Just a note

Just a quick note to comment on my misspellings and poor grammar. I type all of these posts on my android phone where the keyboard Is the size of emmets piggy toe. It often corrects me when I do not need correcting. On the flipsidr, it leaves some blatant mistakes alone. Put all that together with the size of my keypad and it is a wonder you can read this at all.
Alas, the only reliable way yo update the blog IA through my phone and 3G. We rarely have good wifi.
Anyway, just wanted my friends to know that I haven't lost all my intelligence since having children! !

Funny roadside attractions

Man, we have so many pictures of so many oddball places. We will have to put a slideshow when we get back and throw a party in the yard.
This sideshows are a hoot and some of my favorite parts of the trip. Too many to list right now, but here are some pics of a few. There is the gas station carved into rock. The Simpsons house.

Utah!!!!

Wow,  Utah is amazing.  We are doing the whirlwind tour of all 5 national Parks here in the south - Zion,  Bryce,  Capitol reef,  arches and canyonlands. We have been to the first three so far. Amazing!
The red rocks, cliffs, arches and hoodoos are so grandiose.  It sometimes seems like you are walking on the surface of another planet.
At the advice of one of my friends, we also went to goblin valley state park. It is known for having all these rocks that look lime monsters and people and just about everything in between. Emmett called it " heaven." You could run around all.of the goblins and climb them. There were mazes that went on and on. It was truly one of the most spectacular things we have seen thus far.
Here are some pics from the last week at the Utah Parks.

Las Vegas with kids? Sure.

We hadn't planned on going to Vegas.  It seemed too overwhelming,  crazy and expensive.  Funny how things work out. We looked quickly one day for laughs at the hotel prices on the strip. We figured we could swim.in the pools, take some much needed showers and eat some good food. Well, we found out that October must be the perfect time to go to Vegas.  The Excalibur,  where we stayed, was only 35 dollars a night! It had pools with water slides, a kids arcade, movies, etc. Woohoo!!!
So, we went for it. The kids loved it. It was still in the 80's or so, but the pool was nearly empty. I think 80 is cold for some people when you are used to 100 degree summers.
The Excalibur is right next to Luxor and Mandalay Bay. There is a monorail that goes back and forth from those three casinos.  We also were next to New York New York And MGM.  We did every free activity we could find.
Some pics.....

Joshua Tree was amazing

There was something very special about Joshua Tree Nat park. The trees are very beautiful and the rock formations are otherworldly.  The kids loved it, as they have both decided they want to be rock climbers. After our small jaunt to Palm Springs, this place was just what we needed. One funny thing that happened there was that we met the most eager ranger that we have ever met. He was kind of ADHD, I think. He was all over the place. After the kids finished their Junior ranger booklets he spent a frenetic 30 minutes or more asking them questions,  joking and just being goofy. We were tired and sore from hiking and ready to hit the road, but he had other ideas. It was funny. Needless to say, the kids eventually got their badge and patch, but we all worked our asses off for it!

Palm springs wins award for spankiest town in america

By spanky, I mean swanky. Whoa!
Palm springs is kind of nutty. There is this beautiful desert that has been overtaken by houses, casinos,golf courses ( in the desert!!!), boutiques,upscale restaurants, etc. It feels so wrong probably because it is very very wrong. I can't imagine how much energy and time and money it must take to keep everyone watered and fed out there. Just keeping the grass green is a monumental task.
Well, even after all that is said, we stayed over one night at an RV resort. It was nutty. It had 4 pools and nine hot spring fed spas.  Pics.

Legoland rocked

We loved legoland. It was so cool. Their special exhibit was star wars. They had every movie depicted "mini style " in legos. Took lots of pics, but they do not do the place justice. There were life-size Lego creations of just about everything, animals, presidents, celebrities, American cities, etc. Too cool.
The rides were amazing too. There was a rollercoaster that went through a Lego castle!
There was a huge room where you could play all the Lego Xbox 360 games on big screen. They also had kinect, which was about the coolest thing ever. Kids (and Carl) were in heaven.
Legoland also has an aquarium that is next door to the amusement park.  It was amazing. We saw octopi and sharks and sea rays.
Coltrane and Emmett were in awe for 7 hours straight at legoland. I am not sure how we are going to top it.
Here are some pics.

One big family

The Oliverian school is where we have worked for the last 7 years. It is a very small, private school in rural NH for kids that think,  act and sometimes look outside the box. Obviously with only about 35-40 students in total,  you can get pretty close. You all start feeling like one big, crazy, dysfunctional family! I have always known this,  at least subconsciously.
Well, this past week we stayed with an alum from the school who is now 21 years old and living in Santa Barbara; JJ Mitchell. I wasn't worried about our comfort level with him; we had kept in touch and he had visited us back in NH on at least two other occasions since his graduation. What surprised me was how incredibly easy it was to be around him and how much it felt like being with family.
The visit with JJ made me realize how special the Oliverian school is. Even though we all drive each other nuts sometimes ( OK, a lot!), there is a lot of love there. Carl , Coltrane, Emmett and I really love the students like they are an extension of the family. Come to find out, they feel exactly the same way.

Aahhhh, Santa Cruz

Damn, we sure do love Santa Cruz. It is one amazing town. We were pretty mellow which was exactly what we needed.  Went to the beautiful beaches a few times. Coltrane boogie boarded. We went to the famous Mystery Spot. Mainly, we hung out with the bestest friends ever, ate good food and quenched our thirst for media. Candace and I watched some sitcoms, Carl some some documentaries with Jim, and the kids had plenty of Danny Phantom.  Good times were had by all!
Beth and Candace treated the hard working mamas to an overnight retreat to Mercey Hot Springs. Holy guacamole it was awesome! ! Healing hot pools with a clear starry sky.  Perfection.
We are off to Big Sir today for a camping weekend. We are also celebrating our 10th anniversary in the place we first got married,  Plaskett Creek Campground and sand dollar beach.  I didn't wear a wedding dress the first tme around. This time,  Beth, Candace and I got thrift store 80's dresses to wear on the beach. The plan is to jump in the water with them on. Good stuff.  I will take pics.