Living An Intentional Life
We had just put the kids to bed when we heard sirens and someone on a megaphone booming, “Santa Claus is on his way!” I thought we might have missed the annual neighborhood visit, so this caught us by surprise. I had the kids quickly put on their shoes, and D led them out (the stop is right in front of our house!)
n looks like he is in shock. I think he was about to fall asleep, so he had no idea what was going on.
Yesterday, it looked like it was going to rain all day. However, we took a risk and went to the Orange County Zoo with my ticket for 4 free admissions. Unintentionally, we went the day the zoo was having a special holiday event. There were crafts, and the animals received Christmas presents to open.
The animals at this zoo certainly look well-fed!
Reindeer Ring Toss. I always make D do things like this. Glad that he’s not the type to mind!
After the zoo, we walked around a bit. I asked k and n if they wanted to ride a pony ($4) for 3 times around the track. Both said no, but eventually n changed his mind. n chose to ride “Echo”.
k said maybe she would next time.
There are wild peacocks everywhere. The zookeeper said they fly into the zoo and steal the animals’ food.
I can’t remember why k is covering her ears, but it’s cute.
Friday night we went to k’s preschool Christmas performance. 
Pre-schoolers are so funny. There’s always a few performances that crack me up. One kid almost choked himself with his scarf. Another had to run off stage at the end of the song to go to the bathroom.
Saturday night was our church’s Christmas program.
Both k and n sang, but n is hidden behind the big kids. That actually turned out to be a good thing, since n decided that he wanted to flash his tummy by rolling up his shirt multiple times! I wasn’t able to get a good picture, but one may be sent to us. If so, I will be sure to post because it is hilarious.
They did an encore performance on Sunday during service. 
This blurry picture was the best I could do. We’ll see how the video came out.
That was a lot of singing for one weekend. We let the kids have a picnic dinner tonight as their advent activity. 
Yesterday D and I went to a wedding of one of my friends from high school. The kids had a sleepover at my parents’ house, since we knew we would get back late. The ceremony was at a Catholic church in Azusa.
My friend looked so beautiful, and although she is always a very happy-fun-giggly person, the joy really radiated from her yesterday.
Yeah, there’s a little bit of a height differential there, haha. Opposites attract, right?
When I looked up where the ceremony was, I became excited because I saw it was close to Glendora. The only thing I know about Glendora is that it is the home of Donut Man! I have always wanted to try this place because of all the rave reviews, but I never found myself out that way (it is located on Route 66). It ended up only being three miles away from the church, so I told D we had to stop by.
Unfortunately, it is not strawberry or peach season, so they didn’t have either of their two specialty donuts available. We picked up a small assortment and bought a couple for my parents as well. I can see why this place is so popular. Such a large variety of unique donuts. We even tried a pumpkin pie one with pumpkin pie filling piped on top. If you are ever in the Azusa/Glendora area, it is a must stop.
The reception was at a place called Imperial Palace Banquet Hall. We arrived a little early, and the parking was valet-only, so we ended up driving up and down some side streets trying to find a good place to stop. There, we came across first hand evidence of the devastation left by the wind storms of last week.
In fact, we had been planning to meet up with one of my friends that moved to Pasadena in between the ceremony and the reception, but she had been without power since Thursday, and didn’t know when it would come back. I can’t imagine what that would be like. Note to self: stock up on emergency supplies.
The banquet hall was very glitzy.
I really enjoyed the food…it was kind of Greek with hummus, eggplant, dolmas, steak, beef, and chicken kebabs. An excellent variety of food, and not the standard “wedding fare”.
First Dance
Thank Yous
Going home, I found myself becoming nostalgic for the “old days”. I also started to become sad because I thought of all the people I have lost contact with and the fact that this particular couple is living across the country now. However, I am so happy for them and their new life together.
Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel and drove to the Venetian. D was most impressed with this hotel and wants to stay here for our ten year anniversary. I, on the other hand, was quite satisfied just walking around and checking everything out.
Close up
Farther away
They were in the midst of decorating for Christmas, aka “Winter In Venice”
Inside:
D chose this cafe for breakfast. The small latte in the back was expensive, but good–very smooth.
The lobby is kind of ridiculous:
Before heading home, we made a stop at the Ethel M chocolate factory/cactus garden. I remember going here as a kid, mostly because I bought a small cactus. 
The factory is not open for tours on the weekends, but they have windows where you can see some of the process. It was a scene straight out of one of the kids’ favorite books: 
I could not help but wonder what happens to the chocolates that are deemed rejects and thrown into the plastic-lined cardboard boxes. We also noticed several chocolates on the ground. How sad.
In the store, we were each given a free chocolate disk which the kids enjoyed, of course. (Milk for the kids, Dark for the adults).
