Area 15

 Too much time between posts but I am still alive! Me and my family are doing well and survived 2020. Now well into 2021 and this summer, the boys and I did some traveling both together and separate. 

We took a summer trip to Vegas with the boys and myself to see how the outside world is handling Covid. I decided to get a GoPro and try to document our trip in June. The video recording part is pretty easy but the everything after takes me considerably longer. I am currently trying to figure out editing but so far I can manage to slap some clips together and insert transistions along with headers and closers. I keep telling myself that the majority of people start off horribly and amateurish so I am in good company. 

Eventually I will try splicing clips and adding effects but I want to become proficient where I am at now and keep working on it. 

So here is my first video of Area 15. I used Wondershare Filmora to edit this video.

Family Fun Weekend

I'm not the best organizer but I managed to plan a family trip to Vegas! It all began with the trip to Utah that I took with the kids. They talked about Vegas as we drove through it reminiscing about the last time they were there. So when we got home I began searching for airfare and hotel since the kids have a 3 day weekend that wasn't on the official President's Day weekend. Score!!

I was able to save on airfare since we left early Saturday morning so we took off from Long Beach airport which is another little gem for its ease and small size. Check in online and just breeze through. Seriously if I can fly out of LB for a good price, I will.

We had a 9am flight that somehow got delayed about 30 minutes because the flight manifest did not match the actual number of passengers. Weird, like really weird of by about 20 people. That took a while to get straightened out. Quick flight to Vegas and out to car rental shuttle since we just had carry on bags (no wait). The longest wait was for the car rental and the guy was trying really really hard to sell the extra insurance with horror stories and scare tactics. Ugh.

Also super fast check in at Circus Circus too. From there, we just saw our kids mostly at meals. They took off to have lunch on their own and explore leaving Hector and I to enjoy a nice meal at Tatuado. I have memories of Circus Circus from when I was 9 years old (long long time ago) and some things are still the same. I remember the midway with all games and circus acts. I even tried a couple of games since we had 2 for 1 coupons but I didn't win.

Saturday night we had dinner reservations at The Steakhouse which is tucked away along the major walkway just down from the buffet. It has a history going back to the mob days so that was kind of cool. Everything was great. We've had many years of eating at high end steak places and we were very happy. The dinner is a complete meal so it was good because it pushed the kids to try new things. Tyler had the French onion soup while Josh tried the black bean soup. Both were delicious, I had to taste them. Everyone enjoyed their steak choices and I took half of mine back to the room for later. We were discussing whether or not to have dessert but the choices were too good to pass up. The first choice was NY cheesecake...naturally Tyler wanted that. 2nd choice was creme brûlée so I wanted that and the 3rd choice was a chocolate mousse cake. Josh loves chocolate but never tried a mousse cake before so Hector ordered it so Josh could try it. Turns out he loved it and ate most of it. Both kids tried my creme brûlée and like it too. Overall, a very successful and enjoyable dinner!

Hector and I then headed downtown to go dancing at Gold Diggers at the Golden Nugget. I had a nice buzz going on there so I hung out chatting with all sorts of people. I don't know what it was but the guys were extra friendly...maybe cuz it was Vegas. Harmless guys just wanting to have fun. One guy kept telling me to dance with Hector who was already out there. Look I don't need anyone to tell me to dance with my husband, he's having a good time and I'll dance when I'm ready. :)


Sunday was laid back..the kids got up early, had breakfast and took off exploring. I stayed in bed keeping track of their progress.They walked to Stratosphere and went up to the observation deck. By this time, Hector and I were up and having our breakfast. The kids texted that they were walking to the mall. Hector and I took a nice walk down the Strip choking out the Wynn and Encore. Hector hadn't seen these newer casinos so it was nice to walk around and see the Chinese New Year decorations. We saw the kids walking on the other side of the street heading back to our hotel. They seemed to have a great time walking around, doing their own thing. 

