More Tweaking

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Photoshop homework

I played around with Photoshop today because it's the best way for me to retain what I learn in class. We learned how to adjust or tweak the RGB (red, green, blue) levels to make a bad picture better. I dug out some snow pictures from Mammoth because I remembered that a lot of pictures had a blue cast to them. The example I'm showing is not a good picture at all but perfect for practicing.

Original: bluish cast

After: not perfect but much better (I think). I'll just keep working on it.

Everything Clicks

Today was a great day where everything fell into place. Josh is still on track with potty-training, no accidents during the day and he went poop in the toilet again! I had another Photoshop class and I'm so glad that I decided to take this class. All the info that I can find in books makes so much more sense when we take a photo and tweak it. I can't wait to try all these tricks on my own photos.

Tyler's soccer practice went very well. Tyler responded to the coaches and did his best so it seems that he enjoys the process. I think he will really improve this season.

I went through the process of syncing my iPods so that the latest music and videos I added. I love finding the free videos or shows available on itunes so I can experience new shows that I normally wouldn't watch. It gives me something to watch while travelling etc and Josh loves his free episode of My Friends Tigger and Pooh. Ooooh, the movie The Incredibles didn't load for some reason into the iPod last time even though it shows up in my itunes library. My friend Kat suggested that I uncheck the movie when I sync then reload it. So I tried it and now it plays on my iPod. Yay!! I think this movie will be a lifesaver on our trip in a couple of weeks.

Snaps

This picture was taken at a slow time during the game but I like the look of it for some reason. That is another game being played in the background.

I saw this rose bush on our walk to school. The color is so bright that I'm afraid that the camera didn't capture how gorgeous the roses were. I tried.

Snippets

stuff I did today and thoughts include:

1. My friend Sheri has never visited Costco for fun or eaten at the snack bar. I was astounded when that she told me this fact! Sure, people usually go to Costco to pick up necessary items but she says her husband buys the items on their list and get out. I inivited her to cruise the aisles with me and she struck gold with the find of the DC Justice League action figures in the toy aisle. Her son A loves them and his birthday is coming up so this was perfect for him. We topped off our visit with some pizza and nonfat yougurt which the kids loved. I think Sheri has a better view of Costco shopping now!
2. Josh went poop in his toilet today! Wheeee! He announced that he had to go potty even though he just went a few minutes ago so he pulled down his pants and sat on his potty chair (usually he stands to pee) & pooped! I know it might be too much information but I'm very pleased and proud of my young boy. This calls for a celebration of chocolate ice cream tonight.
3. I received my package from Amazon...a book called I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Socks. I am going to explore this area of knitting next month as soon I finish more of my current projects. I am about halfway through one sleeve of the wrap sweater and worked more on the beanie at Tyler's swim class.
4. I had a nice chat with Kat...catching up on stuff. Over the weekend, I showed off some of my latest projects to Kat and her mom and they were impressed at my progress so that made me happy. I'm happy with my choice of hobbies that shoud keep me busy until I die!
5. During my conversation I was reminded of another project, my photo calendar. I made one of the boys last year during Christmas and it was a big hit. Unfortunately, I didn't foresee how popular the calendar would be with our friends and family so I didn't order enough to go around. I didn't even get one!
6. Hector is still at work (8:00 pm) but he will get Wednesday off. He would get the day when I have class. Oh Well.
7. I have about 25-30 kids coming to Tyler's birthday party this Saturday. Should I start freaking out now?
8. The Los Angeles Times had an article on 15 hospitals in the LA area that are hurting financially or about to go bankrupt/close and Hector's hospital is on the list. I guess we will come to that hurdle if it happens.
9. I framed a poster for Tyler. My mom got him a poster of the mountains and lake that he admired so she had to get it for him. Now to find a place to hang it.
10. It's only Tuesday...Dancing with the Stars is on again tonight. The women in general did very well overall so tonight we see the men.

I ran out of thoughts so maybe I'll have more tomorrow. Chocolate ice cream is calling me!

