Dec
18, 2000 - Dec 24, 2000 
Dec
18, 2000 - Dec 24, 2000
| Mon, 12/18/00 | Relaxing evening at home! | Mum & Gary arrived at 4:00pm! |
| Oh boy, this was an exciting (and very
full) day! I'd been rushing around like a headless chicken trying to fit in all the
last minute chores... such as shopping for groceries and presents. I arrived back
home around 4:00 pm and Mum & Gary had just pulled up! Hurrah! They made
it, after many long days (fun-filled days packed with sightseeing!) of traveling on the
road from B.C., Canada. It was great to have our first set of guests here at last;
I'd been visualizing this time for many months prior.
We all enjoyed a pleasant meal of homemade turkey soup... now did Ty make it, or did I? Hmm... |
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| Tues, 12/19/00 | Day trip to Julian, Lake Cuyamaca, Descanso, Viejas Casino and Factory Outlet Center! | |
| We
started off the week with a lovely drive into the back-country (we were saving the San
Diego highlights for when the rest of the family arrived!) Ty stayed at home while
Mum, Gary and I drove to Lake Cuyamaca (say "kwee-a-mack'-a") -- pictured below
-- then on to the lovely historic town of Julian. "Born in the 1869 gold rush,
Julian is now an authentic slice of small town life." See: www.julianca.com. We all enjoyed
a yummy lunch in Julian cafe rounded off with slices of famous Julian Apple Pie! Then we went on to Descanso to chop down a Christmas tree at our friends, Allen & Tracy's place. Next, it was on to the Indian Reservation Casino, called "Viejas" (say "vee-ay'-hass"). Mum allowed herself a mere $5 to play with... and wouldn't you know it she won $75 out a slot machine. Way cool. We all enjoyed some last minute Christmas shopping at the Factory Outlet Center, then had dinner at Sizzlers and returned home to share our day's adventure with Ty who had been "holding the fort"! |
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Gone fishing? Just kidding.
Mum's winning casino!
| Weds, 12/20/00 | Errands, shopping and out to potluck party in evening! | |
| Today we took care of some final preparations for the rest of the family's arrival, including more grocery shopping and taking the quilts to the launderette. In the evening Ty, Mum, Gary and I enjoyed a potluck party with our friends from a seminar company "Money & You" (where Ty and I met in May '99!). | ||
| Thurs, 12/21/00 | Visit Horton Plaza shopping center and put up Christmas tree! |
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| Ty
and I took Mum and Gary to downtown San Diego to visit the delightful Horton Plaza where
we all enjoyed a wee bit more Christmas shopping! Whew, it was very busy
there. In the evening, we had fun putting up our lovely fresh Christmas tree and decorating it with Ty's grand collection of ornaments! We were quite proud of our work and went on to relax afterwards... when suddenly a very loud "ka-thump, crash, tinkle, tinkle" could be heard throughout the house. Yup, you guessed it, the tree had fallen down! So, Gary pumped his muscles up, Ty got out some good strong wire and together they secured the tree so firmly to the bannister that not even an earthquake could move it! |
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| Fri, 12/22/00 | Baking! | |
| OK, today is when the ladies got to do the "girl" thing while the men did the "guy" thing! Mum and I spent the day in the kitchen baking all kinds of goodies: Pumpkin Mousse Cake, Chocolate Pecan Tart, Pecan Pie Bars, S'more Bars, Peanutbutterscotch Squares and more! Meanwhile, Ty and Gary sat around grunting... ha, just kidding - they were moving furniture and getting the house set up for the arrival of the entourage. | ||
| Sat, 12/23/00 | DJ'ing at wedding during day. Out for meal in evening to 'World Famous'! | Catriona, Arthur, Charley & Penny arrived 11:00pm! |
| Ty
and I had a wedding booking today at the lovely tropical Bali Hai resort. (Click here for photos of that wedding.)
We had a fun time, while Mum & Gary did their own thing... erm, I think they went to
the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla. In the evening, Mum and Gary took me
and Ty out for a delicious leisurely meal at the "World Famous" in Pacific
Beach. Wow, the lobster bisque was scrumptious, we all enjoyed different fish dishes
and finished off with mouth-watering fresh berry cheesecake! Mum and Gary then
checked into a lovely motel near the beach, the Seacoast Inn, to make room for the new
arrivals at the house. Later, Ty and I went to the airport to pick up Catriona, Arthur, Charley and Penny. It was pretty late and they'd all been traveling for a while from Alert Bay, Vancouver Island so they were real tired but still very excited to be in San Diego! It was fun to see how much Charley had grown: last time I saw her, she was a cute, petite five-year-old and now she's tall, slim, attractive and 11 years old! |
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| Sun, 12/24/00 | Baking, last minute groceries, clean up, organize! | |
| This was yet another preparation day, though somewhat more hectic; just had to do those final touches! Ty went off to the swapmeet in the morning; Mum & Gary had a fun day-trip to the World Famous San Diego Zoo; Charley and I went to the grocery store then later she helped me make Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins. Catriona, Arthur and Penny settled in to their new surroundings and enjoyed the beach for a while. I served up a huge tray of Shepherds Pie for dinner. Whew, it was an exhausting day but I was so excited that Christmas Eve was finally here! | ||
