July 2023

We started July 2 at Universal Studios. My niece and the dance troop she came with from Australia danced on the main stage before the entrance of the park. We spent the entire day at the park. I was in charge of Zoe and Millie ended up going with the Howards and their kids. 

Zoe and I waited in this line for this Simpson ride for 2 hours. Stupid! Then she freaked out and cried. It turns out she is afraid of closed in places. She would go on rides where she could see outside, like a roller coaster, but not the indoor rides.  

We ended our day doing the back lot tour of Universal Studios film sets. It was a very exhausting day. 

Jack and his team had bad luck in their first match and lost in two sets. I was able to watch some of his game on Facebook, which was nice, but boy did I want to be there. They ended up winning their other two matches of the day. 

When we got back from the park, the kids went swimming for a bit and then we headed back to the room for showers. 

I was the second bus out on Monday morning. We were headed to Vegas for the next few days. Vegas would be chilled for sure. The dancers would only have one day of a dance clinic and the rest of the time would be at their leisure. Someone on our bus decided they needed to poop, so we had to stop before we intended. I kind of felt sorry for her and she apologized to the entire bus. 

We stopped in Barstow at the outlets. I bought Stuart new pair of Nike’s, myself a pair of Sketchers and Millie some clothes. Billy rode the bus with Millie and I, which was fun for Millie. 

We got to the hotel and Louise had it all organized. Once everyone was checked in, we headed to dinner in the Miracle Mile. We got back to the room and Billy came with us.  Oh my, that boy has really started to come into his own. He has such a good personality.

And these two silly monkeys decided they would make foot people. They are crazy together. 

Tuesday was July 4th, but nothing special was on the agenda. I got up at 4:30 am as that was when Jack’s match started. They won their first match, but then lost the second match. They did, however, get the bronze medal. Jack and his buddy, Carter, were named to the All Tournament team. There were only 10 players in the entire bracket who received this award. 

We could not be more proud of this boy and his drive and determination to be the best for himself and his team. Stuart said he was a monster all weekend. 

Back in Vegas, we had breakfast and then decided to take the kids to ride the roller coaster at New York, New York. Zoe was too short but wouldn’t have liked it anyway, so I went with Billy and Millie the first time and we paid for them to ride it again and Lou went the second time. Never mind that in a few days we would be at Disney and get to ride all the rides for free. Oh well! The kids had fun. After the roller coaster, the three kids played in the arcade while Louise and I slipped down and played the slots a bit. I don’t know what in my head says I will ever win, because I don’t. Anyway, when the kids were finished with their game cards we headed back to the hotel to swim. When we got to the pool it was heaving with people and there was no where to sit. We decided we would book a cabana for the following day. If you didn’t book a day bed or a cabana then there wasn’t a place to sit or put your things. It was actually quite a racket, as holiday places are. 

After the pool, we came upstairs to get ready. I must have gotten heat stroke because when I got out of the pool I could not think straight. I couldn’t manage speaking to anyone at all. I got back to the room and drank a large bottle of water. I then had a bite of leftover food and took a shower. I started to feel a bit more normal then. It was so bizarre and a bit upsetting. But the rest of the evening I was fine. We ended up booking dinner at PF Chang’s, which was Millie’s favorite restaurant when we lived in the Middle East. She wondered if they would have the same chicken dish she used to order. Wouldn’t you know it? They did! She ate all if it and wanted me to order another. I decided against it as I knew she wouldn’t eat a second portion. After dinner we headed up to Lou’s room to watch the fireworks. They were nothing spectacular, so I am glad we didn’t go and stand on the strip to watch them. It was a ten minute display, hardly worth any attention at all. 

We left the kids in the room and went to the casino for about an hour, just long enough to lose some more money. When Millie and I got back to our room, she decided she would sleep in the bed with me rather than on the sofa she slept on the previous night. She ended up sleeping width wise and having her feet on my legs most of the night. 

I was awake a few times in the night as I was having lower back pain. When I finally got up, I sat in bed for a while, texting Stuart back and forth. They were leaving Florida that evening and would be joining up with us on Thursday in Vegas. 

