Thousand Oaks: A New Era, part 2 summer

 

     June continued on, and there was still a lot of this kind of stuff going on: unpacking boxes and sanding/restaining furniture. (This particular table - a large bamboo one from Crate and Barrel has been our dining room table for around 11 years.)

 

We were sad that the top received a little wear/warping from the storage unit hurricane debaucle.

 

Ryan worked on it, though, and now honestly I like it more than ever. (I feel like this pic doesn't do it justice, and I can't show the entire table because it's so messy right now.)

     We had plenty of time to sneak away for fun, though. These two joined me in a drive to Orlando to watch my beautiful niece play volleyball one afternoon.

     Tornado, Sis, and I went to watch Won't You Be My Neighbor? First of all, I love the Tampa Theater so much. It's one of my favorite things about living in Tampa. And the movie: I LOVED IT. I walked away wanting to be a better person, believing more in the goodness of mankind. I always assumed Mr. Rogers was a good, sweet man who seemed to have a pretty successful show, and I never thought about him much past that. He was a beautiful human who put forth so much love into the world. If you never saw it, please watch it.

 

     One day we went to watch How To Train Your Dragon 2 at a dollar summer movie showing with my friends and their kids.

     Our kittens were still thriving and growing and being the little loves of our lives.

Little Man got a hair cut!

     I took off on a little road trip by myself one day. I rented a cute, tiny moving van to retrieve some pieces of furniture from my mom and dad's house. I always enjoy using a weekend getaway to recharge my mother batteries. I'm not someone who needs a lot of time away from my kids during normal weeks (Hello, Attachment Parenting). I don't watch a lot of tv, I don't have any vices other than chocolate, I don't hang out with people a lot in Florida. But please give me a couple of nights every few months to sleep alone and think solid thoughts in my head that aren't interrupted every two minutes. 

 

     I got to visit a little bit with my parents, sister, niece, nephew, other sister, and a couple of friends while I was in Arkansas. I also stopped by Memphis to find a good meal and walked around Beale Street for an hour or so, which I don't think (?)  I've done since college. And I returned home with my big, old dollhouse my dad made us when I was in college, a dresser, the hope chest my great granny left me in her will (as her first great granddaughter), and my Jenny Lind bed I grew up with.

 

     While I was gone, these cuties worked on pulling weeds from our pretty landscaping.

     This was the "summer of slime." It was constant. It turned into the "year of slime." Which has only increased in its intensity.

 

    Other things were made, too. Like this "potion." I'm not certain what is in it other than green food dye and dog food.

     And this vegan strawberry cheesecake and vegan puppy chow which WERE edible and delicious.

 

     Speaking of vegan food, a new place opened in Tampa called Quality Foods. You can get a lot of vegan products here such as meat, cheese, and desserts. You can also order from a menu, which we did one day when we needed a quick lunch and picked up this cheese/meat/olive/bread plate with fresh mustard.

And a big summer trip...

4th of July trip to my mom and dad's house

 

     My kids' favorite times of their lives include hanging out with grandparents and cousins.

     If you ask them if they wanted to go on a luxury vacation or go see their relatives, they would either be greatly torn or choose seeing their family.

my babies!

The girls tried out Sister's bubble gum making science kit.

There was lots of lego building and board game playing.

 

Tornado is now officially the tallest member of my entire family!

My dad might be Ninja's favorite person.
He has always been that way.

Papaw's tree house