13 years!

January 5 was our 13th wedding anniversary. My, how the time flies. So, for our anniversary we decided to take a little trip out to San Diego. First we hit Legoland. Maybe not so fun for older teenagers, but just right for our small ones. Then we did Rockin' Baja Lobster (ah, Rockin' Baja Coastal Cantina now) in Old Town for dinner. Great place, by the way, if you haven't been there. Then my wonderful parents took the girls for the evening while Chris and I slipped away to the Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown. It's the hotel right next to Seaport Village. I was actually surprised Chris took me there. I really wasn't expecting anything so "grand". :p We were on the 38th of 40 floors and had great views. It was a little escape, but a very nice one. Here are some pix of Legoland. They wouldn't let me upload any others, so I'll try to post them separately.

Hailey driving her own motor boat. She handled it very nicely.

Hailey on the jousting horse.

Amy and Mia flying the police helicopter.

Hailey on the driving course. She obeyed all of the traffic laws. Of course. (Oh, she admitted to running one red light. Oops.)

Mia on the Miniland cruise.

Christmas Greetings!

No, we didn't fall off the face of the earth! Yes, we've been blogging slackers. We're alive and well and back in Yuma after much expectation and confusion. I could go into a big long explanation about all of that, but it would be neither exciting nor cohesive, so I'll spare you. Long story short, we are here and ready to be a part of the blogging world again. So, for our first post back in cyberland, here is our Christmas greeting to you! (Click the image to enlarge.)

The Host

Okay, so I finally finished The Host. I liked it, but I'm not sure I liked it as well as the Twilight novels. I think that since I didn't have a lot of time to devote to uninterrupted reading I got off on the wrong foot. I wasn't as taken in right away. And it took me much longer to read than usual because of how busy I've been. But towards the end I took more time to read it uninterrupted, and I ended up liking it much better than I did at first.

The whole "alien" concept was kind of strange at first, but I knew it was this kind of science fiction premise before I started reading. But the whole "alien" idea was really more of a side story than anything. This was truly a human story that dealt with truly human emotions. I really liked the main character(s), Wanderer/Melanie. Wanderer more than Melanie, though. Funny that I'd like the alien better. Anyway, the author made the point that humankind can be volatile and selfish and unkind, but that this way of life, with all of the pain and anger and devastation, is still better than an altruistic life devoid of the balancing powers of pleasure and joy and triumph. There must be opposition in all things, in other words.

This book is billed as Stephenie Meyer's first "adult novel", and people have been complaining that it's not adult enough. I don't know why "adult" has to mean gratuitous themes and scenes. It should just mean it's about adults. I loved that she didn't cave and include gratuitous immorality. Way to go, Mormon girl!

I wondered at the beginning why I didn't like Jared, the main love interest, as much as I thought I should, but I don't think I was supposed to like him as much as I originally thought I should. And I wondered why I liked Ian more than I thought I should. That was by design, too. I felt the whole time like I was seeing through Wanderer's eyes, learning as she learned. That is the masterful work of an author.

Anyway, if you get the chance, this is a really good book. The message is great, and the way the characters mature and grow during the novel is tremendous. Let me know if you've read it and, if so, how you liked it.

My rating: 4-1/2 stars out of 5.

Happy 4th of July!

Ah, Independence Day! I was very glad to spend this 4th of July in Washington, DC. Last year the girls and I were on a plane back to San Diego on the 4th. The fireworks were really anticlimactic in the rain flying out of Baltimore.

This year we opened our sliding glass window and stood out on the balcony to watch the fireworks. It was a little disappointing in that they set off cannons during the first stage of the fireworks that created a black billow of smoke that blocked a lot of the fireworks from view. After a while we could see through most of the smoke and got to see some good ones. It was truly amazing to watch the fireworks with the Washington Monument just off to the side. It was hard to get a picture since it was so dark and we were still a ways away, but I had to get a shot of what we saw from our balcony.

The girls enjoyed the show despite the black smoke. And, as always, Mia was ready for the camera. As we watched the fireworks we had "A Capitol Fourth" live on the tv. A highlight was Jerry Lee Lewis's performance just before the fireworks. (He was great, by the way. Sounds a lot like he did back in the day.) Then the National Symphony Orchestra played patriotic music to back up the fireworks. It was a fun evening, and a lot less crazy than being down on the Mall with the masses. Although I think we will have to join the mad throng before our time in DC is up, just to say we did it.

I'm thankful for this great nation we live in, and for being able to be in the Nation's Capitol during this holiday. This country may not be perfect, but it's still pretty darn good, and I'm glad to be an American. Happy 4th to you all!

Water Fun!

Yesterday we went to the Sandy Point State Park for some beach fun. The girls had fun floating in the Chesapeake Bay and playing in the sand. It was a beautiful day with just enough clouds to keep it from being too warm. Sandy Point is just past Annapolis, MD. It's not South Carlsbad, but we'll take it!

Hooray for Chris!

A couple of months ago Chris took a test for work. His score determines his eligibility for promotion, and the better his score, the greater his chances. Well, he got his score back today, and combined with his other scores he is now definitely able to be hired as an Assistant Chief at headquarters. He will put in for the promotion next week and it will be a few weeks after that before they make their decisions, but we should be here permanently by August or September. Way to go, Christopher!

Summer Kids Movies

Do any of the movie theaters in your area offer free summer kids movies? Back in Yuma our theater offered 10 movies for $5, or $2 each movie, but you had to go on the same day of the week for each movie. Out here, the theater has 2 free movies per week, both offered on Tuesday and Wednesday. Free is a pretty good deal. Today we saw "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium". We hadn't seen it before. It was okay. Not my favorite, but it had a good message: believe in yourself. Hailey sat and watched it without problem, but Mia was a little sleepy towards the end. Anyway, I'm glad we have summer movie offerings out here. It's nice to have something different from the everyday stuff to do.

So, what do you do to make the summer more interesting for the kids? And how did you like "Mr. Magorium" (if you've seen it)?