Julian Road Trip

I haven't wrote in a few days...mostly because I haven't had much of anything positive to say. If you've read my last two posts, you can tell I've been pretty peeved at the world. I wish I could say that I've had some progress with this move...naw, haven't done anything related to the move in a few days. BUT we've been getting in some memorable times...and some more to come!

We went to Julian this past Sunday! I have some really great pics to share! I just realized that I took a lot of pictures of the kids and didn't get any of the other great things about Julian like fresh raw apple cider, candied apples, fresh apple pies, old country houses, cute little shops, and more! That's okay...maybe next time. We brought Matty's friend Ricky and my friend's son Jay along for the day and had a blast walking around the small town, looking at all the vendors at the Apple Fest, and then hit a pumpkin patch.

My Friend's Son Jay Joined Us

Playing the Silent Game

Aren't these two adorable?!

Zeek is my Lil' Cowpoke!
And I love that the horse's tongue is out.

Messy Face

Matty's buddy Ricky! (He's an amazing cook ladies!)

Matty wasn't impressed with this little pumpkin patch

Pumpkin Heads

The Diva was ready to go home

We have a lot planned for this week. We went to our buddy Joe's for dinner and NCIS tonight...We'll be going to my girlfriend Bruni's house for dinner on Thursday (keeping my fingers crossed for some chimichangas!) We're going to Del Mar on Friday night for the Scare Zone! And then having a lil Asian Food Fest over at Ricky's house Saturday night! I have the weekend free to help my girlfriend Melanie move... and I think that's it for the agenda.

Have you done anything exciting lately? Any mini road trips or staycations? Big plans for the weekend?

HURRAY! Passports Came Today!!

I am so stoked right now...and completely surprised at how quickly our passports came in the mail! We went to the passport office in El Cajon on Friday, September 2nd. We had our pictures taken there and we didn't pay for any quick shipping or anything like that. Fifteen days later we have our PASS-PORTS-IN-HAND!  You know what that means? One step closer to this move baby!

My babies pictures look so darn adorable! Mine looks like a hot mess and I'm too embarrassed to post it...gotta work on that. ;)

Hopefully the CO and Head of Admin will have their ish together on Monday and our next post will be about getting our tickets!! :::wishful thinking::: This was definitely exciting news for me after working a Saturday. Now off to dinner with the Glass Fam! That is always a good time!! 

And We're Back!

So we got back from our Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam/Vegas road trip yesterday morning and we've been extremely busy since our return...We had to wash the car seats (apparently Zeek doesn't do too well on long road trips...let's hope this isn't the case on long flights!) along with five loads of laundry (laundry for a family of four is never easy), and I'm getting ready to go back to work on Thursday so I've been scrubbing my house top to bottom and reorganizing my kitchen while I still have free time.

We headed for the Grand Canyon on Friday after Catalina got out of school. Eight long hours and three Ezekiel barfs later, we arrived at our hotel. After breakfast Saturday morning, we biked approximately 7 miles through the Grand Canyon on Saturday. It was a truly amazing way to see the canyon!

The guys at Bright Angel Bicycle Rentals took great care of us! We rented two bikes and one trailer for Matty to pull the kiddos in.

The guys loaded the bikes and shuttled us up the canyon to Hopi Point and then we biked it to Hermit's Rest. It's mostly downhill but there were a few challenging uphill spots on the ride. We loved the adventure, but the brakes locked up on Matty's bike about a mile in so he had an extreme workout. We had a nice picnic along the way...

And after we made it to Hermit's Rest...

We enjoyed an ice cream treat...

We went back to our hotel, took a dip in the pool, and headed back into the Grand Canyon for our dinner reservations at El Tovar Dining Room and had one of seven of the nicest seats in the place with canyon views while we ate! Then we caught a breathtaking sunset and watched the canyon transform.

Followed by a lightening storm in the canyon!! I didn't get any pictures of that...just kicked back on a rocking chair and enjoyed. Sunday morning we checked out, snapped a few pics near the Grand Canyon Sign & with Smokey the Bear...

And then we hit the road and headed for the Hoover Dam, which I wasn't so impressed with. So We decided to head up to Vegas since my husband has never been there. And that lucky guy turned the $5 that I limited him to into $100!

The Grand Canyon was a sight to see and now I understand why it is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. I hope that if we are able to return someday, we'll visit it again...but maybe do the helicopter tour or a week long rafting/camping adventure down the river...when the kids are older of course! Maybe while we're living in Guam we'll have a chance to see the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Has anyone else had a rad summer vacation, sporadic road trip, or some exciting adventure lately? We're hoping to do some traveling again around Thanksgiving... Oh where oh where shall we go?

1st Day of School

Today was Catalina's first day of school! I was so excited for her that I hardly got any sleep last night. Do you remember what your first day of school was like? I remember those restless nights for the first day of school every year. Catalina didn't seem to have my same restlessness. She slept like a champ. And again tonight she's down before 8:30 with ease...both of my kids are actually, which it quite uncommon for our household and something I am going to work harder at. It's nice to have a few hours before bed kid-free!

