Going to Disneyland

Matthew and Victoria's school takes 3 1/2 days off for parent-teacher conferences every Fall.  It's awfully enticing to use that time for an off-peak family vacation - and we often do.  This year, Karri's parents offered to take Matthew and Victoria to Disneyland.

Today was a half day and we were lucky enough to get the first 2 conference slots shortly after school let out.  An hour later, Karri had them at the airport, ready to head off to Orange County airport where 'Mimi' (Donna) and 'Pop-Pop' (Bill) would be waiting to pick them up.

Ready to board!

We've let the kids make 'unaccompanied' trips like this from an early age - mostly to visit Karri's parents in San Diego. It started when Thomas and Matthew went to San Diego at ages 7 and 5 (I think) and has continued with a trip almost every year.  This is the first year Thomas has not gone (due to high school) - a coming-of-age moment in itself that I think he takes pride in.

We think its a great experience for everyone.  The kids get to have an adventure and be independent.  They get to spend quality time with their grandparents without us around - which both the kids and Karri's parents enjoy.  And Karri and I get some time together... err, with Thomas... which will be a nice twist this year. Seriously.

Back to Disney...

The kids arrived in Orange County safe-and-sound.  Karri's parents had already checked in at the hotel, so they went straight to Disneyland from the airport.  Donna had recently learned that there was a Halloween party at the park tonight - with special activities and the park open late.  So the kids both took costumes.  They were so excited.

Donna just sent us a picture.

Cat Girl and Batman

Don't let that caped-crusader scowl fool you.  Donna says they are having a ball!

Changing Weather

I have several mental 'markers' that I use to note the changing of the seasons.  In the Fall, they include: the day I have to close the vents on our skylights (to keep the warm air in and the cold air out), the day I have to re-set our thermostats, and the weekend day that I start wearing long pants instead of shorts. All 3 of those happened this past Sunday.  The cold weather arrived with gusto.

We had such amazing weather this summer that I have no room to complain.  But I sure could have used a few more weeks of sunny and warm.

Date Night

Karri and I got a rare treat Saturday night.  Victoria had an evening birthday party to go to (and rides to- and from) and the boys were home - planning to watch a movie.  So at 5:30 we decided we'd try to use a couple gift cards we'd received for Purple - a hip downtown wine bar and restaurant.

I called at 5:45 to see about getting a table.  Earliest table for 2 was at 10:15pm.  "Do you have bar seating?"  "Yes, you are welcome to come try your luck."  So off we went.  As I parked the car, Karri went in to try to snag a couple seats at the bar.  By the time I got there (just a couple minutes later), the hostess was seating her at a nice table for two.  Karri had asked if they had any cancellations and, as fate would have it, the hostess had just gotten off the phone with someone cancelling their reservation. Destiny.  Good thing too.  It was packed (theater and symphony crowd) and we would have had a long wait for a couple seats at the bar.

We had a delicious meal.  We shared a curried lamb empanada and split a goat cheese and roasted pepper salad.  Karri had risotto off the special sheet and I had a delicious piece of halibut.  All this accompanied by a great bottle of wine that the sommelier recommended - an Oregon Pinot Noir (Montinore 2010 Estate Reserve).  Neither of us is really a foodie or a wine connoisseur, but we enjoy a good meal and a nice glass of wine... and each other's company.  All made for a great evening.

Thrill of Victory. Agony of Defeat.

I mentioned there were 2 soccer games on Saturday.  Victoria's team is really starting to hit their stride.  They are playing as confidently and aggressively as I've ever seen.  They got another win on Saturday in a great team effort.

Victoria moving the ball up-field.

Raising a cheer to their opponents after the game - with Coach Karri and Coach Patrick

Matthew's team has fallen on a tough stretch.  They played a fast and talented team to a scoreless tie in the 1st  half, then ran out of gas in the 2nd half and ended up losing 2-0.

Matthew taking the kick after an off-side call.

What started as a sunny, warm day turned into a cold, windy and overcast day.  We were freezing by the end of Matthew's game... happy to hustle home, eat some chili and watch a little college football.

Karri decided to try to get some yard work done and I went out to get the leaves off the driveway before the rains came.  I wasn't out there for 10 minutes when the clouds opened up and it started pouring - first rain, then hail.  I took it as a sign from God that I should go back in and watch some more football.

Saturday Morning Walk

Karri and I took Jack for a walk on a chilly, crisp and windy fall Saturday morning.  Lincoln Park is full of color right now but it feels like it won't last much longer. Despite the cold and wind, it was a great walk.  There were some clouds overhead, but sunshine peeking through to the west over the Olympics... suggesting that it might actually be a nice day.

A bench in a leaf-covered, quiet spot in the park.

Jack, as usual, had a ball.

Karri was cold and wind-blown... and not too excited about having her picture taken. But I couldn't resist.

2 soccer games in the afternoon.  I'll post about those later.

Snow!

No... not in Seattle.  But looks like last night's wind and rain storm left a dusting on the Olympics.  Love this picture from the West Seattle Blog this morning.  Does a little more justice to the view from West Seattle shores than my Android phone.

(photo by West Seattle Blog contributing photojournalist Nick Adams)

Reminds me of my mom's old metal 'sifter' that she used to spread powdered sugar.

Weekend Update

Wow.  Been a full weekend.  Here's a quick run-down...

The Seattle Prep freshmen won their game on Saturday - a decisive 39-0 victory over Nathan Hale.  Thomas saw the most playing time he's had all season.  Here are the boys breaking huddle after their pre-game cheer:

(We took several more pictures with our good camera, but Karri has it with her on the Father-Daughter trip... so this is the best I've got.)

Matthew's soccer team got shut out in a tough game in which they had no subs and one of his teammates got hurt, so they played 10 on 11 for a good portion of the game.  Bummer.

Victoria's soccer team (coached by Karri) had their best performance of the season and won 9-0 (more pics on the other camera)!

Today (Sunday) was the championship meet for CYO Cross Country.  Both Matthew and Victoria ran in a steady downpour.

That's Victoria in the orange shirt (on the left) shortly after the start of the 5th grade girls race.

And Matthew's head is just barely visible over the left shoulder of #2273 (in blue) at the start of the 7th grade boys race.  The course starts with an immediate downhill that can be treacherous on a dry day.  Fortunately, I didn't see anyone fall today.

Here they are with Pop-Pop after the meet.

Karri and her dad left straight from the meet for their getaway to Suncadia.  Got a message from Karri that they arrived safe and sound late this afternoon.  I'm sure they are already having a great time.  Hopefully the weather cooperates and they can do some hiking/exploring outside.