I was awake at about 6:30 AM. I got up and did some work that needed to be edited. I then messaged one of the managers and told her I would be unavailable until July 12th. I may go crazy before this project is over. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. We then had a fabulous Japanese meal at an exquisite restaurant. It was amazing!The kids had room service while we dined out.
James showed up just after midnight. He didn’t get the greeting the others had gotten. But we saw him at breakfast the following morning.
We had breakfast and then I went up to our room. We spent most of the morning at the pool and then packed our bags to prepare for the villa transfer.
Monday morning I was up around 6 AM and did some work on the Empower project. Around 8 AM the villa staff made us breakfast. We had Nasi Goreng, which is basically fried rice with a fried egg on it. They also had noodles with a fried egg. It was delightful! Millie chose either a yogurt bowl or pancakes and Jack had the pancakes most mornings.
We got ready to go to a place called Mrs. Sippy, which is a pool and beach club. We spent the majority of the day there. I actually jumped off of the high dive. When we returned to the Villa we took showers and got dressed to go to a place called Mexicali for dinner. It was a set menu with five courses. It was delicious, but there was way too much food. They had a dance floor and the kids got up and danced. I may or may not have stolen 10 denim coasters from this place, stuck in my tube top dress. Can’t say! We had a great evening and we got taxis to come back to the Villa. I was asleep by 8:30 PM. The sun had taken all the life out of me for the day.
I was up early again so did some work on Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon we went shopping again. Tuesday night we went to dinner with just the adults. The babysitters were seen as terrible by the kids. The kids were horrible and texted us a lot. Irritating! We did have a stern talk with them once we returned. However, only one of us returned and the rest of us went to the Goat Bar for live music. We danced and sweat. Did I mention that Bali is super humid? Ugh!
Wednesday it was back to Mrs. Sippy. Matt wasn’t well, and my belly started to react badly. We had a chef at the villa for dinner and it was amazing.
Thursday I was sick, flu sick, full on Bali Belly and achy. But nothing stopped us from going to the Sacred Monkey Sanctuary.
While we were at the monkey sanctuary, most of the guys went golfing. Seems they saw monkey as well. In fact, James made a great shot close to the hole and a cheeky little monkey came along and stole the ball. Hilarious. Couldn’t happen to a better person!
When we got back from the monkey sanctuary I went to bed. I did actually go with everyone to dinner because I couldn’t miss out on fun, but it wasn’t terribly fun. It was a place called Sarong! I was told the food was amazing, but I ate very little. Ugh! We went back to the house and I went to bed. In the middle of the night the air conditioner froze up and started spitting ice and water. Fortunately, we were familiar with this as when we lived in the Middle East the same thing used to happen, especially when it was humid.
Friday was James’ birthday. We spent most of the morning at the villa. It rained a bit, as seems to be come in Bali, we then went to lunch with Lou and the kids to Sea Circus.
We got back to the house to shower and head to Ku De Ta for a beach front dinner to celebrate James’ birthday, for real.
Saturday morning we decided to go on a snorkeling trip. It may have ended up being the sickest I have ever been on a boat. Oh lord!
These were massive beasts. I would say their wing span was at least 10 feet. This picture does not do them justice! It was incredible.
Jack took his GoPro and also got some phenomenal videos.
We called it a day early as our boat had started throwing off exhaust fumes early on and several of us, me included, were barfy sick as a result.
The ride back to the villa was only about 7 miles but took 45 minutes. Clearly the roads are not built for any kind of traffic. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the villa. Saturday evening we ended up getting burgers at the villa. It was a quiet night as a lot of us were a bit ill. The boys had gone out earlier to watch an Aussie rugby league match and I went to get cash to settle up our bill at the villa. The kids had gone off on their own to shop and thought they were super grown up. It was kind of cute. And when Jack got back, he had bought me a pair of earrings. Bless him! Millie contributed as well, but told Jack he owed her. Ha!
Sunday morning it was raining when we got up. It was a great day to pack and clean up. We were packed by 10 am and awaited our transfer to the Intercontinental for the last night of our Bali stay.
Our transfer to the Intercontinental took about 35 minutes. We got there, checked in and went straight to the restaurant by the pool. We had a bite to eat, the kids got into the pool and Matt, Stuart and I had a walk on the beach. In the end we decided we wished we would have had a few more days at this resort. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. We got in the pool after our beach walk. There wasn’t really dinner to speak of, but the kids ate and Stuart and I ate their remains. It was a bit odd.
The incredible sunset!
We spent the rest of the evening sitting on beanbags and just hanging out. Matt, Nicole, Josh and Harper left later in the evening. We all cried and cried. I hate leaving this family, mainly because we all live so far from each other and it’s usually a while before we can get together again.
