November 2009 Mt. Madonna

I've updated my blog to be able to post bigger pictures. I'm still playing around with the template and formats so it may continue to change. Thanks for being patient.

This past weekend my family, friends and I ventured once again to Mount Madonna Park here in N. California. It's near Gilroy (for you garlic lovers). Gilroy is the garlic capital. Yes it is. The air even smells like garlic for miles and miles during harvest months.

We have a travel trailer so we tend to camp year round. This past weekend we lucked out with crisp but clear weather. We had some rain last year but afterall, it is November.  My oldest daughter, Paula, brought along her BFF from school. Our friends, who we often camp with, came along with their 1 daughter. (and a teenage son too but he kept a low profile) The 4 girls together worked out great. 3 girls tends to lead to arguments. My girls fight over the 3rd child because they want all her attention.  It's annoying. 

This is poor Rosie feeling captive

 

The girls found a log for the fire. uh huh.

This was the backside of our trailer where most of the "camping" occurred. J.D, Haley's dad, is leading them in a dance routine from the MP3 player.  Step to the right (clap clap) Step to the left (clap clap)

4 little monkeys sitting in a tree

We went on a serious hike. 1.5 miles was down hill but then 1.5 miles was up hill. OMG we were all so tired. Our legs hurt from climbing but it was worth it in the end. Rosie was off leash the entire time and loved being able to run free. (Born free.......can't you hear it?)

We saw banana slugs on our hike. They're super fun looking. I held a couple of them.  Two of the girls would touch them.  Kind of looks like a used condom. 

See. Take a look at the slope of this path. STEEP people. I'm the one in the far back. I wasn't there the entire time.  We all sort of rotated.  In the end though I was carrying several sweatshirts and a bag Paula's friend brought with a heavy binder full of paper. Because you never know when you'll want to write something amazing on a long hike.

We had excitement on our camping trip. Well, I didn't. I was taking a nap. But when Todd and JD went to fetch firewood (because the long log just wasn't gonna work) they were told the road was closed due to a car fire. Luckily we weren't being evacuated. No one was hurt and thankfully the fire didn't spread to the trees. Todd ran down the path to take pictures. I think the car is totalled. 

 

The girls get in some hula hoopin' time. And yes, Shawna is digging into her shirt for reasons I don't know. Look how non-chalant Paula is with her arms crossed.  

There are White Fallow Deer kept in a pen at the rangers station. I took the girls there (because they were driving us nuts so I wanted them to do something other than drive us all crazy)  We fed them grass but then later read the info board and saw we shouldn't feed them. Oops.  Below is a beautiful buck posing nicely for me. 

Shawna stands in front of the doe. One licked her hand. She was soo thrilled.

About the deer.

My sweet Paula picking grass for the deer. (shhh)

Thanks for looking! I have some fun videos to put on here, but I'm lame so that might take me awhile (years). Check back because it might be here someday.

Vignettes of Cabo ~ October 2009

My friend of over 15 years and I went on a week long trip to Baja California also known as Cabo. We had a fabulous time together. I've attached some pictures down below.

Vignettes of Cabo ~ October 2009

1. While casually walking back to the resort swinging her hands, the water bottle Sandra held flies out of her hand, thru the air landing in a ditch in the street. The width of the ditch was so narrow, you couldn't have made the shot if you tried. Since it is pitch black in the ditch Sandra yells for help. HELP. A strange man appears. However, she chooses to get the bottle herself. Sandra removes her shoes to wade thru the mud to retrieve the worlds smallest bottle of water. All the while, Kim stands on the sidelines laughing hysterically.

2. While in town visiting a popular destination known as Cabo Wabo, Kim and Sandra are approached by a cute blue eyed guy who calls himself Tom. Tom is smitten by Kim so he proceeds to buy them drinks to keep them there. They oblige. A set of cute guys sit behind them. The tall skinny guy who turned 40 invites them back to their resort that night, but they don't take them up on their offer. Instead, they head back to their own resort where Kim starts working on #3.