We went down and had breakfast with Lou, Zoe and Billy. We then got changed to go to the pool, but not until we went to Lululemon and Sephora for some retail therapy. We spent the majority of the day at the pool, but took time out to go eat at the Earl of Sandwich, which was surprisingly delightful and inexpensive. We decided that would be our 'cheap' meal the rest of our time in Vegas. 

We spent the evening out to dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, a fine French restaurant. It was delightful. The kids stayed in the room and bought Chick fil A. The little ones went with us as we knew they would be trouble for the older ones. 

Thursday morning I got up and got a coffee. Stuart and Jack left the house at 6 am. I sorted out Disney tickets and Katie came to our room to help. We then went down to the lobby to sort out a new, bigger room for us as Jack and Stuart would be arriving around 11 am. We went to eat breakfast at 11 am, so really more like lunch, and Stuart and Jack showed up. We walked up the strip to the Venetian. It was sweltering. Every hotel on the strip looks so close, when in fact it they are really spread out. 

We stopped at a candy store to please the children who had walked miles. Look carefully for the photo bomber. 

We took a picture in front of the canal, where Stuart and I got engaged nearly 17 years ago. 

When we got back to the hotel, we went to the pool to swim. Went had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, which pleased our two kids for sure. We came back and the kids went to the room while Stuart and I gambled. 

Friday morning we were up and on our way to Anaheim. We briefly stopped at Barstow for food. I was in charge of 4 children now. The Howards really helped out as well. We got to the hotel and checked in. We decided to let the kids swim and then went to dinner. We then went to Disneyland until it closed at midnight. We rode as many rides as we could. Stuart had stayed in Las Vegas as the next morning his brother Matt was arriving, then James, his other brother would be there the following day. 

We ate our included breakfast Saturday morning, which wasn't brilliant. We then headed to Disneyland for the day. Ev, Louise's mother, was to meet us at 4 pm to watch the dancers dance down Main Street. However, she forgot her handbag at the hotel so had to go back to get it. She ended up getting to the park around 4:40 pm, but in time for the 5 pm start. After the parade we went to ride Indiana Jones and the Jungle cruise before heading to eat at Bubba Gump’s again. It was not as good as the previous evening as our waiter was annoying. He would not stop talking. But since the previous night had resulted in our free beer glasses from Bubba Gump's being confiscated at the Disney entrance, we had to have those beer glasses, so it was a must to return. We went back to the hotel for a swim and a stay in the hot tub. I slept like a baby. 

Sunday morning we were up and at California Adventure by the time the rope dropped. It was for no reason, as the two rides we wanted to hurry to were not in working order. We ended up going to ride some other rides and then got some food. We hit the Pier and rode a few more rides before going to watch Zoe dance on stage with her dance troop. We then took Zoe to ride a few rides before heading back to the hotel for a swim. We went downstairs to get food and brought it back to the room. Katie and I chatted with Ev, Louise’s mum, for a while before deciding it was time for all to go to bed. Millie had an epic meltdown. It seems it stemmed from her hitting Billy in the back and making him cry. Because she was told to come back to our room before she could make things right, she was upset about that incident. I had no clue. She wouldn't get in the shower and started to have an epic screaming meltdown. It was so ridiculous that the front desk called to say someone was complaining about the noise coming out of our room. Billy told me the following morning that there were 5 adults standing outside our room, listening. I am sure it sounded as if I were beating her to death. Awesome! Once we got the call from the front desk, she started to hyperventilate. I told her the following morning that we would be going to counseling together. I am lost as to what to do when she turns this manic behavior on. 

We decided to do rope drop on Monday morning to Disneyland. It was a success as we went to Star Wars Rise of the Resistance. 

The Howards are our new Australian friends. The Star Wars area is so cool!

A cocktail at 9 am is fine, right? Katie and I agreed it was okay. 

When we first got in the park and we're heading to the Star Wars ride, along with all of the other thousands of people, we may have jumped the queue. The kids had run ahead of us and we pretended we were looking for them. I would have lost my mind had someone done that to me, but we didn't care. It must be my age that makes me do these things. We spent the morning in Disneyland and then went back to the hotel because Matt, James and Stuart were coming from Vegas to pick up Howie to go golfing. We had a swim and decided we would go back into the park for a couple of hours so Zoe could ride the big roller coaster. 

