Phan and I ended up going to bed around 9pm last night... which was just as well, because Beth woke up at midnight thinking it was breakfast time and demanding breakfast. Luckily, I had packed some nutrigrain as a snack in our luggage, so we had some breakfast on hand... So here we were... midnight, feeling oddly refreshed after only 3 hours sleep, feeding Beth nutrigrain... I honestly thought that we weren't going to be getting anymore sleep that night because Beth was full of beans... dancing around... poking Phan and going right up to his face and saying "Hello Dad!" when he was closing his eyes and trying to get some rest... but then we turned out the lights and I got her to lie down next to me and after 2 hours of tossing and turning from her, she finally fell asleep at 3am! And then we all slept through straight until 9am! Sooo good to have a decent block of sleep.
We get breakfast included with our room, so we headed down quickly to get some breakfast before it closed at 9:30am... None of us were that hungry... Beth managed a bite of toast (literally, one bite) and a glass of juice, I managed half a bagel (which was weird... the bread here is really sweet and feels stale!) and half a cinnamon scroll (which was ok) and Phan (who is normally not a breakfast eater), managed some scrambled eggs and a breakfast biscuit thing. After that small bite to eat, we went back and sloooowly got ready to go out. We didn't leave until 10:30am and went off to catch the San Diego Trolley... we needed to go to a supermarket and there was a big one called Ralph's near one of the Trolley stops and also near the Westfield Horton Plaza shopping centre. So we went to the shopping centre first... it was a multi-level open air plaza... a bit confusing to negotiate, but we figured it out. Beth got hungry and asked for a sandwich at about 10:30am, so we bought her a turkey sandwich, which turned out to be the worst $10 we've ever spent... the bread was dry, the turkey ok, the lettuce was a token addition and it was served with the weirdest potato crisps I've ever tasted... they looked like thins potato crisps, but they were kinda bland-ish/yet sweet... not salty at all... it was really strange. Then we did a spot of shopping and Beth fell asleep in her stroller (poor little monkey was really tired, but it was perfect timing for an afternoon nap)... Phan scored a pair of casual Vans shoes on sale for $50US and I bought a couple of things for Beth from Baby Gap and I went nuts in my favourite US kids clothing store, Gymboree. I loooove the clothes Gymboree have... bright, colourful... it's such good quality clothing that really lasts. I've spent a fortune when I buy stuff online (which has only been on 2 occasions), so I probably spent as much as I would online, but without the additional shipping costs! I was just so excited to be standing in the actual store!
After my mini-shopping spree at Gymboree, we stopped for Phan and I to have a bite of lunch... we got some teriyaki chicken thing, that was pretty decent (and good value) and followed that with cookies and cream icecream which Beth loved. Then off to Ralph's to grab some fruit for Beth to snack on and some bread and stuff in case she wakes up needing another midnight feast!
Back to the hotel at 4pm for a rest and then we headed out to this little toddler park that is a short walk from our hotel... Beth had a ball here... looooved the slides and the rock climbing wall (which she can climb all by herself). Then after that, we wandered over to our nearest McDonalds (which seemed a bit of a dodgy place...) it had a bit of a bogan feel to it... and didn't help there was a sign saying "No loitering. Please consume food within 20 minutes." (Seriously, that's what the sign said!) and there was classial music being played outside the McDonalds, which I'm pretty sure is a tactic to detract loiters! Anyway, the only reason we had Maccas was so I could see how big the food sizes were... we got a large and it was HUGE! Phan was going to supersize, just so I could see, but I got to see a few people around me with the supersized drinks, which was really just ridiculous!
And that was our day today... And a couple of photos (and these haven't been processed, 'cos we can't run PS on this notebook)... sorry, the comments don't line up with the photos, but I can't be bothered fixing that... but you should be able to figure it out!
The Loooooong Night, Shopping, The Park & McDonalds...
Greetings From San Diego!
We made it! But we almost didn't due to a few dramas we had!
