Office Dress Up Day

6:00 AM Alarm goes off... hit snooze three times

6:45 AM Standing in front of my closet contemplating what in the world can I wear for "Office Dress Up Day". I find my snow pants way in the back of the closet and decide to go for it.

7:00 AM Turn on TV to check weather forcast... it's going to be 86 degrees! No time to come up with another outfit so I just decide to grin and bear it or should I say grin and sweat it!


I think the ski ensemble coordinated well with Reggie Strar, our resident polar bear =)

A few other colleagues joined in the fun.

Prayer of Release

"I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return. 2 Timothy 1:12 NLT
Heavenly Father, I release to You the burdens that I have been carrying, burdens that You never intended for me to carry. I cast all my cares upon You—all my worries, all my fears. You have told me not be anxious about anything, but rather to bring everything to You in prayer with thankfulness.
Father, calm my restless spirit, quiet my anxious heart, still my troubling thoughts with the assurance that You are in control. I let go of my grip upon the things I have been hanging onto, with opened hands I come to You. I release to Your will all that I am trying to manipulate; I release to Your authority all that I am trying to control; I release to Your timing all that I have been striving to make happen.
I thank You for Your promise to sustain me, preserve me, and guard all that I have entrusted to Your keeping. Protect my heart and mind with Your peace, the peace that passes all understanding. Father, may Your will be done in my life, in Your time, and in Your way."
--Roy Lessin (Meet Me in the Meadow)

A busy October!

I think this October has been one of the busiest months yet. With birthdays, family get togethers, friends, work and preparing for my trip it has been non stop (but wonderful too!). Mom spent a week with me up here in LA. I had gotten tickets for the stage show The Phantom of the Opera for Thursday night. So we got all dressed up and went to the Pantages with some friends from work. This was my first show and it was amazing. It brought back lots of memories from my college days when it first debuted and I had the soundtrack on a cassette tape that I used to play and play until I had most of the songs memorized. I love the beautiful yet tragic story and of course it always makes me cry to hear the moving heartfelt lyrics of the songs. I am very glad we got to go as this is the farewell tour before they retire it.

That Saturday most of my family met up at Oak Glen to celebrate my brother's birthday. I planned a whole day of apple picking, cider pressing, candle making, knife throwing, archery and lots of good eating! The location of all this wonderful fun was Riley's Farm. I think from what I could gather that there are actually two Riley's who have adjoining farms and we ended up first at one and then at the other quite by accident. I've been reading a novel about Juliet and of course it made me envision a feud much like the Montagues and the Capulets. Well, I'm sure it's not quite that dramatic! We all had a wonderful time together and I think the kids enjoyed themselves quite a bit. To finish off the celebration we gathered at The Publick House and had some wonderful colonial style food and a most delicious apple pie baked right there in their bakery. Can't wait to do this again next year! Anyone have any good apple butter recipes? That evening the Myers came for a short weekend visit and of course we had a great time sharing some delicious wine & cheese. Time spent with family and friends is priceless! This week I have been catching up on sewing the purse organizers I'll be selling at the boutique. Yay, I'm almost done! I also got a chance to babysit the two little Clark's so their mommy and daddy could have a much deserved date night. Kate and I enjoyed our evening together making purple playdough bracelets and reading her cute little books. Savannah was already down for the night so she just slept the whole time.

This week it looks like I'll be making and decorating a cake for my dear friend Terri's 25th anniversary and so the fun continues!

Happy Birthday!

Today is the 235th birthday of the U.S. Navy. Thanks to all of you who have served and are currently serving our country! I am so grateful for your commitment. So I'm sending a "shout out" to my favorite Navy family (Kim and I were roommates in college). Many thanks for your sacrifice and service!

Happy Anniversary!

Eight years ago today I was putting the finishing touches on a beautiful cake designed by my amazing sister and we were getting ready to transport it carefully to the wedding location in Dana Point.

It was a lovely day and one of the most beautiful weddings I've been to. Happy 8th Anniversary to two of my favorite people in the world!

Wishing you many more years together! Twenty more days 'til we go explore Spain and France together!

Comfort Food & Rainy Days

There are things that just seemed to be made to go together...

