He's Baaack!!

A couple of years ago, an alligator nicknamed Reggie was dumped in Machado Lake about 4 miles from us. Several alligator hunters tried to capture him but failed after numerous attempts. Soon it was fall and the search for Reggie was put on hold until spring. That was in October 2005 and Reggie hasn't been seen since. People weren't sure if Reggie died or moved on somewhere until today. Reggie was sighted today twice so the hunt will most likely continue.

http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_120192022.html


Reggie has many fans that would like to see him live free in the lake but of course safety concerns will most likely see Reggie at the LA zoo.

Aaaccckkkk!

On Sunday night I went through Josh's backpack to make sure everything was in order for the next day when I noticed a nasty smell. He has a lot of stuff like pull-ups, wipes and a change of clothes in there so I had to pull everything out and at the very bottom was a colored easter egg (hardboiled) that was cracked and growing something fuzzy all over! YUCK. That nasty egg must have been in there for about 3 weeks fermenting. I had to spray Lysol in and out right away then again this morning since it was smelling. I didn't have time to get Josh a new backpack but as soon as he left for school, I went to Target and bought a new one. As soon as Josh got home that nasty backpack was emptied and in the trash! Phew. I will have to be more diligent in backpack inspections from now on!!

vegas trip

Okay, here is what happened on my vegas trip. I picked Kat up and we took off around 11am. Surprisingly, traffic was light and we made it to Primm (stateline) at 3pm. We planned to stay one night at Buffalo Bill's and then head into Vegas the next day. Check-in was a snap so we quickly got into our swimsuits and headed to the jacuzzi. Ah...it was nice and hot to soothe our tense muscles. Kat had to jump into the pool to cool off...well, she actually crept in because the water was COLD! I tested the pool myself and got only half a foot in before running to the hot tub. Oh and their pool is in the shape of a buffalo! A very big buffalo.

Kat's parents and great-aunt met up with us for dinner where most of had the prime rib dinner for $6.95 and it was pretty good. After that we began to gamble and chant our mantra,"I am so lucky"...they've been reading The Secret. It worked for me because I won $150 some odd dollars on video poker and then some more playing a slot machine. Yeah!

For being such a long day we turned in kind of early but that didn't help. Kat's back started bothering her so she got up gamble around 4am. I woke up when she left, dozed and woke up again at 6:30am when she got back. Kat went back to sleep and I went out to gamble where the casino decided to test their fire alarm system at 8 am. It wasn't quite the restful night we were expecting.

Well, it was on to Vegas and we stayed at The Golden Nugget (downtown). Last year when we were here at the same hotel, the pool was being renovated and boy, it is so cool now. It is in a courtyard so they couldn't expand out so they created a nice pool area by building up. There is a 3 story water slide with 2 levels of private cabanas and a shark tank where the water slide goes thru. That hotel/casino is the busiest of all in the downtown area and it is a nice place to stay too.

One day we took a break from gambling to drive out to Red Rock canyon about 20 miles out. We drove the scenic loop for another 13 miles and took lots of pictures. The weather was perfect, lots of puffy clouds and a nice 86 degrees. We took Kat's parents car which is a Cadillac SRX and I squeezed into the 3rd row seat. Ugh..that didn't work out too well for me in the long run. I started to get a bit nauseous back there so we had to arrange the seating so I could sit in the 2nd row. Soon I felt better so it all worked out great. There are some places to hike if one chooses too but this is really a nice diversion to gambling. I'm glad we did it.



We returned to our hotel and we spent an hour relaxing after our drive. Gambling usually took place in the evening after dinner. Kat and her parents were winning all sorts of money at various slot machines. I was doing okay but nothing big or major. On Thursday night we all had dinner at Vic and Anthony's steakhouse inside The Golden Nugget and it was excellent. Filet mignon, au gratin potatoes and dessert ( a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream rolled/covered with pecans and toffee with chocolate sauce).

