Cruise

Hey kids,

Daddy here.  Mama and I got the distinct pleasure of celebrating 15 years of marriage this year. To treat ourselves, we decided to go on a cruise.

You guys stayed with Grammie & Papa while we were gone and had a blast. The Saturday before we left we went to 5:30 Mass and saw a lady that brought hers dogs, INTO MASS!! The next day we left the house at 4 a.m. and drove 9 hours to the Port in Long Beach. There was a pee story which I will not tell here, haha.

Our ship was awesome. It had a ton of cool stuff including a miniature golf course and a water slide.


 

Mama and me wanted to spend some time relaxing by the pool. The first day we were there, we went out to the pool and this guy asks Mama if she wanted a drink. So she orders a blue, fruity girly drink and I asked for a beer. The guy says to me, "Do you want a bucket?" I have never been so sure of an answer to a question in my life than I was to that one.

Everywhere we went at all times of day there was always something to eat. So after a bucket of beer, we got something to eat. Every night when we got home our towels were folded into the shape of something new and different.

 These guys are good. Our  room was pitch dark, so we fell asleep fast.

The next day, we got up and went ashore via a ferry to the island of Catalina. The town of Avalon is where we stopped.

 We walked around for a bit and decided to use Google to see if we could find a Catholic Church. We found St Catherine's and took a few photos.

We continued to walk around for a few more hours and Mom got a cool sweatshirt and I got a cigar. We found a small tap room and got some beers. They even had a Josh wine, lol.

After a short little adventure it was back to the boat to chill by the pool with a bucket of beer, till it was time to get something to eat.











That night, it was fancy night on the cruise ship so Mom and I got dressed up and went to dinner.

The next day, we were in Mexico in the town of Ensenada. It's the first time mom and I have been out of the country in a long time. The area we got dropped off in looked kind of sketchy, and a guy serenaded Mom while we had a tall can.

We walked along the street for a while and Mom thought we were going to get mugged, we did not. We eventually found the street with all the shops on it.

We bought an awesome little purse that said Mexico on it for Izzy. We found a fat little Day of the Dead Guy for Alex. And then, we found Guillermo's shop. We looked around for a bit and finally decided on what we wanted which came out to about $38. Guillermo ran my credit card and the amount said $500! He told me it was in pesos because the symbol only had one line through the S, but if you look at the symbol that it just showed on the screen, that only has one line through it. As you can imagine, I was suspect.

He assured me that it was only $38 and the 500 was actually in pesos. I decided to trust him as it turned out he was right. Thank goodness. We continued walking the streets of Ensenada, until we met an older gentleman having a beer on a bench outside a 7-11.  I went in and bought a tall can for 28 pesos.


Mom thought the guy was an undercover Federali and was going to arrest me when I started drinking. Spoiler alert: He did not. So after tall cans and shopping we decided that was enough excitement from Ensenada. Back to the boat and time to get something to eat and another bucket of beer.

Our next day was just a day at sea so all we had to do is eat and hang out by the pool. This was mom and my favorite day on the cruise ship as we just got to enjoy each other. I have to tell you guys, after 15 years of marriage, I sure do love just hanging out with Mom. She's my favorite person on the whole planet.

Our final day of the cruise ship was only about a half a day because we docked at the Port of Long Beach fairly early in the morning. We got all of our stuff together and had just enough time to get one last something to eat before we had to get off the ship and make our way home. The 9 hour drive home from Long Beach seemed even longer since our vacation was over. However, Mom and I are very blessed to have you guys had the great life that we do.

So even if we only get to take a cruise was every 15 years, we still consider ourselves lucky. I love you guys,

Daddy

Peter Pan

Hi kids,

Daddy here.  I can't believe it's time once again for the St Joseph School annual play. This year's play was Peter Pan. You all wanted to be involved in the play and you all got parts. Izzy, and her best friend Mackenzie got to be junior fairies.

Jake, was one of the Indians. The only boy Indian I might add. Alex really wanted the part of Peter Pan, but that went to Jessica. Instead, Alex got the best part in the entire play. That of the incomparable Captain Hook. Thomas Warren got the part of Mr Smee. Once again, mom and I were so proud of all of you. You should have seen the look on Papa's face when Izzy and Mackenzie walked across the stage. Hey, and everyone else was laughing and smiling. Jake did a great job as the only boy Indian. And I personally believe that Alex stole the show as Captain Hook. Another great play, another great performance by all three of you guys.I love you guys,

Daddy

Upgrade time

Hey kids,
Daddy here. Well, we've waited for weeks and months and, after 20 years of ownership I've decided to sell my drumset. I got those drums as a gift from GG when I graduated high school back in 1992. I played them in every place that I've lived, and they have brought me countless hours of enjoyment. However, it was time to let them go to someone who could enjoy them as much as I have.

