The Magic No. 9

For Bella-boo,

9-years old is pretty cool.

It's not the same as if were all crazy-silly over your birthday...
afterall, it's not like your turning five or something. 

But still, nine is pretty cool...

...

We started the day off with a few treats and

a really nutritious breakfast of...

D I N G - D O N G S !

{ Remember }

You're never too old or too cool for a Ding-dong!

Later came her favorite meal:

Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes (no gravy!)

And for dessert:

A Rich Chocolate Cream Pie!

On the weekend we invited some

friends and family over for a...

! Y T R A P  Y A D H T R I B  S D R A W K C A B

{ A Backards Birthday Party}

We sent out thank you notes for invites,

ate under the table,

and then they dragged themselves around the kitchen floor. 

Not that that had anything to do with the backwards birthday theme,

but it made them happy nonetheless.



We played a roaring game of reverse musical chairs,

and ended up with 10+ girls

on one poor chair!

Our sweet treat:

Upside-down Birthday Cake with an

Upside-down Cone!

Naturally,

they needed to burn off their sugar-high,

so we took to the green space near our home for some relay races

and the hands-down favorite game,

Reverse Tag!

There's nothing funnier than seeing one girl running like crazy

from the rest of the girls who are ALL it!

...

When all was said and done,

my baby girl,

my first girl,

is one year older.

She is far more talented, beautiful, and intelligent

than I could have possibly imagined.

She is heaven-sent.

Isabella,

We love you so!

Continue in good things, sweetheart...

for it is right.

Love always,

Mum & Dad



Veteran's Day Hike on Auburn's Western States Trail: Could You Hear Iris Crying?

Just as the girl's and I promised,

we brought the whole family back to the Western States Trail

to continue our exploratory mission

and actually make it down to the water!

Being fall,

everything was exploding in golden foliage!

A perfect photo opp,

this ledge overlooks the water below

and only makes you thirst for more!

We came across this stone bench,

and it made for a perfect rest stop.

Well, almost perfect.

The cliff dropped off steeply below,

which meant I couldn't take my eyes off

Owen, Gabriel or Ava!

I think there collective goal was to give me

a heart attack.

Samuel would have helped watch them too,
but he was busy throwing rocks off the ledge.
His goal:
To hit the water.
Result:
Not even close!

The waterfall!



At one point,

we came to a cross roads.

Normally we vote,

but this time we split our party into two

to see which would provide the better access to the water.

Samuel, won.

But his pick was super-close to these creepy guys

who were hanging deep in the bushes.

We were outta there!

Mom said!

So off we went on my trail,

and though the water access wasn't as great,

it had these super cool bramble tunnels to run through.

It felt like we were in the Vietnam jungle!

Lunch was peaceful for the most part,

though I was still on edge from our earlier encounter.

All I can say is,

I'm so glad I wasn't alone with the girls!

The kids really appreciated the down time,

and like always,

each found their own nook and cranny in the rocks
and set up a temporary "house",

or in Owen's case, "space ship".

Gabriel,

he thinks we're still at home and he can easily

throw his food on the floor before picking it up again to eat it.

Unfortunately, son,

you do that here and it's covered in sand and dirt!

My handsome husband.

I love you, Samuel.

On the way there and back,

Samuel and I always carry Gabriel,

and for 95% of the time,

Owen too.

Do the math,

and that means when Iris poops out,

there's no one left to give her a ride out.

This is extrememly upsetting to her,

because you see,

she doesn't do math.

At least,

she doesn't do math well.

Because according to her calculations,

there are plenty of arms to give her a ride.



All in all,

this is exactly what we were looking for.

Not to make her cry,

but to see if she would lose it like we thought she would.

Let me explain:

This was more or less a trial run for

a more intense overnight backpacking trip

planned for Thanksgiving break.

We were on the fence as to whether she

could handle a trip like that...

and now we had our answer!

We love you, Iris!

Simple Chocolate Truffles

Easy, delicious, and to die for.

Though you may get a little messy, there's nothing better than...

