Trip Report

Lounging at "our pool"

This....

helps you deal with this.

Tom Foolery at the Beverly Hilton Poolside

Jerry and the girls flanked by two big guys.

Disney Magic...compete with that Santa!

Ella's First Roller-coaster...Whee!

Artsy Dumbo shot...is that possible?  It just captures the sunny mood of the day.

Dumbo in Flight

$20 Minnie Mouse Ears....check.  $10 Lollipop....check.

Santa Monica Pier

It was a whirlwind week to say the least.  The first half of our trip was spent east of Los Angeles.  I’m not sure how far exactly but it was one hot and sweaty car ride.  In and Out Burger just outside of LAX kicked off the trip on a good note.  Jer drove, my mom sat shot gun and I shared the back seat with the kids.  Viv had her first taste of the famous burger, “animal style”, and I thought I saw Jerry well with pride from the rear view mirror.  We had rented a three bedroom house with swimming pool for the four days we were in town and didn’t regret that decision for a minute.  The girls were amazed and were quite disappointed in the accommodations provided later in the trip in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton because, gasp...we didn’t have our own pool.  We got to see where Josh and Jen live.  A beautiful mountain town that is the perfect mix of hippy and bikers...in a really good way.  The whirlwind did not let up on the second half of our trip.  Jer and I are now able to cross off “Disneyland” on our list of parental duties.  The kids have reached the pinnacle of kid-dom and it did not disappoint.  Disneyland truly is magical.  There was nary a melt-down to be had.  Viv slipped into a sweet coma half way through the day and woke refreshed, ready for more happy.  Ella got to meet the princesses and although she clammed up and could only manage to thrust her autograph book into their gloved hands, she left fulfilled.  Side note:  Snow White took my breath away.  Jerry heard me murmur to myself, “she could sing to birds” and gave me crap about it for the rest of the trip.  You could say I was smitten.  Where do they find these girls?  Clearly none of them are mothers.  

The remainder of the trip was spent at the beach because what is more California than that?  We went to Leo Carillo State Park and explored tide pools, watched surfers and climbed rocks.  We then went to Malibu Seafood.  I was half hoping to run into the cast from the OC but was pleased enough with the ahi tuna and shrimp.  Speaking of food, we dined at Momed in Beverly Hills and Marix in West Hollywood.  We had ice cream for lunch at Sprinkles and fell in love with the cupcake ATM.  It was a stellar week.  I was so happy that the four, sometimes five (including Mimi), sometimes seven (Josh and Jen too), could disconnect from everything else and connect with each other.  Pretty impressive with a wedding and everything.  I’m home now.  I’m sitting in the basement as the laundry churns.  Nanang and Tatang picked us up from the airport with a home cooked meal waiting for us in Oak Park.  I am a lucky girl.  I am a tired girl.

Josh & Jen

It was such an honor being a part of Jen and Josh’s big day.  They were married last Saturday, September 22nd in Hemet, California.  There were so many reasons to be excited about their nuptials.  First and foremost, Josh picked the right girl.  I’m pretty sure my mom and I did a collective “phew” when he told us he was going to pop the question.  So it was with great happiness that we add to the Karela name.  Secondly, Ella and Viv got top billing in the events as Flower Girl and Ring Bearer, respectively.  I’m not sure if flailing on the ground, refusing to be part of the photographs and covering their homemade dresses in grass stains was in the job description...but eh, we blame it on the jet lag and hope that Josh and Jen were so blinded by their love for one another that two misbehaving nieces could be forgiven.  **  Third, I got to sit at a table full of Johnsons and Karelas.  I can’t underscore how tremendous this was for me.  Really tremendous.  Lastly, I got to toast my brother.  It’s not often in life that you get to speak publicly about the ones you love.  I think we should task ourselves to do this much more often.  Even though the act of public speaking is somewhere in between having my shoulder dislocated and eating Vegemite in terms of things that I like to do; the actual process of writing the speech and having the opportunity to honor my brother was an exercise that brought me great happiness...because he is an amazing man...and I take full credit.  Just kidding!

