Photos from our European Vacation

I'm posting Facebook links to our photos and you do not have to be on Facebook to view.  2 weeks into our 3 week trip you will see my arm in a sling.  A funny thing happened on the way to The Forum (literally) in Rome... I was listening to an audio guide of the sights and tripped on an ancient cobblestone.  In a valiant attempt worthy of a gladiator to save my phone, I came down hard on my wrist and fractured it badly!  The ambulance came (wee-woo) and took me to the hospital where only one person I came into contact with spoke English- fortunately the doctor who treated me.  They had to "manipulate" my arm in a manner similar to the rack I had just seen in the Tower of London 2 weeks earlier.  I ended up with a cast from my fingertips to above my elbow which was like carrying a 10 lb baby around for the rest of our trip.  This all happened the day before our cruise and nothing was going to stop me from getting on that ship!  We did have some of the wildest adventures and I'll try and post some stories to go along with the photos soon.  Two days after we got home, I had surgery on my wrist but will be rid of the sling in a week and I start physical therapy.

London

Hampton Court

Paris

Zurich

Bernina Express (Swiss Alps)

Venice

Rome

Allure of the Seas

Barcelona

Palma de Mallorca

Aix-en-Provence and Cassis

Cinque Terre

Adding one story that I posted on Facebook...

So the Bastille Day in Paris story... Yes, high speed Eurostar from London at noon and dinner cruise reservations that evening... What could go wrong? Well how about our Eurostar breaking down and limping into Paris 3 hours late? So now it's after 5 pm and we are trying to walk to our hotel that I know is a 9 minute walk and we get totally lost! Make our way back to train station and Jeff says let's just take a taxi! "Taxi driver" tells us €30 and I say, "It's a 9 minute walk!" And he says, "Ok, 2 euros a minute!" Sorry, I've read my Rick Steves and know a scammer! So off we go walking again and get even more lost! Without anymore detail, let's just say we were introduced to the more dodgy areas of Paris! Finally after an hour or so of wandering the streets and back alleys of Paris with luggage in tow, we find our lovely little hotel at about the time we are supposed to be boarding our boat! We check in, throw on our dressy clothes and have Micael point us in the direction of the Metro. What more could go wrong? Is it even possible to make it to our "prepaid" dinner cruise to see the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower? We hop on the packed number 7 metro (I have my directions- 2 trains and a bus or if no bus a 20 min walk) and within 30 seconds a pickpocket has his hand in Jeff's pants trying to steal his wallet (in our rush, no time to put on the money belt) and Jeff slaps his hand away saying, "Get your hand outta there!!!" Think that"s it? Non! We are on #7 but heading in the wrong direction! Get off first stop and run around and get back on #7 going right way. Transfer to # 8, get off at correct stop but no bus so start speed walking with thousands of Parisians along the riverfront (almost sure boat has left by now) and finally arrive dripping in sweat to our dock... And we are not too late!!! The rest of the night was amazing as you can see from the video of fireworks over the Eiffel Tower! Unforgettable! I have another video to share about a magical moment onboard "The Cristal" and yet another tale about our adventure back to the hotel... arriving at 2 am! (No, we didn't get lost again!)

Bora, Bora

Justin and Sarah had non-stop rain the two days they were in Tahiti and were pretty disappointed to say the least.  Being Survivor fans, I pointed out at least they were staying in posh digs rather than outside in the elements!  Kind of the ultimate "First World Problem!"  Fortunately, their move to Bora, Bora brought them the sunshine they were hoping for.  They are staying at Le Méridien Bora Bora  in one of those iconic over the water bungalows.  Justin says Bora Bora is easily the most beautiful place he has ever seen.  Here's a photo of their bungalow with famous Mount Otemanu in the background.  I made this photo my iPhone lock screen wallpaper.  Couldn't be more perfect!