Overall, the trip was great. I did a little bit of everything...gambled, shopped and wined and dined. Well, not really wine...Kat and I hit Fat Tuesday's where tasty slushie alcoholic drinks are served into a very big souvenir mug ( we bought them a few years ago). I had a Hurricane with an extra shot and I could only drink half! Next time we're going to buy one drink then split it.
We all went to the outlet mall where I got a new Fossil watch, Revo sunglasses and spent the rest of my gift card on a Coach umbrella. I didn't come back with extra money but I had a great time!

I'm Back!!

I'm back home from my trip to Sin City and we had a blast. I'm tired from lack of sleep plus I have a mild cold. All of us had our "lucky" moments (some more than others). Overall, I'm happy with how everything went. More on my trip later because we are heading out for a special "surprise" for the kids!

Road Trip

It's finally time for my girls' vacation to Las Vegas! Hector got to go to Lake Tahoe in February and now it's my turn for some fun with my friend. We're leaving tomorrow morning and cruising over to Stateline to stay one night at Buffalo Bill's then stay the rest of the time at the Golden Nugget. My friend Kat and I are so excited. I did some errands like getting cash at the bank, washing the car and have a mani/pedi done.

I'm gonna be gone until Friday night so I'll have lots to share this weekend.

Friday Recap

Hot Fuzz is such a fun movie that pokes fun at cop/buddy movies like Point Break and Bad Boys British style. I orginally thought my mom could watch Josh while we went to the movie but Hector said,"Nah, let's bring him along." Eh, okay. But Hector didn't count on Josh throwing a hissy fit once we entered the theatre (the previews started). We sat in the back and one man promptly moved to the front. I told Hector that he would have to take care of Josh if he became fussy. I wouldn't want to be disturbed by a crying child, let alone mine. So Hector took Josh out and about 30 - 40 minutes later returned without Josh (he took Josh to my mom's). I was able to enjoy the 2 hour movie in peace and I enjoyed it very much.

After the movie, Hector suggested we go bowling so we did. That was lots of fun even though I'm not good at bowling. The day turned out to be a date day and everyone had a good time. Unfortunately Hector was called in to work later in the afternoon but the kids and I enjoyed the nice chilly evening sitting by the fireplace. Kind of unusal for April but hey, this whole year has had freaky weather.

Rainy Day

I woke up this morning and heard footsteps in the hall. I thought it might be Josh coming in but the footsteps were loud and in walks Hector. He comes in and says he has the day off. Yay! It is a rainy morning so after walking Tyler to school we were discussing how it would be nice to hang out at home. Then I was surfing the web and saw the trailer for "Hot Fuzz" which has the same guys in "Shaun of the Dead" (a really good spoof on zombie movies). So I checked the local movie theatre listings and it's playing. The first show is at 10:35am which is perfect. So that is what we'll be doing on this rainy day...I'm so excited.

Over the weekend, I finished another beanie. Here Josh is modelling my latest hat and I think I'll give it to a friend's baby. It might be a little big but he can grow into it eventually.

On Sunday we went to Legoland and at Miniland the latest exhibit is Las Vegas. They did a really great job with the famous landmarks and even have cute details. I love the pool scene right by the Luxor. And of course I had to take a pic of the wedding chapel!

More Sea World

At the Shamu show, there were 4 killer whales but I don't remember the trainers ever mentioning their names. I guess everyone just refers to all of them as "Shamu".

The dolphin show was good. A family is selected to do certain parts of the show and I started to remember from the last time that the "mom" is actually a trainer that pretends to take a picture of the boy with the dolphin and she falls into the water. Yeah, it wasn't as funny the second time. There were some pilot whales in the show and one of them is Bubbles who is 47 years old and I vaguely remember this same whale from Marineland when I was a child. Here is one of the pilot whales splashing the crowd and I caught the moment just before the people get soaked. Love it!










Like I said before, if the day is much warmer I would sit in the soak zone...Tyler wants to experience this.

