[R] Friendly Skies

This is the actual plane that we rode on the way home from San Diego last week. I am not a fan of flying, but it is certainly better on a plane with Minnie Mouse at the helm. I did expect the inside to be a Disney party barge, but, alas, it was not. Still, the snack mix and Coke products were plentiful and the flight attendants definitely had a Disney-appropriate demeanor.

[W] Pandas Schmandas

Last week, Rachie braved the wilds of the friendly skies with her sweeties (and a bit o' Bailey's which Greggie thoughtfully snuck into her carry-on... what a good husband!) and she and the girls spent a very lovely few days with us here in sunny San Diego. Happily, our kids really seem to like each other. When you're BFF's, you kind of hope for that to happen.

Here's the gang partaking of foot massages at the zoo. This may have been the highlight of the day for the children who seemed to want to do nothing more than squish pennies, snuggle pill bugs (I will love him and squeeze him and call him 'Pilly'), and play "hide the coffee stir-er." Koalas? Giraffes? Rhinoceroses? (Rhinocerosi??) Same old same old if you ask this tough crowd!

Next year: Disneyland! Who's in???

[C] Year in Review

Another year, another decade... faster and faster, as if we've wandered into Wonderland. At least we have the arbitrary annual earmarking of holidays and New Year's Eves to give us pause from what is otherwise just one big huge blur. Here is our annual look back, a brief moment of reflection before the cycle begins anew. We saw lots of family in 2009. Resolution for 2010 is definitely to see more of friends! Hoping for many A+ reunions this year, wherever they may be. And wishing everyone a sense of peace, love, health, and happiness every day.

As for E, I think her new year spirit says it all. More underwear headwear!

[C] Halloween Buzz

Boo! - or, more appropriately, buzzz! - from our Queen Bee. Hope your Halloweens were appropriately ghastly. Ours kind of was, actually, with E's cold keeping us home-bound, and we ended up haunting the T-dot instead of T-burg. Despite our disappointment, we managed to make of the weekend the best we could: we did lots of decorating, carved a pumpkin - in not particularly spectacular or creative fashion, but it got the job done - and went trick-or-treating from room to room in our apartment instead of from door to door in the neighborhood. All around, a pretty successful save, and the important thing is that a much-improved E ended up enjoying the festivities. Halloween is definitely topping her favorite-holiday list now, much as it did for her dad back when he was a trick-or-treating kid. Happy recovery from all those sugar highs!

[R] Party in Eburg!

Momma Horse's Birthday (and, apparently, it is horse Mother's Day, too).

[R + W] Let's Do It! Let the Freaking Out Begin!

We here in A+land would like to take a moment to shout our joy to the top of every mountain in the world, for our sweet Ellie has tackled her final surgery and emerged kicking and screaming and mad as hell and we are so proud of and overjoyed for A+ Canada. WaHoo, A+, WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!

[C] Naked Pleasure

Can you remember when the simplest things in life made you the happiest? Today E and I walked down the street to our favorite neighborhood cafe, which was celebrating its fifth anniversary with free ice cream and balloons. When you're two going on three, there is nothing better than ice cream (and when you're an adult, free is always good). Throw in balloons, and you're talkin' heaven. All the way home E was walking on air, then decided it would be fun to tear through our apartment buck naked while yelling at the top of her lungs, "Let's do it! Freak it out!" I am unsure of the meaning or derivation of "freak it out," but evidently it is reserved for especially exciting occasions. Now, it's entirely possible that this ecstasy was the result of a pralines-n-cream-induced sugar high, but there was something so fantastic, so pure, so joyful - and so infectious - about seeing such unadulterated pleasure (although I managed to keep my clothes on). Would that we all felt like that a lot more often...!

Luckily, attired for modesty here

[C] Yearbook Yuks

OK, I have now officially spent way too much time playing around with Yearbook Yourself when I could have been sleeping or editing or doing any number of more productive things. Why does this stuff amuse me so much? Here are a few of my favorite faux photos... ah, memories.

[W] A Day at the Fair

We hit the fair with Grandma this week and had a rootin' tootin' good time. The highlight for me personally was seeing the Doggies of the Wild West Show which features a whole pack of trained chihuahuas who alternate between sitting in and on a chihuahua-sized wagon and doing exciting tricks. We happened upon it and I tell you, those fifteen minutes were worth the price of admission.

Other fun and exciting fair happenings included feeding goats and a calf, petting chicks and puppies, exploring an antique school bus, wandering a corn maze, and checking out a monster truck up close. I do love a good fair, and San Diego's got a great one. I've really got to get it together to enter a contest and go for a blue ribbon someday.

-W.

[C] Beach Baby

E took to the beach - well, I guess the expression "like a fish to water" is appropriate. Her first time at the shore was a big splash. Sandwiched between a string of stormy days, we lucked out with just a slightly overcast sky, which made for a very comfortable afternoon. E enjoyed picking up (and dramatically discarding) shells, making footprints in wet sand, building sand castles (which is perhaps overstating the architecture somewhat), and barely escaping the grasp of many foamy waves. In reality, the closer call was avoiding aggressive seagulls dive-bombing for our lunches, but all in all it was a perfectly pleasant trip to the seaside. Here's hoping for many happy returns...