Haser Happenings

Room 516

2012-01-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

There is Seriously nothing worse than watching your kid suffer....

We all know the flu is BAD!

When you get it, if you are unlucky enough to get it, you feel like DEATH...

A couple weeks ago, Krystin was the unlucky winner of the flu.

No.

We have NO CLUE where she got it.

No one we know is/was sick...

Thursday afternoon she had a time trial with Track

more for fun than anything, but she has a rep to uphold.

She ran hard and fast and came in second overall by less than milisecond.

But, she was starting to not feel well.

By Thursday evening she was BURNING up with a fever.

She was Very sick.

However, my SUPER driven child knew she had a big Chem test in the morning

EARLY in the Morning - 6:40am, early,

and refused to miss it.

Dedication, I tell ya.

I know. She should not have been there. I know.

But, I could not convince her otherwise, so I waited at school for her to finish and took her home.

All weekend we battled that horrible flu.

With meds she could rest comfortably, but no energy at all.

Monday, she was feeling better, but super week.

I kept her home.

Tuesday afternoon she started to cough.

At this point she was having anxiety about missing school,

and insisted on trying to go on Weds.

She coughed so badly all night Tuesday night, it was horrific.

Weds she lasted almost the entire day and ACED two tests...

When I picked her up from the health office, I knew she looked much worse.

I was able to get an appt with her doctor immediately....

At the doctor's office she was barely holding on,

was shaking and couldn't stop coughing.

To make matters worse they make you wear a mask.

Which, IS understandable, but when you can't breathe it is torture...

Krystin had 104 fever at the office.

The doc listened to her lungs

and sent her for an X-Ray (luckily in house)

She was shivering so badly I am surprised they got a clear image.

Ultimately, the X-Rays showed Pneumonia RLL and starting in LLL...

They gave her a breathing treatment, actually 2, and sent her to the hospital.

Now, when I left to get Krystin from school.

I didn't grab anything to take with me.

I was planning on grabbing her and going home.

I didn't have a jacket. Phone charger. Clothes. Water. NOTHING.

Didn't really matter.

Just needed to get Krystin some help.

Her room, the view from the inside

Upon arrival to the hospital, they were pretty nice...

Krystin had a cute little build-a-bear baby and a homemade blanket waiting for her.

It is amazing the amount of comfort the little thoughtful things can give.

However, Krystin was on ISOLATION,

So everyone (aside from family) had to wear a gown, gloves and mask to come in.

They needed to start an IV on her (her first), draw blood and do a flu nasal aspiration test.

Before they could even finish the admit paper she was coughing so hard, t

hey called Respiratory to give her another treatment...

By the time they came to get everything done,

Todd and Kayla had arrived (you have to be over 18 to enter an isolation room, sorry Logan). :(

Keep in mind. Kay has serious anxiety over doctor stuff.

I am SURE this did NOT help.

There were two nurses attempting to start the IV.

While the one was very, seriously failing to in the first location,

The other nurse (krystin's night nurse) passed OUT! CURR PLUNK!

Not joking. She was pregnant and wearing all that gear probably didn't help.

Fortunately, she went down very slowly and gradually and was ok.

Even if she insisted the syringe that she was 'still' holding was clean and hadn't touched the floor, grr.

Really? You going to chance it? With my kid. I think not. Throw it... Flibbidity gibbits.

Well, long and short of it.

3 total attempts and a third nurse and the IV was in.

And they took blood, even if they had to do it twice.

Then the Nasal aspiration.

Oh nothing like being deathly ill and tortured.

Yes, I am pretty sure Kayla will never go to the hospital after that!

Anyhow, the first night was really rough.

Her fever was very high.

She needed regular breathing treatments,

but she remained in good spirits.

Well, that was til the nurse gave her Codeine...

Apparently, she inhereted my lovely reaction to meds.

She was super excited about her breakfast tray.

She had taken the medicine maybe 45 mins before.

Took 3 bites and with in minutes was SCREAMING in pain and puking...

Sooo much though that they had to get her a STAT IV Med of Tordol,

and something for her tummy.

She was crying in severe pain, worse than i have seen her.

Til she finally passed out.

Poor babe.

Sorry, no codeine for you.

She was brave.

Hung tough.

I promised her that I would not leave her alone in the hospital,

so I stayed with her and slept there right by her.

I did ask Todd to please come stay with her so I could shower, and he gladly agreed.

The upside to isolation?

You get your own room.

and a Mommy to play games and watch movies with you.

Krystin is a SUPER-Over achiever.

Being down was not something that she was OK with,

and missing an entire week of school was causing her to panic.

Especially, right before finals. :(

I emailed all of her teachers to let them know what was going on and make arrangements for her assignments.

Apparently, Krystin's diligence must be apparent and known,

because...

Her French teacher actually came and visited her in the hospital.

She came to reassure her that all of her teachers understand and KNOW she is a good student, and to rest.

She also brought her that super cute pink frog she is holding.

Really made Krystin feel better, very sweet.