Daddy's eyes

It is so cool that over the years, Tyler's eyes have lightened considerably from a light brown to hazel. I noticed that the green in his eyes is stronger when he wore a green shirt last week. I'm fascinated because I have boring brown eyes so I was delighted that Tyler inherited his dad's purdy eyes! I guess Hector's Mexican genes are dominant is that area while Josh gets to share the brown eye gene with me. Time will tell what other traits will pop up.

Wrap Sweater

I'm finally making some serious progress on the wrap sweater that I started over a month ago. It's hard for me to get the larger projects completed since they take a lot longer to knit but last week I hunkered down and finished the right front of the sweater and today I finished the left front. Only 2 more sleeves to go then I sew it all together and voila! Hopefully a nice wearable sweater.

Left front.

Right front

Back

Mud Day

Today was a beautiful day! Nice blue skies with some white puffy clouds, not too cold or hot. Tyler's soccer game was this afternoon and it takes a village to get that child motivated. The other parents are laughing because all the other kids are running full speed in the extra soggy field while my son is tiptoeing around the puddles. The second half is much better when Tyler actually uses his head on the soccer ball. Unbelievable! All of us on the sidelines were laughing because that is so unlike Tyler but hey, he did it and we were proud of him. Even the coaches were calling out to Tyler saying, "Nice header!" He even kicked the ball not once but at least 5 times so he was making some progress after a very slow start. We saw the assistant coach in the parking lot and he was predicting that Tyler will click with soccer in about 2 more games. Well, we will see about that but we will be on vacation at that time so Tyler will need another 2 weeks to get back into the soccer groove.

After that we took the kids over to grandma's place so Hector and I could go bowling. We decided to go to PV Bowl which is the oldest bowling alley in our area established in 1958. It looks like it hasn't been updated since the 80's but usually they have lanes open so that's where we end up. Well, today Hector stated that we always have problems there and you know, he's RIGHT. Every time we bowl there, our ball gets stuck or the lane doesn't reset or something that always delays our game. We decided that we should cross off this establishment off our list because it is just plain annoying. Today we ended up bowling 3 games and the last game was the worst in terms of shoddy mechanics or technical problems. For 3 frames in a row, I would bowl and my ball would not return to me....we kept having to notify the front desk and wait. Then I would bowl again and the same thing happened. Ugh. Oh, and to top it off we bowled lousy. Our first game ended with Hector score at 106 and mine was 103. The second game was better for me where I was ahead until the very last frame when Hector bowled 2 strikes so he came from behind to win that game 126 to 123. I should have known that I can't last more than 2 games but I went for the 3rd and did awful ending up with 89. Even though we had technical problems and some lousy games, it was still fun.

To end the day we had King Taco for dinner. Those sopes were excellent tonight. The kids ate everything and we are all happy and full. The weekend is over and it's time to start the weekly routine again.

Rainy Day

On Saturday I was planning to relax all day but around 8am the phone started ringing which woke us up. I misplaced the phone so it kept ringing then Hector's pager went off...turns out it was G asking Hector is we wanted G's seats for the UCLA football game that night. I didn't want to go knowing that is rained the previous night and probably more for today. Hector said he could ask someone else but in the meantime Hector has to go pick up the tickets.



Hector jumps on his motorcycle even though it looks like it'll rain again. I ask that maybe since Hector will be somewhat near Santa Monica he can pick up some godmother sandwiches at Bay Cities deli. Sure. While he is gone, Lupe calls and says she and her friend R will go to the UCLA game with Hector. Okay so that's set.



Hector calls and says he's waiting out the rain a bit but he has the sandwiches (yeah). I'm puttering around the house and loading the dishwasher when the skies opened up and it began pouring. It only lasted about 5 minutes and moved on but I was concerned about Hector. I know he is a very good rider but I have to worry about other drivers especially in the rain! Hector makes it home with the sandwiches but he is drenched! Yes, he got caught in the down pour and he starts stripping on the porch. Ha, he wrung out his socks which were soaked. after we got his dry, we dug into those sandwiches! So delicious!



