On Saturday, July 24th, we were honored to attend the wedding of Kate and Ben. Kate has been our nanny since Grace went back to work after Lucas was born. Both she and Ben have shown Lucas and Olivia love, patience and fun during this time and we all love them for it.
Kate and Ben were married in Pacifica, where they live. Kate was beautiful and both were so happy. The kids napped a little between the ceremony and the reception, which was at Nick's, right on the water. We all had a great time and both Lucas and Olivia enjoyed the music (some of which were Ben's original compositions) and dancing.
Congratulations to this very special bride and groom!
I rarely shave on vacation. I had a small headstart and decided to let it go for a week when I got back. 2 1/2 weeks. Not the longest, but definitely the grayest. I had to clean up for Kate's wedding. Olivia was upset and wanted it back.
After breakfast on Sunday morning, we all packed up and left Hotel Parisi with the Feleses. They were off to catch their flight back to Detroit and we were driving back to San Francisco. They beat us by about 3 hours. We did stop in Los Angeles for lunch with Grace's parents and brother, Dave.
What a great trip. Something I wish we could do every year. Laura and Chris are moving to San Diego soon, so it isn't too early to start planning for next summer... Good times!
On Saturday afternoon, Kristen and Scott hosted a BBQ at their house in La Jolla, and by BBQ, I mean they brought in some authentic Kansas City ribs, chicken and brisket. They overestimated how much Steve and Chris would put away. We had the whole gang there, including Joanne, Andy and their two boys (their daughter had a sleepover), who came down from Irvine. This was the first time this whole group was together since our wedding.
Kristen and Scott's backyard is full of fun activities for the kids. We took advantage of the cooler weather and their new fire pit to make some smores. Before we left, the girls broke into the costumes, which made it difficult to pry "Princess Olivia" from the action. Princess - uh oh...
Thanks to Kristen and Scott for hosting all of us.
On Saturday, July 17th, we had a late start before heading out to explore La Jolla Cove. We took a quick lap and then spent some time in town while the kids napped/rested.
On Friday evening, we arranged for a sitter to come to the hotel to stay with Sebastian, Eve, Lucas and Olivia in the Feles' suite. We drove over to Kristen and Scott's house and from there the six of us went down to the condo Laura and Chris rented downtown. After drinks, we walked down to Blue Point in the Gaslamp district. Dinner was excellent (and surprisingly quiet).
Afterwards, we went over to Vickie and Steve's condo at Petco park. This isn't the first property they've owned near the park, but it is the first one inside the park. Steve described the elaborate method he used to determine the optimal unit to purchase with the best views while the development was only a hole in the ground (balloons and long string were employed). They use it mostly to entertain and also donate their space to many local charities throughout the season. It seems to keep them very busy. Their philanthropy is admirable.
Everyone enjoyed an adults-only night on the town. When we got back, we determined that the best way to transfer Lucas back to our room was to wheel him away in his pack-n-play. He never stirred.
The purpose of our trip to Southern California was to meet up with our friends from West Bloomfield. On Thursday night after the zoo, all the families got together for dinner at Sammy's Woodfired Pizza in La Jolla. Chris arranged a private room for our group.
We all started Doherty Elementary Kindergarten together in 1975 - 35 years of friendship! I know Chris and Nick were in AM Kindergarten with me and I'm pretty sure Steve and Scott were in PM Kindergarten. How far we've all come. To prove the point, Chris gave a beautiful toast, in contrast to the infamous 6th grade "Lincoln speech" we all recalled.
On Thursday, we met up with Laura, Chris and Cooper at the San Diego Zoo. It was hot. Lucas might have sweated out half his body weight in his stroller - poor guy. He called someone to complain. We were hoping the polar bear exhibit was cool, but it wasn't. Olivia and Grace rode the cable car with Eve and Nick across the zoo to the exit. Melanie and I strollered the little guys back. There were a couple escalators to make the trek easier, but Mel's double stroller wouldn't fit. The hike up the hill was my exercise for the year.
All of us had seen enough, except Olivia, who insisted we see tigers and toucans. We went back in search of both and after barely seeing the tiger, we ended up on the other end of the zoo again. We convinced her that some other large-beaked bird was a toucan. This time we did take advantage of the escalators, but it was still a hike.
On the way out, Olivia reminded us that we did not see any giraffes. She was right. We continued to hear about it all the way back to the car, and even a little bit the next day. Now we have a reason to go back.
Seriously, impressive zoo (though Nick said the Detroit Zoo's polar bear exhibit kicked this zoo's exhibit's ass).
We stayed at the apartments at the Parisi Hotel in La Jolla the last time we visited, so reserved one again for this trip. Unfortunately, we booked the last one, so Mel and Nick and Laura and Chris didn't have one. Laura and Chris decided to rent a condo downtown instead. Melanie worked her magic and secured the penthouse suite, which was ridiculously big and nice. We all piled in there a lot of the time. Eve even shared her bed with Olivia for pretend nap time.
