7/31 - I took the day off since we were leaving that afternoon for Sonoma. I went to work out, ran some errands, we had lunch together at Elkes and then took Patch to Greg's parents house and headed to the airport.
We stopped in at Fridays for a few drinks and some early dinner. Once we got to San Francisco, got our rental car and drove to Sonoma. We got to the Olea hotel about 4 minutes before the lady was leaving so it was just right. We got a glass of wine and spent some time hanging out by the fire pit. Great weather outside, trees all around. Really nice.
7/30 - It was day to take kids to Pine Cove for the first time. We had breakfast and an early lunch then around noon we went to the Cracknell's house to shoe polish the cars and head out. The boys rode with us and the girls rode with the Cracknells. We had to stop at Dairy Queen for potty break. We took the girls first. We took them to their cabin to set up their beds, watched them take their swim test and then headed back to their cabin (#6) to get hugs and say goodbye. Their counselor's name is Cheeto. Kasey was on bottom bunk and Chloe above her. hopefully the girls have fun this week.
Greg and Stephen took the boys earlier to check in at their cabin. Stephanie and I headed there after we wrapped up with the girls.
We got to see the boys cabin and meet their counselor Sneezy. Landon was on bottom bunk with William above him.
Both camps look really nice and I think the kids will have fun.
On the way back that evening we went with the Cracknells to have some Shabu Shabu for dinner in Richardson. It was really good and fun to hang out and have something different.
7/29 - We had to get several things ready for camp and our vacation. I went to work out and we got ready. We headed out to work and Landon reminded us we had to go to band pick up. We got his trumpet, his band binder and ordered him an adult small shirt for the year (what - adult small).
After that we went to lunch at Elkes which is always good. After lunch we ran and errand and Kasey and I went to the salon for a little pampering before camp and vacation.
That night Greg went to FC Dallas game. Kids and I got dinner to bring home and hang out. Landon and I watched Spiderman II :)
7/21-23 - we had a fun girls weekend. We rented a house in Oak Cliff for a few of us. We started Friday night with a dinner at Beto and Sons in Trinity Groves. It was really good and we also enjoyed a few drinks. Then we got some chocolate which we put in a cooler in one of the cars and we went to the patio to have a few drinks. We enjoyed the music from the spanish tapas place, belly dancing at the Mediterranean place, and the Dallas Skyline including the bridge.
We went back to our house and hung out until it was time for bed.
We got up Saturday morning. We were all up by 9ish maybe a little earlier. We all got dressed and went for a walk run for just over 30 minutes. By the time we were done we were pretty warm. We got back and started taking showers. I had planned on making "egg" cupcakes - bacon, spinach, egg and cheese. We also had fruit and some zucchini bread. All of it turned out pretty good. After breakfast we all headed out and went to the Bishop Arts district. We walked around through several shops and bought a few fun things. One of my favorite stores was called opportunity Market which had jewelry and some other things all made from people by hand in other countries
We decided to grab a bite to eat and a drink at Whitehall Exchange. We shared a few salads and flatbreads. I had a Rye Whiskey and root beer drink that was really good.
After that we headed to Dude, Sweet chocolate. We tasted several things and I got something for my friend Cassie. Then we headed to House of MacGregor - we all got to try on some hats, learn a little about how she got into the business and what she does. I ended up buying a fun summer hat. It was great catching up with Cassie some and I think the other ladies enjoyed seeing her hat shop.
We decided to head back for a little while before dinner. A few took naps, a few just talked and then we got ready. We headed to dinner at Bolsa. I picked up my hat from Cassie and went to dinner. The food and drinks were good, but the area we were sitting was really hot. After dinner we headed back. We had some chocolate Bundt cake to celebrate Rebecca's birthday. We played left right center which was fun and hung out talking for a few hours.
Sunday we got up by 8:30ish, had some fruit, zucchini bread and brownies for breakfast. A few of the ladies went walking again, and Rebecca and I got in the shower to start getting ready. Everyone got ready and packed and we left right at 11am to head home.
I got home and we headed to catch up with some friends that had moved to Austin a few years back. We said hi and headed to lunch at Kelly's. We got the message that the boys will start arriving at 1:45pm so we headed to the church.