While Jack helped Ethan get in his seat, Zoe began to panic. She is in the second car on the left. It wasn’t looking promising. 

But she was all smiles when they took her picture. It was a success. 

We ended up taking an Uber to and from the park that afternoon. I decided if we were going to have happy kids, the walking had to take a rest. We tried to go to dinner at Cheesecake Factory, but they really are not equipped to handle large parties, so we ended up eating at PF Changs. We were back at the hotel for a swim and then it was time for bed. 

Tuesday was our last day at Disney, so we got up early enough to do rope drop and went on the Cars ride. Even though we were there early, the wait was still 90 minutes. We did a few more rides and then around 11 am, Lou and the kids met us for a bite to eat. We exited the park and went to Downtown Disney to meet up with Stuart, James and Matt. The kids did some shopping and then we took them to Splitsville, a restaurant bowling alley, and they bowled while we had a little snack.  We hung out there until our reservations at 5 pm at McCormick and Schmick’s Grille. Matt and I then went off to have some brother in law/sister in law time. He is really my favorite of Stuart’s family. He is down to earth and real. We have a very special friendship. 

Wednesday morning we went to breakfast and packed. The buses were running late and didn’t end up leaving until 12:20 pm. Stuart drove Louise, James and Zoe to Santa Monica while everyone else waited for buses. 

We spent Wednesday and Thursday in Santa Monica. When we arrived on Wednesday we had a bite to eat at the hotel and then took the kids for a walk. We had an early dinner at Sushi Roku and then headed for a bit of shopping before going down to the Santa Monica Pier for some people watching. We came back via the beach and the kids played on the play structures. The kids went to the pool and we had drinks at the pool. 

Thursday we got up and had a very expensive breakfast at the hotel. We then started walking down the beach towards Venice Beach. We failed to remember sunscreen thus all legs and arms were a bit crispy by the end of the day. We stopped at Venice Beach for a refreshing beverage. We then carried on to Marina del Rey for lunch at a seaside cafe. Some took an Uber after lunch to the hotel or the shopping area. James and Stuart decided to walk back to the hotel. It was about 3 and a half miles and we knew the kids wouldn’t tolerate that. Shopping was fun and successful. I got some cute pants at Anthropologie and a cool top that matched the pants from Urban Outfitters. The kids all got ice cream and then we walked back to the hotel for a swim. The kids then went down to the beach for a while. We ended up ordering McDonald’s for the kids for dinner. We had appetizers and drinks at the bar while the kids were upstairs in our room. Zoe wasn’t well so she wasn’t involved in the fun, and neither was Louise. James’ flight was at 11 pm, so we said goodbye to him around 8:30. We finally called it a night just before 11 pm. 

Friday we got up and said goodbye to Louise, Billy and Zoe at 7 am. Stuart and I then went down to Starbucks for a coffee. When we got back to the hotel we sat in the lobby. We went and got breakfast for the kids at McDonald’s. We said goodbye to the Howards and were off to Phoenix. 

The drive was pretty uneventful. We stopped one time and got food at Carl’s Jr. as well as got gasoline. Jack sat in the front of the car the entire trip because it has been recognized that he is too big to sit in the back of the car. We got home and unpacked. The several loads of laundry started. Jack decided he wanted to go to the last night of volleyball camp at Casteel. On our way there Millie called to see if she could have a sleepover with her friend. So there was no rest for the weary.

We got up Saturday morning and went to do a proper grocery shop. We got a message from the Hurleys asking if we wanted to come over for a swim in the afternoon. Millie got home around 11 AM and the kids put their clean clothes away from all the laundry that was being done. I went to a late lunch with my former teammates, Alyssa and Shelby. When I got home, we headed to the Hurleys for the evening for dinner. We were in the pool most of the evening and then got an Uber back because we had a few beverages in the pool. It was a great night. 

