Friday, July 31, 2009

RV Trip Day 2

We left the RV park around 7:30 this morning, still heading toward Texas. We drove and drove and drove. We were in some crazy road to Jerome, AZ. We had planned on stopping there at a ghost town, but the city us built into the side of a mountain, so that made for narrow streets, and no parking for a giant RV, towing a vehicle. Too bad too, because it looked like a really cute place.


This is a picture I took on the crazy road.



At the RV park in Sedona, AZ.



I wanna take one of these out! They offer tours.



Sedona, AZ. I totally want to come back here.

Word of the Day: tired. I got about 3 hours of sleep last night. It was too hot.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Road to Texas

We are off! We left Fremont at a quarter to one today, Texas bound. We won't be home until the end if August. I am with my parents, the boys, my brother, and his girlfriend. 7 happy people, in a 35 foot RV!


Quinn, before we left.



Is Riley going to drive us?



My girl is happy too!




Look what I found on our gas stop! All is right with the world.

Word of the Day: slow. There was free Internet where we stopped for the night, but it was really slow. I have better pictures on the computer, but since it is slow, I am updating from my phone. I love this app! See you tomorrow, from Arizona.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Wednesday, Only Slightly Better than Yesterday

Well, we had electricity today. Thank goodness. It didn't come on until 11:50 pm last night! We were without power for 16 hours! It sucked. I thought today would be better. We had power, that was a plus, but it was a busy, busy day-packing, laundry, cleaning, more laundry, etc. I had to play catch up from yesterday. First thing I had to do though, was clear out the fridge of spoiled, or possibly spoiled, items from the power outage. While we were taking things to the garbage can, our elderly cat got into the house and promptly peed-IN MY PILE OF VACATION PACKING! I could have killed him. Of course, I didn't realize this until I was packing the car, to take the items to my parents' house, to put into the RV, and I put my hand in it! Did I mention that we are leaving tomorrow for a big RV trip? I had to rewash a sleeping bag, and I had to wipe down books and bags that he got, and scrub the floor, not to mention, wash my hands. There is nothing worse than cat pee. Ew.
Backpacks for two boys, filled with their prized goodies, ready to go tomorrow.
My girl is ready to go too! I decided to take her along so that I can take some pictures of her in far off places! She's sporting a new Barbie sweater. Do you like? She really needs a name. Any ideas? I should have a contest to pick a name for her.
Quinn had fun with the cardboard from Kevin's new computer. It's a giant phone. He's saying, "HELLO!"

Now it's hair. Lovely.

Word of the Day: Packed. Everything is ready to go for tomorrow. We are leaving around noon, and should make it to California City (middle of nowhere) tomorrow night. Our first destination is Texas, where we will visit family, for a few days. If you follow me on Facebook (Julie Crossman), you can join in the fun, when I play, "Where in the World is Julie Crossman?" It's fun! Come along! I will post all about our adventures, so stay tuned. I'll see you tomorrow from California City!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Tuesday Sucks!

Riley had an orthodontist appointment this morning at 7:45! We were up and out of the house by 7:30. Good thing too, cuz when I texted Kevin to tell him that Riley has an extra top, front tooth, which is growing up, instead of down, he told me the power was out. That was a little before 8:00. It's now 9:08 PM!


After the ortho, we went to Target, and then had planned on going to Valley Fair. A friend of Riley's called to see if Riley wanted to go to Six Flags. We went home to meet up with the family. The power was still out. Quinn and I went to Bounce-a-Rama. That's where I took the above picture. Quinn didn't feel well, so we came home. Power still out. He rested, then played with his Star Wars guys. I read and read and read. Kevin got home around 6:00pm, so we went to eat, collected Riley and came home, where the power is still out. I am updating this blog from my phone, which is charging in my car. Yeah, today sucked.

Word of the Day: *#€@! rhymes with duck.

Power due back on by 9:30 pm. I doubt that will happen. There's a big backhoe on the next block, digging to who knows where. Something about a transformer.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Laundry and Packing, Packing and Laundry

The boys and I got quite a lot accomplished today. We are mostly packed for the big RV trip, and the boys' rooms are clean. It took all day, but they are clean. I was knee deep in laundry, and packing. Did you know that you can wash Vans shoes? You can, and it works out just fine! Riley took his Vans to camp, and they were really, really dirty. I threw them in the wash with towels, and they came pretty clean. The only problem was that they were really, really loud in the dryer.
My Blythe got some new clothes in the mail today! A white, pin-tuck blouse, and a pretty skirt.
I ordered them from Etsy, from this shop.
She got this pretty shirt too! I want one like this!
My order of Japanese material arrived today too! Alice in Wonderland material, and glittery mushrooms. Aren't they yummy? The material is pretty heavy too, a canvas.

Matryoshka's and kokeshi dolls! Double yum!

Word of the Day: Argue. Now that both boys are back together, the honeymoon is over. They pretty much argued all day long. Quinn pushes buttons and Riley has no patience. Ah, the joy of it all.