Jack, Josh, Millie and Harper!
Sunday morning we were up and ready to head to the airport. We went for breakfast and then came back to check the room one more time. We headed to the lobby where James, Lou and the kids met us to say good bye. Again, there were tears, and our farewells were a bit sad. It’s so difficult being so far away from family.
We got to the airport and Stuart sprang it on me that he had upgraded us to premium economy for the Singapore to LA flight. What a treat! More comfort and better food seemed fine with me.
In the airport we did our best to spend the rest of our Rupiah. We bought snacks and a couple of beverages. We waited to board our flight. Premium Economy proved to be nice. It was a great deal more comfortable, but 17 hours on a plane is still 17 hours on a plane. I did sleep a lot more, but my left knee gave me pains. However, I think some of that has to do with my age at this stage. It was nice to ride a bit more comfortable for sure.
I watched a few movies, slept a bit, had two meals, and a chatty seat mate in Millie. She was so impressed with the seats and the way they leaned back and had a foot rest that raised up.
We landed around 10 pm LA time. When we went through customs, Stuart got stopped to go through another check point with the agriculture guy and had to have all of our bags scanned. They came up with nothing so we assumed it was totally random.
When we got into the hotel just after midnight, we ordered some door dash, ate and went to bed. At least most of us went to bed. Millie didn’t sleep at all. I slept off and on, as I kept hearing Millie’s AirPods and seeing the light on her phone. It was totally irritating.
We got up around 8 am and went down to get breakfast, discovering the breakfast at the hotel was crap. So we decided to head on to the airport. I had developed Bali Belly again and was quite miserable.
Our flight home was painless. We got back to our house around 2 pm and within two hours we were totally unpacked and had two loads of laundry done. The worst part about a vacation is coming back home. Stuart and I decided to go grocery shopping.
Mitch, Elise and the boys came over and we ordered dinner. It was a bit of a late night and I was hopeful that meant we would all have a great night’s sleep. No such luck. Wednesday morning Millie informed us she hadn’t slept at all. I didn’t sleep a lot and Jack and Stuart were up early as well. I was supposed to go to lunch with my team but I just couldn’t. It was too much and I was super foggy. Instead, we just lazed around the house for the entire day. I did some work on the project and that was about it. We went in the pool in the early evening and then tried to get the kids to bed at a reasonable time.
Thursday, Jack slept until almost 2 pm and Millie slept until 4 pm. Can you say ‘jetlag’? Yep! The worst. We knew we wouldn’t have a hope of Millie going to bed that evening, but when she finally did on Thursday night, we decided we would need to actually wake her up Friday morning and not let her sleep past noon.
Thursday when I got up I drove Stuart to the dentist and then went shopping. He would be in the chair for at least 3 hours getting his $9,000 worth of teeth work done. Thank goodness this little project came along. That money has made things way more bearable this summer. I collected him around noon and we went home to do very little the rest of the day.
We were supposed to do something with the Reynolds Thursday evening, but we were still wiped out. We made it an early night for all. I told the kids they needed to be up and around because we were going to Sunsplash with my friend Debi and her boys. It was hotter than blue blazes. We stayed at Sunsplash all day. When we got home, we hung out with the Hills.
Saturday morning I didn’t wake up until 10:30 am and realized that Jack missed his volleyball clinic. I was so upset with myself. I apologized all over myself. It was terrible. This jetlag has really gotten the best of me this time.
Stuart had been shopping the previous day for the food at our house on Saturday with the Reynolds and Tawneys. They arrived around 4 pm. We swam, had appetizers and then had dinner. It’s always so much fun with these people.
This was the fruit charcuterie board Stuart made!
Sunday I was supposed to walk with Sue but she let me know she wasn’t feeling well. She NEVER cancels, so I knew it was bad. So I went back to bed. She tested and it was negative. We were supposed to have friends over that we haven’t seen in forever, but I was still fuzzy, so we canceled. We did absolutely nothing on Sunday.
Monday I got up to take Jack to school for a WEB(Where Everyone Belongs) training. He was going to help with the 7th grade orientation on Tuesday. He was at school until 3 pm. Millie went to the dentist and then I went to school to try to finish my classroom, but it was so hot I couldn’t tolerate it. Stuart and I then took Millie to her friend’s house to do tie dye T-shirts. It was her friend Olivia. Millie gave Olivia the tie dye kit for her birthday. We went to lunch and then picked her up around noon. She was due to start gymnastics on Monday at 4 pm. When she got home she fell asleep on the sofa. She was still struggling with jetlag as well. I woke her up and she was mad. We fought. But I’m the end, Mama won and dragged her tail to gymnastics! I told her if she didn’t go she would have to quit gymnastics. She must have known I was serious because she did end up going.