After lunch, Hector promptly passes out on the sofa and I was a bit sleepy too. I was going to take a nap but the phone started ringing so I had to still find the phone. ugh. Oh well, I called Kat to see what she was up too and I decided to rustle the kids up to visit her at her parents house. The kids had fun playing with Bobbie and Cece while I caught up with Kat and her recent travels. It was lots of fun. Kat gave some cool souvenirs like my kilt beach towel which is an absolute hoot and the kids got a crusader outfit and a Nessie stuffie.

By the time we got home, Hector left for the UCLA game but I found the game on TV and settled down to watch. It was a really good game with some big touchdowns and interceptions. I liked the fact that I could watch it from home instead of sitting on some hard seat smooshed in with thousands of screaming fans. Don't get me wrong, normally I would go but I just didn't feel up to it this time. Maybe I'm conserving my energy for the Kings season which is coming up soon.

Another week flies by...

and here it is Friday! Yay! The other night I went to bed before the kids because I felt exhausted and on the verge of a cold so I wanted to rest as much as possible. After about 10 hours of sleep, I felt much better. I just hope the kids stay healthy!

No exciting news....Tyler and Josh had their back to school nights which was good (short but sweet). Today I am making split pea soup in my crock pot so by tonight I should have some yummy hot soup to keep me warm since it is supposed to rain by tonight. All week the news has building up the story that we will have rain Thursday through Saturday so we've been anticipating this all week and when Thursday morning rolls around, it is sunny with some light puffy clouds. Huh? The news says by Thursday night the rain should start but no, Friday and Saturday are the rainy days. Well, it's Friday and no rain (yet) ...it's reported there is rain in Santa Barbara but it will move very slowly towards LA. By now, it's anitclimatic (like usual). All the local stations always hype up Storm Watch 2007 and for goodness sake, it's rain! People deal with it, drive slower (hopefully) and we do need the rain desperately. So maybe tonight we'll get this so called rain storm that is coming so I can eat my soup and light a blazing fire.

Doesn't It Feel Like Friday?

I'm exhausted and it's only Wednesday. I might be coming down with a mild cold because I feel tired and slightly achy. I would like to crawl into bed and fall asleep but Josh's back to school night is tonight so we'll go and get that taken care of and then I can crash.

I can curl up with my boys and relax. The weather has cooled down considerably so I can't wait to fire up my wood burning stove. I still have a nice stash of firewood just waiting for me to light up.

Oh, and yesterday I noticed the house next to us went up for sale. We knew the owners moved to Palos Verdes but there has been people going in and out ever since then. Some looked like cleaners/ painters but then we saw some others that I thought were living there. Well maybe they're there temporarily but the house is officially for sale. Personally, I think the house is priced too high at $1.1 million for a 4 bedroom. While it is move-in ready, I don't think it compares to another house that was in this price range last month. So time will tell if the house is priced right. I went to the open house and looked around yesterday. Like any house, it has good points and bad points. I just hope it's a nice family with some kids around the same age as mine would be a definite plus.

Makeover

Before: untouched photo

After: I added some eyeliner, pinked up my lips and got rid of some minor blemishes that I could see on mega zoom. I also zapped away some stray hair in my eyes and the hair that always stays on your face after a haircut which probably wasn't visible but I could see it!

So what do you think?

Abstract

While the kids went swimming the other night I decided to take some pictures and this is what I came up with. This is the surface of the pool and I like how the lights play with the water...it looks cool. So I fired up the Photoshop to play around with this photo.

Same picture but with Plastic Wrap which gave it a neat texture.

More pictures from the Home Depot Center

Snowball Hat

I finished this hat Friday night. I really enjoyed knitting this hat which is so quick to knit up. The yarn is doubled so you get this nice, thick quality to the hat which makes it much more cozy for winter. I gave it to my SIL Lupe already so I want to knit another one for myself for Canada.

Quick Recap

Saturday:



1. Tyler had his team photo taken for soccer. His individual photo should be all right but he was making a weird face during the group photo because of the sun. It'll be interesting to see that picture later.




