summer camp season is upon us

summer is just kind of sliding by us, with the days getting hotter and the bean enjoying her time off from school.  last week she got to do tennis camp at a local park, which she really liked.  and this week she finally started her first session of science camp at a local university.

i knew she was excited to start camp because she was finally going to get to hang out with a couple of her BFFs.  and at the end of the first day the report was positive - fun activities (including slime, which she somehow is still mildly obsessed with) and really good food in the cafeteria, which is included in the tuition cost.  i'd gotten a look at their menu online last week and was pretty impressed - there's a soup of the day, a deli counter to make your own sandwich, hot entrees, comfort foods, a grill station.  hell, i wanted to eat lunch with her.  and one morning, one of her friends rode in to camp with us:

after killing myself at yesterday's sports-themed orangetheory class:

she let me take a selfie as we walked to the building to check in for camp.

meanwhile, it's been kind of nice to have a few hours to myself while she's gone.  one day the old lady and i headed to a nail salon that finally opened nearby for a little relaxation.

and the hub enjoyed a few days in vegas, entering in the world series of poker and coming home with not only some fun swag but a little bit of cash in his pocket.

and he even brought home a treat for us - anytime one of us is near a bouchon bakery, it's kind of a given that we'll take home some of those delicious chocolate bouchons to share with everyone.

MIL arrived on tuesday to spend a few days with us before scooping up the bean to take her back to texas for a week.  it's grandma camp time!  she'll be gone all next week, so it'll be fun to see what kind of shenanigans the rest of us get up to while she's away.

gotta love summer vacation!

lappin' it up

this past weekend, the hub finally got to cash in on my birthday present to him.  he rarely asks for anything in particular, and even this wasn't something he actually thought he'd get, which made it a perfect surprise.  saturday morning found us pulling in here:

no, i didn't buy him a porsche.  hahaha!  but i did give him a voucher for a fun session in a 911 turbo S with a professional driver to guide him through seven different courses at the porsche experience center.   the first step, of course, was to sign the waiver and opt in or out of the extra insurance in case you wipe out one of their cars.

while he took care of the paperwork, i walked around and checked out all of the cars that were on display in the museum.

you can also come in during specified times to take a few laps if you don't want to splurge on the full 90-minute experience.

and how much fun would these road trips be?  i waved this at the hub, but he just gave me the "you're freaking crazy" look.

they had this model of the property there to get an idea of what the drivers had to look forward to.

just a boy and a dream.

while the hub got a cool keepsake lanyard with his driver's pass on it, i got to wear a visitor's badge.

of course, there was a gift shop full of all things porsche.

next to that was the cafe where you could pick up starbucks coffee, breakfast pastries, or adult beverages in a can.

outside, there was a fun little area to relax and watch the action.

this is what the hub got to drive.

and while he got started on his testosterone-filled journey through seven race courses, i headed upstairs to the observation deck so i could get a good view of all the dick swinging fun down below.  on my way there, i caught a glimpse of the restaurant.

i just knew he was loving every second of it, which was really cool.  this guy is so hard to buy presents for.

this was pretty stinking cool, too.  white car, sliding across the wet road.

all too soon, it was over.

i'd bought him a cigar cutter and lighter from the store as a keepsake from the day, and he had a bottle of porsche water to take home too.  i'm sure it was super duper special water.

and on our way back to pick up the bean, who'd spent the morning with my parents, we passed the home of the goodyear blimp - which is one of MY bucket list items.

i doubt i'll ever get to check that one off, but hey - you never know.  dreams do come true.