carpinteria

Bob and I went to my brother's house last weekend in Carpinteria. Early on in the day it was raining, but once it cleared up we decided to go to the beach (you can actually walk to the beach from his house). As we were walking we almost ran into this bird that was squaking at us because it couldn't move. I have no idea what kind of animal this is but it looks as if it is lost in time with its flat-top haircut. We couldn't tell what was wrong with it, so we decided to call animal services which turned into a huge ordeal because they wanted us to pick it up and bring it to them!

When my brother called the conversation went something like this:

Tyler: Um there is a bird stuck on the beach that won't move and is squaking really loudly.

lady: What kind of bird is it?

Tyler: I don't know, I've never seen one, but it has a black flat-top.

lady: oh, I think I know what bird it is... um, I am just a volunteer and I will try to see if I can get someone out there. Do you have a beach towel?

Tyler: yes

lady: do you have a box?

Tyler: a box, no (at this point I was laughing really hard because who brings a box to the beach just in case they run into a flat-topped bird that can't move)

lady: well, see if you can pick it up in your towel and bring it to us

Tyler: drive it in my car? um, I don't know, it won't let us come close and it looks like it has a really sharp beak

lady: yeah, they don't have teeth, but their beaks are really sharp. If you are going to pick it up, make sure you wear sunglasses so it doesn't poke your eyes out.

Tyler: um, do you think you could just get someone ut here?

So anyway, after a series of phone calls, Tyler turned off his phone because it got really annoying and while we cared about the bird, we didn't care that much. We walked down the beach and when we came back the bird was gone !? (Who knows, maybe it was an angel in disguise :)

How do you like this sign-- the bathing beach. Sure glad I didn't see anyone bathing out there.

We went to eat at Chamomile Cafe downtown. I love this shop because it is so cute! Not to mention they have the best bran muffins and chai tea I have ever had. The chai is made there!

Here's the display counter. Anyway, we had a really good time and realized that Carpinteria isn't THAT far away.

my new pumpkin pan!

My good friend Amy was so excited about the birthday gift she was giving me, that she gave it to me today, even though my birthday is over a week away. I was so excited when I opened it-- it is an awesome cupcake pan with pumpkin shaped-tins. I am thinking of all of the things I might be able to cook in it. Let me know if you have some suggestions!

megan's tennis match

Megan invited my mom and I to come see her last home tennis game on Tuesday, so we gladly sat in the heat to watch her play Woodbridge. Megan was my student my first year of teaching and I have a special love for her. She, in fact, made me a cape out of her old book covers that I just showed the kids in my class today. She used to hide in our classroom cupboards and we would play tricks on the other students. Oh, the memories... Anyway, it is really fun to watch her grow up and really into who she is. She has a natural skill for tennis & a good competitive side too (she was visibly upset that they only won one game). Love you girl!

may His wonders never cease

This sunset that I could see from my front yard reminds me of how much God calls us to Him through his beauty. May His wonders never cease.

bob's birthday

I love birthdays. I think it is because I always felt so special on mine growing up. I usually extend my birthday for a week and am sad when it's over. To Bob, a birthday is just another day that you happened to be born. You can probably visualize the hardship this created when we first got married. I tried to spoil him on his birthday, he didn't really care, my feelings got hurt. My birthday is a holiday (Veterans Day) so I always got it off of school/work, but Bob still feels like he should work that day, my feelings get hurt. See the pattern. I think he is starting to learn how meaningful this is to me and he has done some great things to celebrate me in the past.

Anyway, this year for his birthday, I cooked him a feast of his favorite food (Thanksgiving items), we got to go to Disneyland (thanks Barbi Relock) and our parents came over for dessert-- Chocolate Motherload cake from Claim Jumper. My mom even brought a singing candle that my brother brought home from China. This crazy candle wouldn't even stop singing when it was put under water. We enjoyed ourselves and now Bob is anticipating the surprise trip I am taking him on this weekend.

do not go to Costco on a full stomach!