I had to fight back the tears.

My view early in the morning...

Finally, after 2.5 long days she was able to shower,
even if she couldn't stand and shower...

and finally she was able to go home...

I am so thankful she recovered so well!
We love you Krystin! (:

T-N-T Boating

2012-01-09T10:55:00.000-08:00

For Christmas,

Todd bought me a Whale Watching trip in San Diego

It was a day at Sea (8 hours)

Super fun.

Super beautiful

and

Flibbiditygibbits COLD

We each wore 2 Jackets and a big thick blanket to stay warm.

It was worth it though.

The Gray whales are currently migrating.

We saw 24!

They were playing,

spouting,

and even a couple COURTING!

Super amazing!

We arrived in SD a little after 7am,

just as the sun was beginning to crescent the Earth...

Just a few pics.

Todd has some cool ones, maybe he will add them later.

Our first Ocean Greeters.

I am in LOVE with these common dolphins!

(Common my BUTT!)

We started spotting whales right away!

Woo hoo!

Whale foot print.

the dark glassy impression that is left behind after a whale breaches the surface, then submerges,

you click your camera - and yah this is what you get...

our boat ride took us down south to Mexican waters.

over to the shores of the uninhabited

Coronado Islands.

Well, they are uninhabited by people,

but there are lots of other creatures living there.

Namely birds and seals.

These are out of order,

just know that...

Hi!

whales

Gray Whales, kind of look like decaying rocks peaking up from the Sea.

Or maybe rock monsters.

Brown footed Boobie bird, flying to the rocks.

They are only found on these small islands.

Elephant seals use the dreamy enclave for breeding.

Tucked away from the world

The elusive whale tale pic.

As we headed back, the sun said Adieu..

Ok. If you didn't get photo overloaded here is a poor quality video.

ok one more

New Years Eve!

2012-01-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

We threw the kids in the car!

Drove them to Thousand Oaks

Quick stop for lunch

at one of the ONLY places in the world Kayla will eat a chicken sandwich.

Yes, it is that good!

Then drove them to Valencia

To go to Sixs Flags Magic Mountain.

Only for a couple of hours, as it closed early.

We headed home, checked on the creatures,

and then went to the movies.

Oh, and we grabbed a lonely Krystin friend to join us for the movie and to bring in the New Year.

By midnight we were sooo tired, but we made it!

Hello, 2012

Christmas Break Activities... (part 1ish)

2012-01-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

We felt the children needed to rekindle the love of blowing up these little rubbery balloons with a straw. It was awesome, and they were way better than I was.

And, cause I am kinda crazy...

When we were having a sorta cold spell.

Well, if the wind wasn't blowing it wouldn't be THAT cold.

We went to Pedro's for dinner...

and then made a bonfire on the beach

with smore's

We were SO cold!

but it was SOO FUN too

who doesn't love a GOOD fire....???

smores

Oh, I bought these JUMBO Marshmallow.

Super amazing for Smores, btw.

I would definitely recommend them!

Only weird things.

Fire pit next to us, guy was sitting in the pit with the fire!

I know it was cold, but weird.

The pit on the other side of him the Dad kept pouring gasoline on the fire...

I was waiting to see if we were going to have a Darwin nominee in the making...

Christmas Break - Ice Skating

2011-12-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

Winter is mild in Sunny So. Cal.

So.

We decided ice skating would make it feel more like winter.

I LOVE Skating!

Logan brought his good friend, Josh with. (:

We were the first ones on the ice.

That did NOT last long, but wasn't too crowded!

It was fun to wear jackets, gloves, and hats!

(Especially, knowing it was WARM outside!)

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

(actually this was Christmas Eve)

Todd and I had an opportunity to have

Roasted Chestnuts

in London.

Neither of us, had before.

They were amazing, so Todd braved roasting some for us!

They were great! Thanks Todd.

Christmas Morning...

Grama and Jai were able to join us. (:

We had all our normal brunch foods.

Todd's delish Pecan rolls, Egg/sausage Casseroles, fresh fruit, juice, toast, and hash browns.

Yes. Grama and Jai spoiled the kids.

Oh, and we played lots of games...

It was a nice, relaxed, fun Christmas...

Christmas Jammies...

2011-12-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Presents!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

We always make treats

Artsy stuff...

Treats for Daddy's work.

This year we made owls,

while watching movies...

Kay made a really cute Emu to go with them!

Todd was so happy he danced!

or maybe it was the sugar from the cookies!

Ha!

Spider Woman

2011-12-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

During the winter, sometimes,

we get unwanted visitors.

No, not relatives!

- SPIDERS-

It gets cold outside, they come in.

Half of our family thinks spiders should be freed...

Caught, and freed.

The other half (ok, mostly Kayla, well Todd too)

Believe, they should be annihilated.

Kayla wasn't home when one of these said visitor, happened by.

So, Krystin took charge.

This visitor was HUGE and furry.

And KC had to stand on a chair.

but she is BRAVE

She caught it

and she released it.

