2023 :: week 33

August 13

It feels like we have Stake Conference more often than not when Doug and Tina come into town. At least recently. I know the week they stayed with us last summer as the embarked on their east coast road trip was also over Stake Conference weekend, as it was in 2019 when they drove across country moving from Belmont to SLC and we blessed Miles at home. We went to Stake Conference in the morning, then spent the rest of the day at home. In the afternoon the kids played Bananagrams, mancala and Spot It! MLB with Nana and Papa, then that evening we had tacos for dinner. I was feeling pretty tired after prepping for Elliott's birthday and baptism and spent a lot of the day vegging out. 

August 14

Monday morning got off to a rough start when our garage door wouldn't open. We just replaced it in March so I was very frustrated. It turns out it was a minor issue and the technician was able to fix it within minutes. Anthony and I spent the morning getting finishing getting ready for our trip to San Diego. We asked Doug and Tina if they would watch our kids for us for a few days after Elliott's baptism and they generously agreed. Anthony and I left for the airport at lunch time. We made plans to travel to San Diego with our good friends Stephanie and Spencer. We had a relatively uneventful flight and arrived in San Diego, then picked up a late dinner at Hodad's. Meanwhile, Doug and Tina took the kids to the Deanna Rose Farmstead. The kids mined for gems, fed the goats and visited the bank. Papa and Nana even treated them to ice cream!

August 15

Tuesday was the first day of school for Lauren and Elliott. Lauren is in Mrs. Koerner's 6th grade class and Elliott is in Mrs. Jones' 2nd grade class. This will be their last year at the same school. :( Months ago I scheduled Elliott's well-child check up for 9am, and when I realized it the first day of school tried to reschedule. They wouldn't be able to fit him in for months so Tina took him for us and he went to school a few hours late. I won't make that mistake again! After school that afternoon Nana and Papa took the kids to the indoor pool at Matt Ross. It was chilly enough they didn't think the outdoor pool would be very enjoyable. In San Diego Tony and I were having a lot of fun! We met up with the Throssells after breakfast and took an uber to Mission Beach where we rented bikes and road along the coast to Pacific Beach and back. We also did some window shopping and jumped in the waves. The marine layer was thick and the water was cold, so I only planned to wade in. However, once I stepped into the ocean there was no turning back and I happily jumped in the waves for a long time. Anthony jumped with me and also took a nap on the beach. We rode to Taco Surf for some California Burritos. That evening we walked over to the Gaslamp Quarter and had delicious ice cream from Ghirardelli's. San Diego is so pleasant, we sat outside and chatted for a long time.

August 16

Wednesday was Will's first day of 8th grade and the first full day of school for Lauren and Elliott. In the afternoon Doug took Will to Target to pick up some school supplies. In San Diego we took the ferry to Cornoado Island. We did some more window shopping, then spent a few hours at the beach. The water was freezing! I still stayed in for quite awhile, but Tony took another beach nap. The sand on the beach had what looked like flecks of gold in it, but is actually the mineral mica. It gave the water this pretty sparkling golden sheen to it. We left after Spencer got stung by a sting ray and went back to the hotel where he could soak his foot in the rooftop hot tub. That afternoon we walked along Harbor Drive towards the USS Midway (and the "Unconditional Surrender" sculpture). We had planned to borrow bikes from the hotel and meet the Throssells at Sea Port Villiage, but the bikes were out of commission. After our walk we met up with the Throssells and headed to Petco Park to see the Padres take on the Orioles. It was a fun game, the Padres won and Fernando Tatis stole home! After the game we walked to La Puerta for yummy street tacos. We had to leave for the airport at 4:30am, so we didn't stay up too late. 

August 17

Thursday we flew home and arrived home just as the kids and Nana and Papa were walking home from school. We were all a little tired, so we had Costco Pizza for dinner and hung out together sharing what we had done while we were apart. Papa and Anthony quizzed the boys about various baseball trivia, and in return the boys came up with sports trivia of their own. After the kids were in bed we watched the latest episode of Only Murders in the Building. The next day we dropped Nana and Papa off at the airport. We were all sad to see them go.

August 18

The Immaculate Grid is the latest craze for the sports-obsessed John men. Even Elliott and Miles attempt to complete the grid as best they can each day. The grid consists of nine squares, set 3 by 3. At the top of each column and to the left of each row are baseball teams and statistical accomplishments that change each day. The challenge is to name a player who matches the criteria of each square on the grid. For example, a player who played for both the Astros and Dodgers, or a Dodgers player who picked up 200 hits in a season (with the Dodgers).

August 19

Doug and Tina reported that Lauren and Will were very helpful with the younger boys while we were gone and I can confirm that they are indeed very helpful. Anthony wasn't feeling well Saturday and took a long nap Saturday afternoon while I took the kids to the pool. When we got home Lauren played with Miles so he wouldn't bother me while I made dinner. I tried out a new recipe that was actually pretty good.