Sea World

Our day at Sea World started around noon Saturday. We were able to purchase fun cards where the one day admission allows us to use that same ticket for the rest of 2007. It was a nice day with a mix of overcast clouds and sun. The kids really enjoyed Shamu's Happy Harbor where there are slides, rope bridges, bounce area, sand play and water play. I believe they would be perfectly happy to be there all day. We had lunch near the Budweiser beer station where they hand out free beer. The Shamu and dolphin shows are the only ones we saw and thankfully we sat in the non-soak zone. Several years ago, we went to the show with Tyler and sat in the splash zone. Needless to say, we got soaked! And the water is cold about 50 degrees. So we learned our lesson that time and sat out of the way of splashing.

But that doesn't mean we didn't avoid the water. The kids did play in the children's water area. The latest ride is Journey to Atlantis which is a combo roller coaster and water ride. Hector bought me a poncho to wear but I didn't wear the hood so I still got my head soaked. The ride starts off right away with the big plunge into water about 8 stories tall and then we enter a tower where an elevator lifts us up to the top and we do the roller coaster portion. It was lots of fun and Tyler couldn't stop talking about it all day. Once summer begins the water rides will be a welcome relief. Tyler is already looking forward to more visits to Sea World and so am I.

Fun Weekend

We took off on Friday and headed on down to San Diego for 3 days. The weekend was way too short but lots of fun. Here is a summary of our activities....Sea World and Legoland. More pics and stories to follow....

Murphy's Law

Last night after dinner, Hector couldn't get the front door to unlock. He kept trying to turn the key but the lock kept sticking. Tyler began saying, "We have to sleep outside tonight!" while I'm hoping we don't. After 5 minutes, Hector decides to try and get into the house by climbing up to our bedroom window. I take over jiggling the key and it opens. Yay! I promptly send Hector to Home Depot to buy another lock; we can't have this happening again. Off he goes and around 10:30pm Hector is dismantling the door and drilling. I'm sure our neighbors loved us. At least now, we're safe and secure.
My day is fine so far but Hector called to tell me about his morning. He spent 15 minutes looking for his cell phone and finally remembered that he left it in the mailbox last night when he was planning to climb up to the second story. Hector rode his motorcycle to work and it ran out of gas! For some reason, the darn thing doesn't have a gas gauge so he has to keep track of how many miles he's driven (lame). So he pushes it almost a mile before finding the reserve tank and gets to work. All this before 7am! Hopefully the rest of his day goes better!

Birthday Day

Yesterday I turned 41 years old and started it off by getting my eye exam at Costco. I'll be gettin a new pair of glasses which I desperately need. My old pair is barely hanging together; the nose pads have fallen off twice. Plus I will get some new contacts but I'm more excited about my glasses and I usually don't wear glasses in public. I miss having peripheral vision and don't like to deal with dirty glasses that I always have to push back up since I don't have a normal bridge on my nose. I chose some rectangular frames that are the latest style so that should balance out my big head.
Kat came over and we had a nice leisurely lunch at Islands. Yum. She gave me a Best Buy gift card which is always a cool gift . After that we went to see Blades of Glory which was a hoot. We laughed more than everyone else in the theatre which makes us giggle more. The costumes and skating routines are so over the top..can't wait for it to be available on DVD.
Tyler gave me a box of chocolates which he thought of all by himself and Josh gave me an iTunes card (with Dad's help). Hector gave me a new laptop which should serve me for a long time. My mom gave me 2 summery dresses which I look forward to wearing. Overall, it was a nice birthday.

Weekend Pics

Tyler and I at Lupe's house Saturday night.

Kat and I at the New Wave Rave Friday night.

Lupe and I at the Kings game on Saturday.

Happy Easter

It's a cold and dreary day today. The kids let me sleep in a bit this morning so I feel good. This weekend was really busy for me. On Friday night my friend Kat and I went to Vault 350 in Long Beach to the New Wave Rave 2007. We got to see tribute bands to The Smiths/Morrissey (These Handsome Devils), the Ramones (Gabba Gabba Heys) and Depeche Mode (Blasphemous Rumors). We arrived early enough to snag a table with a great view of the stage. The first 2 bands played and they were okay. These Handsome Devils really tried hard to sound like Morrissey and on some songs they succeeded but I gave them an A for effort. The Ramones tribute band was better but honestly after 5 songs I had enough since their songs all sound the same. Blasphemous Rumors started to play and they did such a great job. You can tell they went to great lengths to sound, look and act just like Depeche Mode. I'm happy they play locally so we can see them again. Kat and I had a fun time and hopefully I'll have some pics to show from the concert.