Good bye little creature, go catch some flies.

Life Lessons from a Pup

2011-12-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

Top 5 Life Lessons Dogs can teach humans

Ok, I know, sounds a little cheesy, but really sooo true.

#1 Gratitude. Dog's express gratitude with their entire being for the little things. Whether it be a small treat, some praise, or even just a little belly rub. They vibrate appreciation with their entire bodies.

#2 Love of Family: It doesn't matter how long you leave. Where you go. Pups always show you how much they love you when you return. Usually, to a greater extent than we appreciate, LOL! How often do we greet our family members with jubilation at their return from the store or anywhere?

#3 They take time to smell the roses and other things: They revel in going for a walk, car ride or experiencing life. They don't miss anything. They want to take in every scent, site and fully embrace the experience. How many times do we just routinely go through life and miss the details?

#4 Loyal: They know who their pack is and they are protective, kind, comforting, and loving always without question or malice. There are no qualifiers to their loyalty.

#5 Live in the moment: Probably the most important. They don't hold grudges. They don't dwell on negative. They truly just make the best of each moment and let the past go. To me there is nothing worse than letting something that upset you and ruined one moment, continue to ruin future moments!

I am grateful for my pups and the sweetness they bring to my life.

Animals are such a great blessing to us...

- What inspired this list? -

My Honey hurt herself this past weekend.

No CLUE how!

We came home and she was limpy.

We think she pulled a muscle running on the stairs or something.

Even though she is clearly in pain,

she still greets us with a smile and a wagged tail.

Her sweetness and loving nature are remarkable.

Yes, we did take her to the vet yesterday.

(Pic at Vet's office)

There is no sign of a break, no swelling, she didn't complain about the exam...

So, they gave her a shot of pain meds and a script to take home.

Hopefully, she will be better in the next couple days.

Oh...

and an order for NO more stairs or jumping...

What to do about the sofas?

How do you keep her from jumping?

This dog is part Mountain goat, I swear.

I am grateful for our little Hun-dinger and the positive she brings to our family.

I hope she feels top-notch SOON!

December 19th

2011-12-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

- Kayla -

Favorite thing about Christmas: "is the cold weather"

(on a side note, she was too cold to come down to do tell me this, hmmnn)

December 18th

2011-12-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

- Krystin -

Favorite Christmas present - "Giant wagon with Giant the dog in it"

Nutcracker...

2011-12-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

I have always wanted to take the family to see

'The Nutcracker"

It was wonerful.

It was a fun night.

We did miss Kay, she had to cancel last minute!

December 17th

2011-12-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

- Logan -

Favorite Christmas Present - "Nintendo DS"

December 16th

2011-12-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

- Kayla -

Favorite Christmas Present: "Ipod"

December 15th

2011-12-15T20:22:00.001-08:00

- Krystin -

Favorite Christmas Movie: "Nightmare Before Christmas"

December 14th

2011-12-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

- Logan -

Favorite Christmas Movie: "Polar Express"

Quinceanera

2011-12-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

Logan's Spanish 3 class

had a Quinceanera

at 7am...

(Oh, Zero period!)

Funny thing is, I don't think there is ONE 15 yo girl in his class!

Most students are Juniors or Seniors!

Well, of course, I couldn't miss it!

Here are some pics.

Logan was part of the dance group.

He wasn't feeling super well,

but you would never have known.

Watching the boy try to place the shoe - highlight!

Blurry, but you get the idea.

There were three dances, I think.

I wanted to video, but apparently my new camera doesn't have a memory card.

OOPS.

This is all I got!

December 13th

2011-12-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

-Kayla-

Favorite Christmas Movie: "It's a Wonderful Life."

38th Birthday!

2011-12-13T00:26:00.000-08:00

Why, 38, Hello!

I was, for some reason was sad to say, "Good Bye to 37"...

37, was fun.

But, welcome 38!

I am actually, quite grateful to meet you! (:

Every Birthday is a GIFT!

Some pictures that made this birthday that much more special!

Kayla- Immortalized my Indy in Plush!

Logan - made me an incredible origami rose!

and

Krystin - drew me this amazing Charcoal drawing.

MY GOODNESS Sakes!

My kids are SOO talented!

The best part is that I had NO idea about any of it.

They were all so busy with school and activities I was not expecting anything from them.

I am so grateful for such wonderful kids, that gave me gifts that they knew I would treasure more than anything else. Their love and time expressed through their creativity.

Amazing.

Thank You!

Todd's gift to me, besides many other things and love,

the device to record these memories, a camera. (:

Other things that made me smile!

Dinner at Native Foods

(No animals were injured in the making of dinner, YAY!)

Yes, they humored me....

and my fave, mint chip/chocolate ice cream cake!

Sweet, literally!

-So, 38, nice to meet you.

May you be as good of a friend as 37 was! -

Disney with the Mushet's!

2011-12-12T16:58:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday,

We had the opportunity to not ONLY go to Disneyland,

but to go with some good friends.

Doug Mushet & Todd were good friends growing up.

