Golden State Feis - San Francisco

This past weekend we traveled to San Fran for an Irish dance competition.  This would be Sarah's 1st time competing as a preliminary champion.  I think we both had a lot of nerves going into this.  Although I knew she could hold her own in the competition, you never know how good everyone else is going to be and you want the whole experience to be a positive one.  Thankfully, she did very well and ended up placing 3rd out of 7.  So we were both very happy and it made for a fun weekend with lots of smiles!  She also placed 3rd in her Treble Reel special.  So very exciting to have completed the 1st prelim and now we look to the future and try to go after that 1st win.  In Irish dancing she needs to win 2 times in prelim in order to move up to open champion.  Open champion is the highest level you can go in Irish dancing. 

San Fran is such a wonderful city and it is even more spectacular when the weather is great.  We had a wonderful weekend and had so much fun seeing the sights!  Here are some pics from the weekend.

 

Pier 39 - They love the carousel and shopping for "junk"!  I love the food.  Crab was had for dinner.

 

Our view of Union Square from the hotel room.

The Golden Gate bridge is my favorite.  We drove across it to get some photos and have lunch at Sam's in Tiburon and then we did a boat cruise to view it from the water.

Boudin Sourdough bread

Ghiradelli hot fudge sundae.  My salty caramel hot cocoa was great too!

Spring Break - Palm Desert

When trying to plan spring break we decided that the #1 most important thing that the kids would like to do is swim.  Since it didn't make much sense to travel 1000's of miles just so they could splash in a pool, we decided to just go here in our own backyard - Palm Springs.  Technically Palm Desert.  To me, the whole area is Palm Springs. Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Desert, etc... We also decided that since we rarely get to travel with friends that we would try to make this a get together with other families, as well.  So we ended up with about 4 other families, chose the JW Marriott in Palm Desert, and called it a long weekend! 

The kids (and there were a lot of them) loved the pool time, the evening "dive in" movies, the little boats that took you around the property, and the buffet!  The adults liked that the kids were happy (and the buffet).  We also happen to be there over Easter weekend, so they had a big celebration on Easter morning with a big egg hunt and the Easter bunny jumping out of an airplane.

View from our room

In addition to our weekend in Palm Springs, we also enjoyed a few extra fun days in and around L.A.  Of course there was a Disney day and we also visited the Natural History Museum.

St. Patrick's Day 2013

Once again the weekend of St. Patrick's Day was a busy one for us.  We had shows in a few places around the South Bay.  Including here in our own backyard, Hermosa Beach.  The annual parade is always a favorite for my girls.  This year Lauren walked with her musical theater group.  Here are some pics from the weekend.  They include making a leprechaun trap and making cupcakes!

Vamos Rafa!

To say I have an slight obsession with Rafael Nadal might be an understatement.  Of course, just by taking a look at the guy you can see why he instantly caught my attention and was an early favorite of mine.  However, the more I read about this guy and the more interviews I see, I am convinced he is so much more than a good looking Spaniard who is an amazing tennis player.  He seems to have been brought up by a wonderful family who have taught him to be a great champion, have humility, not seek the spotlight, how to have some class and to value family and friends. 

Every year in March he comes to Southern California and I was determined to get out to the desert this year to see him in person.  My first attempt was a classic fail when I went out on Monday only to miss his practice and then not get to see him play due to his competitor dropping out.  So I was fortunate enough to have the 2nd chance to try again on Wednesday.  Take a look at how I spent my day.  Ultimate success! 

 

This is probably one of the few sporting events I have ever been to without a media pass, and I am certain had I had one I would have ended up meeting the guy and getting a photo with him.  Gotta get my husband to start doing some tennis matches!