Wednesday, June 18, 2014

June 17 - Summer 2014 ...

Today we went to the zoo in the morning and then the cousins came over in the afternoon and we busted out the Slip n' Slide.  Honestly, kids + water = flat out fun.  From ages 3 - 11, all the kids had a hoot.  Top the day off with popsicles and take-out pizza and you have a winner!

As I look back on the first few days of Summer 2014, a theme is starting to emerge.  A theme that I like!  Natalie hasn't been waking up and demanding the iPad because there's Sitty and Djudu to play with; Jacqui hasn't been sneaking off with the kindle because there are so many new books to read; Charlotte hasn't been stultifying in front of the TV because there are so many fun art supplies to explore in the basement.  Not to mention ... corn hole, slip n' slide, zoo, museum ... I think we have the makings of an Analog Summer!  Like the summers we used to have, growing up.  Picnics and late nights and red dye #3.  Let's do this, Team!







Monday, June 16, 2014

June 16 - Bedtime? It's summer, who cares about bedtime?

So can I just talk a little bit about the bedtimes / wake-up times of my children?  In California - they are Daddy:  eyes rolling in back of head by 8:00 pm; up and annoyingly chipper at 5:30 am.  But in Cincinnati - they are mommy!  Oh yea baby - partying until they collapse into bed at 11:00 pm and crawling out of bed at 9:00 am.  9:00 glorious am.  It's a vacation miracle.  Thank you.

We got a late start this morning but decided to hit one of the all-time highlights on our Cincinnati itinerary.  The Cincinnati Museum Center.  Since I was there last, they have really expanded the Children's Museum part - it kicks ass even more now than it did before!  San Francisco ... take note ... this is what a Children's Museum should be.  I know, I know, real estate costs are high and all those bearded and bespectacled hipsters demand a 'living wage' but come on now ... let's get it together.  This place has an indoor, forest-themed climbing park modeled after the Ewok village in Star Wars.  Let's get on it, guys!

We sent all three kids home with S&D and we went to see the Diana exhibit - a special traveling exhibit curated by her brother, Charles the 7th Earl of Spencer.  It was lovely and I was sobbing (surprise) but the most interesting part was the marked-up draft of the speech he gave at the funeral.  We are left to assume that it was marked up by the PR masterminds over at Buckingham Palace and the passages that they crossed out and the things they reworded were telling.  Diana's family was in support of her relationship with Dodi Fayed and were happy that she had 'finally found happiness in her personal life' but were not allowed to say it.  Ouch!

After that it was back to S&D for dinner and bedtime.  Good day, team!  Good day.



June 15 - Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

After a blissful night at the W Hotel Downtown Chicago ALL BY MYSELF,  I realized that I must, at some point, reunite with my family (who seem to be getting along splendidly without me by the way.  Just sayin'.)  So I picked up our trusty rental steed from Hertz (can I not ever escape the curse of the minivan) and drove the umpteen hundred miles from Chicago to Cincinnati.  Since my phone was almost out of juice and, as such, I could not just chat my way across Indiana, I decided to unplug and really enjoy the drive.  How often do you have the car all to yourself, no one bickering, no one demanding a different song ('because if they hear this song one more time they are going to DIE'), no one wanting to 'talk about their feelings' (oh wait, that's usually me).  So I cranked up the bad 80's tunes and sang my little heart out.  There is something about the light, the landscape, the deep green of the midwest that reminds me of all my younger years.  That highway running through Indiana could have just as easily been the 401, cruising east toward Kingston, past all the great little towns that I knew growing up.  Between that and the Bryan Adams, I went deep into the memory banks ... deeeeeep.

I finally stumbled in to Djudu and Sitty's house bleary eyed, stiff and hungry to find the whole extended family about to sit down to a Father's Day feast!  What timing!  There are 13 of us in all and it was a lovely celebration of the 3 great dads in the family!   Then we went outside and played corn hole!  Good times!

Saturday, June 14, 2014

June 14 - Mama on the move

So today was Jack and the girl's first day in Cincy with Sitty, Djudu, Mike, Tiffany and the cousins!! First stop ... any guesses ... yes, Skyline Chili! Jack, a man of discerning taste who has been known to say "why bother to eat any calorie that's not a perfect calorie" still makes a beeline for that temple of Listeria on every single trip. " I'll have a 3-way, a coney and severe stomach cramps, please"

I had a relaxing afternoon yesterday with the house to myself! Packing my clothes, organizing and just generally puttering around. This morning, not so relaxing as all those little organization projects that I started all over the house had to be jammed back into their cluttered closets because - well, I got a plane to catch!

Although the Bay Area is a hard place to leave, landing in Chicago and taking the el downtown has finally got me excited about this trip! Ahh, summer in Chicago! Good times, good times!


**

Not 5 minutes after I published that post someone on the train platform tried to rob me! Welcome to Chicago!  Sheesh.

**

June 13 - is Friday the 13th an inauspicious day to start your summer vacation?!?

Daddy and the girls packed up and set sail for cincinnati this morning - only 18 hours after school ended! Nothing like getting the heck out of dodge in a hurry!! It's not that we don't love our picturesque little town but gee whiz, enough is enough already. At the last few parties and get togethers I was thinking - "oh no ... not you again?!? I saw you 15 minutes ago - what on earth am I going to find to talk to you about this time?!?" Shockingly, I never seem to come up short ... but enough is enough! We all just need a little time to miss each other!

The girls and jack are giddy with excitement - for me it feels like doing all the stuff I normally do but without school to drop them off at and my nanny to help pick up after them. Just like for some, Monday is the new Saturday - for me, summertime is when I have to get to work!!

Either way, the Midwest Tour 2014 is rolling and I'd better get on board or prepare to get run over!

Long live thunder storms and hot summer nights and lightening bugs!! Let's DO this!!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

June 12th - Last day of school ... I OK (but just barely)

When I look back on the last few weeks of this school year, I am reminded of my very, very favorite blog post EVER.  And I mean FAVORITE ... EVER.

It is here.  It is truth.   It is a gift to all my mama friends everywhere.  Enjoy.

http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2013/05/30/worst-end-of-school-year-mom-ever

69 days until school starts again ... stay strong, mamas.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Sept 23 - Boats, Bush Planes and Buses

Today's the big travel day home.

Kungwe Beach Lodge by boat to Kigoma Air Strip.

After an aborted take-off and a 3-hour wait for a new bush plane that did not have a faulty heat gauge on the left engine, Kigoma Air Strip by bush plane to Kilimanjaro via Tabora Air Strip (to refuel).

After a hurried goodbye and a sprint ... a sprint to the gate, Kilimanjaro Airport by jet to Amsterdam via Dar Es Sallam.

Amsterdam to San Francisco by jet and bus to Ross.

If all goes as planned, it will be a 38 hour trip - door to door! It was worth every cramped, bumpy, hot, uncomfortable minute - what an AMAZING trip! We cannot wait to see the girls though! It sure will be good to be home!

Sept 22 - Highlights

Here are some highlights from Katavi.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Sept 20 - first chimp trek

Love the chimps!

Sept 21 - chimps!

We hiked with the chimps today. They were playful, demonstrative but just generally ignored us.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Sept19 - Katavi to Mahale

Today we flew from Katavi to the shore of Lake Kungwe in Mahale.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013