Whew. What a week it was.

I've had a lot on my lists. The first part of the week was spent running errands, cleaning the house, and getting things organized. I took some yard sale things to my friend's house and The Husband cleaned up the yard and took a load to the dump. It was exhausting, but we accomplished a lot.

The last thing on my list was to finish all the laundry and pack for our long, long weekend in LA. We got a hotel on Hotwire.com for one night, and have been/will be staying with family for the rest of the time we're here. We're not going to any theme parks or doing anything particularly expensive. We were able to get decently-priced gas on our way out of town, and the hotel was only $61. But with all the hungry athletes in our family (and we've got two extra teens with us), it's the food that costs a ton!

Yesterday we went to Whole Foods (I know! Ridiculously expensive!) for lunch. Everyone wanted something different, and we decided to go for there for the happiness factor. Between the kids, they got pizza, sandwiches, sushi, salad, burritos... I had a really wonderful salad and The Husband got Indian food there. We bought a case of water and some extra fruit, crackers, and snacks. Gads. It was $75. The total was a little shocking at the time, but now that I think... it was lunch for 8 people, plus lots of snacks. It was probably just a bit more expensive than going someplace like Subway, and it made everyone VERY happy. We were hot, exhausted, and everyone was a bit grouchy at the time. The lunch that they wanted made a big difference. And we've been munching on the leftover snacks and fruit today.

We've been eating with family today. And there will be birthday cake for me tonight! My birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but who am I to refuse chocolate cake?!

The Husband forgot a swimsuit, so we stopped by a Big 5, and lucked out. They had everything on clearance, and he got a very nice suit for $20.

We had a great day of playing at the pool and ocean today and plan to go to a museum tomorrow. It's been great being away from home and relaxing with family. Much needed vacation time!