We picked her up from gymnastics at 7:30 pm and she said she had fun. We then went to Chili’s to celebrate my birthday with the kids, which was the following day. The waiter was horrible. I called him an asshole and Jack laughed. Both kids went to bed quite easily once we got home. Millie didn’t go to sleep right away, but it was okay.
Tuesday morning I clearly hit my alarm and woke up in a panic at 7:10 am. Jack was supposed to be at school at 6:40. Dang! I was to be at the Queen Creek Performing Arts Center for my first day at my new job at 7:30 am. Obviously, we were all late. Geez! To be honest, jetlag was still haunting us. The day was fine, but overwhelming at the same time. Oh, and it was my birthday. Ha! I came home for lunch and opened my presents. The kids and Stuart got me a Keurig, a gift card to Old Navy and K-cups. That evening we went to Postinos with Mitch and Elise. We then carried on to the White Rabbit, an underground speak easy in downtown Gilbert. It was fantastic!!!! Sadly, Mitch didn’t feel well.
The infamous Elise!
These are our neighbors whom we adore! The White Rabbit is a novelty for sure.
Wednesday morning I was up and out the door, taking Jack to school. The traffic was horrific! I carried on to the district office for more ‘new teacher’ training. Such fun! I ended up meeting Stuart and Millie for lunch.
I took Stuart to the airport once he was home from taking Millie to gymnastics. I stopped at Lakeshore Learning teacher supply store and threw some cash at them in order to get my new room ready. I stayed out until Millie was finished with gymnastics, picked her up, got the kids McDonald's and headed home. I crashed.
Thursday I took Jack to school and left Millie at home. I went to a team leader meeting instead of the new teacher orientation. It’s all kind of wasted on me.
Friday all teachers showed up to school. I was a bit nervous about meeting with my teammate who was the team leader last year, but she seemed very cooperative and my entire team was ready to jump on board the whole idea of cohesiveness. It made it so much nicer for me, obviously. I did go pick Millie up around 1 PM and she helped me try to finish up my classroom.
Saturday I took Millie to gymnastics and then went into work. I spent a few hours there and then returned to pick up Millie. We went to Target so Millie and Jack could shop. This was what Millie bought.
It’s a Mario race track. Jack put it together and they both played with it. It was kind of funny.
The rest of the day was spent working on my ‘other’ job and that project. That evening, the kids, Liz and I went to dinner and to see Lion King at the Gammage. I had bought these tickets for myself for my birthday. This was obviously before Stuart planned his trip to the UK, but it couldn’t be helped. Liz was super willing to attend with us. It was so magnificent. And although Jack didn’t want to go initially, he loved it. He spent the following days watching all Disney movies. It was kind of cute.
Sunday I should have been walking with Sue, but she had messaged to say she was still not feeling well, so had to cancel. It gave me a chance to sleep in, but I didn’t. Millie’s friend Maci came over for a play date, which was fun for Millie. I just worked while the girls played. It was a very productive day for me for sure.
Monday was a bit manic! I went to school and did my best to tidy up my room so that when Meet the Teacher rolled around at 4 o’clock it wouldn’t look like a disaster. I got most of it done, and then had to rush off to pick Jack up. We went back to our house so that he could change into his volleyball clothes, and Millie to change into her leotard. I then ran Jack through McDonald’s for food, took Millie to a friend’s house who would deliver her to gymnastics, and then brought Jack back to Gavin’s for a ride to open gym. I got back to school about ten minutes before the first set of parents came at 4 o’clock. I had all but one set of parents show up for Meet the Teacher. I have five staff member’s kids which is no pressure at all, right?
I got home and absolutely dropped! I was relieved that we had one more day before students came to school. I picked up Jack at the Starbucks from volleyball open gym, after I picked Millie up at gymnastics and then we all went home and crashed.
Tuesday Millie was supposed to go to lunch with Sue, but Millie called me and was nearly in tears. She said her head hurt and her tummy hurt. I instantly thought I should probably go home and get her a Covid test. She got a little better throughout the day, so I decided I would hold off on the test.
Wednesday was the first day of school and it was amazing! I am super lost, but that’s normal! Ha! Millie also had a great first day. She met some new friends and even invited two of them to her birthday party the first weekend in August. When school was over I ran to pick up Jack and then took Millie to gymnastics. Jack and I were supposed to go eat sushi, but he decided he didn’t want to. So that was fine. So we went home and then I went to pick Millie up after gymnastics. I got her McDonald’s as well as Jack. The rest of the evening with spent working on the project that makes me want to poke my eyes out.
