolves" and now "Dante's Peak..." which started at 3:00. Tried turning off the tv but then my stomache just churned & threatened revolt until I sat up again...

Thought about taking a moonlight stroll but then remembered what could be lurking out there in the dark. Thought about cleaning the giant pile from storage awaiting me in the basement. Thought about keeping Julia home an extra year so she can grow a couple of inches before tackling the hallways at school...Oh wait...I just figured it out...I'm doing waaaaaaaay too much thinking when I should be counting sheep instead. Ugh. Good night. Or should I say, Good morning!?!
Maybe I'll get a paper route.
p.s.
please don't call me until after noon on Saturday...I'm hoping to be asleep until then...or by then, anyway...

Sizzler

On Friday, Sophie and Julia ran in a 'Sizzler Fun Run' for little kids hosted by the City of Lafayette. Emma decided that if everyone didn't get a ribbon, she wasn't going to participate. Oh no--"they" got her to go over to the dark side. Bob is baffled that a child of his needs one of those 'participation-pat-on-the-back-you did-a-great-job-and-always-will' ribbons. He's one of the old school gym teachers who still gives first, second, third place ribbons at field day & refuses to give that up. She might as well have told him that she was piercing her knees and joining the circus...had almost the same effect.
(I have a theory to fix the nation's youth...reinstate physical education every day in all schools, go back to giving out ribbons and awards for accomplishments earned, and mandatory boot camp of sorts--ie. intensive exercise, yes sir/no ma'am etc. the summer before middle school)...but don't get me started on that...

But, whatever. She mostly just doesn't like to run so it worked out for the best.

Julia smoked her 4-year old peers--came in first in her 60 yard dash and got to break the tape at the finish line--the most fun of all. Sophie did a great job--had to run 220 yards--pretty far for 6-year olds but she paced herself and finished strong! And they all got a blue ribbon afterall and a popsicle...all is right with the world.
And they had a fun, new experience to check off their list of "things to do before you're 10"...
Julia (in the red shirt on the left) sizing up the competition...

Go Julia!

Great form, Sophie!

Popsicles...who could ask for more!?!

Solstice

Man, those pagans really knew how to throw a solstice party...the ice cream...the croquet...the sheer madness...

Oh wait, that wasn't the pagans' brilliant idea...that was Uncle Steve!! What better way to welcome the first day of summer...scoops and scoops of yummy (and exotic) ice cream and a ritualistic game of croquet at Steve's house!!
We were all pagans for a day!!!

Our own version of Druids at Stonehenge...

Little Ladies & Bugs

We stopped by the greenhouse on Father's Day...Bob was in a planting mood. While we were there, we picked up a bag of lady bugs...yep, people actually buy those things...and it's not our first time either. It's so fun to watch their legs stick out of the holes in the bag & to watch them fly to freedom when you get it home and open it up!! I caught Sophie & Julia getting along...spending the evening with a slowly emptying bag of bugs. They were actually trying to teach them a few commands--'sit' and 'fly.' The latter command is surprisingly easy to teach...they were the ladybug whisperers!!!

Soccer

Julia had a soccer camp all week this week and had a really good time. Though she's not quite ready to bend it like Beckham, she's got good hustle & was willing to try everything!!
Warming Up

Goalie

Drills

Practicing Headers...look at the height that little gal got jumping up to head the ball...(and the determination on her face)!!!

Play called on account of one girl fell & everyone else just kept kicking...

(that's Julia in the white shirt kicking it when the video starts)

Emma's Take on SD

I let Emma use my old digital camera...the one with the tape holding the batteries in...but still works ok for her purposes. She's got big plans for a scrapbook & had over 100 photos. She worked for a long time on the computer today cropping them...some of them were pretty good I thought...
Any chance to make her mom & dad look silly...

