New Job = Fun Times

This week has been an adventure as I began a new position as an office manager for Woody Properties.  I have always loved real estate and jumped at the chance to change careers.  Troy and the kids have been great about helping me get things done!  It will take a bit for me to get a routine built up for balancing both work and home.  The great part is that the business philosophy of Keller Williams is God first, family second, business third.  I will still be able to work from home when the kids are out of school and the office is only 10 minutes from home :)  Troy just told me that I can't buy any of the houses that I list - LOL!  I think we have plenty of properties and we are very happy with our new home.

Crazy Traveling Summer

This June, the kids and I accompanied Troy on a business trip to Boston for a week.  While he took classes, we spent the days riding the train into the city and explored museums and a few historical sites.  Despite the well laid out transit system, I still managed to miss our stops a couple of times and we had to wait for a return train/bus to take us back to the right spot.  On our first day, we headed to the Boston Children's Museum to keep the kids busy and stay cool.  The first thing they saw when we walked in the door was the New
Balance Climb, which is a 3D puzzle for the kids to figure out.  It is 3 stories tall and they stayed there for over an hour!

Alyssa wasn't sure about climbing, but didn't wait below for long.

Ty and Lyssa try out woodworking at Johnny's Work Bench

Our second day was spent exploring the Boston Museum of Science.  We loved the Lightning! presentation  where they discuss and demonstrate electricity with a Van de Graaff generator making lots of sparks and noise.  We enjoyed the show so much we watched it twice.  The second time, they even made the sparks play a song!

The kids loved the bubble lab that they offered in the afternoon.  I want to do this activity at home because it was so much fun!  You just need a plastic cup, a straw and a tray of bubble soap.  You can add pennies for more fun :)

Another fascinating exhibit is a robot that you program (by linking blocks) to knock down a tower you make.

The museum took our whole day again :)  I was impressed with all of the interesting and educational opportunities available at MOS and would definitely return on a future visit.

Our last full day was super hot and of course, we were sightseeing...  Our first stop of the day was at the USS Constitution Museum where we learned about life in the navy during the revolution.  The girls loved the hammocks and said they'd like to sleep that way anyday.

The boys loved practicing their cannon firing skills too!

On the docks, we toured both the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young.  We had to go through security to get to the USS Constitution and were only able to walk around the top deck.  I hope to go back in the future and participate in a more thorough tour.  We had a semi private tour of the USS Cassin Young and the kids got to man the guns.  

USS Constitution

Our next stop was lunch at Family Kitchen on Bunker Hill St.  This is a small mom and pop place (just a bar with stools) with delicious food.  We enjoyed everything and loved the owner.  It was fun to get to know her.  This was the kids favorite restaurant we tried.

Our last stop was Bunker Hill.  The museum was closed for remodeling, but the kids enjoyed rolling down the hill.

Family Photo Session with Kasi

American Idol Semi Finals

I was so surprised to finally get an email telling me I could get tickets to American Idol for the show May 18th or 19th after my trip to Dancing with the Stars a few weeks ago!  This time, we were able to work it out so Doug and Troy could go with me - YAY!  Doug and his friend Angela flew out to Orlando and she stayed with the kids while we flew to California to see the taping. 

I decided to watch the performance show and since I had just been to the studio, I knew I wanted to stay at the hotel across the street. 

Doug and I flew into Long Beach and Troy worked in NYC all day and then caught a flight into Burbank to meet us.  The morning of the show, I just kept an eye on the line across the street and headed out at 11 a.m. when it started to form.  Troy and Doug hung out at the hotel to keep the internet access while I held our place in line.  I met a woman from Fresno who grew up in Merced and when to Aunt Karen's birthday parties!  Small world!!!  The woman in front of me had had her hip replaced by a doctor at Grossmonte Hospital on a machine that assists during surgery.  She said her scar was only about 3 inches and she recovered very quickly.  I'm going to see if I can get in to see him.

When they admitted us into the lot, the had us go in groups and gave us tickets with specific seats on them.  Before we went in, Doug asked me where my ideal spot would be and I said, directly behind the judges since the contestants perform to them and walk around their seats.  Due to Doug's height, the people handing out tickets decided we needed to sit in an area away from the normal area so he wouldn't block the view of people behind him.  After waiting on the benches until 4 p.m., we were allowed into the studio and to my surprise, we got my dream seats!!!

Doug went up on stage to dance during the preshow fun and was given dinner at Chipotle and some hot sauce made in Florida.  The commercials seem so long at home, but they really need the 4+ minutes to get ready for the next song.  My favorite was Haley Reinhart, with Scotty a close 2nd.  His voice sounds much better live than on TV!   After the show we headed to Burbank and caught a flight back to NYC and Troy headed off to work again.  Doug and I flew back to Orlando exhausted but we throughly enjoyed our quick trip!  Special thanks are due to Angela who made it all possible!  We really enjoyed having her and Doug spend a few days visiting.  I don't have my computer with the pictures, so I'll have to post them this fall when I get back to it.

Hip Dysplasia

I was diagnosed back in February and have been to five doctors who have not been able to help me with my hips because I am so young.  The doctors who do hip replacements don't want to do mine yet because there is no guarantee of the length of time they'll last and I'll almost certainly need them done again down the road.  Last Monday I went to a pediatric orthopedic physician in Orlando who does the osteotomy surgery that 2 of the other doctors suggested would be my best option at this point.  After taking more X-rays, Dr. Herrera-Soto told me that I definitely need surgery.  I am going to try to see a few other doctors before making the final decision, but I am glad to have found someone who explained everything to me so thoroughly.  I didn't feel rushed and the doctor was very understanding.  He wants me to complete physical therapy before the surgery so I can make a better recovery.

Principal's Honor Roll Celebration

I was able to enjoy a special awards breakfast for Kate and Jared's straight A report cards last week.  We munched on doughnut holes, cinnamon rolls, bagels, fruit, orange juice and water.  The principal gave all of the kids a hug and told them how proud she was of them.  They have made school a priority and I'm so happy to see the school acknowledge their hard work and commitment.

Closing on the House in MAY

We found out on Saturday that the 2nd mortgage on the new house will require us to close by May 25th instead of our previously arranged date the middle of June, so I've got lots of work ahead of me getting this house packed and cleaned.