We all settled in after LEGOLAND and ordered in some food. Every morning we had breakfast together at the hotel. It worked out great.
On Wednesday, July 14th, we started to head down south from LA. We left Grace's parents' house in the morning and stopped in Huntington Beach, where Grace had to meet a colleague. Her daughter, Sarah, helped entertain Lucas and Olivia at their neighborhood park while we waited. After lunch together at ... wait for it ... McDonald's, we were off to LEGOLAND to meet Melanie, Nick, Sebastian and Eve, who had come to our reunion from Michigan.
We went a little "backwards" around the park (i.e., counter-clockwise). The last time Olivia was at the park in November, she barely passed the 34" mark, which is generally the minimum height for many of the rides. For the medium rides, the minimum was 36", which both she and Eve exceeded, thankfully. The first ride was a fairly subdued safari car adventure.
We popped out and the next ride was a roller-coaster and without hesitation, all of us were in line. It was a first for both Eve and Olivia and they both had a thrilling ride. My camera was confiscated before we departed, so I had to rely on the iPhone camera, which I almost lost on the first drop. There was some screaming. Eve and Olivia made some noise, too. I thought we may have peaked the second ride in, but the kids had fun all the way around the park.
The best part was that Eve and Olivia were able to go on some rides by themselves. Can't wait to bring Sebastian and Lucas back when they can ride some stuff, too. Next year???
Grace was working again on Tuesday. I felt guilty leaving Lucas at home all day on Monday, so I decided I would try to entertain both kids all day. First, I needed to get some coffee and snacks for them. I thought I would try to find something civilized on or around Montana in Santa Monica. By the time I rolled up to Caffe Luxxe, Lucas had fallen asleep. I parked in front and Olivia and I scouted it out. It didn't really look stroller-friendly, so we left. I drove a round a bit, contemplating Starbucks when I realized the only practical option was drive-thru. I searched for the nearest McDonald's, feeling defeated.
I headed over to the only park to which I've been in LA, which is near where Mallika and Sumant (used to) live. On the way over I gave her a call and found out they had moved a month prior. We still went to the park for a bit and afterwards, we went over to Mallika and Sumant's new home in Santa Monica. It's stunning. Sumant's parents had just arrived from India, so the whole family was home and Mallika was kind enough to invite us for lunch. Lucas made fast friends with Yoda, their new dog, and both Olivia and Lucas had a great time playing with Tara and Leela. It was great to catch up with my old friends.
Afterwards, I went back to the same park to meet up with a friend from home, Joanne, and her beautiful daughter, Evy. We determined that we were in 2nd grade together, so we go way back. It was amazing to catch up on the 20+ years since high school. We're determined to get both families together next time!
Oh, I forgot to mention that I needed more snacks for the kids, so of course I went back to the same McDonald's drive-thru. Am I out of the running for parent-of-the-year?
After Freg Segal, we went over to The Grove to meet Laura, Chris & Cooper who were staying in Santa Monica and heading out to explore LA. We had intentions of joining them in Hollywood, but Olivia was too excited about her Hello Kitty watercolors and wanted to go home to paint immediately. We missed Lucas so were happy to go home and see him.
On Monday, July 12, Grace was working in her LA office. Grandma and Grandpa stayed home with Lucas and I decided to take Olivia out for the day. I had high hopes of taking her somewhere interesting for breakfast, but I couldn't really find anything in Santa Monica. Sadly, we ended up at some place on 3rd Street Promenade (so touristy), but the good news is she ate like a champ, which is a victory in itself.
Afterwards, we stopped by PopSugar Studios on 10th St. in Santa Monica. It was my first time visiting our LA office and I also got to meet several people to whom I've only spoken on the phone. Great office space!
O and I then went over to Fred Segal where we got some refreshments. O also scored a Hello Kitty watercolor paint set and book. We got Lucas a stylish Sesame Street t-shirt.
On Sunday, July 11th, we drove down to Southern California for a week of visiting family and friends. We made it down to LA in about 6 hours, with one short stop for lunch. Our first destination was dinner at Houston's in Santa Monica with Ann, Jeremy and Emmy, newlyweds, Bianca and Joon, and brother, Dave.
On Saturday, July 10th, Leslie and Jai invited us over for a pork feast. This was our first time visiting their home and meeting baby Sidney. It was great to see the rest of the Burlingame crew, too. The food was amazing - thanks!
On Thursday morning, Gazelle went on their annual field trip to the Burlingame Fire Station, which has merged with the Hillsborough to be come the Central County Fire Station. We carpooled with Clara and Alex from the school to the station. Firemen Gus, Pat and Paul led us on our tour for the day.
