California Adventure

We organized our baggage, suitcase, and boxes. We washed our stinky clothes and packed our precious belongings. It was our last day. The kids spent the afternoon swimming in the pool and skateboarding with Jason. Jason played with them until sunset. Cheryl and I spent the whole day getting ready to go home.

Before you know it, a month went by in a blink of an eye. Fun never last as long as we want them to be. Now it's time to go home and get ready for school. Are you ready?

I don't like shopping, repeat, I don't like shopping! Omg (oh my goodness), shopping with kids can drive you crazy. The question that you will come to hate is "Teacher Paul, can I buy this?" Why? Because they will ask you a million times, that's why!!! We shopped and walked for hours and miles. I had to continuously tell them, "Look but don't touch!"

Anyhow, we shopped the entire day and we went home and Fred cooked for us again!

Shamu Shamu Shamu! Do you know what a Shamu is? Shamu is a killer whale and we got to see it at SeaWorld San Diego. It was about a two hour drive and my brother Jason came along with us. For the first time, I didn't have to drive. I drove for many weeks now and I have driven more than 2500 miles. It was a nice change. The picture blow is my brother Jason and me. Of course you can see that I am the handsome one in the family ;)

We saw amazing shows that were performed by the trainers and the marine animals such as shamu, dolphin, otters, seal, and others. However, the best show was the Shamu, it was astonishing that animals and humans can perform in harmony. We sat in soak zone and this was the place where you can get wet. At the end of the show, we were all drenched with salt water.

Do you know what is the most expensive fish? It's not toro from tuna in Japan. It's the anchovies in SeaWorld. We bought two trays of fish to feed the dolphin and they were the size of your pinkie finger. Each tray has four fish and the dolphins ate them up in a blink of an eye. What an expensive treat!

At the end of the day, we let the park and we headed to a famous restaurant in San Diego for some buffalo wings. Buffalo wings are chicken wings and drumsticks cooked in spicy sauce. They were closed when we got there but fortunately, we could still buy them and take them to go. Since we couldn't eat inside, after they gave us the food, we ate outside on the ground. It was our special picnic in San Diego!

Santa Monica here we come! Chasing the waves on a Tuesday afternoon was perfect. Not too many people and the weather, as always in California, PERFECT!

Out of all the places I've traveled, California has the best weather in my opinion. Sunshine all year long and very easy to fall in love with. While we were at the beach, the fog set in toward the end of the afternoon. It was a amazing sight because the fog engulfed the entire pier. It looked like the pier disappeared.

That's right, we went to the beach, swam, and ate lots of sand. Even though it was Tuesday, there was still a good crowd. Some people were tanning, cycling, rollerblading, and surfing. We bought a boogie board to body surf too. The beach was really clean and the water was a little chilly. But that's okay, because it was a hot day.

It was a amazing day at the beach, full of fun and laughters. We washed off and fought the traffic and went back home.

Today we went to Universal Studios in Hollywood. This is the place where many great movies and tv shows have been filmed. In the morning, after breakfast, we had to drive against traffic past downtown Los Angeles to get to Hollywood. There were so many cars on the road, kids were amazed.



Right after we visited the Haunted House of Hollywood, we went to the Nickelodeon Splash Zone. It was really hot so the kids got really wet. What a fantastic way to cool off. After we visited couple attractions, we had El Pollo Loco for lunch and it was Jackie's favorite. Jackie loved chicken.

At night before we left, we shopped for a while. Kids got the toys and souvenirs that they wanted. At the theme park, I met two cute Japanese girls. I showed Jackie how to pick up on girls and I got their number and email. Kids were laughing and giggling the whole time. I even took a picture with one of the girls with Jordan. It was a long day and we had fun.

On Saturday evening, we said goodbye to Calvin. Calvin was going home earlier because his school had already started. Calvin goes to Dominican Republic International School.

On Saturday 18th, the last day at the ranch, Teacher Cheryl and I watched the kids perform in the show at Rawhide Ranch. It was a hot hot day and all the parents came to see their kids. Cameras were everywhere, people standing and cheering for the show. It was a sight to see!

Betty, Jacky, Valerie, and Calvin performed in the animal show where they stood and commanded their goats. Betty and Valerie couldn't really hold their goats, and it was funny to see the goat moving all around. Jacky handled his goat alright, but he wasn't smiling much. Calvin did an exceptional job. His goat stood by his side while Calvin smiled at the judge and audience.

Joe was selected to be in the sheep busting, and he won first place! His sheep, named Boogoo Boogoo, wasn't running in the beginning, but once the sheep started to run, it took off. Joe hung on tightly and stayed on the sheep until the finish. The crowd was full of energy, and Joe stood proudly in the arena as he was given the award.

Jordan made a great impression on the counselors; he was chosen to ride in the horse show. He was the youngest and the smallest in the group. The horse that Jordan rode was called Dart; she was a full-size horse. I was really surprised the way Jordan handled the horse. Jordan commanded Dart with confidence; he circled, jogged, turned, and walked the horse. It was really impressive.


Before we left, Betty and Valerie took pictures with her counselor and said their goodbyes. Jacky was really down because he didn't want to leave the camp but mostly because he met two special girls that stole his heart. Jacky fell in love! J acky has a crush on these two girls; one brunette and one blond. Jacky was so sad he cried for a couple of days. For most of the kids, it was a summer of fun but for Jacky, it was more than that. It was his Summer of Love!


This will be a chapter in their childhood that they will forever remember. All in all, the camp was very successful and an unforgettable experience for all the kids. I am really glad and proud that we have chosen the right camp for them. Not only did they have fun but they also learned to be more independent. They took on new responsibilities by taking care of themselves and the animals. These two weeks, they lived without a tv, electronics, and other distractions. They made friends and memories that they will treasure and embrace for their rest of their lives.