Comfort food and cold rainy days are one of those delicious pairings. Today was one of those cold, rainy days. As a matter of fact it was 53 degrees colder than last Monday. I know that sounds strange but it feels even stranger!

How comforting does homemade skillet cornbread and chili sound? That's just what I made for dinner tonight. I found the recipe on The Pioneer Woman and it turned out amazing! It was easy and delicious!

A Great Day at MCAS Miramar

I just spend an amazing day at the MCAS Miramar Airshow yesterday. This has become an annual tradition for me and I love every minute of it! I got there right at 8 AM when the gates opened. So while I was waiting for the rest of the family to arrive I walked around to see some of the static displays and booths. At the face painting booth Staff Sgt Tatum did a great job painting the Soldier's Angels emblem on my arm. Feels great to be surrounded by the few, the proud...

The kids arrived just in time to watch the simulated ground and air attack with all the big explosions. It's always thrilling to watch and it makes you proud of our troops and all the hard work they do to keep us safe everyday here and around the world. From the Golden Knights, to the amazing Harriers to the wonderful Blue Angels... it was a beautiful day and a great show!The guys at the face painting booth geared us up and got us ready to pose... (although not everyone could hold their game face!)
Can't wait until next year!

Blast from the Past... 1969

What might be one of the most famous quotes of 1969 is "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." spoken by astronaut Neil Armstrong as he became the first man to walk on the moon that year.

Other notable events that year...

Nixon became President

Sesame Street made it's debut on PBS

The Chappaquiddick Affair involves Senator Edward Kennedy

Still at war with Vietnam

Boeing 747 jumbo jet makes its debut flying from Seattle to NY

Average Cost of new house $15,550

Average Cost New Car $3,270

Gas per Gallon 35 cents

So what made me go on this memory ride into the past? This morning as I was counting the bills in the cash drawer getting ready to make the weekly deposit I came across an old $5 bill. I have gotten so used to the newer design that I almost had forgotten what the old bills looked like. So I looked at it closely and saw it was from the 1969 series. Of course my imagination begin to run wild and I'm wondering if this bill could talk what could it tell us about where it's been and what it has seen. Was it in some one's pocket when Nixon gave his inaugural speech? Was it used to buy some bell bottom jeans and tie-dye shirts that had become part of the teenage fashion scene?

And where was I in 1969? Well, I dug up some old pictures and as far as I can tell I was a shy little toddler living in San Cristobal, Venezuela along with my parents, older sister and brand new baby brother.

Here I am with my sister Donna (I wonder why she is wearing a tie?) and our dog Jetty.

Where were you in 1969?

Fall in Summer's Clothing

So after going through the whole summer which was unusually cool and mild Fall arrived disguised in Summer's clothing! We have been getting such warm temperatures that it's hard to believe it is almost October. Sunday was quite warm so Grace, Jon and I headed to the beach to "cool off". It was beautiful and I loved basking in the sun all afternoon!

Monday surprised us all by arriving with record breaking heat. It got all the way up to 111 degrees in La Mirada! I don't ever remember it being that hot since I've lived here. Quite strange. Regardless, I still went for my daily walk in the park although not too many others braved it.

Each day has gotten a little bit cooler. Yesterday I enjoyed a perfect evening at the Angels game with Charlotte & Bill. I even got to see a home run (with fireworks) and the Angels won 4-2. The last time I went to an Angels game was in 1986 when I was a new transfer student at Biola way back in the day! That's right, back in the dark ages when we didn't have cell phones or the internet! Oh how times have changed...

Today the cool down continued with a beautiful afternoon display of monsoon clouds, rainbows, and gorgeous sunset. I love sunsets! Hopefully the weather will continue to improve and it will finally feel like Fall.

First Weekend of Fall

It's the first weekend of Fall but you couldn't tell by the weather! It definitely felt like summer. So what better way to cool off a bit than by heading to the beach. Grace, Jon and I drove to Huntington Beach and spent a wonderful afternoon relaxing. Besides lots of surfers we also saw quite a few dolphins swimming across about 100 feet from the shore! I have never seen dolphins that close! I'm so thankful to live here.