If I had $12M for a house..........

......... this is what I would buy.

I think I've found a new dream house.

Emphasis on the DREAM.

Bravo to Lance Armstrong's interior decorator. I am officially IN ♥

I probably wouldn't change a thing!!!!!!


Images from Architectural Digest.

The Lion King Musical

We took Ethan to his first musical, The Lion King, on Saturday in Las Vegas and he loved it.

It was a little on the pricey side, $85 for the seats we got, but got a 30% off military discount, which made it a little less painful. I finally convinced Mike that it could be an early Mother's Day gift. I only wish I could afford the $250 seats dead smack in front, but even where we sat, I thought it was well worth it (except for Mike who thought the Blue Man Group show was better).

Seeing Ethan's reaction to the "real people" singing familiar songs to all of us was a trip. We've seen the movie so many times that we all had the lyrics memorized. At one point, I had to hush Mike from singing "Can you feel the love tonight?" a little too loudly, lol. Ethan took notice of everything on the set: from the bongo drums on the orchestra, to the giraffes on stilts, to people in costumes running up and down the aisles spinning bird props, even to the faint sounds of the jungle in the background during intermission.

The show was about 3 hours long and I love every minute of it. It was even better than what I remember when I first saw it a decade ago at the Pantages theatre. I know Ethan will probably forget about it eventually, but it was an experience I wouldn't have traded for anything! I totally recommend the show 100%! I've seen a few musicals and it is by far my favorite.

Questions

Nearing two weeks since my last post. No, my life hasn't reached a standstill. Far from it. I've just been having a writer's block. Or is it some kind of a self-reevaluation. The other day, I had 4 folders full of photos I could've easily picked from to blog about, and I just....... didn't....... for some reason. I've been photographing like a maniac, thinking about everything I wanted to say. Then the days would pass, and it was all old news. It stacked up and became overwhelming. I want to write, but I can't.

Then I realized this isn't writer's block. I'm having a mini-crisis. If you took away my family, the T-ball games, Mike's races and all our random family excursions, what is there to write about?

Thinking back, I started this blog almost therapeutically to write about my grievances post-wedding and I just let it evolve into whatever it wanted to evolve to.... mostly my journey with being a wife and a mother. And every once in a while, there's a random post or two about something else.

There is something else.......... right? I have other things to write about..... don't I?

As I try to keep my heart rate back to normal and blame my tearful eyes to allergies, I struggle to avert this stupid identity crisis by looking at what I do have.

I am so blessed. I have an extraordinary husband and smart, a healthy, intelligent boy, loving family and friends, and (minus the occasional late hours and conventional stress) a job that I enjoy doing and that I'm pretty good at. I'm proud to be a Tball mom and a supportive wife to a future PhD.

I just wish sometimes I could be proud of something I did... for me.

One Excellent Husband

A guy woke up in the morning with a terrible hangover. Next to the bed was a couple of aspirins, a glass of water, and a note from his wife.

"Honey, there's a hot breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen. Love, your wife".

He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotlessly clean. So is the rest of the house.

He stumbles into the bathroom and notices a huge black eye. After shaving, he goes to the kitchen, and sees that the hall mirror is broken too.

His son is in the kitchen and as he's eating his huge breakfast the guy asks the son what all this is about.

"Well, last night you came home drunk off your ass, stumbled into the mirror and hit your head on the doorknob. Mom helped you to bed, and as she?s trying to get your pants off you kicked her away and said "get off me lady, I'm married".

Dana Point Grand Prix - Part 2: Mike's First Time Trial and another Cat 5 Race

Saturday (early EARLY early) morning was another first for Mike -- his first time trial. Lance Armstrong sure makes it look super easy on ESPN. Most of the course was flat, Mike said, but it was this hill that he dreaded..... I'm sure EVERYONE dreaded.

Killer Cove

View from the top

I stayed in the finish line, so I didn't get any shots of Mike on the hill. We did, later on, go to the top of the hill to watch some of the pros sweat bullets and even they were struggling a little.

Mike's official time was 8:04. I think some kid weighing 40 lbs finished it in like 5 minutes. I don't think I would've made that time if I drove my trusty Elantra! Go figure.......



The next day was his third race, and Mike has gotten considerably better. I must say, as an obvserver, I don't know what it takes to be in one of those races. I would think the aim is to be able to ride as fast as possible, but every time I go to one of these things, my perspective changes. There's the constant need to hang on and not get dropped off from the pack when riders try to attack, taking turns "pulling" at the front of the pace line, respecting other rides turning corners at high speeds, picking tactical spots to try to break away.......

It's really quite something.....

Of course, by Ethan's advice, the ultimate goal is to "Go faster than the rest of them".

