I'm in Love, I'm All Shook Up!

That's right. Henry was Elvis for Halloween. So damn cute. He could be my teddy bear any time. And I must give equal time to the equally adorable Audrey who was supposed to be Strawberry Shortcake but changed her mind at the last minute (like every woman) and was a butterfly instead. Spending time with Audrey and Henry has been the biggest perk of wintering in SoCal. Here's why.

I knew that Audrey and Henry's babysitter had taken them somewhere to see some chickens. For whatever reason I thought they were in someone's backyard.

Me: Audrey, does the babysitter have chickens in her yard?

Audrey: No.

Me: Where are the chickens?

Audrey: They're in the fridge, Non.

Another example. Audrey came out of her room wearing a princess costume a few weeks ago.

Rick: Audrey, you look just like a real princess!

Audrey: I am a real princess Appa. All I need is a castle, a wolf and a bush for the wolf to hide in.

The stories go on. One funnier than the last. Simply precious.

I had a terrific and much needed visit from Nancy and Colleen. Since I don't have any friends here (I am not a loser!) it was a welcome holiday from my duties as Lauren's slave. However, this visit was not without what seems to be our usual car trouble. No, not the new Traverse. We only have the Traverse here so with one car it can be challenging. The girls and I decided to rent a car for the duration of their stay to make things easier on everyone. Monday afternoon we are enjoying the views on PCH driving home from the beach in the rental. Lo and behold, the brakes went OUT. Fortunately we were near Neptune's net, and honestly, if you have to break down somewhere this is the place. Called Avis who gave us the roadside assistance number. Called roadside assistance and they said it would be 4 hours to get out to us with another vehicle. WHAT? Not acceptable in any way, shape or form. The supervisor that I spoke with advised me to drive the car back to the rental agency near LAX if I wanted to get another car sooner. I asked if the call was being recorded, and it was, so when me and my two friends die because there are no breaks in this car, this recording will be available for the lawsuit, RIGHT? Surprisingly, there was no response. Ultimately, we had it towed and did not get another car. Rick came to pick us up and we did just fine with one care for the last two days. Note to self: Do not ever, under any circumstances, rent from Avis. Morons.

Lauren is doing well. She enjoyed a much needed trip to spend a week with Nathan. And Rick and I enjoyed the time she was away. First break we have had since July 18. From empty nesters and loving it to 24/7 care. Tough deal. Her doctor back at Rush did not give her the okay to start putting weight on her foot. He said he does not want her to do anything until he sees her when we come home for Thanksgiving. We all sort of expected that. And after everything Lauren has been through theses last 3 1/2 months, we do not want to rush things and have a setback. She is so done with the crutches and I can't blame her. Hopefully in a few weeks. Fingers crossed.

Expecting rain in SoCal tomorrow. If it does rain, it will be the second time since we moved here on September 9. Far cry from October in Chicago.

Appa Love

If Only

If only the NFL donated the monies spent for pink gear to breast cancer research. Now that would be something. We all know someone. Someone's mom, friend, sister, aunt, cousin, daughter, co-worker. I am pretty certain that if I were to ask my few friends that have survived breast cancer what their take on this is, they would agree with me wholeheartedly. That being said, there was much less pink garb this year than last year. Do you think they actually read my email? Seriously. I did not email them last year but I so wanted to. I'll stop now because this could get ugly.

The Bears had a great game today. Matt Forte was on fire and Devin Hester is simply unbelievable at punt returning. Not being able to go to the games this year has been so hard. While we miss our families and friends, we miss the Bears games. Tailgate, champagne, good food, my family and a W, now that's the perfect fall day. We watched the Bears from a sports bar nearby and proudly sang the fight song with each score. Loudly. It was awesome. The bar had a special: all you can drink mimosas for $15. Sign me up. I ordered mine without orange juice. I'm confident that I drank my $15 worth and then some. So there.

And a shout out to the Fighting Illini on their big win over Northwestern yesterday. Always a contentious game in our house since Justin went to Northwestern and Lauren went to U. of I. But it was a nail biter to the end. The Illini won it in the last minute after coming from way behind. Man I love football. Especially when my teams are winning. That's the key.

Lauren goes to see the doctor at USC tomorrow for the first time. He will take X-rays and send them back to her doctor at Rush. Her physical therapy is progressing nicely and she is able to move her foot/ankle a little more with each session. With any luck, tomorrow she will get the okay to go in the pool. Nice to be in California with this great weather, not so nice if you can't go in the pool.

We had to skip the farmer's market this weekend because I cannot possibly eat all the fruits and vegetables I am buying. I really need to get a grip and the first step in doing that is to stay away for one Saturday. Going just for the flowers might have been a good idea but I know that I could not go there and only buy flowers. I just stayed away and I'm proud of myself for not caving.

Saturday was instead spent with Audrey and Henry. Those kids are so special. I know everyone says that about their grandkids, but you've never met Aud and Henry. Audrey is still smitten with her Appa but I got her attention most of yesterday. Nothing compares to the deep belly laugh of a toddler. The kind where they can't even control themselves and sometimes end up with hiccups from. I witnessed a lot of that yesterday. And big Hank, he has lots to say but you can't understand a thing. He will come up to you and look you in the eye and go on and on about something that is apparently very important to him. Not understanding all but two words you respond with, "really?" then he looks at you so seriously and says, "BRGNT!" And he continues about his business. Awesome.

On this week's agenda:

Dr. David Thordarson

Malibu Seafood for whole lobsters

Dog beach with Ozzy, but only once. He is getting too old for twice in one week.

And maybe a massage

Life is good in Southern California.

Its Official

Skating is over and Lauren is heading to California this summer. Two big whammies.

IllinoiSkating actually got the chance to spend a day at Disneyland before competing. This photo is of the four seniors, at Disneyland, who skated all four years. There were others but they didn't last. Illinois placed 8th out of 9 teams. They had their best skates of the year and you can't ask for more than that. So sad to see it end. I can hardly look at the pictures without tearing up a bit. It's been a crazy 12 years. But so much fun. To my daughter: While I will miss all the good times we shared during your skating career, I am totally psyched for the next stage of your life. Pepperdine look out!

Yep. Its a done deal. Lauren will be attending Pepperdine University . We went for a tour and she was sold. We were sold. It wasn't hard to sell any of us. The campus is gorgeous and the graduate program that Lauren will be in only takes 6-12 students per year with about half of them continuing studies to pursue doctorate degrees, something Lauren is interested in. Most of her classes will be 6-12 students with the exception of her few "gen ed" classes that will have about 20-22. There are only 3500 total students at Pepperdine, smaller than Lauren's high school by 500. Wow. What an opportunity. Good for her. She has worked very hard, not only in college, but high school as well. I have always said that good things happen when you work hard. I think she gets it. First thing on her list is taking surfing lessons with her brother!

As for our time with the grandkids.......Too short. Audrey and Henry are growing up so fast. Henry is the happiest baby you have ever seen. The only time that kid fusses is when he is tired or hungry. That makes things so simple. Feed him or give him a nap. All the pictures can be viewed here. Disneyland, story time, park trips, meals and just plain fun. And we get to see them again in August when we take Lauren to school. Yippee!

He's a Keeper

Henry looks just like Audrey when she was born. I wanted to post a picture of Aud at one week next to Henry but I don't know how to post two pictures side by side. Too advanced for a suburban blogger.