&*%#^*$!

Well, it was bound to happen...Hector was hit by a car while riding his bicycle last night. He is okay with a sore ankle & back and a scraped knee. Thank God. Some woman pulled out of a driveway without looking both ways and nailed Hector. Granted, it is not very smart to be riding your bike at night since you become virtually invisible to drivers. So I intend to get him a better light and maybe a reflector vest. I would be so pissed off if he died due to such a stupid and preventive thing. So today's lesson is LIVE & LEARN (with the emphasis on LIVE).

Howdy Partner

It's official now...Hector was made partner today. Yeah! We had a celebratory dinner at Koji with our married friends (He-man & She-ra). I had such a busy day and asked She-ra to help watch Joshua for a few hours. Tyler started his day camp at church which went well. I had a appointment for my 1st mammogram because I turned 40 & my MD recommended I get one. It wasn't too bad, a bit uncomfortable for a few seconds but the nurse was really friendly and get my mind off the fact my boobs were being mashed. I then returned home to She-ra and Joshua. We watched Project Runway (season 1) until Joshua had to go to preschool. I took She-ra to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen where we shared the bbq chicken salad and pear/gorgonzola pizza. Yum. We watched more Project Runway until it was time to pick up Tyler at day camp. Relaxed at home and waited for Joshua to come home. Then I totally forgot that I had a podiatrist appt at 5pm until 4:45pm but thankfully, She-ra was still at my house so I ran off. The good news is that my bandages are finally off and I can shower normally again. I still have some swelling but it feels so nice to have that nasty bandage off. You can't imagine what your skin looks like after it hasn't touched water for 4 weeks. It begins peeling and becomes dry and flaky. Totally disgusting. I've been rubbing lotion on my foot all afternoon but it'l be a while until the skin is back to normal.

So anyway, congratulations to Hector for his promotion to partner!

Reunion

Last night, we went to a Chinese dinner to celebrate my cousin Phyllis's wedding. There were about 30 people there, mostly relatives from both sides of the couple. It was really nice to see Phyllis who was a bridesmaid at our wedding almost 10 years ago and now she is in law school & married.

Another reunion of sorts took place...the wedding party of my Uncle Johnson & Aunt Sarah. Johnson's uncle married my uncle & aunt in New York 1969. The uncle's son, Alex (?) was ringbearer and I was the flower girl. My mom and Aunt Ruth were bridesmaids. So we had to take pictures of that wedding party 2006. Good times.

We were seated at the cousins' table so that was fun. A lot of catching up to do. It seems that the cousins are in a marrying trend right now. Alvin, Phyllis's older brother, recently got married, then Phyllis and in September, our other cousin David. We were discussing who was going and what not so we might go..still not sure. My mom wants to go so maybe I will go with her and Hector can stay home with the kids. He wouldn't care if he went or not so that could work. :)

Travellin Fools

I think we are getting close to sealing our trip to Phuket (Thailand) & Singapore. A few weeks ago I was looking into renting a cabin in our local mountains for a summer trip. Then I receive our Budget Travel magazine and I saw the special for Phuket (pronounced poo-ket) ...6 nights at a 5 star Hilton for $845 (includes airfare on Singapore airlines). I couldn't believe the price. We are going during the rainy season but hey, we can deal with that. The kids will be so happy on the plane with their own individual screens but it will be a verrrrry looooong flight. We will supplement with Gameboys and lots of snacks!

I always try to have a travel journal but that gets boring for me. I end up describing our meals/food and stuff like that. Maybe I should bring my laptop so I can type instead of writing. Hmm. I came across a great travel journal on the internet http://gardkarlsen.com/index.htm . I found Gard when I was doing research on Japan and it turned out that he & his wife visited Japan (Toyko & Kyoto) earlier that year. He does a great job describing his trip with lots of helpful tips and detail. They also have been to Thailand and Singapore so we're excited. Another great travel tool I use is http://www.tripadvisor.com/ where people give reviews on destinations and hotels. This is how I decided where to stay in Maui and choose a place in Singapore based on the reviews. Of course, some people have a poor experience but that can happen at the best places. I look for overall good reviews and so far, I've been happy with my choices.

The pictures I posted today are from our Maui trip in April. We stayed at The Embassy Suites in Kaanapali. The first is our view from our balcony which was pretty awesome. The second pic is of the huge bathroom which was as big as the boys' bedroom at home. I can dream of a bathroom like that at my house. And the last pic is the bedroom with 2 sliders that open up to the balcony. The reason I chose Embassy was because like the name says all the rooms are suites. It was a important detail that we had plenty of room since we were there a week. I would stay there again if we have the chance.

Say What?

Last night while laying in bed, Hector turns over to me, says he loves me & all I put up with. Awww! I was half asleep and not sure what brought on this declaration but it was sweet. He even told me that I can buy myself the Ritani ring I want for our 10 year anniversary. Cool. I'm still debating the ring part but it's a nice thought too. Of course, he wants a motorcycle so that would even us out!

It would be really wonderful to go away somewhere just the two of us for our anniversary (November) but it's hard to find someone we trust to watch the boys. My mom is getting up in years and she cannot handle them by herself for long. I might be able to have Hector's sister Becky help out but she has enough on her hands watching their mother. Even if we did get help, we'd worry about the kids!

Fourth of July

Happy July 4th!! We are keeping it low key today. Hector was overnight call and the OB/GYN department was busy. One woman wanted her baby on July 4th so her MD scheduled her c-section for midnight! Then, of course 3 more women came that ended up needing sections too.

Later today, we will grill some carne asada and hot dogs. We'll catch the Torrance fireworks show from our local park which won't be as crowded. Wilson park is having a big shindig with booths, food etc. with the fireworks at 9pm. Last year, we checked it out but it was way too crowded.

Thursday night is an official wedding celebration for my cousin Phyllis and her husband (?). I'll find out his name soon since I need to get them a gift. They are both in law school with limited free time and money so they had a simple civil ceremony. Her parents were upset that they didn't have a big church wedding with all the hoopla but hey, it's their wedding and they decide what they want to do. So instead, we're having a small family dinner then next year, they'll throw a bigger reception. I only mention this because the situation caused a big drama on our side of the family. It doesn't seem a big deal at all to me but hey, that's me. Not everyone wants a big wedding and I'm just happy she found her love.

Lazy Sunday

What a lazy day it was today! I slept in as much as I could with the kids running around. Last night we went to the drive-in movies with another couple and my friend Kat. We decided to see Nacho Libre with Over the Hedge (which we saw a few weeks ago). I really wanted to like Nacho but it really was bad. All the funny parts are shown in the commercials and didn't come off as funny in the movie. Jack Black was his usual weird self and it had the potential of being a good movie but it didn't work. Tyler managed to wait for Over The Hedge which he enjoyed again.

Our friends (the couple who remains Nameless) came over today and brought me dinner. Actually they said they made BBQ chicken and invited themselves over which worked out since Hector went to see his mother and I was about to wrangle up some dinner for the boys. Unfortunately, Nameless arrived in a bad mood. because He put the chicken in a shallow pan that spilled bbq sauce all over Her car and things. Oh, She was in a foul mood and proceeded to give Him grief. Boy, that was Very uncomfortable since we as parents try not to cuss although I tend to slip more than Hector. Nameless argued for a while then everything seemed okay and we all ate dinner. Every couple has their own way of fighting and I'm just glad that Hector and I don't fight like THAT.

The only good thing about their visit is that They brought Failure To Launch which was a cute movie. That made up for Nacho Libre (thumbs down) plus it's much easier to watch Matthew McConaughey! Hmmm.