Girl's Tea Party

Every year, my friend Lyssa hosts a girl's tea party.

We all bring a little something to share...cookies, scones, tea cakes, jam etc.

Lyssa brings out her collection of beautiful vintage spoons and her Grandmother's tea set from India!

Neighborhood Christmas Party

Yay for neighborhood parties!

The Millers have the best Christmas parties; complete with hot chocolate & peppermint stir-sticks, crackling fires and egg nog!

My kind of table...chocolates, brownies, cream puffs and fudge!

Thankful for my neighbors.

A Pat Surprise and Jump Rock

Our friend Patrick flew down from Oregon on Friday night just to come to our neighborhood Halloween party on Saturday! What a surprise! Danny and I wanted to show him around before he took-off Sunday morning. We thought it would be fun to take him for a boat ride and swim out to Jump Rock. Here are some pictures from Saturday morning. Fun stuff!

Shanny on the dock.

Boyzzz. Aaahummm... I mean MEN.

Danny and Pat.

I'm diggin the suspenders Patty! 

The gang.

We had to fill-up the boat before we made our way to Jump Rock

Shanny and I hopped off the dock and got some fruit for the ride. I love this little stand -- so cute. Danny and I walk past it when we take evening strolls around Balboa Island.

We made it to Jump Rock and dropped the anchor about 300 feet away. The swim was the only hard part...it's a bit cold in October and we "trunked it" in Daniel's terms (meaning, without a wetsuit). Pat didn't bring trunks so he decided to swim in his jeans and suspenders. Ha-ha he's hilarious! What a good sport. Once we reached the rock, we climbed up the back side and jumped off!

It's such a rush! I love it!

You can only climb the back side on calm days, otherwise the waves will smash you against the barnacle rocks. Some people prefer to climb the front of the cliff if they are swimming from the beach.

Here are some great videos put together by fellow jumpers. If you're ever in town, you've got to try it! The rock is about 25-30 feet high. It's surrounded by kelp beds and beautiful Garibaldi fish. Just make sure you bring someone that knows the area and can show you how to jump safely. 

So much FUN! 

A Manx, A Man And 85 Degrees

Danny has a fun Meyers Manx that we take out on the weekend. I secretly call it "The Pika" (short for Pikachu...) because it reminds me of that cute yellow and black Pokemon. Dan would think the name is lame-o, so hush, hush. Any who...he took me for a ride Sunday morning. We drove down to Balboa Island. "Nooooo don't take the corner so FAST! Slow down!!! There's a Dip, Dip, DIPPPP!" He laughed and just went faster. I'm pretty sure our back wheels got some air. It smelled like burnt rubber. He's crazy.

Here is a picture of the bridge we cross to get to Balboa. If you aren't from around these parts, I would highly recommend to stop by for a visit. Balboa is a quaint little island with cute shops and beautiful houses. Danny and I like to get coffee and walk around the island in the evenings. Sometimes David will come along too. I love those walks.

Here's a picture of the shops just over the bridge. My mom would always take Bran and me to get frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. Her favorite topping was toffee peanut. We would sit on this bench and the pigeons would come and eat the toppings that spilled over our paper trays. Be warned... if you eat at this bench during the summer, pigeons are bound to attack you and your food! I also remember babysitting the Rankin kids when they were staying on the island. John had just learned how to walk. Daniel chased him down the sidewalk while I held Annie and the wagon. Those kids are a bagillion years old now...time flys. Good times.

 

We parked our Manx by the Chinese restaurant and walked to a sweet shop around the corner. They sell all kinds of caramel and candied apples this time of year! I got my favorite -- Apple Pie Caramel Apple.

Later that evening, I picked up Julia, Shan, Mo and Lyssa and we drove to 85 Degrees for some pastries and sea salt coffees! 

    

The line is ALWAYS out the door.

Once you get inside, grab a tray and have fun! They have the best breads and pastries!

 

Carb overload! Peanut butter almond twist, coffee bread with red bean mochi, chocolate almond croissant, sweet bubble loaf, strawberry half moon and a herb cheese baguette.

Sea Salt Coffee. There is a layers of buttery salted cream on top of cold coffee sweetened with condensed milk -- biggest flavour trip ever. Julia, I am forever grateful.

 

Next time I want to try salted green or passion fruit tea!

 

It was a fun day!

Kogi

Our friend Peter had the fabulous idea of getting dinner at the Kogi truck last night!

The Kogi truck is a traveling Los Angeles landmark that serves up Korean / Mexican inspired food such as their Spicy Pork Tacos, Kimchi Quesadillas and Short Rib Sliders. Quality Korean barbecue meets traditional, homemade tortillas and fresh veggies to create a taste that carries the rhythms of LA street culture.

Most recently the Kogi family has opened up its first sit-down restaurant, Chego, in Palms.

Kogi is so delicious and the price is extremely reasonable! Big fan!

We got a spicy pork taco, short rib burrito, blackjack quesadilla  and a Chocolate tres leches cake for dessert.  YUM!!!! It was all good!

We then walked over to the park and caught the tail-end of Monsters Inc. on a big outdoor screen. It was a fun night! Thanks for the great idea Peter!

What Really Matters?

“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken away from you.” -Oscar Wilde

What is most important to you -- what are your real riches? Are you spending too much time on things that that don't matter in the long run? How can you manage your time to serve the people and activates that you love most?

Hmmmm? Let's think about this together. What really matters in life?

Picture: (No Info) I'll be happy to edit if you have a source

Funday Sunday

Today was a glorious Sunday -- church, an ice cream truck, a ninja lego birthday party, and a fabulous family dinner. Ya couldn't ask for a better day!

We thought it would be fun to relive our childhood.

Our friends son was having his 6th birthday party. The theme was Ninja Lego! Too funny.

This cracked me up. Zeke's Birthday schedule.

Shanny and me helping with the pinata bags.

Danny maken-it-rain

 Jason leading Ninja moves.

Dan volunteered to participate in "Lego Head"- which involved shaving cream and cheese balls. The kids competed to see which team could stick the most cheese balls to their volunteer!

I really loved the custom hats that Jason and Malia made for the party -- A picture of Zeke with sunglasses and Lego Ninja written on the side. I'm going to wear my hat everywhere! P.S. looken  good Danny

Dinner with the family. Beer can chicken, strawberry salad, garlic bread and BBQ beans. So good. For dessert we had white chocolate bread pudding (I need to post that recipe)!

Here we are watching Grandpa and Bette's video from their trip to Germany. I loved seeing all the little towns they visited and to hear Grandpa speak German. It was nice to see where he grew up and listen to him reminisce about his family and life as a child. 

Thankful for a wonderful weekend. Thankful for my family and friends.