Temecula 2016

One of my favorite people is Karie. I also happen to really like her hubby Ben and son Thomas. T is 5 years old. I couldn't wait to hang out with him. If you know me, you know this is a BIG deal! T is awesome, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with his parenting!!

Anyway, Karie and I decided many months ago that we needed to spend more than just a night or two hanging out. So, I spent a wonderful long weekend there in Temecula with the Whites! And we did SOOOO much!! It was great!!

Thursday evening we had a nice dinner at home and relaxed a bit. Karie and I keep in touch but there is always catching up to do!! And we had a big weekend of events so it was good to have some down time just chilling. Also, Ben was spending the weekend in LA so I was glad to have some time to chat with him too.

Friday, Karie and I dropped T off at summer camp (it was sports week!!) and went off to tea. I really didn't know what to expect when Karie suggested this. But I'm game for anything and I like tea. It was the cutest little tea house in Escondido. Actually, we were a little early and stopped in the antique mall next door. We both want to go back! So many treasures and all reasonably priced!! Anyway, the tea house had tables set with adorable tea pots and such. Each table had a different set which I thought was cool. They had an array of hats to wear so that we felt even more girlie :) And the food was AMAZING!!! Fruit with homemade whipping cream (there was no vegan eating that day!!), asparagus soup (always a fave), finger sandwiches (the dill spread was delectable!), quiche (I could've eaten a pie plate's worth!), blueberry scones with some sort of homemade creamy stuff to go on top (I didn't even try the fruity stuff on top), and several desserts but the chocolate mousse was to die for!!

After tea, we set out for Temecula because we had pedicure appointments. Of course, there was traffic. According to my google map app there was an accident just beyond where we needed to be. Karie knew a shortcut though so we were "only" 45 minutes late. We had called and warned them though. Best pedicure ever (it had been a while so I suppose it could've been awful and I wouldn't have noticed!)!! We picked different colors, but they were basically the same very bright pink. I smile looking at my toes now :)

Let's see, after we had pretty toes, it was time to go get T. We had a little bit of time at home to relax and then it was off to BASEBALL!! Yup, one of our traditions is to go see the Lake Elsinore Storm play ball. They are an affiliate of the San Diego Padres. It was Friday Firework night and we were all excited. It was also toothbrush night and faith night. The stadium was quite full with church groups and such. We got our free toothbrush though!

The Storm won a pretty good game. They played the Visalia Rawhides. There was a homer or two, a questionable call or two - you know, fun baseball!!

Saturday began with a karate lesson for Karie and T. I went to watch. I kinda wish I'd dressed to participate. They had fun and learned some cool moves and definitely got in a workout!! On the way home we ran a few errands and had really good Chinese food. We relaxed for a bit and then it was time for another adventure!

The City of Temecula seems to have some pretty awesome community events. One of which is movies in the park. Well, for this one, they added the element of camping in the park! So, we hauled out our tents and sleeping bags and chairs and pitched our tents right there in the outfield of the city park's baseball field!! A lifetime friend of Karie's and her family were with us, along with at least 100 others!! I'm pretty sure there were 30 tents, some of them big enough for 8-10 people comfortably!!

Our tents. 

Different view of our 3 tents, and the space around us
is starting to fill in. 

Karie and T hanging out in their tent!

We watch The Great Outdoors on the big blow up screen. I'm not sure it's what I would've picked for a kid's event, but what do I know. I had never seen it before and thought it was good. Before the movie, they fed us hot dogs, chips and a drink. After the movie, we got to make S'mores on the fire pits. I thought it was a good idea that instead of chocolate and graham crackers, we were given fudge striped shortbread cookies. Made a yummy S'more! Then we headed to bed. Many campers around us stayed up talking but not for too long. And I had ear plugs :) The next morning they gave us a continental breakfast (packaged danishes and granola bars and such with OJ) and we packed up and headed home!

After a nice Starbucks on the back patio, we showered and went off to Church! T was quite excited because it was splash bash day. And, man, this church knows how to do a splash bash! They had a giant blow up water slide, a dunk tank (where kids could get dunked or do the dunking) and a blow up maze where the adult leader types squirted you with water guns! Karie and I went off to the service while T went to Sunday School. Water games were for after church. The preacher was very funny and I left with good vibes. T went down the water slide, stood in line to get dunked but changed his mind when it came time to actually get dunked (totally don't blame him!), had some cotton candy, and then we went home. T fell asleep on the couch in a matter of seconds and Karie and I did some last minute chatting. I left mid afternoon to try to avoid traffic. For the most part, I did!

It was SO nice having such a long, action-packed weekend to share in their lives. I can't believe T is going into Kindergarten and will be SIX next time I see him!!