In The City That Never Sleeps - Part II

Sushi. It's one of those things that has to be done right. Fresh. Cut well. Expertly presented. I was hoping the sushi restaurant we chose would have all of those components and I was not disappointed. The Omakase that we dined on was fabulous. Each new course that arrived was beautiful and tasted divine. The black cod, the Spanish mackerel, all melted in my mouth. It was my first omakase experience and certainly lived up to the hype. A little dry hot sake made the meal even better. I was worried at one point that I may still be hungry when we were done eating, but when the last piece of sushi was almost a struggle to eat, I knew it was just the right amount.

The dinner was not only gastronomically satisfying, it was also enlightening. I realized that no matter how well manicured people's lives appear on the outside, we all struggle with emotional issues on the inside. This was both a blessing and a complete bummer to discover. On the one hand, it reassured me that I am not the only person around that deals with struggles. I am not a freak! On the other hand, it is saddening to know that others hurt. But I suppose that's just how life is - it's messy.

After licking our chops post dinner we headed out back on to the streets of Manhattan. It's amazing to me how alive the city is. It's electrifying. Everywhere we went, there were people. Everywhere. Times Square was the most fascinating eye candy. It's just a giant ocean of people. Moving in every direction. There was even a bleacher-like sitting area which was completely covered in people. Is that like an observation deck? The lights, the sounds, the colors. I was mesmerized. I remember being in Times Square my Sophomore or Junior year of high school, circa 1989 perhaps, and thinking it was a cesspool. It was darker, danker, and somewhat seedier. And now, it was like a glossy spread out of a magazine or a clip from some movie. Times change.

Eventually we made it back to our hotel for some cocktails in the lounge. This was the same lounge that I walked past as I checked in to my hotel at 7am and yet it seemed so much more inviting. The glowing fireplace encased in glass, the brown leather seating areas situated perfectly for intimate gatherings. It seemed to make so much more sense at 10pm than it did at 7am. Fireplaces glowing at 7am seemed a bit surreal. I opted to stay downstairs rather than going upstairs to change. I feared that the moment I would have stepped in to my room, I would have collapsed on the bed for some much needed sleep. Instead, I ordered a Caipirinha and made myself comfy on the couch. More talking ensued. An hour (or more?) passed and we were finally back in our rooms for some way overdue sleep. The bed was deliciously comfortable. I could have slept forever! And yet, at 8:15 the alarm made its presence known and it was time to start day 2.

(to be continued)

In The City That Never Sleeps - Part I

Ok, let's talk New York. For those who are not in the know, I visited NY this past weekend. Alone. Without kids or husband in tow. And better yet, it was to meet women I had not met before. Does that sound like online dating for mommas or what? So Bridget, Joanna, Laura, Lindsay and I made plans to head out the Big Apple to meet up after years of following one another's pregnancies, birth of our May babies, blogging, facebooking and tweeting. The time had come!

On Thursday, I got off work at 5pm and headed to the airport to catch a quick commuter plane to LA and from LA I hopped on board an American Airlines plane (First class even!) to NY. Thinking I would actually get some sleep on a first class ticket is really just foolish on my part. It's not comfortable sleeping on a plane, regardless of what class your ticket is. So basically, 6am New York time rolls around, and I land at JFK. I am pretty exhausted, but so excited I don't really stop to think about it. I grabbed my luggage, caught a ridiculously expensive cab to Manhattan and checked in to our beautiful hotel. I had the whole day to kill, so I wandered around the streets for a good 6 hours, stopping to get a haircut and color, and shop at the various awesome stores. The weather was perfect. Sunny and clear skies. The pulse of the city was electric.

Now about the city itself. It's amazing to me that more pedestrians don't get killed. Seriously. They walk across the street regardless if the sign flashes green or red. They have somewhere to be, and gosh darned it, they are going to get there fast. And the cars are no better. They seem to ignore traffic rules and honking is like a national past time around here. Do drivers truly believe that honking the horn is going to somehow make whatever is happening happen differently? Or is it just pure letting off steam? Odd. We don't really do much honking in San Diego. But the pedestrians also had really nice shoes. All of them. In fact, everyone in NY just seems to be dressed so stylishly. Even casual clothes were well put together. And the shoes. The shoes were awesome! I tend to focus on people's shoes a lot, and in the city people wear great shoes!

