 |
Guitar & Pen |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Info | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Thoughts on just about everything from rock-n-roll, sports, kids, to geek speak -- by John Bullock About John Subscribe to this blog  |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Archives | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 September 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Wednesday, September 29, 2004 |
|
San Diego - Day 4 (Wednesday) | |
|
||
|
||
|
Wednesday was Mommy and Daddy's favorite day. We spent the entire day at the San Diego Zoo. It's reputation preceded it but it was everything it is cracked up to be. The day got off to a good start. I mentioned the big cost for Legoland and Sea World was the same. The zoo wasn't as bad but it was even better as there was a local lady that was going in and asked if Suzanne would like to get in free on her membership as a guest. We were all over that like white on rice. I will have to remember that next time we go to the Denver Zoo as we have a family membership and can take a guest in as well. Another cost savings feature were the refillable souvenir cups. We bought two (one filled with pink lemonade for the kids to share, and another filled with Diet Coke for big people to share). The first thing we did was hop on the double-decker bus tour. Alex was somewhat bored but said he enjoyed it. Lindsay definitely enjoyed herself. Even without the animals the zoo is very beautiful. There was a large number of different kinds of trees, flowers, and other assorted plants. I think we saw just about all the animals but some of them stood out a little more than others. Our favorites included the giant pandas, leopards, jaguars, and polar bears. As I mentioned previously, I didn't use my camera until we got to the zoo. However, I made of for lost time and took 125 pictures (no Mom, there were no photos of reproducing animals). I love digital cameras because you can throw out the crappy pictures and it doesn't cost you a single penny.. Although it was pretty short, we also rode on the SkyRide which was basically a gondola that rode across the park from above. That night for dinner, we went to Casa Guadalajara. The food was pretty decent as well as the margaritas :) I had Mango Chipotle Chicken as well as a mango margarita. The waiter was very friendly and definitely catered to the kids. After dinner, we did a little swimming at the hotel pool before calling it a night. I'm including just a couple of the zoo photos that I thought were good or were pictures of our favorites.  Nothing special about the camel, I just thought this was a nice photo.  Elephant's at play.  Polar bear playing ball.  Tiger plotting his escape.  Mother and baby pandas eating a late afternoon snack.  The jaguar that came out just to see us.  The view of downtown San Diego from the SkyRide. |
|
|
||
|
|
San Diego - Day 3 (Tuesday) | |
|
||
|
||
|
Tuesday was Sea World. Although the kids had a great time, they later said it was not what they expected (in a good way). We did quite a bit. We hit the following attractions:
The kids each got the pressed pennies as well as a toy helicopter for Alex and a Shamu purse for Lindsay. That night for dinner we went to Sammy's Woodfired Pizza which had some excellent za. We had their signature dessert for a treat. It is called a the Messy Sundae which has all your typical sundae ingredients except that the glass that it is served in is drenched chocolate as well as the nuts so the outside is as messy as the inside. Our goal for the trip was to have ice cream every day and I think this was my favorite! |
|
|
||
|
Monday, September 27, 2004 |
|
California Drivers | |
|
||
|
||
|
I did want to make a couple of observations about the California drivers. The first is that they drive very fast. I remember this when I went to California in 7th grade with my Mom and brother. Another item is they don't user turn signals. Additionally, we found that it was very common for drivers to be talking (on the phone) while driving. I always complain about people driving and talking in Denver, but I have to admit it is not even close to the amount of people we saw doing it in California. It got to the point where we would joke if we saw somebody that was NOT on their phone while driving. One final thing was that Suzanne said it was hard to navigate. She is always an excellent navigator but for whatever reason she had several miscues there. | |
|
||
|
|
San Diego - Day 2 (Monday) | |
|
||
|
||
|