2. We went to Hector's mom in Cucamonga. She made chicken in tomatillo sauce which was excellent! I don't make it often enough so having this is a special meal for us. Yum. the red chile was pretty good too! After dinner the kids went for a quick dip in the pool.



3. We then headed on over to Lupe's house; she was nice enough to babysit the boys so we could go bowling with Albert. It was cosmic bowling night so lots of neon bowling balls and loud music. I bowled terribly and Albert did much better than me.
   

Sunday:

1. I slept in until 10 am this morning. I've been staying up late all week so I think it all caught up with me...Hector was a sweetheart to let me sleep in and take the kids to sunday school.


2. Tyler had a 2pm soccer game. His team did awesome and won 5-2. Tyler did much better at trying to get the ball or kick it. I noticed his confidence level went up today.



3. A quick stop at McDonalds...all AYSO players wearing their uniform on Sat. and Sun. get a free vanilla cone. Woot. Tyler was thrilled with that and looking forward to more soccer games with more ice cream.



4. We headed over to the Home Depot Center to see the LA Galaxy vs. Houston Dynamo. The traffic was a big mess so Hector dropped us off near a gate and we walked in. It was a sell out crowd. We remembered to bring the binoculars and a man pointed out where David Beckham was seated. It was cool to see him; he was dressed in a sharp dark suit and tie seated at a luxury box. Near the half time, Hector took Tyler down to the field where Tyler's team and another boys team played against 2 girls' teams. All the action was happening on the far end of the field and Tyler was standing mid-field when he suddenly did a somersault in front of 27,000 people! Silly boy! I guess he thought he'd take advantage of the lovely field and he certainly did it in style. Hector was in the stands near 2 policemen and even they noticed Tyler's antics. Hey, at least Tyler was having fun and doing what he knows best...being a kid.
   
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

   Here is a blurry picture of David Beckham. People were going nuts trying to take his picture whenever he stood up.
   
   
   

   
   
   
   
   

   Doesn't Josh look thrilled to be here? Good thing I brought a GameBoy and some toys to keep him busy.
   
   

   
   
   
   

   Here Tyler is after completing his somersault...he did it so fast I wasn't ready for that! Tyler is the one looking like he's dancing...you know why? Because he is dancing...
   
   

Major Step

This week seemed to be the time where potty-training is making sense to Josh. I try to put him in underwear as much as possible; he goes to school in underwear too where they continue to monitor him. At home when he goes pee in the potty, Josh gets 5 M & M's and he has been getting them more and more frequently. Tyler wanted to know when they can have ice cream and I said when Josh goes pee in the potty for a whole day. Well, today he has been wearing the same Thomas the train underwear all day and came back with the same unsoiled pair after school so that means he has been using the potty. When he gets home I sometimes let him run around naked so he doesn't have to deal with the whole undressing part and today he sat on the potty without any prompting and went pee! So that is a big step too in that I don't have to sit him down every few hours to see if he'll go but it looks like he is recognizing the signs of when to go. Yay! I'm sure we'll have some setbacks but so far so good!

On the Backburner

I have about 4 knitting projects in my to do list and I've started them but haven't finished anything. I think it's because these are bigger projects that will take longer so I've gotten bored/frustrated/antsy so I start another project. I need to pick a project and finish it! Agh! I chose to start a devil snow hat which has horns for Halloween and it is more advanced than I'm used to. I can follow the directions but I can tell I'm gonna have some difficult areas ahead. I like that I'm challenging myself so I'll try to finish it plus it looks so cool that I want to wear it.

Also I want to have something like a hat, scarf or wrap to bring to Montreal next month so last night I started a hat with lots of cables which looks difficult but actually is quite easy. I think I can finish it by this weekend then maybe I found a hat pattern for my Christmas presents since I know I can do it. Well, I better get back to to knitting...

Sleep Position

Before heading to bed, I usually check on the kids to make sure they're covered and this is how I found Josh. He looks contorted...