Inside their bungalow showing the glass-bottom floor

Justin going for a swim right off the ladder to their bungalow

Looking through the glass bottom floor as he swims by

Sarah's turn

The Bride

The Groom

Justin Stand-Up Paddleboarding

Spelunking and Little Lambs

I've mentioned before that Sarah is such a great travel planner and finds the most unique places to stay and things to do.   So far, in New Zealand, they went zorbing which is rolling down a hill in a large inflatable globe.  They also went spelunking and rafting in 43 degree water in a glow worm cave- see Black Water Rafting Company.  I'm pretty sure these activities were planned with Justin in mind.  But for Sarah, the main reason they were staying at Kamahi Cottage billed as New Zealand's only 5 star farm accommodation, was so she could pet baby lambs.  Well, she got her wish!

 

Sarah is a vegetarian and I don't see any lamb chops in Justin's future now!  

Honeymoon in New Zealand- Day One

Justin knows I am not a fan of flying and especially not in small private type planes so they didn't tell me or Sarah's mom what they had planned for the first day of their honeymoon in New Zealand.  Here's the post they left after the fact on Facebook:

"A floatplane came and picked us up at the jetty a few steps from our room, and took us for a flight over New Zealand's geothermal area...volcanic craters, sulfur bays, geysers, etc. Neat experience! Sorry Sue Bringhurst and Darylynn Mills, we figured it was best to tell you after we were done so you didn't worry. — with Justin Mills at Black Swan Lakeside Boutique Hotel."

They got that right... I would've been very worried but now I have to wonder what else they aren't telling us about their plans!  Here are photos from their flight.

Next they move on to Kamahi Cottage, a luxury sheep farm resort so Sarah can hold baby lambs-   That sounds a bit tamer but I wonder what else they have up their sleeve?!?

The Wedding!

I will have to wait a few weeks until Justin and Sarah are back from their honeymoon but I have a few photos from friend's cellphones that I can post for you.  The wedding was held on the sand at a lake/lagoon area in Irvine (Orange County) and we were fortunate to have a picture perfect afternoon and evening.  The wedding began at 6:30 pm so it went from a warm glow of a setting sun to little white lights at night twinkling over the water.  Everyone agreed the setting was lovely and most appreciated the casual nature of the wedding.  Here's a photo of the new Mr. & Mrs. Mills.  It gave me a start when I heard that!

Sarah is an avid reader so all of the bouquets were crafted of flowers made from book pages.  Very unique! Here's a photo of Sarah with her flower girl, niece Gabriella, who looked adorable!

Ryan and Jacob were the ring bearers and here's a photo of them along with Justin and Jessica who was one of Sarah's bridesmaids.

Sunday night, they left for their honeymoon in New Zealand, Tahiti and Bora Bora.  While at LAX, they ran into Elijah Wood who was on the same flight as Amy, Sarah's sister who is living in Australia.  Here's a photo of Amy and Frodo himself headed back to the Shire no doubt.

I will try and post more photos as I get them.  I always like to track their travel itineraries as Sarah is such a great travel planner.  She finds the most interesting places to stay.  For example, for part of their time in New Zealand, they are staying at Kamahi Cottage billed as New Zealand's only 5-Star Farm Bed & Breakfast Boutique.  Yes, it's a sheep farm and Sarah is determined to hold baby lambs.  Their travels to Tahiti and Bora Bora will have them staying in one of the fabulous over-the-water huts which I always say is on my bucket list!  

All of this going on in the middle of a kitchen remodel which has actually gone to a worse state then the photo I last posted.  Walls are even gone now so they can do all the new electrical and plumbing!  We are also dog sitting Justin's dog, Sierra, so I have 3 dogs, 3 cats and 2 grandsons all in a house filled with plumbers and electricians.  Luckily, the boys return to school on Wednesday.  Jacob is beginning Transitional Kindergarten as the cut-off date for kindergarten is now September 1 and he won't be 5 until September 22. I'm the one who needs that Bora Bora over-the-water hut!

