In protest to the high gas prices, I bought myself a new bike to ride all around Monterey.
"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." Gordon B. Hinckley
Friday, July 11, 2008
Monday, July 7, 2008
Alaska
Mario and I just returned from our Alaskan cruise. We celebrated our 14th anniversary while in Juneau. I think it was the best vacation ever. In fact, I now realize that all those family vacations we have taken over the years were really no vacation at all for Mario and I. They were vacations for our children! I mean, I enjoyed all those trips and we have had some great ones due to our military assignments, but none were relaxing.
We owe my mom a million thank you's for coming to Monterey and watching the kids for an entire week. She was their taxi cab to all their camps, she took many bike rides, walks, and scooter rides, played alphabet bingo, gave reading lessons, gave many baths, did lots of laundry, played tennis, took them out to lunch, read lots of books, played wii with Eric, weeded my garden, saved all my dying tomato plants, planted flowers with Erin, cleaned the house, and many more things that I probably don't know about. She has so much more energy than I do. Hopefully she will go home and take a long nap. She deserves it. We couldn't have made this trip without her and we really appreciate all her sacrifice (and my dad too since he had to be without mom for a long time.) Thank you mom and dad! We love you both.
We took naps almost everyday and ate tons of good food (now I need to go on a diet and lose the 6 pounds I gained after eating cheesecake everyday.) We didn't spend a dime on all the excursions that the ship tries to sell to you. We did rent bicycles from a local lodge in Juneau and took a 26 mile bike ride to see the Medenhall glacier and waterfall. I think that was my favorite part of the trip. The people that took the tours only got to view the glacier from about 1/4 mile away. Mario and I got so close that he was able to drink from the waterfall next to the glacier. He said it was the best water he ever tasted and filled his water bottle up.
The next day we went to Skagway and it was raining. We decided to take a hike to the Gold Rush Cemetery and the bottom of Reid Falls. That was a four mile easy hike. Then we went back to the ship and dried off, ate and thought about a nap. But instead we decided to go back out hiking and hike to the top of Reid Falls. This was a much more challenging hike but absolutely beautiful. We were so glad we skipped that nap! And the afternoon turned out to be nice and sunny. This was my second favorite day.
Next our ship took us to Tracy Arm where we were able to view another glacier. We had a perfectly clear day as you can see from the picture. We were told that there are only 10 days a year where the visibility is that good. It was windy and a little chilly so we sat on the deck wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate looking for bears or whales. Unfortunately we didn't see any. But it was beautiful. We saw many beautiful waterfalls.
Next our ship took us to Tracy Arm where we were able to view another glacier. We had a perfectly clear day as you can see from the picture. We were told that there are only 10 days a year where the visibility is that good. It was windy and a little chilly so we sat on the deck wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate looking for bears or whales. Unfortunately we didn't see any. But it was beautiful. We saw many beautiful waterfalls.We went to Ketchikan next. It was neat to see where my dad once lived. We got off the ship about 6:30 am and had to be back on by noon. So we didn't have much time to explore. We were hoping to find bike rentals but couldn't find any. We walked around town and visited the city park. Then we went shopping for jackets for our kids. We couldn't come home empty handed (and Erin asked as soon as we saw her-"What did you bring me?") One of the most interesting things I saw there was a boardwalk with a street sign on it. Check out the boardwalk and the street name on the mailbox.
The last night we stopped in Victoria, British Columbia. We got in an hour late so we didn't get off the ship until 8 pm and had to be back by 11:30. So we again just walked around town and got some photos of their government building all lit up. It looked like a pretty town. On the way back to the ship we stopped at a gift shop and Mario spotted a wooden nativity made from cedar that he knew I would like so he pointed it out to me. I ended up getting that for my souvenir. Not really a souvenir that you would expect from an Alaskan cruise, but I loved it.