Hector and I had several drinks along our walk, starting at the Wynn. I tried a Moscow Mule variation with whiskey & H had a Bloody Mary. It was sort of funny because H finished his drink so I said we can leave and H pointed out that I hadn't finished my drink. That's okay,  I can get a to-go cup and H looks at me strangely. He didn't know that in Vegas they transfer your drink to a plastic cup so you can take it on the street with you. Haha. It was amusing to me that H didn't know that but then I realized, why would he know, he isn't a slow drinker. But it was still funny to me.

For dinner Sunday night, I scored 2 for 1 dinner buffet tickets so that was the kids' first Vegas buffet experience. It was nice that they're old enough to go on their own and get their own food. I remember those younger years when I had to balance 2 or more plates and help them etc. Both of them really enjoyed it and it was nice to see that Tyler chose to try some fish. 

After dinner we headed over to the Luxor for our show to the Blue Man group at 9:30pm. We got there early so the kids took off again to explore. We had about 90 minutes to kill so they took the tram to Excalibur and New York New York to look around. 

The show was really cool. We didn't really know what to expect. I got the cheaper tickets that were off to the side in the back and since it wasn't sold out, the ushers began moving everyone to the middle section so that was nice. That's a little tip from me to you. If you happen to buy show tickets while on a budget, buy the cheaper seats if you're going on weeknight because most likely the show will not sell out. They will move people up to the better sections. That's happened twice to me with the LOVE show and the Michael Jackson One shows. We were moved up to better sections that cost significantly more. it's not guaranteed but it is very nice to get upgraded.

The show is hard to describe but very entertaining and interactive. We enjoyed it very much! The blue men are very talented in pantomiming in a modern way with music, dance and pure entertainment!

Overall, we had a wonderful weekend and I already planned another trip with the kids after school gets out! 

Utah

Happy New Year!!!

So much going on...I was actually trying to upload my video to edit and for whatever reason, I can't see it on my computer but I can see it on my camera viewer. I'll blame it on my Mac newbie status for now. I'll try uploading it onto a PC and go from there.

Meanwhile, you can make do with some photos.

I took the kids to Brian Head, Utah to to meet up with some friends that have a cabin up there. The weather was great which made the drive nice and uncomplicated.  Our friends' cabin is up a steep hill which is luckily plowed in for the last 5 years otherwise we'd have to park at the bottom and snowmobile all our stuff & us up to the cabin. 

The cabin is comfortable yet rustic. There are solar panels which power a bank of golf cart batteries to provide our necessary electricity in addition to a generator for emergencies.  More on that later. There are also gas lamps for night time use. No wifi. Our heat came from a wood stove. A 7 gallon water heater so showers were speedy.

It was a big adjustment for all of us but overall, it was a good experience. Once our phones/devices died, we had to entertain ourselves with books and board games!! Gasp!
It was a nice change of pace and I got a lot of knitting done. 

 One day the kids went tubing and another day was spent skiing. We put the kids to work helping stock the wood pile, shovel the deck and install new golf cart batteries. The batteries had to be replaced since the previous ones were probably over 15 years old and having issues holding  a charge. Plus I think all our electronics really made it more apparent. The kids were good sports, playing Yahtzee and building Legos. 

We had plenty of room for all of us and pretty much all the comforts of home. I'll need to get going on the video so enjoy this for now...

San Diego weekend; part 2

We managed to drive down toward the waterfront area of San Diego and look around a bit. I always have fond memories of SD and it is a great place to visit. Sure you have the obvious places like Sea World and the San Diego Zoo but there are many other things to enjoy....

September

I feel like I am failing my goals, once again but I will move forward...

Honestly, I made a video last week and was in the process of uploading it to YouTube and the program unexpectedly quit on me. Hair-pulling moment over lost editing!!! So today I pulled myself back into the sauna-esque office room to redo this video. 

Oh and somehow between the 2 video editing sessions, I caught a cold from Hector. So that wasn't fun. And there was a heatwave of 100* that has slowly decreased to about 85* today which is much better but our house has retained all of the week's heat and kept it retained to act like a sauna in the office.

The good news is that I have a new video to show you and since I'm on a roll, I am loading up part 2 of my San Diego weekend to edit. We'll see if there is anything good or I'll just scrap it and move on.




Have a great weekend and keep cool people!!