Bangs

Today I had my much needed haircut; I can't remember when I last had my hair cut...maybe April(?). I was really needing this because I decided to grow my bangs out too which was driving me crazy. Hector wonders why I still drive 30 miles each way for a certain person to cut my hair for the last 10+ years and my answer to this is: I am absolutely comfortable with this person doing whatever she wants and/or knowing that she will do exactly what I specify. It may be a mystery for most guys or people why I continue my loyalty because I could find another person much closer to do the same thing but really I don't want to bother. I don't need the risk of an awful haircut or someone that doesn't see how my hair behaves to cut it accordingly. Am I the only one like this? I think not.

The person that cuts my hair is usually busy and booked way in advance so it takes a small miracle to get our schedules to mesh plus it helps that I only need her 3-4 times a year. Also I think men (in general) don't see haircutting as a mini-retreat probably more like a chore...I like to veg or chat depending on our moods and it's relaxing having someone wash your hair, cut and blow dry. I usually feel prettier (if it's possible! lol) and wish I had somewhere cool to go to because I feel great. Anway, we lopped about 3 inches off my tired, dry hair so now it is much bouncier and happy. I'll need to blow dry my bangs to the side to re-train them but I'm liking them the way D styled them so I think I'll keep the bangs and keep them longer and sideswept.

Tyler's Word of the Day

per·sist·ence /pərˈsɪstəns, -ˈzɪs-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[per-sis-tuhns, -zis-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.
the act or fact of persisting.
2.
the quality of being persistent: You have persistence, I'll say that for you.
3.
continued existence or occurrence: the persistence of smallpox.
4.
the continuance of an effect after its cause is removed.
Also, per·sist·en·cy.

Tyler used the word in a sentence describing how persistent he was in getting the soccer ball at practice. Well, he used the word correctly although he was more persistent in letting the ball go past him without kicking it. I guess I'll give hime credit for vocabulary.

Baseball Pics

Opportunity

Even though Tyler is only 8 years old, he is relatively new to organized soccer. I think kids can start as young as 3 or 4 years old and that's great if the child is ready for it. Tyler wasn't ready and last year was his first year playing. It was okay because at this age they are still learning and at AYSO the children are grouped so that there is a balanced team. All children are evaluated and all skills levels are welcome and each team should have a balance of more skilled players and just learning type kids. Parents are encouraged to participate and good sportsmanship and fun are key.

This year we're offered LA Galaxy tickets to buy and this year the teams who sell the most tickets get a chance to play at halftime. I admit that we were not gung ho and not planning to go to the game. I know that other parents were excited and going to sell as many tickets as possible. Well I was surprised to get a call from our coach that our team will be one of those teams playing during halftime! Wow. Okay, so I guess we'll be going and the game is this Sunday at 5pm. Oh, and the kids have a scheduled game at 2pm too this Sunday. I had to explain to Tyler what was going to happen because we'll frankly, we don't really follow pro soccer. Yes, I know that Beckham is on the team now which is totally cool but Tyler doesn't have a clue. He has no idea of what this will be for him and his team; a huge field and lots of people. I hope later he'll think it was pretty cool that he was able to play at Home Depot Center.

Tidbits

I keep getting bug/flea bites on my feet about 1 or 2 bites every few days which is starting to drive me slowly nuts. Ever since I was a child, fleas, mosquitos or any blood sucking critter is magically drawn to me so I 'm not surprised by it but more by the source of these suckers. we don't have any pets except the 2 goldfish. I haven't visited anybody that has pets or hung out at any lakes. Maybe the heat wave spawned more bugs lately which have to eat and the word out that my blood is extra tasty. We walk to school and back every day...hey I have passed a couple of dogs on their walks so maybe the fleas bit me then because that would explain why my bite are only on my feet. People always say their pet doesn't have fleas because they don't get bites so how do I get bites on me?