Thursday was another day at school and, once again, it was amazing!I have 28 students and they are all really nice kids. I don’t have one student at this point that I think will be a handful. However, I did have the class from hell last year so anything has to be better.
Thursday night Jack went to open gym for volleyball and I went to a parent gymnastics meeting where I nearly sold a kidney to keep this girl in gymnastics. It is insane money? Thank goodness for a part-time second job.
Friday I was exhausted and felt as if the day had lasted forever. Although tiring, it was still a great day. And I haven’t made anyone cry yet. After school Millie and I went and picked up Jack from Rock Point, the church that’s right next to Casteel High School. We came home and I did a little bit of work while Jack and Millie watched television. I took Jack and his friend Carter to the junior high splash bash. When I got home Elise came over and we had a swim. Carter’s mom brought Jack back to the house after the splash bash.
Saturday morning I got up and had to wrangle Millie in order to get her to gymnastics She has been complaining about her knee hurting and told me that one of her coaches told her she should get a knee brace. I think she likes the idea of a knee brace, but didn’t really understand that it really doesn’t help you long-term. So I went into the gym and spoke to her male coach who she never tells that her knee hurts, and he said if she kept complaining about it to take her to the doctor. But I asked her why she never told him that her knee hurt. She said that she was afraid of him. And then kind of laughed, and told her that she needed to tell him when her knee hurts. On my way out the door I told him why she didn’t ever tell him I need her. I also said a little bit of intimidation from the coach is actually what makes the athletes perform a little bit better.
After I dropped Millie at gymnastics I headed to school for a little while. Elise came and helped me put up a bulletin board. I then quickly lost focus so we just decided to go eat lunch. We stayed out until the time to pick Millie up from gymnastics. Then I ran through McDonald’s to get her the ever so nutritious lunch of McDonalds and then we headed home. And the time that I was out, Jack asked me if he could go and have a sleepover at Carter‘s house and so I took him to Carter’s house once I was home. When I got back to the house I finished up some work on the project and then rested for a while. Around 5:30 Ken and Maytee came over and brought Lexi. They stayed for a little while and we ordered Thai takeout. Then they left and Lexi had a sleepover with Millie. Lexi is so sweet to Millie and often wants to hang out with Millie even though she is 4 years older.
I went to walk with Sue and then she took me for breakfast for my birthday. It was so fun to be with her again. I had a delightful Texas Benedict at the Hen House. The base was cornbread and it had pulled pork then a poached egg with Hollandaise sauce. Rich and well worth the calories. After breakfast I went to school and worked for a while. I got my plans written and felt accomplished. I went home and decided to swim, all alone. No kids wanted to come out with me. It didn’t hurt my feelings at all. I took Jack to Gilbert Regional Park to play basketball with some kids from his team at school last year. When I picked him up he told me he wouldn’t probably go again. When I asked him why, he said that those kids were giving him trouble for playing the ‘gay’ sport of volleyball. As you would guess, I told him that my 13 year old self would have told them to eff off. He’s too nice to do that, so instead he will just avoid their comments and not play a sport he’s rather good at and really likes. I told him to tell them he didn’t appreciate their comments and that was why he probably wouldn’t come play with them again. I hate teenagers!
Monday I got to school and discovered my work hadn’t been saved on the computer. I almost started crying. It is all so overwhelming anyway, then add in the frustration of not really having plans and you have a perfect storm. After school I took Millie to the gym, picked Jack up from football and then he went to volleyball. When I came back to pick up Millie, I discovered she had actually sprained her ankle. Ugh! Her coach even came out to tell me about it. Oh, how this sport scares me for the injuries.
Tuesday I felt very organized for school. I still have a lot to sort out, but it is coming along just fine. After school I took Millie home and headed for some shopping. I then went to collect Jack from football tryouts. We were home for dinner and lazing around. Again, I hit the pool and no child joined me. Finally, after about an hour, they came in the pool. Elise had been at an orchestra meeting for Desert Mountain for Weston, but she and the boys came over afterwards. We had a chat and then she and the boys went home, while the kids and I showered and all went to bed. I was pooped.
Wednesday school was released at 12:55 pm, and does so every Wednesday for teacher professional development and meetings. Millie got a ride home with Mitch and the Hill boys while I attended a math meeting for ‘new teachers’ at the district office. Prior to that, though, I ran to the Dollar Store to get treat bag items for Millie’s birthday party. I ran those things to the house, only to discover Millie wasn’t there. I knew she must be at the Hill’s house. I so appreciate Mitch and Elise letting her come back home with them on Wednesdays, but I don’t want her to intrude on their household each week.
