Happy Halloween

Man, I've been feeling wiped out lately which is due to a mild cold that Josh also has. So far it's just the sniffles and slight cough so I hope that is the worst of it. Last Friday I took the kids along with my bud Kat to Disney's Halloween night. We were cute cats while the kids dressed in their Star Wars outfits. There are numerous candy stations where we received handfuls of candy. It is a nice setting to trick or treat in and kids even took a picture with some villains (the evil stepmother and stepsisters from Cinderella).

Josh had his Halloween parade on Tuesday and Tyler had his today. I finally got around to decorating the yard and carving the pumpkins yesterday and it looked really cool tonight but of course I forgot to take pictures so maybe next time.

Today's lesson was learning to stitch pictures to form a panorama and changing the color of the sky. I'll try some on my own to see how much I remember this weekend.

Busy weekend ahead...soccer game, Kings hockey game and Lakers game! Phew!

Slideshow

I decided to put together a slideshow of our recent trip to Montreal and Quebec City. Please enjoy!

Now You See Him Now You Don't

Yesterday my photo editing class was very fun. I learned how to clone out unwanted objects/people. I have to practice this method right away otherwise I forget the process. The example we worked on in class was small and toward the background so we didn't have to worry about being perfect since most people wouldn't notice the change. I selected a more ambitious picture at home and I'm happy with my first attempt.

We were at the Biodome in Montreal and goofing around. I saw the cayman display and had Tyler stick his head in there. Unfortunately, Hector was in the background distracting from the subject. I cloned Hector out and tried as best I could to duplicate the rocks which look kinda funky but at first glance you just notice Tyler which is what I wanted to achieve.

Quebec City

Quebec City is a charming small city that has a old world European feel. I really enjoyed strolling through the streets admiring the architecture and window shopping. Even the kids had a good time walking around all day and they were great for our 90 minute lunches. We tried crepes and French onion soup. The food can be pricey but H noted that all the food is bland. He didn't have heartburn once during our trip. The pictures can't show the charm of the city enough so if you get a chance you must stop at Quebec City. You wont be sorry.

First Sock

I finished my first sock!! Pictures to follow later and now I need to psych myself up to do the next one before I forget what I did. Tyler has his autobiography oral report tomorrow so we've been trying to get him in the 3 minute range. He needs to cut out his pauses and okays but heck he is only in 2nd grade so I won't make him do too much. Can't have a stressed out 8 year old in my house!

Hector is off to the hockey game with M tonight. Hopefully the Kings will get their act together. Earlier today we went bowling and I did awful. By the 3rd game, I was improving and I eeked out a win over Hector 111 to 109. Wow. I think this is a first for me although he says I've beat him before. :)

The fires in SoCal are wrecking havoc all around us. The sky is smoky and it's hot, windy and dry. I pray that there will be a quick containment and for the safety for all those involved. Today Tyler was supposed to have a study trip to the fire station but it was cancelled. He is starting to understand what is happening to those around us more.

On the good news front, Tyler passed to the next level of swim class so we're happy for him. He gets to move on to the Fish level and after that I think that will be it. Pretty soon baseball will begin and we'll be involved with various activities.

Feeling Neglected

Shortly after Joshua was born, Hector bought me my dream car. A BMW 525. I said that I wouldn't let the kids ride in it and no food or drinks inside. Well, I eased up on the kids riding in the car and had to cover the seat backs from dirty shoes scuffing up the gray leather. Still no food inside and I can have my drinks but not the kids. When I worked part-time I drove my car back and forth and sometimes during the week when I ran errands. Over the last 4 years, it was driven less and less but not because I didn't want to but because it usually was a hassle to get it out of the garage. I had to move Hector's truck which is no big deal but for a while Hector's motorcycle blocked the garage and there was no way I could move that!

The last time I started my BMW was a couple of weeks to drive it to my photo class and even then it had a hard time starting. It must have been a month since I really drove it. So we leave for vacation and return when I'm thinking I should start it up again. Today was that day and you know what? The battery is dead dead dead. Great. I can't open the doors or the trunk. Darn electronic locks. Hector called the service department and after another attempt was able to open my car. Fortuntately my battery is located in the trunk so he jumpstarted my car easily. I had to drive it around for bit which suited me fine so I drove over to Cerritos and back. Meanwhile Hector finished installing the baseboards in our kitchen. Yeah!