So I have been reading a few blogs and articles for inspiration on creating well balanced and fun meals for Catalina because she can be a picky eater at times though my girl prefers healthier choices: 2 Little Lunches and 20 Bento Lunch Boxes to name a few. Here's what I created for Catalina's first day of school:

Heart Shaped Turkey Sandwich with Celery Arrows and a Fruit Salad on the Side

I enjoyed making my baby girl's lunch so much last night that I made even greater efforts for her next lunch box creation. Here's what my lil kindergartner is getting tomorrow:

Lamb Shaped Ham Sandwich with Lettuce, Fresh Green Beans, and Carrot Flowers, Turkey and Ham Flowers, Heart Shaped Slices of Monterey Jack Cheese to go with Pepperoni Slices and Crackers. Fruit kabobs on the side. 

Catalina got herself ready for school this morning. She's such a big girl. She even ate all of her breakfast!

My Pretty Girl

I had surgery yesterday to repair a ventricle hernia...but that wasn't going to keep me from seeing my girl off to her first day of school...I just couldn't bend over much to hug her.  

Outside Her Classroom

Mommy is so proud of you Catalina! I can't wait to hear how school goes tomorrow.

Catalina is going to be in the middle of her Kindergarten year when we relocate to Guam. I want to start researching what the school year schedule is like overseas in Guam. I have heard that school uniforms are a requirement, which I'm okay with. If we live on base, Catalina will be in a DOD school. Does anyone know the quality of education children get in Guam? 

He's Getting Closer to 30!

My husband turned 28 yesterday! Happy Birthday babe! Birthdays are a big deal to my husband and I never really understood why until today.... Let me tell a lil story to set things up...

My husband has been talking about his birthday for the past two weeks! I figured he wants every one to know his birthday is coming up so they don't have an excuse not to call or something. Mostly, I thought, "This guy is seriously seeking some attention...it has to be because he's a Leo!"

As much as I love party planning for the kids and baby showers, I don't usually make a big deal about the holidays for my husband nor myself. I'm usually so caught up with work that I forget to make time to go find a decent birthday card, and I'm too tight on money to splurge on gifts for every grown up friend that has a birthday. BUT I will make sure that if we're going to a kid's birthday party we bring a nice gift in fun wrapping paper. For a while I have felt that the holidays are all about the kids and making the kids feel special and once you become a grown up those sort of things fade out...the attention isn't on you anymore. I should probably thank my dad for this...he had a birthday July 5th and his lady practically had to drag him out of the house to celebrate and he was insisting that we didn't do anything special! I also realize that I'm wrong for thinking this way and so is Dad. Birthdays are special days and every one should receive special attention on their birthday!

So I woke up yesterday morning and realized that I forgot to tell my husband happy birthday before he left for work. I sent him a quick text, but that's just not the same. I also realized that I had to be to work in less than an hour, I had no gift, no card, and no real plans for the evening other than taking Matty to Outback with some money that my mom had transferred to me to treat her only favorite son-in-law out with.  I sent out a mass text to our closest friends and coordinated a last minute surprise birthday dinner for Matty! I used my lunch break to pick up a card, a Cold Stone Ice Cream Cake, and candles & deliver that to the restaurant and make reservations for 14! Surprisingly, it turned out pretty amazing. Here are some shots...not the best quality but oh well:

Zeek helping Daddy blow out his candles

Happiest Birthday Boy Ever!

The Glass Family...Ashley & her son Steven Tyler in the back

My beautiful Tia Nicole & I

My baby cousin Justice and Michelle's daughter Veronica

Michelle "Mimi" & Sebastian

We had a great time! So when we were heading home my husband is pouting saying that he hadn't heard from his sister-in-law today but that mom had told him that she'd dropped her cell phone in her drink a few nights before! (LUSH!) Later on that night after we had settled down I get a text from my mom with a number that I can get ahold of Megan at and Matt's like [in his Southern accent], "Well ain't you gonna call her?" I gave the excuse of not wanting to call because it was like 1:30 in the morning in VA Beach. "But she hasn't wished me a Happy Birthday." I get her on the phone and let her wish him a happy birthday and then I overhear him say that nobody in his own family other than his mother had called to wish him a happy birthday! He had called his father just as dad was getting home from the farm and was getting ready to call Matt. (And two of his brothers sent him a message on Facebook...but to me that's not the same.) My husband remembers everyone's birthdays...and I mean EVERYONE'S birthday...and he always makes it a point to try to call...even if he's leaving a message on their answering machines. 

I was crushed. Out of 14 brothers and sisters (he comes from a huge family...most are step brothers and sisters, but nonetheless he grew up with them) and not a one bothered to call him on his birthday. I know that life gets extremely busy especially as the distance grows between us and we start families of our own, but I felt shocked. This morning I work up and realized that I love my husband more today than I did a month ago. He has a huge heart, he's a loyal friend, he's a great father, and he takes care of us. He doesn't want much in return, just to be loved and some extra attention on his birthday. I am making a conscious effort from this day forward to make sure that everyone in my family knows that I love them. My husband, my daughter, my son...they are the center of my world. My mother, my father, my sister, my brother, my niece...they have shown me how family should be, even if it is a bit dysfunctional...we deeply and unconditionally love and support each other. 

So to conclude my story, I was telling my coworker about my realization this morning and she looked at me and smiled, "Girl, no wonder why he wants so much attention on his birthday! He has 14 brothers  and sisters!" Life must have been a battle for attention growing up. :)