Week 27

Welcome back and happy July.  Really? It's July?!  Wow!  I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Ours was nice and relaxing and much cooler than it has been so pretty wonderful all around.  We're happy to have Tyler back and are looking forward to a short week before starting our family summer trip.  Never a dull moment.

Until then, here's a look at last week's pictures:

Day 179- Monday, 6/27/16

Justin's  favorite thing after spending a few hours at tennis club is to unwind playing his video games.  This is where I can find him most afternoons.  Meanwhile down in Central America Tyler and his group have crossed the border into Nicaragua where they will spend the next few days.  They were happy to see the ocean and find this beautiful beach near Grenada.

Day 180- Tuesday, 6/28/16

Our heatwave continues and of course the afternoons are the worst so we find different ways to cool down.  Today we busted out our favorite popsicles called OutShine--100% juice and oh so good.  Tyler is also experiencing warmer weather and finally seeing blue skies and more sunshine.  Today they toured Grenada by horse drawn carriage and then headed out on Las Isletas (Lake Nicaragua) for a boat excursion where they saw some wild howler monkeys.  You can see one on the rocks just to the left of the group.

Day 181- Wednesday, 6/29/16

Work, work, and more work.  Summers are always the busiest in the lab, but I don't mind because we usually have the most interesting projects going on then.  I am trying to tie up a few loose ends before heading out on a week long vacation.  Speaking of vacation this is the last touring day for Tyler's group on their trip.  It was pretty windy and rainy on their hike this morning in Masaya Volcano National Park so they didn't stay long but as you can see still had great fun.  They also hit up the craft markets and later went to a local school to donated some supplies for them.  Tyler said the kids were super excited to have visitors.

Day 182- Thursday, 6/30/16

It's an exciting day.  My boy is coming home and it's hard to wait all day for his return, but I distracted myself this afternoon and evening by walking the dog and taking some pictures of the pretty wild sunflowers that are growing all over our area.  Nothing says summer quite like a pretty sunflower.  Tyler's group started home at 3 am this morning, made back to the states around 9 am, and then had a 7 hour layover in Texas--ouch!  But by late evening they were finally all home in Sacramento and we were all really happy to have them back.  What a great experience they had.  I'd like to thank Lindsay, Brett and Tyler for keeping me happy by sending pictures throughout their journey and also Donna for keeping me well informed.

Day 183- Friday, 7/1/16

It's July 1st!  Brandon is chilling in the pool with his new donut floaty and agreed to hold my monthly marker since July is his birthday month.  I also got to look through Tyler's stuff from is trip.  I should have taken a picture of all the laundry that exploded in his room after unpacking but I forgot.  He didn't bring back many souvenirs but did get some new stamps in his passport, some coffee with a mug for us, and a $24 pair of Nike shoes from Nicaragua.  LOL!  That is so him and the funniest part is his shoes were missing one lace. At least that's an easy fix.

Day 184- Saturday, 7/2/16

Yay for the weekend and a 3-day weekend at that!  The boys and I made some homemade ice cream to add to our weekend feasting.  We made strawberry, cookies and cream, and chocolate peanut butter cup.  So fresh and so good.

Day 185- Sunday, 7/3/16

Bella is making a new friend.  Justin walked Gracie the neighbor dog while her family is away and I walked Bella.  They were both a little too excited at first but then just clicked and did really well together.  It was hot out though so they needed many shade breaks.

That wraps up another fantastic summer week.  I can't believe there is only this one short week left until our family's summer vacation trip.  By the time we return there will only be 1 month left before school starts again.  Crazy!

Week 26

Welcome back.  Here we are in the last week of June.  I can't believe the 4th of July is coming up and quick!  This summer is really moving fast.  I did feel like last week was at a much slower pace though and it finally felt like we got into the grove of our new schedule.  I'm all for the slower pace and the free weekends where we can hang with friends and just have fun.  That will be my summer goal.  I hear from Tyler almost everyday when the internet for him allows and it sounds like he's having a fantastic time on his trip.  He sends me a few picture here and there along with the group leader and some of the other kids so I'll share what I can.  That being said . . . 

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 172- Monday, 6/20/16

Justin wasn't feeling well this afternoon and buried himself under a blanket to sleep off a headache.  It might be the heat.  At least he woke up feeling much better.  In other news, it's a full travel day for Tyler's group as they make their way to Costa Rica.  Two flights and one long bus ride later they have arrived and are ready to start exploring tomorrow.  The map shows their stops and how many nights they will stay at each place.

