Lack of Posts

Sorry about the lack of posts this week. I was working A LOT. Yesterday I left for work at 5:30am and didn't get home till after 5:30pm - not fun when I expect to work till 2pm... Waking up early, running myself empty, and when I get home I just haven't felt like getting on the computer (or I was working from home too). We hired 2 people this week, one starting next week and one starting in two weeks. This will be interesting, but at least there is an end in sight.

Beautiful Moon

Biggest and Brightest Full Moon of 2010 Tonight

Tonight's full moon will be the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. It offers anyone with clear skies an opportunity to identify easy-to-see features on the moon.

This being the first full moon of 2010, it is also known as the wolf moon, a moniker dating back to Native American culture and the notion that hungry wolves howled at the full moon on cold winter nights. Each month brings another full moon name.

The rest of the article here.

It's pretty cloudy here, so I hope that we will be able to see the moon!!

Surf Lesson

Ryan has been trying to talk me into taking a surf lesson when we are in Hawaii in a few weeks. I kept saying "No", "No". Aaron shot me over an email asking if I wanted to take a lesson with her (she thought maybe it would be more fun with someone else), so I finally said "Yes". Aaron looked up some places that we can take lessons. I am going to have Ryan look up more info about them (to see which one he think will be best for us ladies). I think I will have Ryan try and take pictures of us in the lesson.

Largest Airship in SD

World's Largest Airship Flying Over San Diego

SAN DIEGO - A 246-foot-long Zeppelin, touted as the world's largest airship, will take to the skies for the first time over San Diego during the start of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament.

The so-called "Farmers Insurance Airship," which will be operated by Airship Ventures, will provide aerial television coverage of the tournament, which gets under way Thursday at Torrey Pines.

"Torrey Pines will host some of the world's best golfers this weekend and the Farmers Airship will ensure the worldwide television audience will see this beautiful course and the intense competition on it from the tees to the greens," said Kevin Kelso, chief marketing officer for Farmers Insurance Group.

The airship is 15 feet longer than a Boeing 747 and is 50 feet longer than the largest blimp, according to Kelso.

It will be emblazoned with a blue and red Farmers Insurance shield logo that is 185 feet long and 30 feet tall.

Mario Cakes

I saw this blog on one of my friend's Facebook page. They have Mario cakes... HOW FUN!!

Gilmore Girls DVDs

Not sure if you like Gilmore Girls or you know someone who does, but I am selling Seasons 1-6 on DVD. Season 1 is opened and watched once (but perfect condition) and Seasons 2-6 are brand new (still in the factory seal). If you are interested, please check out my sale page on Half.com here. Feel free to tell EVERYONE you know :) I would really love to get these sold ASAP. PS The asking price is $139.50 plus shipping.

Thank U Berry Munch

It's that time of year again, when our friends, family and neighbors ask us (on behalf of their daughters) the age-old question, "Would you like to buy Girl Scout cookies?" New for 2010, Thank U Berry Munch is the most recent flavor to be added onto the Girl Scout Cookie roster. Stuffed with real cranberries and white-fudge chips, they were crunchy and extremely sweet. One person said they tasted just like Special K strawberry cereal bars, others said they were similar to a Pecan Sandie with cranberries (while it has a prominent crunch, there are, uh, no pecans in it).

They could, however, be just a tad less sweet, and we'd also like to see less processed ingredients in the nutritional information. That way we wouldn't feel so bad when we're finishing off the box!

More of the article here.

What is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?!

Plate Art

Plates become wall art

Celebrate a mismatched but beloved collection by arranging them in an asymmetrical wavelike pattern on a plain white wall.

Tips:

**The blank canvas of the white wall allows the dishes to pop without competing for attention, but a colored wall works too, as long as the hues are complementary.

**Try the same technique with themed collections such as vintage postcards or old 45 rpm records.

Check out the original post here.

Maybe one day we will do this... but I guess I would have to find some cool plates first :).

Monster Trucks!

Wow! I can say I have never experienced something like that before :). Who knew so many people were so AMPED on Monster Trucks! Tailgating beforehand, signs, shirts, hats, you name it, it was there. Ryan had an AMAZING time (I enjoyed myself too, but really was going just because I knew Ryan liked it so much). I liked The Turtle and Monster Mutt the most!! I took some pictures, so check them all out here if you'd like. They also had demolition derby, which was SWEET!! I would say Demolition Derby and Free Style were our favs!

Demo Derby:

The Turtle:

The Mutt:

Grave Digger:

Ryan's excitement:

Pizza Fusion

Ryan and I went down to Hillcrest before Monster Jam because Ry had heard about this yummy pizza place called Pizza Fusion. It was SCRUM-DIDDLY-UMP-SCIOUS!! I got a 4 cheese and sun dried tomato pizza on multi-grain crust and Ryan got a BBQ "Chicken" pizza on multi-grain crust. I would definitely give it two thumbs up and go down there again!! Ryan even ate my leftovers on the car ride home :).