For the first year of our marriage, Bob and I had a Costco card that we rarely used, so we decided that we didn't need to renew it again. I missed the visits to Costco though since it is such a fun place to spend time. The church that Bob is working at gave us Costco cards, so we are able to visit again. Yesterday, though, was not such a good day. You may think it bad to go to Costco on an empty stomach because of all the junk-- I mean samples-- that they offer you which of course cannot be resisted. Well, let me assure you that going on a full stomach is even worse. We made the mistake of eating lunch before we went and not letting it settle for two hours before we jumped into Costco. And if you love food as much as I do, you cannot say no to a FREE snack, even if it doesn't look THAT great, or if you are not hungry. Like I said before, Bob and I are not really Costco shoppers. We don't eat the same thing for dinner 7 nights a week, so we can't really justify buying 10 lbs of something. We also like to try new things but are not willing to commit doing so at Costco since if you don't like it, you basically have wasted lots of money. Anyway, yesterday was just another reminder to us that our hearts lie at Trader Joes (not Costco) when all we walked out with were a box of feminine products (the guy at the checkout was trying not to laugh) and immensely full stomachs. Well, I guess it was a free dinner since we were still so full by dinner that all we had was popcorn. Anyway, if you are afraid you are going to eat too many samples at Costco, don't try what we did by going on a full stomach, because you will eat the samples anyway, and will feel much worse. Let yourself splurge and go on an empty stomach!

it's not jaws, but...

Yesterday we went fishing at the beach (again) and Bob caught a shark! I am not sure what kind it was, but I am continually amazed at God's creation.

I even decided I wanted to fish today and baited my own hook, thank you very much. I screamed the whole time as I stuck the live sand crab on my hook and my brother said, "Sorry little guy", but I still did it. I don't have anything to brag about unless catching seaweed counts, but we did find a fin in the rocks that Tyler took home to use body surfing.

Anyway, here is a picture for you to see how amazing it truly is!

outdoor ed

I just got back from spending a week with my 6th graders at Pine Summit Outdoor Science School. We had a really good, exhausting time. Some of the kids' favorite activities were the ropes course, the archery range, the climbing wall, and the zipline. Those were the fun ones. I promise that we had science classes though, too. Here are a few pictures of the kids having a good time.

blast from the past

Bob's dad sent us this picture yesterday and I thought it was so cute that I had to share. This is actually the same street we live on now. In case it wasn't obvious, Bob is the adorable blondie in the front.

fishing at the beach

Bob's love for fishing has been rekindled so we have started to make a habit of going to the beach on Saturday mornings. He fishes while I read or go on a walk. It is very peaceful. Sometimes we go alone and sometimes we take friends. Who knew so much could be caught from the shore? The first time we went he caught a baby leopard shark, but since then it has just been fish.

I used to be an expert sand crab catcher when I was young so Bob and I went head to head in a sand crab catching competition this weekend (he uses sand crabs for bait). Final score: Bob 4 Jamie 1. Well I guess you win some and lose some...

you know you're old when...

Yesterday I was sitting in an office waiting room and I was two seats down from a girl who was about 13 or 14. Didn't say a word to the girl or address her in any way. When the girl got up, a lady a few seats over asked if she was my daughter. "Excuse me?", I said, and then it sank in and I said, "Umm.... No.....", a little confused. I left thinking, "Really, I know I am getting older, but THAT old?" I was a little offended. I think to a lesser degree it falls under the category of asking someone if they are pregnant when they are not.

kaylie & my adventure

I babysat the lovely Kaylie Whitsell today and we had so much fun together! We ate, played, went on a walk, and read books. Above is a picture before we ate and below is a picture after.

Trey & Erin

Our friends Trey & Erin came over a while ago and as a test for dating couples, we put them on the tandem. This allows us to immediately analyze their communication, trust, and who prefers to be in control. Not that we would judge anyone or anything like that... it took Bob and I months to get it down and I still (secretly) peer around him when he is driving it.

Anyway, Trey & Erin just got engaged and will get married in May. Yeah!

sail away

This last Saturday we went sailing with our friends Roe and Jim. Jim has been sailing for many years and we decided to go down to San Diego. Roe packed a wonderful picnic lunch and we were off! Since I get seasick, I decided to plan ahead and take some dramamine before we left. When reading the package directions, it said to take 1-2 pills, so Bob and I decided it would be best to take 2 just in case. Bad idea. I got so sleepy that I could hardly keep my eyes open. And these were the non-drowsy version of the pill. I had to take a nap on the boat and felt like I couldn't concentrate the whole time. It really made for a silly day. When we arrived on shore again, Roe and I decided we needed some caffeine, so we went to the nearby coffee shop and apparently coffee isn't a commodity around there because we ended up paying over $5 for 2 cups. Of plain coffee. Anyway, the day ended up being really fun, but a word to the wise-- don't overdo it on the dramamine-- it is worse than being seasick!

