Summer Wrap Up

August was a crazy month. Lance ended up in the ER twice, and missed several weeks of work. He was a champ, but times were tough. He's doing much better now, but I feel like the entire month was a blur. Here's a quick recap!

Made my adorable, handmade "best of the bay area" summer sign along with Kristine. It turned out awesome! We're going to get working on our fall signs. I think that Halloween deserves to have a separate sign.

I went to see Le Mis with Jo and Joe. It was phenomenal. It was my first time seeing it, and I was blown away.

We had dinner before the show at Bossa Nova , and a post show snackie at Absinthe. I don't know how we ate so much food, but we did. We ordered family style, and consumed our weight in food. I highly recommend both places. I relished my DC, since Bossa Nova didn't have any on tap.

Beezie totally understands that a woman needs an ice cold DC to get through the day. Ruh roh.

I went to the circus with B

I got phenomenal seats because I only needed once since B is a lap sitter. This led me to be wedged in between two large, unrelated families. Don't mind me, people. I'll just sit right in the middle. But it was worth it. B was over the moon--motorcycles, samurai, acrobats, lions, tigers, elephants, fire breathing dragons--she's still talking about it. Her new favorite book is Good Night Little Dragons. She's delighted by the Dragon Moms and Dads using their breath to light the lantern.

We got hooked on Breaking Bad. As in watched all 5 seasons in 3 weeks hooked. It's by far the most creative and interesting show I've seen on TV in years. I even like it better than Mad Men, and that's saying something.

We grilled, and feasted like kings all summer long on our patio. Sometimes we went all out, other times we just did burgers and brats.

I made spicy shrimp tacos. SO very tasty. This is an impressive and delicious dish. Recipe HERE. Do yourself a favor and don't drown your tacos with the white sauce. A little dab will do.

We spent many a day and night at the beach, lounging around, soaking up the sun.

The best investment we made this summer was in this Sportbrella XL sun shade. Buy. This. Now. It would be great for the beach, camping, sporting events, the park. It's amazing, doesn't blow away like crappy umbrellas, and has a high SPF.

We hit up the various local amusement parks at least once a week. B is becoming increasingly brave, and loved the wilder rides.



We camped with friends at Camp Lehi. Unfortunately, Lancer was afflicted, so he wasn't able to camp. I'm not sure why it turned B into a dirty orphan in all of the photos--she looks like she would do anything for a bowl of groul.



I bought a new tent, knowing that we have a history of trouble with tents. I bought the 6 person Coleman Instant Tent. This thing is amazing. It literally sets up by itself in under a minute. If you're a faux camper like we are, you should buy this. It's like cheating. And you can't forget the poles, because they're magically built in. Ta-da!

The night was young, and I was excited for our friends to chat around the campfire. I knew things were heading south when this Wet Blanket kept trying to put the fire out at 8pm. Every additional log that went on the fire met with protest, and she was afraid the party was going to go all night. Uh, no worries there. Once the kids went to bed, the parent quickly followed suit. This meant I laid in my tent, by myself, wide awake until 1 am. Thanks for nuthin, friends!

Thanks for another wonderful, magical, delicious, and entertaining summer. Till next summer. Now bring on the hay bales and scarecrows!

Gizdich and Tilden

We've been enjoying the great outdoors. We started out with Tilden Park. This is a hidden gem of the East Bay. It's great because it can be everything to everyone--farm, lake, carousel, steam train....what doesn't this park have?

The Lake

The Carousel

The Farm

You can bring celery and lettuce to feed the animals. We hit Safeway on the way there and grabbed some. Speaking of Safeway, you should never order the pulled pork sandwich from their deli. I saw mine being assembled, and left it to rot in Lance's car for 2 days. Sorry for the smell, babe!

We stopped outside the farm to have a relaxing picnic lunch. B snacked, climbed on rocks, and used Lancer as a jungle gym.





After visiting Tilden, Blakely said her first independent prayer: "Animals. Toys. Amen." Short and to the point. I like it.

We also hit Gizdich Ranch with Carly and Kai Kai.

B got her first timeout in public for hitting Kai Kai in the tunnel. If you see her in the next few weeks, you will also know this. She wears it as a badge and can often be found recounting the tale: "I hit Kai Kai in the tunnel. I got a timeout." She beams with pride. I'm ordering "Hands are not for Hitting" on Amazon tonight.


We intended to go berry picking--but a necessary bathroom stop (thanks Mcd's Large $1 DC!) landed us at the farm, and we never left. It was just too shady, quaint, and charming.

I hit people in hay tunnels!

Despite B's violence, Kai Kai enjoyed his time with her atop the famed hay tunnel.

We ordered lunch, which is a killer deal for around $6. Sandwich, chips, drink, berries, and a cookie.

Since I can't eat the cookie, I opted for the strawberry sundae. It eased the pain. Poor Lancer worked all day, so we eased his pain with a piece of ollalberry pie that he claims also eased his pain.

Then we lazed around while the kids played on the tractor, dug in the sand, and ran around enjoying the fresh air.

B charmed a gaggle of 10 year olds into playing with her. She looked like a little tween hanging with the girls. I think they were talking about finding each other on Facebook and hitting the Bieber concert in October.

"I'll totes call you. We should totally hook up again!"

B set up a crab apple shop, and spent a chunk of time organizing her merchandise. Daddy's genes.

I'm glad to report that we spent the majority of last week playing in dirt. B's bath water has been so gross, which is always a good sign. I'll take my lil Pig Pen just the way she is!

Hot in the City

Every time we hit the beach, we always lament that we should do it some more. So we have been. And it has been awesome.

I like this GQ shot of Lancer

We went up to San Francisco, and hit Ocean Beach. Usually, Ocean Beach is freezing. I usually wear a parka. This time, it was hot and breezy. Perfect summer weather.


You can see the Cliff House (and a very toned butt) in the background. It felt wrong to be so close, and not dip in for the crab Louis. I would have stolen some more popovers for Lancer just to eat there.

B ate fewer scoops of sand on this outing. Let's hope this is a trend.

We also did the street fair in Los Gatos. LG is a fun little town with a great downtown area. We checked out the booths--which mostly consisted of toe rings, ugly jewelry, and fugly paintings--and then headed down to have a picnic lunch.

Time for family lunch on the grass!

Beezie on the move

I also got to duck into Icing on the Cake, which has a ton of GF items I can eat. It was oh-so-tasty.


The real entertainment, however, was this horrible drunk woman and her dance moves. I took a few photos of the awesomeness, but I couldn't completely capture the magic. So I took video. You can say thanks when you see me next. My favorite move is the attempted scissor kick.

PS--legit props to the sweatband man dancer.