Back Home and Dinner at EVER

Monday, June 19th: Happy Juneteenth!

We got home from CA last night and Theo is still sick. My parents decided to stay for a few extra days so that I can run some errands and they can watch Theo. We are hoping he will be all better by Thursday because that is "Splash Pad Day" at ESY!

I took my triathlon shirts to the local lady that made our family vacation shirts. She was able to put the correct numbers on them.

[Much better!]

Tuesday, June 20th:

I listened to our FL Property Master HOA meeting and then went to get my allergy shots, while my parents hung out with Theo.

That night Josh and I went to one of the four Two Star Michelin restaurants in Chicago. They are expecting to get that coveted Three Star rating in the next few months.

[Ever]

We had 10 courses and I enjoyed all of them!

Course 1: Oscietra Grand Reserve Caviar, hazelnut, honeydew, and lemon balm

Course 2: Hamachi, finger lime, ginger, and blue basil

This one was my least favorite of the night. The fish was flash frozen with liquid nitrogen just as it leaves the kitchen so it's served cold (it thaws as you eat it).

Course 3: White Asparagus, smoked trout, citrus, and dill

This one was surprisingly good! The whipped trout caught me off guard, but it was really good! 

Fresh bread with butter 😋

Course 4: Rabbit, carrot, rhubarb, hoja santa

This was one of my favorites! The rabbit was super tender and the tempura added a nice crunch.

Course 5: Scallop, coconut, squash, nasturtium

Course 6: Pork Cheek, artichoke, speck, chive

Course 7: Miyazaki, date, pickle, and black mint

This was by far the strangest course. The meat was wagyu and it just melted in your mouth! The pink stuff on the white styrofoam was tendon. Kinda strange, but pretty tasty!

We then got to the dessert part!

Course 8: Banana, hibiscus, passion fruit, and fennel

This was delicious! It was essentially a mixture of different fruit on top of sticky rice (similar to desserts you get at Thai restaurants).

Course 9: Chocolate, jasmine, strawberry, marigold

This outer shell is a sorbet and once you hit it with your spoon it opens and the inside is full of chocolate 😋

Course 10: Belgium waffle, black truffle, and maple

Our final delicious course was a tiny, warm Belgium waffle on a stick. It was the perfect way to end the night!

Thanks mom and dad for babysitting!

Wednesday, June 21st:

The next morning I headed to see my new family doctor. I've been seeing my OBGYN in Ottawa since I was pregnant with Theo, but my two favorite OBGYNS just left the practice. So I decided it wasn't worth the drive anymore and it was time to find a local doctor.

She did a physical with a pap smear and pelvic exam and ordered some blood work. Everything is all clear!

After I got home from my appointment my parents headed back to Ohio. Thanks for staying with us and for planning such a fun vacation!

Thursday, June 22nd:

Theo finally felt well enough to go to ESY today! He was very excited to go to the splash pad and to see all of his friends!

Ms Jess said that Theo had a great time at the splash pad and loved lounging in his chair!

Friday, June 23rd:

Theo doesn't have ESY on Friday's, so we just hung out until PT at 2:30 PM. 

Saturday, June 24th:

I worked on a more detailed itinerary for my girls trip to Hilton Head in October, while Theo and Josh wrestled!

You can tell that Theo is feeling better when he wants to play and wrestle all day!

When I checked in on my Angels I saw that they were up 23 to 0 in the 5th! Insane! They ended up scoring 25 runs that game!

Sunday, June 25th:

Josh took Theo's iPad to Best Buy to see if they could fix it. They said they couldn't and we should just buy a new one (for $500). Josh said no and took it to a local repair shop. They were able to fix it for $175! Nice!

Since they need to keep Theo's iPad for a few days, I'll have to send Theo to school with his Tonie's. He loves his music!

[Seriously 🙄]

CA Reunion - Part XI: Flight Home

Sunday, June 18th:

Happy Father's Day!

Mom, Dad, Theo, and I left our house in Carlsbad and made the hour drive north to the Santa Ana airport. We were given priority at TSA, so we were able to get through quickly and easily.

Since we had some time to kill, we decided to grab a burger at Ruby's. Yes, it's another CA classic!

 I gave Theo a melatonin and some Tylenol and he ended up sleeping for most of the flight. I also turned his carseat sideways so he could rest his legs on mine. 

Josh met us at the airport at 7:30 PM in our van. We were able to fit all five of us (plus our luggage) comfortably in our van. It really was a great purchase!

We went to Portillo's for a late dinner and then headed home.

AND THAT'S A WRAP!

Highlights from our trip include:

-Having all 21 of us stay in one house (thanks Van Dusen's)

-Eating at In-N-Out, Cafe Rio, Wahoos, and Ruby's

-Going to Disneyland and CA Adventure

-Exploring the tide pools

-Attending an Angels game

-Universal Studios!

-Going on Duffy Boats around Newport and getting Balboa bars

-Attending my Papas 90th birthday party with 130 other family members

-Having a BBQ with the Tate's

-Going on a tour of So-Fi Stadium and doing the tunnel run ("Get hyped!")

-Getting taquitos and stuffed churros at Olvera St

-Planning our sibling trip to Japan

-And attending the US Open (Pacific Club perks) with my dad

Thanks mom and dad for babysitting Theo so much and for planning a great trip! And thanks to Sara and Layne for getting Brodee to us. It's always so fun when he's around! Hopefully it won't be another five years before we get to come back!

I added two new pins to my United States travel map: Chargers helmet and a pin from the 123rd US Open.

CA Reunion - Part X: 123rd US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club in Beverly Hills

Saturday, June 17th:

The next morning dad and I headed up to Beverly Hills to attend 123rd US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club. It took about two hours to get to the US Open from Carlsbad, but it wasn't a bad drive at all. We arrived at lunch time so we made our way through the course to the Pacific Club.

[LACC where the 18th hole is]

We found our Pacific Club, grabbed some complimentary lunch, and sat out at the bar. I joked that we were going to get hit by a ball and then we almost did!

Puig hit the ball a little off the fairway and right at us!

The 14th hold was a par 5 so we were able to see a lot of action as the golfers came through.

[Inside of the Pacific Club]

After getting lunch we headed to the rooftop bar and enjoyed the views for a while. It's hard to leave the Pacific Club when we have unlimited drinks, unlimited food, unlimited SMART WATER, air conditioning, AND our own bathrooms, but we found the courage and headed onto the course.

[Lionel Richie's house]

On our way out of the Pacific Club, we stopped and got some unlimited gelato. It was perfect on this warm day!

[The beautiful course with Lionel Richie's house in the background]

[Dustin Johnson aka DJ - a fan favorite]

After walking around for a few hours we made our way back to the air conditioned Pacific Club. Right as we came back they started putting out macaroons, fresh cut prosciutto, crab, and shrimp! 

[I drank so much Smart Water!]

We stayed at the Pacific Club until the top players came through. Once Dustin Johnson and Harris English went through we headed to the 18th hole to wait for everyone to show up.

[DJ on the 14th]

[Waiting on the 18th]

[Beautiful Country Club at sunset]

[Dustin Johnson and Harris English on the 18th]

[Rory Mcllroy - another fan favorite]

[The Leaders - Rickie Fowler (pink) and Wyndham Clark]

After the guys finished for the day, we headed to the store so I could buy a pin and dad bought a signed poster. I had no idea what to expect when we bought these tickets, but I had a blast! Thanks dad for showing me around!

And thanks mom for hanging out with Theo!