I had a great, long weekend. Thursday (okay, so not technically the weekend), my friend Sandy set up a dinner and show. Kathy, Melissa, Sandy, Dana, and I shared cheese and chocolate fondues at The Melting Pot before heading over the watch ‘Crazy for You’ at a quaint local theater. 

 

Friday, I picked up my best friends from college, Carol and Natalie, at the airport. They flew in from Austin, Texas to spend the weekend with me in Napa. Friday night, they stayed at my place, and we had a leisurely breakfast Saturday morning before heading to the Napa Outlets for some shopping. It was funny how well we knew each other’s styles … and sad how little we’ve changed in the past years. I had to try very hard (and was only semi-successful) in veering away from my typical solids and stripes. After shopping, we ate a late lunch at Siena in The Meritage Resort. And following lunch, we indulged in spa treatments at Spa Terra, a day spa, complete with Jacuzzi, relaxation area, and steam room, all in an underground wine cave. 

 

  

Sunday morning, we went on a 3 hour Segway tour around Yountville. None of us had ever ridden (driven?) a Segway before. It was more difficult than I expected and required some practice to get balanced, and comfortable turning and stopping. It was an absolutely gorgeous and perfect morning to Segway through the vineyards. We went by a pasture with Longhorn cattle, a pole barn, a veteran’s home, and did an outside tour of Domaine Chandon grounds. 

 

We also did some wine tasting at Goosecross, a boutique winery. The pours were quite generous, especially since the owners knew our tour guide. We tried a few extra wines outside the tasting menu, and afterwards, sat outside and enjoyed unique local cheeses and more wine. At this point, we were all slightly drunk. So of course, we get back on the Segway and on the highway. As we had a private tour and weren’t in a rush to get back, we took a detour to visit the French Laundry restaurant and garden. If you haven’t tried it, Segway’ing is definitely a neat experience … highly recommended! 

  

 

Taking the parallel and lesser known Silverado highway instead of HWY29, allowed us to bypass a lot of holiday traffic, and we arrived at Castello di Amorosa (in Calistoga) early.  We walked around the castle, and did some grapeseed oil tastings. Since my friends had to buy plane tickets to visit me, I treated them to a tour with a wine and food pairing. The tour included a brief history of what went into building the medivial inspired castle, a visit to the chapel, underground tunnels where oak barrels of wine were stored, and even a torture chamber.

  

 

 

Then we went to a ‘royal apartment’, where we tried 8 wine and food pairings … very delicious! We had a great, unpretentious group, where I sat across from who I can best describe as a Chilean Robin Williams … and for some reason I couldn’t stop quoting Borat. I hadn’t laughed so much in a long time. Afterwards, we took pictures on the grounds and purchased some wine to take home. We drove back in time, before “dinner” at the concierge lounge closed, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in our room.

  

My friends’ flight was Monday afternoon, which meant we were able to get in an hour of bike riding through neighborhoods and vineyards after breakfast. There was a bike rental at The Marriott, and for only $10/hr, we could use their Specialized bikes, helmets, and map on recommended, scenic routes. Great deal, and fun last minute activity! We were surprisingly slow bikers, as it took the full hour to cover 6.5 miles … although we did stop for photo ops. I was bit sore afterwards too, whereas I run 6.3 miles with no problems at all. Hm. Maybe it’s time to mix up my exercise regime!

 

So there we have it. A 20 year reunion with my MIT college roommates. Since when are my friends considered ‘experts in the field’? Since when do they give keynote addresses? And do my friends really fly so much for work that they get free flights and hotel stays? We’re too young for that, right? There are times I still feel like a lost freshman, but then I think … wait … we’re pushing 40! We are literally more than twice the age we were when we first met.  ACK! And how wonderful that we have remained best friends. It’s  so awesome to have close friends like them … people who share similar values and interests, who are happy, confident, and successful,  yet still down to earth and fun. Thank you Natalie and Carol for visiting! I really appreciate our friendship!

Back at home, James played with the kids, helped Zach with a school project, did crafts with Calie, read a gazillion books, and took them to the Children’s museum … where the kids played with Legos and Lincoln Logs, toys we already have at home.

  

And as of this post, I’m 38-years-old! I had a great birthday celebrating with my friends – thanks Kathy for setting it up! We kicked off the Friday celebration with wine and appetizers at Painted Cork, an art studio that provides easy directions to paint using acrylics on canvas. It was fun doing something artsy (read: non-technical) for a change .. . and we all did pretty well, although the verdict is still out on whether Sangria helped or not.

 

  

How wonderful to have friends prioritize spending time with me – I definitely felt very happy, surrounded by such awesome ladies.

After painting, we headed to a local bar for drinks (and in Bev’s case … a hot dog) and dancing. We met up with two of my teammates, Tom and Andy. Thank you all for celebrating with me!

 

Saturday, we went to a ‘Pirates in the Library’ fundraiser event with Alex and Nicole:

  

 

Sophie visited us, and we went to see the ‘Dolphin Tale’ movie on an outdoor screen at a local aquatic center. It was a cute movie based on a true story, and I was only mildly distracted by the whining toddler behind me. (Trust me, my kids are no angels, but I’m pretty sure that as a parent, I wouldn’t have ignored it for 30+ minutes. Seriously!) Sunday, we had Girasole pizza for lunch, followed by Nuyo frozen yogurt. I originally wanted to go out for Mikuni’s sushi, but the restaurant was closed …  and Zachary cheered “Hooray! Today is my lucky day!” My actual birthday was not Zach’s lucky day though. My team took me out for sushi at Blue Nami, AND we had a family dinner at Mikunis. I can really pack away the raw fish! James gave me a Garmin GPS for my car (complete with personal installation and setup) since I am infamous for getting lost. And with a 25% off birthday coupon, I picked up a new Lululemon racerback tank, running shorts, Yogitoes yoga towel, and headband. Happy Birthday to me!

   

 

 

Last Friday, Kathy, Melissa, Sam, and I stayed up late playing mahjong. Then on Saturday, we spent a majority of the day at Zach’s soccer seeding tournament, where they played 5 short games between 8am-1pm. Now that the boys are older, the field is much bigger (or at least it seemed that way to me, with my dinky camera lens) and it’s much harder to run up the score.

 

  

Alice came to visit, and we went to a yoga class together. It was a community yoga class for “everyone”, and after calling to confirm it was okay, I also brought Calie. Oops. There were no other kids, and it was a real 1 hour 15 min Vinyasa Flow class! She had taken a few kids’ yoga classes and hung in there pretty well with the adults until she flipped over during ‘gorilla pose.’ She started crying, and I immediately got up to escort her out of the room … but the teacher had her sit in the front of the class during the final stretches. Alice also played games with us when she visited … she brought Zach a pack of Pokemon cards from Nintendo World in New York. Two low key weekends in a row focused on quality family time. Whoo-hoo!

 

  

 

We are still getting used to our school year routine … homework (Zach only so far … struggling to complete on soccer practice days), soccer (Zach), dance (Calie), swim (Zach and Calie), and exercise (I’m trying to fit in 10k jogs and yoga ta least twice a week.) We also go on an occasional bike ride … which brings us to our latest milestone. Zach is now training wheel free! We figured that if we waited too much longer, we’d have to invest in an adult-sized bike with training wheels … which seems like it might be an expensive specialty item.

