HISTORIC CAR RACE

SATURDAY WE GOT TO GO OUT TO FONTANA TO THE AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY - FORMERLY THE CALIFORNIA SPEEDWAY.  NOW WHEN I SAY "GOT TO" THAT COULD BE MISCONSTRUED TO THINK IT WAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING WE WERE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO . . .WRONG!  ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS 100 DEGREE- HOTTER THAN HADES HEAT. BUT IT TURNED OUT IT WAS A GREAT DAY.  FIRST OF ALL IT WAS ONLY 90 IN THE SHADE, JUSTIN BROUGHT A FRIEND THAT HAD NEVER BEEN TO A RACE BEFORE, ANDREA AND I DRANK OUR WAY THROUGH  A FEW BOTTLES OF WATER AND DIET COKES AND WE ALL THOROUGHLY ENJOYED OURSELVES.  IT WAS THE 13TH ANNUAL SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HISTORIC RACE - SO JAMES AND I GOT TO REVISIT OUR CHILDHOOD WITH ALL OF THE OLD MUSTANGS, ETC.  BOTH JAMES AND I HAD RED MUSTANGS AS OUR FIRST CARS!
THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY WAS WHEN JAMES QUIETLY WENT TO THE SPEEDWAY OFFICE AND ARRANGED FOR THE THREE KIDS TO RIDE IN THE PACE CAR FOR RACE 7 OF THE 8 RACES THAT DAY! KNOCKED TWO THINGS OFF OUR BUCKET LIST THAT DAY! TAKE A LOOK . . .

JUSTIN GRADUATES

JUSTIN GRADUATED FROM THE EIGHTH GRADE WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES. 

JAMES AND I BOTH REMARKED THAT IT WAS MORE LIKE A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION!  JUSTIN, BEING THE ASB PRESIDENT THIS YEAR HAD THE HONOR OF LEADING THE PLEDGE. THE CEREMONY TOOK PLACE AT A LOCAL 'MEGA CHURCH' THAT LOOKS MORE LIKE A COLLEGE CAMPUS.  THE LAST PICTURE IS JUSTIN AND ANDREA OUTSIDE THE SANCTUARY.  AND  . . . NOW IT IS ON TO HIGH SCHOOL FOR JUSTIN AND EIGHTH GRADE FOR ANDREA.  I THINK SHE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO JUSTIN BEING AT A DIFFERENT SCHOOL, SO SHE DOESN'T HAVE BIG BROTHER LOOKING OVER HER SHOULDER!!!

Summer Bucket List Cali Style - Part 2

For most of you that read my last post there are two things you are curious about:
1.  What in the world was I talking about?
2.  Where is the post I promised shortly?
Well, here it is.  The Summer Bucket list that I was referring to is the amazing brainy idea of my Indiana cousin trying to keep her three young children busy during the summer, while keeping her sanity at the same time.  For those of you with kids you know just how long summer can be. Justin, Andrea and I decided to create our own list of activities that would keep us busy and might eliminate the "Mom, I'm bored" and "I don't have anything to do" comments we so often hear all summer long.  So like Erin we have come up with 100 things to do this summer - some of which we have already accomplished - although officially summer began just yesterday.  Well . . .at least in California.  In Indiana I hear they have an earlier summer solstice - probably because they get out of school so dang early - unlike California where we go until the middle of June. 
So here is our Summer Bucket List - Cali Style:
1. Have a swim part
2. Have a BBQ get together
3.  Go to  beach
4.  Go to the park
5.  Go on a nature walk
6.  Go to the zoo
7.  Go bowling
8.  Go ice skating
9.  Take a zumba class at the gym
10.Meet dad for lunch
11. Wash the car
12. Go thru our dvds
13. Go thru our clothes
14. Send package to Indy cousins
15. Send package to Kansas City cousins
16. Take pastors kids to give them some time together
17. Make a meal for a family
18. Pack food for Summer Harvest for Hungry Kids
19. Distribute food for Summer Harvest
20. Go out for Thai food
21. Go out for Lebanese food
22. Go out for Greek food
23. Go out for Persian food
24. Go out for Indian food
25. Eat cookies for breakfast
26. Go for a drive
27. Go out for frozen yogurt
28. Make Smores in our firepit
29. Cook hot dogs over our firepit
30. Memorize 45 character qualities over the summer
31. Go to a museum
32. Go to the Camel Farm in San Diego
33. Go to an Angels game
34. Take flowers to the elderly lady next door
35. Take cookies to the elderly man accross the street
36. Go to a movie
37. Eat theater popcorn for lunch
38. Go to a historic car race
39. Ride in the PACE car at the historic car race
40. Take a walk on the pier
41. Take a walk down Main Street
42. Send a thinking of you card to someone
43. Send a letter to someone
44. Have dinner in mom and dad's room
45. Watch a movie in mom and dad's room
46. Plan and make dinner for our family
47. Play a card game
48. Play a board game
49. Play a board game
50. Play Wii Bowling
51. Play Racko
52. Order pizza to be deliver
53. Go to McDonald's for an ice cream 
54.  Go to Rite Aid for an ice cream cone
55. Go go carting
56. Play miniature golf
57. Go to Choir Camp
58. Take a math class to keep up skills
59. Take voice lessons
60. Have dinner outside in the gazebo
61. Have dinner in the pool or spa
62. Go to a water park
63. Feed the ducks at the park
64. Go on a picnic
65. Go to the Farmer's Market
66. Go visit the dog pound
67. Go to the pet store
68. Take Molly for a walk to the park
69. Give Molly a bath
70. Get mani/pedi (Andrea and Mom)
71. Take a walk thru the wetlands
72. Buy coffee for a stranger
73. Eat dinner at the beach
74. Eat lunch at the beach
75. Eat lunch at the park
76. Eat dinner at the park
77. Watch an old movie in the afternoon
78. Watch a movie from a book just read (Little Women)
79. Watch a movie from a book just read (Divergent)
80. Go out for a Mrs. Field's Cookie
81. Go out for Mexican food
82. Go to In N Out for lunch
83. Go to a concert on the beach
84. Go to Pike Place in Seattle
85. Go to the original Starbucks in Seattle
86. Go to Seattle's Best in Seattle -couldn't do - Starbucks bought them out!!!!!!!
87. Take hop on hop off tour of Seattle
88. Go to top of Space Needle
89. Take train from Seattle to Vancouver
90. Take hop on hop off tour of Vancouver
91. Take ferry to Granville Island
92. Go to Stanley Park
93. Visit Rose Garden and have lunch in the Tea House
94. Go to Dallas for Family Reunion
95. Go to Kennedy Assassination site and memorial in Dallas
96. Go school shopping in Palm Desert
97. Go to movie in Palm Desert
98. Take a friend on vacation with us
99. Go to the library
100.Go to Bowers Museum