We have NOT had the opportunity to 'play' with his family over the years.

We have wanted to, but it never really lined up...

So, when they contacted us that they were going to be heading to Disney last Saturday, and the kids didn't have a zillion obligations - we were in!

It was a really awesome day!

We don't have many friends that have kids our kids ages.

Sooo much fun for everyone!

The kids really wanted a group shot...

So we found a spot.

Set the self timer...

FAIL!

It was actually really funny.

People were all waiting to cross, and this Dad unknowingly walked in front of the camera right as it snapped.

One of the passerby's felt bad for us,

and took a shot for us!

So sweet!

We will definitely have to do it again!

Happy Birthday, Honey!

2011-12-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

Our Little Honey turned 9 yo today!

Honey, We Love You!

You make each day that much brighter with your smile!

(but, not your breath)

December 12th

2011-12-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

- Krystin -

Favorite Christmas Memory: "Waking up on Christmas morning, and finding the giant wagon and the giant the dog."

December 11th

2011-12-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

- Logan -

Favorite Christmas Memory: "Waking up to yummy breakfast."

(I swear we feed him on other days of the year)

December 10th

2011-12-10T17:04:00.000-08:00

- Kayla -

Favorite Christmas Memory: "Finding Bowl of White Chocolate on Christmas Morning"

December 9th

2011-12-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

- Krystin -

Favorite Christmas Activity: "Sitting by the fire place with family"

December 8th

2011-12-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

- Logan -

Favorite Christmas Activity: "Eating Christmas Breakfast (Egg Casserole)"

December 7th

2011-12-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

-Kayla -

Favorite Christmas Activity: "Decorating the tree"...

December 6th

2011-12-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

- Krystin -

Favorite Christmas Food:

"Chocolate Covered Marshmellow Santas"

(Hmn, is that food?)

December 5th

2011-12-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

-Logan-

Favorite Christmas Song -

"Amazing Grace"

(from Reflections of Christ exhibit)

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2011-12-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Our tree is up!

Krystin's Birthday - continued...

2011-12-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Krystin's Birthday

(with her friends)

She invited some of her close friends to dinner and a movie, Friday night.

In-n-Out

Kay and Lo came too.

Then movies!

We saw, Hugo.

We liked it.

The group.

It was an awesome night.

We got home about midnight.

Then Saturday Morning...

Krystin's two good friends

Kimmy and Krista,

kidnapped her and bought her breakfast.

Feel the love! (:

December 4th

2011-12-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

December 4th

- Kayla-

Favorite Christmas Song - "Angel's we have heard on High"

(specifically by Relient K)

December 3rd

2011-12-03T11:27:00.000-08:00

December 3rd

-Krystin-

Favorite Christmas Song: 'Do you hear what I hear'

Which of course, we listened to! (:

December 2nd

2011-12-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

December 2nd

Logan

Favorite Christmas Food: Egg/Sausage Casserole

Cross Country Banquet - 2011

2011-12-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Logan's 3rd XC Banquet

Krystin's 2nd

The Cross Country Banquet is always a very 'formal' occasion.

The kids look forward to it.

It is a fun night.

The only drawback, getting home at 10:30pm...

When you have to be up at 5am,

and no time for Homework.

How do the kids do it?!

A couple pics from the night.

Lighting was really bad, but to get an idea...

Krystin is the blur in red in front. (:

Award time

Logan's turn

December 1st

2011-12-01T11:16:00.000-08:00

We started a new tradition this year.

I am always trying to think of things that will make Christmas,

feel more like Christmas.

It is never too late, right?

I have wanted to do this since the children were small,

but it never seemed to work out.

This year we got a cute Advent Calendar,

and each day one of the kiddos will take a treat from the appropriate day, hang an ornament on the 'tree' and share something they love about Christmas.

Day 1

- Kayla-

Favorite Christmas Food: Eggnog

Krystin's 15th Birthday! (:

2011-11-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

Krystin turned 15, yesterday!

She is usually a little sad that her birthdays fall on the weekend of Thanksgiving,

as her friends are always out of town!

She requested last year that we take her to Catalina for her birthday!

Well, it took a bit of coordination,

WAY too much going on,

but we did it!

It was a wonderful day!

The weather was even PERFECT!

6am

our car even got a boat trip on the Ferry.

Our boat left from Balboa Island!

Yes, it was HUGE!

Logan embraced the beauty.

Important signs to heed

Krystin rebelled!

The kids rode a snake

and wrestled a buffalo

Beautiful views

Perfect Day,

then back to the boat

Krystin's cake request.

Angel Food.

Appropriate, as she is an Angel!

Happy Birthday my SWEET Krystin!

We Love You!

Thanksgiving - 2011

2011-11-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving - 2011

At My Mom's House

Of course we had to sing to Krystin! (:

My Boys were being silly!

My sis holding cousin's Nikki's super cute baby!

Seriously, HOW CUTE is that!

Gracious Hosts....