3. Kim takes a serious approach to getting out of timeshare spiels by concocting a never before had condition, known only to others, and gets a ride via ambulance in a major tropical storm to the Mexican hospital where mystery meds are put into her body. She spends the entire day resting (stoned) on drugs. She is on vacation after all. She receives a $4000 bill, more drugs and slippers for her trouble but still had to go to timeshare presentation. They are ruthless people after all.

4. Brewhoe the horse trots quickly in an attempt to take first position over the other horse ridden by Kim named Toy Story, and his master Martin (pronounced Marteen). "I know the way!" Sadly, Brewhoe is squeezed back into his pre-determined position by his master. Can't blame him for trying.

5. The Playa Grande Resort thought long and hard about how to confuse their patrons. We prefer to think of it that way rather than the patrons just being confused. Elevators at the Ridge, a private section of the resort, are a never-ending sense of amusement. 2 is really 1 and 4 is out. Sometimes 3 is the required number to get out but yet again, sometimes 2 gets you out. It all depends on which elevator you choose. In addition, they created walkways that lead to no where. Ceilings go lower and lower like a fun house taking you to a dead end. Take the 2nd floor elevator from the lobby to the 3rd floor. Walk 1/4 mile down one hill and up another hill to yet another elevator on the 4th floor. Walk down the breezeway to another elevator where you can get to the main lobby on the 2nd floor that cannot be accessed any other way. Getting out of the resort on our first try will forever be our goal.

6. If you want to fly to and from Cabo and choose American Airlines, you'll be happy to know that not only do you get to visit Cabo, but you'll visit Dallas and L.A. as well. On the brighter side, you get a lot of extra miles!

7. When you observe a group of people sitting around the outside of a Jacuzzi instead of enjoying the warmth inside of it, one might reconsider the action of walking directly into the said Jacuzzi since the temperature might be 109 degrees. Don’t mind the skin hanging from her body as she exits the water at lightening speed.

Bar menu at Cabo Wabo, owned by Sammy Hagar

Sandra trying to get a picture with Cabo Wabo in the background. Kim found this very amusing.

Someone else took our picture

Kim has chest pains so she gets a ride in an ambulance to a Mexican hospital. Here she is being pampered by the paramedics

Sandra following Kim who is on the gourney. Smile!

The 3 day tropical storm was amazing. 90 degree weather and tons of rain. This is one of the clouds about to unleash itself on us.

Apple tart dessert at Galeons Italian restaurant in Cabo. Delic.

Sandra and Kim at Galeons. I left feeling like a weeble wobble.

City lights from our balcony.




Kim rides Toy Story, I ride Brewhoe. (spelled differently I'm sure)

On the beach

This one one helluva large cacti

Mexican saddle horns are huge. Had to take a picture of it.

Desert sunset

Looks like a good place for tires

More cactus

We zip lined. Fun Fun fun!

3 days of tropical storms caused the desert to turn a beautiful green

Friday night a Mexican rodeo group came to our resort for a show.

When I returned home my kids were of course thrilled to see me. I opened a package I received and Shawna promptly turned the box into a toy.

These flowers were delivered to my work as a thank you gift from Kim.

"Thank you for the trip man!"

Germ germ go away....

Warning: I'm not a happy person today. I'm negative & annoyed. Why? WHY?!?! Because I have a sick child AGAIN. Every two weeks I've had a sick child. Not the same child, but a sick child. My girls are kind enough to rotate. Paula sick week 1, Shawna sick week 3, Paula sick week 5, Shawna sick week 7 and so on and so on and so on. All. Year. Long. With different illnesses no less but always with a fever. Paula appears to get the germ first, then shares it with her sister. This is the ONLY time they ever share. One year they did get the stomach flu at the same time. That was fun.

Not.