So eventually it was close to 3pm and the ladies had arrived! I walked back to the hotel to meet up with everyone. I walked in to the hotel lobby and there they were. In the flesh. And they looked just like I had expected! Lindsay, the tall one with the sweetest voice and smile, Laura with the warm and calm demeanor and a cute curl to her hair, and Bridget as stylish as I expected with those beautiful green eyes I never noticed before. My insecurity was already starting to get the best of me as I felt hot, sweaty, gross and badly in need of a shower and nap. But this was the city! And we had stuff to do! A quick stop in the room and we headed out to grab a bite to eat and wait for Joanna to arrive.

We eventually made our way to Bryant Park where we stopped to grab cocktails and snacks at the Bryant Park Cafe. It was so lovely! Outdoors, comfy little chairs, a view of the park, people watching heaven. The cocktails were strong (as Lindsay pointed out a few times!) and the snacks were tasty. We talked about spouses, kids, travel, jobs, and everything else under the sun. The conversation flowed easily and soon Joanna arrived by train and joined us at our table as well. Joanna was much more smiley in person! And so funny! She had this awesome sense of humor that's peppered with intelligence and wit. I was begining to feel a little loopy at this point. I just hoped I was holding it together enough to maintain a coherent conversation. Did I mention I had also lost my voice at the begining of this trip? Hilarious. I go on this trip to spend my time talking - and here I am trying not to sound like I had swallowed some sandpaper.

Our time at the cafe was wonderful and soon it was time to depart and make preparations for our next outing - SUSHI! We headed back to the hotel to get ready. I was trying so hard to hold it together. I sort of felt like I was floating, not really grounded at all. Lack of sleep was really starting to catch up with me. But I'm a trooper! And I was really looking forward to Omakase from Sushi Gari in the Theater District. Bridget and I got the opportunity to shack up, so it was a sheer joy getting ready with her. I was so impressed with her ability to seem 100% comfortable in her own skin. I completely lack that ability, so I'm always in awe of those who are. She's sassy, confident, with great style and ease. My hero. Eventually, I got myself together, dressed and with makeup on and we made our way to the lobby to begin our evening activities.


(to be continued)

Overdue

Greeting and salutations blog world.

I've started this post dozens of times over the last few months, only to get flustered with all the things that are swimming around in my noggin. There's been a lot of changes, ups and downs and general shenanigans going on in my (our) life.

As some already know, we host international students from all over the world that come to San Diego to learn English. It's been an amazing adventure doing this over the last 2+ years, but I think I've finally hit a point where we need a break. We've housed someone every day since then. Sometimes we have 1 girl and sometimes we have as many as 3. Some short term (4 weeks), some long term (1 year), but through it all there has been someone under our roof the entire time. So I'm taking a vacation from my hosting duties. Not sure for how long, perhaps a few weeks, perhaps a few months, but it will be nice to come home and cook for just my brood of 4. I may even take the extra leaf out of our dining room table. Ha!

The kids are well. Xaelen turned three in May and started his new preschool on September 9th. Quillan turned one at the end of July and is growing at record speed. He started walking a few days before his birthday, and he's zooming around with ease now.

And what about me... Well, I just returned from a whirlwind vacation in NY with some awesome ladies that I met through the magic of the interweb way back when I was still pregnant with Xaelen. We've known each other for almost 4 years through our blogs, facebook, twitter & the postings on babycenter's mom boards, but had yet to meet in person. There is so much to report about our trip that I'll post it tomorrow when I've had a moment to gather my thoughts. I just returned last night at 11pm and barely had a moment to get settled. Stay tuned though!

Yum Yum Good

I didn't realize just how large Quillan is. I mean, he's big, VERY big, but I haven't been able to truly put it in to perspective until I looked at Xaelen's stats from when he was 18 months old. Quillan is the same size, now at 9 months, as Xaelen was at 18 months. 23 pounds, 31.5 inches. Holy Thunderthighs, Batman!

And he's not just heavy, he's TALL. He's just 4.5 inches shorter than Xaelen.

Amazing.