My Disneyland pictures are up at Flickr! If you want to see them, GO HERE.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

No Doubt

So yesterday was a busy day. Quinn and I drove home from Disneyland, and Riley returned from camp. It just so happened that we all had tickets to see No Doubt at Shoreline, last night as well, so we packed our two sleepy boys into the car, and away we went. No Doubt were awesome, just awesome! Gwen Stefani has such stage presence, and it was great to see the band back together. They sounded great, and the boys were very interested in the happenings, especially the drummer, in his tighty whities.
Look at Gwen's abs! She's had two kids! Pretty impressive huh? Oh, and no, I didn't take this picture. I stole it from Kevin who stole it from some site. But look at those abs!!! She really looked like this too! I'm totally jealous.
The opening of the show. Isn't that cool? One by one they walked up until their shadow showed. They stood there for a little while, until the curtain dropped, revealing the real deal. Awesome! Kevin took this picture. I am excellent at stealing pictures.
Riley, looking sleepy, waiting for Paramore (one of two opening bands) to end, and No Doubt to begin. It was very loud. Both boys wore their hoods, which I guess blocked out some of the noise?
We got Riley a shirt. Isn't that so cute? It has the dates of the tour on the back.

Quinn and Riley and about 20,000 of their closest friends-stole that line, and the picture, from Kevin. This is the lawn area at Shoreline. We had seats, luckily. It was a sold out show. It was crazy crowded. We left before the encore, which was an excellent decision as it would have been so hard to keep track of them with the leaving crowd. People just were not looking for smaller people, and Quinn almost got stepped on a few times. Now if only U2 would include San Francisco on their current tour, we can all do this again!

Word of the Day: Sleepy. I was up and out of the house early this morning. I went with my parents to the Walmart Supercenter, in Gilroy, to shop for the RV trip. It's about 45 minutes away. On the way home, we observed all of the traffic going southbound-they were heading to the Gilroy Garlic Festival. The traffic was horrible. I have never been to the garlic festival myself, so I can't really say that the traffic would have been worth it. Anyway, when I got home, I pretty much slept on the couch for the rest of the day, ignoring the laundry I have to do, and the packing as well.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

We're Ba-ack!

Quinn and I made it home before Riley made it back from camp! I was quite surprised. I thought for sure he'd already be home, as the camp was only about 3 hours away. Oh well, I guess they got in their last bit of fun. Quinn and I left Disneyland at 8:41 this morning, and were home at 2:58 this afternoon. Two stops this time. We had a really good time, but it's good to be home. Here are some highlights of our trip. I'll post the rest on Flickr, tomorrow, as we are leaving shortly to go see No Doubt.
Quinn, in the line for the Tea cups. Love the hat!
Quinn, Walt and Mickey.
Riding Dumbo.
That's California Screamin' going past all of the construction at DCA. They are putting in a water fountain show to rival the Bellagio's.

Quinn aboard the Golden Zephyr, which is actually silver. He LOVES this ride.

Word of the Day: Home. Everybody is now home. Riley was absolutely filthy, but he did shower. He had a good time though. It's good to have everyone back together. Quinn would whole-heartedly agree.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Another Disney Day

We were in the park when it opened, at 8:00. It didn't feel nearly as warm as yesterday, but it did feel kind of humid. We were in line for Peter Pan, and this guy passed out or had some kind of seizure. I got the ride attendants attention and she called for help. Other guys in the line, passed him over the rows, and outside of the line, where he could better receive help. It was kind of scary. Quinn was a little freaked that the guy wasn't blinking. I assured him he would be fine, and we even asked one of the guys who lifted him if he was ok. He was.


Quinn, posing with his water, by the castle. It's important to stay hydrated-just ask the Peter Pan guy.



Quinn made friends with a stray cat at DCA.



Quinn loved the bumper cars in Flick's Fun Fair. He got to drive by himself. For those of you who have been to DCA, you know how super fast they move. LOL. For those that don't, these are the slowest moving bumper cars.

Word of the Day: interesting. After the fainting episode at Peter Pan, we went to ride Snow White. While we were on, it broke down and we had to be walked out. The lights came on, we were told to stay in our seats, until the attendant came. It was cool. We got hung up in the dwarf room, because people were taking pictures. Funny.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

More Disneyland Fun




It's always fun to explode stuff in ToonTown.



Quinn just learned that Darth Vader is his father.



I got some new shoes!



Then there's this big guy, in one if the DCA shops.

Word of the Day: fun! Quinn and I are having a great time, despite the heat.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Disneyland!

Quinn and I made it to Anaheim rather quickly today. Only one stop! We hit a little traffic, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.



Here's Quinn in a tea cup.



At DCA.

I don't think he misses his brother as much now.

Word of the Day: hot! It's freakin' hot here. We bought a fan/mister thingy. Best $15 I have spent in awhile!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Coraline Tuesday, and Some Other Stuff

I got it! I was at Target this morning, and got myself a copy of the Coraline DVD. I loved this movie.

