Foggy Mornings

Aren't foggy mornings so great? True, sometimes they can give you the blues (especially on a Monday), but as I sip some hot tea this morning and look out my window, I love seeing the fog rolling around Long Beach. Even though the weather report says it's going to be high 80s all week, I am enjoying this moment right now.

It's Almost the Weekend

Is there anything better than Friday, late in the afternoon, when the weekend is just minutes from starting? I submit that there is not! (Name that comedian.)

This weekend, Ian's parents are coming in town for the 2nd go at a new tradition of long family walks. Last March, we walked a half marathon on a course my father-in-law created in Downtown San Diego. Tomorrow, we are walking a 9 mile route that Ian and I created in Downtown , along the waterfront and into the Historic homes of Long Beach. The weather should be nice and the company great, so we're looking forward to a fun time.

Then Sunday afternoon, we're off to the Pumpkin Patch with my sister, Mary, and her family and Ian's sister, Heather, and her family. Should be very fun, especially watching Sam in the petting zoo and on the giant slide.

Aren't weekends the greatest? I wish it could always be the weekend. Though I suppose we wouldn't feel that way about it if that were the case.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Yesterday, Ian and I were feeling a little sad. So what did we do? We went to the Happiest Place on Earth. And did it work? You betcha! I love the Disneyland, for so many reasons. I've had a annual pass for probably a total of 8 years and I still did three things yesterday that I've never done before. That's just one of the things that makes the Magic Kingdom so magical - there is always something new to see or do.

Part of what was so fun about yesterday is that we went for 7 hours. We very rarely go for that long. And we got to be there at night, which is just so romantic. =) We got there around 3 and went right into California Adventure, hoping to get Fast Pass tickets to the World of Color. They only had tickets left for the 10:15 show, and even though we were there for the long haul, that was still a bit too late for us.

So instead, we went on Grizzly River Run (new thing #1). It was super fun! We did get pretty wet, but it was sunny and warm yesterday, so it was no problem. And you know what else was great? Even though it was a 40 minute wait, I got to talk with Ian every minute of those 40 minutes. That is another great thing about Disneyland - it's fun and it's interactive. Disneyland is truly a great way to really spend time with your spouse.

After that, we went to the Bakery Tour (new thing #2). Like the nerds we are, we watched the whole video on how they make sourdough bread. And like the food junkies we are, we ended our tour by buying a loaf of the bread. So delicious!

Then we went on Soaring Over California (thank you, single rider lines) and ended our stay in California Adventure with a trip to Burr-bank Ice Cream Shop (new thing #3). We split an ice cream sundae and it was delicious (Ian had lost a bet and the stakes were that the winner got to pick both of the special treats at our next Disneyland trip, so I was in special treat heaven!).

I won't go on to detail out the rest of our trip, but it did include a Fast Pass to Indiana Jones, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Ian's favorite D-land ride), a trip on Big Thunder, the Matterhorn and Ian's first full experience of Fantasmic. Side note - why do parents, who arrive at the very last minute, still expect that their child should be able to worm his or her way to the front, just because they're a kid? Maybe it's because I'm not a parent, but I got there first and I don't care that your kid can't see. If it was really important, get there sooner and wait like the rest of us. And I'm short too!

That part was a little crowded, if you can't tell, and I was a little disappointed because they replaced the AWESOME, huge inflatable Ursala with just a screen version joined by the two bad side-kick eels, and they weren't nearly as scary. But it's still a great show - nothing beats the part where the fire spreads across the river and even though you're 200 feet away from it, you can still feel its heat.

So we can home quite cheered up. Yay for Mickey and the Magic Kingdom!

Out of Sorts With Myself

Do you know one of the worst feelings in the world? To be out of sorts with yourself. It's so uncomfortable to not feel yourself. I'm used to feeling myself. I like feeling like myself. I like who I am. When I feel pessimistic or grumpy or lethargic, of course I feel I'm unhappy. Then I feel doubly unhappy, because I'm not used to feeling that way and I don't like it. I like to feel hopeful and cheerful and energetic. I like my usual self.

So, I'm out of sorts with myself, and have been for a couple of months. And I don't know what to do about it. Some days it's worse than other days. Today, I mostly just feel tired (I had a HUGE work event that's kept me away from posting and away from relaxing, but thankfully, it went well and it's over). So today's not that bad. But some days, I really feel not like myself. I don't know what makes one day different from the other - and that also bothers me.

