Another summer has come and gone. Every year I run my exclusive camp to guilt-trip the kids into hanging out with me.
But they benefit too.
I think of myself as a concierge service offering meticulously curated field trips 😁.
Delicious dining experiences are included.
Culinary adventuring is essential.
Personalized itineraries are my specialty being respectful of their nap/rest/screen time.
I offer art classes.
And lead a series of cooking classes.
Sometimes it's sweet confections.
Other times, it's foolproof dinners courtesy of Blue Apron.
It's all about providing favorable circumstances that reflect personal interests while tailoring to their picky, moody tempers.
Such as, how the boys prefer second hand shops.
While the girl is simply a mall rat.
A private car membership is included in camp. Nineteen summers of taking learning on the road. Let me show you where we went this summer!
Fountain Valley was one of our first stops to experience how the kid's favorite probiotic drink is made at the Yakult Factory Tour.
Why do I love free stuff?
Over on the Westside, the line at The Bear's Mr. Beef pop-up wasn't worth the Italian beef sandwich but walking Melrose Avenue was.
Moving on to my Little Tokyo food crawl and tour because being in Little Tokyo we can pretend we're back in Japan.
Onigiri quick bites.
Intermission for Russian literature.
Juicy dumplings at a gyoza bar.
Thrifting Tokyo style.
Takoyaki 4-ways.
Picked up my favorite murderous Gloomy Bear at the 25th Anniversary Gloomy Bear Art Show.
Tiger Milk over Fugetso-Do for the finale.
We traveled to Old Town Pasadena by day.
And Santa Monica pier by night.
Nature called Presley and I to the Bark Park Trailhead to the New Millennium Loop Trail.
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It's the Kobe Bryant Calabasas crash site.
You can't miss the makeshift memorial.
Never heard of the city of Eastvale until we toured the Amazon Fulfillment Center.
Watching robots working alongside humans was pretty cool.
We culminated summer with a girls only field trip to Sea World.
We made many new friends in San Diego.
Not sure how many more summers I have left with all three. I just hope one day they'll know that each moment and every connection with them were the most precious memories of my life.