A full Saturday

Saturday turned out to be one of those full, fun days. It started with the annual San Juan Creek Cleanup which is the creek within walking distance of our home. Joshua really wanted to help but we had soccer pictures and a game and would need to leave the clean up at 9:00. So he woke up early and was ready to go by 7:45, so we got to creek cleanup at 8:00. We signed in only to find out we weren't supposed to go into the creek to start picking up trash until 9:00, after the mayor came and spoke, etc. I explained our situation to the organizer and he said Joshua and I could clean up along the edge of the creek. So we picked up trash for about 20 minutes along the path above the creek. Then we went into the creek when we heard the mayor start speaking. We found a car tire half full of water, and managed to drag it to the top of the creek wall just as everyone was heading into the creek at 8:45. Then we tackled the great treasure that Joshua has been begging to remove for weeks -- the Vons shopping cart. A man who was picking up trash gave us a hand and we got it up the steep wall of the creek and rolled it, on two wheels, to the park where we deposited our two bags of trash as well. A good job for one hour of work.

Then we were off to the sports park with hundreds of other little munchkins all dressed in matching soccer uniforms for the annual photos. Joshua's game was 45 minutes later, so I prepared to sit in the shade and enjoy my magazine until I noticed my friend Rosa whose son Jamie is a good friend of Joshua's from school. So I enjoyed a nice long chat with Rosa while her son's game finished up.

Joshua's team was playing a rematch against the team that beat them 3 to 1 last Friday night. The game last Friday night didn't count because it was the second game of the season and the first two games don't count. Yesterday's game was the first game that "counts" this season. The boys were geared up to to play a better game. Plus two of our stronger players who had missed Friday's game were back. Our boys turned out to be the better team on Saturday, winning 6 to 1.

We had about an hour and a half at home to do chores and homework before heading down to Escondido for my niece Emma's 11th birthday party. We had a fun gathering with about 20 family members in attendance. Emma received a brand new sewing machine, which many of us pitched in on and before the evening was over my mom had helped her get it started and Emma was practicing on it. In our family, the desire to sew has definitely skipped a generation. Joshua and Evan are good buddies and played well with Evan's other cousin Eli. In fact they spent hours building a fort out of palm fronds. We headed home at 7:30 pm and of course Joshua was asleep half way home.

It was just one of those great days where you feel like you've accomplished something and enjoyed yourself at the same time.

Jon's visit from the big wigs went well and he should be a little less busy for a few days. I'm hoping he'll be able to write an update that we can share.

Happy Fall,

Sheryl