Mom and Jai

Cousin Nikki's Boy, Jake controlling the fire!

and of course time with the goats!

I am grateful for a wonderful family.

College Tour- Caltech

2011-11-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

College Tour series: First Edition
School: Caltech University
Student: Logan Haser

This college trip was local,

so Krystin tagged along.

Our tour guide was also a XC/Track Runner.

Academically, the school is at the same level as MIT

(for Math and Science, Logan's love and passion)

Apparently, the school also tries to foster creativity, as well.

One of the on campus dorms.

Students have free reign to decorate.

Math/Science major art work.

Lol!

Coed Dorms, btw.

Eating Hall, in this dorm.

We were reassured food is quite good.

Courtyard for experiments and creativity.

They even have cute turtles

(Definitely, a deciding factor)

The school sounds amazing.

1 Professor to 3 students.

5 Noble Peace Prize Winners that are amongst the Professors.

Incredible learning environment.

But, Very competitive - 12% acceptance rate.

London to Home!

2011-11-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

Our Last couple of Days in London...

Ziggy & Zoey

The city is lined with endless rows of buildings.

and old churches

and signs that,

Well, yah, NO CLUE what that means!

Saturday,

Todd said - Let's blow this city and find the coast!

Yes, we were having serious OCEAN withdrawal...

So, we hopped on a train...

It was a sweet drive.

an hour and a half later

We arrived in

Brighton

(and YES, it did 'Brighten' my day!)

Charming little Sea Side Town

The Ocean Air rejuvenated my soul

(and my lungs were pretty happy too)

It wasn't just because we saw a REALLY cute dog either,

but yah it was cool too!

Hmn, no sand - just rocks!

Didn't deter young love though.

Or Paddle Boarders

Oh man,
Temptation - Ice Cream - YUM!

Huge Pier

Doughnuts?
Lunch, YES!

They look sweet and innocent flying don't they....
Wrong! One of those flying turkeys smacked me upside the head with its wing
and STOLE my doughnut right out of my hand.
It was an aerial attack.
Swoop, smack, snag and fly away!
Rude, but funny as heck!

Where they keep the dragons....

Yes, perfect follow up to a doughnut for lunch - ice cream!

and ...
We found Waldo!

On our way out....
We saw something we hadn't seen before.
Roasting Chestnuts!
Yes, we had to try it and we are hooked!

Hmn?!

Then we headed back...

Apparently, we didn't have enough sugar,
because after dinner we shared this.
Waffles are a HUGE dessert item, in London!

We headed home Sunday night.
Arrived back in our house after 9pm,
and braced for a very busy week!

London - Day 6

2011-11-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

- Day 6 in London -

Seriously, MISS My kids!

Can't wait to see them in just a couple more days!

Anyhow.

I am Super Grateful to spend sometime with my Sweet Man.

He works - A LOT.

and I miss him A LOT too, lately.

So, he kept his word...

We headed back to the National Gallery today!! (:

They have a special exhibit on- Leonardo Da Vinci

It is VERY popular.

They only allow so many people through the exhibit each day,

and the line to get in is crazy.

It just goes and goes...

We, actually, got pretty lucky.

They cut the line off about 20 people behind us.

It was only 11am (exhibit opened at 10).

While we waited in line,

we found ways to entertain ourselves.

(remember we don't have our normal mobile device babysitters, LOL)

We talked to the pigeons (there are many out here, everywhere)

But, the pigeons our here are weird....

They hang out in trees!

I had never seen that before.

They are usually just ambling along on the ground!

Well, maybe this encouraged them to use trees.

More lines

I told Todd, "We can pretend we are at Disneyland."

You know, long lines for popular attractions.

Oh, and so you know.

They have big weird, kinda cool spiders here too.

And we found where they put the trash?!

Seriously, there is no trash anywhere.

Finally, after 2 hours - we got our tickets to get in.

But, we had to wait another 1.5 hrs to get into the exhibit.

Only so many peeps can go in at once.

So we enjoyed the sunshine peeking through the clouds.

(still very cold though)

and - Funny Birds!

Look how sweet the sun looks shining through the buildings!

Oh, I think I have figured out the cause of my lungs bugging me..

Look at all those buses.

Seriously, they just keep going...

More sunshine outside the National Gallery

Todd had a couple business calls to take care of,

before we could head into the exhibit...

I just might have been a little bored..

And maybe put all the creatures on him for fun.

Isn't he cute?!

Well, this cute little old man saw me take the pic,

and offered to take one of me with him, LOL!

It was funny,

and YES he was still on the call.

The exhibit showcased Da Vinci's process in a sense.

They had many of his sketches (or studies)

and his notes.

(Yes, left-handed and backwards)

and SUPER TINY!!!

He had many paintings that he started, yet never completed.

Sad. Such an amazingly gifted person.

His work is truly timeless, and it was such a privilege to see it authentically with my own eyes. Amazing!

After viewing the exhibit, we wandered around for another hour or so and tried to take in as MANY of the other paintings as we could.

