Playdate

Sandy Aego

That's how my kids pronounce the beautiful Caliornia city we visited over spring break.  Indeed, it is sandy.

 

If you haven't been, you must go.  It's so lush and picturesque.  There are so many wonderful sites and all within several miles.  The picture above was taken near the children's pool in La Jolla.  That is where the sea lions bask in the sun.  We went there just after dragging the kids to the Salk Institute research building designed by Louis Kahn.  Never while in architecture school did we think we'd visit this great piece of American architecture with our two boys.

San Diego has so many great districts.  The historic Gaslamp district is beautiful.  Seaport Village has a great old carousel and cute little shops.  We had a great time at the city ports on the USS Midway learning about the inner workings of this amazing naval ship.  The boys got to sit in the cock pits of several fighter jets and Rob and I got to chat with retired officers who proudly served our country.  Very cool.  Old Town is the oldest city in California.  We had a delicious Mexican dinner right in the heart of the historic town center.  Balboa Park was the site for the 1915 and 1935 World's Fairs.  There are some intricate details on these buildings that were designed to be temporary.  It is a serious endeavor to preserve and maintain these buildings but as a result their beauty can be appreciated by future generations.

Within Balboa Park is the San Diego Zoo.  Its mountainside locale makes for a tiring day but the aerial tram and all the fantastic animals make the hike worthwhile.  A train ride just outside the zoo makes for a nice end to the day. 

The most fun had by the boys was in LEGOLAND.  Yes, a theme park where everything is made with Legos.  The animals...

...made with Legos!

The characters...

...all Legos!

The cities...

HOLY FUCKING SHIT...all Legos!!!

Okay, so maybe Rob and I really enjoyed Legoland more than the kids.

The city itself is very energetic and the people all seem like outdoor althetic types.  With the gorgeous settings, beaches and parks it seemed like everyone was out for a run, walk, ride, surf and swim.  The only chubby people were the tourists!  Who can blame us...every kid's meal came with a heaping helping of fries.  I couldn't find a vegetable on any regular menu.  Thank goodness for all that walking we did cuz I would have gained 10 lbs from all the tourist food.

Although I didn't get to indulge in our hotels finer ammenities, we did get to swim in the heated pools and the beach was a mere ten steps from our room door.  Not too shabby.  Paradise Point is located in Mission Bay and it was a little piece of paradise!

San Diego was totally worth two full days of travel (with layovers in Detroit going, then Minneapolis coming).  Although it wasn't a restful vacation it was truely memorable. 

California Dreaming....

   

What was I thinking?

I knew it was going to be hard. But I didn't know I'd be ready to throw in the towel so soon.

Joseph and Hannah are both on Spring break from school all week. And today, just Monday, just mid-day Monday ... I'm already over it.

Sigh.

Doesn't bode well for the rest of the week, huh?

Next year, I'm definitely going on vacation.

Golden Auspicious

The McZen is here!

Damn.  Maybe franchise work isn't so bad?

Where to Go?

So, next year is our 10th anniversary.  We started a tradition after we got married of going someplace new every year.  First year we went to Sausalito and stayed at The Inn Above Tide which sits directly on San Francisco Bay. 

It was so beautiful.

The following year we went down to New Orleans and stayed up all night, eating amazing creole food, listening to fantastic music and, oh yeah, drinking.   So fun, but it got to be too much, even for me.  I think we were there for 4 or 5 days and we had to take a break after the 2nd or 3rd night.  Luckily my sister was living in Baton Rouge at the time so we went to visit her.  I had the most amazing catfish sandwich in Baton Rouge.  I still think about it.

The third year, I was pregnant with Will so I didn't feel like going anywhere too far (ironically, two months later and two months MORE pregnant, we flew to St. Thomas for a wedding) so we went to Cumberland County, NJ.  What's in Cumberland County, NJ?  Why the Museum of American Glass, of course!  Who knows?  I was hormonal.

Anyway, our trips for anniversaries 4, 5 and 6 never materialized.  We had a baby. 

Then we had another baby.   

Probably we didn't want to leave the babies alone for a long period of time.  Definitely we were tired.  Maybe we didn't even really like each other very much anymore. 

For our seventh anniversary, Bill's mom came to NJ to stay with the boys so we could go to Bermuda.  Technically we had been there before, but not for an anniversary, so we let that slide.  We stayed in a cozy little cottage on Harrington Sound.   

We would sit out on our deck at dusk - one night a sting ray swam by.  It was so cool.

