Katie's Big Adventure - SDSU

Moving Day!  Exciting and sad at the same time.  We were all feeling it.  We packed the car and headed on down to San Diego.  We couldn't have picked a hotter or more humid day.  Luckily we only had to make two big trips to each of the cars.  The first trip was killer.  I had to stop every 25 yards or so to put down the bags and rest.  Delaney and Katie complained that their arms were shaking involuntarily from the loads they carried. We were sweating up a storm. SDSU was giving out free water, so we stopped to get some and, of course, they ran out.  So we bought some at the little market at the dorm. Aah, its amazing what a nice cold drink of water will do for you.  For our second trip, someone was nice enough to loan us their dolly and we were able to finish it all in that trip.  Boy was it hot! Thank goodness Katie's room had air conditioning. We spent about 4 hours setting everything up.  By the time we left, things were looking good.  

Before - really basic

We added a little wall art and a big chair

We made the bed

Daddy set up the internet

Katie looking very studious

After - Everything is looking good!  Katie shows a little appreciation!

Katie's dorm and saying goodbye.

The Dark Knight

Bob, Katie and I went to see The Dark Knight in the Imax theater at the Spectrum.  Watching a movie in IMAX is amazing.  I have to say though that I didn't really like the movie.  It left things unresolved for me.  I didn't feel like the good guys won.  I hated that Batman was such a martyr. On the other hand, I thought the acting was great.  Heath Ledger really creeped me out and I bought Christian Bale as Batman.  I also liked the guy who played Harvey Dent and the police commissioner Gordan.  The movie as a whole was just unsatifying.

A Chorus Line

My friend Marie and I went to see A Chorus Line at the OCPAC.  I thought it was okay, a little depressing from the point of everyone's childhood seemed to be messed up. Actors and artists are sensitive people and they've picked a profession full of rejection!  Oh well. The best part of the night was catching up with the ever so funny and cheerful Marie.  So far my favorite Broadway shows are:

1.  Spamalot  ( laughed so hard throughout this whole show)

2. Wicked (good girlfriend show, kept me interested and I laughed)

3. Jersey Boys (good music, based on FrankieValle and the Four Seasons)

4. Phantom (a classic )

5. Les Miserable (a classic)

50 and Fabulous - The big bash!

After a year of planning, the big day finally arrived.  Bob's 50th birthday and his first real birthday party.  He was delighted to be the center of attention.  He had a terrific time.  I want to thank everyone for coming and I hope you had a good time too.  The only bad thing about giving a party is you don't have time to sit down with everyone and talk to them.  The party is a blur to me! The decorations were all in black and white and I would like to thank my friend Cynthia for keeping with the theme and taking all these beautiful and priceless black and white pictures during the party.

The presentation of the cake

We all sing happy birthday!

 

The birthday boy blows out the candles in one quick breath!

The Ricks help us enjoy the party.

My favorite picture of Rod and Marjorie

Stan and Nancy Vandenburg

The three Amigas (Cynthia, Annette and me)

Jean and Mike Hopson, Nick and Suzanne Xiros, Sarah and Rob Leiske

Rhonda, Marlene, Tim, Shawn and Brian

Rick, Duffy, Cindy, Lance, John and Cathy

The family.  Katie, Alyssa, me, Bob and Delaney

John, Cathy, Sharon and Sam

Click on the link on the top right for more pictures of the party.

Happy 50th Birthday, Bob!

Loving, handsome, funny, sensitive, brave, caring, athletic. Large and in charge, Razzle Dazzle, Big Daddy. Loves God, his family, his Harley, mountain biking and poker.

Today is Bob's 50th birthday, but the big celebration is taking place on Sat.  Stay tuned for more.

Bob's idea of beginner...is not mine!

I was excited all week in anticipation for Sunday morning when Bob and I would go to Aliso Woods for our mountain bike ride.  As we were getting ready to load the bikes, Bob announces that we will not be going to Aliso Woods, but right here in Whiting Ranch.  What? I don't want to go to Whiting, I want to go to Alsio Woods.  Bob states that if I could do that trail at Aliso, I could totally do the trail at Whiting.  We were going in the back way and it is easy.  I know by the tone of his voice that there is no use arguing.  I've stated my position and it has been rejected! 