We owe my mom a million thank you's for coming to Monterey and watching the kids for an entire week. She was their taxi cab to all their camps, she took many bike rides, walks, and scooter rides, played alphabet bingo, gave reading lessons, gave many baths, did lots of laundry, played tennis, took them out to lunch, read lots of books, played wii with Eric, weeded my garden, saved all my dying tomato plants, planted flowers with Erin, cleaned the house, and many more things that I probably don't know about. She has so much more energy than I do. Hopefully she will go home and take a long nap. She deserves it. We couldn't have made this trip without her and we really appreciate all her sacrifice (and my dad too since he had to be without mom for a long time.) Thank you mom and dad! We love you both.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Reading Lessons
The boys have been flying through their reading lessons. Nathan is on Lesson #63 and Zachary on Lesson #55. Nathan is ahead because it took Zach awhile before he decided he wanted to do them. With a little persuasion and a lot of bribery, he decided it would be best to do them too. So what is their reward? A train ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. He is coming to Santa Cruz in late July and early August. Zach asked me why he has to finish reading lessons to go on Thomas. His reasoning was all the other kids going didn't have to do reading lessons first. Wow, what a smart kid! But unfortunately for him, I have never given into "the other kids are doing it or not doing it." We never would want our kids to model themselves after "the other kids."
My whole point in this blog is not to brag about how great my boys are doing with reading. My purpose of this blog is to praise my daughter Erin. She is going to be a great mom and teacher one day. With trying to get through 100 lessons with each boy in a very short period of time, I am overwhelmed. Each lesson takes anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes. To finish before kindergarten, Zach needs to do about 1 1/2 lessons each day. So Erin has saved me. She takes over and does reading lessons with them also. We sometimes have two reading lessons going at once. It can be a very frustrating job teaching them, but she shows so much patience. I won't name any names, but if one of my children were to teach them, I am sure he would become easily frustrated and just starting giving them the answers just to get the lesson over with.
Saves time
A few weeks ago we noticed that Nathan would go to bed in pajamas but before he fell asleep he would change into his clothes for the next day. He wouldn't say anything, we just noticed when we would go in to check on him before we went to bed. Now he must have converted Zachary to this practice. I guess they feel that they can save valuable playtime if they don't have to change in the morning. I don't understand how they can possibly be comfortable sleeping in jeans but as long as they are sleeping and not waking me up in the middle of the night, I don't care what they sleep in!
Bike Ride
I bought myself a new bike last night. Mario got me one for Christmas a couple years ago. I think he paid around $30 for it on clearance. The chain fell off after about 2 uses. I guess you get what you pay for!
All week I have been researching new bikes for Mario. With gas prices at $4.50, he now rides his 8 year old bike with gears that don't work to school everyday. Fortunately it is only 2 miles away and he can glide down the big hills. But on the way home, he has to go up those big hills. In my eyes, that is a huge problem. But for Mario who has 3 boys to send on missions and four kids to send to college, spending money is a hard for him (especially when it is for himself.) He thinks he can make this old bike work. I tried to take it to a bike shop and ask them how much it would cost to repair. Basically every component on the bike (besides the frame) needs to be replaced. Needless to say, that would be more than we paid for this bike 8 years ago. I decided I wanted to get Mario a new bike for Father's Day and his birthday. See if its a gift, he has to accept it and not complain. But after researching and talking to friends who are real bikers, they said I need to spend a few hundred dollars at least to get him a decent bike. I have been researching and have found nothing yet. Most nicer bikes start at $300 and go up to thousands of dollars. I had no idea.
I decided that I didn't need an expensive bike for myself so, I went to Target last night and bought myself a $150 Schwinn bike. A friend has one like it and is happy with it. I took it for a 12 mile bike ride today and found myself hating the bike and wanting a $300 bike like the ones I have been researching. I don't know if I can justify spending so much money on a bike but I was thinking of all the gas I could save by riding my bike all around Monterey especially when the twins start school in August. Monterey is the perfect place for riding bikes. It has miles and miles of beautiful bike trails that run along the beach. So for Father's day, I may buy myself a good bike. Mario says he's ok with that. See how he doesn't mind if I spend money, he just doesn't like to spend it on himself. Maybe I will give him my Target bike. It has to be better than his old bike. Good thing he just got a big raise when he pinned on Major!
All week I have been researching new bikes for Mario. With gas prices at $4.50, he now rides his 8 year old bike with gears that don't work to school everyday. Fortunately it is only 2 miles away and he can glide down the big hills. But on the way home, he has to go up those big hills. In my eyes, that is a huge problem. But for Mario who has 3 boys to send on missions and four kids to send to college, spending money is a hard for him (especially when it is for himself.) He thinks he can make this old bike work. I tried to take it to a bike shop and ask them how much it would cost to repair. Basically every component on the bike (besides the frame) needs to be replaced. Needless to say, that would be more than we paid for this bike 8 years ago. I decided I wanted to get Mario a new bike for Father's Day and his birthday. See if its a gift, he has to accept it and not complain. But after researching and talking to friends who are real bikers, they said I need to spend a few hundred dollars at least to get him a decent bike. I have been researching and have found nothing yet. Most nicer bikes start at $300 and go up to thousands of dollars. I had no idea.