We got up Sunday morning and went to pick up my car at the Hurley’s house. I then went to Fry’s to pick up prescriptions for the kids. Stuart went shopping at Fry’s. We were making lunch for the Hills and having a swim in the afternoon. We just hung by the pool. It seems it is too hot to do anything else. 

Monday morning we went to Colt Days to walk Jack around to see his classes and meet his teachers. Against our wishes, he was placed in Geometry instead of retaking Algebra 1. Since he was in the class with his best buddy Carter, and he promised he would buckle down, we decided we would let him stay in the class. After we had visited the school we decided to go to Skippy's for breakfast. We had left Millie at home. When we got home, Millie was up and we went to Lowe's to look for paint for her room. She found some color samples. The plan was for Stuart and Millie to paint her room that week. We relaxed and watched television before having to take Millie to gymnastics. She had missed the previous two weeks and would just be able to attend for this week. She was going to start back full time in August.  Jack talked us into letting Gavin come over for a sleepover. Stuart and I went to Fat Willy's before picking Millie up from gymnastics. When we got home, the kids decided to make a cake at 10 pm.  Everyone went to bed too late due to the cake making. They had fun, and I think that's what it is all about. 

Tuesday morning we were up early, but the kids slept until relatively late. I went to get some antacids and some acid reflux medication. I had a weird feeling in my throat that I was pretty sure I'd have to have checked out by a doctor. I can only describe it as feeling like I had a piece of ham stuck in my throat. The previous evening I felt like I might be having a heart attack. Since it was my last day before I had to go back to school, Millie's teacher and my friend, Sam came over for a swim and stayed until around 3 pm. Stuart took Millie to gymnastics and then took Jack to dinner to have his pre-high school man-to-man talk. I also suspect they went to find a birthday gift for me.

Refreshment, dinner and conversation with dad. 

This is a picture of my last first day of public education. I will be retiring at the end of the school year. I am nervous, but very excited to see what is coming my way. 

First day of freshman year. 

Wednesday we had meetings at school. What a way to spend my birthday. I rushed around after our initial staff meeting, trying to get as much done and ready for Meet the Teacher the following day. We went to dinner at Creekside Sushi for my birthday dinner. We came home and swam for a while. 

Thursday morning I went for a shot in my eye and about punched the doctor's assistant. They reprimanded me for thinking I was getting a shot at that office. I told them I only made that appointment at Bell and Tatum because I was told they were giving shots there this particular day. I was so irritated. Stuart drove me to the appointment and then dropped me at school afterwards. We had some meetings but other than that it was just another day of school and Meet the Teacher. Thursday evening after Meet the Teacher, Stuart picked me up and we went to dinner before getting Millie from gymnastics. 

Friday we had some more meetings but were basically just left to get things ready for students on Monday. I felt overwhelmed as I always do on the first week back to school. It was especially maddening because this year I would be teaching two different grade levels. But the Meet the Teacher was refreshing and the parents were really nice. I know I will have a great year. After school I headed home to get Millie to take her to gymnastics. I then went to see the doctor to make sure my acid reflux wasn't anything more than that. They recommended I go to a specialist, so there is another bill I look forward to. Stuart, Elise and I went to dinner and then picked Millie up. We all decided to get in the pool once we were home. It was miserably hot and the pool is really the only relief. 

Saturday Stuart and I met up with Mary and Todd for breakfast at Skippy's. We then went grocery shopping. The kids cleaned their bathrooms, Jack vacuumed and Millie cleaned her room, allegedly. These are their weekly chores which are usually done with no fuss but Jack. I wish I could say the same for Millie. While they 'cleaned', Stuart and I watched The Breakfast Club. We tried to get Jack to watch it with us, but when he decided not to and we actually watched it, we were kind of glad he didn't. I hadn't remembered all the material in that film, and am glad I didn't watch it with my 14 year old. Eeek!

Saturday afternoon Stuart and I ended up swimming for a bit and then I made pizza muffins and Mac and cheese for our families. The kids swam and Elise, Stuart and myself just sat around and chatted. Mitch was still with his dad in Montana. He is not well and so Mitch went to spend some time with him. 

Sunday I was up and picked up dog poop, then got ready for my Barbie day with the volleyball moms. Stuart left for Gallup but would only be gone until Wednesday afternoon this week. 