Simple Chocolate Truffles

30-35 truffles

Ingredients

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghiradelli's)

3 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 c heavy cream

1 tbs light corn syrup

30-35 candy cup liners (Bonbon cups)

Flavorings (optional)

1 tbs orange extract

1 tbs raspberry extract

1 tbs almond extract

1 tbs Balsamic Vinegar

Coatings (optional)

1/2 c Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder

1/2 c Almonds, minced

1/2 c Pistachios, minced

1/2 c Minced Walnuts, toasted and minced

Directions

Microwave the chocolate and butter in a medium-sized glass mixing bowl at 20 second intervals, stirring frequently, until melted.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and corn syrup over medium heat until simmering. 

Pour over the chocolate mixture, cover, and let stand for 2 minutes.

Uncover and stir gently with a rubber spatula until the chocolate is well combined.

If using the optional flavorings, divide the chocolate mixture evenly into separate bowls and add while still warm.

Once combined, pour into flat tupperware containters, seal with a lid, and label (to tell which chocolate has what flavoring).
Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.

{I use Glad sandwich containers and prefer to let the chocolate set overnight.}

When your ready to roll...

Line a rimmed baking sheet with your candy cup liners and set nearby.

Prepare your coatings as directed and place into shallow containers. 

{Note:  The more coatings you use, the less of each coating you'll need.  Adjust accordingly so you don't over-mince!}

Using a regular teaspoon or melon-baller, scrape the chocolate towards you.

{I find the melon-baller cumbersome, but others prefer it. You decide!}

Then, using your hands, quickly shape into balls and drop into the prepared coating. 

{Remember, your balls won't be perfect.  They're slightly mis-shapen thanks to the quickly melting chocolate and the speed with which you'll need to work.  I find the suble variation in shape part of the charm!}

When you have 5-7 truffles in each coating dish, gently roll the truffles in the dish until they are completely coated.  Transfer to a candy cup liner and set to work on the rest! 

Proceed until finished and then refrigerate to set.

Truffles are best at room temperature.  When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator 30-minutes prior.

Last step?

Remember to sample one of each!

 

My Golf Pro

For our date Samuel and I decided to hit the

golf range!

 

Not being golfers ourselves,

we borrowed his brother's clubs and filled up our bucket.

 

I took one,

maybe two swings,

and then sat back to watch the show.

 

Samuel on the other hand,

I think he'd be really great golfer.

But with everything going on

(family, school, life...),

it's just not possible to

hit the greens like he'd need to to get better.

 

So this was a really nice treat for him,

and let's face it,

I needed a good laugh!

 

Granted we were facing the sun,

but every single time he hit the ball it went center-left.

 

But he always looked far right!

 

You definitely had to be there,

but it made me laugh so hard.

 

And all that laughing works up

an appetite for dinner!

 

Now eating...

that's my game!

 

 

 

The Momma, Miss ?, Invicible Girl, & Lazy Love-Bug Hike

The girls and I (well, all the girls except Iris)

spent a few hours on a Saturday scouting

a section of Auburn's Western States Trail.

It's a beautiful area,

and the access point is really easy to get to,

unfortunately I can't locate it on any map!

Luckily I have a great memory,

and later,

after all the girl fun,

we brought the whole family out.

During our trip we enjoyed some great weather,

saw a pretty cool water fall,

passed several folks who were taking their horses out for a stroll,

and almost,

almost,

made it down to the water.

Being the novice hiker that I was,

I do know one hard and fast rule:

Stick to your turn-back time!

With the sun quickly setting

and the temperature dropping,

we made the right choice!

...

It's funny. 

I wasn't too nervous heading out alone.

We've gone hiking a number of times now,

and the girls are old enough to hold their own

in terms of not having to be carried, I mean.

But Bella,

she freaks when we do anything "out of the ordinary",

and she kicked into

high-speed "question-mode" quick!

Ava,

is the complete opposite.

Life is a grand adventue and of course,

we're invincible so we can do anything, right?

Iris,

my lazy, lazy love-bug.

She hates the very thought of

using her legs for any extended amount of time

(i.e. 10 minutes),
which is why she opted to stay at home and
hang with the boys instead!

My girls,

they are all so different.

I love that!

It was a blessing to have this time with them-

well, almost all of them,

and hopefully these outings

will become a tradition that will carry on

until I need them to carry me!

 .

So exciting...

Googly Eyes, Homemade Donuts, & Creatures of the Night!

When Samuel drags in a bin from the garage,

it usually means one of two things:

We're going camping,

or it's time to decorate for a holiday!

Either way,

the kids are thrilled!

But in this case,

Samuel pulled out the Halloween bin-

and we all dug in to spook-i-fy the house!