We spent some time in the afternoon talking with Landon about his trip. We went to early dinner at Mi Cocina and I got to see Mike, Brian, & Efrem from high school. So fun to see them and say hi. I showed them pictures from Cassie's shop
Fun weekend. Now back to real life
7/20 It was Greg's birthday. I got home and we went to Mi Cocina for dinner and then had Bonnie Ruth for dessert. Greg got creme brulee, Kasey got Red Velvet cake and I got carrot cake. Kasey had made daddy a nice card and we are chipping in to get him a new Apple watch band.
7/17 - Kasey got two cavities filled today so her mouth was numb most of the night.
7/16 - Doug, Dave and I went to dinner with Greg at Gemma for his birthday week! Great dinner and of course great company. Afterwards we went to Cork for a little wine.
7/15 - We had girl scout Mother Daughter Tea at Chocolate Angel. We had a really nice lunch, we got a little dressed up, took some nice pictures and did some planning for this year with girl scouts. Fun Day!
7/10 - Kasey had critter camp this week. She got to go with her friends Luke and Lucy. They were in a group that took care of ferrets. They had one called scratchy who put a hole in Kasey's shirt I think a few times, but she really enjoyed taking care of scratchy. They walked them, fed them, taught them to walk on a course. They got to interact with a bunch of different animals during the week. It was hot but Kasey said it wasn't to bad as they did stuff in the barn a lot which was shaded.
Landon's Boy Scout Camp - 7/14 - 7/23
7/14 - It was time for Landon to go to Boy Scout summer camp. He was packed and ready to go. We met at 7am at the church for them to get ready to go. It took about an hour to get everything in the cars and trailers, 57 boys go to the bathroom, and take pictures and give hugs to all the parents. Landon ended up with a whole back seat of a suburban for the trip which is good :)
We had left Kasey at home in hopes that she would sleep in. She woke up just after 7 and called me. She got herself ready, made most of her lunch and was ready to go. I took Patch back home a little early so I missed them actually leaving but got some good hugs from Landon.
They are using an app called GroupMe that all of the parents can be on. The 19 adults going on the trip are posting pictures and updates along the way letting us know where they are and such.
Friday they stopped at a rest stop with covered tables for lunch - all the boys had brought sack lunches. They made it to Clayton, NM to stay the night. They had dinner at Pizza Hut. They had ice cream and brownie as well. They stayed at Coyote Keeth's RV Park. One of the dads took a picture of all the tents set up with a big storm off in the distance behind them. I don't think they actually got wet that night
7/15 - They had all the gear loaded up by 7am (they are an hour earlier than Dallas so it felt like 8am for them), and then they had breakfast. They got a cool picture of all of them on a big tank (I assume water tank). Then they headed on to Colorado.
They stopped in Raton at McDonalds for dinner - long line :) That afternoon they visited Garden of the Gods which looked beautiful. They had dinner at Rudy's just outside Garden of the Gods. They stayed in tents again that night in Pueblo, CO
7/16 - They got a VIP tour of the Air Force Academy in the morning. Cool picture of everyone there. Landon and Travis got their picture with the Commander in Chief trophy that Air Force Academy had most recently won in football competition.
After that they headed to their campout where they would be for the week. Below is from one of the adults.
Really great tour this morning at the Air Force Academy. Thanks to Mr. Blessing for our VIP treatment. We had a couple former graduates that are now flight instructing shows us the ropes and walk us around the campus and chapel grounds. We even had a current Cadet there to give the boys a great introduction to "Cadet Life". And of course all great tours end in s gift shop where the boys had a chance to get some AF Fighting Falcons swag.
Check in went really well! The camp grounds are beautiful and the temperature is perfect! All the boys got settled in their tents with their buddies and are all doing great. When we checked in the Camp staff took the boys on a tour and got everyone comfortable with where everything at camp is located and of course laid down the rules and camp expectations. When we unpacked the trailers all the boys pitched in and were great teammates as they all helped each other out. Dinner was good- chicken tacos. At the flag ceremony it began to rain and we all were quickly escorted to the "Keva"- a covered theater in the round. We all sang (singing in the rain) heard some camp announcements and had Chapel all while staying dry as a bone. The boys are indeed good hands and are going to have an awesome week!