We arrive at Whiting and we go through the entrance gate.  Immediately there is a steep (according to me) downhill.  I take in on!  I take the extreme left track (like Bob) right by the tall grass.  I am almost at the bottom when WHAM!!! I'm on the ground!  As I'm going down the hill, my front tire starts heading into the tall grass, I put on the brakes and try to put my foot there, but because the ground is uneven, my foot does not find the ground and I fall over.  BAM! my hip hits a rock (or two).  My arm is all scratched up from landing on all the debris that has been thrown to the middle by all the biking on the outside. UHG! I quickly pick myself up.  I try to force back the tears, but it is no use.  I let go.  I begin to really cry!  Bob has finally looked back and he sees me pushing my bike over to the side of the trail crying.  He rides over to me. "What happened?" Bob asks, "I fell" I sob.  "You fell on that?" he asks in disbelief.  There is no sympathy in his voice, he thinks I am going to quit right now and want to go home.  He can see   a $1000 wasted when I never touch that mountain bike again!  I show him my arm that is all cut up and bleeding and it stings like mad.  All I keep thinking is "I just wanted to go to Aliso Woods, Whiting is not on the Trail Angels beginning list"  I get back on my bike and curtly say "Let's go".  He leads the way,  I'm crying as I'm riding my bike, wiping my face with my dirty gloves.  Finally, I'm over it.  

We go about 50 yards and there is another steep down hill with sand and ruts.  I get off the bike and walk it.  We go another 100 yards, another steep down hill, I get off and push.  He tells me I can do it, it is all mental now.  I start to cry as I'm pushing my bike up the trail.  "Why are you crying?" Bob asks with distain.  "I don't like pushing my bike, its not fun" I say in a whiny voice. We go on.  I take  some downhills on the bike, but mostly I get off and walk and did I mention that the whole time it is a gradual uphill and I am breathing like a locomotive!  We transverse a really hard part and I try the hill, but end up walking my bike.  As we reach the top and man and his teenage son approach from the other side.  The father stops to give his son direction on how to take the down and uphill.  The son sees the obstacle and exclaims, "Oh no!"  All of a sudden a light goes off in Bob's head and he realizes this trail is not as easy as he originally thought.  The father and son take on the ravine and we are left standing there.  I'm trying to regain my normal breathing pattern when Bob says, "I see now how this is not an easy trail from your point of view.  I'm sorry, give me a kiss."  WHAT!!! Give you a kiss, NO @#$%*&^ WAY!  I am not giving you the satisfaction of forgiveness!  All I wanted to do was go to Aliso Woods and you forced me to suffer Whiting Ranch when I was not ready.  I say no! He says, come on, I say NO.  He says he's not leaving until I give him a kiss.  I think of myself standing there all day, my ouchie stinging me and my hip aching and because I am such a softy, I forgive him and give him a kiss. After all, he admitted he was wrong!

We begin again.  We go along pretty good.  I'm huffing and puffing and I tell Bob this is all uphill and I turn the corner and see before me the BIGGEST HILL EVER!  I stop.  I state right there that there is no way I'm going up that hill!  Time to turn around.  He tells me that was as far as he planned on going.  We only went about 1 mile in.  Can you believe that?  All that pain and torture and we only went 1 mile.  If this was my very first mountain bike ride, I would never go again.  Of course, going back is all downhill and we are out of the park pretty quick. I had to get off and push my bike, but I made it through alot of the ravines.  There is alot of sand and it makes it hard to peddle and control my tires.  The whole ride took an hour and about 15 minutes was the quick exit.

When we get home, I make him take a picture of my boo boo for you all to see.  I want to go back and take a picture of the hill that made me fall, but Bob says that he would be pretty embarrassed to put a picture of that slope on the blog and tell everyone I fell going down it. Later on in the day I start to stiffen up and I have two MAJOR bruises on my hip.  But, I plan to go to Aliso Woods on Wednesday and I am not giving up mountain biking.  I will not be going on any trails that I feel are too advanced for me no matter what anyone (Bob) says. 

Happy 22nd Birthday, Alyssa

The Birthday Girl - 22 years old

Alyssa with her B-day cake (from the Ricks)

Alyssa, Greg, Delaney and Katie

Enjoying our picnic dinner

The more bored these two get, the more out of control they get!

The Getty Center

Favorite Monet Painting

The Azalea Hedge in the Sunken Garden

View of the Sunken Garden

Cynthia was crazy about these Bouganvilla structures

Walkway at the Getty - designed by Richard Meier

On Friday, Cynthia and I went to the Getty Center.  It was a quick drive up the 405 and well worth it.  We spent 7 hours there, the first 3 outside.  The grounds are beautiful. My favorite place was the walk down to the sunken garden.  It starts with a beautiful waterfall that looks like an inverted jar.  You walk down this path which is covered with Sycamore trees and it crosses over a creek that you can hear, but only get glimpses of.  Huge rocks cover the creek hiding the water in spots.  It is planted all the way down and when you reach the bottom the water is revealed and then goes down a waterfall into the sunken garden.  Here the creek takes on modern structure with the sides covered in parallel tiles.  After the creek goes down the waterfall, the whole bottom on the sunken garden is covered in these tiles. 

