July 04, 2007

FAN-ILOW

Back from California and Vegas....and it was so great! The last day of our trip my dad gave me an early birthday present.

Tickets to go see Barry Manilow at the Vegas Hilton for that night!

Oh-my-God! THE icing on my Barry Cake! I've come to realize that I'm now officially Old ...'cause Barry ROCKED THE HOUSE.

Yes, Barry was a bit slower and creakier than years past.
but Yes, he still sounds pitch-perfect.
Yes, I swayed with my Manilow embossed glow-stick during the slow songs, while Byron patiently endured.
AND YES I am a true Fan-ilow!



Okay, so I guess you could say that the rest of my vacation kinda pales in comparison to Barry, but it was still wonderful. I will try and sum it up quickly.

Vegas

-Very hot. averaged aout 110 degrees.

-My mom and dad rented a pontoon for the day where we ate, fished and swam out on Lake Mead near the Hoover Dam. Very fun day. The kids were in heaven.



-Took the kids to the Luxor (the Egyptian pyramid hotel), Went to M&M's World and to Harrahs Casino to see the Mac King magic show. Eric, Ian and Olivia ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS....especially since we met my brother there and he tipped the usher and got us 2nd row seats. Woo-hoo!



-We spent lots of time with Nana and Papa (my mom and dad) my brother Jeff and sister Anysia, and my nephew Jason who all live near Vegas. and I had some good home cooking....which included moms pork chops. Mmmmmm


San Jose, California

-The weather was perfect, as always. The mountains were beautiful, as always. The driving was defensive, as always. It felt like home....and I loved every minute of it.

- Great to see all my family. My sister Andrea, and neice Audrey. Grandma and Grandpa Romero. And Byron's brother's family too. Phil, Tao, Zara and Leta.

-My Grandma and Grandpa hosted a big family dinner for us. Complete with her homemade tamales, beans & tortillas, new mexican chile, spanish rice....etc. I was in heaven. It was also so wonderful seeing all my aunts, uncles, cousins who showed up and or drove from out of town to visit with us. I miss them again so much already.

-We drove to the coast. Our favorite, "Pescadero beach", by Half Moon Bay was still the same. The kids remembered it well, even for not having been there for five years and Olivia only being 3 years old back then.



Here's me being a beach bum. Oh how I love the beach.

-Then took the kids a bit further down the coast to the tide pools....where we spent much of the day looking for hermit crabs and interesting shells and sea anenomes.



-We ate at Round Table Pizza (my favorite pizza that I can't get here) We ate at Togo's. My favorite sandwich shop (that I can't get here) We went and bought some See's chocolate....(my favorite chocolate in the whole world - that also, I can't get here.)

-We explored our old neighborhood and local hang-outs. Everything seemed so much smaller than how we remembered it. But it was a good trip down memory lane.



-We went to San Francisco. Crossed the Golden Gate, and took the kids to Muir Woods to see the the Giant Redwood Trees and then headed over to Fisherman's wharf to Ghiradelli Square for more chocolate and ice cream.

Like I said it was a great 2 weeks. I am back now and today feeling kind of melancholy. I love the bay area. Sounds funny to say that I feel like when I am there I can actually relax and breathe easy. My woes fade away. There is no place like home.