Day 173- Tuesday, 6/21/16

Target ICEEs for the win on this super hot day.  We've hit triple digits again so a nice cold treat was in order.  Tyler, on the other hand, is enjoying cooler tropical temps in Costa Rica with sporadic rain.  He sent me this picture of Poas Volcano they got to see after visiting a coffee plantation this morning.  It was Tyler's first time trying coffee and he said it was ok with sugar.  Their leader, Brett, also sent a picture of the kids using a super large leaf to shelter from the rain.  These are found in the vegetation all around the volcano's crater.  How fun for them!

Day 174- Wednesday, 6/22/16

I used to get these National Geographic KIDS magazines when I was younger and loved them as much as Brandon does.  It's always a happy day when a new one shows up in the mail.  Why is he in a blanket with this heat?  Because "it's cozy with the air condition on."  Meanwhile, Tyler went on a chocolate tour at Tirimbina Biological Reserve that included them crossing a suspension bridge.  The picture shows them learning about the processing required to get the chocolate from the cocoa beans.  Later the group went whitewater rafting on the Sarapiqui River which he really enjoyed.

Day 175- Thursday, 6/23/16

In this heat I don't feel like cooking or even eating much.  It's just too hot so a nice cool steak salad hit the spot for diner.  Continuing on with Tyler's travels, the group experienced a canopy zip-line tour this morning and then enjoyed some hot springs in the Renal region before returning to the hotel for dinner and a night walk.  He sent this picture of a couple frogs they saw on their walk.  So cool and colorful!

Day 176- Friday, 6/24/16

Summer tennis club is in full effect and Justin has his matches with other school clubs on Fridays this year.  The most important thing in this heat is to stay hydrated.  Thank goodness he's all over that.  Hopefully Tyler is keeping well hydrated too as they hike and hike and hike in Central America.  Lindsay sent some great picture of the amazing foliage they are seeing.  Aside from hiking they also went kayaking on Lake Arenal and visited an organic farm where they got to taste some of the food made from there.

Day 177- Saturday, 6/25/16

It's time for dinner out with the Wongs and a little wine tasting.  Hello weekend!  Later Tyler's group leader, Brett, sent me this picture of Tyler hiding in the base of a jungle tree.  He's such a nut but I'm glad he's having fun being a nut in another country.  This was at Rincon de la Vieja national park in the Gunacaste area.  Unfortunately their group and another traveling with them all got sick from possibly bad chicken the night before.  30 people in all were affected but thankfully it was short lived and they were fine the next day.  It's all part of the adventure!

Day 178- Sunday, 6/26/16

These guys have the right idea!  The perfect place to be today is in the pool.  Hot, hot, hot is all we have in our forecast for the next week.  Tyler is also hitting the water but at the beach and is seeing bluer and clearer skies on his trip.  Today they snorkeled in near Palo Verde National Park.  It's still much cooler there than here--lucky bum.

That's it for now. Check back next week to see how we are continuing to handle the heat and to see more of Tyler's travel adventures.  He'll be home Thursday night.

Week 25

Happy Tuesday!  It seems like I blink and the next week is already here.  We're expecting triple digits again this week so stay cool out there.  It's been so nice not having to deal with homework and school functions plus we have no swim meets practice this summer which frees our evenings up all our weekends.  Wow! What a treat that has been.  We're still getting used to the new camp schedules during work hours but that won't take much longer especially now that basketball camp is over.

Here are the pictures from last week:

Day 165- Monday, 6/13/16

Brandon has basketball camp with the UC Davis basketball team for the next 4 days so he'll be my carpool buddy.  I had to adjust my work schedule to fit his camp hours which meant going in later and coming home later.  It's the coming home later that's hard.  I miss having those afternoon hours to run errands and prep dinner.  He's excited though and happy to be learning more about basketball from the college pros.

Day 166- Tuesday, 6/14/16

These Lily of the Nile flowers are now blooming in my front yard.  They remind me of exploding fireworks especially how they rise up above all the other plants. We also have some purple ones out back by the pool.

Day 167- Wednesday, 6/15/16

 Justin bikes to tennis club each morning which also just started this week.  He's happy to see a lot of friends there and had some good matches his first couple days.  I'm happy to hear HE finally feels like he is improving.