We also went to Costco and loaded up on staples like toilet paper, batteries and food. I wanted a portable hard drive to back up all my music and pictures and we found a 250 GB for about $140. I thought it would be about the size of those CD cases that hold about 64 cds but this thing is about the size of a 3x5 card and less than an inch thick. So far I'm loading my music on which is taking a while but I can't complain. I have about 26 GB of music to transfer so we'll see how it goes.

How do you like your eggs??

I'll combine our days left in Montreal because right now they're blurring into one. I did manage to write in my travel journal which I still have to complete the final 2 days...ooops. Montreal was an interesting city; about 50/50 speak English/French but it is polite to start off in French and ask if the person speaks English.

It did rain a little while we were in Montreal but lightly and that didn't bother us one bit. We were not doing all that great in the restaurant department until Hector took us to Eggspectation (recommended in a guide book). To sum up, yum. Normally I am not a breakfast person and I will have no problem eating a non-breakfast meal in the morning. From the name of the restaurant you can figure out that they specialize in eggs. There is an entire section devoted to Eggs Benedict (10 varieties) plus other egg dishes and regular lunch fare. Well, if I'm in the mood for eggs Eggs Benedict will be perfect and this was pretty awesome. The kids enjoyed their pancakes too. We enjoyed Eggspectations so much we went back every morning while in Montreal. I did try their cheeseburger and Bageldore both of them delish.

Montreal Trip

Day 1: Our first stop is to Vieux Montreal (Old) and the kids already love the Metro (subway). The day was gray and overcast but that didn't stop us from exploring and enjoying our time. We wandered to whatever drew our interest; I did want to do our own walking tour but most of the times we just go with the flow and throw out structured plans.

We walked along the river and let the kids play in the park. We tried going to the observation clock tower but it was closed for the season. Boo. We did find the Basilica Notre Dame and it was pretty awesome. The kids can't handle that much culture very long so we caught a caleche (horse carriage) for a 30 minute tour. The driver gave out carrots to the boys so they feed Charlotte the horse before the ride and after too. At this time Hector realized he left his hat in the church and went back to look for it. Bummer, this was his LA Kings hat and he couldn't find it but the woman suggested he come the next day to look again.

Later in the afternoon the clouds began to burn off to allow better light for my pictures. Yay!

Montreal

Just a quick note to say that we arrived safely in Montreal. The flight went smoothly and we have settled in nicely at the Sofitel hotel. We already have visited Old Montreal yesterday and today took a peek at the underground city after breakfast.

The weather is gray, overcast and chilly but that didn't stop Hector from running around in shorts and t-shirt. That's it for now...we'll relax a bit at the hotel then hopefully the clouds will burn off so we can go to Mont Royal to take in the view....

heh

We're taking off on Tuesday to Canada...I didn't get the packing done like I said I would. Hector and I saw Morrissey Friday night at the Hollywood Palladium. I've never been there before and it was kinda cool. Morrissey will finish his 10 night run there then the venue will be closed for remodelling. Needless to say, Morrissey was in fine form singing for 90 minutes. The crowd was pretty mellow and I saw a couple of kids there too. After the show started, Hector disappeared on me but I was enjoying the show. I took a short break to find him and he called my cell phone a few times which I could not hear. I tried calling him back and think I spoke to him but had NO IDEA what he was saying so I went to the bathroom and back to my spot. I randomly ran into Hector dancing near the back of the room so I said hi and went back to my spot. Later Hector says that he 'lost' me and thought I moved up closer (like up to the stage)...funny, I stayed in the same area the whole time so I have no clue why he couldn't find me.

After the concert, we went to Pinks. A Hollywood tradition that both of us had never eaten. Tonight we decided to brave the line (which is always there) for 45 minutes and get some Pinks hot dogs. We had the chili dogs (mine with cheese) and they were okay. Okay but not fantastic. Kind of pricey, we paid around $3-4 per dog but the wait was way too long. Would I go there again? Yeah, if I'm in the area and the line wasn't too long. I don't rate hot dogs as a real treat for me; I view them as something quick and tasty when you're hungry and it definitely wasn't quick at Pinks.

