Absentee

I haven't blogged in more than a month. A month! Perhaps because I'm enjoying my children being home from school...and Har still being gainfully unemployed. For example, next week we'll be camping here (p.s. we're not using a camper - because we don't have one).

See you when my summer vacation is over!

Cruisin

How do I sum up 5 days and 4 nights of fun?

art by my favorite neighbor, Mike Morris

I have 175 pictures to pick from (yes, that's an average of 35 pictures each day), and that doesn't even include those we purchased on board!

If I posted everything I want about this amazing family vacation it would be like your annoying neighbors who invite you over for cocktails and a slide show of their trip to Europe. Snooze fest! - at least for those of you who didn't get to enjoy our getaway.

Highlights and Things I Learned On Vacation:

• Party of 26. Wait! No. Make that 30.
• Rocking cruise ships will make me puke.
• If there's a water slide & a heated pool then it doesn't matter that it's about 50 degrees outside.
• $10 for me & the kids to have lunch in Ensenada includes a seat overlooking the gorgeous coast.

• Sleeping in a cave (cabin with no windows) is the only way to get all 3 of my kids to sleep past 8 am.
• When given the option my boys will choose chicken nuggets, french fries and chocolate milk over lobster, steak, ribs, and/or various delicious, high end menu items.
• Tressa makes even a busted (no pun intended) dress look good.

• Chocolate melting cake - mmmm.
• Papa turned 64 surrounded by the children and grandchildren who love him...plus a whole dining room full of unknowing party participants.
• Gary sucks at Karaoke, but is definitely the most entertaining!
• J.R. is turning into her mother - a program, really?!
• Auntie Tressa may be most of the nieces/nephews "favorite", but Riley loves me!
• Nash created a look we like to call Mexican Taxi Cab Hair.

• My kids cannot get all their homework finished on a vacation.
• I can survive without a cell phone or the internet for nearly 5 days.
• They may all be freakishly tall, but I love my three little brothers.

First Annual Carpenter/Knowlton Vacation

I could just call the it the First Ever Carpenter Vacation. Yes, we've travelled. Yes, we've called those travels vacations. But EVERY vacation we have ever taken together has involved visiting our family. But I digress...

This time around we planned a week long camping trip at South Carlsbad State Beach with our BFFs the Knowltons. Rachel and I have been best friends since we were 15. Our husbands, kids and dogs are all the best of friends. Rachel likes to say they have no choice :-) but they really do all love each other. Here's the proof...

What we did on our summer vacation...

We had lots of visitors! Some of us looked cute. Har surfed for the first time.We all played in the waves. We relaxed in the shade.We had an impromptu Pirate Day.Nobody liked this stuff, and there was LOTS of it. Everywhere.We enjoyed the view.We paid 50 cents for 3 minute showers. Well...some of us may have paid more for longer showers.We roasted marshmallows. Some of us ate s'mores.We enjoyed cool treats. Some of us were messier than others.And we exercised...lots.