Still Waiting

Howdy all!

As the title says we're still waiting for close escrow on the Seminole Drive house. We hit a snag with the bank, appraisers and the seller. At this point we have to wait for them all to work it out and then get back to us. We're still pretty positive about getting the place just have to wait them out and let them iron out the details between themselves. We did all the inspections and while the house needs some minor repairs, there was nothing that popped up to deter from staying in escrow. Keep your fingers crossed for them to get it all settled and us closing in the next few weeks.

We had the Bean's birthday as I mentioned at Kid Ventures and I we're for sure going back next year. It was the best kids birthday party we've had. You show up and they do everything else. You actually get to visit with the other parents and interact with the kids during the party. They did games with the kids and adults throughout the party. We had access to a coffee bar so parents could stay caffeinated and hydrated. All the kids loved the castle, pirate ship, grocery store, disco, fire station and climbing wall. All the areas had chests filled with dress up clothes matched the nearby play structure so we soon had pirates, princesses, disco divas and knights running around the party. The staff moved the party to the cake and candle blowing easily. Then at the party's end they had all her gifts loaded up in a wagon for us to wheel out to the car. It was so effortlessly and easy. We loved it! Consider this a recommendation for Kid Ventures.

We took the kids to the Del Mar Fair again this year. It was Siddha's first time and Tre's second. Tre actually performed at the fair with Heartlight - an after school dance aerobics program for elementary age children. He did a great job and danced on stage for his whole family. Don't worry we took video and picture of it. He was so proud that he was able to provide his own ticket for the fair along with one dad. The parking space we were provided was perfect - right outside the gate so it was an easy walk after a day of fair games and rides. The Calohs joined us though Siddha had to leave a little early since the fair was a bit much for her after awhile though she had a great time running around right at the opening when they were hardly any crowds. Prizes were won and fair food eaten. All in all a great time. Check out my Facebook page for pictures of the kids at the fair.

Father's Day was excellent. Lisa, Leng and Monica made us an incredible spread for brunch. We had three types of sausage, waffles, crepes with sweet and savory options, scrambled eggs, and three different juices. Check out Bill's Facebook page for a picture of the spread. We got some rocking gifts including the book Go the Fuck to Sleep. Check out an excerpt from the same book being read by Samuel L Jackson on the Letterman show. We also got a book of excerpts from the website Sh*t My Kids Ruined which is a pleasure to read especially if you have children possessed of boundless energy and limited sense. We also got a delightful book of.....what we'll call Daddy exercises to try at home in the privacy of one's bedroom. After that fabulous brunch we packed all the siblings up and headed down to the Southwestern Yacht Club to have an early dinner with my dad. The kids had a great time running around my dad's boat and playing all over it. The food was wonderful and it was a relaxing time with my dad and Michael. I put up photos from that day as well on Facebook so feel free to check for them.

Bill and I celebrated our 14th anniversary by going to Big Cat Cabin in Julian for a weekend. Many thanks to Larry for working out the time and childcare coverage for us to go. We slept (which was heavenly), read and bopped into town for some used bookstore shopping and picked up goodies for everyone back home. It was sweet to be back in a pre-kid Bill and Torrey space for a few days. We talked and soaked in claw foot tubs, watched movies snuggled under comforters and cooked meals for one another. A great way to reconnect and relax.

Lisa and I have taken several field trips to various city offices to look up permitting and zoning on the Seminole property. We have encountered the usual colorful group of city/state employees and actually had some great lunch time chats after. Thanks out to Monica for helping out with Nani so we could brave the bureaucracy. It looks like all our future plans for the lot are doable. The Calohs can build their home and a home for Leng's parents. All our additions are permitted and legal.

We've began to purge in preparations for the move to the new house - whatever new house it turns out to be. If for some reason this place falls out of escrow we're going to continue to look for a bigger place. So we have begun going room to room and touching everything to make sure its something we need and want so we don't pack up things and move them only to get rid of them at the new place. Once again Monica (she's a heroine) has been a great help with the purging and cleaning. We have already starting up the donations runs of toys, clothing and the odd bit of furniture to various charities in town.

As always please feel free to stop by for a visit - we welcome the company!