Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A day at the Museum
The New Children's Museum
San Diego, CA
Where else can you...
Scale a rock wall...
Dress up like a pretty princess...
Blow bubbles beyond your wildest imagination...
Paint a car ?!? ...
Test out your newly-built race car on the track...
Construct a city...
Crash-tumble into a pile of pillows.
San Diego, CA
Where else can you...
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Labels: san diego
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Practicing for a Mock Battle
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While playing host & hostess to visiting friends, Tom & Corrie from Colorado, Corrie and I, who are always up for random adventures, made our way over to Shelter Island to view these 2 tall ships. "Lady Washington" (famous for being in the movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl") and "Hawaiian Chieftain"(a replica built in 1988) are currently docked in San Diego for touring. Throughout the weekend, the 2 ships will be engaging in mock battles on the San Diego Bay. We were just lucky enough to catch them practicing the day before and although we didn't get to hear the cannons boom or the puffs of smoke pouring forth, seeing these ships up close, I sure have a better appreciation of what a sailor's life was like!
Labels: san diego
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Creature Comforts
Some of you have asked how I was doing while Sean was out fighting the fires. Let me recount for you...
I arrived at a family member's house a little before midnight the night the fires started, to find 4 cousins and one uncle sound asleep and an aunt that greeted me at the door with open arms. Now, mind you, this house is not far from Ramona and I had seen this same neighborhood get evacuated during the last fire. So with my adrenaline pumping from a quick drive from Arizona to S.D. (at a pace that a cop might frown upon had there been any cops with attention toward anything other than the fires) and nothing to do but worry which made for an interesting night! I watched tv, (flipping from channel to channel) texted friends (admitting that I was safe but still nervous) listened to the radio (in case all the channels on tv could possibly be missing something that I might need to know about!) and laid on the couch. Somewhere about 3:00 in the morning I had to calm my nerves and changed the channel to some strange tv show about bears in the wild. I ended up falling asleep with "one eye open" (to keep an eye on the large hill just outside the back door that seemed just right for a fire to sweep down it) and one ear still listening to the radio and awoke about an hour later to hear a man on the radio with the same name as my husband's. He sounded panicked and frantic and stated his location was near our house and my heart was racing. He said he just barely got out of his house (heart racing faster than ever before now!) ...with his children. I instantly had to stop myself, because we do not have children and I know without a shadow of a doubt that Sean would not panic in such a situation and neither should I at that moment in time. I honestly am not sure if it was a dream/nightmare and my mind was playing tricks on me, or if there really was a man named Sean on the radio, but I knew that I had to control my mind so I would not freak out! It was hard to find things to distract my mind from the fires that night, but one thing I have learned is that it is nice to have some of your own creature comforts with you when in an emergency. And so came the purchase of this adorable bag by babyduckies pictured below. Everything about it says comfort to me. The adorable outer fabric and its coordinating inner fabric are just perfect. They would look adorable all sewn up into a quilt and so now I feel as though I have a little quilt with me. It now holds some essentials - a toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant and my own soap- and will stay in my truck because this isn't the first emergency we've been caught up in and it probably won't be the last.