With mamas blessing, investing the money from the drum set into an Xbox one!

We've actually had the system for a few weeks now and it is as awesome as we expected. The voice control, Kinect Sports, Rayman, totally worth it. I don't think we'll get 20 years out of the Xbox one, but so far so good.

I love you guys,

Daddy

Weekend wrap-up

Hi kids, Daddy here.


It was another exciting weekend for the Mansfields. On Saturday, Alex and I got up at 5 a.m. to get our stuff to the Big Sale at the convention center. I dropped Alex off after the last load and Cagle, Cristy and I stood there from 7 a.m. until 2 in the afternoon trying to sell all of our stuff. We sold all of it except that darn table and chair set. Will we ever get rid of this thing?  Still, we did ok. Made enough to buy and Xbox game or two, lol.

Also this weekend it was first Holy Communion for Claire Watkins and Serena Palmer and some other kids to. After Mass, we went to the Watkins for a great big get together. Alex asked if we'd stay for 5 hours, and we stayed for almost 5 hours exactly, lol. You guys got to ride horses for the first time.



We all had a good time, except when Izzy touched the yellow 'string', which was the electrified fence. Ouch! However, that pain was later dwarfed by when Jake got bit by a dog IN THE FACE! Jake did nothing to warrant this. It was just a mean old dog. I'm so sorry that happened to you buddy. But, in true Jake fashion he took it like a champ. You are an amazing human being son, and I'm proud to call you my son. All in all we had a pretty good weekend, and this coming week we can't wait to watch the play Peter Pan Jr. Alex is Captain Hook, Jake is a brave Indian, and Iz is a fairy, perfect rolls all around. Mom and me are so proud of you guys.I love you guys.

Daddy

Santa Rosa trip

Hi kids, Daddy here.

It's time for the Mansfield's to make another trek to GG and Snook's house. So Friday night we packed up Moya and headed down to Santa Rosa. Stopping on the way to get the bacon insider from Jack in the Box. It was okay.
When we arrive Friday night we checked in at Motel 6. It was far and away the worst motel experience of my entire life. The room REEKED of smoke. There were cigarette burns in the sheets, the bathroom door did not close all the way, the shower knob rattled in its fixture, and again it reeked like cigarette smoke. There were only two beds so all three of you had to get in one queen size bed. After much complaining and fighting, Izzy slept on the floor.
The next day, we begged GG to let us stay somewhere else. We called around to five different hotels but the only one we could find that had a room was the Hilton Garden Inn. For $320 a night! But because GG likes to spoil us, she said okay. So we drive over to check it out and, it was awesome! We loved it right away. All clean, no cigarette smell, heated indoor pool, plenty of room, free WiFi, Keurig coffee maker in the room, the bathroom door closed all the way,there was an ironing board in our room, it was heaven.

 We headed out for our daily fun to Scandia. Mini golf, go kart racing, video games, and a corn dog. We had a blast. Jake got two hole in ones, al got one. Another fun day at Scandia.



 Thanks GG. We went to dinner at Mary's Pizza Shack, which is always awesome. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel for a late night swim. Mama with an ice cream sandwich and daddy with a tall can. After our swim it was back to our heavenly room and all went to sleep.
The next morning we got up early and went to church at St Eugene's Cathedral.


It was a beautiful Catholic Church and it was Divine Mercy Sunday. The Deacon kind of looked like Stan Lee or so Al and I thought. The church was awesome.  After church, we met up with GG and Snooks and went to breakfast. Then it was time for our Santa Rosa tradition of going to the ice skating rink at the Charles Schulz museum. At first, mama and me were going to watch you guys skate, but GG  and Snooks really wanted to watch Mama and me skate too, so we got skates. And wouldn't you know it Mama and me had a great time ice skating.


We skated for a few hours and then went over to the gift shop and you guys got some souvenirs. Izzy: a cute shirt, Alex: a funny shirt, and Jake: a Charlie Brown figurine.  After a quick lunch at Mary's Pizza Shack again we were on the road. The ride home wasn't too bad and went pretty smooth. Back at home and looking forward to our next adventure. Mom and me love you guys so very much and all of our road trips. I hope one day you'll look back at all the time we got to spend together with fond memories. I know mom and me will. We are so blesses to have such a loving family. I love you guys,

Daddy