We planned to bring my mom's car to the body shop today. The plan was for Hector to drive her car and I would pick him up. I had to run an errand (which I'll go into more later) so I was going to pick him up in about 30 minutes (he had to go to the bank beforehand). I was on my way back to the car when Hectors calls to say the bank computers are down so he has to go to another branch. Fine...I'll run home fast to look for something on the computer. I'm at the computer when Hector calls again and this time he says, "I left my wallet in my jeans."

Okay, not uncommon for my absent-minded hubby but he did defend himself by saying he switched pants because we went on a motorcycle ride last night. Whatever. So he leaves again and after 10 minutes I head on over to the body shop. My mom has had various fender benders and accidents over the last 4 years or so along with other family members so we are regular customers at Earl Scheib. I swear the manager and employees recognize us! They just laugh when they see us and ask which car is it this time. Hey when you're frequent customers it's good to know a cheaper alternative to fix body damage. Hector jumps in with me and we head on over to Lowes to pick up some toilet part for my mom when Hector reaches into his pocket and pulls out the car keys to my mom's car! Hmmm, I think that Earl Scheib needs that...so I discuss with Hector any medical procedures or medication that he can take for his absent brain. That's just one of my dear hubby's quirks and believe it or not, it doesn't really bother me although I do like to roll my eyes at him and sigh (a lot).



My errand was to go to Sunglass Hut because unfortunately I dropped my Revo sunglasses on the tile in the kitchen yesterday. I noticed this morning that one of the lens is cracked. Ugh. These are the same sunglasses that Hector gave me some flack because I spent $300 on them. I remember that SGH has a policy to offer the same sunglasses at 50% off but do I really want to spend $150 and replace them? I might contact Revo to see how much it is to replace just the lens. I don't think it should be more than $150 so we'll see.

In other news, Tyler disobeyed the rule of NO PLAYING ON THE STAIRS and this is the result. He managed to get a big rug burn on his nose while sliding down the stairs on his stomach. I didn't see the real injury until the next day so he received scoldings from both of us plus Grandma. Tyler didn't appreciate me taking a picture of his face this morning but I told him that I had to because it will be a reminder to listen to his parents. Kind of like a mug shot, don't you think?

Pinata

Kids + Pinata + Baseball Bat = CANDY!!

Camera Update

My previous drowned camera is not perfect since it was brought back to life. That is to be expected...it doesn't always recognize the memory card or shut off properly. I've moved on to its identical replacement but Hector still continues to tinker with the old one hoping it will make a full recovery.

Our MVP

Tyler did awesome at his last baseball game today(Saturday). The last practice he didn't have a good practice...he was frustrated with himself and a player's comments upset him. We talked about how we can turn a hurtful comment into something positive or a goal to strive for and Tyler seemed to understand how to focus and work harder. Today he was on fire on the field and at bat. One inning Tyler was playing 3rd base and made 2 outs and then at bat, Tyler hit a double and made about 3 RBIs. I could see how his confidence shot way up and his coaches were shouting encouragement and praises throughout the game. After the game, we had our pizza party at Shakeys with the usual trophy and certificate. Each kid received their certificate which emphasized their strengths ie. most improved, most coachable etc. Tyler received Hardest Hitter so he was pretty thrilled about it. I think this year I'll put him in a league to see how he does. Tyler loves to bat but we'll work on his other skills to try and make him a better overall player.

Soccer starts tomorrow so we'll be switching sports but at least he gets to wear the same cleats. At baseball, they suggest that parents buys soccer cleats for baseball since we can use them for both sports but baseball cleats can not be used for soccer. Some metal piece is a safety issue so there you go.

** Update: Hector reminded me that Tyler made the final out of the season! Go Cubs! (that was their team name)

Bah then Yah

I was looking forward to seeing the Pet Shop Boys in concert at the Hollywood Bowl later this month but I noticed last night that the concert was cancelled! I was online buying Morrissey tickets when my Ticketmaster account flagged me on the cancelled concert. Boo. The Pet Shop Boys have never stopped making music since they began in the 80's and I love their electronica disco/dance music. So I was really excited to see them in concert which is pretty rare for them to tour live and I guess 'logistical issues' was the reason for them to cancel at Hollywood Bowl.

