San Antonio, 2013

My Dad has a golf tournament in San Antonio that he's been doing for the past few years, and usually Ella and my mom join him. But this year my mom was in NYC with Jamie, so Anna and I got to tag along.

Grandpa and Ella on the plane. I am including this picture to show off how my camera's autofocus. It didn't work for a few years and I have an awful lot of photos with Ella's face blurry but her top button sharp sharp.  I finally got it fixed, and it now magically knows what to focus on  (most of the time, at least)

We started off the trip visiting my college roommate and her cute little girl. It was really fun to catch up right where we left off...only now with husbands and kids. She showed us all the cool places. Like the Japanese Tea Gardens. Exactly what you picture when you think of Texas, right?

Then we rode a train to a cool kiddie park with old school rides. I promise Ella had more fun than it looks in this picture. But it's in focus, as opposed to this one:

I guess good camera can't make up for bad photographer.

We spent most of our time with these guys:

We love you, Lauren. Good job Greg. 

We spent most of our time at the Lazy River at our hotel. I've heard an awful lot about this lazy river, and let me tell you, it lived up to the hype. So much fun that we didn't take a single picture.  But the good folks at the Marriott did. Just imagine how much fun 5 Packer cousins had here.

There were also s'mores.

A little story about my powerful mind. I ordered the Granola for breakfast. Local yogurt, local honey.  

It was incredible. The yogurt was light and airy and tasted like a whipped, sweet Greek, vanilla mousse. When I asked the waitress what kind of yogurt it was she replied, "Dannon." What? No way. So I ordered it the next day, and asked the waitress (a different one) what kind of yogurt it was. "Yoplait." And even though I still think they were both wrong and it came from a small, organic dairy farm in San Antonio...it didn't taste nearly as good the second day. 

We rounded out the trip with Sea World. Sea World is always a good idea, but when you get a text like this a few hours before you are heading out it makes it extra special.

Even though she was a little hot and sweaty, Ella thought it was pretty darn great.

Kate and Ella third whale back, hands in the air. Brave, brave girls.

The young ones haven't yet realized that if you smile there is a chance you will get a treat. 

Thanks, Grandpa, for a great great trip! 

*Lauren reminded me of a funny story. There is a long standing debate between my parents whether my dad's ability to chat it up with anyone is creepy or friendly. He obviously thinks it's friendly...my mom's not sure sure. Near the end of the day at Sea World the kids wanted to go on a ride with a long wait, so Grandpa Paul told them that if they would go on a different ride he would get them a treat on the way out. When we got to the treat stand it was closing time, and with 5 indecisive kids we were not the ideal customers. As usual, my dad was making friends with the kid running the joint. When we went to pay our total dropped from $35 to $25. We wanted to make sure there wasn't a mistake and asked about it.  He quietly gave us his employee discount. Lauren summed it up nicely:

"Creepy doesn't get you the employee discount!" 

Score one for Dad.

Anna

I've been meaning to do a post on Anna for so long, that most of the things I intended to write are now out of date. But...for posterity's sake (in case my iPhone ever dies, because heaven forbid I back it up) here are some snippets of the past 6 months.

• She has imaginary friends. She doesn't talk about them much anymore, but their names are classic.  Sissy, Luna, Pay-uh and Pissa 

• She used to greet you with, "Is it bwea-fest time" when you came in and got her in the morning. This video isn't the cutest, but someday I am sure I will watch it and tear up as I listen to her sweet voice. 

• The binky. She loves it. Serious love. She can only have it when she is in her crib (or I want her to be quiet on an airplane, in church, etc) and it is not uncommon for her to sit in her crib for hours just so she can have it. When she is deciding whether to get out of her crib and give up the binky she will often take one last 'hit' on it before she drops it. We may never give it up.
• She cut her own hair. It could have been worse, but it's not awesome. We tried to salvage it with a cute bob.
• She has been talking in paragraphs since she was 2. Less interested in numbers and letters.                                          
• She can use the potty on demand, but every time I put her in underwear it doesn't end well. But watching her climb up on the toilet is the funniest thing ever. 
• She often calls me "Mama." Don't know where it came from. It's sweet.

• She occasionally will have this deep laugh that cracks us up. She also will say, "I am a German" in her best Arnold S. voice. 

                                                 

• She's always on the go. We were just visiting our 103-year old neighbor, who commented, "My you are a busy one!"
• Ella is really really great with her. If they fight over a toy, or who gets to do something Ella almost always figures out a compromise that they are both happy with, most of the time letting Anna have what she wants. 

Kindergarten

It's true. Ella is old enough to go to Kindergarten. Just barely. Her birthday is August 29th (thanks to her obsessive mother who moved her c-section up a week and a half so she could make the deadline) so she is the youngest one in her class. I'm sure I will second guess this decision a thousand times over the years, but for now I think she is ready. She had a great first day, and one week in she still loves it. Anna, however, is not convinced. She misses her bestie for those three hours. Mom is going to have to step up her game to fill in the gaps. Love you, Ella!

Hayward, WI 2013 (Brad's pics)

Thankfully, we had Brad with us to take some non-iPhoto pictures.

I'm didn't even realize I was blocking Alisha. That's what happens when everyone is always taller than you ;)

Check out the cool shirts that Ella and Grandma Janet made. Ella was especially excited about the peace sign. "I have always wanted a shirt with one of those on it."

Hayward, WI 2013 (iphone pics)

12 years ago I first visited Hayward, Wisconsin, where the Packers have a cabin. I loved it and vowed to go back every year. I made good on my resolve for exactly one year. So when Doug and Janet and Grandma and Brad and Alisha were all going this year we decided to join in on the fun.  It was as great as I remembered--even better because we had an Ella and an Anna to share it with.