Hector has to work today 7am to 7 am tomorrow morning. He didn't get to take part of our Easter egg hunt but he is off for the day that really counts...my birthday!! He will be a doll and watch the kids (on spring break) while I have lunch with Kat and then see Blades Of Glory! :) We're really excited to see this movie...what could be funnier than ice skating and Will Ferrell?

Yesterday I went to the last hockey game of the season with Lupe. Hector agreed to watch the kids and he wanted to try out the Tornado, a device can transfer data via USB cables between 2 computers. He was very productive and transferred my pictures to my new computer. What was really cool is that he figured out how to transfer my music which totals 20 GB. Anyway, the hockey game was great. The Kings played the Phoenix Coyotes and the game was chock full of fights and penalties. It was a close game and the Kings scored another goal in the last 2 minutes to win the game. Yay! I'll load up pics from this weekend tomorrow and show off my self portrait skills. I love that I can take pics of myself and friends with the little digital camera and perfected the angle. I'll have to play around with it more often.

Good News

My mom is doing so much better...even the day after she was admitted into the hospital, she looked better. Each day her sodium levels have increased so hopefully today or tomorrow she will get to go home. I will have to keep an eye on her and make sure she isn't drinking too much fluids but I think she'll be fine.
Today is Hector's birthday and he is 48 years old. I haven't got him a specific gift because he is difficult to buy for. He is not into clothes or any specific hobbies and if he really wants something he will buy it. Hector did treat himself to a new motorcycle that is his birthday present for himself. Tyler did come up with the idea to take his dad bowling for his birthday so that is our plan for tonight.
Seriously, a lot of friends and family have their birthdays in April.
Becky (Hector's sister): April 4
Hector: April 5
Me: April 9
Kat (friend): April 27
Albert (nephew): April 27
I'm still thinking it is March but nope, I need to get my act together. Gotta run and buy some cards and think of a nice little gift for everyone. Ugh. Procrastination...that's my motto.

Last night my mom called to say her blood pressure was very high and she wanted me to come over. Every so often she gets these episodes where her blood pressure skyrockets then she takes another BP pill and after a few hours her BP goes down. But last night it wasnt' going down and she was feeling weak and shortness of breath. On the way to the ER, she started talking about what her 'wishes' were so it was a little upsetting. So I took her to the ER which thankfully took her in immediately. The staff stabilized her and got her settled in a bed. My mom seemed to calm down and I spoke with the MD. To make a long story short, my mom has had problems with hyponatremia (low blood sodium) and this was the problem again. She kept telling me to go home and I had to point out that a few hours ago she thought she was at death's door so I wasn't about to just run off! My mom was admitted into the hospital last night and we're just happy that she'll get the proper care. It will take a few days for her to get her sodium levels up and I hope that they can find a solution to keeping her healthy.
So needless to say, I'll be busy taking care of my usual stuff and visiting my mom. I'll leave updates when I can.

I have been doing a little bit of this and that. On Friday night, Hector took me for a ride on his motorcycle to the Manhattan Beach pier. We had a nice stroll to the end of the pier and rode around a bit. Hector's brother, Carlos came out this weekend so they went out for a ride Saturday night. Hector really likes his bike..he even rode it to work today. Nothing exciting this weekend, doing a bit of knitting, folding the endless laundry pile and made some pumpkin bars. Over the weekend, my Brazillian stalker called my cell phone a couple times a day which I let go to voicemail. I did look up online at a language translator the Portugese version of "You have the wrong telephone number. Please do not call. Thank you." I haven't had to chance to try it out yet.