March 31, 2009 by samantha.

With my parents here, I have been running around having fun. They finally arrived Sunday evening, after a couple of failed attempts. To welcome my parents to California, we took them to Casa Guadalajara. It was one of my grandfather’s favorite Mexican restaurants. The food is always good and the live Mariachi band never disappoints.

The plans for Monday were very simple: visit the Wild Animal Park and get back to Redlands as quickly as possible. We wanted to get to the park early so that we could feed the Lorikeets. You have to make it to the park early, before the birds are full, to get the best experience. I have had at least fifteen birds on me at one time, all trying to get to the food. My dad had never feed the Lorikeets before and really enjoyed the experience. The highlight of the trip to the park was seeing the baby cheetah and elephant. They were absolutely adorable.

The cheetah was rejected by his mother and was staying in the nursery.

The elephant was trying hard to follow his mother and not get in trouble.

He was still unsure of what his trunk was for and it kept getting in his way.

The weather was great for walking around the park and just taking in the sights. I have always said that once you have visited the Wild Animal Park all zoos pale in comparison. Other zoos have tried to copy the Wild Animal Park, but they do not even come close.

The goal of getting back to Redlands was successful. Today we did some errands, a little shopping, and caught up. It was a lot of fun. The only disappointment of the day was Chili’s. I have not been there in a while and I was eager to go back. The menu was not the same. My usual favorites were gone or overpriced. As a matter of fact, Chili’s raised the prices on most things on the menu. We were so disappointed, that we left and went someplace else for dinner. Chili’s used to be a safe bet. Oh well!

Posted in Babies!, California, Travels, Family, Rants | No Comments »

March 28, 2009 by samantha.

I should have no right to complain that I am ever bored. Something is always going on.

My parents were supposed to fly out Thursday. They were all ready to go when Mother Nature decided to change their plans. The Gulf Coast was hit with some heavy rain, strong winds, thunder, lightening, and even some tornadoes. Today they finally were able to see some blue sky and are scheduled to arrive Sunday night. All of their fun weather made me miss Florida. California rarely gets fun weather. For us, a Santa Ana makes people panic.

Friday I skipped school to go to Legoland. A good friend of my mine was taking her son and asked me to go along. It was my first time and I was surprised by how much fun I had. Legoland is definitely for the younger kids. I really enjoyed “Miniland”. The Lego architects had built replicas of San Franciso, New York, LA, New Orleans, and Washington DC. The recreation of the Presidential Inauguration was amazing.

They even got Aretha Franklin’s hat! What made the day the most fun was that I got to play with two 4-year olds. Everything is always more fun with a 4-year old!

Since today was my last day of freedom, I took it easy. I fixed my computers, cleaned the house, and enjoyed the calm before the storm. The highlight of the day was participating in Earth Hour. I sat outside, on the porch, with a friend and chatted for an hour. It was surprising how fast the hour went. Did any of you participate in Earth Hour?

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February 15, 2009 by samantha.

My first two days in Portland have been fun filled and busy. My flight up here was quick and it arrived early! It was a good thing since my cousins had plans that started the minute I departed the plane. Our first stop was lunch. They took me to a cute Veggie Thai place that I think was called VegiTahi. I had my favorite soup and some yummy soy chicken nuggets. Then we went up the tram. The views of the city are amazing from the top. Of course the tram ride left us famished and there was only one place to head to next- Saint Cupcake! I had heard so much about this place. I am not a fan of cupcakes, but I knew that I had to try some from here. They were worth the trip to Portland! Delicious! I recommend the Toasted Coconut We came to watch Run, Fatboy, Run. It was hilarious.

Today, we got up early and headed to the coast. The drive was spectacular. We had to drive through the mountains and snow in order to make it to the Pacific. And it was cold!!! We visited Manzanita Beach and lunch at a great Mexican restaurant. I do have to say that they were some of the best Chicken Tacos I have ever had. Next stop was Cannon Beach. There is not much to see at Cannon Beach, but I had read about it and I wanted to see it. I cannot remember if Sea Lion Rock is in Canon Beach or in http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_188.php, but it really looks like a Sea Lion. I am convinced that some carved the eye so it looked more like a Sea Lion. Still, it is quite impressive. Canon Beach was beautiful. The whole Oregon coast leaves you craving for more. I love beaches that are rocky. I would take an Oregon Beach over a “regular” beach any day! The main destination of the day was Astoria. Any one that saw The Goonies needs to visit Astoria. As a matter of fact, many of the places we visited today just happened to have been in The Goonies! I could happily live in Astoria. It is a quiet little coastal village. We took a scenic drive home, through Washington. We even had to take a ferry across the Columbia River. The perfect day ended at a local restaurant that had some very yummy Broccoli Mac n’ Cheese.

Posted in Weekends, Travels, Movies, Family, Rants | No Comments »

February 8, 2009 by samantha.

Usually when I go to San Diego for the weekend I have nothing exciting to report. To be honest, most trips to San Diego are quite boring. I go down to spend time with my grandmother. I know she appreciates the visits and I do enjoy spending time with her. I spend the day watching movies, reading books, and running errands that are just excuses to get out of the house. The nights are spent playing cards and watching TV shows that I would not watch on a normal night. Of course, this weekend followed mostly the same routine. Thankfully the weather had plans of its own.

My grandmother lives on the golf course. The view out the back window is green and tranquil on most days, interrupted by the occasional golfer.

Yesterday we had a tremendous amount of rain. At one point, we had hail!

When we went to look out the window, we saw this!!

There was a river of serious rapids running past the house. The house was safe and we had no concerns of the rapids coming to get us. Still, it was an amazing site. California’s weather is usually boring. For once, it was exciting and worth talking about!