It was amazing to see how art has changed, flowed, stayed the same, and progressed. I would say one thing was consistent in the time period we had the opportunity to view (1200-1700s) Christ was a central theme throughout.

Well, as closing time approached, we headed back.

Tonight, we grabbed some bagel sandwiches

from the train station and ate them in our hotel room.

It is SO cold outside,

and we were surrounded by hustle and bustle all day,

so the quiet of our room was nice.

Todd is finishing up some work right now.

Tomorrow, he will be onsite again.

Hmn, what should I do?!

Well, til tomorrow...

addendum - We ran out and went to a Patisserie -
Oh, yes, we need one of those by our house.
Or not, that could be bad.

London - Day 5

2011-11-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

Today was busy

and SOOO COLD!

Seriously, FREEZING!

We hopped on a bus at 7:55 this morning.

(Did I mention, I can't sleep when my family is separated, ugh)

Z & Z were being extra wild

Then they got the Ewoks involved!

Windsor Castle

Back to the bus:

An Hour later ...

after driving through endless countryside, YAY!

We arrived here:

IT was EVEN Colder HERE!

What the formation was thought to originally look like.

We only had about 30 mins to explore,

then back to the bus.

Z&Z were too cold to come out and get a pic,

so they posed with the map.

From there, we went to:

Bath (the Ancient Roman Bath house)

We weren't 'scheduled to go there', but our trip got cancelled and they upgraded us for free - sweet!

It was a bit of a drive through the country again...

Did I mention, CITY air kills my lungs.

Progressively this week my lungs have been hurting more and more...

The country air was SUCH a relief!

Bath was formed 2000 years ago,

by Roman's.

It has the ONLY naturally occurring hot springs in the country.

IN this FREEZING Country, I might add.

The Romans occupied and maintained these amazing Bath houses for around 500 years, until their empire fell.

With no one to maintain them, they dwindled with time and were buried.

It wasn't until (I believe in the last 100 years) that they were discovered and renovated. Because of their (burial preservation) they are the OLDEST Roman Bath houses still in existence.

I instantly fell in love with this beautiful little city.

I wish I had pictures of the rolling hills and the adorable homes that dotted the landscape. I would LOVE to live in that beautiful place (or at least stay there for more than 1.5 hours).

Here are some pics from the Bath House and surrounding city.

Serious steam off those hot springs (specially when it is that cold out)

It was a long, too fast , nice day.

Then we had a 3 + hour bus ride back...

Good Night for now.

I love you Kayla, Logan & Krystin,

Miss YOU MUCH!

With Love,

M & D

London - Day 4

2011-11-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

Today was a down day, well for me at least. Which was actually nice, cause I could NOT fall asleep last night! Stupid Jet Lag! I did get up early with my cute hubby though, and had breakfast with him, before he set off to Training (yah, the reason we are out here, LOL)! I totally missed him today, but set out on foot to go explore more of the local terrain. I wandered around the streets. It is kind of scary wandering around downtown city streets, with the realization that this is foreign country... There was a comfort in the fact that if I was lost, dazed, confused or anything else - the native language is ENGLISH! Even if half the time the peeps look at us like, "What in the HECK are you saying?!"

Anyhow, while I was wandering (pretty much aimlessly, I love to just see where I will end up). I came across a street side market?! I didn't even know they had those out here. I didn't see any 'touristy' type of merchandise, which I thought was strange. It was more or less a 'locals' market, I guess.

What does a Street Side market in London look Like.

Here, I will show you.

Fresh Fish, MMM, the scent takes me back to Hong Kong!

Children's toys for your Christmas needs

fruits and veggies. Did look yummy

Toilet Paper?

Well, you know what they say -

Every one ........

A MUST at all Street side vendors I have noticed.

Booths of Purses (MUST be a HOT item)

More fish...

Yah, they were gutting them right there.

Appetizing.

This booth really attracted the little older women.

Shoes and Jackets in boxes to sift threw

I didn't get anything from the market.

I am from America,

We don't haggle.

It is scary.

Just tell me how much it is.

Why make a game of it?

I did see a couple things I might go back to check out,

if Todd comes with me.

Well, after a couple hours of exploring, I was Freezing!

I ventured back into the underground and took a train back to hotel,

since the Hotel is connected to a train station,

I was back in a blink, sweet!

-- Back at the hotel. --

I was a little bored...

Everyone was sleeping in the US..

So, I decided to take pics (of myself) and email them to Todd.

You know so I could be with him virtually today!

Am I too goofy?

Do you expect any less?

Of course NOT!

After Todd's Day at work.
He came back, grabbed me,
and we had a nice Dinner with a couple of his work peeps!

Minor Guest Blog

2011-11-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Krystin here with a short guest blog. Please note the word short.

I was about to go to bed when I heard little Indy bird making the saddest sound. She was sitting on Xia's cage puffed up and very sad looking. So, I held out my finger, about a foot away and the cute little thing flew over to me. She then preceded to climb up my arm and onto my shoulder.