The Barbies! 

First day of 6th grade! I can't believe she will be in Junior high next year. Monday at school there was a heat advisory called and we assumed that would be our lives for a while. Within the first four hours of school I knew this would be my best year ever. I was so excited! These students are a mix of gifted and just highly motivated, high achievers. There are no behavior problems and all students started the day eager to learn. I had a great day. Millie also had a great day. She was so excited to start school. She is NEVER excited to start school. 

This boy was exhausted Monday after school. He has been in school four days and has definitely done more homework and studying in those four days than he did in an entire quarter last year. 

We finally convinced him to wake up and play games with the crew. 

Tuesday was another day of bliss! I don't have a break during the day as my students have block schedule and go at different times. However, I do have an extended lunch period and I have no duties. It all evens out. I was supposed to have our math specialist come in each morning and give the main math lesson to my 6th graders, but I think I am not going to utilize her because I am a bit of a control freak and I want to be the one who is teaching them. Tuesday evening I was wiped out and just laid around and did nothing. 

Wednesday we had a half day, as we do every week. We had a planning meeting in the 'Data' room, which is a name and shame room where all data from testing will eventually be posted. I left school to get Jack from school at 2:40 pm and then returned to school for another hour and a half. I have decided since Wednesdays are the only day neither kid has an activity, I will be staying after school a little later. I am going to use that day getting ready for the following week. Stuart got home just before 5 pm and I had food out to fix, but he ended up fixing it. I cleaned up. We really do compliment each other that way. I can't cook and he doesn't like to clean up. Stuart got some laundry going and we just chilled at home. 

We were so anxious for Thursday as our friends the Richardsons were to be at our house for a few days. We lived with them in the UAE. They were our besties for sure. Millie and I tolerated school and wished the hours away. Stuart worked hard to get everything clean, shopping done and outside tidied up, as there was a storm the previous night. They showed up just before 5 pm. We were so excited to see them! We had not seen them since December 2019. 

Missed these guys so much. 

Thursday evening games. Jack 14, May 15, Millie 11, Henry 17. The gang was back together. We got in the pool shortly after Stuart made us smash burgers. 

Friday the kids both stayed home from school to hang out with the Richardsons. During the day they all swam and then I met them at Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch. We didn't have heat advisory at school so I was able to duck out for lunch. After lunch the kids were dropped at Elevate and Scott, Clare and Stuart went to Costco. When I got home from school everyone was in the pool. We invited the Hills over for dinner, but only Elise and the kids ended up coming over. We ate tacos and then spent the rest of the evening in the pool. 

Saturday morning Millie was impossible to get up. She was due at the gym for team pictures at 8 am. She had an epic meltdown and cried and everything was my fault and she was inconsolable. When she finally calmed down, she said she was really upset about the fact that her two best friends at gymnastics were no longer going to be participating in gymnastics. I told her how sorry I was. We finally got her hair done and then we were off. Clare and May came with us to see where Millie does gymnastics. We then went to Starbucks with Millie's friends before coming home to a breakfast of biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, eggs and hash browns. It was delicious!

There was more swimming after breakfast and then the kids decided they wanted to go to see the Barbie movie. We dropped them off and then went to Costco to get some socks for the boys and sunscreen. It turns out we had to go to Wal Mart for the sunscreen because it was cheaper. We treated the Richardsons to Wetzel Pretzel while in Wal Mart. We also picked up pizzas for the kids for that evening. When we got home we went back in the pool. Stuart went to get gas and then picked the kids up from the theater. 

We got ready and left the house just before 5 pm. We stopped to check in on the RV, and also show the Richardsons the RV. It wouldn't start, but nothing was broken, so we were relieved. We then headed to Serranos for dinner. We felt we should take Scott and Clare for Mexican food. The kids stayed home and had pizza. We then went to a comedy show entitled Are You Tired of Being Offended? It was written by our friend John. It was funny and Scott and Clare seemed to enjoy it as well. When we got home, we had a couple of drinks and got ready for our adventures to Sedona the following day. We also prepared to say farewell to the Richardsons.