Tuesday morning, we got to the airport at 8:30am, 2.5 hours prior to when the flight was due to leave (11:05am)... we thought that would give us plenty of time... But due to a series of circumstances, we cut it pretty fine! Firstly, the check-in line was moving at a snail's pace... we got to the counter after waiting an hour! And then discovered that the tickets for Phan had been booked under the wrong name (due to a cultural discrepancy, where his passport has his middle name and first name reveresed around). So Phan had to get his tickets reissued in the correct name before we could check-in... Qantas service people were cranky cows and said this wasn't their problem and that we had to get our travel agent to book change it. So Phan was on the phone with our travel agent (who luckily enough was at work and was right on the case)... it was all very frustrating, because I remember telling the travel agent to book Phan's tickets under his middle name (Tien) because of his passport... but we think the system got confused because of Phan's frequent flyer number, which was linked but uses his first name... anyway... multiple phone calls and what seemed like the most AGONOZINGLY loongest time and then at 10:20am, we got the all clear, raced over to the check-in counter to find the flight 2 minutes away from closing check-ins for our flight and we were the very last people to check-in for the flight... Then Phan had to run our stroller over to over-sized luggage at the other end of the terminal. And then at the very last checkpoint, Phan was lucky enough to be randomly chosen to be frisked and is bag checked *again* (for like the 4th time!). On the upside, we have discovered the one advantage of being the very last people on the flight... we got an express card to get through the security & customs queue...
So after that mad frenetic rush... we were just relieved to get on the plane. I have to mention... Beth was sooo good while we were at the airport... She was pretty happy to stand around and talk with us and was totally oblivious to our drama. I also had the foresight to pack her a ham sandwich and a bottle of juice before we left home in the morning and that kept her occupied for about half an hour too.
And then the 13 hour flight... What can I say... It was long... but it actually didn't feel as long as I thought it would (perhaps because I'm remembering when we had our 17-18 flight to Europe for our honeymoon). Beth was *amazing* on the flight... thank god for inflight entertainment and The Wiggles ... she has never liked The Wiggles before (she was scared of them because they are men!), but all of sudden it was her new favourite show.... I'm sure she spent about 2.5 watching the same Wiggles episode. And then I'm sure she spent a good 4 hours watching various playschool episodes. The rest of the time she spent eating or trying to have sleep... and we spent a small amount of time playing with some of the toys and stickers I had packed into her bag to amuse her. The only not-so-great thing about the flight... Beth only slept for 40 minutes at about 6pm (Brisbane time)... and then althought she tried really hard to have more sleep, she just couldn't ... but then fell asleep from sheer exhaustion about 30 minutes before the plane was due to land (which was midnight Brisbane time and 7am LA time). Because of this we tried to let her have a decent rest and got off the plane last... We had to go through customs anyway, so no rush and our connecting flight wasn't until 11:15am. Fortunately, we got put into an express queue again (I think because we have a young child... all the other people in the queue also had young kids) and then our luggage went onto the Qantas/business club carousel (because we had been so late!) and then once we cleared customs a second time, we did a bag drop and then on to catch our connecting flight, which wasn't until 11am... We had 2.5 hours to kill (we were told to allow lots of time for clearing customs)... so we caught a shuttle bus to the American Eagle terminal to find it really empty with nothing to do... and then some customer service people asked us if we wanted to catch the 9:15am flight to San Diego... since Beth was still in a pretty good mood, we took them up on the offer (who knew if Beth was just going to crack it from lack of sleep at any minute and we didn't want it to happen on a plane!)... but still had to wait in San Diego Airport for 2 hours for our luggage to come in on the 11:15am flight... But it was just good to actually reach our destination city after the drama we'd had in the last 24 hours... we didn't mind waiting there and Beth just reached this state where she became manically, deliriously happy and non-stopping chattering away and laughing... it was hilarious! She was dealing with the lack of sleep a lot better than Phan and I...