Although, not entirely surprising given how much this kid eats. He eats and eats and eats and eats. He will just sit in his high chair and open his mouth repeatedly like a baby bird. He eats everything too! Xaelen wasn't very fond of eating from an early age (and it hasn't changed much). Quillan likes ALL food! He eats soup, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, noodles, chicken, fish, you name it, he eats it. Although, there was one thing he NEVER wanted to eat. Baby food. You know, the kind in a jar. Smart kid, that stuff tastes nasty.

I'm trying to encourage Xaelen to eat more by telling him that soon he'll be the little brother and Quillan will be his big brother. He wasn't so sure that would happen.

"*I'M* the big brother, mommy. Quillan is the BABY brother". Duh. Everyone knows that. That kid is sharp. Can't get anything past him.

Mother's Day

For those of you who don't know, Adam and I are a host family for international students coming to San Diego to learn English. Every 6 months or so, we get a new student (or two). We are currently hosting two girls from Japan. Mizuki & Risa arrived at the end of March and are staying with us until the end of June. The boys adore them and it's been wonderful having them.

This year, Mother's day wasn't just about having my oldest give me tons of hugs and kisses. This year, I have another child. This year, I am a mother two times over. And actually, you could say I'm a mother 4 times over. My wonderful students made me this card to commemerate Mother's Day. They signed it "Your Children". I love it!

The news clip

Let me first start out by saying what a joke it is trying to get a snippet of news somehow transmitted to you. The actual news station contracts out to a third party who deals with providing people with news clips via CD, DVD, VHS, etc. Would someone like to guess how much that costs? $35 is the cheapest way - VHS tape. Now, why on earth would I want a VHS tape of a 42 second clip, I have no idea. So I suggested to the 3rd party, how about you just email me the 42 second clip. Guess how much that costs - $70. For an AVI file. I've never heard of such insanity in all of my life.

So, as it stands, I decided to go the cheapskate route. Forgive me. But there is no way in this or any other world I would pay $70 for an emailed 42 second clip. No thank you. What you are viewing is Adam pointing our little video camera at our 10 foot TV screen we have in our den. Hopefully, nobody minds?

Checkup Update

The kids had their visit to the doctor today. X doing his 3 year checkup and Q doing his 9 month checkup. Here are their stats:

X - 36.25 inches (25%)
31.50 pounds (50%)

Q - 31.50 inches (97%)
23.00 pounds (80%)

As you can see, Q is catching up to X in the height department. I'm not entirely surprised. Q eats SOOOooo much better than X ever did at this age (or any age for that matter). I'll post some pics tomorrow of both little monkeys.

X makes the local news

The world distance throw attempt was today.

The bad news: We missed the 75 foot distance needed by about 22 inches...There's always next year.

The good news: Xaelen was on the news! CBS San Diego had him on at the end of the news hour to close out the news program.

So incredibly cute! They called him a disc golf prodigy. Adam did a little interview which they aired as well. I looked fat. Overall, a lovely time was had by all.

Tomorrow Xaelen turns 3! We've got quite the fun filled day planned. 1st off, we're heading to the doctor for X's 3 year check-up and Q's 9 month check up. Then we're off to our favorite place for lunchtime SUSHI! And then tonight, to finish off a fabulous day, we're having a little "party" for him at the nearby Chuck E. Cheese. Now, personally, I'm really rather anti places such as that. Unfortunately my parents have him hooked on that place. They've taken him there numerous times and he won't stop talking about how he's going to have a birthday there. I had no choice.

Alas.

On a side note, does anyone have any idea how I can take what I recorded of the news segment on our DVR at home and somehow put it on my blog? Or put it anywhere for that matter? I checked their website (for channel 8 San Diego) and they don't have this story online, only on the evening newscast. Any ideas? Much appreciated!

Practice for Breaking the World Record

So Xaelen is working towards breaking the world record for distance in disc throwing. Here he is practicing at the park. The current record is from 1990 set by a 2 year old from Japan. We will try and beat it this weekend!

Records are kept by the World Flying Disc Federation here.

Fingers crossed!

2 for 2 - In The Basket

Something worth sharing

I found this online today when searching for the terms "Kid" "Disc" & "Golf".
Yes. That is my son. Yes. He is now on YouTube.
It's weird. I'm not entirely sure if I like it.
On the one hand, he's amazing and I like sharing his gift with others.
On the other hand, that's my 2 year old son displayed for the world to see. Scary.

Anyhow, what are your thoughts? What should I be doing to control others putting his image online?