Zack & Jen wedding

We used to hang out with a group of 4 couples in college and now the last of those couples is married! The picture we got with them is on another camera. This is Bob and I getting ready to cut the rug. Congrats Zack & Jen!

twins

Since we are sharing a contract, Jennie and I thought we would dress up as twins on meet the teacher day just to confuse everyone a little. The amazing part was we didn't have to go out and buy the same shirt; we already had it! Despite our efforts, no one had trouble deciphering who was who (are you surprised?).

24 little hours

I am working part time this year. Since I am going to school on Monday's (Biola's Institute for Spiritual Formation Program), Tuesdays are the day that I feel like I really have off. Who knew that a 24 hour period-- although I was sleeping part of that time-- could be so blissful. Because I am a teacher, I did have the whole summer off, but there is really something about not having to go into work when I know the kids and other teachers are still there. Granted, I am celebrating before I got my 3/5 time paycheck, but still, in case you didn't know how much you could get done in one day off of work I will tell you all I was able to do. Pretend like you care...

1. I walked at 5:15 a.m. with my friends. Yes on my day off.
2. Ate breakfast and read.
3. Did laundry
4. Went to the dentist for 2 1/2 hours. Yes 2 1/2 hours.
5. Went to Target
6. Treated myself to lunch at Chipotle. How nice of me.
7. Did a prayer project for class
8. Read some more
9. Took a nap
10. Went to the hardware store
11. Got my car washed
12. Made dinner for 2 nights
13. Ate with my husband
14. Played cards with my husband
15. Went to bed

Okay I know it doesn't sound super exciting but it was such a mix of rest and getting things done. I love working part time! (Again, I haven't yet received a paycheck;)

Jamie Mehaffey v. Jamie Gold in poker

Bob's aunt runs Commerce Casino poker tournaments and from time to time she can get us in for free to play Texas Hold 'Em in tournaments. This weekend Bob is out of town and since Bob's brother also couldn't make it my sister-in-law and I decided to make it a girl's poker night. Am I good at poker? Mmm... not really, I mean I won the family trophy once but that is not saying much. I practiced for a while online and was encouraged that right before we left I won the online tournament (even though it was just against the computer).

Anyway, my aunt kindly sat us at the top dog table, meaning the people high up in the tournament-- some people were really good, but it was more the show table. There was this guy at the table who everyone kept wanting to talk to, etc. I thought he must be a high up business guy. His name was Jamie, just like mine... Anyway, Jamie and I ended up going hand to hand, no one else was betting. He went all in, so we turned up our cards; he had a king and a nine, and I had pocket fours. The next card turned up was a four, and I ended up beating him putting him out of the tournament.

When he left the table, I turned to the guy next to me and asked who Jamie was. This is how our conversation went:
Me: Who was that guy?
Guy next to me: (Laughing) You really don't know?
Me: No.
Guy next to me: He was the world champion in 2006
Me: World champion of what?
Guy next to me: (Laughing, again) Baseball. What do you think? Poker. He won the most money ever at a poker tournament. 12 million dollars in 2006.
Me: And I just beat him?
Guy next to me: Yeah, what a story
Me: Luckily I didn't know who he was, I might have been intimidated
A few minutes later-
Guy next to me: This table is for special people. How did you get here?
Me: Thanks a lot, what makes you think I'm not special?
Guy next to me: I didn't mean it like that, I mean it's for the people who really know what they are doing. Have you ever really played before?
Me: Only against my family or online, but I got here because my aunt is running the tournament.

Once again, it's about who you know. I would not have ever had the chance to brag about beating Jamie Gold, world poker champ 2006 if not for the proper placement at the table.

surprises

Bob has been full of surprises lately. The other night I came home to having a pool in our backyard (it was a kiddie pool, but hey, it still cools you off) and he had put out candles, lights and the umbrella. We enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked (by him) Italian dinner!

Then the next night he surprised me and took me to Pagent of the Masters. I had always wanted to go so he surprised me with tickets that he got through our friend James who is in it. The big painting behind us is the one that James is in so we are doing the same pose. In the picture below is James in front of his painting. Pagent of the Masters was even more amazing than I had pictured and since James is so nice, he took us backstage to see the characters, costumes, and backgrounds. It was such a great experience.

