Football Camp

(Buses lined up to transport the JV, and 2 Freshman Football Teams at the High School)

We entered new territory this summer, with the introduction of Toro Football Camp.  Quinn will be playing Cornerback  for his 9th grade football team, and they go to Football camp with the High School they feed into, Mountain View.  

A week in Williams, AZ  where the air is cool and there are actually pine trees for the wind to whistle through.

They ran 5 miles in the rain, did jumping jacks until every member of the team could do 20 in a row- perfectly- which my son estimates took approximately 2,000-he may or may not have exaggerated.  They woke up early and started their first work out at 5:30 a.m.  They lifted weights and ran plays and exercised some more until lights out at 10:30 p.m.  And then woke up early to do it all again.  And he loved it, every crazy, hard, draining second of it.  Go figure.

This required more gear (mostly food and supplies for a comfortable bed) than I thought possible for a 14 year old boy.  Isn't the old cliche that it's girls that require all the luggage?  But we had heard from experienced campers that the hunger is great, and the snacks are scarce, so we loaded up.  He also gets nasty migraine headaches that immobilize him when he gets dehydrated, and football camp seemed like prime time for that to happen, so I forced plenty of drink choices on him as well (not that it was all that hard).

(I know the photos are on the shabby side-they are all from my phone, Jeff borrowed my camera for work)

Notice the height of the boy subject?  Please take note that the day before this I measured him for fun, he's constantly on my case about being taller than me, wanting to compare and stand back to back, so I took the child to the wall and marked his official height, not taller than me!  6 days later the boy returned, and he was TALLER than me!?!  What the heck?  I dragged him to the same wall and demanded a shoes off-heels to the back remeasurement-yeah, still taller than me!  He grew 1.25 inches in 6 days.  He's not going back, that's all.

They brought home their pads and helmets this week, it's official-we have a Poston Panther in the House!

What Happens When It's 115 :

Thane & Tate, what can I say? Anything to escape the heat! When it's 115 outside you can take desperate measures!

No, we're not at a water park. This is part of the city pool where my kids swim for swim team & water polo. We're at the swim team pool party for families! Fun times!

I've got a Yen for...

 That's right, this week it's the letter Y over at Miss Jenny's Alpahbe-Thursday, and it got me to thinking.  Thinking about what I've got a Yen for, and let me tell you-the list is long, some are constant, some come and go, some are newcomers to the list.  Here's a few of my new additions--

Last week we were on vacation with my extended family in Newport Beach, California.  I discovered I have a yen to live here:
 

Or here:

Aren't they great?  And right on the beach in a State Park, they were all decades old, some in better repair than others.  They are in the process of restoring some old curio shops and cafes there as well as some of the other buildings, it was a step back in time.  I loved that they had these signs on them, each one had a cute name:

I also remembered I have a yen to do stuff like this:

And this:

I love adrenaline, but I fear I am a little old, and a little too far from the ocean for really taking up surfing.  Instead I renewed my acquaintance with this:

My L.O.V.E. of roller coasters.  I love the thrill of the drop, the rush of the loop-de-loop, the feeling of my stomach rushing to meet my eyeballs.  It had been too long since I had met my old friend the roller coaster, and while Disneyland and California Adventures are not a hot bed of thrills and chills there was enough to remind me that I need to do fun stuff like that more often.  I laughed and laughed through California Screaming, I love that ride!  And the Tower of Terror should be renamed the Hall of Hilarity, so much fun!!!


And, best of all, the trip reminded me of the yen I have to enjoy this:

My family.  

We had so much fun, and really enjoyed every second of our trip.  I hope I can remember my yen to enjoy my family and every day, not just on special occasions.  

What do you have a YEN for?

Loving the Summer Nights

I snapped this with my phone's camera-it was too perfect to pass up, and I didn't bring my regular camera with me-in fact that happened a whole lot this trip, next time it will be a permanent attachment!  Just next door to the firepit was a sports court where some hoops were enjoyed, a tether-ball setup, a putting green at the ready with balls and putters for all to enjoy-or use as light sabers depending on the age of the participants- and lots of those comfy Adirondack style chairs to relax and absorb a perfect Summer night.

As we sat around the fire pit one night I realized how rare total enjoyment of a moment is.  This picture is a moment I fully enjoyed right then and there, not just a fond memory.  I love cuddling my kids for a moment or two as they ran around, I loved people watching, I loved the weather, I loved the warmth of the fire as we toasted marshmallows and made s'mores.  (With Strawberry and Chocolate Swirl marshmallows no less--FYI--Strawberry was a hit, Swirl a big thumbs down).  Life is short, enjoy those glimpses of pure enjoyment as they happen-not just as memories!

Other lessons learned around the firepit: 

*You can roast Starburst candies (minus the wrappers),
*it IS possible to eat too many marshmallows,
*Teenagers tell you a lot more when you are really interested in what they have to say,
 *hide and seek is best played in the dark- with your cousins,
*people you meet on vacation are interesting,
* listening to a bunch of 17-19 year old guys trying to impress the cute girls they met on vacation =
much entertainment! 

Newport Coast Villas

We stayed here and it was amazing, one of the best places we've ever vacationed.  We met up with my extended family for a week of fun, family, and relaxation.  Here's a couple of shots of what our rooms looked like:

Full Kitchen

Living Room, with Master Bed/Bath off to the left by the patio doors, and the other bed & bath  off the dining area

This is the main pool area where we stayed, and it was pretty much weather like this the whole time we were there. You can kind of see there are two more pools below this big one, and a hot tub off to each side of this main pool.   There are also two more pool areas, with hot tubs.  

At the bottom of this picture you can see the life size chess/checkers board, there were also pool tables and ping pong tables in this area.  One night they set up a giant screen and showed Disney's "The Princess and The Frog"  and the kids swam and watched the movie.  It was perfect for Sage!  

I understand it will look like this for most of July:

picture from www.marriott.com

And we would have loved that too, but if I'm being totally honest-what we got was heavenly!  We left 115 scorching degrees and desert sun, and arrived in 75 cool, sometimes misty, ocean breeze filled, heavenly degrees.  I loved it!  The kids wanted a jacket in the morning, and at night, it was a great break from the Arizona summer.


Here's a map I found on line of the place we enjoyed-where it says future development is already there-

The only downside of this place?  It's set right in the coastal hillside, which means a whole lot of stairs.  We were staying in the 1900 building, which was basically the bottom of the elevation staircase, and the main building/pool area/Teen Only Hangout/where you need to go at least 10 times a day was 100 stairs away.  How do I know that?  I counted them.  It was quite the workout-in fact I lost weight while I was there, so maybe it wasn't such a downside afterall!

What we've been up to this week

Been here all week...it was hard to come home to 115 degrees and a broken A/C unit. Hopefully it will get fixed tomorrow, and I can't wait to share some more pictures!