Hydrangeas

I was at my grandma's house today, getting a drink of water from the kitchen, and I noticed some flowers peeking up from the window.  They were the most beautiful bluish purple hydrangeas I had ever seen!  Before we left, The Lime and I picked a few to enjoy and admire at home.

I don't know when I started liking hydrangeas.  I remember getting my mom a plant for Mother's Day, with a copy of Martha Stewart Living, when I was younger.  I also remember my sister's best friend using them in her wedding, along with blueberries.  When it came time for me to pick out wedding flowers, I was drawn to pink hydrangeas.  I loved my wedding bouquet!

I also seem to notice them wherever we go.  Like in Bussum, Netherlands or San Francisco.

I still haven't seen any as blue as what we saw today.  I couldn't resist taking loads of pictures when we got home.

The Lime wanted to take a picture with them so he sat down and smiled but was looking off into Neverland.  When I said, "Look over here!" this is what I got.

Blue eyes and blue hydrangeas - love 'em both!

Planes

We swung by the Disney store while we were at the mall tonight, and we caught a glimpse of the Planes display.  Before we put The Lime to bed, we watched the trailer for it and I almost cried.

I think I can blame it on my dad, as he's the one who exposed us to airplanes early on.  I know I've mentioned in the past the reunions that my dad put on for my grandfather's "WWII buddies".  Airplanes became his life but they also had an impact on us.

For YEARS, we had the nose section of a Privateer in our driveway.  We would trailer that thing to air shows and even to one of the reunions in San Diego.  Speaking of Privateers, we sold these lithographs at the reunions and proudly wore our t-shirts with the litho printed on them.  (Side note: each reunion had a different t-shirt and this print was on the t-shirt for the 1994 reunion in San Diego - 50th Anniversary of the Privateer.)

I loved going to the air shows with Pop, and have vivid memories of Moffett Field and the Blue Angels.  While I didn't think it was cool then, I can now say that I was probably exposed to things most kids aren't and it helped shape me.

There were photographs of airplanes all over the house.  I remember one time, my dad had asked my mom to make some copies of a few and while driving to the store, she had them face up on the ground.  The naked women painted on the aircraft grossed us all out and she was annoyed by our immaturity and flipped them over.  While I don't prefer pin ups naked, I do think it's a classic depiction of the 40's and 50's and I now appreciate them.

The Planes trailer also reminded me of Soarin' Over California, the ride at California Adventure.  No amusement park ride has ever touched me the way Soarin' did.  I'm talking like getting choked up and shedding a few tears.  And never have I been more proud and grateful for the beautiful state in which I live.  I can't even imagine how amazing it would be if they did one for the United States.  

Even though The Lime kept asking where Lightning and Chick Hicks were, we are anxiously awaiting the release of the movie and I'm packing some tissue, just in case.

H2O2

We always had a water bottle in the bathroom growing up, so when us girls did our hair, we could saturate the sides to ensure we didn't have whispies.  By brother failed to tell my sister that he had replaced the water in an old bottle with hydrogen peroxide.  It didn't take long for Amy to realize the "water" was lightening her hair.  Things were labeled after that incident.

We have a fruit tree in our front yard that we've determined produces tiny plums.  We originally thought they were cherries so now The Lime calls them plum cherries.  The suckers are covering our front lawn so we try to avoid walking on it if we can.  When The Lime and I were packing the car last Friday, I rolled the luggage over the edge of the lawn, lifted the bag into the car, looked down and saw my only worn once pair of pants had two huge red stains from the plum cherries.  I was SO mad!  I didn't have time to wash the pants so I dabbed a cotton ball of hydrogen peroxide on the stains and laid the pants out.  When we left, the stains were staring me down and I had little hope the pants would be wearable again.

The second we got home on Sunday, I ran to the laundry room and had to search for the stains!  That magic cotton ball worked miracles!  After I brought the pants to the light, I could still see a faint stain so I mixed hydrogen peroxide and dish soap, brushed the stains with an old tooth brush, let them dry overnight and then ran them through the wash.  I pulled them out and they were completely stain free!  Hallelujah!  Such a relief!

Now I need to work the magic on my new shoes that got a stain.

Friends at the Fair

Our dear, dear, DEAR, friends were in town this last weekend for a wedding of another friend.  We've had their visit marked on our calendar all month and couldn't wait to spend some time with them!

Jared suggested we all meet at the County Fair, which had opened the day before.

When we went to pick John and Becky up, The Lime was a little nervous and shy.  We haven't seen them for a little over six months and so he had some hesitations but it took him no time at all to relax!  He and Becky were glued to each other before we even got back into the car.

