Dawes - All Your Favorite Bands

This video makes me so happy.

Recently Read...

The Celebrant, by Eric Rolfe Greenberg.  I try to read a baseball book every summer, and this year, I decided to re-read my favorite of all time. It was as wonderful as I remembered.

Luckiest Girl Alive, by Jessica Knoll.  I read a bunch of great reviews about this one - "the next "Gone Girl" and blahblahblah... so I gave it a shot. It is an easy read; and it's tightly woven, bouncing back and forth between the main character at 14 and then again in her 20s. I hated her. She's easy to hate - she's terrible, and if you read it, you'll hate her too. However, by the end, your feelings towards her...well, they may not change, but they will be complicated. It would be a good book for a book club, because it's sure to generate a discussion.

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I finally read this one, after having it on my to-read list for so long. It's sweet, and I'd compare it to a warm bath in a candlelit room. Comfortable, easy, and thoughtful.

San Francisco...

Last month, Kevin and I were looking at the calendar, working to arrange after-school care and make plans. September is full of holidays and half-days, and as we're transitioning into a new school year, it can be a difficult month to manage. Rosh Hashana meant two days off of school for the boys, and Kevin mentioned that he would be in San Francisco that week. "Why don't you bring the boys out for a long weekend?" he suggested. I did not hesitate. 

My boys are spoiled. I never made it out of the East Coast time zone until I was 25 and in a position to pay for my own trip. My boys, on the other hand, have already visited many places in the US and the Caribbean, in addition to Spain, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. They already do not view it as a big deal to fly, and they have a pretty good grasp of geography, as well as a perspective on different languages and cultures. I do often wonder if I'm giving them a global perspective or if we're spoiling them and leaving them unable to appreciate how fortunate they are to be able to have such experiences. I think the answer is probably both. 

There are also times on every trip when I question my sanity in traveling with kids. Traveling is hard, but exponentially so when you're dealing with tired and bickering and whining kids. But then I find myself walking the streets of San Francisco, playing I Spy and pointing out cool and beautiful buildings, noticing them appreciate the sights of the city (the trolleys, the bridges, Lombard Street...), and I know that it's worth it. 

And if I'm being honest, the primary reason that I travel with my kids is that I love to travel. I want to see new places, and I also want to spend time with my family. 

We had a wonderful time in San Francisco. It's a very special city to Kevin and me, since it's where we began dating. It was fun to be able to celebrate our anniversary (13!) there, and it was also fun to be able to show the boys Kevin's old apartment and take them to some of our favorite restaurants. It was a long trip for just a few nights, but the boys are getting easier and easier to travel with, and it was absolutely worthwhile.

Some of the things we did...

• Burgers and shakes at Moe's
• Walking a ton! 
• Dinner with Kevin's aunt and uncle
• Football at the Yerba Buena Gardens
• A Giants baseball game on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon - so many trips down the slides!
• Playing in the hotel pool/hot tub
• Aquarium
• Arcade games
• Running on the beach
• Ice cream sundaes at Ghirardelli
• A trolley ride through the city
• Dinner at North Beach pizza

A Fun Diversion...

Sydney and Vaughn

I forgot to mention one other thing I've been doing this past month:  watching Alias. It's one of my most favorite TV shows, and I discovered that it was available on Netflix. I started putting it on in the background as I worked in the evenings, and I found myself hooked on it just as I was 14 years ago when it started.  The first two seasons are sooooo good, and even though it goes downhill from there, I am still having fun watching it all over again.

I'm Still Here.

I haven't forgotten about the blog. I've been really missing it. Writing, checking in, focusing on the good stuff. Alas, life has gotten in the way. But I'm here, and I know I will get back into a rhythm once we settle into our school year routine.

What have I been up to? Well...

• Working (too much)
• Being sick (strange illness that seemed to go on forever - I'm fine now though thankfully)
• Soaking up the last bits of summer
• Visiting family
• Buying back-to-school clothes
• Getting together with friends
• Ordering Halloween costumes (we're going big this year)
• Getting the boys started with 1st and 3rd grades
• Attending first soccer practices for the boys (holy cow do they love it - so fun)
• Not exercising much (see first two bullets)
• Enjoying a trip to San Francisco (just got back last night - another post coming soon)

I'm going to get my blog groove back soon.  In the meantime:  Hi!  I've missed you.