soak city

back in january, while we were dressed in uggs and sweaters, the teen and i signed up for the "drenched 5K," scheduled for late july.  seems like forever ago.  maybe 'cuz it was, huh?  and when it was originally announced, the venue was somewhere in the valley - so it would be extra blazing hot when the time came.  yum.  lucky for me, they announced that the party was being moved to exposition park - much closer to me, and an area i was somewhat familiar with from other events i've attended there.

with the bean off on another summer school field trip, the teen and i headed out to studio city for packet pick-up.

it was oh-so-conveniently held at road runner sports, which is basically runner heaven.  although my wallet managed to escape unscathed, we got an eyeful of all sorts of great gear.

the next day, we made the trek out to l.a. and arrived in plenty of time for our 10am start time.

plus, i got to see my friend delovely details (and her hubby).

we hadn't brought any to add to the pile, but the staff was busily setting up the ammo for the giant water balloon fight that would take place at the end of the race.

to go with the theme, there were lots of beach balls bouncing around through the crowd.

this one didn't make it.

as we were finally released onto the course, this dude was gleefully spraying the crowd with a fire hose.

not too much later, we encountered the first of two foam stations.  i was glad the bean had bowed out after all, because she'd have been buried alive in the stuff like this little girl.

i thought it was pretty stinking fun, although the teen wasn't as enthralled as i was.

we got to run past the rose garden.

more foooooooaaaaaaaaam!

the course was basically two loops around the same route.  a little boring, and according to my app, not quite 5K.  oh, well.  at the end was - you guessed it - more foam, plus a slip-and-slide.  with my leg still scarred from the scratches i got from the one at the ROC race a couple of weeks ago, i decided i didn't really want to risk more.

and that was that.

i wanted to get a cool shot in front of the coliseum, but this dude was busy having a freaking photo shoot and totally hogged the spot i wanted to pose in front of.  so i had the teen take this instead.

ha!  he was REALLY into it.

sew much fun

remember waaaaay back when i tackled sewing an iPad sleeve with a matching cosmetic bag for one of my twirlies?  she recently hit me up to do another set to match a new bag she'd just ordered from jump from paper:

it'd been quite some time since i'd last fired up the ol' sewing machine.  hell, i was wondering if i still remembered how to turn the damn thing on.  and yet once i got started, it was just like riding a bike - all came back to me like it'd just been yesterday.

instead of using fabric with a color-coordinated print on it, i thought it would be fun to create the pieces using solid color blocks.  although i must say, working on this project gave me a fat ass craving for some candy corn.  see?

i was a little bummed that the tutorial i'd used for the cosmetic case was no longer available.  figures, huh?  but i'm a crafty chick.  using this tutorial and tweaking it a little to use velcro instead of a zipper, i ended up with this:

they look pretty good together, yes?  i was pretty pleased with how it all turned out.

happily, so is my friend.  yay!

and since i was on a roll, i decided to throw something quick and easy together.  the teen and i had found this pre-shirred, pre-hemmed fabric at joann's, and picked it up to make a dress for the bean.

like, seriously - it comes like that by the yard.  all i had to do was measure, cut, and sew.  voila!  instant gratification at its best, people.

and because there was just enough on the bolt beyond the yard i'd requested to have cut to make another dress in a smaller size, the teen suggested that i take advantage of the half-off discount and present the bean's BFF mini cee with a matching one.  great idea!

i'd say they're pretty excited to be twinsies for real.

now i'm all fired up to get started on more sewing projects.  i'd forgotten how much fun it is - and now i can scour through my extensive pinterest board for things to do.  let the creative juices flow!

familiarity

i really haven't spent a whole lot of time around my family in several years.  if you've been reading for awhile, you'll likely remember why.  so to be perfectly honest, i've been okay with this for the most part.  now and then, especially during major holidays, random memories would pop up and i'd miss [most of] them...but hey, life goes on, right?

and then i heard that one of my beloved cousins was getting married - the one whose daughter was born just a week before the bean.  i was pleasantly surprised to find a save-the-date in the mail not long after hearing the news, since i hadn't been around at all and figured i'd probably been written off completely.  and i'll admit it - when it came time to send in the RSVP, i wasn't at all sure of which box i should check.  i mentioned my hesitation to the hub, whose response was pretty much "duh, of course we should go!"  and that was that.

the bean got to pick out her very first pair of "high heels" for the occasion.

the day dawned cloudy, slightly drizzly, and not just a little humid.  but rain is good luck, yes?  we pulled up to the church a little early, and the first person we saw was cousin seven.  do you love how all of our dresses somehow coordinated perfectly?  yay!