Some things we learned and saw:
A fire truck is larger and carries the ladders used to rescue people
A fire engine is smaller and carries all the hoses and water (750 Gallons) used to put out fires
The fire engine weighs over 60,000 lbs
The jaws of life are strong enough to lift the fire engine
The firemen need to be out the door within 60 seconds of the sound of the alarm - sometimes they get dressed on the way
All the kids were allowed to climb into the rear and front of the fire engine
We spent pretty much all afternoon in the pool. Olivia and I practiced blowing bubbles and holding her breath. She got pretty confident in her floatie. The lessons came in handy when we were all in the pool chatting away when Grace noticed that Olivia was inverted. Arthur righted her immediately and Olivia popped up a bit stunned. Grace was more affected by the incident than Olivia, but she did talk about it quite a bit throughout the evening. It was a teachable moment for all of us. All good, thankfully.
We switched gears to dinner. It turned out to be an Iron Chef battle between Arthur and Grace (chicken). Both were supremely delicious.
Thanks to Juliet, Katie, Lisa, Brian, Jack and Lucy and the rest of the gang for all of their hospitality. Olivia was really looking forward to fireworks this year, so luckily was saw a bunch on the drive home. What a great day!
On Saturday night, we went over to Sharon and Joe's lovely new home. It was also the first time meeting their new baby, Ellie, who is just over 2 weeks old. She's amazing and so are Sharon, Joe and Samantha for having us over with so much going on.
Bobby was coming to town for a wedding, and was planning to fly all day and get in during the afternoon. I told him to get on an earlier flight so we could play some golf. He successfully got on a 7am flight from NY. I dropped Olivia off at school in the morning and ran into Alex and his dad, Mike. I then convinced Mike that he, too, needed to take the day off for some golf.
We headed out to Half Moon Bay (2nd time this week). It was a little overcast in when we started, but by the middle of the round it all burned off and turned out to be a glorious day by the ocean. I duck-hooked my last drive, which ended up by one of the practice greens. I like to play the Old Course because of the beautiful finish, but one thing that adds some pressure is the "gallery" of hotel guests at the 18th green. No one wants to see me chip - trust me - so I hit a 5-iron pure from the rough to about 10 feet. Between taking pictures, I left my birdie put 4 feet short, but thankfully finished with par. Good times...
Grace needed this afternoon to work, so she suggested that Olivia and I go out while Lucas napped. I had a big afternoon planned. Of course she fell right asleep after we gassed up, which was probably good because we encountered the usual traffic on 92 West towards Half Moon Bay. We headed over to the Ritz-Carlton, where they have free public access to the beach. Olivia was a trouper on our short hike down there (after I convinced her that the last several hundred yards was all downhill).
After her last encounter with the ocean (which she brought up today), I brought plenty of extra clothes, but no sand toys. She improvised and we had a great time.
When we were done, guess who had to carry her up that hill? After the trek back, we both needed some refreshments, so we ordered up a Shirley Temple, and iced tea, and some profiteroles with chocolate sauce.
When we got to the car, she was kind enough to inform me that she had to go potty (after I had just strongly suggested she go before we left). We made a quick stop at the grocery store for Grace. When we got home, Grace and Lucas had a delicious Tuscan Lemon Chicken and rice waiting for us.
Did I mention the weather here in northern California was unbelievable this weekend? Amazing day.
Grace and I could not believe the Burlingame Criterium was this weekend because it seems like it was just a few months ago. This past year really has flown by. We were excited nonetheless to take the kids downtown to check it out. We had the best seats on Burlingame Avenue on the sidewalk at Crepevine. Several years ago we were sitting in the same spot and I saw a pretty bad wreck. Thankfully we witnessed no spills today. It was an unbelievably gorgeous day out for the event. Next year we're going to make sure Olivia gets on the course for the kids event, which the announcer described as the largest anywhere in the country.
The kids were really not into the race and decided the park was more their speed. We ran into our old friend Meg and her family at the park and also had a chance to meet her husband, Stu. Although we knew they had lived nearby for several years, we never ran into them before. Several months ago, Grace and I took Lucas for a checkup while Kate took Olivia to a playdate at a friend's house. They had been going over there for a year but we never met them. We were dropping Lucas off at the playdate before heading to work. Kate called us to tell us Olivia had a pretty severe nosebleed, so I went inside to check her out while Grace was calling the doctor. When I got to the door, I expected to see Kate or their friends' nanny, but instead was greeted by ... Meg! What a small world. All this time they had been playing together but we never made the connection. We hope to see them again, soon.
Ikuko and Ed invited us over on Saturday night for dinner. It was nice for the kids to be able to play because the didn't really have a chance on Friday. It was another perfect evening in the Bay Area. Dinner was delicious. Thanks so much for having us!
On Friday afternoon, we had another McK family event, which was down in Atherton. I picked up the kids on the way down from SF. Lucas and Olivia outlasted Grace's colleagues in the jumpy. I did not even have to venture inside - sweet. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening.
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