Wedding Plans

Things are moving right along with the wedding plans.  Sarah already has her dress and they are looking at a late August wedding.  They are thinking about having the wedding at the lake in Irvine where Sarah lives.  If you remember, we took Ryan and Jacob there a couple of summers ago because they have a mini-waterpark there with waterslides into a pool-like area.  They have a couple of  large gazebos that you can rent for occasions.  The area is very similar to Westlake which is near us.  Here's a photo I took when we were at the area in the past.  There is a big lake where you can sail and ride on non-motorized watercraft off to the left.

As I mentioned before, Sarah's main emphasis will be on the honeymoon rather than the wedding.  She is such a world traveler so they've agreed to have a 2 part honeymoon... Justin wants to go somewhere luxurious like an exotic beach so they will do that and then they will go to something more unique to satisfy Sarah.  Justin said he didn't want an all Third World honeymoon.  Interestingly, our plans to travel would be in early September as well for our 40th Anniversary.  Justin said maybe we could meet up somewhere but I said I doubted they would want their parents on their honeymoon!  He said with the hectic travel schedule Sarah plans, there wouldn't be time for romance anyway on her part of the honeymoon.

As usual this time of year, Jeff and I have been busy seeing all the potential Academy Award nominated films.  I'm writing this before the Golden Globes on Sunday night but that should give us more of an idea of what's likely to be nominated.  So far we've seen Gravity, Captain Phillips, Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle.  Coming out on DVD this week is The Butler so we will rent that.

The other fun news is that Ryan and Jacob have both signed up to play soccer.  They went to tryouts on Sunday and their games will begin next Sunday so Jeff and I will be going to their games and cheering them on.  We had such fun for many years going to Jessica's softball games.    

Christmas Miracle

Just kidding... not really a miracle but a long time coming!  Justin and Sarah are engaged!  Saturday night at our family Christmas party, in front of all our loved ones, Justin proposed to Sarah and she said yes!  Justin had told us a few days earlier so it wasn't a surprise for Jeff and I but we kept it quiet not even telling Jessica.  Sarah's parents were at the party and they knew, too, as Justin had gone to their home the day before to ask for their blessing.  Everyone was very moved by Justin's proposal and cousin Matthew had the presence of mind to pull out his cellphone and begin recording a video once he realized where it was going.  He says he will try and get the video to me so when I get it, I'll post it if it's okay with Justin and Sarah.  They just had their 2 year first date anniversary this past week so I think this is good timing for them... long enough to know each other well but not too long to wear out Sarah's patience.  Here's a photo of them taken a little after the proposal.  You can spot the ring on Sarah's finger... it needs to be resized as he did all the shopping on his own.  I'll try to get a better photo of the ring when they are here Christmas Eve.

   Happy Couple!

Christmas Memories

Do you remember this photo of Jacob and "Mini-Cooper?"  Cooper was 3 months old and Jacob was 1.

And now Cooper is 3 years old and Jacob is 4.  Seems like just last year when Jeff and I were picking up that cute little puppy at the Burbank Airport.  Now Jacob is not as fond of the dogs as he's had a few times where they have bowled him over but he is in love with our cat, Kalani.  He calls Kalani, "My Kalani-Kitty."  It's hard to capture a kid and a kitty but this shows their bond even if it is a little blurry!

We are freezing cold here in SoCal.  On Sunday, Jeff and I went with Chris and Liz to a local theater production of Spamalot.  We are all big Monty Python fans and loved the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail on which this play is based.  The play got a good write-up in our local newspaper and since the tickets were only $20.00 each, I thought we should take a chance on it.  Everyone agreed it was $20.00 well-spent.  I was surprised at the quality of the actors and it was full of fun and good laughs.  Makes you wonder how many talented performers there are in little theaters everywhere that could be big stars if only they got the right break.  Next year around the holidays, they are doing "Shrek, the Musical" and I may just take the boys if I think they are ready to sit for a couple of hours.       

