the happiest place on earth - part 2

 

1)    the character sightings are always so exciting no matter what! it's woody!
2)    coop was tall enough to drive the cars at autopia. he and ry rode off in front of me. i was a distracted driver trying to capture all the moments of my kiddo driving in front of me while coop looked cool as a cucumber!
3)    we caught a ride on the storyland boat and since we were in the front of the line, he got to ride right on the deck!
4)    ry paid extra to get on to rise of the resistance ride. earlier on, it was shut down so i was trying not to get my hopes up. it was another epic ride. i really wish i was able to take in more of it but it was such an amazing experience!
5)    while we were waiting in line for pirates of the caribbean (almost 40 mins because no lightning lane available), ry unexpectedly announced that he preordered some beignets, coffees and hot cocoa which would be ready soon after we exited the ride! 
6)    out of all the times i've been to disneyland, i don't recall riding the mark twain riverboat. thanks to coopy, we hopped on to the second to the highest level (the top one was closed) and enjoyed a nice ride on the ferry!
7)    i guess toontown is no longer a thing but ry reserved another new exclusive ride "mickey's runaway railway" which brought us to this area. here's my happy kiddo on one of the cars!
8)    after leisurely boarding the big thunder mountain ride thanks to the lightning lane again, coop immediately wanted to ride it again. after we scarfed down some skewers and rice for dinner (our first legit meal of the day at nearly 6pm!), i went back in line with the kid to ride it again! so epic and even more intense without ry in the seat with us. my little dude, such the thrillseeker! 
9)    we weren't sure what our next step was as it approached 8:30pm and found ourselves back near the ferry entrance. it began to pour rain so coop and i dashed into the line for pirates of the caribbean to ride it again and seek shelter from the storm! poor ry. at least he had an oversized umbrella to stand under for a bit lol
10)    we spent nearly 14 hours at disneyland. literally from the moment we stepped out of the hotel, children were melting down at 7:30am. all around me, i was super aware of the tears, whines, complaints of those around us. fortunately, we were all in good spirits on the walk back to the hotel. even ry, as he limped for nearly 10 miles with his injured knee. what a trooper! 

the happiest place on earth - part 1

 

1)    coop had asked to go to disneyland back in october for his 8th birthday. we did look into it, but it was such a busy month. ry purchased everything in november for our trip during coop's ski week. we surprised him the morning of our trip. this was the view from our hotel at the westin in anaheim. i was so pooped, i heard the fireworks but couldn't pull myself out of bed to watch them. ry took a pic. 
2)    had to take an "ussie" right at the entrance upon our arrival at 8am! 
3)    the adrenaline rush walking down main street towards the castle! no caffeine needed - just a natural high! and with ryan splurging for the lightning lane/genie+, all our photos were downloaded.
4)    it's silly to admit this now but i was completely giddy and smitten seeing "rey" walking through starwars land lol
5)    we had some time before our ride reservation so we wandered to critter country and hopped on the winnie the pooh ride. shortly after, we saw the character and coop got a pic and autograph with him! 
6)    we walked back to galaxy's edge to catch our ride and got an awesome family pic with the millennium falcon in the background!
7)    pic with chewy!!!
8)    i was able to snap a quick pic of coop in the falcon next to the dejarik table.
9)    with the help of the lighting lane, we were able to hop on to smuggler's run in a jiffy! this ride was wild with designated roles such as pilot, gunner and engineer flying in the falcon. so cool!

10)   i felt just like a little child again walking through the gates of disneyland. so much magic!    

little things mean a lot

 

1)    one of our recent rituals we’ve added to coops’ bedtime routine is solving the wordle and quordle of the day. it just makes me so freakin happy that he loves all these word games - my little word nerd. 
2)    every now and then the parents at hacienda nominate a member who goes above and beyond. i was surprised when i got a message saying i was recognized and to pick up a goodie at the front office! 
3)     dj sent me this picture of his new place. i love the plants and the rocks on his shelves. he’s got a great eye for aesthetics.
4)    i’ve been trying to go upstairs while i meditate but the space needs a bit more care in order for that to work consistently. while i was standing and breathing, i looked out the window and noticed the beautiful blue sky with the fluffy clouds floating along to the left. one of the meditation tracks say to picture your thoughts as clouds, drifting and dispersing, and your mind is the sky. i think about this moment during those times and it helps attach the meditation to something concrete. i can visualize it now.
5)    dad called me a few weeks ago asking for help on removing coops’ booster seat in the lexus. i wasn’t able to describe it over the phone so i told him to facetime me. after lots of instructions shouted over the receiver and pulling off different straps, he was able to detach it! it made me smile, and before we ended the call he said “you’re so pretty…” dads….they’re the best.
6)    ever since coop turned 8, i'm realizing how much older he is getting and how it seems like his toddler years were so long ago. but then he does something silly and child-like that it makes me pause to cherish these moments of his childhood.
7)    when the second graders celebrated lunar new year, they had orange chicken and chow mein for the kiddos. dana scrounged up some leftovers which we ate during soccer practice!
8)    it's been so cold up here that parts of the bay area have experienced freezing temperatures. i love how coop noticed this icicle underneath the upper grade science teacher's subaru. she lives in santa cruz and said there was a ton of frost outside!
9)    i'm so happy that coop is able to experience such fun hands on activities at hacienda! i got to help out with an excavating project in his classroom where he had the opportunity to sift through dirt, and identify and collect rocks! 
10)    back in middle school, there was this song from boyz ii men "little things". i remember the chorus "little things mean a lot, appreciate what you got, if you give what you have it forever will last"