There is a great old time candy store in downtown Hayward. It was the highlight of the trip. I caught some of the pure joy on video. 

We visited the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum. Pretty sweet.

Go Karts. Of course.

my favorite picture ever. taken after she was surprised to see a peacock jump/fly 

We visited the Wilderness Walk one cloudy afternoon. We weren't sure what to expect, but what we found surprised us. "Corn cones" to feed the deer, goats, llamas, sheep, camels, and horses. Tigers and bears. Peacocks. Zebras (or were they striped horses? couldn't tell). Rides, playgrounds, walking trails, teepees, gold digging, and a wild west village. Wow.

Anna swimming by the dock.

Vive la France, Paris

We couldn't say goodbye to France without a quick visit to the most beautiful city in the world, so we left Annecy a little early and spent the afternoon/evening in Paris.

My friend Missy lived with her family in Paris a few years ago, and when I asked her how to spend the afternoon she told me to eat a crepe in front of the Notre Dame. So we did. It was great.

We figured that since this was a cycling trip, we should finish things out on a bike. I love Velib bikes. You can rent them all over the city, ride them wherever you want, and then drop them off. Don't worry, Ryan captured it on Strava so I've got all my stats saved. 

We thought it would be fun to ride a bit of the Tour route. This picture looks calm and idyllic. It lies. The only reason we aren't weaving our way through a parking lot is because Ryan ran the red light (scaring me silly--I am not a pro tour rider!) and we had a few seconds before the cars descended upon us again. Still, despite being a little freaked out, it was really really cool to ride on the Champs-Élysées.

We climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and got a great view of the city at sunset. The iphone panorama almost worked. 

Then we found a restaurant, ate a very French dinner and walked to the Eiffel Tower. We caught a cab back to our hotel around 1 AM, and called it a successful night on the town. 

We stayed at the airport Sheraton. It was crazy, because in the atrium there is a glass floor and you can see all the hustle and bustle of Charles de Gaulle, but the hotel is nearly silent. After a good (short) night's sleep we made our way through CDG, only to be thwarted by French military complete with guns ushering all travelers to one end of the airport. You know those PSAs that say, "Please do not leave luggage unattended"? Well, they mean it. The detour cost us some time and I didn't have a chance to get my Laduree macaroon gifts (sorry guys) or breakfast. By the time we got on the flight, I was starting to get my crazy on so I took half of a Xanax my doctor had prescribed as a short acting sleeping pill. Right when the calm was starting to descend upon me the flight attendant came and said, "Mr. Packer, you've been upgraded." Ba. Bam. Best words ever. First class + Xanax = happiest memories of the trip. I enjoyed every minute of that 11 hour flight. I did not want it to end. Luckily, I had a pretty cute welcoming crew to make the transition a little easier.

Vive la France, Annecy and Chamonix

We spent three nights in Annecy, which was heaven after moving EVERY SINGLE NIGHT for the previous 5 nights. And Annecy was a really cool town. There were canals throughout the city, giving it a Venice-like feel.

Some traditional dancers. I love how they are all in their 70s, except the one young couple who looks less than thrilled to be there. 

(I just watched this and saw that the quality isn't great. Sorry)

The weather was perfect most of the trip--70s--but in Annecy it rained. It didn't seem like a good idea to descend in the rain, so I followed the guys up the climb and we drove down. 

On Sunday we were lucky enough to find a church right around the corner from our hotel. 

Then we took a quick trip to Chamonix. It was absolutely gorgeous. Some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. 

view from the inside the Tram

We took the tram up to 15,000 feet where you had a great view of all the mountains, including Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe. 

iphone photo--no filter

Vive la France, St. Jean de Maurienne

St. Jean de Maurienne
After Ryan's huge climb up Galibier, Telegraphe and Alp d'Huez you'd think he would crash and sleep like a baby. Nope. Up all night. But luckily he was awake enough to drive, because I had no desire to go down Alpe d'Heuz. We drove through the beautiful countryside to St. Jean de Maurienne, which we picked for its location more than anything. Although, like most French towns, it did have a charming old section. And...a McDonald's.

I was so excited to indulge in an Apple Pie, because in Europe they still fry them, like they did back in the good old days before we discovered cholesterol. Only to find that the closest thing I could find on the menu turned out to be apples and grapes, not a fried apple pie. Looks like the French discovered that cholesterol thing, too.

The guys went on a short ride and I went on a short run (and got lost) and Sandy and Lisa went on a walking tour of the city. We all met up for what was probably our best dinner of the trip. Ryan nearly fell asleep in his food, but the rest of us enjoyed it. 

The next morning we were off to Annecy. The guys were riding in the morning, so we had plenty of time to mosey on over. We stopped in Chambery and ate lunch and did a little shopping. And admired their elephant fountain. 

Me and Sandy. One quick quip about why I love Sandy Morris. We had decided to meet up in the morning at 10:30. Around 9:45 Lisa and I happened to leave the hotel at the same time. Lisa was heading to the Tourism Office and I was heading to the grocery store. We decided to go together, which was a mistake because each of our things took about 30 minutes. At 10:45 we realized we were totally late and texted Sandy. When we got back to the car Sandy was there with her luggage standing next to the locked car. We said we were so sorry, and she said, "You should be. I'm upset. It would have been nice if you'd texted me before I checked out of my room." We apologized again and she said, "I'm over it. I just had to let you know how I felt so I didn't stew about it all day." And she really was over it. It was a little thing, but could have grown into something bigger if kept inside. I loved that she was so open and straightforward and kept it all in perspective.