Monday was probably the day that we got up the earliest. As we were all exhausted from our early departure on Sunday, we went to bed early. After our free breakfast, we packed up and headed for Legoland. It was one of the longest drives of the trip and it was only about 40 minutes. We also saw the longest line of the trip on our very first ride. It was only about 15 minutes and I think it was just because it was the first ride inside the entrance that people could ride so everyone just went to it. We rode the same ride later in the day and just walked right on. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Legoland, it is an amusement park for younger children (it is advertised as 2-12 but it would be best between 4 and 10). They have lots of rides as well as tons of things all over the park built out of Legos. During our day we did the Fairy Tale Brook, Legoland Express, Coast Cruise, Safari Trek, Lego Sky Patrol (2x), Flight Squadron, Skipper School, The Royal Joust, Sky Cruiser (2x), Aquazone Wave Racers, Kid Power Towers (2x), Bionicle Blaster, and Volvo Jr. Driving School (2x). In addition to all of the rides there were attractions and play areas that we did including Dig Those Dinos, Musical Fountain, Playtown, Lego Factory Tour, and The Hideaways - Knights Kingdom. Although we drank and had some snacks, we never stopped for lunch as the kids were having too much fun to slow down for long. There was one snack booth that Suzanne read about before hand that she had to visit because they served Granny's Apple Fries. It is one of the those treats that is a must have before you die. I think they are unique to Legoland though so get your kids or grandkids and get them to take you there! I was definately shocked at the cost of admission. Suzanne prepared me and even printed a $5.00/person off coupon but that didn't make it any easier. If you have the time, try to look at some of the photos of the Lego sculptures as they were absolutely amazing! The kids said this was their favorite place to visit on the entire trip. That night for dinner we went to the Corvette Diner. It is a 50's style diner that has the music and attitude of the time. It was only about 5 minutes away from the hotel. First thing after we got our table, the waitress, Mary Jane, came up and threw about 30 straws all over us and the table and asked for our drink orders. The kids and Suzanne all got milk shakes and I got a local microbrew, Corvette Pale Ale. They had a DJ playing music the entire time. At one point, all the servers did a dance through the entire restaurant. Before we left, the we got showered again with Bazooka Jo bubble gum. The kids really liked this place and were asking to go again by the end of the trip. The food was good and the atmosphere lots of fun so we would definately recommend it to others. Needless to say, it was a long, hot and busy day so we all slept well again. p.s. I have not included any photos because I intentionally left my camera behind the first couple of days because I didn't want to deal with it on the rides and such. I didn't break it out until day 4 when we went to the zoo. However, Suzanne did take her old fashioned camera so we will have prints eventually. |
|
|
||
|
|
San Diego - Day 1 (Sunday) | |
|
||
|
||
|
Our trip to San Diego was excellent. Only a few minor annoyances to deal with but overall we had a great trip. We left home about six in the morning on Sunday so that we could get to the airport in time. The kids are not typically early risers but they both got up easily as they were very excited to go! After arriving in San Diego and getting our rental car, we headed down to Seaport Village. You can guess it is along the waterfront and is shopping and dining. We had a good lunch at the San Diego Pier Cafe as well as walked around to a lot of the shops. We didn't buy anything (yet) though. We were all getting tired and it was getting close to being able to check-in to our hotel, so we decided to head to Target to get snacks and drinks for the week. Our hotel room had a mini kitchen with fridge so we could keep stuff there. We packed a soft sided cooler in one of our suit cases so we could take could drinks with us each day and save on cost a bit. Another thing we bought at Target was Benedryl. On Saturday, I mowed and trimmed before we left and felt what I though was an ant bite. I just brushed the bug away (without looking at it) and kept going. However, Sunday my arm was all swollen and was very itchy. After Target, we headed to our hotel. We stayed at the Mission Valley Residence Inn. We were very happy with our room. We booked the Kids Suite which meant that the kids had had their own room with a bunk bed, play table and television (not that they would ever have time to watch TV). It was very centrally located to everywhere we wanted to go. It also had a free breakfast every morning. It was better than your regular continental breakfast. It had your normal items such as cereal, juice, fruit, etc. It also had toast, bagels, scrambled eggs, a waffle bar, yogurt, and daily specials including pancakes, french toast, and biscuits and gravy. After we settled into the hotel we went swimming at the pool and went to dinner at Islands restaurant. Food was fine and the kids got free sundaes. We were all very tired after the long and busy day so crashed almost immediately that night. |
|
|
||
|
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 |
|
Weekend as a Single Parent | |
|
||
|
||
|
FridaySaturdaySunday |
|
|
||
|
Monday, September 13, 2004 |
|
Perfect Weekend? | |
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
|
Tuesday, September 07, 2004 |
|
Labor Day Weekend | |
|
||
|
||
|