I always puts on Halloween music,

and "Thriller" always awakens the zombies!

This year we had some old and new traditions.

For instance,

 we always carve pumpkins

roast pumpkin seeds,

and read spooky stories.

This year though,

Samuel made me a monogrammed pumpkin (I love the "E"!),

the kids ate flourescent green

Hostess Snow Balls for breakfast,

and Iris brought home her class Duck

to share in the festivities!

The not-to-be-missed event-of-the-year

(according to my kids...):

T H E  W A R D  H A L L O W E E N  P A R T Y !

 I was a little bummed that we attending without Samuel

(this semester he had class on Friday nights),

but let's face it,

I am never without company!

Tonight I, a motorcycle momma,

was escorted by my tough-guy side-kick, Gabriel,

a talented artiste (Isabella),

a blood-thirsty vampire (Ava),

Mulan (Iris),

and a rather timid pirate (Owen)!

We had a super-fun Halloween Party with the

Ramos, Lopez, & King families!

We feasted on Super-Nachos,

fresh fruit, caramel corn, & the like!

Taylor dominated Spooky Musical Chairs,

and the kids had a blast tricky-treating down

Spook Alley (a.k.a. our hallway!).

The Elmer family hosts an annual Halloween Party as well,

and part of that menu always features donuts!

Since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year,

instead of purchasing donuts,

I made them!

It was super-fun,

but very fast-paced,

and of course,

crazy-delicious-un-healthy!

Aunt Leah hosted this year,

and per prego tradition,

she was our pumpkin!

...

All in all,

when the holiday was finally over,

we were definately treated out!

It's time for some real food,

so with open arms we welcome...

T H A N K S G I V I V I N G !

A Fabulously Fabulous Thanksgiving Feast

Iris is at that wonderful care-free age where

everything about school is wonderful and exciting,

especially the holiday parties!

That,

combined with the fact that it's just her personality to

naturally G U S H over everything,

and you have the perfect storm

for a super-smiley and

very happy little girl!

The Fall Activity was one such occasion,

the perfect excuse for smiling so hard your cheeks hurt!

She looked a-dorable in her pilgrim smock,

and though she refused to wear the hat,

she gladly sat down to the feast!

Thanksgiving Menu

Popcorn

Cornbread Muffins

Pumpkin Pie

Fresh Strawberries

Apple Juice

...

Iris,

On the list of things I'm most grateful for,

you will always

-and I mean always- 

top my list!

I love you, baby girl!

Love,

Mama

Slides, Pouts, & Wet Pants

We're super fortunate to have the Fountains to explore.

You'd think after several visits it would get old,

but we love the fountains themselves,

the shops,

and of course,

all the fun play equipment!

Gabriel absolutely loves slides.

He won't go down on his own though,

but once you give him the old heave-ho

he has the time of his life!

Ava & Iris

Slide Pros

Owen

Camera-shy!

How dare you son! 

I made you!

Give me a smile, sugar-bun!

I think we'll have pictures like this until the girls are

fully grown with families all their own!

Samuel loves to play with them,

and they love to play right back!

I'm so glad he enjoys

rough-housing,

tickleing,

wrestling,

reading stories,

helping with homework,

giving hugs & kisses...

It makes for a wonderful, dad.

...

A wonderful dad with wet pants, that is!

{smile}

2010 Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

It's pumpkin time!!!

Truly one of our favorite times of the year.

Actually, Samuel and I aren't huge fans of Halloween per se,

but if we're talking about the season of the year,

that's a whole different story.

Fall...Autumn...

whatever you call it,

it's magical!

Not only does the weather change,

but all those ovens start to click on,

warm, oozy-goozy smells waft through the house,

the wool socks come out of the drawers to toast little toesies,

and everyone can finally snuggle under down blankets with

warm cinnamon cocoa!

H E A V E N !

Yet another sign that Summer is out-of-here,

is our annual visit to the pumpkin farm.

This year, we were able to get everyone out,

including Aunt Patti's family!

We visited all the favorite hot spots,

including a ride on the rails,

a run on the tires,

and stint in the jailhouse.

After exhausting the kids,

and all the grown-ups,

we hit Round Table because as everyone knows:

Pizza and pumpkins-

they just go together!

...

We also has a special occasion to commorate:

Uncle Nathan's 35th Birthday!