People, I work full-time. Read that again. Full-time!!! How many days off do you think I get a year? Even if I had endless days off, which I don't, I do not like to spend my days home with a sick child. And the worst? A child who is border-line sick. You know how that goes. They're too sick to go to school but not sick enough to be a zombie in front of the TV so instead they demand your time, energy & entertainment.

Totally annoying. ANNOYING.

Don't Bite

This Labor Day weekend we were at Pinecrest Lake with a bunch of families. There were 51 of us total. There are no hook-ups (dry camping) but there was the occasional water faucet here and there for convenience of washing dishes for the tent campers.

Todd is now known as GTO. Gadget Todd Obsessed. He brought out his night vision goggles which of course everyone thinks is just so awesome. He did movie night on Saturday and Sunday with the projector and large screen (white shower curtain). We watched Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure on Saturday. It’s just as hilarious 10+ years later and many of the group hadn’t ever seen it. Saturday was Liar Liar with Jim Carey. The lake has an amphitheater that held movies for $6.00/per person each night but my family opted out of that cost expenditure. They had newer movies like Wall-E and Get Smart.

We spent each day down at the beach. There was only 1 section that allowed dogs and many of the families we were with had dogs. We left our Rosie Shmosie with my neighbors at home. The water was cold but shallow near shore so the kids had a blast. We did picnics for lunch which worked out great.

Pinecrest is very DUSTY. My kids were filthy each day. Luckily Shawna wanted to wear the same clothes most of the time so I had limited laundry there but overall my laundry room is packed. My heels are so nasty that I took a scraper to them this morning after my shower. The dirt was stuck in the dry crevices of my heels. TMI

At night the temperature dropped down to 45 degrees one night and daytime was in the mid 80’s. My kids rode scooters & bikes on the roads around the campgrounds with the other children who were with us. Paula met an older lady camping near us with her dog Button who was a 9 year old tiny poodle. So cute. Paula and Shawna were often found over there by her camper petting and getting kisses from Button. Barbara, the woman, reminded me of Todd’s mom a bit. Facial features mostly.

On Sunday almost 50 of us set out at different times to hike the 4 miles around the lake. It’s not paved and has some crazy spots that were tough to maneuver but we all made it. Shawna only needed to be carried on Todd’s shoulders a few times for very short time frames. Paula did great and often lead our pack. I was so proud of them for completing the long tough hike.

The big drama of the weekend was between my Shawna and her little best friend Tyler. The Peppers (her family) are one of our closest friends. Some of you know that I have issues with her and my husbands close relationship but none of that came up this weekend.
The girls all play together so often they often act as siblings how they fight. A few girls were in our trailer hanging out before the night time movie started. Based on my interviews with all involved, Paula and one other girl were bossing Shawna. Shawna started getting angry and tackled Paula in front of the refrigerator. Tyler jumped in to break it up and Shawna bit her hard on the forearm. Todd ran to get her parents and I came up as they were collecting their daughter, who was clearly irritated with us. Shawna got a butt swat by me, and was put in time out on the couch missing the entire movie. I stayed with her where she cried for awhile. She didn't understand why she couldn't watch the movie even though she said sorry. Eventually she fell asleep on the couch.

I left the trailer to find out from everyone involved what had happened. When I found Tyler walking with her dad I leaned down and asked her what happened. Pepper replied with “It doesn’t matter what happened. Shawna shouldn’t bite” Then he went on to say how my girls are always hitting, etc. So I spoke back that just that afternoon I watched Tyler, who for now apparent reason, pinch Shawna, who then responded with pulling Tyler’s hair. He said she learns it from my girls. Well, if that’s so (I’m thinking) quit bringing her over every damn weekend. We all walked off.

