4th of July Block Party

If you like Pina Coladas...

And getting caught in the rain...

Come and join our block party and set off some fireworks.

This year our annual block party was fantastic.  Every year our neighbors bring their BBQs and EZ-UPS to the street and we have a grand time.  We had tons of food and great company.  The weather cooled down and there was a nice breeze but there was only one small problem.  All of a sudden we were hit by a rain storm.  It was definitely unusual for us in Sunny Southern California to have a rain storm in July.  Everyone ran under the EZ-UPs.  It was actually hysterical.  We waited out the storm, dried off the chairs, and then let off some fireworks.  A fun time was had by all.

Lighting Up the Night

In Remembrance of our angel, Ryan "the lion" and all babies gone too soon.

October 15th is the National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  Please light a candle tonight at 7:00 P.M. your time.  Leave it burning for at least one hour, so there will be a continuous wave of light around the globe in remembrance of our precious little ones, gone too soon.  

Ol' Fashioned Weekend

This past weekend Dana and I ventured out of our hometown and ended up in Mission Viejo for some good ol' fashioned dining out. First we ate dinner at Ruby's Diner. Ruby's was hosting a fundraiser for our favorite walk-a-thon, O.C. Walk to Remember. They were contributing 20% of the bill to that fantastic organization. We could have donated a lot more if we just wrote them a check and stayed home. Oh well, it was all about the adventure and the time we spent together.

While driving into the Parking lot Dana and I noticed a sign for Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour. After dinner at Ruby's we moseyed on over to Farrell's. We just couldn't pass up the temptation. I can't believe we waited in line for an hour and 15 minutes for some ice cream, but we did. It was well worth the wait. The singing, sirens, whistles, drum, and piano all brought back fond memories of childhood birthday parties celebrated at Farrell's. We didn't lie and tell them it was our birthday but we enjoyed watching others around us. I did get a cute little ladybug bracelet balloon from the balloon artist that wandered from table to table.

Dana indulged in the Triple Chocolate Brownie Sundae. It consisted of freshly made triple chocolate Ghirardelli brownie, hot fudge, three scoops of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry. It's a fudgy belly ache.

I over indulged in the Banana Royale. It's two scoops of vanilla ice cream which I substituted for butter pecan, split banana, topped with pure whipped cream (no wonder it was so good), toasted almonds, hot fudge, and a cherry. I was lovin' it!!!

Maybe next time we'll make big piggies out of ourselves and try the pig trough. The trough holds scoops of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream, split banana, pineapple, chocolate, and strawberry toppings, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry x 2.

borrowed from gigposters.com

After you've licked the pig trough clean the waiters and waitresses have you stand up, make a pig nose, repeat after them, and squeal like a pig. So much fun to be a kid again!

Happy 4th of July

We celebrated with our annual block party. We roll our barbecues out to the street along with tables, chairs, EZ Ups, and ice chest. Everyone cooks up their specialties and we have a food fest. Once we finish stuffing our faces we get out the fireworks. A great time was has by all.

Happy Father's Day 2010

Yesterday Dana and I spent the day doing some errands. In the late afternoon we headed over to his sister's house for a BBQ. Everyone enjoyed sitting around eating and chatting. I didn't get to see my Dad because he lives far away but we had some good laughs over the phone. Hopefully I'll see him this summer. My thoughts are with all the dads who were unable to spend Father's Day with their children.

This is the skateboard deck I got for Dana. We saw it on a finger flip board at Target a few months ago. Dana has been looking for it online ever since. I found it in about 20 minutes and ordered it for him. He was one happy Daddy!

Dana's Dad, Hans with his book that he got from Marji.

Brother-in-law, David opening his fortune cookie that his girls made for him.

Dana's brother, Ron kicking back as usual.

Dana's step brother, Chris who was awake for once.

Ron, Marji, Dana , and Hans

You may have noticed that I'm not in any of the pictures. That's because I was having a very bad hair day. I looked like Shirley Temple ready to board the Good Ship Lollipop. Note to self: do not try hot rollers for the first time just before leaving to go somewhere.

Jen and Robert's Wedding

Back in Nov. Dana and I attend Jen and Robert's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony at a winery in Temecula. Robert used to play hockey with Dana and we met Jen through the hockey friends. The food was delicious, there was plenty of music and dancing, and before you left you had to make a stop at the candy bar. Yep that's right, they had a table set up with several different types of candy. Before leaving you got to fill a designer bag with goodies for the road. There was enough candy to satisfy any sweet tooth. I loved the idea. They are a wonderful couple. We were so happy to witness their marriage.

My Sister's Wedding

Day 4~ Ground Zero

My mom had to return home so Dana and I were left to tackle the trains ourselves. We actually did pretty well and didn't get lost once. We woke up early, ate breakfast and headed for Ground Zero. The destruction of the two towers is devastating. Although rebuilding is well underway, it took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes. What I saw on t.v. didn't do it any justice. We also went to Washington Square, Battery Park, and Wall Street.

Battery Park

Wall Street was jammed packed with people.

Yum, time for lunch. We grabbed a quick bite at a pizza stand.

St. Paul's Chapel was built in the 1760s. It was used by many during 9/11.

George Washington's pew in St. Paul's chapel.

Many notes, pictures, and missing posters still remain in St. Paul's Chapel.

It was such a beautiful day to hang out in the park.

Later that night, Dana and I met up with my sister and her husband to attend the Rangers vs. Sharks Hockey game. It was awesome to see a game at The Garden!