And my “baby” is 4-years-old this post! As Calista’s birthday was midweek, we kept it simple. The kids and I made cupcakes for her to bring to class. They looked absolutely terrible, but I guess they must have tasted okay, since all were eaten, and a teacher admitted to gobbling up 3! I had a passing thought to take the day off, but on the way to school, Calie exclaimed,”I’m going to wear a birthday crown today, and everyone is going to sing to me!” She was just beaming! The girl loves attention. So we picked her up normal time (~5pm) and went to IHOP for her birthday dinner. (I tried to convince her to pick sushi, but pancake face with yogurt prevailed.) As it was a kids-eat-free night, and they gave her a free birthday dessert, we had a pretty inexpensive celebration!

   

Zach spent a week at the Aquatic Center summer camp, where he canoed, kayaked, wind surfed, hydro biked, sailed, and stand-up paddled. The last day of camp was open house, so I took the afternoon off work and joined him on the lake. For someone who goes to yoga somewhat regularly, I had surprisingly poor balance. I fell numerous times on the SUP (Zach had to fish me out of the freezing water!) and wasn’t able to catch wind on the windsurfer. I was better than Zach at the hydro-bike though, as he wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the peddles.

 

  

We’ve also been enjoying the longer summer days by playing outside in our shady yard after work. Zach is addicted to our new $20 badminton set.

  

Saturday morning, I went on a 10k run with my coworkers. We’ve been running just ~2.7 miles the past 2 years, and decided we needed to increase our mileage since a few people in the group (not me) were training for a half marathon. Huh. Wake up at 7am and run 6.3 miles. It pretty much takes all my will power not to come up with excuses. After my run, Calista and I celebrated Eamon’s birthday at a local park, where the kids climbed play structures and rode on a train. 9am was perfect, as we had the park to ourselves, and it was still cool. Happy 4th Birthday Eamon!

 

Then it was off to try a new dance studio, at their annual open house. Calista tried 4 dance classes … 2 hours worth! She absolutely loved it, so we will be signing her up. The best part is that classes and shows are on weekends, and they have a drop in rate, which is only slightly more than paying for monthly classes.

  

In the evening, we tried a new pizza place followed by Baskin-Robbin ice cream.

  

Sunday, I got in another 10k jog before James’ parents came to visit. For Calie’s birthday, they gifted her a pastel train set with tracks.

  

One of Calista’s best friends couldn’t make her birthday party, but wanted to drop by with a gift … so we invited them over for an impromptu dinner playdate!

  

Saturday (after my 10k run – I’m on a roll!) was Calista’s birthday party at the Sacramento Children’s Museum. There was a 30 person limit in the party room, and we had 29 guests.  While we only had the party room for an hour, guests were able to play at the museum before and after the party.

 

  

The kids had a fun time, and ‘signed in’ on a shirt (provided by the museum as a gift) with farbic markers. Preschool handwriting is pretty darn cute! As it was a Saturday party (not a lot of time – or desire – to prep) and Calie requested no pizzas, we catered from a local Chinese restaurant. Vegetable chow mien and salt/pepper pork chops. Delicious! We kept the rest of lunch simple with just grapes and cupcakes from a box.

 

  

  

Happy 4th Birthday Calista - thank you to all her friends who came out and helped us celebrate!

The last day before school started was a light day. Aside from my 10k jog and the kids’ swim lessons, we stayed in from the heat (it’s been 100+ here!) Calie played with her new birthday gifts, which included putting together ’Friends’ Lego sets. We had Melissa and her family over for dinner out on the patio, followed by a game of badminton.

 

 

And as of this Monday, I have a pre-K and 3rd grader. Calista announced to her class, as she walked in,”I am in pre-K. I am SO excited!” And Zachary, back at his old school (a better fit for him and parents), was greeted with excited hellos and hugs. Soccer season has started for Zach (Calista missed the age cutoff by 1 day!), and their Tues/Thurs swim lessons are changed to Sunday mornings.

  

So there we have it, the end of summer 2012. It just flew by this year. I am loving this age, where they are old enough to play sports/games and run around with us, but still young enough that they want to spend time with their parents. Can I just freeze time right now? Because I know these will be the years I look back on and think ‘Those were the best years of my life!’

Our camping trip was awesome! We drove up to and hiked Bassi Falls again, this time with our friends … Marissa’s family and her friend, plus Melissa’s family. Given that it was so late in the summer, the impressive waterfall from a few weeks ago was now just a trickle. BUT, that meant lots of pools and creeks for the kids to play around in. We ate a picnic lunch in the shade, and let the kids explore for a couple of hours.

 

  

Then Melissa and my family headed further north ~30 minutes to Gerle Creek campgrounds. Our campsites were right up front, but since the entire campground was situated so far from the highway, there was no traffic. We had a big site with fire pit, grill, and big picnic table. Tents were pitched quickly, while the kids played with water guns. Then it was off to explore some more. The shallow reservoir was cold, but didn’t deter the kids one bit. Had I not cut my toe (I was worried about it getting infected), I would have jumped in with them and tried swimming to the big rock island!

  

As the area did not allow motor boats, it was very serene. We took a small shady hike (Harvest trail, 0.5 miles each way) through lots of big trees, and ended up in a small clearing where we skipped rocks. Then we all hiked back to our campsite by dusk for a simple dinner of salad, fruit, and hotdogs/sausages. Sam brought a big cooler of food, and I also had 2 bags. When we first arrived, we commented on how we way over packed. By the time dinner was done, we wondered if we had enough to make it to the next day.

 

 

Of course no camping trip would be complete without a campfire, S’mores, and ghost stories. The campsite next to us provided the guitar and singing, but we “got them back” with our hysterical gales of laughter. Every time I started a story, someone (yes, even Calie and Nicole) would guess that it was the ‘Caps for Sale’ book and start quoting lines from it. You had to be there. I still laugh when I think about how frustrated I was.

  

We slept okay – much better than last camping trip, but obviously not as good as on a bed. Breakfast by the morning campfire was instant coffee/tea, scrambled eggs, terrible pancakes (should’ve brought a non-stick pan), and leftovers from dinner. We were now down to a few snacks, mere hours of sustenance. The kids continued to play well on their own, jumping over and climbing big rocks, logs, and tree stumps. Just as we finished packing up, Nicole misstepped and  cut her leg. Since she couldn’t’ walk, Melissa’s family decided to just head back home. My family went on another nearby hike … Gerle Creek trail (0.8mi each way). It was a nice hike, and included a bridge over a bubbling brook, but unfortunately there wasn’t as much shade as I would have liked. It would have been a better hike for the evening rather than mid-day. We drove home ~2 hrs after the hike.

 

  

Overall, a great trip! The kids didn’t ask for anything electronic and played amongst themselves the whole time. They were entertained with climbing big rocks, playing in the lake, hiking, and just general exploring. I was impressed with how they came up with their own games and challenges - we really need to get out and into nature more often! I have to admit, I like climate control and flushable toilets,… but when your kids are that happy, it makes it worth it. Plus, I admit it was a nice change of scenery – the fresh air and clear night skies were pretty amazing. That said, there was a lot of overhead in packing, driving, and setting up for just 1 night. Calie was very disappointed that we only stayed one night and suggested next time we stay for 10. I’m thinking 2-3 at most.