Got our luggage, called for our shuttle bus and finally reached our hotel... (and Beth crashed out in the shuttle on the way...) We were kindly allowed to check-in early and got upgraded to a city view room... Beth was still asleep, so we took the opportunity to get some much needed shut-eye. When we woke up mid-afternoon, we freshened up and then went looking for something for dinner and for a supermarket (which the Americans have no idea what you're talking about if you call them that... it's a food store or a conveninece store or grocery store here!) to grab some basic essentials (nappies, drinks, milk for Beth) After much searching we found a not-too dodgy looking Chinese place and got some to take away (or as it is called here "to-go")... I think Beth was really craving some rice after having had to eat a weird cheese pasta on the plane, not having a proper dinner (they didn't serve a dinner meal on our flight) and a heavy breakfast of hash brown with bacon and scrambled eggs.
So right now.. Phan is enjoying watching the LA Lakers in a playoff live on TV... Beth is chilling out with her milk and I'm here doing this update... it's daylight savings in San Diego, so the sun doesn't set until 7:40pm and apparently the sun rises at 5:50am... looong days... which will be good so we can squeeze lots of things in!
We've encountered some very friendly and helpful Americans already... and from our very limited exploration this afternoon, I'm enjoying the city... it's an eclectic mix of cultures... lots of weird food places (and weird foods in the supermarket!)
It's been a looong 30 hours... I've had 1.5 hours sleep... Phan's had 2.5 hours sleep... Beth's running on 4.5 hours sleep... I think bedtime is not too far away for us!
Youtube is not working for me here for some bizarre reason, so I've uploaded these clips into my Facebook account and embedding them into here... hope this works... this series shows the progression of super happy, but tired, deliriousness -
Beth @ LAX on 1.5 hours sleep (2am Brisbane time, 9am LA time)
Beth @ San Diego Airport on only 1.5 hours sleep... (about 4am Brisbane time, 12pm LA time)
Beth @ Hotel on 4 hours sleep (about 10:30am Brisbane time, 5:30pm San Diego time)
7:45pm SD time and she's asleep... and I'm off to join her!
And the best bit of Mother's Day today...
Lots of cuddles, kisses and laughs from my little girl... ;)
Happy Birthday Mother's Day!
Yes... that is the exact phrase I was greeted with this morning from Beth... Obviously, they are almost the same thing to her... there's a present... and a card... why not put both days together? :)
A lovely low key day in store for me today... I asked for no present this year, because I wanted extra spending money for while we were in San Diego... But Phan surprised me with a pink Esprit argyle long-sleeved top that we had fleetingly passed in Myer last weekend while we were shopping and that I had made a passing comment that I had liked it and I needed some more long sleeved tops. I love how he notices the small details... :) Phan's working this weekend... so when get gets back we'll be heading out for some morning tea or afternoon tea... depending on the hour... And meanwhile, Beth and I are about to head off to mass this morning... so I better get going!
"Happy Birthday Mother's Day" Me and to my heavenly mum... and to all you mum's out there too!
Afternoon Sun
Wooo hooo - I got me some more sunflare! And this was taken last Monday with my Canon G10 (the point & shoot)... which just goes to show, it's not all about the equipment (although it does help... :)) Bizarrely, I think this is one my much better attempts at capturing sunflare... I do think so much of it is related to the time of day... I wish I had my 40D with me this day, but we'd ridden on our bikes on that day, and I don't want to risk putting it in the back of the Croozer and I'm too unco to ride a bike with my camera gear (and too paranoid, that'll I'll take a crash and damage my gear!)
I'm sooo tired today... went to a great park this morning with our playgroup friends... Elizabeth was sooo excited about seeing Skylar and Veronica again... We're having erratic sleeping patterns at the moment too... some days we have day naps... other days we don't... yesterday I tried to force her to stay up while we were at the shops and she ended up falling asleep in the stroller for 40 mins(which if you know my child, is a rather infrequent event)... some days we go to bed at 7:30pm and wake up at 7am ... other days it's 9:30pm and wake up at 5:45am (which was what happened today!) I think I'm getting over my frustration of her not sleeping and beginning to just take it and go with the flow... She's incredibly happy and incessantly chatty regardless of her sleep pattern, so it's not affecting her at all.
