SF7--GIRLS TRIPS ROOOOOOL!!!

Some of you readers out there may remember my girls trip to Forks, WA last year about this time (for honoring Twilight--duh). Well, in honor of New Moon coming out in theaters we figured it was just about time for another such get away. This time the location was San Fransisco (hence the SF7 name). This may be a repeat post for some of you who already beat me to the picture-post-punch (alliteration!!). And you can see more posts about our fun HERE and HERE. But it's time for me to give my 2 coins.

San Fran can teach you many, many things. Being in a hotel room with 7 other girls/ladies can teach you stuff too. Let's be clear on that. Drank!!

#1: I've learned that all preconceived notions of "maturity" get left at home with the kids and hubby. Exhibits A through C.

I was particularly impressed with Jespy's Renesme tee. Who doesn't want a picture of a creepy baby on their chest? I'm not raising my hand. Cuz I wanted one.
Landee even ventured into a Hot Topic for her Jacob tee just for the occasion. There were lots of, um, supporters of Team Abs, er, Team Jacob. Ahem. Jespy also crafted up some killer initials necklaces with a secret Twilight/Edward pic on the reverse. I'll never take it off. You can't make me! And thanks also to StandsMom for the awes Werewolf/Heart bracelets she crafted as well.
And since Jacob imprinted on Renesme and all, it's only appropriate that they,....er, kiss.

#2: I've learned that nerdy girls are posers.
#3: I've learned that I am incapable of taking a self portrait without making a crazy face. (Here we are just minutes before the midnight showing started!)
#4: I've learned that Jespy will get in all sorts of funny positions for the "artsy" shot. (and Sara will make faces without even trying)
#5: I've learned that those artsy photos often include Sara in the front looking hotter than the rest of us. (and Jenny's legs are hilarious)
#6: I've learned that we are hawt!!
#7: That if you give Landee a challenge she will deliver. Guess what she's doing here....go ahead. Guess.
#8: That back to back shots are adorable. Just sayin!
#9: Public transportation can really mess with your mind. Bringing you to moments of sheer euphoric serenity.
...and dropping you down to the depths of despair and general loco.
#10: I've learned that Jespy looks really good behind the camera.
..and that there are millions of pictures 7 gals can come up with while riding public transportation. Prize to whoever can guess this shot.
#11: I've learned (or rather, I was reminded) how fun it is to watch Landee tell a story. Enter.Tain.Ment.
#12: Wedgies happen. Even in the hippest of cities.
#13: You're never too far from reminders of home....and your couch....and this awesome TV show.
#14: Pretending like you are a celebrity being caught by the paparazzi is fun.
#15: Old books come back to haunt you. Thinking of you Flem when we saw this painting.
#16: I've learned that maps are a very real, very important feature in ANY girls trip. And having a group hover to pretend like we all know what we are doing doesn't hurt either.
#17: Cable Cars are the hot fudge to my San Fran ice cream. (it was going really fast you gize, trust me)
#18: I've learned that Landee can rawk the Paula Abdul hats.
#19: That double decker buses can cause spontaneous Morrissey singing and will NOT give you any information about the city other than which house Joe Bus Driver thinks is cool. (although I'm sure there are other better DDB options out there,....::staring pointedly at Jespy with a nervous giggle::)
#20: It really exists.
#21: The Full House episode where Uncle Jessie and Joey have to apologize to Danny for....whatever latest thing they did will always bring good memories. ::cue wrap up music::
But no one could be happier about these houses than Jenny.
#22: I've learned that the sea lions at Pier 39 are just as loud and stinky at night as they are in the day.
#23: And those street performers still haven't improved since I was a kid.

Sooo much to learn. I also learned that you can see New Moon every day for three days in a row and it only gets better, that consuming large quantities of sugar while playing board games only makes you stupider, and that despite your plans to be conservative with your eating you won't feel the pangs of actual hunger for 100 hours, or 4 days straight.

I'm in it to gain knowledge you gize. It's all about the education.

Christmas Card Preview

These won't be on my Christmas card, gize. At least, I think they won't be. I have plans for other shots. Of course, those shots involved a few choice crows feet and a possible mascara smudging. (on Shed, not me)

It's amazing the absolute lack of flaws on a young child's face. The well-hydrated skin. The breakage-free hair.

The clear, well rested eyes. And those pores!! So tiny and free of "build-up".
Yet somehow this one down here manages to create an heir of "adult" without even daring to show hint of wrinkles or fatigue. I think he's just rubbing it in, really. I birthed that boy. That tiny (well, tiny is relative to 8lbs9oz), helpless, poop/scream machine just a mere 11 years ago. And now he wears a bigger shoe size than me.
Hang on, I've gotta go...

My future self is texting me to get off the computer and put on some face cream.

Oh no I di-int.

I bought it. I really did. I think I've reached a whole new level of
"Twilight". And I haven't even gone on my girls trip to see the
midnight showing of New Moon yet.

Hawaii, Halloween, and How come I can't get my "blogging legs" back.