I spent 30 minutes on hold calling Ticketmaster customer service but finally had my refund. What a pain! At least I have my Morrissey concert to make up for it coming up October 5th. I missed seeing him the last time he toured through California so I get another chance to hear the one and only Morrissey! Woot!

Snippet

Yeah, we had a short week and now it's time to have more fun this weekend. Tyler's last baseball game is Saturday then it's on the party for the kids at Shakeys. My friend Kat will stop by later to visit and I can hear more about her trip to the UK. Sunday is the first game for soccer so we finish one sport and move right on in to another.

I'm finishing up the back portion of my sweater so it's on to one of the front sides. If it comes out larger than initially planned maybe I'll keep it for myself. I think it'll look perfect with a little black dress I have that I can take to Montreal. The weather will definitely be cooler there around the 50's (high) and down to mid-30's (low) so I want to try knitting a cute hat and scarf for me. I need to get going on those.

Fun Quiz

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The West Your accent is the lowest common denominator of American speech. Unless you're a SoCal surfer, no one thinks you have an accent. And really, you may not even be from the West at all, you could easily be from Florida or one of those big Southern cities like Dallas or Atlanta.
The Midland
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
Philadelphia
The South
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

I thought this was funny...I took the quiz and lo, and behold it was right on! Like, oh my Gawd!

It's Alive!!!

Remember my drowned camera ? Well, today Hector decided to try it one more time and it worked!! OMG, it's a miracle! I for sure thought it was a goner but after 30 days (more or less) the water must have evaporated completely. Yay! But now I have 2 identical digital cameras. Heh. Hector doesn't want it so I have a backup.



Today was the first day of school for both boys and it went smoothly. It was fun to see familiar faces again. Poor Sheri had her little boy start pre-K at another school so we helped out with getting her daughter settled into her new class today while Sheri had to deal with the kindergarten transition. Her son's school starts at 8:45 am while we start at 9:00 am which leaves her very little time to get from one to another school especially today (parking was a mess). Hopefully her son will settle in to school quickly so she can take her son to school first then bring her daughter afterwards.



Hector had the day off so during the few hours while both boys are in school we went to the bowling alley to try out our new balls! Yippee! We bowled 3 games and my game started off promising but I quickly burned out. Hector's final game was his best and he scored a 162! That is his personal best so far and he's very happy. It makes such a big difference having your own bowling ball that fits your hand etc. Overall we had great fun! I'm starting to learn the little subtleties that make a huge difference in my game but I think I'll need some wrist support for the future. My wrist is aching now. Later in the afternoon, my new shoes arrived and they look and feel good!!

Aren't they super cute? I didn't get them in time for our game but next time should be loads of fun. Maybe they'll improve my game?

Man, as I'm typing this I realize that I did a lot today and it was all fun! That's because I booked our Canada trip for next month! With the internet now, anyone can be their own travel agent and many of the travel sites are so easy to use. I used Expedia and once I figured out how to book multiple destinations and flights to and from different cities, it was a snap to browse for hotels that would suit us! Hector tried calling a travel agent to see if they could find a nonstop flight to Montreal but it was several hours before she called back and had to get the same info that the first woman took. During that time I found a nonstop flight (yesterday's search had us connect in Chicago) and arranged the hotel stays and rail passes between cities! No wonder so many travel agencies are out of business!

We will be flying to Montreal in October where we will stay at the Hotel Sofitel Montreal for 4 nights then take the train to Quebec City for another 4 nights at Hilton Quebec. Hector and I have never been to either city so we're very excited to explore and experience Canada. I'm trying to calculate how much money we're saving by going through Expedia so give me a few moments. By booking through Expedia we saved about $400 rather than booking it separately. Woot.

Also while we were at the bowling alley, we booked Tyler's birthday for September 29th. There will be bowling and laser tag with pizza and soda. Tyler has been looking forward to this for about a month so he has to wait a couple weeks longer.

Josh with his Uncle Carlos.