H A P P Y  B I R T H D A Y !

...

It was a super-fun day and

we already can't wait for next year!

My Joy School Run

As I mentioned in an earlier post,

this was the first year that we've participated in

Joy School (think, pre-school) Co-op.

Owen was our guinea pig,

and after some initial trepidation he took

to it easily.

However Owen wasn't the only one being

thrown into the deep end of the pool,

I was too!

The Co-op portion meant that I would be responsible

for teaching approximately 6-7 classes,

organizing a class field trip and class party, and

assisting for an additional 6-7 classes for another teacher.

And all with Gabriel underfoot!

Whew!

I'm tired already!

Looking back though,

the experience was really great.

The time really did fly by,

and it was fun having this barage of little ones

invade the house each week.

I read, or heard in a movie,

children referred to as,

"Ankle-biters".

I really liked the term,

and that's exactly how I'd describe these little guys!

But in a cute and endearing way,

of course!

Meet the gang!

{note}

Owen was camera shy at the moment.

My lesson theme focused on

"Bugs & Crawly Things".

It was a perfect subject for little ones,

and luckily the weather cooperated

for plenty of outdoor exploring.

It still amazes me how often we hit the jackpot

in finding all kinds of bugs in the backyard.

We lucked out by finding a huge grasshopper, praying mantis,

and fuzzy caterpillar.

Granted,

I did help some things along,

like when I thought of the brilliant idea of purchasing live

ladybugs from Green Acres Nursery.

All was well

 while the little guys were contained and snoozing

in a deep sleep in the fridge,

but of course I just had to cut open their packaging

to move them to a netted bug container.

How was I supposed to know ladybugs can easily

squeeze through tiny netted holes?

And that the moment they're removed from the fridge,

they wake up and start moving around like crazy?

Long story short,

I had another brilliant idea

and just shoved the whole mess back into the fridge

hoping everyone would settle down again.

They did,

but for weeks we found ladybugs

in odd places all over the place

(the vegetable drawer, the ceiling, etc.-)!

{note}

Did I mention each package of ladybugs contains

1,800 of the little buggers?

Busy bees!

For our class field trip we visited

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm!

We were a little stretched on time,

but if you're looking for a fall experience,

you can't beat everything this place has to offer.

You can't go wrong with any holiday party,

but come on,

Halloween is right up every kids alley!

P A R T Y  I T I N E R A R Y

D E C O R A T E  S U G A R  C O O K I E S

G A M E S

P U M P K I N  G U T S  1 0 1

M U D  &  W O R M S  P U D D I N G  C U P S

M O V I E : 

T H E  G R E A T  P U M P K I N , C H A R L I E  B R O W N

Later,

as an assistant,

we visited the Utility Exploration Center

and the Universal Playground!

All in all,

it's a relief to be done!

And though I do miss my ankle-biters,

now I get to drop off Owen and know he's having

loads of fun and learning so much too...

at someone elses house!

{smile} 

Garden Stew, Pirate Ships, & Cry-babies

Grandma Lopez' backyard is a magical, magical place!

I grew up here

making elaborate garden stews,

lop-sided pirate ships from cushions, and,

being the kind girl that I was,

making my younger cousins cry too!

Thankfully,

I'm all grown up,

and it's time for my kids to carry on the tradition!

...

Have fun kids!

And play nice!

Conference Sunday Brunch & Learning What Matters Most

When Conference Sunday rolls around,

everyone gets excited.

Yes, it means p.j.'s and a delicious brunch,

but above and beyond that is the opportunity to squish

into the couch with notepads and pen

to listen and learn at the feet of

modern day prophets.

This time around,

I was really struck by President Uchtdorf's remarks

regarding what matters most.

Of Things That Matter Most

As we turn to our Heavenly Father

and seek His wisdom regarding the things that matter most,

we learn over and over again

the importance of four key relationships:

with our God, with our families, with our fellowman, and with ourselves.

As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind,

we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way.
The eyes of our understanding will be opened,

and we will recognize what needs to be done

to purify our heart and refocus our life.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Second Counselor in the First Presidency
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

His counsel to,

"...slow down a little,

steady the course,

and focus on the essentials

when experiencing adverse conditions..."

Hits the nail on the head.

I like to think I'm level-headed and very "even-keel",

but unfortunately I know

I'm passionate and extremely emotional about

even the tiniest of things!