Sadness

On Tuesday, we received the sad news that Carlos, H's brother passed away. There are lots of emotions going through our hearts and minds but we remember Carlos as being kind and stubborn. Sure, being stubborn is not usually seen as a positive trait because he could really be frustrating but that's how I remember him but that frustration is now looked on as an endearment because that's who Carlos was. I didn't always agree with him but he was always nice to me and caring.

Carlos spent the last part of his life in Vegas and his visits became more infrequent in the past few years but I remember him wanting to go to the ocean one time. we went to the tide pools and he had a great time scrambling around the rocks with my kids. 

So on Wednesday, the kids and I went to the Redondo Beach pier to find some peace and comfort. I recorded a video and I will always have it to remind me of Carlos and his spirit. 

RIP Carlos. We will miss you yet you are in our hearts. 

Stockton visit

Wow, this NorCal trip flew by and to end it we stopped in Stockton to visit my alma mater University of the Pacific where I spent 5 of my college years earning my pharmacy degree. It was a great experience where I made lots of wonderful friends and memories. 

Of course, it's changed a little and  I had fun showing the kids around campus. I am still learning editing and working on my steady camera work. Always a work in progress!




Stockton has grown a lot since I was here last which is great although the crime rate is still pretty bad in some areas. We had lunch a some burger joint and cooled down with a some Sonic later that afternoon. 

Summer is winding down with a lot of schools already beginning but our school district starts after Labor Day so that can be a good thing.

NorCal trip: Day 3 and 4

Day 3 was a scheduled college tour of Cal Berkeley. I didn't record any video since it was guided but I  did a shot of the kids at the gate which was used by Pixar for Monsters university. It was a very interesting tour and our student guide had a lot of funny and interesting facts and stories. 

Day 4: we are in Sacramento and not much planned so off we went to see Cal State Chico. We did our own self-guided tour and it's very pretty. 

Day 2 of NorCal trip

After a day of driving up the state, a day in SF exploring we were ready to chill and relax. Linda suggested mini-golf so off we went. Only 2 courses to choose from but there was a big variety of challenges and we all had fun.

I remember loving mini-golf as a kid. 

NorCal: Day in SF

I took the kids on a road trip about a week or so ago. We headed up north to SF where we spent a few days with my friend Linda who showed us around....we met when we were new grads out of pharmacy school and had an instant connection. We are about the same age but she was already married and soon expecting her first son. Then her husband got transferred to Virginia and they moved away. We stayed in contact and after a few more years and another baby boy for her, they moved back to California but to the SF area where they've been since. She came down to LA for my wedding and another visit soon after my first son was born. We always have a great time and it still continues when we see each other again.

I made a video and slapped it together. I will eventually learn better filming and editing techniques but it's another fun outlet for me.

Universal Studios Hollywood

Our summer is sort of loosey goosey in that our plans are not plans at all and mostly impulsive. I saw a local mom friend post her impromptu trip to Universal Studios July 5th and she said the crowds weren't too bad. So off I hustle to get our discount annual passes, finish our errands and drive out the next day. 

Our focus was on Harry Potter world with the kids' understanding that the Forbidden Journey line may be long so we'll do whatever else to pass the time. Hey, I'm sure we can find some sort of entertainment at an amusement park.

We arrived to the park at about 1pm. The crowds were fine until we hit Harry Potter...that's where everyone is! Still, it's not horrible and the wait time to Forbidden Journey is 120 minutes. We get in line and realize we're going to have to wait in the sun for a good portion of it. So we get out of line to try again later in the day. 

Next up on our agenda is to try Butterbeer. I heard from people that it sort of like cream soda with butterscotch. Okay,  so I tell the kids that we will be sharing one. The lines were long for butterbeer which is understandable since it was about 85*. Also the lines were moving slowly so of course, employees pop up with platters of butterbeers for sale in the souvenir mug (read: higher price). We resisted as long as we could (5 minutes in the sun) and I caved to the souvenir mug. Yes, over twice the amount of a regular cup but it was yummy and now I have a mug. :) You can file that tip away for your next visit. Hey, it's your money.