Later that night I went over to their campfire and hung out. I asked Susan how Tyler’s arm was doing. She gave me a face that indicated Tyler was okay and I could tell Susan was still very upset by what happened. I wasn’t dropping this. There was a dad of twin 10 year old girls there too who kind of helped my argument that the girls play so much together that they act like siblings so it can get rough. I reminded Susan how just last weekend she had to put Tyler in a time out at my house for pushing or hitting Paula. She replied with, But Sandra, biting is so bad.
I totally agreed, but also asked when has Shawna ever done that before?
Her: “Well, never”.
Me: Exactly, so can we give her a break?”
She let it die and so did I.

Our girls were playing together again the next morning.

I was supposed to be going to Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe this weekend with a friend and her friends, but her friends all cancelled so she and I decided to postpone to another time.
Just as well. I need a weekend to catch up on all my laundry!

Rollins Lake Camping

On Thursday my family and I left for Rollins Lake Greenhorn Campgrounds for a 5 day adventure. This trip had been planned for months. There were 5 families with us making it a total of 25 people. There were 11 children, mostly girls around the age of 7 & 8. We know these families from school and softball. One is from work and then our neighbors too.

A menu was planned with families in charge of certain food items. The goal being that we didn’t want to over pack. That didn’t work out. We had so much food we could have fed everyone in the entire campground.

We had great weather. The lake was low but not crazy low. I ended up towing our boat with my brothers 1996 Yukon with broken air conditioning. That was nice. (not). On the way up we hit traffic and in central California it’s hecka hot. I had to keep the windows down for air. Dang it was hot. It was 95 degrees during our travel so imagine sitting in that trapped in a car. I was proud of myself for towing the boat all.by.my.self. Todd towed the trailer w/the the girls and Rosie. No mishaps other than almost taking out Phil’s (my coworker whose family joined us) front right fender while turning into a parking spot . Thankfully Todd screamed at me really loud which made me stop the car.

Things to remember for next time:
1. Bring more tequila. The margaritas these people made were awesome.
2. Bring less food
3. Definitely make Texas caviar again. That was a hit.
4. Get the guys to shut up after quiet time so the “warden” doesn’t talk to us twice each night telling us to keep it down.
5. Expect muscles to ache A LOT after riding the wakeboard, ski and tubing for 5 days.
6. Make sure to ride on the tube with Dina again because I laughed the entire time while she was freaking out about dying.
7. Try not to let Rosie Shmosie loose in the dirt until (well, never) because white hair and camping dirt don’t mix. Not even after she leaps into the lake unprovoked.
8. Do not tell J.D., a grown man, names you dislike because he’ll make it a point to call you those names.
9. Remind Todd not to shine the 1000 watt light into Peppers face or he’ll get yelled at again.
10. Remind Todd to bring the night vision goggles again because everyone loved those.
11. Try to get Paula to be less bossy.
12. Try to get Paula to be less bossy.
13. Remember that Shawna likes to jump in the “deep end” of the lake with mommy and float by herself with her life jacket on because she’s such a big girl.
14. Figure out before hand how much each family owes and confirm with the campground the “real” rules as far as costs go.
15. Win the lottery before we go to afford all the gas and food.

Maui Vacation

Our vacation to Maui was wonderful. The Westin Ka'anapalli Ocean Resort Villas are amazing. The girls had a blast in the children's pool with the ship that had slides, water spraying from the top and lots of kids to play with, and the larger pool on the South side with the long slide and jacuzzi. The condos were modern and comfortable. We had the 2 bedroom villa. We stayed in the 1 bedroom side, the Peppers stayed in the studio side. We each had our own washer/dryer (Seriously!) kitchen, jet tub, huge shower and king beds with couch sofa beds. We each had a balcony too. Granted the 1 bedroom had a larger size of everything mentioned, the studio was in no way less of a room.