Cyber-Monday

Hoping to get some more shopping done today online.  I'm not getting a lot of cooperation from people on their "wish lists!"  I remember the days when Justin and Jessica were little and they would rattle off a list a mile long.  I didn't go out shopping at all, either on Thanksgiving evening or Black Friday.  There are no deals good enough to make me want to go through that!  So many of the "doorbusters" are products I wouldn't want anyway.  We had an excellent Thanksgiving and I did really like the White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse cake that I mentioned in my last post so I'll probably get another for our family Christmas party later this month.

On the 1st, we decorated our Christmas tree and changed over a lot of our decor to Christmas.  I'm saving a few ornaments for Ryan and Jacob to add today.  From what I hear, they are both sick with colds so that's always a challenge for Jeff and I not to get sick, too.  I did really well last year avoiding their germs so hopefully will fare as well this holiday season.  Here's a photo of our tree:

Here's a close up of the ribbon that Mr. Jeffrey so tastefully adds:

   Can't remember if I showed you my latest Christmas pillow cover from Pottery Barn?  It's a woody.

We have a couple of warm days ahead- in the 80's- so Jeff will hang up the outdoor lights while the weather is nice.  By Wednesday, the temps are dropping into the 60's so it will start to feel a little more Christmassy.  Even though it's warm, I still made a Southwest Turkey Chili with some of our leftovers.  That'll be nice to have later this week.  Happy December!

Hearth and Home

Having Jacob here with me all day makes it hard to get around to blogging.  He always wants me to sit with him, be with him, play with him.  The only time he is on his own is when he has my iPad or Jeff's Kindle.  We don't want him to spend too much time like that so we only allow it during his quiet time in the afternoon.  He used to often fall asleep during that time period (1-3 PM) but that doesn't seem to be happening anymore.  He is four now so maybe just doesn't need a nap.  I really do enjoy being with him as he is super fun and so sweet and he loves to go with us on dog hikes or Costco trips.  This weekend, Jeff and I went to see Captain Phillips with Tom Hanks.  This time of year is when we always try to see the movies that will be nominated for Academy Awards.  Next I want to see 12 Years a Slave.

Thought I'd answer Annie's meme:  "Hearth and Home".
What does your dream home look like?  Can you describe it inside and out?  As long as we are dreaming, I would have 3 houses, not just one.  Each would be beautiful but not huge mansions.  I'd like a sprawling ranch house in our nearby Santa Rosa Valley where you can have horses.  I wouldn't have a horse but our dogs would love having an acre or two to run around.  Then I'd have a fancy log cabin in the mountains where it snows... maybe Mammoth, California or in the Colorado Rockies.  Finally a beach house... in Maui!

What style of decorating do you lean toward, or are you an eclectic decorator using whatever is on  hand?  My style is eclectic, I'd say.  It's traditional- heavy with touches of modern and rustic.  Look at a Pottery Barn catalog and you'll know my style.

What about fireplaces or woodstoves? Have one?  Love it or too much work?  I hated the fireplace that came with out home.  No mantle!  What's a fireplace without a mantle?  It was so blah so after many years of disliking it, we finally did a total makeover.  Here's a before and after:

Before

After 

Describe your idea of the perfect day at home.  Well, pretty much every day is a perfect day at home.  What we need is some perfect days doing some traveling around the world!  It's time for that!

Halloween 2013

Jeff and I went Trick or Treating with Ryan and Jacob last night.  I wore my leopard pjs and painted my face with whiskers, etc which the boys enjoyed.  "Silly Nani," they like to say.  Ryan was really brave this year and marched right up to every house and said, "Trick or Treat," "Thank you!" and "Happy Halloween."  Jacob did well, too, even at one point when one house was slow at coming to the door, yelling out in frustration, "Come on!"  Not a day goes by that he doesn't say something that makes me laugh and wonder where he gets these things from.  Just this week he said, "I'm freaking out here!" and also, "Speaking of Halloween time, when will it be Christmastime?"  But there is always this one house in their neighborhood that scares them.  The people go all out decorating their entire front yard and even their roof.  The have a bunch of skeletons climbing up their chimney and the homeowner sits outside wearing a pumpkin head and "surprises" (or in Jacob's case "frightens") the children.  I didn't have my camera but took this blurry photo with Jeff's iPhone.  You can see the pumpkin man and Ryan with Jacob behind him leaving the porch.  At this point Jacob was in tears crying, "Mommy, I scared!"

