SLS Hotel

August 14, 2010

Similar to our visit last year at the Getty Museum, the SLS was the next stop that wasn't thoroughly enjoyed due to Alisha's condition. However, this year was another story - it was a celebration for Alisha beating the cancer and treatment.

Upon our arrival, we visited the swimming pool, but it was closed due to heavy cleaning from an unforeseen accident from a very young guest. Ashley and Alisha took advantage of the bizarre setup around the swimming pool and posed for several photo opportunities. SLS is know for the modern, ecclectic and chic ambiance. The girls learned how to play pool for the very first time. Ashley lost interest quickly and Alisha stuck to the bitter end.

We walked to the Stinking Rose restaurant to taste the garlic ice cream amongst various garlic-related delicacies. Some were a hit and some not so desirable. Alisha got to wear the birthday garlic hat as she was dubbed "Stinkie" and wished a "stinking birthday".

Back at the hotel, we enjoyed the invisible TV, the AK-47 lamppost and other strange decoration.

Getty Museum

August 14, 2010

The much anticipated day at the Getty Museum was finally here. The significance of this day was that Alisha loves art, but her visit a year ago on 08/29/09 was quite traumatic - two days prior to her leukemia diagnosis. Last year on the day of visit, her eyes were all of a sudden puffy and her lymphnodes expressed under her chin. She dragged herself around the art museum because she so wanted to enjoy the artwork and listen to the history behind the masterpieces. We finally put her inside the stroller meant for Ashley due to the bone pains and had to shorten the trip.

Ever since last year, Alisha had requested numerous times to visit Getty Museum again. When we arrived, the girls immediately asked to sketch their own work at the sketching center. If left up to Alisha to decide, she would be sketching at the center for the entire day. Afterwards, they participated in the Family Fun Center where they learned about French/Chinese artwork involving gold plating and made a gold-plated pot of flowers. We circled around the museum visiting various masterpieces and the kids ran outside on the lawn. The girls played with art model, bending it to different shapes. We are all thrilled that Alisha was able to enjoy the museum on this visit!

Wild Rivers

August 7, 2010

The local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation hosted an event at Wild Rivers. Alisha could not wait to go while Ashley was a bit hesitant. It was a very hot and crowded day - not a condition for Alisha to hang out, but we had already RSVP'd for the event. We were going to head towards the toddler play area first, but Alisha saw several slides with people on big floaties coming down. Naturally, we all gravitated to the fun rides, so we braved through the ice-cold water and came rushing down the inner tubes. Alisha laughed the whole way down and immediately asked to get in line. Ashley couldn't hold herself up enough, so she bumped her back several times on the way down. She was a bit in shock after the experience and vehemently refused to get on the ride again.

Lunch was served, so we opted out the ride for food. Lunch was the typical American diet, but the icing on the cake for all kids was ice cream. Since Ashley was still in shock from the ride earlier, we decided to hang out at the kiddie pool are while trying to get used to the frigid water. Photo opportunities were difficult because we did not want to replace a damaged or stolen camera. We left earlier for several reasons: 1) Ashley was shaking and complaining of being cold, 2) Getting ready for the Verizon concert - Tchaikovsky's 1812 and avoid the ever-growing group of people at Wild Rivers.

Alisha was mesmerized by the cannons setup for the Tchaikovsky's 1812. We thoroughly enjoyed the picnic, the music, the cannons and firework! It was spectacular!!!

Camp Summersault

August 2 - 6, 2010

American Cancer Society (Long Beach chapter) sponsored the 25th annual camp for cancer kids and their siblings. Alisha had been looking forward to camp for quite some time since the menu called for archery. She had wanted to experience archery first hand after perfecting her skills on the Wii version. Unfortunately, she found out that the minimum age for archery is eight, so she will have to wait until next year. In lieu of her favorite activity, she found herself climbing up and down the 30+ feet rockclimbing wall.

The Camp was extremely successful not without the devoted volunteers of all age groups. The counselor/camper ratio were close to one to one, which is unheard of. What is heartbreaking about some of the counselors is that they are either coming out of another relapse or going through chemotherapy again. For some, the Medi-Cal coverage ended since they're considered an adult. We hope that they are able to win the plea with Medi-Cal to continue coverage at least until the end of treatment.

We were concerned with Ashley and her attention span at camp. She amazed us by staying all the way through the week and enjoyed most of it. There were rhymes, sayings and songs that kept her interested. Any arts and crafts involving jewelries such as crowns, necklaces, bracelets, etc. were a big hit for her. The girls worked on masks, fireflies, instruments made from recycle products. They prepared their own lunches, roasted marshmallows to make s'mores, made banana boats, etc.

On Thursday evening, the parents were invited to a BBQ by the Long Beach Fire Department, performances by the kids and special presentation to celebrate 25 years of the camp.

Universal Studios

July 31, 2010

It was an overly crowded and hot day at Universal Studios. Alisha has heard about it from Ashley, but never visit the amusement park prior to this day. She was eager to see how movies are made, the different sets, some passive rides along with shows offered. Quick thinking on Uncle Craig's part, we received complimentary front of the line passes from Customer Service due to Alisha's illness, which worked out well considering the long wait time in some of the more popular attractions - 60 to 70 minutes long.

Studio Tours was our first stop. Ashley was scared by the pretend King Kong fighting the velociraptors and the motions of the tour bus during the San Francisco earthquake and flooding. Alisha laughed along the way knowing full well that it was pretend, but it sure felt real. The famous jaws is still around, but they have added the set of the Desperate Housewives on the tour. We got sprayed with water on many different rides and 4D shows and ended the day walking up and down Universal Citywalk. The girls experienced the Bubba Gump Restaurant and got to pick out a small bag of candies from the bulk candy bins. We saw the biggest gummy bear ever made and it is sure loaded with sugar!

Just Dance

July 30, 2010

The girls have been practicing their dance moves with the Wii Just Dance. Ashley's favorite and personal best is "Who Let the Dogs Out" as you can probably tell from one of the photos below. Alisha's movements are huge throughout the song, but the effort doesn't always yield the most points. Just Dance provides a great workout and tons of laughter because we can look at each other to see how ridiculous and hilarious we look! Exercising and a great deal of fun is what the doctor ordered!