Back to work on Monday, and the following Thursday, I took my team out for a celebration dinner – our Win8 OEM commit dates were very challenging (and at high risk for months), but we pulled through. Cheers to the best team EVER!

 

Friday evening, Kathy, Sam, and Karen’s family came over for dinner and the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics.  I served buffalo chicken wraps, which Sam deemed a “$10.99 value”. The kids made red/white/blue necklaces to cheer on team USA, while we watched the show. (And Zach has also been making some fuse bead Pokemon – it’s been scorching here, over 90 degrees, so I’ve been steering our kids towards indoor activities)

 

On Saturday, James took the kids to a jet skiing event organized by one of his coworkers. Kathy and I went to Le Cordon Bleu for a Thai cooking class. We put together 7 dishes in 3 hours! It wasn’t as hard as I thought – the key is having the right ingredients on hand. I’ve often cooked with curry paste and coconut milk, but adding tamarind, Thai chili, fish sauce, palm sugar, lemongrass, lime juice/eaves, and cilantro really kicks it up to the next level. I’m, going to have to pick up some of these ingredients next time I hit the Asian supermarket. The best part of the class (besides hanging out with Kathy of course), was taking home enough food for a couple of meals!

  

 

 

After cooking class, I took Calie to Abigail’s birthday party at a gymnastics place. Happy 4th Birthday Abigail! And then we headed to Sam’s house for a barbecue dinner play date. The boys played Pokemon cards, while the girls tested each other on writing and reading (they are just learning this in school, and I love their enthusiasm!) Of course, we also watched some Olympics. Melissa wasn’t there, as she and Sandy were at a dance competition in San Francisco … Melissa was awarded 2nd in scholarship, and Sandy placed 2nd in multi. Congratulations!!!

 

   

 

Sunday, we spent the day at the state fair. I purchased a Fun Pack at work with 4 admission, 4 rides, and 1 parking ticket for $10. The kids also received 2 ride tickets each for as part of the state fair reading incentive. We started the hot day with rides.

  

We walked through a bird exhibit, and the kids spent a lot of time at the Wizard (science) exhibit. I won 3rd place in a magic themed crossword puzzle – disappointing given my impression of the average state fair attendee, but not to surprising given my lack of pop culture knowledge. I picked a disappearing ball kit as my prize.

  

(I didn’t even hang on for 20 seconds – need to work on that upper body strength … or alternatively, lose some weight!)

We had lunch at The Promenade, while watching a belly dancing troupe. My co-worker Alicia rocked the stage – hard to believe she’s a mom of a teenager, a 3-year-old and a full time program manager in a high tech company. Awesomeness! As it was the last day, food sample sizes were generous, and we took home 2 books, pencils, and handful of raisin boxes from the Sun-Maid exhibit. We intentionally skipped the farm animals, and ended the day in the toy exhibit. I could be biased, but toys from the 80s were the best! They don’t make My Little Ponies like they used to!

  

So what have we been up to since the 4th of July? It’s been pretty hot here (90+ degrees), so we play indoors quite a bit. We do get some shade in the backyard starting in the late afternoon though.

  

The weekend after the 4th, Calie had a playdate with her friends Rachel and Alisha at our house. Alisha’s older brother also came to play with Zach.

 

 

Sunday, we went to Karen’s house for a swim/dinner/movie playdate. Kids had a blast in the pool, followed by a movie in the backyard via projector and shower curtain. Dinner was a delicious grilled rib eye, with sides of salad, vegetables, and salt/pepper calamari. It was great hanging out by the patio, laughing with my girlfriends while the kids and dads were entertained by the movie.

  

 

Mid-week, I went to see Magic Mike (2nd time was the charm) with Kathy. I had expected a rowdy comedy with lots of eye-candy, but it was actually a more serious movie – if anything a bit sad, as the underground strip industry felt depressing.  I was corrrect about the eye-candy though.  The day after,  I had my coworkers Bart and Tom over for grilled Sockeye Salmon, garlic broccoli, and pesto tortellini.

Last weekend, Saturday morning, I took the kids to the park with Alex and Nicole. The kids played on the structures, and we had an impromptu game of soccer in the muddy field before a picnic lunch.

  

Then James took the kids to the Children’s Museum while Karen and I painted our personal rendition of Monet’s Bridges at Painted Cork. It was such a fun experience – definitely on our list for a future girl’s night out. We brought wine, iced coffee, and appetizers to share … and the owner also put out strawberries, cookies, and a cheese/salami/cracker plate. The instructor took us through the painting, step by step. We drank and ate during intermissions, when the instructor replenished our palette with new paint. Karen and I were convinced our standards must be low, because we were so impressed with ourselves.

  

 

The 3-hour class ran over an hour over - yet it felt like the time went by pretty fast. I didn’t quite finish the edges (next time!), but had to rush home to take Calie to a birthday party at Trick’s gymnastics. Happy 4th Birthday Maylin! 

  

After the birthday party, since Melissa was out of town, we had Sam, Nicole, and Alex over for dinner. Costco orange chicken with broccoli – our standards for inviting people over have really dropped! The boys challenged each other with Pokemon and Wii games, while the girls played with chalk and on the swing set in the yard.

 

Sunday morning, we went berry picking with Tabitha’s family at 8am. Since they get up early all the time for swim meets, I figured I would invite them to join us – and we were really glad they could make it. Calie had been asking to see Evie, and Zach found out that Erik was another Pokemon fan. We picked a lot of blackberries …  a full bucket, 4 pounds! When we left at ~10am, it was starting to get unbearably hot in the fields, so I highly recommend going early (they open at 7:30am).

  

 

Zachary went to Alex C’s party, where the boys played baseball at a park, followed by swimming and a barbecue in Alex’s backyard. Happy 8th Birthday Alex! I dropped Zach off, ran some errands, and then came back to pick him up just in time to head to Rachel’s for a dinner pool party. The kids absolutely love pool parties – and this party included a big trampoline! While I enjoyed the traditional barbecue foods, the best part of the dinner was the authentic Chinese, homemade beef noodle soup and pan fried radish cakes. It reminded me of my mom’s cooking. Thank you both Rachel and Karen for inviting us to your pool parties this month!

  

 

Speaking of pools, after trying a trial group swim lesson, we’ve decided to go back to semi private classes at Steve Wallen. Given the effort it takes to get into swim gear and our limited free time, it really didn’t make sense to go with anything but the most effective. Since the kids are sleeping later and there’s no homework or sports practice, they’re going on weekdays – leaving our weekends open. Despite all the activities, I’ve kept up my workout regime with a mix of yoga, jogging, and cardio boxing/boot camp. Yay for not losing myself between family, friends, and work – and thank goodness for friends who exercise with me, as I am the queen of excuses if I have to exercise on my own! On the school front, Zach had a baseball camp, and 2 field trips (IMAX movie and Black Chasm Carverns.) Both kids missed a few days of school because of *gasp!* head lice. Horrible! We did 6+ loads of laundry and spent hours upon hours picking nits out of their hair. And while I’m usually all about natural, non-toxic materials, this was an exception (We used pyrethrin … technically natural, but a pesticide nonetheless.) So many kids in Zach’s class had it, we’re crossing fingers he doesn’t get re-infected. Thanks Bev for helping us get rid of lice/nits – what an awesome friend!