At the Presidential Slide (ok-I took this one but with her camera)

Crazy Horse scale model

Where is he pointing, you ask?? When a white man asked Crazy Horse, "Where are your lands now?" Crazy Horse replied, "My lands are where my dead lie buried." That's where.
Flower at Reptile Gardens

Sweet Sarah at Old MacDonald's Farm--with Julia & Sophie for scale...

Peking Donkey

Wacky Grinning Goat--he's saying "How YOU doin'"

There's No Place Like Home

It's good to be home but what a whirlwind tour of Americana we had...hopefully it was a trip the girls will not soon forget...I know I won't!!! We couldn't think of one thing we didn't like or would have changed!

Thanks for the stimulus check, Mr. Bush, we used it to appreciate & enjoy America...and each other!!!

And did we ever!

Driving Driving Driving

Today we drove home from our most adventurous road trip. Just to give you an idea of what it was like...watch this video and then multiply the scenery by about 10,000 & you'll get the idea...(and yes, there is an antelope somewhere in the movie--that's why I was filming...can't really see him though...I think he zooms by after the group of fences)


And just for fun, we counted the number of antelope/humans we saw in Wyoming and the score was (drum roll please)...
Antelope 316
Humans 9
(including a cowboy wearing chaps & a big hat rounding up his cattle with his dog at his side)

Anyway...

Our 6-hour drive was broken up a bit by our fabulous stop to 'Register Cliff' and wagon wheel ruts on the Oregon Trail in Wyoming. So worth the jaunt it took to get there. I could have stayed there all day just taking it all in...that kind of stuff is right up my alley!
Just FYI

A couple of the 'signatures' carved into the cliff


Some wagon wheel ruts at Register Cliff...note the lines/indentations in the grass in front of & behind the white post (Official Oregon Trail marker)...that's where the wagons traveled along the Oregon Trail!!

Wagon Ruts & Register Cliff...(the really old signatures like the ones pictured above are around the back of the cliff, protected by fencing)


Emma at the Pony Express Station historic marker

And in another spot further west, the wagons had to travel OVER these sandstone rocks...carving out a wagon-sized road through the rocks (nobody said "hey, here's an idea...let's go around the rocks"??) So cool...glad they didn't!!
Us at the Oregon Trail National Historic Site sign

Oregon Trail

Emma towards the bottom of the ruts (the trail goes up the hill behind her)--


Stop me...I could go on all day...

Storybook Island

After a late lunch, and a quick rest after freakytown Cosmos, the last of our stops today was Storybook Island...a FREE (what? yay!!) public park on the outskirts of Rapid City. They have all sorts of things to climb/play on based on characters from storybooks...built & maintained by the Rotary Club...they even have ice cream cones (not free). It was super cheesy but that made it that much more fun!! The girls had a blast running from the Three Little Pigs houses to the Prince climbing up Rapunzel's hair, to the guys from Wizard of Oz, and everyone in between...what a great idea...and did I mention...free!!!

Couldn't resist!

Monkeying around

Sophie & Ariel

Puff, maybe??

You knew he'd be there!!

SD Oddities

Ok, so not everything in South Dakota is patriotic...or normal. After the farm, we stopped by "Cosmos Mystery Area." A couple of cabins in a wooded area founded by, who else, a couple of college students looking for a place to build a cabin...undoubtedly after a few too many...if you know what I mean. Supposedly, they noticed a strange force around them as they built their cabin & decided they should share the phenomenon with the rest of the world...translate: tourists from hither and yon...
They take you on a tour of this cabin which is somehow built on an angle to make you feel like you are standing sideways--still can't quite figure out how they do it but it is a freaky feeling and you do end up leaning--almost to the point of falling most times. In this family photo, we are standing on a level board (as proved by a tennis ball not rolling off)--

I'm not sure if pictures explain it--it was too weird and the girls were utterly shocked and amazed--I'm still scratching my head to figure out all the angles they built the thing on to make us all so freaked out...black magic, I tell ya'!

Emma's chair did not fall forward when the guy let go...

Supermom