Nothing cures "ouch" like some cowbell

Em survived. And for being just a three day work week I must admit to feeling a little haggard by the end. Sheesh. Came home and let loose with a refreshing fermented beverage and this oldie but goodie updated for your viewing pleasure courtesy of this clever fellow named Barrester.

Ouch

The YMCA summer camp that Em has attended all summer ended last week. School starts Monday. That left three days this week for us to find care for her. I worked from home yesterday and kept her home with me. We have her at the Boys and Girls Club program for the other two. It's not her favorite. No one was unkind to her. It's a safe and nurturing environment. Today is even a field trip to the movies. But it's just not where she wants to be today. And she's making it very apparent. And this is one of those days that as a working mom my heart aches.

A river runs through it

Our stay in Kyburz was a wonderful four days of R & R. A very big thank you to Aunt Phyllis for hosting us girls while Steve and James were in Tahoe for their guys trip. Phyllis is mother of Steve's best friend, James. She is like a second mom to Steve and the way she opened up her mountain home and heart to us girls made us feel like family too.


We spent our time reading, taking walks and naps, doing crafts, playing in the American River and just enjoying the cool outdoors with Phyllis and James' wife and son, Debbie and Russell.



And we even got a little quality canine therapy time (for those of you that know our girls well...this is a monumental step).



For all of our friends with dogs that have graciously crated, corraled and sequestered your pet on behalf of our girls...it seems that accessorizing your pooch helps break down some of the barriers of intimidation.

Road trip

After driving about 1,660 miles round trip, consuming roughly 60 gallons of gas, spotting 24 different state license plates, and too many cows to count (we stopped in the 200's) we're back home safe. We did the 14 hour trip home straight through so that we could wake up in our own beds and be home for the whole day before going back to work. I'll share some of the pics and adventures from the trip soon.

Gone fishin'...

and swimmin' and hikin' and just plain ol' relaxin' in the cool pines of the Sierra. We're heading out on the semi-family vacation to Kyburz, CA. (I say "semi-" only because Steve's breaking off for a few days on his annual "Guys' Golf, Gas & Gambling" trip in Tahoe. But the 20+ hours in the car makes up for any time apart). Looking forward to the time away to recharge. Even hoping I don't have Blackberry service up there...a girl can dream.

Since we won't be back until Tuesday...I'll leave you with this funny clip courtesy of Jill's brother to keep you amused while I'm gone.



A shout out to gregariousred...when you were a purchaser for the ship builder were they using rigorous "maritime engineering standards?" Were you ever directed to purchase any cardboard derivatives by chance? Hmmm?

Injustice

I'm a little bit disappointed this morning. I just checked out the list of the 600 Starbuck stores closing...and only one Arizona store is listed. One. In Eloy, (a town off the 10 that I am only familiar with because there are signs for it when you are driving to take Interstate 8 to San Diego...which is fortunate enough to lose 10 Starbucks). I'm one of the 226 people in the United States that thinks the earth will continue to rotate on it's axis just fine with a few less Starbucks on it. In fact, I thought the Valley could use one or two less. Oh well. I guess I'll go sulk over another cup of home-brewed-grocery-store-purchased-beans-cup-o'-joe.

A day in the life of the social butterfly

This past Friday was pretty eventful for the 7 year old. A play date with her friend Jeri started at 9am. That progressed into Jeri's birthday/swim party. At 5pm she was shuttled over to another birthday party for her old friend from pre-school, Morgan. That involved a fun sushi dinner, more play and party festivities until she was brought home at 9pm (more on that here). A 12-hour day of non-stop fun. Isn't that what summer break is all about?