 My favorite paintings were the Monets. I especially like the garden at Giverny with the bridge and the Rouen Cathedral.  I hated the lady after the bath by Degas.   We missed the Highlights tour by 10 minutes, but we took the Architectural tour and the Realism and Impressionism tour. I absolutely loved this place. The views from the museum were amazing. You could see the city, the ocean, and all the hills. Unfortunately, it took us 2.5 hours to get home and I was exhausted by the end of the day.  Click on the garden icon on the left to see more images.

Stepbrothers - Hilarious

So I went and saw Stepbrothers tonight.  I laughed out loud so many times!  I thought it was hilarious!!  You have to accept the premise of 40 year old men acting like 12 year olds, but if you ever had siblings you will totally relate!  Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly captured childhood and adolescence to a tee. I went in with low expectations and was rewarded with a movie that was sooo funny and left me in a really good mood.  Everyone in the theater liked it.

My new mountain bike

Bob bought me a new mountain bike on Saturday.  On Sunday we hit the trail.  It was a fabulous beginner trail called Sycamore Grove in Aliso Woods.  I had so much fun.  This trail actually had uppie downie things that I successfully navigated and I splashed through two creeks beds.  I only had to push the bike up one steep hill and walk it down the other side.  I actually hit a rock on my way up that stopped me and then I couldn't get started again.  I promise to take the camera on my next ride.  I rode almost eight miles.  Every time Bob would go over some hard hill, narrow trail or downhill, he would turn around and say "I can't believe you did that"  - me either!

Cake Topper and Cake Cutter is in...

Yeah, we know one of the best baseball players in the country

Friends since preschool

The camera loved David

On Saturday we went all the way to Dodger's Stadium to watch Annette's son David play in the AFLAC All-American baseball game. It was carried live on FSN.  It started at noon and it was hot. Everyone was hanging out under the 2nd level to be in the shade, so I had a fantastic seat right in front so I could watch all the action.  My two daughters are wimps and went and sat in the shade after only 10 minutes. 

David represented the West and he is destined for great things.  He is committed to UCLA, but hopefully he will go pro.  He is a fabulous kid and has worked hard.  He has a passion for baseball and he is enjoying every minute of it.  The West was ahead the whole game (David scored a run) 2-0 and then lost in the last inning by 2.  The East rallied and scored 4 runs!  David was kind enough to come by and say hi before he went to the Dugout Club for a big spread.  As we were leaving, we received a goodie bag that had baseball cards in it.  We did not get David in our bag, so we stood outside trading cards with family and friends of other players until we got the coveted David Nick baseball card.  I will be bringing it to you on Tuesday Annette so David can sign it!

The Dress is in....

Hey Mikey, she likes it!

I did it! I successfully completed my first mountain bike ride! What? you're saying to yourself, Janie went on a mountain bike ride?  Yes I did.

It all started when I went for a walk in Whiting Ranch with my friend Marlene.  It was beautiful and peaceful inside the park and we were really enjoying ourselves.  We should do this every Tuesday and Thursday.  We were passed several times by women riding mountain bikes and I thought to myself, "This doesn't look very hard.  It would be fun to ride in here".  I then fantasized  that Marlene and I could secretly ride in the park every week without our husbands knowing and then one day as they were getting ready to go on their ride, we would just pop out and ask to go with them.  They would laugh and scoff at us and then we would blow them away with our riding ability.  Well, reality hits:  I don't have a bike to ride, I don't know how to use all those gears and I don't know where I'm going once I get into the park.

So, I suggested to Bob that we go on an EASY, BEGINNER mountain bike ride.  He knew just the place. He immediately picked up the phone and secured a "Test Bike" for me from Rock & Road Cyclery where all his buddies work.  We went down that day to pick up the bike.  Not knowing if I would like it or not, I didn't want to spend alot of money on things I didn't need.  