So the ones that are crossed out are those we have already accomplished.  Looks like way to much eating out to me!!!!  We'll keep working on our Bucket List and hope to do everything before school starts on August 25th!  Only  86  79  78  76   69   56  49  30 more things to do! Thanks again, Erin, for the great idea!!!! 

Bucket List Cali Style

Okay . . .so if you have a very creative cousin who comes up with this really great parenting idea you just gotta jump on board, right????  So she's pretty ingenious and adventurous - I mean build your own zip line, go hang gliding and 97 other pretty amazing activities for a mom with a 2, 5 and 7 year old kiddos is no small feat!
Now move westward about 2000 miles - my 13 and 14 year olds and myself are up for the Challenge.  When Justin gets home from his singing competition trip in San Fran we will sit down and make our Bucket List California Style.  One thing my cousin will learn as her Kids get older is never, never, never plan any activities if their not on board because THEY WILL NOT DO THEM!
THE BUCKET LIST CALI STYLE IS COMING YOUR WAY and seriously Erin thanks for another great idea!  You're Mom of the Year in my book!

Time Flys

Okay . . .so where did the last year go??? For that matter where did the past 5 years go???? I already miss them. I miss the little girl who fought me "tooth and nail" when I wanted her to wear a certain outfit. Now, she tells me what to wear! I miss my little boy who had his fort under his loft bed surrounded by blanket walls doing his secret James Bond stuff with his walkie-talkies. Now, he is seriously thinking of college majors that will help him get into the CIA. He keeps telling me he only has four years of high school and then he needs his life planned out! Where did the time go . . . no I'm not losing my memory yet - it is just I cannot believe that these years have gone by so quickly. So to update you . . . Justin is 14 now, in the 8th grade, ASB President of his school, and has the lead in this year's musical "Bugsy". He is in the singing/performing/competition all men's group "Showmen" and the school's show/concert mixed choir, "Showcase" and takes voice lessons. He is in all honors classes, except one and getting all As and Bs. He is ice skating and hopes to join a hockey team soon! Keeps this chauffeur hopping. Andrea is 12 and in the 7th grade. She is extremely social - for you teachers out there - you know what that means! She loves, loves, loves, her friends and talking to them. She finally has become the fashionista, however a fickle one. I can attest to that each time I look in her closet and see clothes she has had for months - still with tags on them. She has discovered "favorite stores"- and it is not Target. Most of her favs are at the mall. She is a good student and loves school. She, too takes voice lessons, and is in the show/concert choir. She loves that her brother is the school President - she claims it has made her very popular this year!She has done a little "mommy assisting babysitting" and plans to do more - which will come in handy as her fashion shopping becomes increasingly more expensive! They still fight, love and can't stand live without each other. Everyone says this is normal! Next time I will include pics! I promise!

Five Months and Four Colds Later . . .

How can five months go so fast???  The summer flew by with a fabulous trip to Cancun in June, friends visiting from Colorado in July, and August in San Diego.  School came quicker than I could believe, but they were both ready for it.

This year Andrea started middle school and attends the same one Justin goes to.  She is also my little spy as my very handsome 7th grade son is quite the thing with the girls.  Now, all you men out there are thinking "Go, Justin!", while all the moms are thinking "Whoa, Justin!".  So like I said Andrea keeps track of things for me!!!   Anyway they both love school, their classes and teachers!

They are both in musical performing groups at school. Justin's group is the "Show Men" and Andrea is part of the girls group called "Show Time".  These groups take this singing and dancing very seriously and the groups compete all over the state.  They will be performing at Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, just to name a few of their performance venues.  So . . .this momma is off to dance lessons and singing lessons three afternoons after school, running to the dance store for jazz shoes, tap shoes, ballet schoes and who knew there are even shoes called character shoes -then on to trying on costumes, etc., etc., etc.  Whew . . . oh yeah and then there is homework. Justin is in all honors classes and Andrea is taking 7 periods of academics this year, and those teachers love to pile on the work, so we are not having regular bedtimes, which is why we probably all have colds!!!!!

More later . . .when we get over the sniffles!

More Than Blessed

This morning as we pulled out of our driveway to go to school and work I looked back at our house.  I made the comment that we are blessed.  Justin retorted with "Mom we are more than blessed!  I can't think of the word for it - but we are!"
It made me think of all that we have - not just materially - that being the least of all! 
Justin is right - We are more than blessed!!