I decided that I didn't need an expensive bike for myself so, I went to Target last night and bought myself a $150 Schwinn bike. A friend has one like it and is happy with it. I took it for a 12 mile bike ride today and found myself hating the bike and wanting a $300 bike like the ones I have been researching. I don't know if I can justify spending so much money on a bike but I was thinking of all the gas I could save by riding my bike all around Monterey especially when the twins start school in August. Monterey is the perfect place for riding bikes. It has miles and miles of beautiful bike trails that run along the beach. So for Father's day, I may buy myself a good bike. Mario says he's ok with that. See how he doesn't mind if I spend money, he just doesn't like to spend it on himself. Maybe I will give him my Target bike. It has to be better than his old bike. Good thing he just got a big raise when he pinned on Major!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Preschool Graduation
Today my boys graduated from preschool. I was a little sad, but surprisingly, I didn't cry. We pulled Eric and Erin out of school so that they could be there to support their little brothers.
I can't believe the boys will be starting kindergarten in 2 months. What will I do with those 6 1/2 hours Monday thru Friday all by myself?
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Back in California
We had a great trip to Florida, but it is nice to be home. I missed Mario, Eric, and Erin. It was nice to come home to a clean home. That was really my only requirement for my return. I don't want to come home to a mess! But, it only took about 30 seconds to destroy the house after we walked through the front door. The twins opened up their goody bags from the Los Angeles airport USO and dumped them everywhere. Then Eric and Erin came home with all their school stuff everywhere. Mario had to leave for class soon after us getting home. So my vacation was officially over. Back to housework, cooking, and cleaning.
Our flight left 7 am in the morning from Tampa. That means we would have had to leave Port Charlotte at 3:30 or 4 am in the morning. So I decided to get a room at the Marriott (with my good military discount)in the airport. That was great walking out of the hotel and right into the airport. I didn't have to wake the twins up until 5:15. So Sunday night, one of my best friends, Krista Amberg (now Rosales)came to visit me in the hotel. She brought her little boy, Alex who is three years old today. He and my boys had a great time tearing my hotel room apart. It was so nice to visit with an old friend and catch up on old times.
The boys did well on the trip. It was a long flight from Tampa to LA. Then in LA we had a 3 hour layover. It was nice that they have a USO for us to hang out in. They have tons of free snacks and drinks, a kids' room to play in, tv's, and internet. They really take care of the military. Then we had a 45 minute flight from LA to Monterey. Zach slept for that trip. Too bad he didn't sleep on the 4 1/2 hour flight. But I was grateful for his nap. I didn't have to worry about him kicking the seat in front of him for a whole 45 mintues! Nathan refused to nap and watched DVD's for most of the trip.
I told Mario that he gets to take Nathan and Zachary on a vacation and I will stay home with Eric and Erin next time. When Mario goes to visit Abuela, he usually takes one of the twins, but I think he should try a plane ride with both of them! What do you think?
Our flight left 7 am in the morning from Tampa. That means we would have had to leave Port Charlotte at 3:30 or 4 am in the morning. So I decided to get a room at the Marriott (with my good military discount)in the airport. That was great walking out of the hotel and right into the airport. I didn't have to wake the twins up until 5:15. So Sunday night, one of my best friends, Krista Amberg (now Rosales)came to visit me in the hotel. She brought her little boy, Alex who is three years old today. He and my boys had a great time tearing my hotel room apart. It was so nice to visit with an old friend and catch up on old times.
The boys did well on the trip. It was a long flight from Tampa to LA. Then in LA we had a 3 hour layover. It was nice that they have a USO for us to hang out in. They have tons of free snacks and drinks, a kids' room to play in, tv's, and internet. They really take care of the military. Then we had a 45 minute flight from LA to Monterey. Zach slept for that trip. Too bad he didn't sleep on the 4 1/2 hour flight. But I was grateful for his nap. I didn't have to worry about him kicking the seat in front of him for a whole 45 mintues! Nathan refused to nap and watched DVD's for most of the trip.
I told Mario that he gets to take Nathan and Zachary on a vacation and I will stay home with Eric and Erin next time. When Mario goes to visit Abuela, he usually takes one of the twins, but I think he should try a plane ride with both of them! What do you think?
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