All right, so I lost some $ in the butterbeer department but totally made up for it in the popcorn department. A nice big souvenir bucket of popcorn for $6 but keep your receipt to get free refills of popcorn for that day!! Yes, we must have filled that bucket about 6 times the entire day so yeah, that's another tip for you. 

Another huge success for us was the ride department. I have one kid that wants to ride rollercoasters etc while the other one does not. It makes for interesting back n' forth conversations between all of us to try to convince or at least figure out why Josh refuses. One reason is his fear of heights. That is something very real and scary for him so I won't force him on that. But some (maybe half) of the rides at are 3D or virtual type rides which is a slightly  easier sell. Tyler and I did have to talk a bit for The Simpsons ride which had a 60 minute wait. 1: It (the line) was mostly in the shade with misters. 2: There were plenty of monitors and big billboards to keep him entertained. 3: We all took Dramamine.
Turns out...Joshua enjoyed it. It was in a virtual amusement park so basically virtual rollercoaster without the height aspect. My Dramamine did not kick in on time because that ride is pretty wild. I kept my eyes closed most of the ride. 

We chilled with popcorn and the animal show for a bit then headed over to the Minions ride. That was a 30 minute wait. Joshua did not need any encouragement for this and I really liked this ride. Maybe the Dramamine started working on me but the ride wasn't as crazy as The Simpsons ride. I approve the Minions ride. 

Dinner was early at 5pm at the Hard Rock at Citywalk. That was nice 1: air-conditioning 2: lots of seating in air-conditioning 3: good food with air-conditioning. 

We headed back to the park to see Forbidden Journey wait time was still over 2 hours so we went on the Studio Tour. This time it seemed more entertaining because on some of the location sets there were actors set up. We saw Marilyn Monroe on the NY city set and Norman Bates at the Bates Motel. 

By the time the tour was finished it was 7 pm. Th wait time for Forbidden Journey was 90 minutes. The sun was starting to set and the crowds were noticeably smaller. By the time we actually go to the ride, the wait time was at 75 minutes. Josh and I waited in line with Tyler until we got to the castle entrance where there are lockers for loose items. Joshua decided he didn't want to go on the ride and I didn't either since i heard about motion issues. We waited in the gift shop area while Tyler hopped into the single rider line. From beginning to end, the time was 30 minutes. There is your other helpful tip.

And that did it for us and our day at Universal. I think we'll go back again in September since our passes are blocked out till then. 

Here is a my video of our time at the park. I'm still learning about editing video and going through the tutorial helped me a lot. Still lots to learn so stay tuned for more....

July already??

So much is going on since the kids are off school for the summer....Let me think. The kids get out later than most schools so we relax the first week to get in the mood. 

Then the Fourth of July  weekend is the kids and my Anime Expo. Four days of fun and cosplay watching while checking out the cool items and art. This year really seemed to explode in the number of people. Every year, we've noticed more and more attendees but this year was super crowded. It took us 3 days for us to fully go through all the exhibits and artist alley. Usually we can wind back and forth down each aisle to check out out every booth but this year, we had to take detours because of crowds. 

Also Tyler is a big fan of one author who draws Stupid Fox and she has 3 books now. Last year we didn't find her until the last day so she was sold out of Book 2. So this year, on day 1 we made a beeline to her booth and got the 2nd book. It's also great that the author is there so she will offer to sign the book.

The kids bought art prints so I've been meaning to frame them and Tyler found another print of the same character from Fire Emblem. We also got them framed already so yay for us!!

I attempted to record some of the expo and here it is.... 




How many anime characters can you name?? Seriously, so many!!! Maybe I'll make a video showing what we bought....our last day was much better since the crowds were smaller which leads me to see all the booths and therefore buy so much more..

Carnival cruise

I am really really behind but I am making attempts to catch up. 

This is a cruise that the kids and I took in October since our summer was spent taking care of my mother. She had a couple of unexpected stays in the hospital and the rest of the summer was helping her recuperate and caring for her.

I was able to take advantage of the kids student free day in October and booked a 3 day cruise to Ensenada. It worked out very well since it wasn't a busy cruising period. The kids got to relax and explore the ship while learning the joys of eating steak. It was here where the kids could order a steak and try different cuts of meat that normally they wouldn't have tried in a restaurant.

