Mi casa es su casa. Apparently.

I walked past the kitchen window the other day and saw these three deer (a mom and her two babies) hanging out in our backyard. While it doesn't completely make sense why they pick our house since we are pretty much fenced in, we've seen deer before. But this time they decided to make themselves comfortable behind the lilac trees. And they were not about to be moved. I yelled out the window to them, and even stepped out onto the back patio and banged on the side of the house, thinking surely all the commotion would startle them into high-tailing it out of there. But nope. They were pretty content to stay right where they were.

It finally took some Andrew-sized noise to get their lazy bums to leave.

Thanks Andrew for taking care of business.

Run for it.

Emma and Leah had their first cross country meet today at Lorain Community College. They had to be to the school at 6:45 this morning. Don't you love it? Yeah, the girls did too.  The rest of us met them out there at a much more reasonable time to cheer them on.

Emma chasing down the competition.

Leah crossing the finish line.

Emma came in 87th out of 154, and Leah came in 91st.  Their times were 17:20 and 17:39.  Wish I could run that fast!

Great job with the first meet!

If you really want to know what I do with myself all day while the kids are at school, well here you go--

Out of the house at 8:30.
Stop at school board office to pick up some papers.
Arrive at visiting teaching appointment.
Wonder why my companion isn't there.
Call her to make sure she's ok.
Realize that due to lack of communication, she went to my house instead, and now is at her house.
Think about how faithful my companion is as she packs up her baby and associated gear yet another time.
Have a quite nice albeit slightly late-starting visiting teaching appointment.
Realize that I am late for my presidency meeting.
Rush out to the car and head off.
Realize I have to go the the bathroom.
Really bad.
Get into one-track-mind mode.  Need. Tacie's. Bathroom.
Apparently drive 54 in a 35 zone.
Get pulled over by a cop.
Get a speeding ticket.
Still. Need. Tacie's. Bathroom.
See this number right here:

Have a heart attack because I think it's the cost of the ticket.
Use Tacie's bathroom.
Feel very grateful (and a little sheepish) when Tacie's police officer husband points out that it's only the ordinance number, not the cost.
Proceed to have the usual 2-hour long presidency meeting.
Realize I am late for a commitment to help a friend who is moving clean her house.
Make the 20 minute drive (much more slowly this time) back home to pick up supplies and grab some lunch.
Clean a couple bathrooms at my friend's house.
Realize that Brooke is going to be home any minute.
Ask my friend's son to retrieve Andrew from the park behind her house where he has been playing.
Feel grateful that the bus drivers are still not familiar with their routes and are running late.
Listen to voice messages, return phone calls, discuss visiting teaching changes with the visiting teaching leader, get snacks for the kids, and start making pizza.  Pretty much all at the same time.

You know, the usual.

The First Day Of...

...only one Franklin child in elementary school.

...Brooke and Andrew riding buses by themselves.

...four kids in three different schools.

...JUNIOR HIGH!!!

...people making comments like "You're not going to know what to do with yourself with everyone gone all day!" and me thinking to myself "If only you knew..."

...me running errands without either (a) four kids walking really close to me, asking me to buy things, or getting really silly and giggly in the store or (b) me feeling guilty that I've left them at home alone and that I have got to hurry back.

...a kitchen that stays clean for more than five minutes.

...a very quiet house. 

That is, until 3:00.

Let the games begin!

Brace yourself.

BEFORE.

AFTER.

This is the retainer-type appliance that he will wear at night.  Can't wait to turn that key...

Hit list.

With the inheritance of two of my grandmother's blankets, including one the kids and I had made for her, my puny little basket was overflowing. Time for a new set up. I wanted a cedar chest. But I didn't want to pay for a cedar chest. Enter the master craigslister, Jill. She has found numerous bargains by using cragslist. I looked a couple times for a cedar chest, but hadn't really found anything. Then late one night she IM's me that a cedar chest (in Garfield Heights, east side, yikes!) was just posted...and it was FREE! I immediately email the person, and after a series of emotional ups and downs (suddenly the post said "pending pick-up" but I hadn't gotten a response to my email yet!) I connected with the owner and arranged a pick up time.

Turns out Garfield Heights isn't as far away as I thought. On the way there, I thought Oh shoot! I don't have any money! And then I remembered Oh yeah. I don't need any. Yep, there's a crack on the lid. But I am pretty sure it's antique. It has beautiful accents, and I found out online how to freshen up the inside--just a light sanding of the cedar. It smells great and looks great in the corner.

Can you even see the crack???

My grandmother's blankets, right on top, with plenty of room for more!

I love it, and I love that Jill knows how to work craigslist.  The price was definitely right on this beauty--it was a hit!

...and everything in between.

Don't worry, we didn't forget about the Central Valley in all this. Hanging out in Mo-Town provided plenty of fun!

Like swimming...

...reuniting with childhood friends after 18 years at a couple of our favorite joints back in the day...

...touring the Hilmar Cheese Factory...

(where our idea of what "create your own ice cream" was going to be was quite different from what it actually was)

Sydney, this picture is for you!

...a lil bit o' hot tubbing...

...a very special birthday...

Go ahead, count 'em!

...fun at the park...

...meeting the next generation...

My kids and my cousins' kids

...and, of course, this little guy.

Teddy, the wonder dog,

who loved taking walks in the park, chasing after balls, and chasing after strangers (oops, back to obedience school for you!),

and who really wanted to be a member of the snuggle club!

(Teddy ended up getting a Footprint of his own.)

