Life Archives - Page 17 of 23 - A Golden Afternoon: Simplified Home Living

A special dinner guest…

Sometimes, we let pirates come to dinner…as long as they bring their manners.

Last weekend we met up with some buddies at Comic-Con. This is the kind of day you have to plan for a year in advance normally. People wait in line in 2011 for 2012 tickets, but I got ours by pressing the refresh button 797 times for some tickets they released in February. Craziness! I never understood why there was such a draw until now. It is truly a place where odd things are normal. It felt very much like Alice in Wonderland because things/people would walk by as if they were normal when really they were dressed like Darth Vader or a giant piece of bacon, just as Alice saw things that were the opposite of the norm in Wonderland. It may sound weird but for these people, this is the one day where the can be in a place and not be judged for being odd, but embraced. It’s pretty cool.

We also got to enjoy some food from our food truck friends. I was bummed MIHO gastrotruck was doing a private event. Oh well. I had a lobster grilled cheese sandwich (Devilicious) and a lobster club (Chop Soo-ey). My husband had a breakfast burger with an egg, bacon, and waffle fry on top and some waffle fries with blue cheese. My friend had the veggie burger on the bottom with the pink beet sauce (The Green Truck…just found out this is a chain truck with trucks in LA and NY).

Such devotion to spend this much time on a costume. I saw them posing for pictures the whole day.

Halo “people” were in full force. The guy with the cell phone even had a cool compartment in his arm in which to slide his cell phone, that snapped closed after.

I love the top left photo because it really shows how everyone gets their chance to be normal there at Comic-Con. So sweet. I also enjoyed watching the man with the yellow gloves hold his coffee and a ferret whilst trying to take a photo of a cool t-shirt.

“The Walking Dead” had an interesting set-up with bloody zombies trying to get this guy. I guess it’s a scene from the show. There was a giant neuralizer from MIB.

We saw a few famous people. Anna Paquin from True Blood and originally was the youngest to win an Oscar at age 11 for “The Piano”. Megan Mullally with Malin Akerman (bottom left). I would have a had a photo of the rare Chewbacca, who apparently lives locally here in San Diego, but my husband’s head was in the way…erg. I wonder what brand of hair product he prefers…looks soft.

Her we have the cast from “Children’s Hospital” come down while the cast of “True Blood” goes up.

The Lego exhibit. My kids would have loved to play here but they probably would have gotten lost with the crowds at some point.

Next year I will be sure to remember to bring my Star Wars trophy and my Captain America shield. Bummer.

One of my favorite things of the day. The men with their giant gift bags. I wish I had focused it properly. Oh well.

San Clemente camping + camera burial

We headed North this weekend to San Clemente for a weekend of beach camping. My cousin and her husband invited us to go with some of their friends and it was just the thing we didn’t know we needed until we left. It is just the right time of year for this. The clouds covered the sun for a lovely few hours in the morning so our skin could be sure to stay away from any impending aloe vera treatments. It was warm in enough for the kiddos to play in the sun and not be shivering in the water.

Besides the beach, the camp food and the fireside laughs were wonderful. I talked with people I had never met, but it didn’t take long to throw our heads back like we’d known each other forever. My kind of people. There is no area of conversation that can’t be broken into. My kind of talks. People putting their hands together to make dinner for everyone. My kind of meal.

I regret that I only have iphone pictures (gasp) but my camera decided to go for a swim itself. Well, not quite. The ocean decided. I had just been able to miraculously get my little guy to give in to the sweet lullabies of the ocean (another gasp for all who know my kids don’t nap…like ever). It was a sweet sight…

Sweet, right? He was just laying there and I was standing in front of him looking on in peace when a giant wave decided to break up the party. It came WAY higher than where the other waves had been breaking and even looking afterward, where we were was where it went highest. The wave carried all of our stuff and some of my cousins on top of my little bean and when it came back down, carried him with it. Thankfully I was in front of him and dropped to my news and caught him, but most of our stuff was carried into the ocean. My cousin, who also loves to take pictures, ran after my camera, but there was no saving it from its demise by salt water. Dean seemed shocked and eventually said, “I’n ok”. The other kids were a little angry at that ocean for the remainder of the day and Faith’s prayers even included a prayer that a wave like that would never happen again.

Little snuggles.

The perpetual filling of the water hole. Kids this age don’t understand permeable surfaces which is nice for a long, long game and a few moments of peace for the parents.

A boy and his Mama.

What boys do best.

My husbands recessed chair setup.

Sunday devotions with the group.

Anxious to answer questions about Jesus.

Little Bean getting advice from his friend.

Makin’ firewood.

Happy Camper (literally).

What’s summer at the beach without watermelon?

Gotta love those camping fingers.

This person obviously doesn’t get the point of putting your phone on airplane mode while you get away from it all. Clever use of the bathroom though. I love that our phones are off and we can enjoy each other. I love that my iphone takes pictures while in this mode…perfect!

So long my dear sweet D90. You were a good camera and have been with us through many glorious adventures. I’m thanking the Lord that my cell phone, which i had thought would not be useable, has allowed me to save just a few pictures from our weekend. It might die tomorrow, but at least I have these and insurance on my cell plan.

Some of my reflections after this…

Then Job answered and said:

“Truly I know that it is so:
But how can a man be in the right before God?
If one wished to contend with him,
one could not answer him once in a thousand times.
He is wise in heart and mighty in strength
—who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?—
he who removes mountains, and they know it not,
when he overturns them in his anger,
who shakes the earth out of its place,
and its pillars tremble;
who commands the sun, and it does not rise;
who seals up the stars;
who alone stretched out the heavens
and trampled the waves of the sea;
who made the Bear and Orion,
the Pleiades and the chambers of the south;
who does great things beyond searching out,
and marvelous things beyond number.
Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not;
he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back?
Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’

Job 9:1-12

New Beginnings: Piano Lessons

I did a full piano detail last week in preparation for these lessons. I took apart and cleaned pieces I didn’t know came apart. Although we use it, I was trying to make ~~us look less like piano-owning losers~~ our new piano teacher comfortable. I might have found a few things hiding in there.

It has only been 2 lessons but Faith is thrilled with Miss Anna. If you are looking for some lessons, check out www.takelessons.com. I was impressed with the process of finding a teacher. They give you the full background of all of the teachers, what kinds of lessons they offer, and their availability. Cool, huh? The company is based here in San Diego and even called after I started the process in case I had any questions.

Day of Independence

I have definitely been guilty of being too irritated by the amount of laws we have in our country regulating everything (it seems) in our lives. Thomas Jefferson’s words are an awesome reminder to me that there are many who have lost homes, land, and even their own lives because they do NOT have these laws. We live in a land of plenty. There is even hope that something even better is on the horizon, because we have the ability to change things with our words, our votes, and our prayers. I think those who are suffering in a country with no freedoms always have prayer, but where would OUR faith be if we were in their shoes (or lack thereof) and weren’t allowed to pray?

We had a very lovely 4th of July yesterday. I love being in groups where there are many different conversations. Some are serious and life-changing while others are humorous or the kind you tweak your head at as you walk by. All are good and necessary for any group of friends. I love people who will hug you even though they just met you that day. I love people who feel comfortable enough to knit at a party. I love having babies around again, that are not my own to wake me up in the middle of the night…and that I don’t have to run upstairs to breastfeed them mid-party anymore.

I’m thankful for…