To say this throws me off-balance occasionally

is a huge understatement!

So what to do?

Take this counsel and run with it! 

Okay, since we're "slowing down",

how about we walk with it?

Try it on for size,

and see

what happens!

The scriptures exhort us to:

...awake, and arise from the dust,

O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments,

O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes

and enlarge thy borders forever,

that thou mayest no more be confounded,

that the covenants of the Eternal Father

which he hath made unto thee,

O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

Yea, come unto Christ,

and be perfected in him,

and deny yourselves of all ungodliness;

and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness,

and love God with all your might, mind and strength,

then is his grace sufficient for you,

that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ;

and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ,

ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ,

and deny not his power,

then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God,

through the shedding of the blood of Christ,

which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins,

that ye become holy,

without spot.

Moroni 10:31-33

I want to arise,

be strengthened,

perfected,

and certainly without spot!

And it IS possible,

through faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ,

and through following him.

...

If you'd like to check out other Conference highlights,

please visit here!

Our Whirl-wind Trip to L.A.

It's pretty amazing that the kids have a great-great grandmother,

and Grandma Lupe,

at 101 years old,

is pretty amazing herself.

Where most people would be experiencing a

mental slowdown (I get those!),

she continues to remain

lucid, active, &

understandably frustrated that her body

hasn't kept up with her mind! 

We had plans to visit her in the Summer of 2011,

but when we learned that she was experiencing serious heath problems,

we decided to move our trip up.

So...

here we go!

Gabriel

Traveling in style...

No 8-hour drive is complete without a trip to ANYPLACE
that serves burgers, fries, and, of course,

the stretch-your-legs-out-while-you-can slide!

We finally arrived and were greeted by family...

...and a big BBQ!

Carne Asada anyone?

My Grandma, Irene Lopez,

and her two brothers, Bernardo & Lico Romero.

We're in L.A. so Ava's freely flashing the gangsta signs...

Owen, Gabriel, & Grandpa Jose

Grandma Lopez and her sister-in-law Rosa (Lico's wife).

After a good night's sleep it was time for breakfast!

The girls looked beautiful in their Sunday best!

One of our favorite things to do while we're away over a Sunday,

is to visit the local ward.

It's a great opportunity to visit with the Saints,

but it does have a down side...

You see,

most of the wards we visit, like this one,

the Monrovia Ward,

are very small in size.

They take one look at our family

and are thrilled to have us as new "move-in's"!

We hate to disappoint,

especially since it's always hard to say good-bye

to our new friends!

...

After church,

we visited the hopsital to see my great-grandma Lupe.

Unfortunately,

due to hopital rules,

no one under 12 years old was allowed,

which meant that Grandma woudn't be able to see

any of her great-great grand-children!

In addition,

despite being ill of health,

she was still as stubborn as ever,

and when it came to taking pictures of us together,

she refused.

Adamantly.

Me,

being her great-grandchild afterall,

meekly complied.

And we jut sat.

Talking a little.

But mostly just holding each other's hand.

It was nice.

And sad.

And humbling.

We talk of posterity,

and taking joy in our children,

and later,

our grandchildren

(and if we live long enough: great-grandchildren!).

But she is my connection to ancestors long-since passed!

She still stands,

and we are fortunate to have five generations

of first-born daughters living:

Great-great grandma Guadalupe Romero

Great grandma Irene Cecilia Lopez

Grandma Rosa Maria Ramos

Me, Olivia Angelina Lopez Ramos Elmer

My daughter, Isabella Rose Lopez Ramos Elmer

It's amazing!

And we are blessed!.

Family IS the most important unit on earth.

And later,

I laughed as my mother and grand-mother scolded me

for not blatantly ignoring my great-grandmother's request

and taking pictures of her anyway!

{sigh}

Family!

{smile}

After our (okay, "my"),

visit to grandma,

we went back to our hotel

and Gabriel took his very first steps!

Go, Gabriel!

First steps at 15 months!

We celebrated (okay, we needed to eat too),

at "The Soup Plantation", which Bella suggested.

You can't go wrong with a place that includes dessert

at the conclusion of the meal,

and all was well,

except for the fact that a woman tripped in the restaurant

only feet away from our table and

had a terrible, terrible fall.

I saw the whole thing happen in slow motion,

and I felt so bad for her.

