k will always be our best Christmas present, and we celebrated her tenth birthday a couple of weeks ago. She invited some friends to see the movie SING and then we ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A.
Ten years has flown by!
Merry Birthday k!
Odysseo by Cavalia
We hope everyone had a lovely Christmas yesterday. I am determined to catch up with posts by the end of the year. Earlier this month D and I had the opportunity to use VIP tickets to the equestrian show Odysseo that my dad had won through the OC Register. He and my mom even included free overnight babysitting for our kids on a weeknight!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BNf4ExZjd-0/
Our VIP tickets included dinner and intermission dessert buffets, so you know D and I took full advantage of that!
The food was an interesting mix, with Mediterranean, Indian, and Italian flavors, along with beef and shrimp.
Unfortunately, but understandably, photography was not allowed during the show. However, the stunts done by both the riders/dancers and horses were truly spectacular. The set was amazing too. The guy behind us kept making comments such as “WHOA!”, “NO WAY!”, “WHAT THE?!”, which was pretty funny. All in all, it was a unique, memorable experience!
Field Trip Idea: In-N-Out Tour
Last month n’s cub scout den went on a behind-the-scenes tour of our local In-N-Out. k had missed this tour when her Girl Scout troop went, so it was nice that she was able to go too. I was also fortunate to be one of the chaperones this time, so I was able to take pictures, learn about the company, and eat!
We met before the restaurant opened, so we had the place to ourselves.
The Fry-O-Lator!
Each kid had a turn at the potato-cutting machine.
It was hard work!
Working the potato peeling machine.
I felt like they should provide some goggles, or something, to the woman who was hand-slicing the onions. She was really tearing up!
We learned some fun factoids. One was that many In-N-Outs have two crossed palm trees outside to symbolize the cross. I know we always look for the hidden Bible verse printed under the cups and fries.
Standing in line to order. Each person could order a hamburger or cheeseburger, fries and a drink!
Keiki Gospel Hula
k has been busy practicing and presenting with her hula team at church. They did a presentation for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. These pictures are from the Thanksgiving presentation. I really wish I could post video, but that is not allowed! The choreography to a Hawaiian version of “O Holy Night” is my favorite of all the songs she has done so far.
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Fall AYSO Season in the Books!
After playing Irvine Slammers for a couple of seasons, we decided to try out AYSO for n. He ended up with great coaches and team and it was a really positive experience for him. I enjoy watching n play soccer because he has so much fun and plays hard. As a forward he was able to score several goals and made some key assists. I must admit that I am relieved not to have two weekday practices a week anymore…until next season, that is!
Receiving his trophy at the end of season party.
Halloween 2016
It feels really ridiculous to be blogging about Halloween in December, but I k and n’s costumes need to be recorded for posterity.
Meet Winking Emoji and Captain Rex.
“T.O.!”
Annual neighborhood parade around the pool.
Loved this Chicken & Waffles costume!
Cabrillo National Monument
After our tour of the Midway was over, we took a short trip to Cabrillo National Monument.
The kids worked on their junior ranger badges.
Being sworn in. They actually earned the 100th year special edition wooden pins, so that was exciting. They had run out of them when we went to Yosemite.
We took a short hike around the tide pools, but the tide was high so there was not much to be seen.
We finished our trip with a picnic at Ocean Beach after we picked up Hodad’s.
USS Midway Tour–Sunday Morning
At 6 a.m. sharp we were awakened by a voice alarm and we had fifteen minutes to pack up our belongings and get ready for breakfast. No time for messing around!
We had a hearty breakfast…it may have filled us up more than dinner!
We continued our tour up on the flight deck.
It was so nice to be up there with the sunrise.
Our tour guide said the most important thing in this room was the coffee pot.
This display is relatively new and is quite impressive.
We also went up to the Bridge.
Even though k was one of the few girls, she was a good sport. I’m glad that she was able to come along for this experience.
Captain’s quarters.
All of these wires made me marvel at the construction of this ship.
This was the Ladies’ Restroom situation, in case anyone is curious.
This was the situation in the men’s restroom, which is pretty gross if you ask me.
I do not want to end this series on that note, so I will leave you with this:
After the tours, we all gathered together for a final meeting. We were regaled with heroic stories about the USS Midway that the guides proudly referred to as “Midway Magic”. However, the most important lesson we learned, and which we chanted throughout our stay, was that, “Freedom is: Not Free!”
Incidentally, D and I were inspired to re-watch Top Gun upon our return. We wanted to show the kids some parts of the movie, but only a few minutes were appropriate for them. I cannot believe that movie was rated PG!
USS Midway Tour–Saturday Night
The tour took place both on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The tour was broken into about twelve parts, and each part was led by a different person. Everything was run on time and efficiently, just what you would expect from a naval operation.
Going into a life raft was one of my favorite parts of the tour. Being inside the raft really made us think about how difficult it would be to be inside with 25 grown men and only rations to eat.
We also learned about the Nixie torpedo defense system.
The boys thought this mannequin was making ice cream!
We all took turns crawling through the escape hatch to the tour guide’s lower right.
Next it was time for a snack of milk and cookies! Afterward we headed up to the flight deck…too bad we missed the sunset.
By this time, we were ready for bed. However, there were only two more rotations so we decided to stick it out.
Marines’ Quarter. They used to watch movies on VHS here.
Not much room for personal belongings!
This guy was an entertaining storyteller. His part of the tour was actually quite sad though, as he told us about the two men who died aboard the ship.
I think the tour ended around 9:30 p.m. and we were in bed by around 10:00 p.m. Lights out was strictly enforced and everyone fell asleep pretty quickly despite the tight quarters.
Spending the Night on the USS Midway, Part I
The weekend right after we went to Yosemite we went down to San Diego with some of n’s cub scout pack. We considered taking the train down, but opted to drive instead since we wanted to do some sightseeing on our own the next day.
We paid $10 for overnight parking and walked around a bit since we were a little early. Our tour did not start until 5:00, after they closed the ship to the public.
We walked around the aircraft carrier and were amazed at its enormity.
These mannequins were kind of creepy.
There were some other impressive boats along the waterfront as well.https://flic.kr/p/NJc6YG
I am not sure why I have a fascination with pay phones, but this “Free Calls” sticker caught my eye.
The last time we were in San Diego we ate at Carnitas’ Snack Shack. We noticed they have a waterfront location, so we stopped for some soft serve. It was nothing special, but a nice treat.
Then we queued up in front of the ship by pack number. There were several other packs attending, but the group did not seem overwhelming given the size of the ship.
Upside down rainbow in the sky.
Cleverly designed bike rack.
We lined up by squadrons, listened to introductions and rules, pledged allegiance to our flag, and were sent off to the make up our bunks in ten minutes. We were only to bring back flashlights, cameras and jackets.
The beds or “racks” were stacked three high. Adults were to sleep in the middle, and kids were to sleep on the bottom. Since we had four people, we occupied one row, so no one else was sleeping right next to us, which was nice.
Getting situated took some serious maneuvering.
There was not much head clearance at all, as you can see.
Some people were sent straight to eat dinner, but our group had a short scavenger hunt to complete first.
We then climbed down our first out of many steep flights of stairs to get our “Navy chow”.
Our main course was chicken breast with bbq sauce. I think everything else is self-explanatory. D was a little disappointed that the adult portions were the same as the kids’. Our kids must have been hungry and ate it up without complaint.
After dinner there was a little time for self-guided exploration.
Then, we were ordered back in our squadron lines, and our official tour was to begin!