I had to get up earlier than usual on Saturday since Tyler had a soccer game at 9am. The only good thing about the first game of the day is that I found a parking spot right near the field. In a few short weeks, the kids are really improving. They were playing with a better sense of position and strategy this time. Tyler's team won the game 8-1. It was lots of fun.

Kat came over in the afternoon and brought some CPK salads for lunch. Yum. I got to see her new car which is super nice. We had a nice visit for a few hours playing video games and croquet with the kids. Soon after my SIL Lupe came over to watch the kids so Hector and I could go to the opening game of the LA Kings. We found our new parking lot and our usual seats. The game started of well with the Kings ahead until the 3rd period where they just lost it and the game 5-3. Bummer.

This week I've been feeling extremely tired and on the verge of a cold/flu. I took advantage today (Sunday) to sleep in and didn't get out of bed until 11:30am. It was SO nice. I did a couple of loads of laundry but I'll get the packing done tomorrow. Our flight leaves at 8 am so that means the shuttle will be picking us up around 4:45am. Ugh. Not looking forward to that at all.

Au revoir for now.

podcasts etc

I'm preparing my iPod for our big trip next week so today I spent some time browsing the podcast section. I like to read but lately my knitting takes up my spare time and I need 2 hands for that. I thought about audiobooks but they are really expensive. I do subscribe to a couple of podcasts which I enjoy while I knit but I came across some podcasts that broadcast old radio shows, comedies, mysteries, thrillers and whatever you can think of. I decided that will do instead of audiobooks. I downloaded Murder on the Orient Express radio program because I used to love reading Agatha Christie books and a Sherlock Holmes mystery. That's about 3 hours of listening so that should cover the train ride from Montreal to Quebec City. All my other music and videos should take care of the plane ride while knitting away.

I started a baby gnome hat from One Skein Wonders some camouflage yarn. I doubled up the yarn to make it more bulky and soft which so far has been shaping up nicely. I heard that knitting needles are allowed on plane flights but I better check for sure because I'd hate to surrender my Denise needles. I love that everything I need is in this one kit in a handy case. It makes finding everything so much easier.

Today we retrieved our suitcases from storage so I can start packing this weekend. I can't believe we'll be leaving Tuesday already. Last night I felt a little achy so I took some ibuprofen because it would seriously suck to be sick. I have to remember to take my Airborne too; I don't know if it works or not but it seems to for me so that's why I still use it. Hector will be rolling his eyes but that's okay. :)

Picture story

Play time at the park.

Slide down
Here I come too.

Jump!

Okay!

Now run and chase me!

Tag, you're it.

Now chase me.

Man, she's catching up with me...gotta run. Bye.

Friends

After a blogging break and taking lots of pictures, I'm ready to share. We are leaving Tuesday and I've haven't started figuring out what to pack for the kids and me. Hector and I will be seeing Morrissey Friday night then on Saturday we have the usual soccer game then that night is the game opener for the Kings. So I guess I'll be devoting Sunday and Monday to packing.

So here we go with some pictures.

Tyler and C posing for me. Honestly, they will automatically pose for the camera like this every time because she loves Tyler so much!

Josh had a great time playing at the park today with Amber. They played in the sand, on the slide and had an energetic game of tag for a hour. It was nice to see Josh interacting with her instead of playing by himself. They are bonding this year because Alex started pre-K so Amber has been a little sad to be the odd child out of school.

This year is already shaping up for these two since we've taken bowling twice this week. We figured out that they can share a game of bowling because they get tired of it pretty fast. It works out perfectly for them and the adults can play a game at the same time.

Quickies

I have some blogging to catch up on like Tyler's bowling/laser tag party but late last night I finished the 2nd sleeve of my wrap sweater so I want to start sewing it all together. We also leave for Montreal next Tuesday so I have to begin the packing for that. Hector called to confirm our flights and hotels and found out the weather is unusally warm and mild which should continue for another 2 weeks. Yay! It'll be perfect for us but we'll plan for cooler weather too.

I'm going to start on my sweater now so I can hopefully have pictures later today.