Cowabunga

Hector's journey down the waterslide which ended up on the grass! Wipeout, dude!!

Mission: Complete

Hector has missplaced his sunglasses yet again! He mentioned the fact yesterday but we didn't really look for them so when he brought up the subject again this morning on the phone I figured that was my chosen task for the day. Hector was bored at work so we talked about the last time he wore them or remembered seeing them (very important clues). Hmmmm, I looked in the usual places he leaves items and had to start thinking outside the box. Okay, the sunglasses weren't in the office so that leaves our new game room and there on the shelf I spotted them right away tucked beside some books next to the Gamera machine. Success! I amaze myself sometimes....but now I know where Tyler gets his absentmindedness (is this a word?) and now I'm slowly getting this awful disease. Ugh. Maybe it is true that married people start taking on the traits of their partners!

Snapshots

Tyler and his clingy stalker girlfriend!! She practically has him in a stranglehold. I have my eye on her....

Carlos and Hector after consuming large portions of meat! Wow and no stains!

Part of the sweater...this portion is the back.

Josh hiding amongst various chairs and stools looking cute.

Labor day weekend

I know I've been absent for a few days but seriously, when my husband mentions it this morning on the phone that I haven't blogged lately it tells me that I have a few dedicated readers. Ha! Plus Hector said how else will he know what it s going on in my life? Double ha!

Okay, well first of all, it's HOT! For the past 4 days, we've been in sweltering heat with all the fans/ceiling fans working 24 hours a day and still no relief. This brings me to this tidbit...we've had a portable AC unit for the past 2 years and it has been sitting in my closet. Last year never really got that hot but Hector put off setting it up because our window is too large for the vent. Hector would have to make something to have it fit the window or make a hole in the wall (which I was against). So after 3 days of living in an oven, I question why do we have this AC unit if we don't use it? It's a reasonable question, right? So Hector went into MacGyver mode and made a window fitting and plugged the AC in. It took a while to really cool down our bedroom but after 8 hours it's very nice is here. This heat wave should be over hopefully by this weekend but for now our bedroom is a cool haven. I woke up in a cool room and went I stepped out into the hall, I was hit with a wall of very warm air at 9:30 am. So this sucker is staying on all week!

On Saturday, September 1st my first baby turned 8 years old!! Man, that was fast! We rented a bounce house/slide for the kids and had a BBQ. It was a nice party...not too many people and I planned it just right for the food and cake. Some leftovers but nothing we can't handle. I hate it when we have so much leftover that we're eating the same food for days! Tyler had a great time playing with his friends and getting his presents. He got a nice balance of clothes and toys/games; he'll be set for this year.

September 2nd was my mom's birthday and it was too hot for her to go out but we ended up having dessert at her house later that night. Our neighbor threw a party (just for the heck of it) and they had a huge water slide so the kids took advantage of that to stay cool. They even had a slushie machine with 2 tanks, one alcoholic side and one virgin side. It was so good! Hector brave the water slide and use a inflatable body board to slide down and promptly flew over the edge...well more like slid off the edge. I guess the slide is not really equipped to stop a grown man at the bottom!! No one was hurt but all the guys cheered on Hector and his "jackass" type stunt. There you go..my husband and his minor mayhem!

The day went on from there....my cousins came over and we all went to Brazillian BBQ where the waiters carry big skewers of meat and dump it on your plate while a big buffet also is there to offer more food. Our party of 12 was lots of fun and meat!! Later we went to wish my mom her happy birthday.

Monday was spent cooling my bedroom off and napping. It was nice. Also my friend Kat called to tell me all about her cruise to the British Isles etc.... it sounded wonderful. I need to get on their cruise circuit next time. Kat's roomie/friend chose to retire to bed practically every night after dinner! Huh? To each their own, but I'd definitely do that differently. I'll post pictures later...I'm working on knitting a sweater in a pretty purple and I'll have to see if it will be for me or a friend. I haven't gotten in the habit of swatching to make sure the pattern will be the correct size for whom it is for so it'll be a surprise!!