San Diego Comic Con 2010

This weekend Hank and I are enjoying some time in San Diego at Comic Convention! Neither Hank or I are into comics, and in fact I'm not really into anything that's at the convention per say, but it's still fun to go walk around, check out the booths, and people watch! Plus, Hank is so, so happy to be here so it makes me ecstatic to see him so happy. He's a big vinyl toy collector (see super7store.com and click on toys if you're curious) so this is a fun week for him, and I think it's the 4th year we've been here. Regardless of the convention, it's nice to catch up with friends we don't usually get to see, like Scott and Alex, and it's always a really, really good time.

Photos can tell a better story than I can at this point (I'm EXHAUSTED), so I'll let them do the talking. If you're curious about what exactly Comic Con is all about from Hank's point of view, you can always check out his extensively and continuously updated Flickr account by clicking here. I'll be back tomorrow with my weekly pregnancy update...this belly is growing by the day!

First things first! We had to make a Trader Joe's run to stock our room up with healthy snacks for the week. This is SUCH a good thing to do when traveling and definitely a habit for us. Rather than starting our day off in a bad way with a quick, unhealthy breakfast somewhere I/we just grab a bar or fiber cake and some fruit on our way out the door. Saves money and gives you a great beginning to your day! It's also nice to have things to munch on during downtime.


en route to the convention via the shuttle (this year we got screwed with the SDCC hotel reservation system and didn't get our normal downtown, fabulous hotel...ugh).


inside SDCC












delicious lunch with my handsome (tired) date- I forget the name of the restaurant but Hank got the most delicious caprese panini!


Pinkberry is my FAVORITE frozen yogurt ever.


For dinner Hank, Alex and I went to Sipz (veg restaurant) and it was great! Alex surprised us with some delicious macaroons. So, so good. Here's the strawberry cheesecake one.

Comic-Con!

Hank and I go to Comic Convention every year, and yet again it will be taking place in San Diego this summer. It's always SUCH a fun time, and I really look forward to seeing our friends more than anything. The week is always filled with lots of laughs, good food, and tons of swimming. This year will be a little different as we're expecting our first child, so I'm excited to find all sorts of fun toys and goodies for our little one. I know Hank will be on the hunt for some original art to hang in the nursery, and I'm sure I'll find a few cute plushies. Can't wait. This year the hotel booking system was pretty horrible, so we only just got our rooms confirmed. We usually stay at a hotel that's really close to the convention (walking distance), but apparently it was sold out this year, so we'll be at one a bit farther away (5 miles) but with much better ammenities. I can't wait to sun my pregnant belly and swim all day long while Hank is at the convention. I usually only go for one to two days, which is definitely enough for me, and I enjoy relaxing and shopping during the other days. This year I am hoping to spend as much time as possible with one of my childhood best friends and family friends (we call each others' parents Aunt and Uncle) who recently moved to San Diego from New Jersey with her new husband who is a Marine.

In the spirit of Comic-Con, here are a few photos from last year!

driving to CA! I was gracious enough to drive for awhile ;)


at Super7's annual Preview Night dinner




at Pokez










and I can't resist...a couple from the year before!



Scott and Hank, typical


Gargamel guys







So now, the question...are any of you going to Comic-Con? :)

Home sweet home

Well, it's almost midnight on Sunday and Hank and I are officially home. It was a long drive...and I am so happy to be sprawled on the couch with my laptop, catching up with my DVR, making shopping lists for this week, pulling recipes, and getting excited for the new school year to begin. As much as I love to travel, I do crave routine and I always feel relieved in a way to be home after any trip, be it San Diego or Canada. This weekend was definitely a quiet one for me, and I only went to the Convention for day so I got a lot of rest and relaxation in. :)

This week is the first full week I have spent in Prescott since May, and even so I will be going to Phoenix with Amber for a little shopping trip, and then again with Hank this upcoming weekend. I was supposed to be coming to Seattle this weekend and as much as I second-guessed my decision to cancel my trip, I am so happy to be home and to have time for recharging before next year begins. And it begins very soon- I have to return to school next Tuesday for "pre-school year prep" - it's a time when all the teachers are there before the kids come the following week. It's full of meetings, comittees and tons of other boring stuff like that. I definitely don't teach for all that, so I am really looking forward to the kids actually getting there. It's always weird to have 125 kids I don't know come through my classroom, but after the first week it gets a little easier. In my four years of teaching I still haven't ever had a huge discipline problem so I am keeping my fingers crossed its another good year.

I'll leave you with some more photos from San Diego. Have a great week blogger friends! And ps, now that I am home from all this traveling you can expect more regular posts. :)

Preview Night Dinner in San Diego

Tonight is definitely a first- I stayed in the hotel and Hank is out on the town! It's rare for him to be around other straight edge friends, as most of our friends in Prescott who were straight edge, aren't anymore. He's definitely not against drinking or anything for others, but he chooses to just not be around that stuff, which kind of excludes him from most of his friends activities where we live. When he's on tour with everyone it's a different story though, and I know he is so thankful for Lance (the singer and one of his best friends) who also makes the same lifestyle choices. Lance is with his girlfriend a lot when they're home though, so he's pretty much loving this, getting to spend time with friends and do fun nerd stuff for five straight days, which is right up his alley. It warms my little heart. He's at a party right now, and who knows when he'll be home, haha. It's usually the other way around and I am loving it! As for me, I am cozied up in this amazing CA King bed and enjoying every second. Sarah and Andy are downtown, but after I hit the gym and curled up in bed I just couldn't drag myself out on the town.

We arrived Wednesday afternoon after driving the five and a half hour drive from Prescott. I shouldn't say we though, because I drove the whole way! Yay for me. Lately I've been offering to make the big drives to CA because it helps me less bored when I am behind the wheel. And plus, then Hank will drive home Sunday night and I can sleep. :) Awesome. Hank had an exhibitor pass this year, from Super 7, which is a toy store in San Francisco, so he attended Wednesday night, which was Preview Night. I stayed back at the hotel and worked out and layed by the pool until I had get ready for a dinner party given by one of Hank's friends. The dinner was basically all of Hank's "board" friends, from skullbrain.org, which is a toy collecting site and is kind of a kick off for the Convention. It was definitely a fun time, and it was good to see familiar faces. Most of all I get so happy when I see Hank so happy and he was stoooked, so it was a perfect night. :)

Driving to SD


SO COMFY




getting ready! :)


Hank and Alex at the dinner


some of the raffle stuff






our friend Connell and me, he is the sweetest








melts my heart




fancy photo by Hank ;)


being silly when we got home