My Mom pointed out this weekend that I had not posted anything to my blog for a while. So I figured I would let everyone know about the excitement that filled our holiday weekend. Suzanne and the kids were off on Friday so we were able to take the kids to the Denver Broncos (preseason) game on Thursday night. I've taken our son a couple of times but this was our daughter's first time. We always take light rail down to the game to avoid the crowds and parking fees. We got to the game without event but getting into the stadium would not prove to be as easy and uneventful. Apparently, "they" decided to start strictly enforcing the size restrictions for all bags allowed into the stadium. I had my backpack that I have taken to just about all other Rockies and Broncos games in the past. Although my bag easily fit in their box used to check the size, they said I was no permitted to squish it down (it was too tall). I thought the guy was just being a jerk, so I went to different entrance of the stadium to try again. Same results. I also saw several other people encounter the same treatment. So after getting rejected the second time, I asked what I could do with the bag. He said it would be easiest if I left it in my car. When I quickly and gruffly informed him that I took the train, he said I could check my bag for the duration of the game for the bargain price of $2.00. So I unloaded the bag along with my $2.00 and carried everything in, expect the backpack itself, and went on to the watch the game. So I'm not sure what they accomplished outside of making my life a little more difficult (I still took all the same stuff in). I wouldn't even have minded that much if they had got the word out through the press before hand that they were going to start strictly enforcing these regulations so I could have taken an acceptable bag. After work Friday night, we went out to dinner at Dewey's American Grill. Unfortunately, it was the first day for our waitress which meant that service was terrible. Everyone around us had the manager come over and give them discounts. She would disappear for long periods of time, forget to bring things we asked for, and screw up our order. We did our best to maintain patience and understanding but it was difficult as she really didn't seem to care. I got up on Saturday and mowed, trimmed, and picked up dog poop in the yard. We then went out to lunch at Ted's Montana Grill. We did a some shopping for Suzanne and me afterwards at Eddie Bauer and then went to 3 Day Blinds to get a window shade for our daughters bedroom. The kids have been sharing the same room up until this point but we are ready for them to be in separate rooms now (more on that later). I'm not sure why they call it 3 Day Blinds as we've never received any of our blinds in 3 days from them. ;) I started doing laundry Saturday as well showered with the kids. Dinner Saturday night was at Red Lobster. After we put the kids to bed on Saturday night, we watched Part I, Disc I of the HBO series, Band of Brothers. It is a series about a airborne platoon during WWII and their experiences. I had seen a little of it before when it was showing on HBO and enjoyed it so decided I would rent all of the videos from Netflix. On Sunday, we were going to have Suzanne's parents over for dinner, but due to our laziness, we decided to go out with them for dinner. So, I decided to get to work on converting our daughters new bedroom from a storage area to a working child's bedroom. This meant hauling everything out (which was a lot!), vacuuming, steam cleaning, vacuuming again, moving and assembling the new bed, and moving all the rest of the furniture back in. Definitely an all day project to say the least. We went to Chinatown Super Buffet 2 for dinner with Suzanne's parents. It was OK, nothing we will rush back to but something we won't avoid either. Our son was very proud because he tried a new food, kiwi. I had tried to get him to have it several times before but he was not willing previously. He definitely liked it and made Suzanne buy some more at the grocery store on Monday! Sunday night, Suzanne and I watched Part II, Disc I of Band of Brothers. Monday was more like a normal Sunday. Suzanne went grocery shopping while I did laundry and cleanup. However, most of the cleanup I did meant moving a lot of the kids stuff we had let them keep downstairs into their bedrooms. It will be nice having all their toys in their rooms and knowing if they are messy, we will just close their doors. We took the kids to the political rally at the park (see my "monkey" story), went to dinner, then came home and showered and got the kids to bed early so they would be rested up for Kindie Enrichement (they are off track now so no kindergarten until the end of the month). I know this all sounds like a thrill a minute, but it is enough to keep us busy. Our daughter is beginning ballet again today, while our son's t-ball is scheduled to complete this week. Then off to San Diego on the 19th! |
|
|
||
|
|
True Story | |
|
||
|
||
|
We took the kids to a political party this weekend (mostly to let Grandma show off her wonderful grandkids) and afterwards, they were asking questions. They wanted to know why there was a party. Was it Grandma's birthday? Suzanne and I explained that it was a group of people that did not want George Bush to be President any more. Our daughter asked if he would be sad because people didn't want him to be president any more. There were quite a few other questions as well. Then, out of the blue, she asked, "Is George Bush a monkey?". It was all that Suzanne and I do not to start laughing hysterically, but not wanting our daughter to feel bad, we explained, again, about how he is the president (and not a monkey, at least in the literal sense). | |
|
||