Day 168- Thursday, 6/16/16

*Blink* and it's the last day of basketball camp already.  The parents got to attend the last 30 minutes to see the kids play some games which was nice.  Brandon learned some new skills and is eager to join a winter league this year and hopefully play on the middle school team.  He's exhausted though.  7 hours of basketball for 4 straight days is A LOT especially for a kid that really only shoots around sometimes.  He pretty much went straight to bed and took a nap when we got home and there we found Justin looking out a window pondering life.  LOL!  He had no tennis today so was home by himself.  At least he snapped out of his trance and proceeded to tell me how he played with the cat all day and went for a bike ride and did some weight lifting to workout.  He cracks me up!

Day 169- Friday, 6/17/16

TGIF!  John got home early and did what he does best on Fridays--mix drinks and mix tunes. We're looking forward to a slow weekend.

Day 170- Saturday, 6/18/16

I was futzing around in the backyard as I often do on weekends when I stumbled upon this beautiful blue dragonfly.  I literally stood up from pulling a weed and saw it right there at eye level as close as could be.  I've always believed dragonflies are a sign of good luck and I'll take it.  Earlier I spent a great deal of time helping Tyler pack for a big international trip and stressing over what he needs and how he'll cope so I needed this.  It will be ok.  He'll be fine and will have blast.  The timing of this beautiful creature in my presence couldn't have been more perfect.  It truly put me at peace--right after I ran for my phone and snapped a picture of course ;0)

Day 171- Sunday, 6/19/16

Happy Father's Day!  The boys and I made John a nice big breakfast in the morning and in the evening we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to have dinner while watching the big game.  Sadly the Warriors could not pull off a win, but we still had a good day and enjoyed our time together.  Later that night (like much later) we dropped Tyler off at the airport for a red-eye flight to Costa Rica.  He'll be there and in Nicaragua for 10 days traveling with a school group for a grand adventure.  Talk about a super long and full day!

Wait!  One more:

June's Family Photo

We had to squeeze this one in early since Tyler is leaving the country today and will not be back until late on June 30th.




Ok!  All done!  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week.

Week 24

It's Tuesday again and welcome. Last week was pretty low key and relaxing aside from a few appointments I had made months ago popping up on me.  I didn't have a chance to get them on my calendar so thank goodness for reminder calls.  It was a much cooler week too with a good delta breeze blowing in that was greatly appreciated.  This week is the start of tennis club for Justin and basketball camp for Brandon so it's time to shift to a new normal and adjust schedules accordingly.

Here's how last week looked:

Day 158- Monday, 6/6/16

We were on the hunt for some basketball shoes in a particular color, of a certain brand, and in his size.  After 3 stores we finally scored and Brandon found the shoes he'll need for camp next week.  Now he needs to start breaking them in.  They look so big.  I can't believe he wears a men's 7 1/2 now.  My baby is growing up!

Day 159- Tuesday, 6/7/16

Even though school is out we still had the swim banquet to do.  I guess orders for the awards were placed a little late so the items didn't come in until after school was out which is a shame because the majority of the kids could not make it since they were either working or out of town on vacation. Luckily even though Tyler worked today it was an early shift so he was there but was the only senior that could be.  That's so sad.  Look at Nick's dad though.  Haha!  Nick was working so he went up for his son and played the part.  What a ham!

Day 160- Wednesday, 6/8/16

Today was full of those appointments I spoke of (three to be exact) and no good pictures came of that so later I spent some time in the backyard enjoying the new flowers in bloom.  They are all happy we seem to be done with the super hot weather and I'm happy to see more color in my yard again.

Day 161- Thursday, 6/9/16

There is nothing on TV right now except reruns but Justin doesn't mind especially if it's the Big Bang Theory.  That's one of his favorite shows and of course Sheldon is one of his favorite characters.  It's scary how much alike they are!

Day 162- Friday, 6/10/16

The kids were home all week but I had to work so this afternoon I made some time to spend with them. We still needed to celebrate actually being on summer break.  Last week was too busy with graduation to squeeze that in so now will work.  We went out to for frozen yogurt, picked up some pizza for dinner and then watched a movie together.  Yay for summer break!

Day 163- Saturday, 6/11/16

Yesterday was all about kid treats and today it's all about adult treats.  Time for some wine tasting on this perfect weather day with some good friends who came our way to taste locally.  We had a nice picnic at Bogle and then hit up two more places before having dinner at Club Pheasant. 

Day 164- Sunday, 6/12/16

This is pretty much what my Sundays are all about.  At least summer laundry is usually lighter with less loads.  The clothes are smaller and not as many layers. We also decided that since it's cooled a bit we need to put the solar blanket back on the pool to warm it before the next big heat wave which is coming soon.  

That's it--nice and simple and slow.  So much easier than a school week ;0)