Last year, we took the boys with us to Lancaster County and then to Philadelphia.  In Lancaster County, we slept in a caboose. 

This year our anniversary falls during school's spring break, so we're bringing the boys along again.  We were considering New Orleans again, toyed with the idea of San Diego, but finally decided to road trip to Canada.  Two nights in Montreal, one in Ottawa, two in Toronto and then one in Niagara Falls.  Can you believe I have never been to Canada?   I can't wait.  Especially for Niagara Falls.  Bring on the cheese!

I have already started scoping out places for 2009 - the big 10.  Where should we go?  I've always wanted to visit Rio de Janeiro.  It looks amazing. 

I hear good things about Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Or what about something on the Adriatic Sea?  Croatia is supposed to be fabulous.

I'd love to go to Spain.  Or maybe we could go back to St. Martin, where we honeymooned (and ate the best food I've ever had in my life).  Or should we go to Mexico?  I hablo a little espanol....

Well, I need to start planning.  Where was your favorite vacation?

Surprise!

Well, I did the impossible.  I actually surprised my sister with a baby shower. 

She's a tough one to surprise.  She's sneaky, prying and calculated when it comes to these things.  Thankfully, I had her husband on my team.  He sent me the guest list (that she had already made and conveniently left on her desk), the registry cards (that he reprinted so that when she held up her set and asked, "Don't you need to give these to my sister?", he could say, "I don't know.") and gave me the heads up that she scheduled their Lamaze class for the day of her shower (so that when she called to tell me, I could confidently say, "Yeah, that sounds great.").

She had to tell me about her Lamaze class because she was suppose to babysit for me that entire weekend.  The only way we could surprise her was to have the shower on the weekend of my anniversary.  That way, she's worn out from babysitting my kids and totally not suspecting me to return early to host a party in her honor.  Ha.

The weeks leading up to the party were crazy.  Essentially, I had to have everything done before going away on our trip.  I stored all the decorations and gifts at Kris's house so that there would be no trace at home.  If during that weekend, she saw one piece of ribbon or baby paraphanelia, the surprise would have been blown.  She's like a CSI Forensics Detective.

I had lots of fun shopping for girl's stuff.  I knit, I purled, I glue gunned, "baked" a diaper cake (see picture above). It was fun.  Here's the crown I made for the queen and soon-to-be princess, ala Michele.

After spending a few hours setting up for the party with my sister's best friend/co-host, Rob and I arrived home to find my unsuspecting sister in sweats and my kids still in their pajamas.  Everyone got ready in a hurry.  We piled into the car and we lured her to the Maplewood Tennis Club by saying they serve Sunday brunch.  The look of shock on her face was priceless.  She went around the room greeting her guests and drinking it all in.  I'm still in shock that we pulled it off.

Speaking of surprises, Rob surprised me with a beautiful anniversary band.  He sprung it on me at our getaway dinner.  The other patrons of the restaurant were very curious!  Apparantly, he still has a few strings up his sleeves.  BTW, we ate dinner at The Ferry House and it was amazing.  Next time you're in Princeton, make a reservation and enjoy!

I'm not sure why people don't like surprises.  I love mine and my sister loved her's too. 

Where has the time gone?

I missed my post date last week.  It was already late in the day Sunday when I realized that the weekend had, once again, slipped away.  So here's what I've been doing...

We had our basement modernized. 

Amazing what some paint, lighting and new carpet can do.  I ordered some FLOR tiles and we love them!  Super easy to install.  Although, we (and by "we" I mean "Rob") still need to finish cutting the tiles along the perimeter of the room.  Once we put up some shelves, I'll be able to reorganize the whole house.  Christmas is coming early!

Kris, Bill, Rob and I hosted a party for our sons - whose birthdays are mere days apart.  The boys wanted a race car party and they were pretty happy with the results.  Kris orchestrated a relay race with all the kids and it was a big hit.  (There are some crazy party ideas out there on the interweb.)  The night before the party, the self-proclaimed "non-crafty" Kris and I decorated the cakes. 

Betty MILF-y Crocker.  She claims this is her first and last cake...but I've got another 364 days to break her.  Mmuuuwwaaahhhh!  Don't the cakes look funny in my fridge?

I have to admit, I ordered TWENTY Chocodiles that I was going to decorate as go-cars and make as individual cakes for the party guests.  Well, they arrived today, exactly one week too late.  Chocodile and wine party anyone?