The cactus garden was decorated for Christmas:
It probably looks more impressive at night.
There is also an M&M store, which was a lot smaller, but a lot less crowded than the one in Vegas.
For lunch we stopped in Baker at the Mad Greek. It looks similar to the one in Stanton, but I am not clear on the connection. It is a lot more expensive, although the portions are somewhat bigger. I think the gyros were just under $10! The zucchini fries were not hot, and seemed like they had been sitting around. Boo. The gyros were warm, though, and two were plenty for the four of us. 
Overall, we had a nice time on our weekend getaway. It is fun to break up the every day routine.
After resting up at the hotel, we went back to the Strip. We stopped at M&M World (so crowded!) There was also an ABC store like they have in Hawaii. We bought a Hello Kitty-Las Vegas keychain for k and a poker chip keychain for n. While waiting in line to make my purchases, I was behind a Gene Simmons impersonator. Only in Vegas. We also stopped in at the Coca Cola store. I tried to order a cherry icee, but it was still mixing, so I settled for Coke flavor, even though we don’t really allow the kids to drink soda. I think the guy who rang me up gave me a free souvenir cup since my first choice wasn’t available. Anyway, this trip will be known as the first time k and n tasted Coke.
Despite their faces, they liked it. Who knows when we’ll let them have it again!
Next we headed to the Planet Hollywood hotel to eat dinner at the Earl of Sandwich. This was a Yelp! find…1527 reviews, 4.5 stars! Unheard of, but I now understand. 
These pictures do not do the sandwiches justice. We ordered a Montague and a Club sandwich. The Montague was more filling, but the kids liked the flavor of the Club better. We shared, and it was enough, partly because of our big brunch. The bread was so good! I can’t really describe it, as I have never had anything quite like it. Also, the sandwiches were a reasonable $5.99 each. If one of these restaurants opened in Southern California, I think they would do quite well. Please come to Orange County!
Back to the Bellagio to see the water show.
k’s new Skechers (early birthday present) put on a show of their own!
Afterward, we walked back to the hotel, and D was able to watch the Big Game (not that it was a good game for us).
Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend. We went to k’s preschool for our second Thanksgiving meal, ate our third Thanksgiving meal on Thursday at my parents’ house, and then had leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day. Before our big meal on Thursday, we went on a hike in Peters Canyon. The rest of the weekend we were pretty much homebodies: decorating the house for Christmas, putting together Christmas cards, watching football (D), and shopping for bargains (mostly online) (me). I’m looking forward to December/Christmas!
This is how D likes to read the newspaper.
Thankfully, it didn’t rain.
D asked if 7 locks are really necessary…
Erin, I made the pumpkin tiramisu. It turned out great! However, I accidentally used 6 oz. of coffee instead of only 2 Tablespoons…haha. I also used more ladyfingers and made it is a 9×9 pan, so it all worked out. (BTW, Sprouts is a good source for a reasonable price on ladyfingers).
k and I (D) were outside for an early morning bike ride around our neighborhood today. Since she used the balance bike, she knows how to ride her bike without training wheels; however she needs a push to get started. However today she started by herself! I was amazed. I asked her have you ever done that before?! And she said no, and at that point, realizing I had witnessed a first, I started clapping and whooping it up. Happy Thanksgiving!
Two hotels that D wanted to visit were Bellagio and Paris (yes, it has been a long time since D has been to Vegas).
D was impressed by the conservatory. It was still decorated for Autumn, which I have never seen before.
k was surprised by the talking tree.
k liked this window display.
Afterward we went across the street to the Paris hotel. 
As you may have noticed, we hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. We were trying to save our appetites for the Wicked Spoon buffet at the Cosmopolitan. (We did feed k and n granola bars and juice beforehand, however). I think we arrived around 10:15 a.m., and the line was short. (It was pretty long by the time we left). 
Swanky
It was definitely a splurge for us, at $29 per person. However, I chose it in part because both k and n were free (kids 4 and under are free). Also, I had read about how much of the food is served tapas style, or “small bites”. The presentation was so cute, and the selection of food was overwhelming. D filled up on breakfast food (pecan french toast and an omelet) so he was not able to enjoy the prime rib and lamb to their full potential. k liked the chicken and the lemon gelato (there was a wide variety of flavors). I liked the shrimp cocktail, fish, fried rice and chocolate covered strawberries (with crushed oreo). n’s favorite was probably the chocolate gelato, along with the bacon. The kalbi, which I had read good reviews of, was too tough/fatty for my taste. Overall, I enjoyed the experience, especially since I am sure it will be a while before we return.
Unfortunately, by this time, D had developed a headache, so on the way back to our hotel we made a quick stop at CVS for some advil (forgot to bring some along). We tried to rest so we could gear up for our night on the town.