And this weekend? We just got back from camping! Two years ago, we camped in Tahoe at Camp Richardson. We had a smaller tent, a leaky air mattress, and a nursing toddler. What a difference 2 years make – we had a blast at Gerle Creek Campgrounds! Photos and summary next blog.

So the past week …

I hosted a tea party inspired by my visit to the Urban Tea Market a few months ago, and named my event “Kathy and the BFFs: Part Deux.” Melissa made 2 flavors of scones (blueberry and pumpkin) with Devonshire cream, and Kathy brought specialty chocolates from her recent trip to Ecuador, including salt, lemongrass, blueberry, and chili flavors. I made cheese spreads and egg salad right after work, and asked my friends to help with real-time assembly (not the language, although we do all work in high-tech). We had 4 different tea sandwiches,  pate over water crackers, and figs, grapes, Mediterranean olives for decoration. I have to admit, it looked (and tasted) pretty good!

 

It was also a photo trading party, as one of the goals was to share pictures we took on Kathy’s cruise. Of course, once we started copying those photos, we wondered what other event pictures we could copy … what a horrific and hilarious trip down memory lane! Kathy also shared her photos and videos from the Galapagos … it’s definitely on my list to visit, although from some cursory researching, it seems more like a Jennifer/James trip than a family one.  During the tea party, James and the kids had dinner at Sam’s, where Alex taught Zach how to play Pokemon.

 

Saturday, James and Zach went to hike Mt. Tallac in Tahoe. By the time Calie and I woke up, they had already left. So far this summer, they’ve done Bassi Falls (1.2 miles, negligible elevation gain), then Loch Leven (8 miles, 1250 elevation gain) , and now Mt Tallac (10 miles, 3250 elevation gain.) Training is on track for the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu (26 miles, 7000 ft elevation gain) next summer!

 

 

As Mt Tallac was an all-day hike, Calie and I decided to hit midtown. After wearing faded, cotton workout clothes with no support for the last 2-3 years, I decided to splurge on some more Lululemon. I finally now have jogging shorts with a pocket in the back for my iPhone and moisture/sweat wicking tank tops.  After shopping, Calie and I walked a few blocks to Tapa the World, where we shared a lunch special. Their homemade banana ice cream is yummy! Then we drove a few blocks to Art Beast, where we used our last 2 admissions on our punch card. We hadn’t been to Art Beast in quite some time – I still like the place, but it was looking pretty worn and the upstairs carpeted area smelled like urine. With a target clientele of toddlers, I’m not sure carpet was the best flooring choice. We left after a few hours, and got home about the same time as James and Zach … and just in time for dinner together.

  

 

Sunday, I tried to take Zach to a River Cats baseball game while James took Calie to The Children’s Museum and Jamba Juice. After missing my turn by 9 exits, turning back and finally finding a parking garage … I realized I only had $5 in cash and parking was $8! How frustrating. Since we were already 15 minutes late, we turned around and drove home. I picked up a set of trainer Pokemon cards for Zach on the way home, so that we’d have an evening activity since our plans for watching baseball fell through. Zach has been making his own cards (paper/pen) but the games don’t last very long because it takes such a long time to design the cards. While I appreciated the creativity, to play a real game, we needed more cards – maybe he can mix his homemade ones into the deck.

  

Monday after work, we tried again to go to the River Cats (vs Colorado Sky Sox) game. The biggest reason for success was change in driver, from me to James. I had 2 free tickets and a $30 gift card from work. I used the $30 to get James and Calie in ($10 tickets) and spent the rest on food. I was pretty impressed that the kids sat through a 3 hour game – the intermission games/entertainment between the innings definitely helped.

  

The following evening, our family met up with Bev and her boys at Red Robin before heading across the street to pick up fireworks. The same night, a few girlfriends and I planned to catch the 9:25pm showing of Magic Mike (a documentary.) I figured we’d have no problem getting seats since most people would be at Town Center for fireworks. Nope. The combination of  $5 Tuesdays and no work the following day, meant the movie was sold out when I got there 9am!  I ended up having “second dinner” at Blue Nami with Kathy and Bev. It was pretty crowded/bustling – the fish was fresher than my previous visits and the slabs of sashimi were substantial. Then bright and early the next morning, a few of my jogging buddies got together for a Fourth of July charity race.  Bev, Ahvni (Jaybal’s daughter), Andy, and I ran the 5k. Erjia and Jaybal did the 10k. I posted a picture of myself at the run on Facebook and both my sisters said I looked skinny. Given that I’m actually up 5 pounds according to my recent health check, that neon tank top is worth the price tag! After the race, Bev convinced me to join her for Vinyasa yoga. Seventy-one people packed into a  room for 75 minutes at ~90 degrees. Yowsers! It’s great to have a friend who pushes me to do more, as I am inherently lazy

 

  

 

Post lunch, I took the kids for a few hours of swimming at the Aquatic Center.  They had challenges to earn their afternoon snack: Zach swam a regulation lap, and Calie swam a few feet across a smaller pool. Bev’s boys and Zach played on the giant inflatables for an extra $3. Since it was July 4th, the aquatic center was less crowded than usual (according to Bev, who has a season pass and goes often.) I’m glad Zach got to play on the inflatables on a low attendance day – I have no patience for waiting in line under a beating sun.

  

 

I hosted a barbecue at my house in the evening for my weekend jogging group and their families (Sam, Er-jia, Jaybal, Bev). Since the attendees were my exercise friends, I made a healthy dinner … a big salad with strips of New York steak, grilled corn, and turkey burgers.  We also had fruit and dessert. When it got dark, we set off 6 (gasp!) fireworks on the street.  James said, “ Attention everyone. The firework show starts at 9pm. And ends at 9:05pm” Ha-ha. It took us longer to set up the lawn chairs, ladder, and the bucket of water. Not a bad show for $35 though, and there was no traffic jam on the way home for our guests.  I think next year, we will double our budget for double the fun. Happy Independence Day Everyone!

 

  

I came right back from our Disney cruise vacation to a full work week, with all-day meetings and team builders: Aquatic Center, swim party at Steve’s house, and dinner at Land Ocean, where dip for a coconut shrimp appetizer was spilled on my head! I finally had to call mercy mid-week, and skip the late night karaoke bar, as I was missing my family too much.

 

 

That weekend, we went to see Madagascar 3 with Alex and Nicole. In the evening, Zachary celebrated Brian’s birthday at a local bowling alley – Happy 8th Birthday Brian!

 

And James and Calie attended a “Cupcake Ball”, their first father/daughter dance. I heard it was crowded, but the food was good, and Calie enjoyed dancing and the 1:1 time with James.

  

For Father’s Day, James and Zach hiked Loch Levin Lakes trail, in Tahoe. What a gorgeous view! James has always loved hiking and unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan – so I’m glad he has a son who shares his interest. Hiking, and also smashing pennies on railroads. (Why oh why?)