Posted in California, Weekends, Family, Rants | 1 Comment »

January 11, 2009 by samantha.

First and most importantly, the parents are gone and far away in Florida. They left Saturday morning, very early, and I have been enjoying my solitude since then. Still, I have them to thank for a fantastic trip to France, a great Christmas, and my new couches, coffee table, end tables, and lamps!

Since I can never remember which is the family room and which is the living room, I call the two rooms the TV room and Val’s room.

Here is how Val’s room used to look.

Here is how it looks now.

Here is how the TV room used to look.

Here is how it looks now.

Here is the lamp I instantly fell in love with.

And I am sure you are worried about what happened to Val’s old, ugly couch. Here it is waiting to go to the city dump. It did a great job of serving Val’s needs and she will miss it. I am so happy to get rid of it.

Posted in House, Europe, California, Val, Travels, Family | No Comments »

January 4, 2009 by samantha.

Tomorrow I must return to work. This break has seemed to last forever and I think I forgot what my classroom looks like. I have enjoyed my vacation, but I think it is time to return to the normal routine. Of course, the routine will not get back to normal until my parents leave. It seems like they have been here forever and on Saturday they will finally head back to Florida. They decided to stay a bit longer so that one of my best Christmas, a shower door, could be installed. I am so excited and I hope to be able to use it by this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!

Yesterday, I made a large and much needed purchase. I bought myself a new couch, loveseat, coffee table, and end tables. My current couch and loveseat have been used and abused. They will be turned over to Val and put in her room. My coffee table and end tables come from Tallahassee. I never cared for them, but they have done a great job. These too will be moved to Val’s room. The new furniture will be delivered on Thursday and I am sure you will all check back to see pictures.

Now I am going to enjoy my last few hours of freedom and digest my mom’s tacos. For a Frenchie, she makes the best damn tacos. I requested them tonight and they never disappoint!

Posted in School, House, Val, Family, Rants | 2 Comments »

January 2, 2009 by samantha.

As the second day of the new year comes to an end, I am happy to report that I have no complaints. Things are going well and hopefully it is a sign.

Yesterday, I went couch shopping. I am a great window shopper. I can window shop all day long and never spend a dime! But I think it is time to get some new couches. Since no one is buying furniture, I can get a couch, loveseat, coffee table, and end tables for a steal. And since mom and dad are still visiting, they can be here for the delivery. I think I should go back and look at the couch again tomorrow.

I did buy some much-needed bookshelves yesterday. I am anxiously awaiting them to be delivered. Again, mom will be here for the delivery. Parents can come in handy! Right now I have piles of books all over the house. There is no rhyme or reason to the piles either. In other words, organized me has my beloved books in stacks of disarray! On Tuesday, they will finally have a designated home. I am already organizing my books, on my new bookshelves, in my head.

Today was a big day for Val. She went to the vet and had her teeth cleaned. I am happy to report that she had no cavities and had to have no teeth extracted. Currently, she is asleep on her throne, gums a little sore, and trying to forget the necessary torture she had to endure. Thankfully, she will not have to go through the experience again for a year or two.

While Val was at the vet, I took my mom to get a pedicure. Both us were overdo for one and enjoy the experience very much. I now have beautiful hot pink toes. Aren’t you glad to know that? We ran a couple more errands before rescuing Val.

Today I also finished my first book of 2009.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was as hokey as it sounds. And I loved every minute of it. The book is about Dewey’s life as a library cat in a small Iowa town. It chronicles how he touched people and helped a town weather it’s hard times. It is not a book for everyone. It is sappy as can be, but I found it an enjoyable read.

Posted in House, Holidays, Val, Family, Books, Rants | 1 Comment »

January 1, 2009 by samantha.

I hope all your wishes come true in 2009. Good luck on your resolutions.

I am not a cat person, but I love this video! Happy New Year!!!

December 5, 2008 by samantha.

I am not ready to go home. I have had such a wonderful time here and leaving will be very hard. It was great to see my family and know that my grandmother is doing okay. I am already making plans to return this summer. When I get back to the States, I will start researching little summer jobs that I might be able to do here. I want a little job so I can meet some people and supplement my stay here. Lord knows that a rental car will cost an arm and a leg! And I am keeping my fingers crossed that when I come back I will have a washer and a dryer! If I have those two things, along with dependable Internet access, I could be very happy here for a month or so.

I am anxious to get home and see my doggie. This trip would have been perfect if Val could have joined us. She would love France. There are not many places that she cannot go… she could even ride the bus! I know that she was in good hands while I was here, but not having her around has been hard. It is amazing how lonely I am without her! I like the little routine that we have and I look forward to getting to it.

Then again, I could have her put on a plane and sent to me here. Living in Perpignan could be very easy!

Posted in Europe, Val, Travels, Family | No Comments »

November 30, 2008 by samantha.

We had a slow and relaxing day today. Not like we needed to relax, but it was nice to stay in the apartment and do nothing. The big adventure of the day was taking my grandmother out for a fancy lunch. She was so excited that she called twice to make sure that we were coming and even asked us to arrive early. Lunch was fun. I tried monkfish for the first time. It was not too bad. I would try it again. Tomorrow we are heading toward Barcelona. I am so excited! My Aunt Vivi is coming with us and I am sure that it will be an adventure. We have tried our best to research the city on the computer, but our Internet connection is slow and moody. We know that we have to visit the Cathedral and Parc Guell. Maybe we will take a tour. Who knows! Who cares! It will be a much more exciting way to spend a Monday than if I was at work!

Posted in Europe, Weekends, Travels, Family | No Comments »