Preparations for San Diego are going well... I've made a gazillion lists, because I'm forgetful and paranoid... it's one of my compulsions, which all my family are aware of ... I've started packing Elizabeths "entertainment" bag for the trip... so far it contains:
- 2 sticker books
- colouring book & pens (I got the special invisible ink ones for the less mess
factor!)
- playdough
- more stickers (she's obsessed with them at the moment)
- little post-it notes (she finds them fascinating),
- 2 new Mr Men books (Mr Tickle & Little Miss Whoops) to read
- a cheap imitation $3 my little pony with a brush and comb (hoping the novelty of
it being new will entertain her)
- a toy camera
- finger puppets
- little magnetic board with stick on pieces
- a gazillion snacks
Phan also bought a new little netbook (one of those miniature laptops, about 10" in size)... it was partially funded by a voucher he got given for his birthday, plus he haggled them down to a great price... it has 6.5 hour battery life, so we're preloading that with Playschool episodes and some of her favourites movies (Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, Monsters Inc, Elmo's World), we've also got our portable DVD player and the ipod video for backup... We gave her a trial run of using the ipod with headphones the other day... she didn't like wearing the headphones at first but after about 5 minutes, she'd figured out how it all worked and became completely mesmorised in it!
Sounds like we have a lot to keep a child preoccupied doesn't it ... but it is a 13 hour flight, which is a loooong time for anybody, let along a 2 year old! If anyone thinks I've missed anything, let me know! :)
Just Smile
It's been a fun and busy weekend for us here... Today was May Day Labour Day public holiday in Brisbane, so we spent a lovely family day together... we went to the pool this morning (I made Phan come with us... LOL.... He's not a fan of the water, but I wanted him to see how much progress Beth has made in the pool.) and then we came home, I did 2 loads of laundry, snuck in a 15 min nap whilst Beth had a nap and then once Beth woke up we went for a bike ride... It's been a while since we've taken the Croozer out with us... so we went to her favourite park and she had a great time! Then for dinner we went out to Trangs for the second time in 3 days... Beth is always up for some pho, it's her favourite meal.
Sunday, we went to church in the morning, then shopping at Chermside (I needed to get a backpack for our impending trip to San Diego, we leave in a week! Eek! I have so much to organise between now and then!). Then I went mad in the afternoon whilst Beth decided she didn't want to have an afternoon nap... (I hate it when she doesn't want to have a sleep... the variation in routine, just kills me!). Phan mowed the lawn in the afternoon, due to Beth insisting we had "Loooong grass!"... and whilst he was mowing, Beth exclaimed all afternoon "Daddy cutting grass!"... she was excited to have a neat and tidy yard again!
Saturday, I can't remember what we did... not much.
Anyway... I've been busy on my digiscrapping blog if anyone feels like checking it out... It was iNSD (interNational Scrapbooking Day) on Saturday, which means there were lots of big sales going on in the digiscrapping world... I picked up some mega bargains... spent a bit more than I planned to, but I haven't bought any supplies in 6 months, so I thought it was worth it. I won't need to buy anything else for the rest of the year... I'm pretty much set!
Okay... and now I'm sooo tired... I had a crappy night's sleep last night... I dreamt that our house was burning down and that we were trying to save stuff from the house whilst it was on fire. Yeah, totally crazy... I know in real life, I would just grab the computer (because that has all the photos on it) & leave the house to burn down... you can always replace stuff. Anyway, I woke up feeling totaly exhausted from the dream... like I hadn't slept at all! Such a weird feeling... and such a relief that it was all a dream!
Anyway... this blog might go quiet for a while since I have stuff to do before we go to San Diego... We'll see how we go... otherwise, the next you might be hearing from me will be when we get over to the States!
