Monday, July 8th, was the last day of Nationals. Serafina had classes only in the morning, and that night was a gala that we opted not to attend. Instead, we headed to one of our favorite places - Seal Beach.
Seal Beach is beautiful and peaceful and some of our favorite people are there.
We've been to Seal Beach many, many times. We don't always take a picture with the seal statue, but here are a few I have.
Aw. Cute little kids with Slick. At least, I think that seal is named Slick. I may have totally just made that up. It's a good name, even if it isn't the official one.
Always windy on the pier, but also sunny and beautiful. Plus, we love spending time with Aunt Shelia! Leo has decided that the next time we go to Disneyland, Shelia needs to join us. I've got great childhood memories of Disneyland days with my Aunt Shelia. I tell the story of how she splashed the rowdy kids on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride every time we go.
Of course we did some shopping along Main Street. Our friends weren't at our favorite store because they were traveling, but we still had an excellent shopping experience.
The shops close early on Monday, which means we can eat dinner early. Taco Surf never disappoints and Leo ordered his favorite burrito, which is as big as his head.
In Downtown Disney there is a restaurant, Black Tap, that serves huge (expensive) burgers and beer. But what they are famous for are their over-the-top milkshakes with full slices of cake and other ridiculousness on top. They definitely look like something created just for an Instagram post, but we decided we needed to try for ourselves.
On Sunday, Serafina had a full schedule of dance classes, but still had energy to head over to Downtown Disney to try out the famous "Crazyshakes". We weren't interested in trying to eat a full meal there and then ordering a giant milkshake. We timed it for in-between lunch and dinner. I opted for the fried pickles instead of a milkshake, and I don't regret that decision at all. They were delicious.
Here are some happy kids with their crazy milkshakes.
Leo ordered the Brooklyn Blackout shake that came with two full brownies on top.
Serafina got the Cakeshake with a full slice of funfetti cake on top.
After plenty of photos, they disassembled their shakes enough to actually consume them. Serafina's cake slice was pretty cold so she saved it to eat after dinner when it was room temperature and a much better texture.
Leo took off his brownies before drinking the shake, but managed to eat/drink almost all of it.
Both kids let me share a bit of the shakes and toppings. I was skeptical and assumed it was going to be a gimmick, but they were actually delicious. The shakes were perfect consistency and flavor. Leo's brownies were top notch. I was super impressed and wouldn't hesitate recommending the place if someone has a hankering for a very Instagrammable treat.
Of course, we couldn't have a trip to Downtown Disney without some shopping. Leo didn't buy these even though he looked adorable.
When we found out that the National competition would be in Anaheim, we knew there was no way we were going to be that close to Disneyland and not spend a day at the park. We also knew there was no way we were going to do it without Leo. But Leo didn't need to sit in a hotel for six days waiting for the Disneyland part of the trip. That meant he would need to join us later, and that meant flying on his own. The kids flew as unaccompanied minors way back in 2019, but Leo is too old for the unaccompanied minor program, so he would just be striking out on his own as an independent traveler.
I was a mix of totally confident that Leo would do just fine and completely nervous because I'm a mom and we worry. I was very pleased when I got this reassuring picture from Leo that he was successfully boarded on the plane.
But nothing compared to the relief I felt when this proud traveler strode off the plane in Long Beach.
After a morning of travel for Leo and dance classes for Serafina, we met up with Cousin Dillon and his new girlfriend for lunch. I failed to get any group shots, but I did get this important documentation of Dillon's "gravity noodles". The chopsticks are floating!
Ah, but it turned out to be all lies when he found this straw and organic matter (taro root, perhaps?) holding up the illusion.
This heart-shaped swing was a photo op must.
That night, Serafina competed in her final routine - the production hip hop. Leo and I were in the audience to cheer, but not as loud as the drunk moms behind us.
Post-performance picture on our hotel balcony.
We watched the Disneyland fireworks from our room almost every night we were there.
Though the traffic through Los Angeles was at a minimum when we made the trip from Camarillo to Anaheim on Wednesday, July 6th, it was still an intense driving experience. We were relieved to get to our hotel, the Anaheim Marriot, where we would be spending a full week. We were extra glad they had our room ready.
Here's Serafina in the lobby as we realized this was totally a different level than our usual regional competitions.
Serafina and most of her teammates weren't competing on Wednesday, so there was time to enjoy the hotel pool. Here she is with her buddy Kavni.
After some swimming, we did some grocery shopping and relaxed in the room. We did head downstairs to see a couple of soloist perform.
Classes weren't starting yet, so we had time on Thursday morning to head to Downtown Disney. Serafina and I can't resist a little Disney shopping and Kavni came along. I made us walk, which was a bit too long and too hot.
Important purchases made! Disneyland visor for me and Mickey pretzel ears for Serafina.
That night Serafina was competing three of her four routines. Auntie Shelia made the trip to Anaheim to watch her dance in-person and take in all the madness that is a full-scale dance competition. I'm very glad I had a witness to the chaos because it's not something that can be described, only experienced.
Gorgeous girl after performing her jazz routine for the last time.
Serafina and Linda with the beautiful flower Auntie Shelia brought. I will not miss this costume.
The lyrical routine took first place! (It was the only entry in that category, but we are still celebrating it as a big win!)
Fallin' teammates Emily, Angela and Serafina with the trophy.
