Andrew McCarthy or Andrew Who?

My trip to NYC with my older sisters was a BLAST! I'm not sure if I should have had that much fun without my husband and kids (don't tell them... I don't want them to feel bad.)

Although Brett has no desire to EVER go to NYC, I have always wanted to go. I was not disappointed even though the size of my hotel room reminded me of my first bedroom when Brett and I got married. It was slightly larger than our bedroom but only just. (We couldn't fit a fridge in our bedroom or a side table.

The scenery was great and the weather cooperated all weekend.

Sheri took us to China Town where I discovered some new fruit that I had never before seen in my life.

I also discovered...

Andrew McCarthy.

If you just said to yourself, "Andrew who?" or you had to Google his name to figure out who I am talking about then unlike me you did not watch Pretty in Pink and Mannequin 30 times back in the 80's. Shame on you!

To say that I was star-struck would be an understatement. We were in a store in China Town and I looked up and he was just standing there two feet away from me. He was very nice about getting his picture taken. Sheri didn't recognize him and actually said, "should I know you?" In all fairness the store owners didn't recognize him either and told him that no cameras were allowed in the store. So they told him that the camera man had to leave. We went outside to get our picture taken with him.

Although I would have liked to talk with him longer, I was afraid of what else Sheri might say. You never know with her. After all, I did dare her to lick a total stranger's ice-cream cone and she did it (a mere $10.00 is all it cost me to overcome her aversion to a stranger's germs).

Don't think that Andrew was the only star that I saw. I also had a few other encounters...

I hope I can come back soon. There is still so much left undone. Thanks to my sisters for a great weekend and to my hubby who made it possible for me to go in the first place.

Knights and Days

We are back into the swing of things this week but last week was full of California dreams as we spent the week in a beach house on Capistrano Beach.

I'd like to say that the temperatures were super hot so that I can make you super jealous but I pride myself on being an honest person. I was in a hoodie and jeans the whole time trying to stay warm. Keep in mind however that my core temperature runs a little differently than the rest of the human race and while I walked around bundled up with a blanket around my shoulders in the beach house for the first couple of days, my kids were swimming in the freezing cold ocean for hours with nary a complaint.

They used the hot tub periodically to warm themselves up.

I donned my bathing suit once the whole week to get into the hot tub. Once.

So I guess it is safe to say that low 60's to mid 70's is cold weather for me. Yep, I'm a wimp.

My feet are also a witness to that fact. Three days of walking (sometimes running) back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventures proves it.

And the fact that I am able to endure fewer and fewer rides each time I go. The last time we went it was the ferris wheel that almost did me in. My boys were almost wearing my lunch. I barely held it in. This time the swings, one of my favorite rides, had my stomach flipping and flopping. It was small consolation to watch Brett struggle on the tea cup ride and Dumbo. He, after all, is still in his 30's whereas I am in my 40's.

We had a great breakfast with Minnie and friends. But for me the breakfast was big enough to last through lunch and dinner. So much food!

Smiley had the added pleasure of meeting Rapunzel and taking a long walk with the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella.

Of course we HAD to have churros every day.

And other treats...

And a trip to California Adventures would not be complete without a ride on the Tower of Terror.

Or eating a giant corndog..

The boys loved being arrested by the storm troopers. (I WANTED to be arrested by the storm troopers.)

Cody cried because he wasn't chosen for the Jedi Training Academy but Darth Maul came by to scare the crying out of him.

No problem... when he found out he would get wet on Splash Mountain he cried again.... for 1/2 the ride.

Brett cried when I told him he had to go on the Nemo ride. Just kidding. He downright refused to go on that ride because the last time we went to Disneyland Sunshine cried the whole time on that ride. The only way to get Brett on it would be to drug him and carry him on. I thought about it but I have a little more weight training to do before I can lift him.

One of the favorite things the boys did was go to dinner at Medieval Knights thanks to Grandma and Grandpa. They treated us all to dinner one night there. The boys loved being able to eat with their hands as no cutlery was provided. They loved the swordfighting and jousting that the knights did and at the end of the night convinced me to buy them wooden swords. No ER visit...yet. Knock on wood.

I hope we will be able to return again soon so we can make some more wonderful memories.

As much as the kids groaned about homework it was a fantastic trip with lots of fun new memories. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for making it possible!

Lovin' the Lake

We didn't go to the Lake as often as we like this year. Perhaps that is because our boat has turned into a floating bed. After our July trip when Brett decided that he wanted to sell the boat and buy a motorhome I barely managed to talk him out of it. Barely. He tried one last time to have a bit more work done on it and we took it out again only to have the same overheating problem. As long as we didn't drive the boat more than 15 mph we were fine.

Fortunately we were at the Lake with my sister who loves going at a slower pace and frankly 15 mph was a little too fast. We slowed it down to 10. Then it became the perfect trip. Except for the fact that we still wonder how we are going to sell a boat that won't go over 15 mph. -sigh-

The boys were excited to discover at the end of our canyon a treasure...

it must have come loose at some point and drifted to the end of the canyon. Just the thing for little kids to climb on right?

And of course, we couldn't have a trip to the Lake without a water balloon fight. I do my part by filling the balloons so the kids can throw them at everyone else. That way I don't become a target myself. They don't even think of throwing one at me. Great strategy. Of course the other side sometimes accidentally gets too close if I'm not careful.

The water temperature is perfect in August and it is tempting to stay in all day.

Brett is sorry he didn't put sunscreen on and is currently paying the price with a burn on his back. I'm sorry I didn't confiscate his phone for although it is harder to get reception there he still managed to sneak in a work conference call on one of the days we were there. Naughty!

I always love watching the sun go down and the boys love running on the rocks. If you look close you can see them running at the base of the rock as the sun goes down.

Now they are back in school and perhaps they are dreaming of swimming, fishing, climbing rocks and catching lizards.