After training, I ran home to get Millie to take her to gymnastics. I then went to pick Jack up from football tryouts, took him home, insisted he shower, and then headed to the airport to get Stuart from his two week time in England. I had missed him for so many reasons. I know no one is meant to do this parenting thing on their own, and I pray to goodness I never have to. I can handle his traveling and I can handle the occasional two week trip to see family, but full time single parent, that is tougher than I am. Once he was in the car, we headed to have a beer before getting Millie from gymnastics. I was thrilled once we got to the gym because some of us whose daughters had outgrown their competition leotards, decided to get together and try to sell and buy them from each other as not to have to buy a brand new one for the tune of $295. Well, I was successful in selling mine for $125, and then I bought one size larger for Millie for $125. Success!
When we got home, Millie showered. The kids went to bed at 9:30 pm and Stuart and I decided to go for a swim. Since it had been storming recently, the pool was cooler than normal. It was actually quite refreshing. We ended up getting out and just sitting and talking for an hour or so. He will be home until Monday, which makes me so happy.
Thursday it was business as usual. I started feeling more and more relaxed at school and the day went really fast. After school I took Millie home. Stuart had been at training all day and collected Jack from football tryouts. He found out he made the team, so was really excited. I went through McDonalds and got the kids food. When I got home, Jack ate and then we headed to Brophy in Phoenix for volleyball open gym. I decided to stay as it was almost an hour drive and it was just easier for me to stay and bring the boys home. We got home just before 10 pm. Stuart was suffering with jetlag a bit and went to bed just after we got home. I stayed up to watch television, and feel asleep in the chair, as is my normal routine.
Friday I took a half day off as it was time for Jack to get his braces off. He was so excited, yet nervous at the same time. I picked him up from school and off we went. While he was getting them off, I went shopping for last minute birthday gifts for Millie. He messaged me about 45 minutes after I left and told me he was finished. He was super pleased with the results.
I went back to school for the second half of the day. It seems my substitute was difficult for the kids to understand, so picking up the pieces to her flub ups wasn’t terribly fun, but we managed. I had one student who went home with a 102 degree fever, so that was exciting. After school I ran Millie home and went to our school happy hour. It was fun! The people I am working with right now are lively and I already feel at home.
I returned home and John and Jenni were at our house. Jenni had made Millie’s birthday cake for her party the following day. Millie picked out the design and Jenni produced a beautiful cake. She always does. We then went out to eat for Millie’s birthday dinner. We told the waiter it was Millie’s birthday, but he didn’t pay attention and didn’t do anything special for her. It made me sad and a little irritated. Customer service just isn’t what it used to be. It’s not as much fun to go out to dinner as it used to be because of the lack of customer service. We got home and Millie went straight to bed, as did I.
Saturday Stuart and I were up before 6 am. Millie came downstairs just after 6 am. She was so excited as it was her 11th birthday. We woke Jack and let her open her presents and then Stuart made her bacon and eggs. She got ready and I took her to gymnastics. Once I had dropped her off I headed to Liz’s to help her pack up her house. She will be moving to Las Cruces at the end of August. Again, I’m so happy for her but very sad for me. My friend Debi was there as well. We helped a great deal, but then decided we both needed to run errands before it got too hot. I went to by some fall decor for my house. I think I’ve let my house go recently. So I felt the need to spruce it up with some fall decorations. I bought a new tablecloth for our dining room table and a few little knick knacks. It made me feel better, at least.
I picked Millie and her friend Ella up from gymnastics and took them through Dairy Queen for lunch. We got home and they played upstairs for a bit. Around 2 pm we headed to Elevate for Millie’s birthday celebration. I was a bit disappointed as they didn’t have a space for us to put our things. The only time we would get a space would be when we went to eat and celebrate with a cake. It sucked and I will never recommend this place for a kid’s birthday party. At any rate, Millie had fun so that was what was important. She got some really nice gifts and then 4 of the girls came back to the house for a sleepover.
A good time was had by all.
Jack ended up staying over at the neighbors. I figured 5 girls was plenty for us. Plus, I always wonder how moms feel who don’t have boys. It’s just easier to have him spend the night somewhere else when she has friends stay over.
The girls came down around 8 pm and wanted Dino Nuggets, so I obliged and made some. They had set up their beds upstairs and were trying to get somewhat settled for the evening. It turns out that around 11 pm they were hungry as well. So snacks were made and they headed back upstairs. I stayed up until I was sure they were asleep. It was just after midnight. Another year, another sleepover, and not to happen again for another year. Whew!