The best of NC

While I can't touch on everything we did, here are the highlights: White water rafting-- I rented this super awesome shoes so as not to get my good ones dirty and wet. We rafted with Dan and Eva who were so gracious to take us. It was a lot of fun even though Dan kept yelling, "Paddle girls", when I was paddling my hardest.

Bob fell in love with the rivers there. There are so many outdoor things to do-- fishing, kayaking,etc.

This is the wonderful Dan & Eva Steward who were so hospitable and such a blessing to us personally. We hardly knew them going in and got to know them so quickly. They were an amazing encouragement to us.

This is Asheville's Farmer's Market which operates 7 days a week and is indoors. They have the most amazing looking fruits and vegetables. I loved this place. I particularly love the one I took a picture of because it says, "Come on in y'all".

Even the squirrels have a slower lifestyle in NC. This squirrel just happened to be chilling under the umbrella as we walked by. This is in Charlotte where my cousin lives. It was so wonderful seeing her again and she was so gracious to allow us to stay with her.

So overall we had an awesome time of exploring, laughter, fun, and renewal.

The Hike

Bob and I were driving along Blue Ridge Parkway (which is kind of the equivalent of taking the 1 up CA except with no ocean) and we stopped for a spontaneous hike. It said it was about 2 miles. I didn't let the fact that I was in a dress stop me, but I did feel quite ridiculous wearing a dress and tennis shoes. (Gives a whole new meaning to walking skirt, huh walking friends-- maybe we should come up with a walking dress-- it worked!)

We stumbled across a lonely red mushroom...

And after we had walked through forest and rivers we came upon part of the trail that took us through a cow pasture. I know my husband looks superimposed here, but he is not, he was within touching distance of this cow and I took the picture right before the cow looked at him and attempted to follow us with me yelling that we were going to die. For some reason Bob also looks angelic, don't you think? Maybe the camera captured his true nature :)

Bridges have spoken to me a lot lately, I think because of the significance of spiritual growth. There are so many bridges in our life that we have to cross to become who we are, and I feel like I have crossed so many, particularly in this last year. I like to take pictures of beautiful bridges to remind me of these important times in my life and to symbolize what I have gone through. We crossed this one on our hike.

Bed & Breakfast

We went to a bed and breakfast in North Carolina in Valle Crucis (The Valley of the Cross) which was absolutely incredible. Our room overlooked the river and we had this awesome whirlpool tub. What really won our hearts though were the amazing fresh baked chocolate & peanut butter chip pecan cookies AND zuchini pecan pancakes in the morning. We met some great people over breakfast who were trying to convince us to move to NC. I fell asleep in a hammock on Bob's chest in the afternoon listening to the river. It really was amazing.

This was the view from our porch of an apple tree and an old shack.

The Boone House

This lady-- Sharon-- was our favorite part of the Boone plantation. She told us a beautiful story in Gullah (an African culture/language) and then translated it to English. She had a beautiful heart and we enjoyed watching her and talking to her. And of course she had to embarass us a little and call us up to dance and sing part of her song in front of others.
Because of the rain, we decided to buy a huge umbrella and make the best of it. This is a picture of Bob in front of the plantation house. We were a little disappointed because this is not the original house.

Here is a picture of one of the slave houses with some of the things the slaves might have owned. The houses were the size of a small room. It was amazing to think of all that had really taken place there just a couple hundred years ago.

more of SC

Bob found two little friends to play with in the park ( I didn't have the heart to tell him they were statues)

Then I found a friend to just sit and chat with for a while. She was really nice to let me borrow her hat for the picture.

This was an original cobblestone road in Charleston. It was beautiful, but hard to walk on and even harder to drive on.

We found a store called Palm Avenue, so of course we had to take a picture since that is the name of our street.

Many of the churches there have cemetaries, which are both beautiful and somewhat creepy. It is amazing to see the history that is available there, and it is a good reminder of how mortal we are. I take it that the people that attend these churches are reminded of their mortality whenever they go to church.

charleston

We came across the part of Charleston near the ocean. There were a few really neat fountains there and we got to enjoy the swinging benches that they had there. It was raining a little bit, but it made the area seem a lot more serene. We were enjoying the swing until I started to feel seasick :( That also could have had to do with the plate of fried green tomatoes I ate along with a fried fish sandwich and fried okra... who really knows. It feels like a whole different culture down here. We are really enjoying everyone's friendliness and hospitality but have decided to stay away from fried foods for a while.