My Coralines like that I got their movie too! See how happy they are?
I dropped Quinn off with my mom, after lunch. She took him to the new water park. She took this picture with her iPhone. Isn't he cute? My mom said he was having fun. They had ridden the tube on the lazy river, and he had even gone down one of the slides. He's brave.
While Quinn and my mom had water fun, I got a pedi! I opted for a teal blue/green color. It's called, "Out of Bounds." I like it. It's different. I always go for red or pink, so a change was in order. It felt so good to sit in the massage chair, and have my feet and legs massaged. Great prep for all of the walking Quinn and I will be doing tomorrow.

Kevin and I are going to see Blondie, Pat Benatar, and The Donnas, tonight. I am pretty excited about it. Don't you love this logo? Kevin found it somewhere on the internet. I think it's really cool.

Word of the Day: Cool. Today was way cooler than it has been lately. I hate it when it's too hot. Today was kind of cold this morning. I was worried that my mom and Quinn would not make it to the water park. It warmed up enough though. Maybe I'll take both boys there next week. I had been staying away from it, because I thought it would be too crowded. Apparently, the crowds have not been bad at all.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Texting 101

Day 2 of no Riley in the house. Quinn actually wanted to go out. He wanted to get some plastic sleeves to put his Pokemon cards. Since we were up and dressed, we went to the newer Nordstrom Rack in East Palo Alto, before getting his sleeves. It's a nice store. I saw some shoes I really liked, but I...you won't believe this...TALKED MYSELF OUT OF THEM! They were really cute. Tennis shoe slip ons-no laces, by Ed Hardy. $49.90! I'm pacing myself, as I am going to the Mall of America this summer. Quinn was chomping at the bit to go, so I didn't get to try on any clothes. Oh well, one day, before summer ends, I'll go back, without children.
Look what I found at Target today! I'm going to brush up on my texting shorthand. Isn't it cool? I feel so hip. BWDIK (but what do I know?) Hylarious. CSL (can't stop laughing.)
Can you see some of the text phrases? Kind of blurry I know, but I wanted to give you the 411, FAWC (for anyone who cares). This was $.50 well spent. Oh, and by the way, Target carries the sleeves for Pokemon cards. Michael's didn't have any. The hobby store did, but I could have saved myself the extra stop, if I'd only gone to Target first.
Here are the sleeves Quinn got. They fit 9 cards-well 18, if you use both sides. The fit into a binder. Quinn picked out a "Rockband" binder. He put the cards in all by himself. He's still not finished, but worked on it off and on, all afternoon. EZ (easy).
Oh, I took this picture the other day. Quinn had lined up all of his Galactic Heroes and their vehicles. He has my organizational skills. He's a QT (cutie).


Here they are again. ZZZ? (tired, bored).

Word for the Day: Packing. I have packed for both Quinn and I, for our Disneyland trip. Quinn's actually going to spend the night with my parents tomorrow night, because Kevin and I are going to the Mountain Winery, to see The Donnas, Blondie, and Pat Benatar. I'll pick Quinn up first thing Wednesday morning, and we'll be on the road to Disneyland. OAO (over and out.)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Oh Yeah, I Have This Picture!


Here's a picture of Riley, before he left for camp this morning. Kevin took it this morning. See? He looks happy!

Keep reading for my regular post.

Sunny San Francisco

Riley is off to summer camp, with the scouts. He was a little nervous about it last night, but by the time Kevin dropped him off this morning, at the Scout Shack, he was fine, and pretty excited. He'll have a great time. I won't have any idea how he's doing, what he's doing, until we pick him up on Saturday. We were all up early, getting him ready to go, checking last minute details, and saying goodbye. I opted not to go with Kevin to drop him off. We ALL would of had to go, and I thought it would be much easier on him if Kevin just took him, dropped him off, and came right home-no lingering. Since we were up so early, with the whole day ahead of us, we decided to take a drive into the city. I wanted to go to the Renegade Craft Fair. We parked at Fort Mason, where the fair was being held. I went to the fair and Kevin took Quinn to find a couple of geo caches. After I was finished, we met at Ghirardelli Square for some fun.
Here's a view of one of the Fort Mason buildings, where the fair was being held. There were something like 200 vendors. It was bigger than last year. Lots of great, creative, unique things.
My loot from the fair. I got fabric from Super Buzzy, a crocheted cupcake (forgot the name of the vendor), and two t-shirts. The t-shirts, made by Class, have a chalkboard front, and can be written on! Can you see Quinn's Kirby on the green t-shirt? They are super cool. Oh, and if you want to see a demonstration of the shirts, GO HERE.
Here's Kevin and Quinn outside the Ghirardelli Chocolate store. It was super crowded in there. We did run through, quickly, to get our free chocolate. It was chocolate and peanut butter, and it was yummy!
Here's Quinn playing in the SF Bay, as a cruise ship is coming in to port.

Check out this picture! Kevin took it. Doesn't it look like Quinn is touching the tip of the Transamerica Building? If you would like to see more pictures of our SF day, GO HERE.

Word of the Day: Sun. It was really nice in the city today. It was short sleeve weather at times, but we did need our sweatshirts for a little while, when we were near the water. Very pretty, but rather crowded in the city. The sun brings everyone out, plus the tourists who would normally be there.