We got home around 7:30 and actually got a few trick-or-treaters.  I had left out a bowl full of candy in case anyone came while we were gone but we had several groups show up after we got home.  Then Jeff and I watched American Horror Story that we had DVR'd and that was a good end to Halloween night.  Now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Annie has started a new meme and since this weekend is the end of Daylight Savings Time, we are stepping "Back in Time."

1.  What games were popular with you as a child?  Candyland, Chutes & Ladders and Uncle Wiggly
     Any TV program that you looked forward to?  Lassie, Rin Tin Tin and so many others.... always an animal lover and avid TV watcher!

2. What subject rocked your world in school?  I'm answering all these questions back as a little girl so I would say I loved spelling because I was good at it.  I also loved PE for the same reason.

3. What subject did you really dislike, if any. Why?  I don't recall disliking any subject.

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did it happen?  I think I always wanted to be a mom and a teacher.  I wish I had grown up in an era when girls thought bigger and had less sexist aspirations.

5. Do you still keep in touch with old friends from school days?  Yes, several.  Helen who I've known since 1st grade, I believe, and Christine who I've known since 7th grade.  I'm in touch through Facebook with quite a few others from elementary school and beyond.

6. If you could turn back the hands of time, would you go back in time?  Hmm... not if it meant any change in my husband, kids or grandkids but there are things that I would do a little differently if I knew then what I know now!

7. What did you consider a good time when you were a teen?  Summertime!  Going to the beach every day of the summer and Drive-In movies at night.

8. What or who influenced you most from your younger years? Why?  My mother.  I was her only child and we were close.  There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for me.  My dad died when I was only 15 so it was just the two of us until I got married at the age of 23.  I think she influenced the mother that I became.

Pets from the Past

I had a friend on Facebook ask me if I had my old yearbooks from Marina del Rey Junior High School.  She wanted copies badly and even contacted the school but they said they were gone for good.  I told her I thought I had them but I would have to conduct a search in the dreaded entryway cubby where we store all our old photos and albums.  To make a long story short, I found them, sent her copies that I printed and then spent about the next 3 days totally organizing everything that was in the cubby.  I was so excited to find photos of pets from the past that I didn't think I had any photos of at all.

This first photo goes all the way back to the 1970's.  I was a student at UCLA and living at home and this stray mother cat had 3 little kittens in our backyard.  A few days after their birth, she took them all away and I was sad about that.  A week later she came back with all 3 and left them for good.  I kept this boy kitty that I called Gypsy (because of his past) and found homes for the other 2.

     ~ Gypsy ~

I loved this cat soooo much.... he was so affectionate and wanted to be with me constantly.  I even took him out with me on weekends.  He used to climb the backyard fences and one day he came home really sick.  Much later we found out that a man who had bunnies left out poison for cats. He died a miserable death and I was so traumatized that my mom had to take him to the vets early in the morning.  I was so upset I gave her the wrong address to the vet... and that's how I ended up eventually meeting Jeff because he worked at the wrong vets.  Those of you who've known me for a long time know the story of how we met and began dating.

After Gypsy, Jeff and I got another cat- Hobie- and when he was a year or so old he went missing.  It was then I learned about the man with the bunnies... he trapped Hobie and took him to a wildlife place (for ducks, etc... ) in the Marina.  (I guess he stopped poisoning and went to trapping.)  Hobie found his way to a backyard where a man had put out some salmon for his cat and he called us- Hobie still had his nametag on- this was 6 weeks later!  We never thought we'd see him again.  We were so happy to have him home...it was like a miracle.  After that, we printed up a letter to all the neighbors exposing this man - we gave his name and address- and passed it out to all the houses in the neighborhood.  When we moved to Agoura Hills, Hobie and Jeff's two cats- Mark and Mickey- came with us.  Here's a photo of Hobie Cat!