Once we arrived at the fairgrounds, we met up with Jared & Lia and Eric & Allison.  It was so great to be with our good friends once again and made me really miss everyone now that we're all living in different cities and states.

We checked out the animals first, which were really only a few goats and cows.  And the goats had their ears docked, which completely freaked me out so we only lasted maybe five minutes in the pavilion.

Who goes to the fair and doesn't spend a majority of their time in the exhibit halls? I don't know why I've never submitted one of my desserts or cakes. Surely it would at least look more appetizing than some of the others.

Everyone grabbed a bag of treats (mostly gummies) from the candy booth. We somehow forgot about The Lime's and boy, would they have come in handy when he had reached his wits end.

It also wouldn't be a trip to the fair without some games, treats, and rides (although only two members of the group rode a ride).

Before we left, we stopped to watch a little show. About ten minutes into it, I turned around (Becky and I were in the front) to see LaVor motioning for us to leave. As Becky and I walked away, the guy asked if his show was that bad. It was bad but that's not why we left. I felt horrible!

Eric and his family were gracious enough to have everyone over for a BBQ, where we chatted, ate, laughed, got adjusted, played outside, and finished everything off with delicious s'mores.

It was just as hard to say goodbye this time around as it was the first time. We are so blessed to have good friends, especially because everyone loves everyone, including The Lime.

Although we only spent a few hours together, they were the best few hours we've had in a long time.

I [Had] a Dream

I've been known to have a few crazy dreams in my lifetime.  Okay, a few is an understatement.  I have crazy dreams ALL the time.  And last night was no exception.

A few days ago (in real life), I e-mailed the Oakland A's to see if there was any chance they'd be willing to donate to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (if you want to donate, my little button is in the upper right hand corner).  My dad has always said, "The worst thing someone can say is, 'No' so you might as well ask."  I have to remind myself of that often, especially when fundraising.

Then I had my dream.  When I get a donation, I get an e-mail letting me know and it's almost like Christmas when I see that e-mail in my mailbox.  So I received an e-mail and I logged onto the website to see who it was from.  To my surprise, it was from the Oakland Athletics and their donation amount was $10,000.00!  I had to do several double takes of the screen to make sure my eyes were seeing it correctly.  All I could think about was, "This is over five times what I needed!"  Then my sister chimed in and said, "It's not real, Kimberly.  You're having a dream."

When I woke up this morning, I quickly checked my e-mail and there was no donation notification.  Whomp Whomp Whomp!

I can't help but think about how many lives and families would benefit from such a donation.

Cinderella said it best, "If you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true."  One can hope!

Last year's total earned in San Francisco...Woot woot!

Santa Cruz

We have a family "camping on the beach" trip planned in a couple months and I'm trying to get excited.  I've never been camping and sand annoys me but The Lime is excited and I don't want to be Miss Debbie Downer.  One of the reasons The Lime is so excited is because we'll swing by the Boardwalk while we're in Santa Cruz.  He's seen the commercials numerous times (they're always on during the A's games) and he always asks, "When can we go?!"  Trying to explain two months to a three year old has been difficult.

LaVor swung by the grocery store the other night and surprised me with a movie from Red Box (our first time).  He said I had asked to see Chasing Mavericks when it was in the theater but I admitted I had never even heard of the movie.  I figured it was about surfing based on the title, and although I've never been surfing, it's a topic that interests me.  So we stayed up late and lounged on our comfy couch while tapping our feet to great tunes from the 90's and enjoyed the story of Jay Moriarity.

His favorite picture of me

The movie was filmed in Santa Cruz, since that's where a majority of the story took place (except when they were at Mavericks).  So many fun memories came back to me as they showed different spots LaVor and I spent a lot of time visiting.  We'd always park at the parking lot where 41st Street and E Cliff Drive met, longboard along the cliff, visit the shops along 41st, grab a bite to eat at Pleasure Pizza or meet the Hatch family for Mexican, drive along W Cliff and stop at Steamer Lane, watch the surfers jump off the cliff into the water, drive further up the cliff as we blasted Jack Johnson and admired the houses, catch the sunset at Natural Bridges, and finish the day off with a bonfire on the beach (once with hot dogs that made us sick...blah).

Pretty sure these were his Big Papa glasses

Santa Cruz was a popular hangout for us when we were dating (and also where we got engaged) but it got pushed to the back burner when we got married and had a kid.  Now that that kid is old enough to appreciate and enjoy different experiences, we might be frequent visitors once again.

"Play with me, Mama!"

Before I had to make dinner tonight, The Lime and I got a good chunk of playtime in.  Actually, he played while I documented it.  But I did jump in here and there to help build the fire station and to add some sound effects.