 

  

During their hike (it was bascially a full day trip), I took Calie to get her 2nd haircut ever. We visited Maribou again, as they are open 9am on Sunday (earlier than most places) and they weren’t much more expensive than the bargain salons.  Then it was off to spend a few hours at the local Children’s Museum to beat the heat. Calie was reminded by one of the staff members that a section of the museum was reserved for 3-years and under … but she’s really just 3!

  

 

Friday, I had a work celebration at Marine World - I was given a season pass for 4 people, free parking, and a barbecue lunch. It was nice seeing so many coworkers show up, as it was a well deserved celebration for all our recent (and on-going) efforts. Go team!

 

The morning was miserably cold, but it warmed up after lunch. We met with Marissa’s family, and Calie had a blast running around with Courtney and Aubrey. Zach was a great sport – and I think he might have secretly liked the kiddie rides alittle too. We did all the rides in the Looney Tunes area at least once before heading over to Tava’s Jungleland for more rides and animals. At the end of the day, James, Zach (x2), and I went on Roar, the wooden roller coaster. We stayed from 5 minutes after they opened until they closed! It was a fun day, but I’ve got to admit Disney has spoiled us. Put it this way, I was glad both my kids have had their tetnus shots.

  

  

Saturday … Zachary has been playing Wii Sports tennis recently (too hot to go out – yes, I am a weather whimp), and requested that we play real tennis. Fortunately, Alex and Nicole were able to join us on short notice. We played tennis at the park, followed by dinner at our house. We stretched our minds with pattern games, and our bellies with Coldstone ice cream and Magnum bars. Hey, we had salad and grilled steak with veggies for dinner … that justifies dessert, right?

  

 

Sunday, we celebrated Evelyn’s birthday with a swim party. We were on time, not knowing it was “Asian time”, which meant we were the first ones there. The kids had so much fun swimming and the Strawberry Shortcake themed cake, made by Evie’s grandmother, was super awesome. There was also a nail polish station, and a very popular ice cream sundae bar. Chigme and Tabitha throw great parties - Happy 3rd Birthday Evie!

 

  

Our question on what to make for dinner that night was answered with a call from Sam. Herb crusted beef tenderloin with red wine sauce (my favorite!), homemade mashed potatoes, and green beans. Dessert was berries with whipped cream – I need to get the recipe, because I don’t think I could ever go back to the spray can garbage. John and his girlfriend Stephanie joined us for dinner. The kids played so well, I don’t really remember what they played - I think it was Kinect Golf.

  

Tuesday was “Kid To Work Day”, where kids ages 7+ could partake in hands-on science experiments, scavenger hunts, and 1-hour classes/labs. Zach hung out in the morning with Sam (Bev’s 10-year-old son), and took a Play-Doh chip design lab before lunch. He also attended his first LAN party and decided he didn’t like it. Too much shooting he says, but I suspect it’s because the other kids were so much better. Not fun to lose. Of course, what KTWD would be complete without distracting adults from doing real work – hi Karen!

  

 

 

Calie has been taking Saturday morning dance classes with a few friends, and their dance recital was this week. Now of course, the Saturday class (usually picked by parents who work Monday through Friday), should have their rehearsal Monday at 1pm and their recital on Tuesday at 3pm, right? Not the after work time slots because that would be too convenient? Two afternoons, I skipped out of work to make it happen. And I don’t mind skipping for a good/real recital, but they barely practiced in class, so the kids just watched the teacher and followed her moves. I wondered if my expectations were too high, but after talking to a few other parents, I don’t think they were. So while the kids were SUPER cute, I was not impressed with the production and the logistics. We (as well as every other parent we talked to) dropped the classes, and are now looking for a new place that will actually teach dance and accommodate our schedule!

  

Post recital, we had dinner at Bistro 33 with Calie’s friends (and fellow dancers) Hayden and Hannah. The weather could not have been more perfect.

 

On top of our weekend shindigs, Zach’s having lots of fun at summer school … so far, a week of soccer, a week of flag football, and fields trips to the local aquatic center, roller skating rink, Sky High trampoline place, and a Sacramento Underground tour. I think we may have over scheduled him! Especially since he has water inflatables at his school Tuesdays and Thursdays … and he also comes along for swimming during Calie’s private lessons Monday through Thursday after work. With no more dance class or swim lessons (classes for the next session were filled before we signed up), hopefully we’ll get some downtime to just simply enjoy the summer instead of running from one activity to the next!

And our latest family vacation … the long awaited 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy! Fantasy is the latest ship in the Disney line-up; our trip was it’s 9th cruise. We flew in on a Friday night and stayed at the Hyatt hotel at the airport. The kids were SO excited that they had trouble sleeping!

Day 1: Port Canaveral/At Sea

We took the Disney bus from the airport to Port Canaveral. Since we checked in at the airport before getting on the bus, we basically walked right on the ship. Having cruised many times before, I knew we would not get our luggage until later that afternoon, so we put swimsuits and sunscreen in our backpack/carry-on. We had lunch at Cabanas (so much seafood – crab, shrimp, mussels daily!) and then changed into swimwear. I overheard a few parents/kids wishing they had pulled their swimsuits from the checked-in luggage. Oh well! It just meant emptier pools and short lines on the AquaDuck (water slide) for us!

  

There was a water play area for younger kids – Calie loved it. The manta ray slide was surprisingly slippery and fast! There were two family pools overlooking a big movie screen, as well as an over-18 pool. The self-serve ice cream by the pool was quite a hit, and given late dining (8:15pm reservations), we had afternoon dessert every day. After swimming, we went to our room to unpack, partook in the muster drill (did we have a choice?), danced at the ‘Sail Away’ deck party, and then explored the ship. Previously, we had sailed on the Disney Wonder and this ship was both newer and 40% larger. The kids’ Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab were bigger, with additional themed rooms … for example, a Toy Story room, video games in a Nemo submarine, and a Monster’s Inc play area.

 

  

For the first time ever, I had a verandah in my stateroom room. I’ve always chosen the least expensive interior rooms. So why the splurge this time? Lack of choice – despite booking a year in advance, all the least expensive rooms were taken. If anyone is thinking about booking a Disney cruise, especially on the new ships (Dream and Fantasy) during peak season, you’ll want to book well in advance to get the best deal. While it was nice having the verandah, I probably would have rather saved a few hundred bucks and stayed in an interior – we weren’t in our room much except to sleep.

  

Show of the evening … ‘Fantasy Come True’, where Calie saw Tiana right outside the Walt Disney Theatre. She was so excited! I think she liked the princesses/characters even more this year at 3-years-old than when she was 2. All the shows we saw were new to us, despite having cruised with Disney last year. I was expecting quite a few repeats, so I was pleasantly surprised.

 

We had dinner at the Royal Court, which is a restaurant on the newer ships … we had napkins folded like suit shirts, bread in wire carriages, and teacups shaped like Chip from Beauty and The Beast. The walls were decorated with scenes from Disney Princess movies made from small tiles. I had escargot for appetizer and bison for my main entree. So delicious! It was probably my favorite meal of the cruise, which is saying quite a lot since they had ahi tuna a few times. As you can see from the above photo, we met up with our friends Sam/Melissa/Alex/Nicole. Thanks Kathy for setting up our cruise and linking our tables!