 ~ Hobie Cat ~

Finally, I found a photo of Clancy!  I'll bet you thought we've only ever had big dogs like goldens and labs.  Well, here is the pound puppy I brought home one day.  This photo was taken at the park- neutral teritory- when we first got Dylan as a puppy and wanted to introduce him to Clancy.  Clancy was so taken aback by the boisterous little Dylan that he climbed up Jeff's back for protection.

~ Clancy ~

  

Ryan's 6th Birthday

Ryan turned 6 on Thursday, the 17th.  He got really sick on Wednesday and Jessica kept him home.  We weren't sure if he'd be okay by his birthday but he was.  Jessica brought in Halloween-themed cupcakes for his class to share.  He wore a crown with his name and 6's in glitter and they sang Happy Birthday to him.  Here's a photo of the cute cupcakes and Ryan with his birthday crown.

 I remember when I was growing up having a girlfriend, Katie, whose birthday was really close to Halloween and she would always have Halloween-themed birthday parties.  We would dress up in our costumes and her garage was turned into a pretty great haunted house.  Her grandmother would dress up as a witch and tell us ghost stories.  I think Halloween is a fun holiday.  I like to drink out of my Halloween mugs.

Another fun thing about this time of year is all the craft fairs and local farms that have pumpkin patches and hayrides, etc... We have our local Thousand Oaks Street Fair to go to on Sunday.  I guess one of the things we miss in Southern California is apple-picking.  I never even realized that apples were associated with fall until about 10 years ago when some of my graphic artist friends made fall graphics with apples.  Have a great weekend!    

Dog Day Afternoon

Happy Birthday Sadie!!!

We went to the 2nd annual Bark in the Park in Thousand Oaks on Saturday.  We went to the first one last year and enjoyed it so we made sure to catch it again this October.  Everyone brings their dogs and there are lots of activities and booths to explore.  The dogs got so many treats from the people running the booths and I walked away with a big bag full of samples of treats and dog foods.  Camp Bow Wow had a booth with a "Wheel of Fortune" type prize wheel.  I spun and won a free bath for Kanan and Jeff spun and one a free one hour training session fro Cooper.  Cooper could use some training to get him to stop pulling on his leash.  Not to be outdone, "The Barkley" had a spinning wheel and this time Jeff got a free day of doggie day care and I won a toothbrush.  That was our only booby prize.  The other 3 prizes are all quite valuable!  They had all kinds of contests like best howler, dog/owner look-alike and Halloween costume contest.  They had an obstacle course that we took Kanan and Cooper through.  There were even celebrity dogs you could take your photo with:  Beatrice from Modern Family and Aspen from Disney's Dog with a Blog.  All in all, a fun day!

From there, we went to Chris & Liz's for dinner and to meet their new English Springer Spaniel, Maverick or Ricky.  He's a rescue and a real sweetheart and got along fine with Cooper and Kanan.  It was unusually warm for their area which is closer to the ocean so we were able to sit outside and have a delicious dinner of BBQ leg of lamb!  

Spur of the Moment

We had a quick little trip up to Morro Bay over the weekend.  George and Robin were on their way down from a Washington/Canada trip and called and asked if we might want to meet up with them in Morro Bay.  Jeff's grandparents built a home there many years ago and it is still in the family so we had a nice place to stay.  It was our first road trip with the dogs in the new Prius.  Remember I showed you the liner that Jeff made to protect the back area when the seats are down?  The dogs are great travelers and they had so much fun hiking and going to the beach.  Here's a photo of a trail we took high above the Morro Bay area.  Off in the distance, you will see the big Morro Rock in the water that is a landmark for the area.  My physical therapist would freak out if she knew I did this strenuous uphill climb!