I took a pic just for my mom (love you mom!). Indy was happily eating a carrot on my shoulder before looking curiously at the camera.

Then she got stuck in my hair... And Kayla helped get her out, and now it's goodnight to the bird babies and lights off in the house.

Be back when time presents itself with more!

~Krystin

London - Day 3

2011-11-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

I am MISSING

These Guys this evening...

They always make me smile!

And these little ones too...

and...

my Indy.

I wish that I could take them ALL with me! (:

But, I do have a pretty adorable man with me.

That I miss sooo much, cause he works a LOT!

Today was SOOO COLD!

Not even a BLINK of Sunshine.

Cold, gray, and wettish...

In fact, we met some people from New York, and they were telling us how cold they were. We said we were from sunny So. Cal, and they were like, "You must be dying!". Yes, we are whimpy. We like our temperate weather, but we try to be tuff! I even wore two jackets!

I was laughing, because last time Todd and I ventured together it was so HOT and HUMID we thought we were going to die, and now it is cold and frigid. I think the Universe is REALLY trying to give us a greater appreciation of how wonderful our weather at home is, LOL!

So, After Todd coordinated his business calls and emails.

Oh, and we had breakfast.

Did I mention, the hotel included breakfast.

Thankfully, because London is crazy expensive?!

That and the American Dollar is looking pretty sad compared to the Pound. :(

After that was all situated we were off.

Down into the Underground...

Through the tunnels.

aaahhhh

and then to the trains...

We are still figuring this system out.

I think we have it now, this morning we were a little rusty still.

Yes, there are peeps with dogs everywhere too, if you were wondering.

Oh, come on. I know you were.

Well, that and open bins of sweets for purchase.

Hmn, I am "Cover my sweets type of person"

On the way,

Todd practiced his Jedi skills on a Pigeon.

He used the force to make the Pigeon sit.

It was amazing, really.

Oh yah, the trains...

Which way - East or WEST?

Well, it is called the 'Circle' Line- shouldn't matter right?

East

or West

We chose - WEST!

WRONG!

Luckily, this guy in the blue jacket on the left helped us figure it out.

And we got on another train, going the correct way!

Zig and Zo were happy to have a seat!

Yay! Victoria Station.

Almost to Buckingham Palace

I love all the old buildings that line the streets.

The architecture is amazing!

LOL! It is a Pedestrian Subway!

The Royal Mews

(Fancy Stables)

Things you take for granted at home.

You know which way to look for traffic.

Well, apparently, there have been issues,

because MOST streets have signs like this posted at each cross walk.

So funny, but actually really helpful.

Buckingham Palace.

It was pretty quiet today.

Change of the guards is only done between May and July (apparently)

We did see some Bobby's on horseback

The Gates...

Ahem, Royal Gates.

Too many people in front of the gate,

so we went across the way to get a pic in front of the palace. (:

Z & Z wanted a turn too.

Yes, we cautioned them sternly NOT to jump over the gate!

Hyde Park is just across from the palace,

Very serene... and beautiful.

and so you know.

Yes, there are crazy dedicated runners all over out here too.

I was freezing with two jackets on...

and ladies that have little dogs that run free in the leaves.

I asked Todd if he wanted to play in the leaves with me.

He said he would, but he is allergic to them, bummer.

I am allergic to everything else, so I totally understood!

Ok. It was crazy.

There were all sorts of birds.

Seagulls, crows, other types no clue what kind all hanging out.

and even a cute squirrel.

Todd got the BEST pic of it.

I will add it when I get it.

The one place I have been REALLY excited to go to...

The National Gallery

It is not far from the palace, so that was our next pursuit!

Wandering through the city again..

Car in a showroom, cool huh?!

What we didn't realize was...

We would be passing through

Piccadilly Square

(Which is London's version of Times Square)

As we got close,

Todd had a business 'meeting' call,

which he could take cause we figured out the phone thing.

There was a scary very Brittish Themed Clown in the store, next to Todd.

I am afraid of clowns, a little.

I am sure he is nice.

The contrast between olden days and modern times epitomized...

Love this fountain

Oh yes, I did say they are like seriously ready for Christmas out here.

One of these days,

I am SOOO going to go into one of these Patisseries.

True to Time Square form - Planet Hollywood!

Then, YES!

We found it! (:

I was BEYOND EXCITED

Outside the National Gallery

The National Gallery

No pictures were allowed in the gallery (of course).

I was shocked at how powerful it was to see these authentic paintings.

I was in LOVE with them, and almost brought to tears by their beauty.

To me it was like time travel.

The paintings are REMARKABLY preserved.

They are indescribable.

We didn't have as much time there I would have liked,

so Todd promised to take me back before we return home.

I hope we can!

We left about 4:30pm (Todd had another business call)

and the sun had already been tucked in...

Todd was overjoyed by this sign.

Yes, in London - They too celebrate Movember.

I think I some how agreed to him 'celebrating' Movember next month,

because maybe I encouraged him to shave his moustache (cause I was scared of it).