This race was only 20 minutes long.. I'm sure it seemed longer for those who were pedaling. The main group eventually broke away, leaving behind a chase group, and Mike ended up in the third group. They managed to get rotations going with their little group, and at least once, I saw Mike whiz through and take his turn to take his pull until his legs couldn't take it anymore, only to realize noone else was ready to take their turn.

2 laps to go and the official decided to pull Mike's group off the course for lack of contention, and I immediately reacted after hearing the whistle. There was a guy standing a few feet from me (who looked like a pro, or at least an experienced rider) who just looked at me and gave an annoying little grin. There were only 2 laps left for Pete's sake. Yes, they were half a lap down, but they weren't in the way of the main pack. They could've at least let them finish.......

Either way, I am impressively proud of Mike. He's set his sights on this sport, and I don't plan on missing a race.

We're proud of you daddy!!!

Dana Point Grand Prix - Part 1: Ethan's First Bike Race

Ethan's Fan Club

You should see Ethan at around 0:13, he's wearing a huge white shirt (the race shirt) and red helmet towards the middle of the road.

If you notice, the kids that were up front were kids that didn't have their training wheels on and I would venture to say were pushing towards 5. I know this is such a mom-thing to say, but I was a little annoyed that there were some parents who chose to stay on the course when they were clearly told it should only be kids. I was towards the finish line but I knew there were some parents that "got in the way" so Ethan (in spite of being in front) couldn't really go full-throttle from the get-go.

[Click photo to enlarge. You HAVE to see the serious look on Ethan's face!]

I couldn't get great shots from where I was standing either. There was a kid who crashed right in front of me just right before Ethan crossed the finished line (kid was ok).

He was disappointed in the end, and no high-fives or hugs from mommy and daddy, not even the medal that he got (everybody got one) cheered him up from the fact that he didn't "win".

Mike: "That was awesome, Ethan! Do you want to race again?"

Ethan: "No"

Me: "Why now? Didn't you have fun?"

Ethan: "I'm not racing anymore...... because I didn't cross the line first"

His first medal!

Of course, we took turns giving him praises for trying his best, and that he just needs more practice like daddy so he could get better and better. He needs a little bit of work when it comes to "losing" gracefully, I think he's just naturally competitive, but I hope with T-ball will help that a little.

Five on Fridays: Eggheads, Beach Plans and Peer Pressure

1. This is why I love my family.

We can all be eggheads together. There's nothing like spending 45 minutes laughing at each other for making stupid faces inspired by drawn on plastic Easter eggs. It was funny when Ethan started doing it, but even better when the adults started trying to outdo one another.

2. It's another busy weekend for all of us.

No baseball game tomorrow but this weekend is the Dana Point Grand Prix, where Mike will be doing a time trial and another Category 5 race. Here's the preview of the time trial course........ makes me tired just listening to the guy's heavy breathing, lol.

Sunday is a two-fer since Mike is racing in the early morning and Ethan will be "racing" around mid-day. He's in the "4 and under" category so it will be interesting since Ethan's bigger than the average 4 year old. Daddy's gonna be in the start line and of course, mommy will be at the finish line taking pictures! It's only a few feet but I can't wait to see the look on Ethan's face.... he's grown to be very competitive.

3. Talk about peer pressure!

I'm starting to hear it from all angles now... family.... friends..... my dog. I see baby commercials on TV and think they're trying to sell me a baby. When we went to church last Sunday, I asked Ethan what he wanted to pray for after getting the blessing (Communion), and guess what he prayed for. Lately, I've been praying with him before bed and instead of asking for more toys, a pony or a rocket ship..... he asks for a brother.

4. There's light at the end of the tunnel!

We've finally finished building the entertainment center! Gahhh! I thought we would never get that thing finished. Realistically, we probably spent about 8-10 hours on it, but since we could only work on it an hour here and there, it just dragged on forever. It's already been moved to the loft (we kept the pieces separted until it was migrated upstairs), and we still have to put the braces on, do some touch ups and of course.......... O R G A N I Z E. So hopefully, I can post the final photos by the end of this weekend. Hmm....... what to build next! :)


5. He deserves every bit of it.

Enough said.

Cha Cha Slide

Deployment's a bitch. But if these guys can have a little bit of a break by getting down to the Cha Cha slide, I'm all for it.

Beach Day with Lolo and Lola

Ethan's on Spring Break this week, and thank God for grandparents who are more than happy to watch him!

Yesterday was a bum-at-home-day because of the rain, but it finally got sunny enough for Southern Californians to rush to the beach --- at least those who could afford to miss work. :(

Smart Ass

Got this in an email from a coworker today and made me chuckle...

Happy Easter!