Our weather was warm but very windy. We had light showers a couple nights but we were already inside so it didn't matter. We ventured to the beach as a group once. I also took Shawna alone. The sand was so soft. The water clear and warm. The problem was just that the wind would toss up sand while painfully slapping your body so we didn't spend much time at the beach. The drama in washing the sand off the kids in the cold outside showers provided was also something none of us wanted to do again. They had it EVERYWHERE. Even inside the linings of their swimsuits. (shake head like that's crazy).

Another exciting thing that happened is we met and hung out with a recently retired major league baseball player named Matt Franco. He'd played on the Cubs, Indians and Mets. He was there with his cute 3.5 yr old son Nate. His wife (stunt woman/actress Bevin Kaye) wasn't there due to a work conflict. I did meet his sister and her boyfriend though. We hung out with them a lot.

Day 1: Sunday - The long flight over

That was a long day. We got picked up by the shuttle bus. SFO airport was crazy busy. We had the 3 kids, tons of luggage and a connecting flight. All went according to plan but kids were making us all nuts. They were as anxious as us to get there but we had 2 planes and a rental car to deal with. By the time we arrived we were all hungry. Thank goodness I packed an entire suitcase with dry goods. We had mac & cheese, crackers, chips and other munchie food to take us to the next day.

Day 2: Monday - Shopping Day

Todd, Todd and Susan took the minivan to Costco (an hour away from the resort) to Safeway and Kmart (the girls HAD to have pool tubes). The girls and I hit the kiddie pool with the ship. Soon after I planted myself down a cute guy and his blond son arrived. Son had a Superman pool suit. Dad lathered him up in sunscreen and off son went. As the morning went on we started talking.

Over the course of the hours he'd run and get us drinks while I watched the kids. I'd run the restroom alone or with one of the girls and he'd watch the rest of the girls. He'd go smoke off site and I'd watch the girls. He'd get us more drinks and I'd watch the kids. There was a lot of drinking going on. :0)

At some point he mentioned the slide in the other pool on the South side of the resort. Paula was really up for that. Shawna too but not Tyler. We all ventured over there together. Paula went down, then Shawna but the water was 4 ft deep so Shawna had trouble staying up and got scared. I dove in to retrieve her. That was the end of the slide for Shawna.

We hung out and drank more. Finally the two Todd's and Susan came and hung out. Matt had said he was planning on going to the beach the next day. We hugged and I thanked him for all his help that day. I went to the room, showered and fell asleep with a really great buzz.

Day 3: Tuesday - Lahaina

On Tuesday morning everyone was tired but Shawna was very tired. Even grumpy. The kids feet had sores from rubbing them against the pool bottom of the kiddie pool (1.5 feet deep). Everyone wanted to go to Lahaina but I said I'd stay back w/Shawna and we'd hit the kiddie pool again. Now that it was just Shawna and I and the pool had almost no kids, she wanted me to swim with her. It was 1.5 ft deep. Shawna I can't swim in that. I did play w/her a bit. Later Matt and Nate showed up. Nate had been asking if he'd see Paula and Shawna today. They decided not to do the beach. Matt's sister Monica and her boyfriend had also arrived. They sat over on the sunny side, I hung out over in the shady section. He and I didn't chat much other then to say how buzzed we were the day before, how we had a fun time and we all went to sleep early. haha

Shawna and I went to the beach to make a castle. She was afraid of the waves since she got "taken out" in New Brighten Beach in Feb. The wind picked up so we headed back to the kiddie pool. Still not that many kids so Shawna and I headed back to the room for lunch and a rest. I ended up taking a nap when I knew Todd was moments away. He came in, got the kids swim gear and they all headed to the pool. I napped then joined them. The girls each had shell necklaces and bracelets and flowered hair ties from Lahaina. Tyler and Paula also received new flip flops.

I napped while the rest of them went back to the pool. At some point I joined them. This day the girls had to wear their swim shirts from now on because they got too red the day before. We were using spf 50 on them btw.

