Donuts and Hiking

A San Diego Facebook page posted the "Top 12 Donut Shops in SD". When I looked at the list, I was disappointed to see we have only been to 3 of the 12.  The girls are always up for donuts so I mapped out a few spots that looked close together.  But in order to consume this many calories, we had to break it up with some exercise!  We recruited Andrew too since sugar is one of the few things he actually likes to eat…ha ha!

 

1st stop…Papa's Donuts near Lake Murray.  It was nominated for it's Malsadas (a Portuguese donut without a hole).

 

 The malsadas would have been great if they didn't have the coconut cream inside.  We tried a few others and weren't that impressed either.  The donut shops in Temecula are much better!

Just a mile or 2 away is the Cowles Mountain hike.  It was the perfect 3 mile hike to try to burn a few calories.  It was a little warm out and there were lots of hikers on the trail, but we made it to the top.

and took a nice break to enjoy the views and cool breeze.

 We worked up an appetite for a healthy, protein-filled lunch, but stopped at Mary's Donuts for a few samples since it was so close.  This place had a ton of character!  The building is super old, filled with photos lining every wall and sits right next to a gas station.

 The donuts looked delicious, but were very disappointing.  They were so oily and left a film in our mouths.  

We will continue to cross more shops off of the list but so far I rank Donut Bar #1, Peterson's #2, VG's #3, Mary's #4 and Papa's #5.  However, my all-time favorite remains Voodoo in Portland, OR.  Once we finish the donut list, I think we will move onto ice cream!!

Matt's 45th

Matt kind of planned his own birthday this year when he purchased Aztec tickets months ago, but we tried to make the day special for him. I posted this little gem on Facebook to start the celebration.

 We went out to breakfast at EAT and walked around the Farmer's Market.  We came home to open some presents.  He is excited to take the girls indoor skydiving and liked the clothes and CDs from the girls.

We all sported our new SDSU gear for the basketball game against Boise State.

 It was a great game until the last 20 seconds. The Aztecs had a 9 point lead with 1:40 left in the game and ended up losing by 3, after missing 6 straight free throws!  Disappointing, but always a fun time at SDSU.

 Then we drove down to the Gaslamp Quarter for dinner at Lou and Mickey's.

 We had great seats right on the patio,

 had a nice dinner

and sang to Matt with a little Creme Brûlée.  It was good, but we still left room for Gelato at Chocolat before calling it a day.  Happy 45th Matthew!  We hope you had a great day and love you very much!

Soccer Banquet

Tonight was the final event this year's soccer season.  Thanks to a group of wonderful parent volunteers, all of the teams and families enjoyed a nice Italian dinner while each of the teams was recognized by their coaches.  The girls sure looked pretty all dressed up!  For the Varsity team, the Seniors had a chance to speak and the parents all got up to say something too.  It is a special night for them as the team and coaches wish them well and say goodbye.

It was also a special night for Taylor!  She was awarded her Varsity Letter, earned the Scholarship Award for her 4.3 GPA and was selected for the Involvement Award for all of the work she does around campus.  Although I think her soccer career is officially over, she did hint to maybe wanting a chance to be a Senior at the banquet next year.  We shall see...

Goodbye to Soccer

It's been an emotional 5 weeks of league play as I've sat in the stands to watch Taylor's final season of soccer. She is ready to hang up her cleats and pursue other interests.  I completely understand and support her decision, but soccer has been such a huge part of her life since she was 4.

 We've shared so many memories from Rec, All-Stars, Club teams and high school seasons.  I'll never forget sharing tears over her State Cup victory in 2012, numerous medal ceremonies, fun-filled hotel stays or the endless conversations we had on car rides all over Southern California.

We have made wonderful friends and she has learned so many life lessons regarding dedication, dealing with adversity, teamwork, integrity and following your passions.

 She played the sport with such grace and creativity and was a true leader both on and off of the field.

 Although she may be done playing competitively, I hope she continues her love for the game.

 I've shed quite a few tears over the last few weeks as this feels like the first "last".  This Varsity season was a roller coaster of emotions for us.  Taylor shed tears after games she didn't get a minute of play in and she had moments of joy as she was praised for her great work.  The team only won 1 game and didn't advance to CIF

but the girls bonded and Taylor's playing time increased with each game…ending on a high note.  It will be fun to watch her blossom in the many activities that will keep her busy over the next year and a half, but I'll never forget all that soccer has given us.  It was truly a joy and honor to watch her play!! Sniff, sniff, sniff...

OUCH!!

As the game neared half time, Allison was taking quite a beating against Bella Vista.  She got taken out a few times by some pretty big kids trying break away shots, but she was in "a zone". As one of the opposing players kicked a pretty powerful corner kick, Allison raised her hands above her head to flick the ball up and over the net.  Immediately she knew something was wrong and took off her glove.  I saw the instant panic and just heard her scream, "I broke my finger.  My finger is broken!"

Thank God Matt was there to assist.  He quickly grabbed her and bolted for the car and the emergency room.  I stayed back a minute to grab our chairs and her backpack.  I met them at the hospital and saw the finger for the first time.  I don't think it's supposed to look like that!

Within a few minutes, they took and x-ray and determined it was just badly dislocated.  They gave her a shot of lidocaine and pulled it back in place.  What a brave kid!!

Unfortunately, by the next afternoon it was super swollen, hard as a rock and she couldn't move it.  We spent another several hours in the ER, but another x-ray revealed all was fine.  It would just take a few weeks to heal the damaged ligaments.  Luckily, the next big event isn't until Vegas mid-March. She did have to miss the middle school playoffs, but didn't want to risk further injury before club starts back up. For now, she will do her exercises and continue icing and hope it heals quickly…never a dull moment!

Potato Chip Rock

Darian, Leslie and took some of the girls for a great morning hike to Potato Chip Rock. We started early since our February weather has felt more like summer!

 The first half of the hike is on a steep gravel path up to a beautiful lookout point.

 We stopped at the lookout for some pictures and a chance for a snack and quick break.

 After about 2 hours, we made it to the top and waited in line for pictures.  The girls had fun with their poses

 and Darian and I bravely crawled out to join them for a group shot!

It's scarier than it looks!

 The walk down was a little less strenuous but equally beautiful.  Lake Poway is so pretty.  We felt very accomplished with our 8-mile hike and hope to cross more hikes off of our list!