  

Last event of the day … Karaoke. Hilarious. Calie and Nicole’s music teacher was on a patriotic kick a few months ago, so I chose America the Beautiful, thinking all the kids would know the words. Did you know America the Beautiful had more than one verse? Well, I didn’t. Calista can’t read … Nicole’s reading is limited (she just turned 5) … so it was up to Zachary to carry the song with words like ‘alabaster’ and ‘halcyon.’ He did a great job winging it though, and the kids earned a standing ovation from the audience (maybe they were so happy it was over?) I was pretty proud of Zach, as I believe the ability to “wing it” is an important life skill.

Day 2: At Sea

A day at sea means running 5k (8 times around deck 4.) Because of the 3-hr time difference, it was hard to get up early … and I’m not sure it would have mattered anyway. It felt hot and humid no matter what hour of the day. Sam, James, and I ran every at-sea day drenched in sweat. Activities today included the Super Sloppy Science Egg-speriment in the Oceaneer’s lab and a juggling lesson. We also went to a port/shopping show (WHY?) where we learned Tanzanite was a “generational stone.”

 

We had lunch at the Royal Court, followed by meeting princesses … Calie met Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora, Belle, and Tiana.

  

  

We went swimming in the late afternoon – aside from the last at-sea day, we hit the pool or beach every. single. day. That’s what you do in the Caribbean, right? The show for the evening was ‘Aladdin’ – another well done production, somewhat similar to the Aladdin show in California Adventures. Dinner on our second night was at Animator’s Palate. There was a kids’ menu every night with different activities. While we’ve been to Animator’s Palate before on The Wonder, the new ships include conversations with Crush (sea turtle from Nemo) as well as games on the screens around the restaurant. The kids (and adults) were well entertained!

  

It was formal night, so there was wine/cocktails at the Captain’s reception, as well as numerous opportunities for pictures. Character sightings: Minnie and Mickey mouse!

  

Day 3: At Sea

Started another day with a 5k jog, but blew the calorie deficit with a big breakfast buffet at Enchanted Gardens. I can’t resist smoked fish and a good poached egg. It was a big character day for us, especially Calie who wanted to meet and take pictures with every single one of them (except Buzz) … Daisy, Jake, Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Remy, Emile, Pinocchio, and Buzz Lightyear.

  

 

We played Midship Detective Agency, which is a really neat interactive whodunit mystery for kids. Using your personal badge, you run around the ship to various locations for mini games and hints. There were 3 mysteries: Case of the Missing Paintings and Case of the Missing Puppies (starring Disney villians), and Case of the Stolen Show (Muppets themed). It was very well done and interesting – and in the course of our 7-day cruise, Zach had time to solve all 3 mysteries.

 

We also played table tennis, mini golf, and shuffle board. Given the large number of people on the ship, I was expecting huge lines, but we never had to wait more than 5 minutes! I loved the mini golf course … there was a Goofy and Max option for adults vs kids. It was a very easy 9-hole course, which kept the game moving quickly.

  

 

There was a dance party with characters, and we saw the show ‘Disney Wishes.’ Dinner that evening was in Enchanted Gardens, where the sky changes hue from day to dusk to night. Sam/Melissa opted for speciality dining at Palo, which is an adults-only Italian restaurant for a nominal charge – they said it was totally worth it!

  

Day 4: St. Maarten

Our first port stop! Since we had to meet the ‘The Tube’ (night club) at 8:15am … aka 5:15am California time … we opted to sleep in as much as we could by grabbing breakfast to go. The ship pulled into Philipsburg, which is the Dutch side of St. Maarten, and we took a bus to a butterfly farm on the French side. It was quite educational, and there were numerous butterflies all over the farm. They gave us juice we could put on our fingertips to lure them. Zach and Calie are both skittish when it comes to animals, so it was mostly me and James trying to ‘catch’ butterflies.

 

Our next stop was Marigot (French side) for some shopping, where we picked up matching tropical shirts for Zachary and James. Then it was a scenic bus stop on top of a hill, and then back to the port. We had lunch on the ship, and then opted to skip the $6 water taxi and walked (~15 minutes) to Great Bay beach in Philipsburg.

 

  

At first, Zach resisted going, as he was addicted to table tennis, but once on the beach, he didn’t want to leave! He made sand moats with some local boys, who had just gotten out of school.

 

6:30pm meant back to the ship, in time for a quick swim with Alex and Nicole, before Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean deck party. We all got dressed up, using costumes I purchased after last Halloween for 50% off. Horrific quality! Mine was also too small (100-120lbs? Yea, right! I wasn’t that small before I stepped on the cruise ship!) I ripped it in 2 places. Calie’s outfit was super cute, but size 2-4years … and as a bigger 3-year-old, it was very short. James and Zach’s outfits fit fine, as they clearly have ideal pirate bodies (months on a ship without food.) 

  

We took some pictures (including one with Stitch) before dinner … which was a good thing because it was a long day for Calie. Since lunch, she had a few meltdowns … and fell asleep before dinner ended. James took Calie back to our stateroom, while the rest of us went up to the pool deck for the Buccaneer Blast party. Disney cruise ships are apparently the only ones in the world who can launch fireworks. (A quick Internet search shows it’s due to their patent on launching fireworks using compressed air vs combustibles. Not sure if that’s true or not … also not sure if Tanzanite is really a generational stone and why people buy diamonds on cruises. All things to research later.)

  

  

After the kids were in bed, James went to see a late night showing of ‘The Avengers’, which had just come out in the theatres.

Day 5: St. Thomas

Our second port was St. Thomas. Since, we had a late excursion (11:15am), it didn’t make sense to leave the boat. We had a leisurely breakfast buffet at Cabanas, followed by table tennis and mini golf (what a view!), before heading off to Coral World Ocean Park. Coral World is a smallish aquarium, with iguanas everywhere. I am not a fan of reptiles, so now it was my turn to be skittish! There was also a lorikeet area, where you could feed them nectar, but none of the birds were interested. They were full from being fed by kids (such as Alex and Nicole) who came on the earlier tour.

  

We saw sea turtles, manta rays, sharks, and numerous fish. We enjoy taking our time with the exhibits, so we didn’t get through all the centers before we had to leave for our semi-submersible activity. Since I like to “do it all”, it still bothers me to this day that we missed the Caribbean Reef Encounter.

  

The semi-submarine was interesting, although very similar to the Atlantis experience we had in Maui (which was a real submarine.) After we got back to the port, we decided to walk around town and pick up gifts in the souvenir shops. We ran into Melissa on the way, who treated herself to some unique Caribbean jewelry!

 

  

We had to be back on the ship by 4pm, so there was plenty of time for swimming, mini golf, table tennis, and a Jam Fest at Sea deck party before the evening events. The evening entertainment was a magic show. I’m not a big fan of magic, and much prefer the bigger dancing/singing productions, but the kids thought it was absolutely hilarious. The magician definitely knew how to cater to little kids; both Zach and Calie were laughing so hard, they were cackling.