The nerd who writes this blog (pictured below) has caught some form of the "brain vacations" recently. Unable to think in coherent sentences, let alone perform rather mundane tasks that real life requires, she has succumbed to this disease while away on a trip recently. Please bear with her.




Funny story: I happened to go to Hawaii formyever ago (like over two weeks ago) and still haven't uploaded and posted proper documentation of such an event. Until now.

Aaaaah,...........Maui, Hawaii. A place of beauty. Where you can stop and literally smell the flowers; enjoy the scenery. To quote Vince Vaughn in the trailer to the movie "Couples Retreat"----"it's like a screen saver".

A place where you can, quite literally, kick up your feet poolside. Very UNmanicured feet, but relaxed feet nonetheless.
A place where you can walk along the beach at sunset.
A place where you can enjoy a dinner of crab won tons in sweet chili dipping sauce with friends from Bake-town.
WHOA! Wait! Wha? Yes, thanks to modern conveniences such as iPhones and BooksWithFaces (aka FaceBook), it turns out our good friends the Forsyths were vacations sans-kids just a couple of resorts down the way. Whoodathunk?

Maui also boasts tourist rentals of various shapes, sizes, and speeds. We picked the smallest of all those choices and sped off in little 50 mopeds. You know....scooters!!

Notice my iPhone in my hand as I stopped to take a picture and text it to Jespy and Landee in Nevada who were, at the time, playing Bananagrams at a dining room table. It's like we were experiencing it together. But not really even close.
Yeeeah, there isn't really a way to look "cool" while riding a moped. What with the helmet and pageant wave and all.
Doods definitely do it better. The "looking cool in a helmet" part anyway. This particular shot was texting to Shed's business partners while they were busy having appointments and filling out paperwork and stuff.
At first those drop offs really scared me. I could only pull 25mph with poor Shed smoking me on every turn. But once I got the hang of it I left him in the dust.
Again, I'm not sure there is a "flattering" way for ones behind to be photographed from the back of a scooter. But I digress.
I really think I finally pulled off the "I'm comfortable with these heights and no I won't take off my helmet due to the helmet hair underneath and can you please hurry and take this pic my abs are burning look" here. Don't you?

Don't answer that.
The really cool thing about mopeds is you never have to worry about finding a place to park or having room to pull your car up to some really awesome greenery sites.

But other days, we went full force and rented an actual CAR. Drove right past all the resorts and beaches and farmland to the top of a dormant volcano. This picture below is only about half way up. I think it's 10,000 ft or so. Shed would spout off all the details to you but I can only describe it as....well.....really HIGH.
Speaking of "high" how is it that little children can so often look doped up in pictures? Either from showing no lack of self-confidence or social inhibitions or from sheer pleasure/delight at being able to FINALLY wear that costume and makeup....no one can say for sure. It's uncanny really.
But back to those heights. Another really cool thing to do in Hawaii is get up on TOP of the clouds and then pretend to jump off suey-style. But I'm too composed to do such a thing really.
Shed on the other hand, bless his heart. (no one was hurt in the taking of these pictures....unless you count the dozen or so other tourists laughing their behinds off at our antics....that can hurt the abs sometimes)
Ah. Shadow shots. That there is the center of the crater-volcano-thingy. I DID actually graduate from college. But geography wasn't one of my best subjects.
It's really weird feeling like you are kinda sorta flying way up there above the clouds. Weird and cold. Very, very cold. You'd think someone would have told you to pack parkas when visiting Hawaii right? Geez.
Speaking of parkas. Just kidding. I just wanted to show you the only significant piece of food our garden produced this fall. Sure, in the summer we had tomatoes and bell peppers...even some basil and stuff. But our poor little punkin plants only could squeeze out this little peanut. ::sigh::
Speaking of little peanuts. Someone take me to a place where this picture doesn't hurt so much. He honest to goodness sat still as a statue while I took 10 minutes to color his face like that, while simultaneously looking at the picture of the computer of how to draw such a face. By the way, his costume is pronounced "skeyeeton". And no one can change my mind about that.
Speaking of fat tourists. My good friend lent me a couple of costumes in honor of our trip to Hawaii. What are you trying to say? But luckily my boys thought they were the coolest thing since fruit by the foot. And I mean that quite literally, they think fruit by the foot is manna from heaven.
It's unusual to see "saddlebags" that low on a person, let alone a male person. But I really think they pulled it off.
Speaking of pulling it off.........check out our timing on the top of that volcano in Maui.
::Pause for deep breath and large sigh from blog author::
You gize can join in too. Don't feel like I'm the only one who gets to sigh long and deep at the beauty of such a place. You go right ahead. Really. Right now go ahead.
Cuz you'll need that oxygen when you see these three hooligans.

I hope they didn't take my laughing as insulting. It's good to know that they don't feel any sort of pressure or expectations from me to be a certain something. Besides, this will give them some conversation starters for their therapist later on in life.

Signed,
Therapy Inducer Brain Missing Blogger