Pizza Fusion was created in the best interest of the individual and the environment. When originally designing the menu, Vaughan Lazar and Michael Gordon, founders of Pizza Fusion, wanted everyone to enjoy the good taste of their delicious food. So they did their research and sought out tasty alternatives that'd allow individuals with food allergies, selective diets and digestive intolerances to indulge at Pizza Fusion. The end result was a menu to be enjoyed by all that has made us especially popular amongst our vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose intolerant friends alike.

See the Zoo

Online visitors can see S.D. Zoo
Google street view shows much of park

BALBOA PARK — Animal lovers no longer have to travel to Balboa Park to see their favorite meerkats and monkeys, as the San Diego Zoo has become the first in the nation to be explorable on Google’s online street-view feature.

The effort is part of a project by Google to use tricycle-mounted equipment to capture images of places the organization deems “interesting and fun” that were not accessible with the cars that were used for street views along roads.

Check out the rest of the article here.

Mr. Logan

Congrats to our friends that just had their baby boy - Mr. Logan :) He was born @ 5:45pm January 22nd. He is 20.5in. And 7lbs 14oz.



Congrats Sarah and Drew!!! We are sooooo happy for ya!!

1/23/04

I can't believe it has been 6 years already since the accident. Melissa, Vanessa's sister made a Facebook page for Vanessa, for friends and family to write memories, post pictures, etc. I just had to post about how Kyle made Vanessa's "eyes blush".



The poem is a poem that Carol, Vanessa's mom wrote.

PARKOUR

Watch the Tilly's PARKOUR video here! My hubby is such a YouTube Star, huh?! I wish I could just post it here, but you have to go to the website to view it.

Tilly's makes their first Parkour video.... It's got some SUPER SWEET Parkour moves and some fist pumps to go with... CHECK IT!!!!!

BAM!!!!

Mom mentioned she didn't get it, so just in case other people don't either... CHECK OUT THE OFFICE'S VERSION OF PARKOUR and then watch THE TILLY'S SPOOF :)

The Storm

I SEE THE LIGHT!! It looks like the storm has subsided!! The sun has started to peek out!! WHOOO HOOO!!! Of course we NEED the rain, but not in the quantity and speed that it has been dumping the last week... It will be nice to have some dry weather again (JUST IN TIME FOR MONSTER TRUCKS :) ).

Invisible Children

Invisible Children is Annoying...



VOTE BY TONIGHT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!

One Month

Whoo hoo. I just noticed that we will be flying out to Hawaii in one month from today!! YAY!! We will be heading to Oahu for a McClurg family vacation on February 20th. We will be doing some hiking, swimming with dolphins, geo caching, relaxing in the sun, enjoying family time, snorkeling, etc. I guess that means it is time to start getting 'bathing suit ready'.

Evacuations

Evacuations Ordered Ahead of 3rd California Storm

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 20) - Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies are preparing to go door-to-door Wednesday morning to order people out of their homes as another powerful storm moves toward foothill communities at risk of mudslides and flooding.

About 600 homes in La Canada Flintridge and other communities will be under mandatory evacuation beginning at 9 a.m. People could be out of their homes for up to five days.

The communities northeast of Los Angeles are near mountain areas burned bare by a wildfire last year.

The third in a series of storms - and possibly the fiercest yet - could dump up to 1½ inches of rain per hour beginning in the late morning.

No flooding is reported there yet - but further west , a car-sized boulder dropped from a hillside onto the 101 freeway near Hollywood, blocking an offramp.

The rest of the article here.

Walt's Apartment

A couple of months ago, we shared a photo of Walt Disney outside his apartment on Main Street, U.S.A. in Disneyland park, and a number of you expressed interest in seeing more photos of Walt’s apartment. With this rare photo, we’re showing you the apartment just as Walt enjoyed it, with all of its original furnishings and décor. You can just imagine Walt and his grandchildren enjoying some family time in this Town Square hideaway.

Orange County Weather

Kevin posted a picture of the San Clemente Pier... CRAZY :) Good thing we live about 5 blocks from the beach :)

Monster Jam

I got Ryan tickets to Monster Jam today. Of course I didn't spend money on them, I won them on San Diego 6 website (their loyalty program). I have never been to something like this. Ryan is STOKED!! I am sure I will have photos and maybe even some video once we go :).

Monster Jam is an incredible, family-friendly experience starring the biggest performers on four wheels: Monster Jam monster trucks. These twelve-feet-tall, ten-thousand-pound machines will bring you to your feet, racing and ripping up a custom-designed track full of obstacles to soar over - OR smash through. Monster Jam provides a massive night’s entertainment tailored perfectly for your family’s budget, and these colorful, larger-than-life beasts are sure to capture the hearts of both young and old.