I have a friend though, that would say those other emotions I'm experiencing are still me and that I shouldn't dismiss them. She would say they are just a different side of me. I ponder over that sometimes. Is it still me when I feel sad and doubting? Is it part of me to feel low energy and apathetic? Is it still me to feel unhappy with my body? Is it me, when I'm used to feeling confident and assured that everything will work out?

If it is me, it's a me I'm not comfortable with. Then that makes me wonder if I should work on being okay with that? Or just being present to it and waiting for it to pass? Or something else?

I can see the post isn't going to lead to any answers. And if my mother is reading, don't worry Mom - it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm doing fine. Just sorting out my selves.

But, I'm sure tomorrow will be better. =)

Baby #13 for Our Family

Ta-da! Daniel Travis Sunukjian made his grand entrance on September 8th, 2010 (he shares a birthday with Aunt Sheila!). Gina and Daniel are already home and doing great. Ian and I got to see him last night and he is so cute! He looks like a grumpy old man and has so many awesome wrinkles. I laughed and laughed at all his faces last night. Congrats to David and Gina!

And yes, you read that right. Daniel is our 8th nephew and with our 5 nieces, we have 13 precious children to call us Uncle and Aunt! How blessed we are!

Our First Family Gathering

It's official. Our house is a home. We've had my whole side of the family, plus Heather, Rob and Rowan, over all at the same time (that's 26 people, little people included). I feel like the house has been christened. We had Labor Day at our house to celebrate Ian, Sheila and Eric's birthdays. It was a great time and it gave me tremendous joy to have all my people over to our house at the same time.

I was a tad worried that the kids might be bored, since there isn't as much to do at our house as at Grandma and Grandpa's, but I believe we bought our way to success, with the pool, sidewalk chalk, balls and our real ringer - the swing.

Here are some of the darling children lined up (they organized this themselves) to wait for Paul to give them a turn.


Here is Kara, so excited to be next in line, and Sam, just getting off from his great adventure.

My mom said we needed an age limit, but I didn't want to keep any of the kiddos from using it, so I assured her it was fine. But then we saw this:

Maybe an age limit would be a good idea...but it seemed to hold Eric no problem. And it was his party, so how could I tell him no?

All around, it was a great day. However, I will probably go down in Sunukjian Family Lore for one of the most unromantic birthday gifts (up there with the steak knives my dad gave my mom and the toilet seat Peter gave Sheila). I gave Ian a trash bag holder - you know, the kind you can set up in your lawn and put the big black plastic trash bag over so that your bag stays open and upright while you load leaves, grass, etc. It's really a very handy tool, but yes, woefully unromantic. But he also got movies, a satchel, and very cool loafers from me, which are more in the acceptable realm of b-day gifts. So say what you will - it was a good gift.

So Excited for a Birthday That's Not Mine

Monday is Ian's birthday. As always, I'm WAY more excited about it than he is. I love birthdays and I love thinking of ways to show Ian that I love him. We've got lots of fun plans for the weekend and I can't wait. I'm also really excited about the presents I found for him and hopeful that he likes them.

So, here are the big 3-Day, Birthday Weekend plans:

Saturday:
Riding our bikes to the Aquarium, going to the Yard House for lunch, then taking the Metro back. The Metro is now one of Ian's favorite things, as he takes it to work everyday and has discovered that unlike when he's sitting in traffic in his truck, he can read while he commutes!

After all that fun, we're headed out to Sam's birthday party at the Pirate Park, which also promises to be great!

Sunday:
Church, naturally, and then to see a movie. This was the original plan to celebrate his birthday, as we rarely see movies in the theatre. The Aquarium plan came as an afterthought because we have free tickets. Anyway, after the movie, we're off to dinner at La'Creperie, a great romantic place on 2nd Street, with beer that Ian loves.

Monday:
Having the whole family over! It will be the first time that my whole family comes over at one time (we're also celebrating Sheila and Eric's birthdays), and with Ian's sister and her family coming as well, it should be a great time! I got a little pool for the kids, we'll grill and eat lots of chips (another Ian favorite) and have a super fun time. I really can't wait. Well, I can wait, but I'm very excited!

I will try to take a picture or two, so as not to lose the interest of my faithful readers, so stay tuned!