mom & dad weekend
My parents were in town over the weekend! Gerry and I had planned a few outings for them, and it seems that we may have struck a good balance between activities and relaxation. Much better than our last time hosting them! Some of the things we did together:
Hiking. We hit the trails early in the morning, but it wasn't early enough to avoid the scorching heat. That solitary scrawny tree at the top of the hill was a beautiful sight when we finally got to it!
Mall. My parents have never been the type of people to enjoy window shopping. Nevertheless, it was hot outside and the mall was airconditioned, so off we went. Gerry and I introduced them to touchscreen technology at the Microsoft store, and then moved down the hall to the Apple store to let them have some hands on time with the iPad. As expected, Dad was intrigued and Mom was unimpressed by all of the technology. A quick stop at Godiva for free chocolate -- Dad loved it! -- and we were done.
H-Mart. We took a short drive up to our favorite Asian supermarket. It is super, indeed! There's a food court inside, as well as any food, kitchen appliance, or beauty product you could possibly want to buy. Just as we expected, Mom and Dad enjoyed browsing through the store, and they went home with a bunch of weird foods as well as a rice cooker.
Balloon. Remember that great orange helium balloon that Gerry and I rode in several months ago? We tried to give Dad that experience also, but the balloon was grounded just as we arrived due to poor visibility. They were afraid an airplane might hit it. So instead, Gerry fired up the constellation-finder app on his phone and let Dad use it for star-gazing. It was a beautiful night, with a good breeze! I didn't mind it at all -- and after we dropped Dad off at the hotel, Gerry and I took a spontaneous drive down the Pacific coast to soak in more of the fresh air.
Vegging. On Monday, I worked at home from the dining room table, while my parents sat on the couches and mostly read. They're headed to a summer camp to be counselors this week, and I know it was nice for them to relax.
Library. Mom and I took a walk through town up to the library, where I checked out an obscene number of mystery novels. Booooooooooks. Yummmmmmmmmm. We had a fun time juggling the books as we walked home. Thank God for the short stop at Joann's to look at fabric, cool off, and put the books for a bit.
Flan. Dad stayed at home and enjoyed a flan that Gerry had made especially for him. It's the simple things in life. :-)
I enjoyed talking to my parents and being with them. They'll be back on Sunday for one more day, and if they have the energy for it, we'll head up to the Observatory at Griffith Park to stare at the stars through huge telescopes.
Hiking. We hit the trails early in the morning, but it wasn't early enough to avoid the scorching heat. That solitary scrawny tree at the top of the hill was a beautiful sight when we finally got to it!
Mall. My parents have never been the type of people to enjoy window shopping. Nevertheless, it was hot outside and the mall was airconditioned, so off we went. Gerry and I introduced them to touchscreen technology at the Microsoft store, and then moved down the hall to the Apple store to let them have some hands on time with the iPad. As expected, Dad was intrigued and Mom was unimpressed by all of the technology. A quick stop at Godiva for free chocolate -- Dad loved it! -- and we were done.
H-Mart. We took a short drive up to our favorite Asian supermarket. It is super, indeed! There's a food court inside, as well as any food, kitchen appliance, or beauty product you could possibly want to buy. Just as we expected, Mom and Dad enjoyed browsing through the store, and they went home with a bunch of weird foods as well as a rice cooker.
Balloon. Remember that great orange helium balloon that Gerry and I rode in several months ago? We tried to give Dad that experience also, but the balloon was grounded just as we arrived due to poor visibility. They were afraid an airplane might hit it. So instead, Gerry fired up the constellation-finder app on his phone and let Dad use it for star-gazing. It was a beautiful night, with a good breeze! I didn't mind it at all -- and after we dropped Dad off at the hotel, Gerry and I took a spontaneous drive down the Pacific coast to soak in more of the fresh air.
Vegging. On Monday, I worked at home from the dining room table, while my parents sat on the couches and mostly read. They're headed to a summer camp to be counselors this week, and I know it was nice for them to relax.
Library. Mom and I took a walk through town up to the library, where I checked out an obscene number of mystery novels. Booooooooooks. Yummmmmmmmmm. We had a fun time juggling the books as we walked home. Thank God for the short stop at Joann's to look at fabric, cool off, and put the books for a bit.
Flan. Dad stayed at home and enjoyed a flan that Gerry had made especially for him. It's the simple things in life. :-)
I enjoyed talking to my parents and being with them. They'll be back on Sunday for one more day, and if they have the energy for it, we'll head up to the Observatory at Griffith Park to stare at the stars through huge telescopes.