  

Dinner that night was at Animator’s Palate again. This time, we all received a paper place mat to draw a character. We handed in our drawings to our servers, and at the end of dinner, our characters danced for us on the big screens around the restaurant. WE were the animators! I wish I could describe the kids’ expressions, but I was too fixated on seeing my own drawing on the wall – it was really well done! This is a new experience, only available on The Fantasy. After dinner, we went dancing at Saludos Amigo Fiesta. I loved seeing the siblings dance together – it made me glad we have 2 kids.

 

Day 6: At Sea

Our final at-sea day! After our required 5k morning run and breakfast at Cabanas, we went to the Mickey 2000. It was a race car competition, where you could only use a potato, a carrot, 2 toothpicks, and a set of wheels. You know the proverb “Measure twice, cut once”? James did not. We lost. Melissa’s race car name “The Volks-vegan” was awarded best name, and they received 4 key chains as prizes. Afterwards, Zach displayed a poor attitude towards doing family activities by calling them “boring.” James decided to show him what boring really meant and had Zach sit in the stateroom facing the wall, while Calie and I went to a paper airplane making class.

  

With a much improved attitude, we grabbed lunch, finsihed the last Detective Mystery, and took pictures with Jesse, Woody, Phineus, and Ferb.

  

The girls (Princess Nicole and Princess Calista, per the handwritten invitations) had 3pm appointments at the Bippidi Bobbidi Boutique. For ~$60, the girls had their hair, makeup, and nails done. They also received a pink pageant sash, and a princess cinch bag to put their nail polishes (2 bottles – 1 light blue, 1 pink), make-up kit (eye shadow and lip gloss), and face jewels. Calie went for a princess look with a crown and Mickey hair clip. Nicole, at a year older, went for a more trendy style which included rhinestone bobby pins and hair extensions! There was definitely a “Toddlers in Tiaras” feel, but the girls had fun, and it was a one-time, special experience.

  

 

The evening show was ‘Disney’s Believe’, a show about a father who needed to put aside work to spend with his daughter. It wasn’t my favorite, as I know many good parents (often fathers or single moms, sole breadwinners) who have to work long hours to provide for their families. Not everyone is as privileged as we are, and watching that show on a not-so-cheap family vacation, felt a bit self-righteous. Dinner that night was at Enchanted Gardens, and the recommended entree was lobster. Sam and I got into the habit of ordering extra appetizers, entrees, and desserts “for the table”, where “the table” really meant the two of us. That night, we ordered (and ate) every single dessert. As the vacation was coming to a close, we were more reckless with our calorie intake, knowing that we would soon have to cook for ourselves. We ended the day at The Family Dance Party.

  

Day 7: Castaway Cay

The last day of the cruise was Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. We started the day with a 5k, where Sam ran an impressive ~23 minutes. Zach completed the course in ~30 minutes, and I finished a few seconds under 34 minutes. Given how hot and humid it was, we did pretty well! Everyone who participated receieved Mickey shaped medals. Since I only brought 3 exercise outfits (I like to travel light), I had to re-wear for the race. ~shudder!~

 

We spent the day playing in the sand and water. There was a new Spring-a-Leak water play area, as well as a water slide (Pelican Plunge), which was new since our last visit in 2006.

   

  

We had a barbecue lunch (yummy ribs!) and played table tennis and Foosball on the island. The beach was much more crowded compared to our last visit (likely because the newer ships were 40% bigger) and the water wasn’t as clear – but it was still a very nice island, no complaints! We spent the whole day out on the island and didn’t head back until we heard the ship’s horn blast warning. (And yes, Calista kept her princess hair-do … for $60, it was going to last a few days, sand and salt water be damned.)

 

We had dinner at The Royal Court, and after dinner, the kids got to meet Chip and Dale. Calie has reminded us a few times that James and I took pictures with Chip and Dale at The Aulani while they were in Auntie’s Beach House. So finally, it was their turn! And we just happened to run into Tiana one last time while returning the ID wristbands (used to track kids) – and she remembered Calista’s name!

  

The next morning, we had breakfast on the go since our flight was at noon (earlier than what Disney recommends.) It was a smooth flight back, although with a pretty long stopover since our options was limited by using frequent flier miles. On Sunday, we settled back home … unpacked, did laundry, stocked groceries, and played indoors (lots of Wii Sports). I did go to a yoga class, thinking ‘This will be easy after running a 5k in the Caribbean heat/humidity’ but I was pretty sore afterwards. And there we have it … my final vacation for 2012. Yep, halfway through the year, and I’ve burned all 4 weeks.  Did we love our vacation? Yes we did! Was the Disney experience worth the higher price tag? Yes it was! And to prove it, both families booked Disney cruises in 2013.

The weekend after I got back from Kathy’s celebration cruise, was pretty laid back. Saturday, the kids both had dentist appointments right after Calie’s dance class – no cavities x2! Hurrah! Then we went to a carnival set up at Intel. There were bounce houses, pony rides, face painting, and fish feeding. But by the time we arrived, the lines were too long, and the fish were no longer interested in eating. We did some carnival games and won inflatable bats and stuffed animals. Zach was super excited to win the last dolphin on his last attempt, the very last minute before the carnival shut down.

  

James won tickets for free hot dogs (yuck), but they ran out, so we got hamburgers instead (yea!). We also had tickets for sno-cones. There was a small dispenser for the flavors, which allowed me to control the amount of artificial flavor/color my children ingest. As we had extra food tickets, I gave some to one of the guys on my team.

 

The kids played indoors in the afternoon, but the weather was so nice/warm, that we kicked them outside in the evening for dinner. We have a shady backyard and a new patio set, so it would be a shame not to use it!

 

  

On Sunday, Calie had a playdate with Cassie. We met up at a park near our home, which has play structures, sand, shaded picnic tables, and a water feature.

  

We had a picnic lunch at the park and then headed home in time to attend Kaitlyn’s birthday party at The Bounce Spot. I thought maybe Zach would be too old for a bounce house party – it’s been awhile since he’s been to one – but he had a great time! He had so much fun rough housing that he lost a wiggly tooth (#7). Happy 8th Birthday Kaitlyn!

 

  

During the week, I hosted guests from Microsoft, which meant long days (through dinner), as I wanted to get the most out of our on site collaboration. I also attended an interactive murder mystery team builder (Suspects). While it was fun, the combination of the 2 day Microsoft visit and the afternoon off resulted in late night catch up work. I was exhausted. The three day weekend could not have come soon enough! We kicked off Memorial Day weekend with a casual dinner playdate at Alex and Nicole’s house, where we played games. Crockpot barbecue pulled-chicken in Hawaiian sweet rolls = yummy! Our original plan for the long weekend was 2 nights of camping in Tahoe. We even had the car loaded in preparation. However, the weather forecast predicted below freezing temperatures and scattered thunderstorms, so we aborted mission. As it was the day before, we forfeited our payment – at least it went to a good cause, supporting California parks.

 

  

Saturday, after Calie’s dance class and lunch, we arrived at Marine World around 2pm. My work gave us 4 season passes with free parking. As it was a long weekend with ideal weather (70s), we had to park in an overflow lot – according to the parking attendees it was one of their busiest days yet! Knowing that Tava’s Jungleland is the least popular section, we decided to hang out there for most of the day. Since we had season passes (as well as a free weekday from work later in June to go), there was no reason to fight the crowds. Zach is now over 48″, which unlocked a number of good rides: Wave Swinger, Thrilla Gorilla, and Boomerang. He also went on Bumper Buggies, Scat-A-Bout, Monkey Business, Cobra, and The Ark.

