Visit with Grandparents

July 5 - 18, 2010

Alisha had not been able to visit her grandparents' home for almost one year. She loves the swimming pool there since it is very clean with saline water instead of the usual chlorinated water found in most swimming pools. On a whim, we checked in at a cheap hotel for Mom to accumulate enough hotel stays for a free weekend stay at a fancy hotel and shopped at an outlet. We raced around the outlet due to time constraints, but were able to visit Build-a-Bear, Lego store, Disney Store, Children's Place, etc. Nothing was on the agenda on a Saturday night, so we decided to press our luck at the movie theater. Despicable Me was the heavy favorite, so we got tickets, relaxed our tired legs and enjoyed the comical movie. Both of the girls couldn't stop laughing and adored the character, Agnus. She reminded all of use how Ashley used to look when she was about 2-3 years old. Afterwards, we visited Krispy Kreme and the girls saw the conveyor belts and the doughnut making process for the first time. Yes, it's not the greatest choice for dinner, but it was a mini-getaway on a whim. The high school women's water polo team stayed at that hotel and amazed Alisha with their impeccable swimming techniques when they had warmed up in the hotel pool.

We then visited the grandparents' house about an hour away from our place to relax in the nice active senior award-winning community. The pool water was pristine and the girls got a hold of the pool "noodles" to help them float. Alisha is fearless and constantly dives down to the deep end of the pool doing tricks, flips and examines the bottom of the pool. She would also hop on Uncle Craig and tries to stand on his back while he swims around. Her favorite is the cherry bombs or blasts (being tossed in the air as high as possible and landing in the water). Ashley, on the other hand, holds onto anyone for dear life. She has attended swimming lessons for a couple of years, but isn't as bold or adventurous as Alisha.

Grandpa and grandma treated us to a nice Chinese/Japanese restaurant and the girls had edamame, sushi, fried rice and dessert. The food appeased our insatiable appetite. Alisha did not want to come home, so we made a deal with her to visit her grandparents the following weekend in order to swim some more. Her grandparents would have looked after them for the week if it weren't for the summer writing classes and art camp she's enrolled in.

We were elated that the second of five summer concert series is here - July 17th. Cirque de la Symphonie was on the program. Having seen Cirque du Soleil, we could not wait for this performance. The girls were mesmerized by the acrobatic performers while the Pacific Symphony played in the background. We loved every minute of it and did not want the performances to end. Alisha's favorite was the hula-hoop girl who had over 20 hula-hoops on her body at one time. All the acrobatic acts were breathtakingly beautiful and awe-inspiring. We hope they will be part of the summer concert series next year!

Alisha looks forward to her art camp, which she has two more weeks of it. Please check back as some of her art work will be posted shortly along with her writing samples.