I love the city at night...

Oh, and they have an M&M world

With its own personal Art Gallery (:

No. I didn't buy any M's...

They were like 15 bucks US for a small package??

Seriously?!

Back to the underground and to the hotel...

Exhausted from all that?!

Me too.

Good night!

Tomorrow, Todd has training all day.

Hmn, what should I do?

London - Day 2

2011-11-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

Jet Lag is the stray dog that follows you home.

You really don't want it,

it makes you a little crazy at first

but you can't refuse it,

and it is worth it for a positive outcome.

This morning,

Todd had a bit of work to get to.

I suggested he just focus and get as much done as he can,

before we leave to go explore.

So, he could wander around London without worrying about it, you know?

So, while Todd worked.

I figured I should get his clothes ironed for the week. (:

The view from our room.

Around 1:15pm, we were off to explore.

Except, Todd had one more thing to take care of...

He has to manage another client, while we are out here.

By phone.

Well, our phones do not work out here...

So, we went to the T-Mobile store

(since that's the provider we have)

to solve this issue.

We looked at the map, should only be about a 10-15min walk.

No problem!

But, remember that Jet lag thing?

Well, we kind of got our North and South mixed up for a bit and got a little bit of an extended tour. OOPS...

Yah.

It was a little bit of a walk.

With Lots of amazing buildings.

Todd was starting to explore other options,

but was shocked by the naughty material present in there!

Then, just across the street...

There was a Hair salon (for men and women)

That also offered tattoos and piercings.

Wow, now that is FULL Service!

FINALLY, we found T-Mobile

-Yes, they will give us a UK SIMS Card for free.

EXCEPT, they can't unlock our phones (could take up to 30 days?)

Annoying.

Well, there was a mall across the street,

so we wandered through...

It was a decent sized mall,

and Yes they already have a Christmas tree up.

It is SERIOUSLY HUGE!

It was nearing on 3pm at this point,

and we hadn't had lunch...

Poor Todd...

I am sure that this is exactly what he was thinking of for lunch.

Come on a chocolate fountain?!

A Belgium Chocolate FOUNTAIN?!!!

Perfect lunch!

After replenishing our sugar stores we wandered the mall.

Didn't really see anything exciting, other than the tree and the chocolate,

so we were back on the phone pursuit!

After we journeyed from shop to shop, to shop...

finally, we found a place that could hook us up.

I had to go outside.

The guy that was helping Todd has the WORST Body ODOR ever?!

Bleck! Really nice, but seriously don't put dress close on a stinky body.

YUCK!

One of my pet peeves, sorry. :(

Ok, so Todd is now ready to conduct business across the globe, from the UK...

PHEW!

Then, we decided to get a little touristy

and headed down to Westminster Abby/Big Ben Area.

The sun begins to set around 4:30pm,

so it was already starting to get dark.

A little bit of the Hong Kong experience was to be found as well.

No, we did not partake!

We decided to give the ole' underground rail a try.

Kinda like HK

Yay! We made it - Westminster!

Big Ben!

and the House of Parliment

Westminster Abby is across the street

Every last detail of the architecture is beautiful.

Lots of tours!

The 'Special Entrance'

It is VERY tall!

Being silly, as usual

Just behind the House of Parliament.

Victoria Park

With a view of the River Thames

Across the water is that London Eye,

It is the Ferris wheel looking thing.

It never stops moving and takes about 45 mins (according to Todd)

to complete the rotation.

Fall, is beautiful here.

Even random little white pups, enjoy the change in the season,

by resting in the leaves..

(Made me miss my little pups)

At Westminster Abby,

Crosses for fallen soldiers line the pathway...

Breathtaking architecture.

Postal box, for fun.

Todd made a pit stop at the City Loo!

LOL! Made me laugh.

The London eye looked magical against the darkness.

They had this Halloween type of scary club thing.

It looked VERY scary to me...

OMG! We found a GIANT Penguin.

Had to take a pic for my sis.

There was a scary, real looking Wax person.

Todd and I weren't sure who he was...

But he was amazing!

The trees are lit up with magical, little blue lights...

and

They may speak English,

but it is a different language for SURE!

The title of this restaurant did NOT come out.

"The SLUG and lettuce"

Nothing entices me into a restaurant, like having the name SLUG in the title.

YUM!

We were getting very hungry at this point,

and

a bit tired...

So we hopped on a bus.

Not really knowing where we were going...

Yah, an HOUR later we decided we should probably get off the bus,

since we could no longer see any sort of remnants of the city.

We were getting really hungry about 8pm at this point,

and saw this place.

Sounded safe.

Then, we had to find our way home.

We journey by foot through the suburbs of some town in London

We actually saw a REAL FOX digging through the trash!

I had NO idea that real foxes were that big.

I imagined them the size of my cute little Honey!

After a little bit, we found our way back to the underground and were back to our hotel pretty quick!

Yay!

We are tired, and missing the kids,

but enjoying the opportunity to spend some time together. (:

Love to everyone!