  

  

We interspersed these rides with kiddie rides for Calie and a walk through the butterfly pavilion. The kids played in Zoe’s tree house a lot longer than I expected too. As I predicted, Tava’s Jungleland was very empty which allowed us to get on ride after ride after ride … Frog Hopper (x7), Monkey Around (x4), Tava’s Elephant Parade (x5), Congo Queen (x5), Safari Jeep Tout (x10!) Pretty fun day for only ~$40 in food and gas!

 

Sunday, we drove north to Pollock Pines (1 hr 15 min) for a short hike to Bassi Falls. It was definately a high ROI hike, perfect for kids, even as young as Calie. Depending on where you park, it could be as short as a 1/2 mile hike to the waterfalls (1 mile round trip). We had a picnic lunch, and then the kids burned off energy climbing over rock formations and jumping small streams. As we were hiking towards the falls, another hiker (who camped the night before) said it was very cold and many people gave up/drove off in the middle of the night. I was glad we made the call not to tough it out. We live so close to Tahoe, we’ll just go a different (warmer!) weekend – and maybe convince some friends to join us too!

  

 

On Memorial Day, Bev and I took our boys to put together sack lunches for the homeless. I was feeling pleased that I was teaching Zach to contribute to those less fortunate. However, my moment as super parent was quickly dashed when Zachary announced to the other volunteers,”This lunch is better than the ones I get!” After assembling the sandwiches, we headed into the city to hand out food. There was a big line and we ran out! Zach had a good time, and we decided next time we’d like to buy some food to donate.

 

  

In the afternoon, we hung out at home … played Monopoly, did chalk art outside on the patio, put together puzzles, and um… packed.

Last but not least, I got in some good exercise this weekend -jogged 2x and took 3 yoga classes … thanks Sam and Bev for being great workout buddies!

On Mother’s Day, I had breakfast with the family, and then headed down to San Francisco for a 2-day cruise to Vancouver!

Day 1: All aboard the Star Princess to celebrate my dear friend Kathy’s 40th birthday! Welcome aboard: Karen, Sheri, Lily, Jennifer, Sandy, Kathy, Chite, Melissa, and Karen – otherwise known as “Kathy and the BFFs.” What a great view of San Francisco … and having seen the Golden Gate bridge so many times from the highway, it felt surreal going under it!

 

It was quite windy, so after getting a group photo (a non-trivial task with all the hair flying), we headed to our rooms and explored the ship. Our block of rooms included 2 balcony suites and Kathy’s elite cruising status with Princess gave us access to free mini bar drinks.

  

First night (after the obligatory safety drill of course) included a nice dinner, followed by a show, and then … karaoke. I am a terrible singer, so I was dreading this part of the evening, but once we started dancing on stage, the energy was contagious. As we sang Mama Mia, the crowd started clapping and singing along – so fun! We stayed for the other singers. .. and while there were some great vocalists, we had the strongest crowd appeal. From then on, we’d be stopped periodically by other guests who recognized us. Celebrity status? Check!

 

At about 11pm or so, we headed to the night club to continue dancing. There were enough people to make it fun, but not so crowded that we were always bumping into people. I requested the song “Baby Got Back”, and I guess the DJ thought our group liked butts because after that, there were a few more songs in a row on that very topic. I hadn’t danced in forever, and had forgotten how fun it was. (Bonus: no blisters despite 4″ heels - Louboutins are quality!) I brought a book to read (ha-ha) but crashed as soon as we got back to our room.

Day 2: Despite staying up late the previous night, Melissa and I (cabinmates) made a pact to exercise the following morning. And we did! I ran 3 miles while Melissa did the elliptical. Calorie-wise, it was all downhill (a steep one) from there. We had breakfast with a few of the other girls, and then split up again to hit the pools. Then it was lunch, checking out the shops and exploring the boat, followed by regrouping all together at 3pm for afternoon tea. A bit concerning since dinner was 5:45pm, and as far as I know, only newborns should be eating full meals every 2-3 hours.

 

Oh gosh, and I almost forgot. We ran into a cafe between tea and dinner … they had different desserts, including a peanut butter chocolate one that Melissa had to get (it’s her favorite.) So I kept her company by eating a shrimp salad … with a side of Greek salad. No wonder my evening gown felt snug!

  

We had a champagne toast in Kathy’s honor during dinner – cheers to Kathy! Post dinner (which included a great duck appetizer and lots of dessert), we split up to watch 2 shows. There was a comedian who was named “Princess Entertainer of the Year” and most of the girls decided to see that. A few of the non-native English speakers had concerns about understanding a comedy show (a concern I am very familiar with after cruising with my parents a few weeks ago) and decided to watch the Showtime (singing/dancing) production instead. I decided to go with Showtime, as I figured I could go to comedy shows more easily on land. Plus my English is surprisingly bad for someone born in this country.

 

We met up at 10pm for an encore of Kathy and the BFFs … this time singing “Summer Nights” from the Grease soundtrack. We split into two groups based on quick assessment of manliness – so obviously I ended up in the John Travolta camp. I think there was also an underground movement to cover up the worst singers, so each side needed a decent lead vocalist. And if that shuffling wasn’t confusing enough, the karaoke video switched the male vocal to pink and female vocal to blue … and there was a few second audio-video lag. Luckily the lead vocalists (Kathy and Melissa) caught on right away, but I spent the majority of the song fuming that everyone was disregarding the video’s cues. The last few verses, I simply gave up and started dancing – and ended with an impromptu mime skit with Sheri. Pretend to be a man? Check!

Most of us went to bed after that, but Sandy and Melissa went back to the night club … where we later found out, Sandy asked a sailor to dance. Too bad Sheri and I weren’t there – we would’ve bought the guy a drink and written Kathy’s cabin number on the napkin.

Day 3: We had breakfast (loved their poached eggs over lox and bagel sandwich) and then headed out to the deck, where we had a great view of the Vancouver skyline. We passed snow capped mountains, the famous bright yellow sulfur piles, the lush Stanley park, and went underneath Lions Gate bridge to the dreaded Canada Place, where we knew our mini-cruise would end. NOoooo!

 

After we got off the ship, Kathy treated us all to high tea at The Urban Tea Merchant. It was walking distance, so we strolled along the bustling Vancouver streets dragging our luggage. Pretty sure it’s the best afternoon tea I’ve ever had … what a comprehensive list of teas! I couldn’t leave without picking up a container of “Happy Birthday tea” as a souvenir. After tea, we walked around a mall before heading to YVR airport … where I got to wait in Air Canada’s lounge as Kathy and Melissa’s guests. Arrived home past midnight, ready to head into work bright and early the next day.

 

What an awesome get-together! Fun, food, and friends? Check, check, check! It was wonderful spending time with such a great group of women. Surrounded by such successful, capable, and confident ladies, I’m thinking the 40s look pretty good. Happy 40th Birthday Kathy!!!  (For Kathy’s blog on the trip: http://witwikk.blogspot.com/2012/05)