as we entered the church, we were greeted by my grandma, plus all of my aunts and uncles.  i don't think i'd seen them in two years - not since cousin r's wedding.  it was really nice to see everyone, and i was relieved not to run into any of the people i was hoping not to see.

my cousin looked nervous but happy as he stood at the altar, waiting for his bride.

and when she was escorted in by her parents, the bean stared in awe.

before the ceremony, she'd spotted my cousin's daughter all glammed up in her flower girl's ensemble with her hair all done and the whole nine.  "mommy, i want to do that!" she said in a stage whisper.  she is so my kid.

the ceremony included a full catholic mass.  i knew the bean was getting antsy, so i untied the ribbon from the multi-page program we'd been given, flipped it over, and handed her a set of markers that i keep in my purse for times like this.  sometimes i am blown away by my own genius.  also, her drawings crack me up.

it was a lovely wedding.

the reception didn't start for several hours, so we went home and hung out until it was time to head out to pasadena.  their venue was on the upper floor of the paseo colorado, and i was looking forward to checking it out.

cocktail hour was in full swing, and as we mingled and chatted with various family members the bean found a nice little cluster of kids her age to hang out with.

she looked like a little princess in the dress i'd found at macy's for like 60% off.

as for me, i'd chosen a lovely little frock by kate spade - via rent the runway.  LOVED it (the bean was over the photo ops by then).

pretty flowers.

i always appreciate when party hosts think of little details like this:

and if that hadn't been enough, my mom had it covered too.

obligatory silly face selfies.

the bean's meal came out first - chicken strips with fries.

we hit up the photo booth before it got too crowded.

family photos.

with the hub out on the patio with a cigar and about half the party, the bean got down on the dance floor.

we finally called it a day around 10pm.  the bean was visibly tired, and we figured it was a good time to  head home.  on our way out, we ran into the happy couple.  my cousin was...uh, extra happy, shall we say?  he chatted with the hub about current events and life in general before giving me a giant hug and telling me how much he missed us.  my cold, black heart defrosted just a little, and i finally admitted to myself that i really do miss my family.  and then after confirming who held the keys for the drive home, he steered me to the bar for just one shot together.  yikes.  it buuuuurrrrrrned.  i'm such a lightweight.

the next day, i got an invitation via text from seven to a barbecue at the bride and groom's house.  the bean, still on a high from all the "new friends" she made at the wedding, was all about going.  and after the fun of my own that i'd had with my cousins, i'd decided that maybe it was time to start attending family get-togethers again.  at least the bean could get to know another part of her family that she'd never really known before.

we had a really great time, and with the news of my cousin r and her husband preparing to move back to california after quite a few years away, i'm hopeful for more quality time in the near future.

closure, yo.  i think i's got it.

i take too many phone pics.

you know what i haven't done in a loooooong time?  iPHONE DUMP!

i found a really cute sofia the first costume for the bean at target for less than half of what disney wants for their version.  although she's never been really big on the whole dress-up thing, she does think it's fun to wear costumes to disneyland.

it was fun to watch her "rock climbing" in this getup.

sofia recently made her debut at california adventure, greeting fans just outside the disney junior theater.  while we waited in line to meet her, the bean made a few friends:

and then was super stoked for her official photo op.

as for the teen - well, she just opened her very first solo bank account (it's still really weird not to have to sign stuff on her behalf anymore).

i participated in a virtual run - you register with a group who's usually raising money for charity, run the distance on your own, and earn a medal.  cool, right?

beach day!  lugging sand and water is hard work, yo.

the teen and i snuck off to the 'land one day while the bean was out on a field trip with her summer school class.  it was fun to enjoy a few of the rides that the bean refuses to go on.

we got to partake in one of the special treats they were offering during a limited-time "christmas in july" deal.  peppermint sundae, anyone?

speaking of the 'land...this is part of our parking stub collection for the year.  heh.

the bean is funny, man.  she was mad at me for some reason one day and put this sign on her door.

i was making dinner at the time, and she must've gotten tired of waiting for my reaction because she eventually called me over to show it to me.  and then she promptly burst into tears and wailed "mommmmmyyyy, i'm so sorry i hurt your feeeeeeeeeeelings!"  this kid, man.

and then there was this.

this was dinner after an impromptu trip to the aquarium.

lastly, she just about melted into a puddle when we went to petsmart to stock up on food for molly.

quite a captive audience she had there, huh?  and yes, she wanted to take them all home.

pssssh.  as if.