Every boy needs at least one Tonka truck

We never did come up with a name for this guy

I asked him who he thought was cute and when he said, "Jordan!" he was all smiles.
 

Google made this all on its own...who's spying on me?

Driving his trucks off "the cliff"

100% focused on putting the hose in the fireman's hand

Not even half of his cars/trucks

Such a silly kid!

Interesting face

Kissy face

Puppy face

Rescuing the dog from the burning building

You're probably wondering a few things...

His hand is bandaged because I'm an idiot.  LaVor has a mug that he always keeps in the freezer and he put some water in it, which we think expanded and ended up cracking the glass.  I went outside to throw it in the recycling bin and The Lime came running after me, begging me not to throw it away.  I thought if he physically threw it away, it would be less traumatic.  He grabbed the handle, which wasn't cracked, but wasn't quite tall enough to place it in the bin.  When I went to grab it from him, rather than just letting go, he slid his hand down the mug, thus slicing his hand.  I'd like to keep the tradition going and win Mother of the Year 2014, as well.

Second, I think I've mentioned it before but I'll say it again, just so people don't think we're bums.  The Lime's favorite shirt is this blue "big monster truck" one that he wears every day.  In fact, I had to hunt down a second one just in case something happened to the original.  He does wear other blue shirts but they happened to be dirty today.  And for the record, he has a drawer full of darling clothes that he refuses to wear.

Third, I need to start doing his hair.  Yikes!

Be Prepared

LaVor's parents spent the weekend with us and the one thing we really wanted to do was to go to a River Cats game.  When we went last time, it was a Thursday night and although there was a decent crowd, it wasn't jam packed.  So we thought it'd be fine to buy the tickets, this time around, when we arrived at the stadium.

We got off the freeway, turned onto the street to park and hit a huge traffic jam.  There were people everywhere and the game was five minutes away from starting.  LaVor hopped out to go stand in line for the tickets while we waited in the parking line.  We were two cars away from paying when he called and said, "I'm still in line, which is wrapped around the building."  To avoid paying an unnecessary fee, we got out of our line and drove around while we decided if we wanted to pursue the game or just leave.  I made the executive decision to stay so we found another parking lot (which ended up being $3 more than the previous) and walked across the street to the stadium.  When we got to the ticket windows, LaVor was waiting for us and said they had sold out of seats and had standing room only.  That wasn't an option for us so we turned around and walked back to the car, where the generous parking attendant gave us our $10 back.

All in all, it was really no skin off our nose, except that we learned to be better prepared in the future.

Since we were already out, LaVor suggested we try a restaurant he had read good things about.  Pizza is something none of us can resist.

We pulled up to the tiny building, where the customers outside watched our every move as we walked from the car to the door (awkward!).  The second we walked in, the waiter asked us if we wanted anything to drink while we waited the brief five minutes for our table.  The restaurant is set up family style, with long wooden tables and benches.  Very intimate.  They let us look over the menu while we waited, which was nice because then we could order the second we were seated.

 I loved the glass bottles they had at the tables, especially because we're big water drinkers and I think waiters get annoyed constantly having to refill our glasses.  The Lime entertained himself by grinding some pepper and separating the sugar packets into groups based on color.

LaVor ordered a salad and we all shared the antipasto (who knew onions were SO good when pickled?!).  The antipasto was covered with a cracker-like cage, which seemed to have a dusting of cheese on  it.  The Lime devoured that on his own, while we gobbled up the meats, vegetables, and cheese.

LaVor's mom and I were eying the arugula and prosciutto pizza (my favorite!) but LaVor ended up ordering the Margherita and 3 meat.

Both were excellent and we ate every last piece.  When one of the waiters walked by with another customer's pizza, LaVor's dad asked him, "What's that one?!"  He returned and said it was the arugula and prosciutto!  Ha!  He was a sweet Italian guy who offered to put in an order for us but we were saving room for dessert.  Although he wasn't our waiter, the Italian chatted with us for several minutes.  He complemented me on my green nail polish and then looked up to see LaVor's hat.  He said, "Ah ha!  A's fans!"  He said he is trying to get into baseball, since he's lived here for 14 years, and chose to root for the A's because they have soul.  Love that.

We topped the meal off with a gigantic bowl of mint chip ice cream as well as a root beer float.

One reason we were really sad about leaving the Bay Area was because of the food.  We have yet to find a German restaurant or a Mexican restaurant that even comes close to La Piñata.  But we are relieved to have found a yummy, affordable, and charismatic pizza place. 

Speaking of character, check out the little one in the middle