Needless to say,

the kids-especially Owen-were thrilled when the

Fire Department responded and took her away via ambulence!

Being Sunday

we wanted to stay away from the crowds and traditional tourist hot spots,
 so we visited the Los Angeles Temple!



This is a beautiful temple...

I'm so glad my kids are so reverent!

Samuel geting fiesty!

Owen.

Quiet.  Contemplating.  Soul-searching.

And I'm sure he's wishing he were tall enough to touch the water too!

 This scultpure was so significant to us!

We had to model it ourself!

From the street,

we saw that there was an invitation

to visit the newly remodeled Temple Visitors' Center.

What an experience!

The new exhibits and features were fantastic and we

had a great time exploring.

We left at dusk,

catching another stunning view of the temple.

Since we were in Santa Monica we hit the

Santa Monica Beach!

Being quite a bit away from the pier,

we had very little light.

That made Gabriel a little weary of the surf

that he could hear,

but not see!

Okay, he officially decided he hated the beach!

Sand Angels!

{note}

Iris and I are missing from this shot.

We were scouring the pitch-black beach for her

flip-flips that she kicked off "I don't know where!".

Yes, they're still out there somewhere!

So,

since we were in the area and all,

we made a surprise proposal to the kids.

Seeing as Christmas was just around the corner,

they could opt for an early gift now
(i.e. A Day at Disneyland),

or have regular gifts from mom and dad at Christmas.

{note}

 Santa would still bring gifts as usual,

but mom and dad would be off the hook. 

Of course all you parents realize that's not really a deal at all...
but we wanted to go to Disneyland too!

...

Needless to say,

we found ourselves bounding towards

"The Happiest Place on Earth"

in the beloved carpool lane!

We made it!

And for the first time in our life we were actually early!

And so was everyone else!

And did I forget to mention that at 9:30 in the morning

it was already blazing hot?

Part of the Disneyland deal

was that if you're old enough to ride it:

You're riding it!



That's why these girls are taking their first twirl on

Space Mountain!

Iris and I were up next,

and I had to laugh because of all the times to ride that ride,

it had to be near Halloween when Space Mountain

was converted to Ghost Galaxy!

Iris survived,

but just barely!

The Orbiter

Alot tamer,

and something the whole family could enjoy!

The Matterhorn is next!

Woo-hoo!

All smiles...

... and no smiles.

Waiting for that Splash Mountain Fast Pass to activate!

Can you figure out which one is Poo vs. Pooh?

{smirky smile}

We never tire of hill-billy humor {it's Samuel's roots!),

or the awesome chicken and fries at the Golden Horseshoe!

Another fave:

The Jedi Knight Academy

Exception:

Gabriel was intent on breaking the number one rule.

"Don't cross the blue line!"

Once the action started,

he wouldn't budge from Samuel's lap.

I think he remained motionless froms start to finish!

The mandatory photo in front of the castle!

...

At this point in the day,

we realized that the crowds were thinning significantly.

The heat was unbearable,

and that meant...

Everyone...

...could have...

...their own cup!

Augh.

I really, really, really, really, r-e-a-l-l-y
hate the Carousel at Disneyland.

Come on!

It's something you could ride on at the mall,
for Pete's sake!

But Owen,

my beloved Owen,

does not care about such things...

And neither did anyone else!

Owen, I really, really, really, really, r-e-a-l-l-y love you, son!

I have to admit,

I feel the same about Toon Town too!

It's just a big blob of plastic!

But what are you going to do?

As you can see,

we had a great, great time!

Disneyland is definitely a classic.

...

Later though,

we learned that L.A. had broken a record for the hottest day yet:

113 degrees!

No wonder we melted...

and no wonder people went home early!

Heading back, we decided to take another route:

I-5

That was a horrible decision and

we will never make that mistake again!

We met some interesting characters on the way back,

and now I'm extremely grateful for doorlocks

and a sizable husband

(I always loved him but now I appreciated his man-size :).

Rest stops:

Good for restrooms and getting the wiggles out!

Our final stop before home:

The Harris Ranch

For about five-seconds Samuel and I contemplated

visiting this resort for a weekend,

and then we realized that as nice as it was,

it was still in the middle of no-man's land

and we had no desire to return-

no matter how good the beef!

...

By the time we reached home,

Grandma Lupe was released from the hospital.

As of now,

she's doing great and will soon celebrate her

102 birthday in March!