Crazy Weather

Okay, I know that ANYTHING other than 70 and sunny seems to spark some sort of discussion about 'weather' in San Diego, but REALLY, it has been CRAZY!! Ryan called me this afternoon to let me know that we had a TORNADO WARNING! There are tons of trees down, power outages, flash flood warnings, etc. Hopefully it simmers down for the rest of the week (but word on the weather street is the craziness is supposed to continue till the weekend).

Second Rain Storm Arrives in San Diego & Prompts Tornado Warnings

SAN DIEGO - A second round of strong rainfall in as many days saturated the San Diego area Tuesday, bringing more moisture to the drought-weary region while raising concerns of mudslides and flash floods and prompting a tornado warning for parts of the North County.

Due to the expected strength of the downpours, the National Weather Service issued a flash-flood watch effective from late this morning through early evening in coastal, valley and mountain areas below 6,500 feet.

The agency also instituted a high-surf alert for the county's beaches, extending from 6 this morning to 3 a.m. Friday. Additionally, a small-craft advisory went into effect at 6 a.m. and is set to expire at 2 a.m. Thursday.

About 2 this afternoon, following a report of a water spout in the ocean off the coast of Orange County, the NWS issued a 30-minute tornado warning for the southern reaches of that region, along with sections of northwestern San Diego County, including the cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Fallbrook, Oceanside and Vista.

Over a 24-hour period ending at 1 this afternoon, the blustery atmospheric system dropped 1.83 inches of precipitation in Kearny Mesa, 1.38 inches in Encinitas, 1.36 inches in Julian, 1.2 inches on Mount Laguna, 1.15 in Ramona, 0.97 in Dulzura and 0.63 at Brown Field, according to the NWS.

There were no reports of landslides or flash floods by mid-afternoon.

A third storm forecast to pack even more punch was expected to arrive in the San Diego area on Wednesday, followed by a fourth on Thursday.

The rest of the article here.

Ryan's Pictures

Ryan has been using his new iPhone to take cool pictures. He had about 150 pictures from San Fran. I added them to my photo album. If you haven't checked out the pictures yet, please do here :)

I Have a Dream

Jedidiah - Haiti Tees

Events like these are sobering and we are often left feeling helpless. Here is one way Jedidiah has decided to take action. We are selling two SPECIAL EDITION T-SHIRTS through our website. 100% of the proceeds going directly to Compassion International and their efforts to provide assistance to families and children devestated by the earthquake. Let us pray for an end to the devastation and a beginning of healing and restoration. Let us pray that the people of Haiti are able to see pieces of hope amidst this nightmare.

Original blog post here.

Chase Community Giving

It can be incredibly rewarding when your vote has a local impact. Chase is giving away $5 million to various charities and needs you to help pick which ones. Simply vote for your favorite nonprofit and then get friends and others on Facebook to do the same. You can select from the top 100 charities from round one that focus on education, healthcare, housing, environmental issues, combating hunger, arts and culture, human services, and animal welfare. Give your charity the recognition it deserves and needs with Chase Community Giving.

It's a new Way Forward for giving.

See the Official Rules http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/home/rules for complete eligibility requirements.

I have voted for TO WRITE LOVE ON HER ARMS, AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION and INVISIBLE CHILDREN so far!! Place your vote and help your favorite charity to win MUCH NEEDED funds!!

Happy MLK Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon: King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history.

In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.

Rain

Who would have guessed, we spent the weekend in San Francisco (which is known for the misty and rainy weather) and there is MORE rain here than we saw all weekend. Our sliding glass door is even leaking into our living room (I guess that is what you get for not really weather-proofing houses in SoCal). I guess Ryan will be doing a little MacGyver-ing with the duct tape and the framing. I guess the rain isn't supposed to stop till the end of the week - HERE COMES THE FUN DRIVING, hehe.

San Fran

Ryan and I went up to San Fran with two other couples this past weekend. We left on Friday morning and got back this morning. We had a lot of fun. We did a lot of sightseeing, a ton of walking and using public transportation, etc. We went to Alcatraz, Haight Ashbury (hippie area), China Town, Little Italy (or what Katrina calls it - Italy Town), the Fisherman's Wharf, the Sutro Bath ruins, geo caching, etc. We sure did put a lot into our 3 day trip (and my body is feeling it now, hehe). There are about 300 pictures from my camera here. Also, Ryan took pictures and I will post some from Katrina and Courtney when I get them.

Hanging off the Trolley (yep, I sang "Rice-A-Roni, a San Francisco Treat" while riding around):

Heading in to Alcatraz and the cool audio tour:

Some of the ruins from the Sutro Baths (people used to come and clean themselves when not everyone had water in their homes):

A Dino in Haight Ashbury neighborhood:

We went to the Stinking Rose (an ALL garlic restaurant - YUMMY but smelly):


The rest of the pics here.