7/18. Yesterday was one of the troop mandatory shower nights. Today we are washing class A uniforms while the scouts continue classes.
All all doing well and are enjoying their merit badge activities and spending time with friends. Camp food is good, but low in sugar. Boys are adapting with treats from care packages and trips to the trading post.
7/19. It rained for a bit last night but that did not dampen the troop's energy. The scouts had a carnival with hamburgers and ice cream sandwiches while the scouters enjoyed bison steaks with all the fixings.
After dinner we went to camp where many boys worked on TTFC requirements and others finished merit badge coursework. It was a very productive evening for scouting.
7/21. All had a great time today earning the BSA whitewater rafting award. We are headed back to base to eat lunch and return gear.
7/22 The troop has finished setting up camp in Palo Dura canyon and is settling in for the night. We plan to wake up early to break camp and eat breakfast before making our final leg of the trip. We will notify everyone when we leave and have scouts call 30 minutes out as usual.
7/23 - Everyone came home today. We got a message that they will start arriving at 1:45pm. We headed to the church to meet them. Landon's car was one of the last to arrive, but he made it home just fine and was still smiling. After a good shower and clean clothes he decided he would play soccer that night. All 3 boys that play indoor soccer and went to summer camp trip decided to play. They won 4 to 2 against a team that has scored 30 goals in the last 3 games.
Family Vacation - 6/28 - 7/9
6/28 - we had a 9am flight. We left the house around 6:50am and met Grammy and Gramps at the airport to take our car (Thank you Grammy and Gramps!). We got breakfast sandwiches and burritos for some breakfast and got on the plane. I think Greg and I slept most of the flight while the kids played on their ipads and enjoyed their drinks. Kasey got sprite and Landon got apple juice.
We got off the plane, got our luggage, and then called an uber to take us to our place. It was to early to check in but they said we could leave our luggage in the apartment we were staying in.
After dropping our luggage we set up to the Mall. We went to the Natural History museum which was pretty cool about the history of people, earth, we got to see several butterfly's in real life and other things as well. We hung out a little on the grass by the mall where we could see the Capital on one side and the Washington Monument on the other side (in the distance).
For dinner we had a few places by us, based on prices and what we knew we decided to sit on the patio and have some Del Friscos. The kids were a bit grumpy from coming back from camp and getting up early. They both got Shirley temples, Caesar salad and filet mignon - not bad for kiddos. We had to wait a little while so they offered us a free dessert. Before dessert the kids and I went to the apartment so they could get quick showers.
Greg brought the stuff back and ran to the grocery store to get some breakfast food and wine :)
6/29 - We got up in the morning and wanted to be at the Spy museum at 9am. We got up a little late, Greg cooked breakfast for all of us and we headed out late. I've been looking for months about tickets and them selling out and when I looked that morning there was nothing until noon. So great allowing procrastination has made it so we can't go. We got there a little after 9 after a short walk and we got in right away.
The spy museum started with asking you to remember your profile to get at so they knew when to turn. Throughout the museum there were several interactive things learning how spys work, how to pay attention to different details and signs. There were many older spy gadgets showing cameras and tools inside of shoes, capsules, pens and all kind of things. They talked about how people used disguises, how they used sounds under water, how they hid people in cars to get through different points. They asked you to take a quiz on your profile to see if you could convince others you were who you say you are. Overall a cool experience and fun activity.
Next we went next door to have burgers for a quick lunch. We had a little time so we decided to go visit the National Archives. Really cool getting to see the actual Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution
That afternoon we had scheduled a bike ride to see the Monuments around town. Kasey wasn't comfortable with riding her own bike or being on tandem with Greg. So they ended up not going. Landon and I went though and enjoyed it. We got to see the Washington Monument, the WW II memorial, the Vietnam memorial, the Lincoln memorial, the Korean War memorial, Martin Luther King memorial, FDR memorial & Jefferson Memorial. We rode biked about 3 miles, walked over 19000 steps in one day. Needless to say we were a bit tired, but it was a cool way to see the monuments and learn a little about them.