We've visited Morro Bay a lot over the years but this weekend was, without a doubt, the best weather I've ever experienced there.  It's so often foggy and cool but, as you can see, it was sunny and clear with temps in the mid-80's!  We did this hike with Jeff's cousin Susan and her husband Greg and their 12 year old Golden Retriever, Sophie.  We had a nice BBQ back at the house that George and Robin fixed for us all.  Delicious tritip steaks, George's famous twice-baked potatoes, salad, and apple pie a la mode.  The following night, we went out to a Mexican restaurant.  

Jeff, Kanan and Cooper at Morro Bay beach

Cute Sandpipers running in the soup

Otters Galore!

Catching Up

Sorry to go missing again but I am struggling with mixed feelings about blogging.  I guess I'm just plain tired of writing posts after 11 years of pretty consistent posting.  I'm not tired of my blog friends or reading their posts at all though and I miss you all and think about you often!  So I'll do a quick catch up of what's been going on.  As you know it's a busy month filled with birthdays and an anniversary.

I started Physical Therapy last week and will go twice weekly for 6 weeks.  I thought it would be mostly core-strengthening exercises but I'm also getting the little electrode zappers and the best part... a nice massage!  I'm feeling pretty close back to normal although they tell me that sciatica nerve may take a while to completely calm down.  

Ryan is back in school and doesn't get home until almost 3 PM so I only have a little over an hour with him each day.  Jacob, on the other hand, is here all the time.  He's still really good about his "Quiet Time" so he's in the downstairs bedroom with cartoons turned on at low volume and has my iPad and Jeff's Kindle.  9 times out of 10, he falls asleep so he's usually in there from 1 to 3 PM.  He was resistant to taking naps but since he falls asleep so often, it's pretty obvious he still needs naps... as long as we don't call it nap time!

Justin and Jessica both had their birthdays and Justin had some interesting developments at work.  The computer projects he's been doing for the last 10 years were winding down so he was beginning to wonder if he was going to need to dust off his resume and start looking for something else.  He was given the opportunity to do some work as a "Business Analyst" and really loved it.  He's a very good writer and in addition to his Computer Science degree, he has a Communications degree from UCLA so he was able to apply those skills to the Business Analyst work.  He had a big interview for a Business Analyst position within his company, Computer Sciences Corporation, and he got it.  The project is out of the Boston office but he will be able to work from home!  He and Sarah are going to San Francisco and Santa Rosa (Wine Country area) this weekend (the trip a birthday present from Sarah) and we will be dog sitting Sierra while he's gone.

Speaking of wine... remember my wine glass chandelier from Pottery Barn?  I found this at HomeGoods to hang on the wall.

What I love about shopping at HomeGoods is I usually go there with nothing special in mind and it's fun to find something unexpected.  I also got some really nice fillable seeded glass lamps there for our bedroom. Don't think I'll fill them with anything but I like the way the glass sparkles.  The shades are burlap  and I have them on a dimmer switch.  Lamps like this cost 3 times as much at Pottery Barn!  I often shop at PB or PB online for ideas and find similar items for much less at HG's! 

   

My comment above about finding something unexpected reminded me of the word Serendipity.  It's a word that I love and always reminds me of our dear friend Elizabeth whose first blog was named Serendipity. "Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; a fortunate mistake. Specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it. The word has been voted one of the ten English words hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company."  Serendipity is also the name of that fabulous restaurant in Manhattan where you can get Frozen Hot Chocolates.  And don't forget the movie Serendipity!

The Beach Boys

We took the boys and the dogs to the dog beach just south of Santa Barbara on Thursday.  They were so excited and had such a fun time.  They wanted to bring this boogie board so Jeff helped them catch a few waves... catch soup actually.  I assume everyone knows what soup is... but maybe only beach people know that term... soup is the foamy white water after a wave has broken.  Here's a short video clip of Jacob riding the soup.

Today is the last day of camp for both Ryan and Jacob and school doesn't start until the week after next so we have all of next week with the boys and no place for them to go.  We decided to come up with a few field trips for them.  I made online reservations for Monday to go see the Space Shuttle Endeavour at the California Science Center.  Remember when I went to Malibu and took a video of the space shuttle arriving in Southern California?  Have a great weekend!    