Ethan turned FIVE.  My MIL came to vist over the weekend.  Then my FIL and wife stayed with us for 2 full days.  I must admit, of all the visits, these weren't so horrible.  For Ethan's birthday, we got on the train and went to the American Museum of Natural History.  The boys, young and old, had a great time walking the exhibits.  Ethan LOVED the dinosaurs and Owen's favorite part was "riding the train".

(These trips are getting so much easier as the kiddies get older!) 

Now that it's September, there are only a few more days before back-to-school.  I'm pretty sure I'll do the "ugly cry" at the sight of my "baby" walking into the elementary school for his first day of kindergarten.  Then, I'll "ugly cry" some more at the sight of my second "baby" walking into his pre-school class for the first time. 

Seriously, where has the time gone?

It's so close!

In Langhorne, Pennslyvania, there are new strip malls and lots of new development housing.  Old schoolers, like my husband Rob, know the area's malls (Oxford Valley and Neshaminy Mall).  But outsiders only visit Langhorne for Sesame Place.

Thirty years ago (that's the last time Rob was at Sesame Place) there were only 2 water attractions.  Now the park is mostly for water lovers. There were tons of water rides, pools and fountains.  The kids had a blast. 

(Side note: Why does Anheiser Busch own all these theme parks?  And if there's beer at Seaworld, why isn't there beer at Sesame Place?)

Rob finally got to go on the 3-story Nets 'n' Climbs.  He's waited practically his whole life for this.  He and Ethan also really enjoyed the BIG tube rides.  The long lines did not get in the way of Ethan's desire to go down the 5-story Sky Splash.  He's braver than me.

Right before dinner, we stopped to watch the parade.  It was short and sweet and the kids were mesmerized the entire time.

We didn't get to every ride, and although we didn't go back today (like Ethan wanted), it certainly won't be 30 years before our next visit.

Lost and Found

I lost my iPod.

Earlier this week Alicia waxed philosophic about what a great time they had on their vacation. And I must say, it was really kind of them to invite me up for the second part of their family vacation.  And it _was_ very nice and relaxing to see them in Lake Champlain.

But... I lost my iPod while I was there.  And once I realized it, I spent the rest of my vacation obsessively looking in, over, and under every conceivable surface.  Veeery relaxing.  For all of us.

I also lost my daughter's Leapster.  But that, having been left at the beach, was turned in by someone the next day.  The same cannot be said of the iPod.

And yes, I know it's just a scrap of metal and computer and can be replaced.  I have everything backed up, after all.  Blah blah.  It's not like I lost my _child_.  But I'll be honest.  I miss it.

Also, I'm not the kind of person who loses things.  A double, crushing blow.  I guess I'm getting old and forgetful.  Time to start doing Sudoku in earnest, maybe?

What makes this even better is that I _was_ planning on buying myself an iPod dock with speakers and a radio for my kitchen as a birthday present.  And now I'm going to have to take that money (and more) and buy the stupid iPod again.

Sigh.  But I have no one to blame but myself.  I could have lost it anywhere, it just happened to be on vacation in VT.  Where I may never be again.  I couldn't have lost it, say, at the Target on Rt. 10, where, you know, I go ALL THE TIME (today, for instance).

Maybe I can find it when those guys return next year and (hopefully) invite me back.  That's not too long to wait, is it?  Perhaps next time I will be able to see something besides that elusive, lost item.  And I hear it's beautiful there...

Update:  Ever since I wrote this, I've been remembering snatches of this poem I used to love.  I looked it up, and yes, I still love it.  Here it is.  If you're interested.

This just in... traveling still sucks

My mom has been taking a well-deserved trip to Scotland.   By herself.  Finally, after taking care of various family members for, oh, the last 15 years (this doesn't even include taking care of me), she's doing this trip.  I'm so happy for her. 

She's planned to come back and visit us for a couple of days before she returns to Arizona.  My daughter and I have been joking about whether or not Grandmom can pack Nessie in her suitcase.

Sunday, 10 am.

I look on the British Airways website to see if there's any information about her returning flight.  It's supposed to get in at 5:45 tonight.  It's... cancelled.  I have no way to get in touch with her because she doesn't have international service on her phone.  I call British Airways.  They don't tell me anything.  I see there's a later flight that gets in around 10 pm.  I decide to call back once that flight is in the air and see if I can get someone to tell me something then.

Sunday, 3:30 pm.

I wait on hold with British Air for about 17 minutes.  Finally...

