Um, Seven Kids

I spent a great deal of time yesterday looking for a replacement watch after my faithful watch died last week. I ended up getting the same digital Timex Expedition that I got last time. I'm fully a digital watch kind of gal and I'm very envious of the many cool guy watches out there -- none of which are made for women. I seriously considered some of them but either couldn't find a way to swap out the band for a more feminine look or thought the watch face looked too masculine. There was one in particular that I REALLY liked with both a digital face and, behind it, a regular watch face. The digital face could be turned on and off and showed the full date -- a VERY important feature for me! Another one had a digital compass! And, of course, there were the cool watches with calculators and memory storage -- NONE of them for women. What is wrong with technology these days!

Keri Lynn and Kristofer are safely home. They had a great time in Nashville. Kristofer's voice was gone. Now here's the difference between them. Keri Lynn said that apart from having to get up so early (Where does she get that from?) she really enjoyed it and wouldn't have minded going for another two or three more weeks. Kristofer, although he enjoyed his time, was so happy to be home -- he's the homebody -- and was right there to give me a big hug when I went to pick them up. They chattered away all the way home telling me about their trip. And now they have yet another set of T-shirts to add to their growing collection of church-related T-shirts!

With Keri Lynn and Kristofer came a TON of laundry. I've been working on it ever since and now am in full packing mode for our trip to California tomorrow. We have to get a very early start tomorrow, but that means we'll have the full day tomorrow to start our visit.

Because we're a big group, it was a little tricky getting hotel accommodations. Keith felt more comfortable with us getting two rooms instead of trying to squeeze into one, but as I looked on-line for great deals, I wasn't getting anywhere. Instead, I called Embassy Suites and this is how the conversation went:

"Uh, I'm coming into L.A. and I need a suite for me and my, uh, . . . . seven kids. Do you have anything?"

"Ma'am, our suites accommodate up to six people."

"Do you think we can fudge it a little? A lot of my kids are small."

"Hold on, let me check," and so began a little Jeopardy music . . . .

The woman from Embassy Suites came back on the line, "Yes, I have a suite for you, two queen beds, a couch and a sleeper cot that can be rolled in. Now, what are the age of your FIVE kids?"

"Well, I have seven."

"Yes, Ma'am. What are the ages of your FIVE kids?"

Silence.

Me: "Oh! I get it!" So I gave her the ages of five of the kids and we're staying at the Embassy Suites for less than two of the cheapest rooms anywhere else. Free breakfast. Very pretty place -- Keith and I had one of our famous flings there one weekend a long time ago! Of course, this time the stay will be a little different!

It looks like we'll have our park day on Wednesday afternoon -- El Nido Park -- at about 1:00 PM when Keri Lynn is done with her orthodontist appointment. I hope this works for interested parties. We're looking forward to seeing as many people as we can.