UCLA Sculpture Garden

 

We decided to head back to a part of the UCLA campus that Jawsh is very familiar with... north campus!  The north campus houses the arts, media, humanities, and public policy whereas south campus houses the math, science, medical, and engineering buildings.  We took a walk through the Sculpture Gardens and Jawsh showed the boys where he spent most of his days as an undergrad in what is now known as the Broad Art Center.  Will the boys want to attend UCLA???

Happy 15

We went back to the exact spot we were married (7-24-05).  15 years!  We are still coming back to Shutters to reminisce but this year was definitely different.  We did not enter the hotel to take a picture up on the terrace as we usually do, the summer boardwalk was quieter, and we did not go inside to dine.  It was still nice to be there but we decided to pick up some cold brew dairy free ice cream for Jawsh and we headed home.  The boys made us appetizers, dinner, and we had the ice cream for dessert.  This was definitely a new way to celebrate 15 years, but I am so thankful to celebrate this milestone with Jawsh.  What will we do for our 16 year anniversary???

Braces

Even through the pandemic, orthodontic treatment must continue but thanks to technology, Noah can now scan his braces from home!  Isn't this crazy? This is how Dr. Waldman follows up with Noah!  What will be next???

Nightly walks

 

We are really lucky to live in Playa Vista because there are over 20 community areas to walk.  Today we walked by Playa Vista's Central Park next to the Bandshell.  It's well landscaped and there are plenty of trails that allow us to stay socially distant from others.  We definitely miss the summer concerts and the sounds of kids playing but it is also a nice quiet walk that allows us to just enjoy the moment.  Where will we walk tomorrow???

UCLA Botanical Gardens

 

As a graduate student at UCLA, I never knew there was a botanical garden on campus!  Jawsh received his degree at UCLA and in his 5 years, he had only visited once.  So, today we ventured to the UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden.  It is 7.5 acres of frost free plants organized into themes such as desert, aquatic, mediterranean, and Hawaiian areas.  There were many trails and a small creek running through the garden with many people lounging on the grass or benches.  We enjoyed our time there but there was a Korean unicycle at that was cycling through the trails so we did our best to avoid him.  We had a nice time walking through the garden and it was a nice change of scenery for us.  When will we visit again???

Omelette

 

Back in the kitchen, Micah made an omelette with Chef Yosses.  Micah added jalapeños and onions but he did not like it.  He still prefers a plain omelet with ketchup.  Oh well, we can't win them all, can we???

Black American History

In lieu of the annual Westchester Parade which was cancelled due to COVID-19, we caravanned with the W Family and we drove around the community to look for Black American History signs.  I created a scavenger hunt bingo board and we drove around for about 1.5 hours reading the history of Americans who have made a difference.  This was definitely different than watching Micah walk through the parade with his Championship soccer team or All Star baseball team, but we enjoyed our time.  When will our holidays go back to "normal?"

Smoothie Time

Thanks to the UCLA culinary class, Micah has been learning from the former White House pastry chef, Bill Yosses.  Mr. Yosses showed the students how to make healthy smoothies instead of drinking soda and junk food.  Micah made three types of smoothies:  ginger/turmeric/pineapple, blueberry, and green apple/green tea.  Micah actually enjoyed drinking the ginger/turmeric/pineapple, which was very surprising!  This class has exposed Micah to new flavor combinations and has encouraged him to try new foods.  What will he try next???