wellness wednesday

 1)    this has been another busy week in the science office. we are focusing on setting up these aquariums for trout eggs for the second grade classes. it hasn't been the smoothest process. i was expecting to get this thing running and bounce at 10:30am to hit up the baylands in palo alto before i work with my students. the filter never got going, and i was trying to connect with the contact person all morning. finally at around noon, after some troubleshooting, water started flowing out - yay!
2)    because of the filter fiasco, i decided to take a sick day at lyon learning. once i got the aquarium going, i was determined to make my nature walk happen so i hit up the los gatos creek trail and go on a 6 mile walk! i was smiling the entire time - taking in all the sights of the wildlife and nature's beauty, the cool freeze, the warm sun. it was worth calling in sick and it was the boost i needed after the hiccups this morning.
3)    yesterday, i helped out in coops' classroom for their valentine's day activities. it was so much fun, and i appreciate all the effort miss pham puts into their holidays. i'm glad i got of picture with my little valentine!
4)     the much anticipated trailer for ted lasso season 3 was finally released yesterday! this show pulled me out of my funk several times during the pandemic. one more month until the final season. yay/boo!
5)    coop has been loving his electric toothbrush that cindy got him! we never have to ask him to brush his teeth - he happily does it each time! this filter was hilarious and made me giggle when he was brushing his teeth last night.

6)    ry and i continued our tradition of eating pizza on valentine's day. i was in sessions from 4-6:30pm so he ordered a delivery so we could celebrate as usual.
7)    after volunteering in coops' class yesterday, i snapped a pic of him and his friends. it makes me happy knowing he has good friends in his circle.
8)    after my walk, i needed to charge up my phone so i stopped at panera. while plugging away, i pulled up my secret show podcast and immediately found myself giggling to their nonsense.
9)    at panera, i ordered a fuji apple salad with chicken. i inhaled it! so delicious! 
10)    i don't do it often, but taking the day off from job #1 was just what i needed to get caught up with taking care of myself. i really hope that wellness days become more and more accepted - at work, at school, in life. 

Resurrection Sunday

 1)    a few weeks ago, i flew back home for one of johnny's memorial services. i flew on my own partially because we had flown home recently for dennis' dad's funeral, coop's school had their star party that saturday, and i didn't want him missing school that following monday. it was good to get away and spend some quality time especially with cindy. saturday night we saw this smiths cover band, still ill, at some dive bar in chula vista. it was such a good time - love good live music that i can sing my lungs out to!
2)     this pic was one of the pictures in the memorial slideshow for johnny. i remember him this young, living under the same roof. he was the cutest, and i remember me wanting to pretend he was my little brother.
3)    i had mentioned that coop checks out some really great picture books from his school's library. this one was from "the couch potato". on the flight back home, i spent more time looking out the window at the view of the beautiful sky, the endless ocean and the wondrous landforms thousands of feet below.
4)    my cousin jojo spoke at both of the memorial services that weekend. he never has been much for words, but the way he spoke about his brother, his mother, their relationship, and the lessons his brother's life has taught him did not leave a single dry eye in the chapel. one thing that he had asked of us was to take more risks, go outside of our comfort zone and do the things that make us happy. i have been saying i want to drag my golf clubs out of the garage and go to the driving range. we got to do that, and it was so much fun!
5)    yesterday, i helped out in the outdoor classroom doing some yardwork. one of the side projects was to build a raised garden bed for one of the 5th grade classroom's sprouts garden. the smell of the freshly cut wood brought me back to when i was a child and dad would build in the backyard. i stopped to take deep breaths of the fragrance and smile in the nostalgia of a time when i would spend hours in the backyard watching dad hard at work.
6)    there was a tiny break in the rain, so coop and i hit plastic golf balls in the backyard. so much fun! until it poured down on us!
7)    my brave boy being "the perfect patient" according to the oral surgeon during his tooth extraction last week. it hurts my mama heart so so much seeing him go through this, and i am so proud of how brave and strong my boy is!
8)    the cure essentials - more songs for me to belt out in the car.
9)    we watched wakanda forever today. i've been a bit lethargic this weekend, and about an hour into the movie, my eyes got heavier. but i sat up and watched it in its entirety. thinking of the quiet strength that chad boseman must have endured the entire time he was sick. the movie was a beautiful tribute to him and his life.
10)    i went for a walk this dreary afternoon and stopped to really take in signs of regrowth and new life. we only get this one life...i must keep telling myself that in order to live it as fully as i can.