We didn't get off the ship at all during the weekend. I got plenty of sleep. We went to a Hasbro show on the ship where the Hasbro games are played on stage. Tyler was selected to participate which he had lots of fun.











The kids had lots of choices to play mini-golf and even go on some big water slides at the back on the ship.







I could always find nice quiet spaces while most people spent their time by the pool or sunbathing.









It looks like we have the ship to ourselves! The casino was a very popular choice for the adults.










I really want to do an Alaska cruise with the kids next. That will be lots of fun and more time to relax while seeing a new place with glaciers. :)

Osaka

Surprised to see some posts from me again? I'm really trying to get on a schedule/plan that will not have such big lulls. 

Anyway, on to catching up on Japan...I had to look up what I last posted and it was the Neko Cafe in Kyoto. Oh my...that trip was in April. This was our 2nd trip to Japan and we learned so much from our previous trip that we could take advantage of this most recent trip plus having the benefit of our kids being much older. The kids are 10 years older since the last trip and can handle the rigors/experience of long distance walking, sightseeing and food choices.

We got JR passes that helped immensely in getting around to see the neighboring areas for day trips. This is one trip where it was our first visit so that naturally involves lots of walking, stairs, doubling back and getting lost. I cant remember the mileage but we walked between 7-12 miles a day. Side note: I learned from my NYC trip the importance of well-fitting walking shoes with plenty of room in the toe area. I walked the same mileage in NYC with poor shoes (I had regular athletic shoes that I thought were fine) and ended up with blisters and damaged toe nails. I ended up losing about 8 toenails after that NYC trip. Lesson learned. I invested in a good pair of walking shoes from the The Walking Company and have been fine ever since.



   Sorry, I keep getting sidetracked. Osaka is a short shinkansen ride from Kyoto and we learned that there is a Oksaka-san and Osaka, which is not the same place. The shinkansen ride to Osaka-san is only 10-15 minutes and then we  had to transfer to a JR train for another 20-30 minutes into Osaka. 

We kept it quiet from the kids because in Tokyo we spent a good portion of our day finding the Pokemon store and we knew there was one in Osaka. Turns out the train station is right next to the mall and the Pokemon store is right there! That way we could buy Pokemon stuff before we left and didn't have to lug it around all day.









It was rainy and dreary that day but a very good point about Japan is that there are plenty of umbrellas to be had inexpensive and abundant. I like the clear ones so you can lower it and still see to navigate through the sea of people.




The umbrellas are inexpensive like I said before but they will fall apart after a while especially if you have a rambunctious 12 yr old and it's very windy.




Our apartment had plenty of umbrellas to use but unfortunately we had to buy another umbrella with strict instructions not to break this one. :-)

One of the things we like to do when travelling is find the tallest building or tower and that's exactly what we did. Too bad for the rain because this place is lots of glass and cool escalators.











Not so pretty outside but you can see the glass walkway that connects the 2 buildings. 




My guys taking a break. Yeah, also there are not a lot of benches/chairs to sit on so prepare to stand...







Okay, looks like the rain has stopped. On to more exploring and finding Osaka Tower which mean more walking. You'd think finding a tower is pretty simple and it usually begins that way until you lose sight of it or come out of train station with no reference point at all. More doubling back, asking for directions and walking.











Oh good, there's the tower. 




So much to see while walking, and Tyler desperately needed a haircut but didn't want to take that chance of communicating in limited Japanese.




We must have eaten lunch already because I would have been all over this place. 

This is sort of Osaka's personality that is different than Tokyo...larger than life signage which is actually helpful in figuring out what they're selling and for landmarks. So very easy to get lost...






Getting closer...

We made it!!!






Going up and down to the other level requires stairs...at least this one was festive with colorful neon lights.




Ready to journey back...






Japan is very orderly. Every car is labelled and people dutifully line up for their car. People sit in their assigned seats and clean up their trash to take off the train.

Hector and I really enjoyed Osaka and eventually I will post of our date night in Osaka.