blog on the go

Ok so you probably already knew I was a dork. Well would you believe this post is being sent from my new Blackberry Curve? I simply love this phone! I have a full keyboard (tho the keys are the size of tiny corn kernels) plus the usual email, text and web. Plus with this baby I can view videos and hear sound clips. I just have to get the bluetooth working and I’ll be all set. And if you were wondering what happened to my old BB it was passed down to Terry so there may be a new Crackberry addict in the crowd!

Another busy weekend following another busy week!

Thursday night I went with my friend Lauren to see The Secret Live of Bees. We both read the book and loved it – and fortunately the movie was pretty true to the novel, though Jennifer Hudson’s character could have been developed a bit more. We also saw the trailer for Marley & Me which deserves its own video posting:

I don’t know if I can stand the wait til Christmas for that one! I’ve already ordered the book from Amazon. I also have to get going on some other reading I’m trying to get in, Water for Elephants which has been on my list for years.

Friday we went out to dinner as a family to a new restaurant in town called Liberty Market. It’s in downtown Gilbert just across the street from one of my fave restaurants Joe’s Real BBQ, and not coincidentally has the same owner. Liberty Market’s menu has tasty sandwiches (including pressed paninis), wood fired pizzas and fresh salads, but the dining experience is unique and fitting to the downtown Gilbert area. The restaurant has a somewhat nostalgic market feel, with little touches like grocery carts to hold bags of potato chips and bottles of coke. We enjoyed dining on their patio overlooking Hale Theatre and the now-desolate Grain Belt aka Rock City Bar & Grill aka Mahogany Run aka Gonzo’s and a host of other names/owners/concepts. The difference? Liberty Market’s owner knows how to create a friendly, unique dining experience while keeping prices low (sandwiches range between $7 – $12 for dinner). And if you go to Liberty, be sure to visit the unisex bathrooms – it’s a must.

Saturday we got up early and drove to Anthem to watch Justin’s game. They won! All the kids played well, especially Justin’s friend Stephen who has grown leaps and bounds since the start of the season. Coaches say he’s got tremendous potential as a football player.

Saturday evening we went to Lauren & Matt’s house for a lovely Italian-themed birthday dinner. She had a gorgeous table set and waiting for us in her back yard that was reminiscent of a garden restaurant in Italy, complete with flowers, candles, wine adn string lighting. The food was brought in from another restaurant favorite Rigatony’s and the company was just as wonderful.

Tonight (Sunday) we’re getting a visit from Terry’s Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Vern who are visiting from Ohio. Right now I’m simmering the sauce for the lasagna I’m making. We’re really eating like kings this weekend! Tomorrow it’s back to the diet for sure!

Quite possibly the worst wedding day ever.

Monday silliness: Guys have it easier than us

Have a nice day

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you

P.S. And, remember…
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; (happens to the very best of us) think of the person who has never known what it’s like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn’t live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people’s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to send this to a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!

Now, you have a nice day…God

Back from vacation!

Well we made it through four days without killing each other! Yay! Actually it was really a nice family vacation for us and four days is just the right amount of time.

We started on Friday afternoon by driving to North San Diego County (Carlsbad). Remind me next time to have someone else drive through those windy mountains – it was nerve-wracking! Once we got over them it was all downhill from there (sorry for the pun) and we arrived at our resort La Costa safe and sound before 10pm. It’s a beautiful resort and normally quite expensive but I won a 2-night stay a few months ago from the salesperson I work with there. I guess it pays to know someone – they put us in a double room with a huge parlor area which had a large dining set, living area with flat screen TV and a wet bar. We felt like VIPs!

Saturday morning we woke and drove to Leucadia’s Beacon’s Beach where the kids took surfing lessons from Kahuna Bob. Bob and his assistant did a great job working with the kids. Both of them got up on the board a couple times and did well but Justin really took off. I already posted some picks on Flickr. After the lessons we had lunch at a Mexican place then relaxed at the resort including the pool and hot tub. Saturday night we enjoyed food and drinks, and watched the Red Sox game at Yogi’s.

Sunday morning started with Terry and Eric golfing on the resort’s beautiful course, while Justin and I slept in. We packed up and checked out, then drove up the Pacific Coast Highway to Huntington Beach where we checked in to the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. This too was a wonderful hotel, though we felt a little less out of place there. I cashed in some frequent stay points for a two-night stay in an ocean view room.

After getting settled in the room, we walked across the street to the public beach where the boys enjoyed splashing in the waves. The cold temps weren’t enough to keep them out of the water, as usual. We returned to the room, changed, and took the hotel’s shuttle to downtown HB where we ate at Lugatti’s Italian Restaurant.

We had planned on spending all day Monday on the beach, but unfortunately the winds were so fierce we quickly realized we’d have to find an alternate activity. We opted for the Aquarium of the Pacific in nearby Long Beach and we weren’t disappointed! All of us agree our favorite part was the “petting tanks” where we were able to touch rays. The “bat rays” were almost like puppies – they came up and stuck their noses out of the water and flapped at us, splashing the water. They seemed to love getting attention. It was really cool! Eric and I also loved the lorikeet exhibit – we were able to get up close and personal with some parrot-like birds. They were beautiful. Seeing all those fish made us hungry so naturally we opted for lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp!

Luckily for us, the wind cleared up a bit by the time we got back to the hotel, so we went out to the beach where the kids enjoyed being bums for a little while. One can only take so much sand being blown into the eyes, so we enjoyed the hotel’s hot tob for a little while before venturing out for dinner downtown again. This time we went to The Longboard Restaurant & Pub, where apparently the locals like to hang out for Monday Night Football. The food was good and the prices were great!

The next morning we watched the sun rise over the mountains before heading out for the 7-hour drive home. We made it safely in time for Eric to get to work at Justin & Terry to make it to football practice. Overall, a very relaxing, fun and sucessful vacation for us!

To see all the photos, click here.

Monday silliness: How fast do you type?

This online test netted me 86 words per minute even though I really thought I was faster than that!

Hey, dude!

Look what the kids did yesterday…

Click here to see the whole photo album!

If you’re even in the San Diego area and want to try surfing, you MUST call Kahuna Bob. By the way, the other 5 students were all adults, including one woman!