Handy Dandy

We've been busy with the boys this summer, especially now that Ryan is out of school.  Between that and my lack of activity due to my back surgery, I've really nothing to post about.  As you know, Jacob is going to summer camp at the recreation center right down the hill from us.  He goes MWF 9 to noon.  Right next door (they share a parking lot) is a church that we can see from our windows.  This week, they have had a Bible Camp for kids 5 and up so we signed Ryan up for that.  It is from 9 to noon also but M-F.  The best part is that it is free!  They only ask for a $5.00 donation and for us to buy a blue t-shirt ($2.00 at Michael's) and iron on a camp decal.  They are having lots of fun activities and also doing nice things like making shoeboxes full of goodies to give to underprivleged kids.  Ryan tells us, "I love camp!"  So that's great!  It's very convenient how close it is and Jeff walks them down "the dangerous shortcut" each morning and back up at noon.  I have lunch ready for them and then I do summer homework with Ryan.  Jacob is rebelling against naps (he's almost 4) so he is having "quiet time" like Ryan has after he finishes his homework.  Ryan is in the upstairs bedroom with my iPad and Jacob is in a downstairs bedroom with Jeff's Kindle Fire.  They spend a good 2 hours doing that and then when they get up they either want to go in the spa or watch "The Avengers" for the umpteenth time.  Here's a photo taken from my house of Ryan's church camp down the hill from us.

     

I had my recheck with my doctor on Monday and all is going well.  I was pleasantly surprised that he took my back brace and pulled out the hard backboard part and the bulky side supports.  I wasn't even aware that it could do that so now I have a much lighter weight and comfortable brace to wear.  He wants me to keep wearing it until my next appointment, September 5th.  Well. there went my whole summer!  After that appointment, I will probably start physical therapy just to strengthen my back and all around get back into shape!  Looking forward to that.  Don't worry about me if I don't post... I think my blogging days are soon coming to an end.  Maybe as the fall and winter holidays approach, I'll feel more like I have something to write about.

Disguise

We have a birthday party to go to this Saturday night.  It's for a fire chief friend's 60th birthday.  They have really fun parties.  The last one we went to was a "Casino Night Party" where they hired people to come in with roulette wheels, blackjack and craps tables, etc...and you were given chips to bet with and there were prizes at the end of the night.  We weren't sure I'd be able to make it when we RSVP'd because we knew it would only be one week after my surgery but I am definitely feeling well enough to go.  I went shopping at Kohl's with my 20% off coupon plus I had an additional $10.00 off any purchase and a $5.00 off any purchase as well.  I ended up getting two similar tops that were originally $36.00 each for a total of $30.00 with tax!  They completely cover up my back brace and they are really 4 tops because each one has a matching camisole that goes underneath.  Normally I don't wear flowing type clothes but I'd rather wear this than have the back brace over the top of my clothes.  Here's a photo.

  Have a great weekend!

Wiggly Hair

Kid's really do say the darndest things.  Here's a recent one from Jacob that made me laugh out loud...when he saw this photo he said, "Ryan's hair is sharp and my hair is wiggly."

This is Ryan's last week of summer school so we are trying to find things for him to do since Jacob's camp is still ongoing every MWF until August 16th.  Although Jacob's camp is for 3 to 5 year olds, most of them are 3 or 4 so Ryan would feel out of place there.  Right next to the camp (which is below our house) there's a church and they are having a one week Vacation Bible School that starts next week and it runs the same time as Jacob's camp- 9 to noon- so Jessica signed Ryan up for that.  And it's free!  They only ask for a $5.00 donation.  We'll be on the lookout for other summer activities for Ryan.  I think 2013 is going to go down for me as a lost year!  Certainly the 1st 6 months were a literal pain and now I have a long hot summer with "my new best friend" and after the 6 weeks of wearing the back brace, I will have 6 to 8 weeks of physical therapy.  I will at least be happy to get to the physical therapy stage because I hate not being able to exercise and be active like I'm used to.