70 floors and 1,000ft above Los Angeles

Every time 'Lil SS or RJ come to visit, we try to find fun, different things to do, because bored teenagers can be irritating and annoying. And get into trouble.
A few weeks ago, when ‘Lil SS was here for Spring Break, we took a drive to Downtown LA. We had been told about this slide on the side of a building, so naturally, we had to check it out.

From atop the US Bank building in Downtown LA.

You had to buy the tickets downstairs before you even went up into the elevator, so you didn’t get to see the actual slide ahead of time. Because I’m the scared, reluctant one in the family when it comes to heights, I opted to not ride the slide. However, once we were up there, I think it might have been cool to experience it. Just to say I’ve done it. Oh well. Here's a video of SS and 'Lil SS riding it.

I have to be honest, the view is really why you go up there. It was 70 floors up (1,000 feet). I haven't had the opportunity to go up that high into a building, so this was awesome. The Empire State building's observation deck is on the 86th floor! Can you imagine??

Until next time....

Catching Up

It’s September, and we all know what that means.

Back to School!

Summertime is over. Here in SoCal, that doesn’t mean the end of swimming, weekend bbq’s, hiking, or trips to the beach. Nope. It was 91* degrees here yesterday, so we’re hoping to see some cooler days in our near future.
What it does mean, is more traffic. Since schools are back in, the freeways are completely stopped in the morning, and the city streets are more crowded from the people trying to avoid the freeway. On-ramps are stopped because the freeway isn’t moving, which backs up traffic into the regular streets as well. It’s a frustrating thing we deal with here every day. And I can’t wait to move away from it all.

Lil’ SS started 7th grade this year (YIKES!), and RJ started 11th (HOLY COW!). Both of them started new school’s, and while Lil’ SS is adapting well, RJ is having a bit of a harder time. :(

School is closed. With about a week’s notice that the school might close, us students were left wondering, “What do we do now?” 15 months into my 21 month program, the school has left me with two options.
1- transfer a couple of my credits to a different school 45 minutes away, take more classes that weren’t needed in my previous program, and graduate from new school.
2- contact my student loans and apply for loan forgivness because school closed, and continue working at current job.

Neither option is what I want, I’ll be honest.
Back to the drawing board of what I want out of life.

Our Big (2016) Adventure

Yo, yo, yo. Do I even still have readers out there? It’s been so hard to keep this blog up to date with all that is happening in my life, but I promise I’ll keep trying. A better way to keep up with the happenings of my life, is through Instagram. Check it out. Request to follow me. I won’t bite, I promise.

Chicken, chickens, and more chickens.
What is with all the chickens?

Everywhere we went, there were chickens. There were chickens on the beach, on the main roads, in people’s front yards, in and around restaurants, at hotels, at the river, and EVERYWHERE ELSE.

 

Helicopter ride around Kauai.
If you’re ever there, it’s worth every penny.

We took an hour long helicopter ride around the entire island. It was absolutely stunning from that height. We saw areas that were only accessible by boat, and areas that were only accessible by hiking several mile upon mile. Hiking wasn’t something we were interested in doing while we were on a relaxing vacation, but we saw several people doing it.

 

Swimming with fishies.
If you don’t get seasick, this is a must do activity.

We took a 2-hour boat ride around to the north side of the island, where they allowed everyone to swim with the local fishies. SS and Lil’ SS dove right in, but I was scared, so I got back on the boat. I’ll be honest, it freaked me out a great deal to be swimming around in the area that is supposed to be just for sea life. Make fun of me all you want, but we all have fears.

 

#CrazyHairDontCare

The wind was blowing at different rates the entire seven days. It rained a few times, but by rain, I mean it sprinkled a little bit, then blew threw. Nothing extravagent. No storms. It never kept us indoors and it never stopped us from having fun. It was an amazing vacation that I’m so grateful I got to spend with these two wonderful people. I can’t wait until our next big adventure.

 

When It Rains…

Well, our Summer fun with Lil’ SS has come to an end. Her mom was in town this past weekend to pick her up, and while it was a little sad to see her go, we know she’d rather be with her friends, than hanging out with me. Let’s be honest.

(This photo was from our trip to the beach last week.)

Her and the three other people she came out with, wanted to spend Saturday at the beach. But when we woke up Saturday morning and realized it was going to be raining for the majority of the day, we decided our previous plans for Santa Monica beach were probably not a great idea. SS checked the weather at one of our favorite beaches more north, and when we saw clear skies until 4pm, we hopped in the car and headed that way.

A short hour and a half later, we were all playing out in the surf. All eight of us. And it was amazing. There were rainclouds all around us, in every direction. But directly above us, was clear blue skies.

For almost four hours, we splashed, rode waves, ate snacks, dug in the sand, and climbed rocks.

Just before 4pm, the clouds covered the sun and down came the rain. That was our cue. Enough time in the sun.

[Top photo-all four kids. Bottom right photo-my 15-year-old.]

Let’s be honest, it always makes me a little nervous to spend time with Lil’ SS’s mom. I think it’s just a territory thing. Lil’ SS is hers, not mine, so my motherly feelings tend to hide away when she’s around. However, we had a wonderful visit with them and I would invite them back any time. [I can’t go into my feelings and emotions on the whole situation right now, because that’s not what this post is about, but I assure you, there will be a time for that at a later date.]

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend just as much as we did. I’m headed to go play with my now 15-year-old.

Where does the time go?

A Day at the Zoo

How many times, as a child, did you go to a zoo? How many times, as an adult, have you gone to the zoo?

Let me tell you something. No matter your age, the zoo is an AWESOME and FUN place to hang out! Especially when the zoo is across the street from the beach!

From the Penguins…..

…to the Elephants….

…and everything in between, each and every animal we saw, made us smile.

What’s your favorite zoo animal? Mine was the elephants. I could stand there all day and watch them do whatever they plan on doing for the day. Even if it’s just eating from a tall tree.

Our original reason for going to the zoo was to take the annual Anniversary photos of Sis and Squid. Every year, it’s somewhere different. This year, was the zoo.

 

After our morning at the zoo, we wandered over to the beach, and did a little toe-dipping. SS and Lil’ SS, climbed down some rock, and headed towards the water. Perfect way to end the day near the beach.

 

How did you spend YOUR weekend? Hopefully it was just as much fun!

 

Friday Letters

It’s Friday. Time to write some letters.

Dear Math Teacher: If you continue to yell at the students that don’t understand the Trigonometry you’re teaching, then you’re going to lose all of us.

Dear Squid: I really enjoy having the electronics class with you. You’re so good at math, so it helps to have that backup just right around the corner.

Dear Lil’ SS: You’ve been a huge ball of fun this summer. One DIY project after another, and we’re getting pretty good at them. The older you get, the more fun we have together. Hope that continues as you get older and veer away from your parental figures.  ;-)

Dear Sis: Get better ASAP! I can’t take good anniversary photos of you guys if you’re sick.

Dear Jeffy: Thank you for the multimeter, and thank you for walking me through my homework today. It’s a little confusing at first, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. And now that you have the Mustang all put back together and running, let’s do lunch!

Dear SS: You’ve been a good sport since I’ve gone back to school. Your support of me has been incredible. Late nights in class make me miss our nightly routine, but it’ll all be worth it in the end. I promise. We have a full weekend of fun planned, and I’m so extremely excited to say I’m spending it with you and Lil’ SS. I can’t wait.