I arrived at a family member's house a little before midnight the night the fires started, to find 4 cousins and one uncle sound asleep and an aunt that greeted me at the door with open arms. Now, mind you, this house is not far from Ramona and I had seen this same neighborhood get evacuated during the last fire. So with my adrenaline pumping from a quick drive from Arizona to S.D. (at a pace that a cop might frown upon had there been any cops with attention toward anything other than the fires) and nothing to do but worry which made for an interesting night! I watched tv, (flipping from channel to channel) texted friends (admitting that I was safe but still nervous) listened to the radio (in case all the channels on tv could possibly be missing something that I might need to know about!) and laid on the couch. Somewhere about 3:00 in the morning I had to calm my nerves and changed the channel to some strange tv show about bears in the wild. I ended up falling asleep with "one eye open" (to keep an eye on the large hill just outside the back door that seemed just right for a fire to sweep down it) and one ear still listening to the radio and awoke about an hour later to hear a man on the radio with the same name as my husband's. He sounded panicked and frantic and stated his location was near our house and my heart was racing. He said he just barely got out of his house (heart racing faster than ever before now!) ...with his children. I instantly had to stop myself, because we do not have children and I know without a shadow of a doubt that Sean would not panic in such a situation and neither should I at that moment in time. I honestly am not sure if it was a dream/nightmare and my mind was playing tricks on me, or if there really was a man named Sean on the radio, but I knew that I had to control my mind so I would not freak out! It was hard to find things to distract my mind from the fires that night, but one thing I have learned is that it is nice to have some of your own creature comforts with you when in an emergency. And so came the purchase of this adorable bag by babyduckies pictured below. Everything about it says comfort to me. The adorable outer fabric and its coordinating inner fabric are just perfect. They would look adorable all sewn up into a quilt and so now I feel as though I have a little quilt with me. It now holds some essentials - a toothbrush, toothpaste, deoderant and my own soap- and will stay in my truck because this isn't the first emergency we've been caught up in and it probably won't be the last.
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Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
Back in the Saddle, Again
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Pictured above is the back side (or is it the front side?...) of our favorite trail. We intended to ride this trail yesterday to see how bad the damage is, but it will have to wait for another day. Also on the list of currently unrideable trails is Lake Hodges. The fire ripped down through this canyon following the water and winding its way close to the ocean. So, we made do with a trail that was dubbed, "not exactly perfect" and included, among other things, crawling under the freeway and riding through a nursery, down a fire road and past a dead coyote. It actually turned out to be a great ride! What you can't see from the picture below are the 25 other people that were with us on the ride. But rest assured, I could always find my husband in the pack up ahead with his lime green jersey and red shorts!
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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Total Strangers
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No, this isn't our house, but that of a total stranger.
While our town and surrounding areas were being evacuated, we rushed home from Arizona to grab a handful of things from our home that would be hard to live without. Well, let me clarify, my husband rushed into our home and rushed over to be of aid to any family members that might be in peril and throughout the next 2 nights, rushed to the aid of total strangers. Some, he met face to face, and some will never know who it was that "intruded" onto their property to fight back the raging fires. It must be a harrowing experience to return home from your evacuation to find a gate swung wide open, to find your property different than what you left it and to know that someone was there doing good and wondering what could have happened had they not stopped.
But the house above, occupied by an older husband and wife doing all they could to fight back the fire with their garden hoses, was one that my husband happened upon and was able to meet these so-called strangers. Accompanied by more strangers, met in a time of peril, these good citizens had rented a pump truck specifically to fight the fires. As you can see from the picture above with its charred hills and burnt trees, the fire would likely have overtaken the house. This is just one of the many battles fought and won.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Still Standing
Thank you to everyone for your emails, phone calls, text messages and prayers.
Fires are still burning in Southern California, but we are back in our home after 1 week. I have stories to tell, thoughts to share, pictures to post and a thankful heart for brave souls willing to risk their lives or help a neighbor whether it's their job or not.
Fires are still burning in Southern California, but we are back in our home after 1 week. I have stories to tell, thoughts to share, pictures to post and a thankful heart for brave souls willing to risk their lives or help a neighbor whether it's their job or not.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Night Riding - Part 2
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Sunday, October 14, 2007
Can we please go home now?
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And in case you are wondering, no, we did not ride up or down the rocks you see pictured above. This was our, "I give," turnaround point!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Night Rider
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Photo courtesy of NiteRider.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Somewhere between the 2nd hole and 3rd tee
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Labels: san diego
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Now Go Get it Dirty!
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Although I did bring my camera, the battery ran out. I "borrowed" the pic above from this website so you could get an idea of what the trail looks like. Although it was nowhere as green as this yesterday, it was still beautiful!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Who's Winning?
