Concert in the Park

The Surf City All Stars kick off this summer's free concerts in the park at Chase Palm Park. Original singers from the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and other surf legends from yesteryear perform the classics!

Patio Set

This brand new set arrived from Osh today. Looks great on our front deck. Allan enjoyed sitting in it while working from home today :-)

Blocked Mailbox 2

Remember this silly prank? Well, here's the next phase of it: closed for (spring) cleaning! After all that tape and straws and plates used last time, it could certainly use a good cleaning! :-P

Snail Phone

A cute snail adorns the background of my phone at work.

No Table Dancing?

This sign was above our table at the Busy Bee Diner, a cute 50s-style diner in downtown Ventura. I hadn't realized that was a problem! Maybe kids did a lot of table dancing in the 1950s?

Green Card Nametags

Celebrated Paul and Wendy's receiving their green cards. These were the nametags they made for the guests at the party-- all a copy of some form of their US IDs-- green card, work permit, driver's license... cute!

Vigo

Allan plays with Vigo, Marsha's dad's rambunctious 1-year-old golden retriever. Now that's a big ball of fur and energy!

Lake View

Sat on the deck to eat dinner tonight, and enjoyed this view from it:

June Social Calendar

I thought May was bad, but wow-- June turned out to be an insanely busy month!

Breakfast for Dinner

Eggs with tomato and onion, French toast, fresh berries and a glass of cold milk make a delicious breakfast. They also make a scrumptious dinner-- enjoyed on our brand new little bistro set in the nook of our kitchen.

Broken Bike

Remnants of a bicycle litter the path between our home and Goleta Beach. They are so carefully arranged, however, that it seems more like a statement, or work of "art", than careless littering.

Paella

Walked to Beachside Cafe at Goleta Beach for Father's Day, and both dined on this incredibly scrumptious paella special: crab, mussels, scallops, squid, clams, shrimp, chicken and saffron rice with peas. Decadent!

Weeds

Spent the day tending to the garden: pulling up weeds and watering plants after a year of neglect. Enjoyed the company of some curious spiders who came out to watch while I worked :-) Here's the end result: a trash bin full of weeds!

iPhone Post-its

Cute little sticky notes shaped/designed like an iPhone. I think the "frame" of the phone takes away writing space real estate-- but hey, it's a cute design nonetheless!

Sushi

The Mika Combination-- best California rolls ever! :-9

Kyoto Restaurant

Dinner, Japanese-style! Low table, seated on the floor on legless chairs, many leg cramps ensuing. Food was excellent, at least! :-9

Ring the Bell

Emblazoned with the old Expertcity.com name. This is the bell we ring for momentous occasions, such as major releases. It's freakin' LOUD, and in our new, much smaller building, the ring really resonates!

Battle of the Sexes

Karaoke contest at the Creekside tonight. This was the scoreboard after the competition ended at 11:00pm. The girls won! With all of them gathering on stage to cap off the contest with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". What a blast!

Pet Net

Used to have one of these in my room as a kid. Now it's Todd's turn. After tossing all the animals in, I was afraid the net would collapse under the weight-- there were so many, and most aren't visible because they're buried! ;-)

Todd's Birthday Party

Had all the family up to celebrate his 7th birthday and see the new house. Here he is, eagerly tearing into his presents. A big thank you to Priyanka for taking this pic, otherwise, I wouldn't have had any to post for this day! :-)

Happy Hour at Work

Plenty of free food and drink! Here are the delicious tri-tip sliders. We also completed a scavenger hunt of sorts for an entry into a drawing for an iPad 2 or an Xbox Kinect. I didn't win either, sadly, but still enjoyed the good eats/drink!

Diaper yourself

Instructions from one of the relay race stations at a recent baby shower. The goal was to fashion a "diaper" out of toilet paper. But out of context, this sign looks pretty hilarious!

Work Decorations

These red heads adorn co-worker Matt's desk. I'm... not exactly sure what they are, but they sure look interesting!

Baby Nostalgia

Allan holds Anivieve, our friends' 14-week-old girl. It's been a number of years since he held a little person *that* tiny in his arms! I think he was feeling a bit nostalgic. Until she pooped in her diaper, that is! ;-)

Candy Cane Reindeer

Came across this little fella that Todd created back in preschool. Had to snap a picture of it for posterity before cleaning it out with the rest of the junk in my room.

Pez!

How many of you remember the Pez candies and dispensers from your youth?

Baby Candy

Cute little colorful candies shaped like baby feet and pacifiers. They are the kind I like best, too-- chalk-like, colorful candy that is little more than compacted sugar and a bit of color.

Baby Shower Banner

Had a baby shower for our friends Jeff and Laura. The hand-made decorations were beautiful! Here is a sampling of it: the banner at the front of the room.

Leg Brace

Todd shows off his new leg braces, designed to keep his heels flat on the ground so that he doesn't keep walking on his toes, which could have detrimental effects on his Achilles tendon. These are designed to be worn both day and/or night.

Helly Drank a Beer!

You know I normally don't drink beer. Too fizzy and they taste bitter and awful. But this Shocktop Belgian wheat at Pastavino was pretty good-- no bad aftertaste, and very mild citrus-y flavored. I finished the whole glass! Bottoms up!