Me:  I know you can't TELL me if she's on the flight, but can you, say, tell me if I should drive through construction for half an hour at 10 pm with my 5 year old toddler to meet someone at the airport? (I'm laying it on a bit thick, but I really need to know).

Brisith Airways guy: I can't get into any _specifics_ but I CAN tell you that if you were to be at the airport around 9:45 that would be good.  Also, sometimes when we cancel a flight, we put people on other airlines.  And, without being overly specific, one of those airlines might be Continental.

Me:  OH THANK YOU.  (Cos everyone knows that international arrivals at Newark Airport are at terminal B, EXCEPT for Continental, which is Terminal C.)

Sunday, 6:00 pm.

My mom calls:  I'm in Toronto and will be boarding a flight to Newark in an hour.  I have to go through Customs right now, pick up my bag, and go to the terminal to get my flight.

Me: Great, what's the flight number?  We'll pick you up.

Sunday, 6:05 pm.

I get her voicemail: Um, Mom, that flight's been cancelled.

Sunday, 7:45 pm.

Mom calls: My flight's been cancelled.

Me: I know.

Mom: They couldn't book me on another flight till tomorrow at 5:15, getting in at 7:15.

Me:  What?  That's ridiculous.

Monday, 10 am.

Mom calls.  She's at the airport in Toronto.  They've cancelled the earlier flight she was trying to ride standby on.  She is wondering if they're going to cancel the later flights as well, for weather.  EVEN THOUGH THE WEATHER HERE IS PERFECT.  I tell her it's supposed to storm later.  I realize as I say it that I shouldn't have said anything. 

She sighs.  She's pretty tired.   Did I mention she's almost 70?

Monday, 10:15 am.

I call her back:  Mom, at this point do you want to try to just fly home? (She's supposed to leave Newark in less than 24 hours on American Airlines, so...)

I offer to call around, and call British Airways, cos I think it's kind of their fault.  I only wait for about 5 minutes this time.  The woman I talk to is sympathetic but can't help me.  I'm talking to her on my home phone and my mom on my cell phone simultaneously.  She tells me that since that part of the leg wasn't booked through British Airways and is a third airline, she can only help her get to Newark.  And, incidentally, according to what she's looking at, my mom is listed as having been on the CANCELLED flight last night, cos Continental didn't update the itinerary. 

She puts me on hold to talk to her manager.

She comes back.  She can change the flights but there will be a charge. My response: Yeah, um... she's not paying a fee for this.

She suggests I call Continental.

My mom decides to stay on the 5:15 flight.  I can't imagine there will be any use waiting around for standby options. 

Monday, 5:00 pm

Her flight is, unsurprisingly, delayed.

Monday, 8 pm.

My mom lands at Newark.  Whew.

Oh, wait...  They lost one of her bags.

Tuesday, 11 am.

I drop her off at Newark.  Her flight today is already delayed.

Good luck getting home, Mom!

Notes on a Vacation

I can't tell you how much I loved our vacation this year, in the beautiful Champlain Islands in Vermont.

We did so little--we rode our bikes, swam in the lake, read, played games, did lots of crafts (pot holders, popsicle stick houses, tissue paper on glass collage, tie-dye t-shirts), and ate constantly. I'm sorely missing it.

Here are some photos.

Kurt and I watched a lot of Brian Reegan's comedy while we were up there. He's is REALLY funny. He makes me laugh so hard my stomach hurts. Here are links to a few of the funnier bits from one of his shows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ogZo9YreQ4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJTGAA_2Lto

Oh, and I read a few books--Self Made Man, by Norah Vincent. She disguised herself and lived as a man for a year and a half--how brave is that?! It's very funny and she offers a surprisingly sympathetic perspective on being a guy in America in the early 21st century. I liked it a lot.

I also read Chuck Klosterman IV (heisted from Liz), an anthology of his essays that have appeared in various magazines over the last ten years or so.

And finally, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion which I didn't like so much. She's one of these writers that I feel like I'm supposed to like so I keep reading her books but I think I'm done--it's not for me.

On our drive back yesterday we were behind the same car for about a half hour. It had vanity plates with roses on it and said "GAIL 1". There were also lots of ribbons--"Find a Cure" (pink), "Support Our Troops" (light blue that used to be red, white and blue), "LIVESTRONG" (yellow--can someone tell me what this one means?).

I didn't see much of this in Alburgh, VT--I'm already looking forward to exactly the same vacation next year.