October 29, 2010
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Wow, it’s end of October already! I’m loving the cool weather, although I don’t like the rain. Mid-October, I had a quarterly at my house, where teams drew categories (appetizer, main dish, dessert) and were given a Safeway gift card and time limit to prepare a dish. I think I’m trying to relive the days when I had cable and watched Top Chef on Bravo. The food came out pretty good, although one guy tried to convince everyone that banana slices on a saltine was an appetizer. Afterwards, we played card games for gift certificates.
That evening, I went out to a champagne and caviar bar with my girlfriends. It was nice to sit outside and talk with such fun and interesting ladies!
Saturday was very busy. I made an 8am dentist appointments for the kids. It was Calie’s first dentist appointment, and she was very cooperative. No cavities for either kids – whew. Afterwards, we took Calie to her gymnastics class … and guess what we did after that? Soccer game! (Or as Calie calls it, “soccer bang!”)
Because the team had won 4 out of 5 games, they were moved up a league, from 3 to 2. The game was much more exciting to watch … Warriors lost, but it would have been a tie had they not scored on themselves (which kind of tells me they should have stayed in league 3, but oh well) J
At 4pm, James took Zachary to youth basketball orientation. And in the evening … our annual Halloween party!
I made 3 types of pasta and apple cake with cream cheese frosting. I also put out some fruits, vegetables, and snacks. I could not have asked for better weather, and the kids had fun playing soccer or on the play structure.
When it got dark, the kids came in for a craft … little kids used foam stickers to make a card (same foam stickers we’ve used for 3 years … they last forever!) and the older kids made wooden haunted houses with some assistance from parents.
The winners of this year’s costume contest, by popular vote, were Mario (Dylan) and the royal court (Sam, Melissa, Alex, Nicole.)
Sunday, after my morning jog, the kids went to their swim lessons. Then we went to the Aquatic Center for kayaking and a potluck picnic. The weather was great … grey, overcast, and cool. It almost reminded me of kayaking in Alaska … minus the iceberg, sea otters, pine trees, and bald eagle that is. Zach was happiest when Vaibhav and Gaurav came with a volleyball. It was the first time he played volleyball (we’re not a very athletic family) and he really enjoyed it. Thanks to Dana for setting it up!
Last week, I went to Guadalajara for work with some coworkers. I flew out Wednesday morning, and landed in Mexico early evening. The first night, we took a tour of downtown. The city was very lively, especially for a Wednesday night, with a Mariachi band playing and lots of people bustling about. We visited the Plaza de Armas, Palacio de Gobierno (Govenor's Palace), Plaza Guadalajara, Plaza de la Rotonda, Tapatia Plaza, Cabanas Cultural Institute, Teatro Degollado (theatre), and Guadalajara Cathedral. As I'm sure you guessed, I took pictures and then matched them up with internet images to recall the landmark names.
For dinner, we went to a nice outdoor restaurant, where they made salsa to-taste at your table. It was really good and I've realized that when I say I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food, what I really mean is I'm not a fan of Americanized Mexican food.
The next day, I went to the Guadalajara site to tour the lab and learn about the capabilities of the teams down there. After work, our group went to a Cuban restaurant, where we could write on the walls (and ceiling and lamps.) On our third day in Mexico, my coworkers and I attended a 10th anniversary celebration of Intel Guadalajara site.
We had a sit down dinner with good tequila, followed by a Cirque style acrobatics show, and dancing. I opted to go home at midnight, but a few of my travel companions stayed out until 6am!
On Saturday, my flight didn’t leave until the afternoon. Since I had the time, I hit the spa for the best ever (2 hour) mani-pedi followed by a leisurely buffet brunch. I also had some time to pick up a few souvenirs for the kids. The lowlight would have to be the trip home … on my first leg (~3 hrs), I sat next to someone with horrible body odor. I had to rush to catch my connecting flight and missed lunch. I sat next to a woman eating bologna. She actually offered me some (I must have looked hungry), but I knew she flew in from New York, and I wasn't comfortable with eating meat that’s been in someone’s purse for that long. On the positive side, the smell of warm bologna curbed my appetite. When I got back to Sacramento, it was raining like crazy. I had to make a pit stop for gas and ended up driving in the wrong direction for almost 25 miles – ACK! I did get back before the kids were in bed though, which was my goal.
While I was traveling, James had managed the kids, including a soccer game (another loss) and a school Halloween event. I’m grateful to have a capable husband! Since he had the kids for 4 days, I took the kids to swim lessons Sunday morning. In the afternoon, I went to Melissa and Sandy’s dance showcase. Melissa danced the cha-cha and American waltz, and Sandy danced the tango. I knew how much effort and practice went into the performances, and it paid off ... they put on a terrific showcase - I have some very impressive friends! We ended the past weekend with a playdate … Zachary had his classmate/friend Chinmay over for dinner, soccer, and board games.
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