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Labels: san diego
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
The Big Red Barn
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Monday, July 23, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Humiliated
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We were no more than 2 feet from shore, when he fell in. 5 minutes - he couldn't even last 5 minutes before he was sopping wet! My favorite part of the day came when the onlookers from the shore clapped when Sean was able to haul the dog back into the kayak without tipping over! His "accident" (I'm not entirely sure he didn't try to jump out) sure put a damper on the evening as he continually tried to stand up so he could shake himself off in the kayak. I haven't read the owner's manual yet, but I'm sure wiggling around, shaking back & forth and circling around & around before you sit down is not recommended in a long, skinny and somewhat unstable kayak! And to make matters worse, my new kayak was not in proper working order!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
How could we not?
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How could we not use our new kayak the first chance we got? It proved to be a very profitable evening as I became the paddler, negotiating us between buoys & shorelines, boats & piers. We cruised around Mission Bay, near Sea World, where we saw penguins and enthusiastic tourists riding the skytram overhead that wanted to see what the heck we were doing. I tried to oblige each passenger by waving while paddling and Sean was more than happy to hold up his trophy for the skytram passengers that yelled, "Hey Canoe-eeey!" 10 fish were caught, in all, but 9 released back to their home. The one we kept: a spotty bass, I'm told. Surely, there will be many more to come as we were able to appreciate the quietness of a warm summer evening in the middle of a big city.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
This is turning out to be...
...one fantastic summer!!!
There is nothing quite like getting up at 3 am to support a husband's love of fishing! My husband and I have been talking about how fun it would be to own a kayak for years now. With our recent fishing adventure in Mammoth last month and our even-more-recent sport fishing adventure off La Jolla last week, Sean's love of fishing has been rekindled. So, he decides he wants to enter a kayak fishing tournament to see if it is something he would enjoy. He spends a few hours on the water fishing for the tournament with nothing more to show than a tale of catching a Baracuda (the wrong type of fish) and a seasick stomach! As we sit on the La Jolla shore watching the hordes of tourist kayakers try to make their way out past the break water with the swells getting increasingly bigger, we feel inclined to join them! So, he and I hop in our one person specially-rented-just-for-this-tournament-kayak and head out. We are laughing and enjoying each other's company as we head over to "the caves." I've always heard about "the caves" but could never really understand what all the fuss was about until we entered one!
Such a beautiful adventure on a beautiful day. But the fun does not end there...
...after we paddled back in through the ever increasing swells and larger waves and Sean spotting an actual shark (yes, I said shark, but it's a really small one that can't hurt a person I am "assured,") we head over to the fishing tournament bbq.
We get to the bbq too early and are tempted to leave until we are told this is the best part of the day because there is fantastic food and an extraordinary raffle with a gazillion prizes where almost everyone is assured to leave with something. Well, that's enough to keep us around, and although Sean did not come home with the biggest fish of the day, he did come home with the big raffle prize of the day. We are now the proud owners of our very own kayak!!! And yes, the person that presented us with our new kayak was none other than the person we rented our kayak from! We are so completely blessed and are already planning it's maiden voyage!!!
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...after we paddled back in through the ever increasing swells and larger waves and Sean spotting an actual shark (yes, I said shark, but it's a really small one that can't hurt a person I am "assured,") we head over to the fishing tournament bbq.
We get to the bbq too early and are tempted to leave until we are told this is the best part of the day because there is fantastic food and an extraordinary raffle with a gazillion prizes where almost everyone is assured to leave with something. Well, that's enough to keep us around, and although Sean did not come home with the biggest fish of the day, he did come home with the big raffle prize of the day. We are now the proud owners of our very own kayak!!! And yes, the person that presented us with our new kayak was none other than the person we rented our kayak from! We are so completely blessed and are already planning it's maiden voyage!!!
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Thursday, July 12, 2007
"We Were Meant To Live"
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Last week, we saw Switchfoot in concert at the fair. I've never been disappointed with one of their shows, even when they were just starting out, playing in a jam-packed room to a bible study in Pacific Beach. Their shows are always energetic and the lyrics, thought-provoking. Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, Meant to Live:
Fumbling his confidence
And wondering why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Somewhere we live inside
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
Somewhere we live inside
Dreaming about Providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken
We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than this world's got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life, yeah
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?
We were meant to live
We were meant to live
Labels: san diego
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Happy 4th of July!
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Labels: san diego