Think we packed enough in to two weeks?  It was jam-packed with good times and memories for a lifetime.  Grandma and Grandpa earn a special award for putting up with our crazy crew.

But you know who misses us the most?

This little smoochy pooch

who didn't know what to do with himself in a big, empty house. 

Are Grandma and Grandpa wondering the same thing...?

...to the ocean blue...

Way back in 5th grade we were asked to write a "Be An Expert" report on the topic of our choosing.  This was during my aforementioned marine biologist phase, so I chose to become an expert on humpback whales.  We had to write a letter to two "real-life" experts to get research information.  I wrote to a couple of scientists I found in the National Geographic magazine and got a ton of great stuff, including a thin vinyl record with the songs of the humpback whales.  I loved it.  To summarize my report, I wrote "I am now looking forward to seeing humpback whales with my family."

Flash forward a quarter of a century...

I'm in California.  We have a trip to Monterey planned.  The front page of the local newspaper has a huge article about the increased number of whales in the Monterey Bay this summer.  Mom and Dad have a gift certificate for a whale watching trip.  I look at Mom.  She looks at me.  What if...?  Do you think...?  Could we...?

Let me call Glenn...

(He said yes.)

Brooke and the grands enjoying the ride

We boarded the boat in the chilly coastal air under cloudy skies.  The water was choppy and our boat rose and fell on the seven-foot swells.  It was much like being on a rollercoaster.  Our family's stomachs and their contents stayed in tact, fortunately.  (The same cannot be said for all the passengers on the boat.)  The biggest battles were the cold temperatures and wind.  I pretty much couldn't feel my fingers when we got back to shore.  Brooke was in heaven during the bumpy boat ride.  Almost as fulfilling as seeing the whales themselves was seeing the look of pure joy on Brooke's face as she rode the waves.  She only needed a couple reminders to hold on to the railing.

Emma and Leah pretending they are not freezing to death

Andrew watching the spray from the boat

About 20 minutes into the trip we slowed down for our first sighting of blue whales.  The biggest creature to ever live on the earth.  They were so close to the boat and were so graceful in the water.

***Photo Disclaimer***  It is very difficult to get a good picture of the whales.  You never know what they are going to do, and I don't have a ginormous camera with a huger-than-huge lens like the guy next to me.  Plus I decided I didn't want to experience the trip through the LED window on my camera.  So this is as good as it gets.

There are two blues in this picture...can you see the spray of the second one?

We spent a long time watching the whales come up for a few breaths, then dive down to get some krill.  Amazing.  We then headed further out into the Pacific to see the humpbacks! 

It took us about 30-45 minutes to get far enough out--some people made good use of their time!

I can't even tell you how many we saw.  There were small groups everywhere.  Mothers and calves, groups of up to 5 whales--incredible.  I cheered (and possibly teared up) at my first sighting.  (I might be a whale-watching nerd!)  Just as the boat was turning around to head back, a group of two or three were heading straight towards our boat (the fortunately dove under us!) as a pod of porpoises jumped through the water across the whales' path.  Our naturalist/narrator called it the grand finale.


So we're heading back to shore and I was so excited for what I had just seen.  But secretly I was trying not to be disappointed that I hadn't seen a breach.  I was trying to be grateful for what I did see.  But I must have been sending out my whale sounds to communicate to one punk-rock humpback teenager who was swimming solo and testing out his fins, because all of a sudden the naturalist points out some major tail fin slapping.

The high-school rebel himself

The young lad didn't stop there. He rolled back and forth in the water, flapping his long pectoral fins in the air. And then--he hurled himself up out of the water in a breach! It was quick as a wink and totally amazing. I felt that all my humpback whale watching dreams had finally come true. I will be forever grateful to that young creature for picking that moment to show off.

 

The ride back to shore was considerably smoother.

Brooke stood at the very tip of the bow the whole time.

 

 

It only took me more than 25 years, but I am so excited to have crossed one more item off my bucket list.

Now how many ballparks am I going to have to visit with Glenn to make up for it???

...to the Monterey Bay...

First on my list of California activities this summer was the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I remember a couple field trips there as a child, and I was fascinated by it.  In fact, for a few years I was set on becoming a marine biologist.  Plans change, but I always remembered the aquarium as an enchanting place for a young mind.

On previous trips to California, our four young minds had always been too young.  Disneyland, yes, fish, no.  I wanted the kiddos to be old enough to really enjoy it (by golly!), and I decided this was the year.  Mom found cheap tickets on craigslist, I found a cheap motel on Hotwire, and we were good to go.

The kelp forest was just as I remember it.  Peaceful.  Mesmerizing.  Hard to photograph.  (OK, that may be a new discovery.)

And still with the scuba diver who feeds the sharks.

But there were some other things I didn't remember.  Maybe new exhibits?  Maybe a poor memory?  Whatever the case, it was incredible.  There were:

schools of sardines

jellyfish

seahorses

sea otters

hammerhead sharks

and these things.

You could "walk under" a tidal wave

and touch a sting ray.

Right outside the aquarium was a great burger joint (with the best french fries I have ever had!)

and lovely beach views.

We saw the entire aquarium and still had time for some exploring on the beach while Grandma and Grandpa took a quick nap at the hotel.

We met up later for clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.  A Monterey Bay must!

(Little did we know...this little fish market's clam chowder paled in comparison to the free samples we had up and down Fisherman's Wharf the next day...)

While I may not have the next Jacques Cousteau living under my roof, I think the kids were a perfect age to soak in all the beauty and wonder of California marine life.  And Grandma and Grandpa were there to share it with us!