I can’t wait to see the pictures.     

Mother of the Groom, getting ready

A deliriously tired but happy big sis...where am I even looking?

**And how does one discipline two children when you are wearing heels and a bridesmaid dress?  How does one try to redirect their child as vows are being exchanged and all of your family and your brother’s new family looks on?  Answer is, you don’t.  You do your best impersonation of a ventriloquist, threats spewing from your tight smile, hoping one will have an impact and then get a glass of wine and ignore.  Thanks Aunt Judy for the advice ; )

Sprinkles For Lunch

A Cupcake ATM people.  Why didn't I think of this!

Leo Carillo State Park, Malibu

She Smiles!

Ella while building a sandcastle with her Dad.

Her dad building.

Climbing rocks as the tide came in.

Working hard at getting a smile from Viv.  Camera fatigue was evident from the onset of our trip.

So Ella, here is the latest on your eye health.  You were diagnosed in June with an astigmatism in your right eye which lead to ambliopia.  Say that five times fast.  Basically, the eye with an astigmatism was starting to weaken and your strong eye was calling all of the shots.  The weak eye was like, "why not?" and took a back seat.  That is until we started patching your strong eye to reign in some of it's power forcing the weak one to step it up.  And guess what?  It did!  After two months of patching for four hours a day it worked!  Congrats kid.  You did this with nary a complaint!  That is no small feat as it certainly got in the way once or twice at the pool, not to mention made seeing a major chore.  We have totally down played the praise because this was not an option my friend...this was your vision.  But yippee kid!  There is still a 25% chance of relapse which would mean pulling out the patch again.  Your eye continues to develop until the age of 10 or 11 so we've got some time to go.  But for now, it's back to four eyes which I know is much, much better than three.
xo    

Chief Purple Feather

 
 Ella's fever has been over for the last twenty-four hours and it seemed like her symptoms had rounded the corner.  Jerry left on a golf weekend with his buddies and I decided that a Native American Pow-Wow was just what the doctor ordered.  Earlier in the week we took a quick jaunt to Chinatown for dumplings.  We sat in the back room of our favorite bakery with a bunch of old men, chain smoking, drinking tea and barking at each other in Cantonese.  Ella and Viv watched wide eyed from their folding chairs.  On the way home, we cruised through Pilsen as I rigorously took mental notes on our next outing.  I know that there are at least five taquerias with our name on them.  I began to wonder this weekend about my minor obsession with exploration.  I guess I've never spent much time questioning it.  But now that I have children, I want them to understand that there is a huge wide world out there just waiting to be observed.  And the more you observe, the more you learn about yourself.  The more you observe, the more tolerant you become.  I want my daughters to be able to see that success and happiness can be defined in so many ways and may lie beyond what they see each day in Oak Park.  I feel that it is my job as a parent to expose them to life beyond their backyard.  What we live day in and day out is such a tiny slice of the pie.  I realize that these are only small excursions in and around Chicago but why not get to know what this city has to offer in some deep and meaningful way.  This Saturday night, as they danced to the throbbing beat of the drum circle, purple feathers flying, I knew the message was on some level received.    

Who are these guys?  It was hard to believe that nine years have passed.  Nine years!  Looking back at those two fresh faces, what would I say to them if I ran into them on the street?  I know that I would admire their affection, the ease of their laughter.  I would envy their twenty-seven year old social calendars and city sense.  What could I tell her about their future?  I guess I would reassure them about what a great choice they made.  That even when their days involve more refereeing and diaper changes than cocktails and lazy mornings, the partner she chose still makes her laugh just as hard and continues to invoke awe.  He will be the guy that has "Siblings Without Rivalry" on his nightstand...which without question gives him an "A" in the literary hotness department.  I would assure her that he continues to capture her eye, with his style, his class and his smile.  I would hope that they would enjoy their years of marriage before kids...as I know they did.  It built a strong foundation and years of reserves to draw from.  Happy Anniversary you two...you continue to make a good pair.

Two Wheels!