Category: Totally Tatum

Helllloooooo?

He is going to respond now.

Coti?

Coti is definitely trying to tell her that his nap has been hijacked by her incessant questions.

Now, go back to sleep, Snuggle Bug.

She really is.

Today, she showed responsibility. She did things without asking like picking things up in her room.
She was kind to people at the stores; Now, she usually is, but today, she would just approach patrons with a question or a compliment. Again without prompting from me.

She also was so obedient. First time asked. DONE.

She also made cards for her teachers from camp.

 

I had to give it to her because it is what she is.

 

You be YOU!

 

 

Remember the saying, “Patience is a virtue?” It’s also the third fruit of the spirit.

We could all work on this a bit, eh?

What about “delayed gratification?” It’s a tough concept to understand; even for mature folks!

Anyhoo, three weeks ago, Tatum suggested she wanted a new watch. I told her she could get one with her allowance for about $10 if she wanted one like her Paw Patrol one. She agreed. However, she only had $5 in her “Spend” envelope. She did not want to use her “Save” or “Give” money. I told her if she could wait two weeks, she’d have enough money to buy the watch.

Well, guess what Sunday was? THE DAY OF $10 in her “Spend” envelope! She put off the buying of anything until today.

We searched on Amazon for the perfect watch. Upon picking one out, she ordered it with me and now she has to wait until Thursday for it’s arrival.

It pays to wait.

So proud of you, Tot!

I couldn’t wait to go to my old church, Twin Lakes.

We sure are going to miss this view, however.

When I got there, I found our Senior Pastor, Rene Schlaepfer. He remembered me from the Pantry. I also reminded him that he was my inspiration to attend Seminary. What a blessing he has been to me.

And he enjoyed meeting my honey and Tot.

The sermon was awesome, as usual. I love his practical message.

Let’s stay JESUS CENTERED ALL THE TIME.

We found an old Pantry bin.

Then we said goodbye to my dear friends Dick and Marilyn.

We knew we’d need some time to drive to the airport, but first we wanted to see my old house on Victoria lane. Man, is it pretty.

Well, we were then off to the airport. Driving 17 is never predictable. Today there was a 10K and and accident to fight with. Doug found an alternative route, so we attempted it. It wasn’t looking good. We only had an hour to get to the rental car place, get our luggage checked in and go through security.

I checked to see if our flight would be delayed. Nope. Then, I spoke to Jesus for about 30 minutes. Do you know the Holy Spirit prompted me to check again, and our flight was then all of a sudden….

DELAYED!!!!!??

Seriously!
Then we seamlessly dropped off the car. Tatum was SOOOOO happy to get rid of this ridiculously uncomfortable car seat:

We got through security in less than 2 minutes. They said we were Pre-boarders. (We are? Maybe on Jesus’ airplane!). Then we didn’t even need to remove any items from our bags. Voila. We were at the gate with 30 minutes to spare. Praise Jesus!!!

So grateful to be on this plane.

What a success. Bags all there and safely home.

We made NEW memories, and I couldn’t have had a better time with my family.

I love you both to pieces. Thank you Jesus for keeping us safe too.

Well, we were ready for another hike. But, where would we go!? We decided to hit Rio Del Mar trail which is just above the beach. Man, what a view. God, your creation!! We all basked in it.

We just couldn’t get enough of the view, the weather and the scenery.

Tatum and I found this cool dolphin statue to surround with a hug and kiss.

We ended with a swing in the park.

Later, we had a few errands to run to Santa Cruz. First stop: Kelly’s Bakery. I used to love their rolls. They did not have them, so we bought a sourdough loaf for Dick and Marilyn, and TOT and Doug split a

She fought me on getting it. Then she tasted the buttery flaky half moon. She thanked me abundantly.

We then needed to meet Dick and Marilyn at their house in Watsonville. It was such a treat to see them again. They have been like my spiritual parents for so many years.

Tatum enjoyed being the Alpha to their daughter’s dog, Milo.

They adored Doug, and we wished they would be attending our wedding. Maybe they will. I sure miss them.

Later, we’d have our last dinner at the condo.

We loved our last Carpo meal too.

I sure will miss this place!!