We agreed that I would need bike shorts.  I found some.  "That's it, thats all you need." said Bob.  I look around, "Oh, I need a helmet",  "yeah you need a Helmet" says Bob.  He helps me fit one on my head.  "Oh, you need a water bottle", "yeah, I do".  "Thats it, thats all you need".  Great!  They ask me some questions about riding the bike, including my "riding weight"!  What!!!  I send Bob away and tell Nikki the magic number.  "Do you think I need a shirt?"  "Yeah, if you don't want to be soaking wet at the end of the ride". I add a shirt.  $181.00 later, we leave.  Gee, no pressure, I hope I like it!!! I've made quite an investment!  

Early Sunday morning we load the bikes on the car and head for Blackstar Cyn.  Bob tells me it is a really easy ride on a wide fire road.  It is the easiest ride they go on.  Well, let me tell you, I completed 5.75 miles and it was 2.875 miles of TORTURE and 2.875 miles of TERROR!  Let me explain.

I decide to ride the bike around a little while Bob puts on his shoes, I notice immediately that the seat is really hard.  It hurts my butt to sit on it.  I mention that to Bob.  He says, "You'll get pass it and it won't hurt anymore after a few RIDES!  Okay.  We go beyond the gate, I like it, it is a nice wide paved road.  It is straight and no incline.  Sweet!!! Made for me.   Bob points to the side of tall hill and tells me that is part of the trail.  WHAT!!!  I begin to wonder what I got myself into.  We then enter the dirt road that is the trail.  Sure it is 8 feet wide, but only about two feet of it is ridable!  There is gravel, rutts, and holes.  Half the time is spent riding on the wrong side of the trail because the right side is unnavigational for me!  Delaney calls Bob at this point, "where are you guys?", "we're on a mountain bike ride." "Oh, but where is mom?"  We begin the climb, Bob has shown me how to use the gears and I'm gearing lower and lower making it easier and easier to go uphill.  Soon I'm in the easiest gear, pedaling like mad to go up the incline.  Bob doesn't even have to shift at all, he's still in his high gear.  I'm sweating like a pig and breathing heavy.  Bob says, "Isn't it beautiful out here?"  I don't know because I am focused on the trail right in front of the bike, its all I can see.  I groan, Bob tells me that we haven't even begun the incline of the trail yet.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  He asks if I want to stop for a break, YES!!!  I stop.  I start to put my feet onto the ground.  My legs start to wobble, my stomach starts to hurt, I'm breathing soooo hard and my butt is killing me.  I feel like I'm going to throw up.  On top of all that, I start yawning like crazy.  What does that mean?  Why am I doing that?  I think my brain is trying to give my lungs more air.  Bob looks at me.  Janie, we have only been riding 10 minutes and have gone 1.9 miles.  (Before you laugh, it was mostly uphill).  He is worried about me.  I rest for 5 minutes and then we begin again.  I go slowly, slowly, slowly uphill.  We rest again at the 2.4 mile marker.  Then the crazy uphill begins.  I'm going to give it a try.  I get halfway up the section I can see and a pack of bikers are coming down the hill.  I pull over to the right.  They are going CRAZY FAST!  I just hide over to the side.  They scare me!  I get on the bike and I try to begin again. But I am going so steep uphill that I can't get any traction.  I pop a wheely!  I try again!  I get a cramp in my hip.  I try again. I pop another wheely.  Bob laughs at me.  Finally, I am able to get back on and ride. We go a little further and I am done.  2.785 miles up. " Now for the fun part!!!" Bob exclaims.

He jumps on his bike and before I know it he has made two major turns and all I see is his dust!  I'm sure he thinks I'm right behind him.  I see him look behind him, see I'm not there and stop.  I ride the brakes the whole way down. It is so scary.  The front wheel is jittery and squirrelly and moves all around.  That 2 feet of ridable space goes from one side to the other with lots of rutts and bumps and did I mention that over the side is a 50 foot sheer drop!!!  Bob waits for me and we go down together.  I like it when he is in front and I can watch where he is going.  He gets in back of me.  I feel like if I fall, he will run over me, I tell him to get in front.  He tells me to slide off the seat and lean down and back while going down hill.  No problem, did I mention that my butt is killing me from that damn seat!  We are down the hill and done before you know it.  All it all the ride took us 50 minutes.  

We go home and I walk in the door.  Katie is sitting in the living room and she sees me.  "Delaney, come quick, look at mom!"  Delaney and her friend Hannah run down the stairs, they all laugh at me!  

I'm very proud of Bob.  He was very patient with me.  He basically had no challenge whatsoever on this ride and just helped me out!!!  Thanks, Bob.  I love you.

I've had a big day, I need to take a nap and did I mention, my butt is killing me!!!