While we did that Greg and Kasey went to the National Art Museum to look around then they walked all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. So they also got to see the Washington Monument, the WWII memorial and Lincoln memorial. They also went to Safeway to get food for dinner since we were all a bit tired and had an expensive dinner the night before :) They walked over 15000 steps in their adventures.
We all got to see the White House from the distance when we were near the Washington Monument
6/30 - Today we got up and got ready. We took and Uber to Union Station which is pretty cool in itself. We had a quick breakfast at Johnny Rockets in the basement of Union Station. Then we went to pick up rental car for the next several days. Then we headed to the Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport. All of the Smithsonian museums are free to get into.
Inside this one its majority aircraft old and some newer. Some cool ones were SR71- Blackbird (that Landon really likes), Discovery space shuttle, concord, Apollo 11 module, several WW II planes, some really old planes and gliders, and there were some war planes as well both US and older Nazi and Russian planes. The kids got to get into a Cessna 150 and move the flaps like they were flying. I even got my picture in it. I remember my dad flying those kind of planes when we went to trips when I was younger. He'd even let me fly some :) Fun memories.
We spent a while there, and had ice cream for lunch :)
After that we headed back and tried to go to the money printing museum. It was sold out for the day but it took us a long time to get there, figure that out and get back to pick up the boys who were checking on if we can get there. It took 12 minutes to drive around.
We went back to our apartment for a little bit. We had fun trying to get around one way roads to find parking garage for our building. Then walked to the American Art museum which is where Kasey really wanted to go. There were some different things. One was license plates that said the preamble of the constitution. There was one that had neon light outlines of all of the states and old TVs inside each state showing different things from that state. Another electric one had many TVs with bird flying - the images of undressed women showed up on one TV. We moved on. At the end we found portraits of all Presidents. They didn't have Trump yet, but was interesting to see all of them. Kasey enjoyed some of it, Landon would have rather poked himself in the eye than walk through more art. 1/2 of it was portraits of different things including soldiers lost in war, famous people (Elvis, Michael Jackson, several sport figures including Mia Hamm, Yogi Berra, older portraits of others.
After the museum we decided to get some dinner at Cuba Libre. We shared several dishes and the kids tried a few new things like roasted peppers, we had different kinds of empanadas, chicken croquettes. For dessert we had yummy bread pudding with carmel ice cream and tres leches. Good stuff. Greg and I got to have some yummy sangria as well.
We went back to get kids showered and in bed for the night.
7/1 - We got up, packed and ready. Greg, Landon and Kasey helped make breakfast for our last morning in DC. We ran by souvenir store and safeway to get some wine then we headed out on our journey to New Jersey to meet the Turner family. We encountered quite a bit of traffic and so we stopped on the way for lunch then continued on. There was a military convoy on the same highway as us.
It took us over 5 hours to get from DC to Ocean City, but we made it after check in time. The place was not quite what it was in the pictures, but we had 4 rooms - 2 for adults and the boys had a room and the girls had a room with bunk beds. The kids were pretty excited to see the Turners and so were we.
We were supposed to get some food delivered between 5-7pm. Around 6 we walked down to try and get some pizza, but they weren't taking orders anymore for the evening. So we ended up at a Hawaiian burger place. After we made orders we got a call from the grocery store asking if they could replace some of our items which means it wasn't ready and it sure wasn't getting to us by 7pm. We called the rest of the family to walk down the street. We all had our dinners sitting on the patio. The weather was great, and in Ocean City its dry so we had water, lemonade and Landon and Liam got special drinks. Landon got a Pina Colada and Liam got a special blue drink with swedish fish in it and it smoked :)
After dinner we went and walked on the boardwalk some. We went to the ocean. Outside it was about 70 so starting to get chilly and it was foggy. The kids put their feet in the water. It was really cold. We stopped to try out some custard which was good. Then we headed back to the house and started getting kids to bed.
We got a call that we wouldn't get our groceries until the morning. Jessica argued with them and made them promise to have it there by 9am, refund the delivery fee and give $