Surprise! I’m taking you guys on a Whaling cruise from 9am – 1pm. Now, we needed to be there at 8:30am. I missed the mark in getting us there early, so we got there right when they were boarding thanks to my honey’s fancy driving skills. At least we had our caffiene!

Now, the host on board said the little ones had to have life jackets on. Tot was less than enthused.

It was choking her, so we reasoned with Alfredo, and he let her take if off. She would be fine!

The Coast Guard would be close by.

Off we went!
The first sighting was of all the birds and seals on the rock.

Look at all of them at their little party!

 

We saw a few sluggin’ seals under the pier.

Then we spotted the cutest little otter. He was happier than a bird in a sea of seeds. He had his lunch right on his little belly.

 

It would now be a while before we’d see some whales. We first spotted a bevy (?) of seals.  Look at all of their cute little heads popping out.

Then we saw the most beautiful dolphins swimming in sync. (here is the dolphin we saw. (Riba)

There’s one…

and more..

They were amazing!

We waited a while and Tot was getting hungry. Good thing I had some rolls left from Gayle’s!

When will we see them, Mommy????

Patience will pay off.

Then………SPOUT!

And more….

Look at that whale tale gracefully swimming in the distance.

Their tales had white underneath.

 

More kept coming and they were RIGHT WITH US! It was a bit foggy, so seeing them up close was a real treat!!

We ended up being really way out to sea.

 

Just wonderful. Doug dear got a bunch of videos. So many that his battery ran out!

Finally, the fog cleared.

and we landed.

WOW, God, you did it again!!!!!

On the way back to our car, we had a chance to sample clam chowder. Man, was it tasty!

We tired Tot out.

We headed down the Highway 1 for part of the 17 mile drive to see Carmel. The traffic was horrific, so we headed back to Aptos.

I wanted to take them to my favorite place, Palapas.

My memories of their ceviche are delicious.

So Tatum got to sample: Squid, octopus, and shrimp

I think she likes it.

 

We were so worn out and comfortable at this point.

Isn’t he just the cutest?

It was definitely time to head back to our cozy condo for another night of CRAZY!

Doug was definitely excited to be playing again!

We had so much fun today! I sure loved being with my family the whole time. What an experience to share.

Thank you , my love, for taking all of the pics and videos. XO

Ahhhhhh a hike. Is there anything more exhilarating than hiking in cool weather among monstrously tall redwoods?

We decided to hike the Forest of Niscene Marks. Our goal was to hike to the epicenter of the Loma Prieta Quake of 1989. Little did we know it was about 4 miles away!

So we trudged along.

Four leaf clovers to say, “hey, you’re on your way!”

My aha moment was when I was walking along remembering how I used to hike this all of the time. I missed the beauty because I was so focused on my “workout.” This time, I soaked it all in, basking in God’s glory. Wow, God, you made all of this for us to enjoy.

Now, Tot and Doug raced.

C’mon, Dougy! Let’s go!!!!

Tot was pretty fast!!!

See how TALLLLLL and beautiful it is? No Tot sized trees around here.

Just Wow, God.

 

Even the spider webs were exquisite.

We were almost there (we thought)

Well, alas, we had another mile or so to get there, and we still had to turn around and head back. We knew we’d have to carry the Tot if we continued so we promised to return next year.

Onto the famous Gayle’s Bakery, BUT FIRST……My favorite coffee place in the world. Aptos Coffee Roasting where it’s always your personal cup.

And… my new fav: Strawberries dipped in peanut butter

We arrived at Gayle’s for their famous sourdough and wheat raisin rolls. It was worth 30 minute wait of crowd!

We decided to salivate while we waited.

COOOOOKIEEEEESSS!

Then: SUCCESS!

We munched them down all the way to Capitola Beach. We saw my old condo 33 Riverview Ave

and found the perfect spot to park. Then we saw the lifeguards in training. This is a thing you do if you are kiddo growing up in Santa Cruz.

 

Tot was all wet from playing in the water,

so I had to warm her up.

Later, we would stop by my old friend Rocky Snyder. He has his own gym now. We used to rock climb together back in ’93 and ’94. Man, those were good times. I used to be in great shape. Well, I’ll get back!

 

So much fun….

What a great day 2! Tomorrow, surprises in store!!!