Day 3: Wednesday - Kids Club

This was the day the kids got to go to the Westin Kids Club from 9-12:30 (Paid for by the Westin so we could meet w/the sales folks), while we separately listened to the spiels by the sales folks on how we could upgrade from every other year to every year (no thank you) or to the Peppers how they could just become owners (not on their life for these prices). Our girls were the only 3 in there so they had lots of activities. They each received their own backpack filled with a water bottle, bracelet, passport, visor to decorate and apron to decorate. They also made the Moms cute things for Mothers Day. I received a personally colored pillow case from both my girls, their hand prints in sand on colored tongue depressor type board, and another sand picture. They got to pick out their own lunch (pizza and chicken fingers) and feed the qoi fish in the pond. They also watched a movie and played games. They LOVED the kids club. I'll definitely take advantage of that FREE part each time we go. Otherwise it would have cost me $50 per child. We gathered them up at 12:30pm and went to the pool. Susan got VERY sunburned on the backside. She didn't wear any sunscreen and was bright red.

That night Todd and I got into a fight. We'd been sparring with each other for a few days and it all had to do with things at home. We each had alcohol in our system so it got heated. He went down to the bar with Pepper where he drank too much and threw up. Nice.

Day 4: Thursday - Luau

We hit the beach in the AM where the Todd's snorkeled. Susan hid in the shade all day. Poor thing. She was really sore. We went to the Luau that night at the Hyatt. The girls really enjoyed it. They got to go up on stage and learn the hula. The food was really good too. That night Todd and I had it out. We each vented and cleared things up. We also made up really good that night too if you KWIM.

Day 5: Friday - Whaler Village

That morning we took the shuttle to Whaler Village. We did some window shopping and had lunch at McDonalds. Afterwards we headed to the pool where we saw Matt and his gang. We hung out with them. Matt bought more drinks which I then proceeded to spill. Monica was showing Nate how to do armpit farts. Just like every great aunt should! I'm like Hey! I can do armpit farts! My right side wasn't working I switched the left where I did get a good one out, but then my elbow bumped my drink which I'd placed on the recliner arm. DOH! Matt shared his drink with me. Todd was so great about letting me hang with Matt. Although he could have gotten jealous he wasn't.

That night Todd Pepper and Susan got in a fight. Todd jokingly called her a Hussy which she didn't appreciate. Their fight lasted the entire next day. It was in the air I swear.

Day 6: Saturday - Last Full Day

We spent the entire day at the pool. Well, not Mr. Pepper since he was Mr. Grumpy face. Susan was bumming out too. We spent most of the day at the big pool. I covered all 4 kids for awhile while Todd went to the condo to gather up lunch, Susan and Tyler were at the kiddie pool and Matt was lord knows where. Finally Matt came back, then left again. OMG dude! He brought me a drink so that was cool. LOL

We packed up that night while my Todd and Susan did dinner. Susan cried a lot too. Mr. Grumpy face stayed on his balcony or left the condo completely. Finally we sent him outside with the kids cuz they were stir crazy and we needed to pack and get dinner done. They had a fun adventure apparently.

Day 7: Sunday - Going home

Todd and Susan made peace. Thank god since we had to get up by 6am to shower and leave by 7am, return the rental van, shuttle to the airport and get on the plane to take us to Honolulu where we'd wait almost 3 hours for our next flight to SFO. Once arriving to SFO our shuttle bus did not show up. We didn't get home until 11:30pm that night. Everyone was tired, starving and happy to be home.

Here are a few pics:

The Plane Ride Over

Me and Susan - This was what I looked like (lounging) everyday

Paula

Shawna

Paula loved this slide

beach

We had a hard time keeping them out of the hottub. There was a 16 yr old age limit.

Bathtub jets fun

Awe....

Luau

So these are all the Matt pictures:

His sister Monica, boyfriend, Me and Matt

I'm a dork and had a hard time doing the hand sign

Matt and his son Nate (don't they even look like they a bit like Kurt Russell?

This is from internet