It is pretty amazing to think that I have lived in the Los Angeles metro area for 10 years now. I lived in L.A. for 1 year just after college and have been living in L.A./Orange County for the last 9 years. This metro area has been home for longer than any other metro area in my adult life! Since I have been in SoCal for so long and I do enjoy living in the O.C., I have felt compelled to start rooting for SoCal sports teams. Here are my official favorite teams by metro area: S.F. Bay Area: Cal Golden Bears, 49ers, Giants, Warriors. Los Angeles/Orange County: Angels, Clippers, Chargers. Indianapolis Metro: Indiana Hoosiers. The Angels baseball team is a easy choice as they play in Orange County. Choosing the Clippers is a little tougher since they play in L.A.; however they did play in Orange County in the 90s. For football, I am hoping L.A. gets a team, but I am not holding my breath, so for now the Chargers will have to do. I still like the city life in NorCal better (i.e. S.F. vs L.A.); however I do enjoy the suburban life in SoCal better. (e.g. beaches & bike paths). So I will consider the battle a tie. I have come to realize that my favorite metros are S.F. and L.A. (sorry Indy and Sacramento). Indy gets my nod for third place as it has a nice downtown and is a great sports town.
Another KBF Trip
I know what you’re thinking—again? Well, we are determined to get our money’s worth, and the kids are not sick of it yet, so why not?
Sombrero Hat ride—KBF’s version of the Teacups
D was able to go on the Ferris Wheel for the first time.
We also saw Schroeder. D accidentally called him Linus (because I accidentally called him that), but the helper corrected him.
We have not seen very many of the shows, so we watched the Wild West Stunt Show.
D wanted us to sit in the “Splash Zone”, front and center. It was actually refreshing since it was warm. It made me think about the fact that my parents would never have us purposely sit in the splash zone at Sea World, or wherever. Maybe when k and n grow up they won’t want to sit there and they’ll tell their kids, “Grandpa used to make us sit in the splash zone!”.
This is n after being splashed.
Keurig V500 House Party
Last month I was chosen as a host for a Keurig House Party. I’ve done other House Parties before, but D was particularly excited about this one. We’ve had the same coffee maker that we received as a wedding present 9+ years ago. It still works perfectly fine, but now we are on the Keurig bandwagon.
This is the new Keurig V500 (there is also a V700 model) that we received. D has dubbed this the “nicest appliance” we own. It uses V cups, not K cups, (though I’m not quite sure of the difference), has controls for size, strength, and temperature and can do hot or iced beverages.
We were also provided with a nice assortment of varieties to try. (I also purchased some using a nice discount). We now have enough coffee to last us a year. We had a tasting party with our small group.
Fun Friday
Last Friday was busy, but fun. After dropping off k at school, n and I went to Tanaka Farms with my moms’ group.
We haven’t been in a couple of years, so I think it was still “all new” to n.
Not too sure about the sugar snap pea…
Happier with the strawberries! I think the Tanaka Farm tours have become increasingly popular, as the strawberry fields look much more “picked over”. We did manage to get our fill, though.
After picking up k from school I helped chaperone at a Teddy Bear Carnival for her Daisy Troop.
After picking n up from my parents’ house we went home and hosted our small group.
Mother’s Day 2013
Thank you mom, for modeling how to be a wonderful mom!
School Pictures
One thing that has changed since I was in school is that there are two school picture days, one in the fall and one in the spring. In the fall, you pick your package, pay, and hope that the one picture that they take comes out well. In the spring, you don’t pay, and they send you 5 sheets of pictures. You pay for the ones you want, and return the rest to the school. I wasn’t planning on buying a second set of pictures, so I guess their tactics worked on us. However, we only paid for one sheet of small pictures that we can distribute to grandparents, etc. The backgrounds are a real crack-up. To wit:
That doesn’t look unnatural at all, right? 
There was also a waterfall background and some sort of European castle background.
Home Depot Kids’ Workshop
The first Saturday of every month, Home Depot holds a free workshop for kids. (Lowe’s holds something similar, but you are supposed to register online, and it is always full when I try.) This past Saturday the kids made a planter.
Even though I like to do crafty things, I don’t like the mess. I have a hard enough time cleaning without major crafting going on. Being able to make a mess and have someone else clean up is a major bonus. (Tip: bring a cardboard box to transport crafts home that still have wet paint!)
Teeth
k has an adult tooth coming in and I wanted to memorialize it by taking a picture. Sorry if this grosses you out, but I can’t believe how far in back her adult tooth is compared to her baby tooth. k’s baby tooth came in really crooked, but I think her grinding her teeth at night actually straightened them out. Hopefully the same happens with her adult teeth!
n did not want to be left out of the picture-taking:
An Impromptu Trip to Knott’s
Yesterday, after picking up k from school, I decided to take the kids to KBF. It was a bit overcast, which was nice (no whining about the heat is always a good thing). This was our first trip without D, but now that the kids are getting older, it is more manageable.
It is so nice when the lines are short. We never had to wait more than one “rotation” for any of the rides. At this skateboard ride, the ride attendant was just waiting for people because no one was in line!
We were also able to ride the ferris wheel in Camp Snoopy for the first time. It was not operating all of the other times we have visited. The kids said it was their favorite ride of the day. It fits three people, so it worked out.
This ride also worked because k is tall enough to go by herself and n and I went in the next car.
We also watched the Calico Saloon show for the first time. Tip: if you don’t like audience participation, I suggest you not sit at the table directly front and center of the stage.
Couldn’t resist this photo op. I guess we’ll have to get one of the whole family someday.
Watson’s Drug & Soda Fountain
Seeing that n enjoyed our Farrell’s outing so much, when I saw a Groupon for Watson’s Drug & Soda Fountain, I bought it. Located in Old Town Orange, it definitely has the Old Town feel, down to the lumpy seats.
We shared a hamburger and club sandwich. For dessert, we shared a banana split:
It was funny, because it was more crowded at 4:30 p.m. than 5:00 p.m.
There were three sauces: chocolate, strawberry and pineapple. I’ll give Farrell’s an extra star for the fun atmosphere and the chocolate malt ice cream, but not having to wait in line and cheaper prices even it out.
Afterward we took a stroll around the Orange Circle. During the 5-10 minutes we rested on the bench in the middle of the circle, two different groups approached us (one for directions, one to take a picture).