How do you unwind after a successful night of competition? In the hotel pool, of course!
Friday morning, Serafina had workshop classes. That afternoon, while she swam with Linda, my friend Heather and I spent some time together at the hotel bar. I was so appreciative of her making the drive to Anaheim to spend time with me. It's been a long time since we've seen each other, but it's like no time has passed. We forgot to take a picture until the last minute when we were driving out of the hotel parking lot and she was dropping me off at the lobby. Better late than not at all!
Friday night we headed down the street for some Joe's Italian Ice. Every time I went by this place on our trip, there was a huge line. It was also a very organized operation with lots of windows serving customers.
We found out why it was so popular! Yummy Italian ice topped with soft serve!
When the dance schedule was released way back in August of 2021, we knew we would be headed to Anaheim for the Hollywood Vibe (HV) National competition this summer. I was in a bit of denial and didn't book the hotel promptly, but I did know I wanted to drive so we could stop and see Tracy and Maya on our way. Tom was on dog duty back at home, and Leo would be joining us later, so for the first part of the trip, it was just us girls.
Serafina was very eager to see her dear friend and wanted to get up at a ridiculous hour to get on the road, but I talked her into a more reasonable time. On Tuesday, July 5th we headed out. Of course, I needed to stop for the bathroom early in the journey, so we also made it a McDonald's breakfast stop too. This is an important part of a road trip.
Our next stop was the Madonna Inn. I haven't taken the 101 to travel from Northern to Southern California in a long while, so I sort of forgot this place existed. It was a very fun stop when we were starting to feel some serious road fatigue.
Here's Serafina in the gaudy bathroom.
The dining room is fantastic.
We made it to Camarillo! Tracy and Maya were waiting outside for us.
The girls had some pool time before we needed to seek out a Starbucks.
After dinner, Maya and Tracy took us to a pretty fantastic soft serve ice cream place in town.
After late night chatting and a delicious breakfast, it was time for us to hit the road down to Anaheim.
Here are some last hugs.
Tracy, me and the sweetest little potato dog, Sequoia.
Leo attended "classic rock" camp this past week at School of Rock. School of Rock is a chain of music schools that specialize in rock music and performance. Are they named after the 2003 instant class film "School of Rock" starring Jack Black? Unclear.
Anyway, Leo hasn't done a camp in a very long time, but he was a good sport about attending this one. He knew it was a chance to meet some other musicians on his level. Turned out a lot of the kids were just starting out with their instruments, but he did meet a couple of highly-skilled kids, including a drummer named Diego. On the first day, the instructors broke the kids up into three groups that would form bands. Leo's group settled on the name Petrichor, which means the smell of earth after the rain. Leo didn't love the name, but he went with it.
They learned and practiced five songs, which they performed live this afternoon at a pub in the same shopping center as the music school.
We were excited to see him play and I made us get there early for good seats. We picked up his friend Vivian on the way.
Here's the outside of the venue. The food was overpriced and not good, but the entertainment was top notch!
Here's Leo (burgundy shirt) waiting with the other kids for his turn to play. There were two other School of Rock camp bands that performed before his band.
Here he is tuning up before his set.
I went to stand where the kids had been waiting in hopes of getting a good angle for a video. I snapped this picture of Tom, Serafina and Vivian waiting for the show to start.
Here's a video of them performing Jaded by Aerosmith. This song was released in 2001, so Leo didn't feel it really fit the "classic rock" category.
I was unhappy with my spot for watching and documenting the show since Leo was mostly blocked, so I moved back to the table for the rest of his set. The next song was Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones. Leo got to play lead guitar, but his pedal wasn't turned up loud enough and the vocalists didn't really give him a chance to showcase his solo. If you listen close, you can still hear him completely crush his part. My new location did not improve my view of Leo since he was crammed in the back on a small stage.
The instructor for his group, Ace, joined them for the next song, You Don't Know How It Feels by Tom Petty.
Leo practiced the next tune a lot and did some singing while he played at home, but during the performance he didn't do any vocals. The audio doesn't do justice to how well he did on this song too. Here's Come Together by The Beatles.
The final song was Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. I'm impressed they even attempted this one since Stevie Nicks vocals are so iconic.
It was so fun to see him play live and we were so proud of how well he did, especially since these kids only met each other and started learning all the songs just five days before.
Yesterday it was 102 degrees in Sunnyvale. Today it was over 90 degrees when we loaded up the car with Hadley, Leo, Serafina and Sunny to head to Santa Cruz. You can always count on Santa Cruz to be close to 20 degrees cooler. But that would make a perfect mid-70s beach day for us. Well, Santa Cruz betrayed us and it was 62 degrees when we arrived. I tried to convince the kids it would be warmer down on the sand, and it was...a little. Even with the sun shining it was chilly. Oh and there was huge dead seal down the beach to really tarnish my idyllic beach day. Everyone was a good sport for as long as we could. Hadley, Leo and I chatted and laughed. Serafina and Sunny frolicked at the shore and played in the sand. Then the fog started to roll in and we couldn't pretend that it was a beach day anymore.
No matter what the weather, we are always going to get Marianne's before heading home.
Hadley is moving to Missouri on Friday, and Leo is bummed out. I'm absolutely heartbroken because that kid cracks me up. She also seems to tolerate me better than my own kids, which I deeply appreciate.
