Friday, September 17, 2010

Let's bid on a brush with fame

There is currently a celebrity auction going on right now called Twitchange where you can bid to have your favorite celebratory follow you on Twitter. All the money raised goes to relief efforts in Haiti. It's kind of a neat idea for people to use their celebrity for a good cause since it really requires nothing of them other than adding a name on their follow list, while peons like us can brag for the rest of their lives that they once  had a connection online with Tony Hawk or Jessica Alba. I don't have the kind of money to participate in such things, however noble the endeavor (Dana White of all people currently leads the bidding at a whopping $15,000(!)), but it's fun to look at. If you have a few extra bucks, by all means, you should go support the cause.

-A couple of observations: As exciting as it is to see the top bids, the bottom feeders are packed with some good stuff. Who knew Mint Condition was still around? let alone having a Twitter account to follow.

- This is apparently the brainchild of Eva Longoria? Who knew she would be the brains of... well, anything. Good for you, lady!

- And if anyone would like to pay me money to follow them, I would be happy to donate said money to the cause as well. Bidding starts at two pence.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The hardest job in the world

I was home early after a trip to the dentist today (a filling! The shame!). I decided to be the good husband and let Britt get a rare afternoon nap while I watched the kids and made dinner. It was only for a few hours and I was reminded of the how hard my wife's job is. A co-worker recently proclaimed that if she was a stay-at-home mom than she would get so much done around the house. I was offended for my wife at such an ignorant comment but I was still surprised at the craziness that she has to juggle on a daily basis.
I think part of the challenge for us is that our kids are so far apart in age. They just all have different needs to balance. On this day after school, there's Hannah working on a ton of long division and multiplication with decimals.
Hard at work
Honestly, I felt bad for her. Those are tedious long problems, and she had 60 problems on that worksheet. It's brutal for the 5th day of school. Might be a long year for her.
Then there's Sara, entering the 2nd grade, but sometimes I think she's ready for junior high herself. No homework yet for her so she's reading.
Reading
Obviously Hannah isn't  a fan of watching her younger sister having a good time with no homework. They are mostly good with each other but tempers are often short.
And then there's the baby. Who is warming up nicely for her terrible 2's. She is a terror around the house, and a loud one. I tried to get a picture of her messing the house up, and when she saw me coming she decided to give a pose instead...
A ham poses
Oh that Audrey, she is going to be a handful...
So yeah, a lot going on at home on any given afternoon. I'll be happily going back to work tomorrow. Thanks Britt for keeping the fort safe at home...

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Summer of Wedding

There comes a time in everyone's life where all your friends decide that they are ready for marriage. It's just that age where everyone is about ready, and suddenly your Saturdays are booked up for the next 3 months. This was our summer for weddings. We actually haven't been to that many before this summer, maybe an average of once a year. This summer, however, we made it to 5 weddings in a span of about 10 weeks. We love weddings, I mean, how can you not? Being asked to join in celebration of perhaps someone's happiest day is both an honor and a privilege... and the free food! Don't even get me started about the food...

We were fortunate enough to attend weddings that were all a little different. We went from sunny southern California to the foothills of the Sierras, there were outdoor weddings and indoor ceremonies, there were weddings in English as well as Spanish... wait, what?? Yeah, that's how we roll. Let's take a quick look back at them all, shall we?

Wedding #1 group

First was a trip down south to the wedding of our friends Cindy and Jason. A lovely church wedding, for two really great people. We ended up making a little vacation out of it and caught an Angels game as well as visit Britt's aunt and cousins.

Wedding #1

I especially liked how the couple highlighted the solid friendship, their failure in relationship the first time around, and the reconciliation that brought them closer than ever to each other. Congrats, Cindy and Jason!

Wedding #2 Cutout

Next was our friend Corrine and Jason's wedding (different Jason. really) Wedding was at a nice country club in Gilroy. Something about the well kept greens of a golf course that really makes a nice setting to a wedding. This was a really fun wedding, with two of the funnest people we know. Just look at the fun prom cutout that was provided for guest above...

Wedding #2

This was also the wedding with the "pants incident" which I really don't want to talk about. It's also where the staff spilled cocktail sauce on Britt's dress. Let's just call this a general wardrobe malfunction wedding for us....

Wedding #3 couple

Hey family wedding! My sister and I had a great time telling people that we were going to the wedding of our cousin Jose Chang. Yes he is my cousin! You don't see the resemblance? Not some weird third cousin twice remove either. His dad and my mom are siblings!

Wedding #3

Anyway, this wedding was in a catholic church and was mostly in Spanish. It was very cool to see the wedding of a different culture. Plus my whole family was there so it was fun to hang out with everyone. This wedding also gets another half point because two weeks later we had the Chinese wedding banquet. That makes 5.5 weddings!

Wedding #4 Bride

Then we were in Marin for the wedding of our dear friends Lis and James. The wedding was outside of a church with the most amazing view of the Bay. How amazing? Well see for yourself...

Wedding #4

Again, a beautiful wedding. We are friends with Lis and her parents and MK in so many ways that this almost felt like the wedding of a family member. The reception dinner was a total blast, with the kids tearing up the dance floor. Thanks so much for letting us be a part of your beautiful day!

First Dance

Finally, last weekend we were in the Sierra foothills at a cute winery where we attended the wedding of Britt's friend Christine and Matt. They live in Seattle now and we haven't seen them in a long time. What a wonderful reason to see them again! It was a beautiful, if somewhat warm day. A beautiful wedding centered on God, family, and friends.

Wedding #5

And one of the greatest spread at the reception. A brunch menu! Honestly, if I were to have my wedding again, I would serve breakfast. We love it that much! It was fun, and we hope we will get to see them again soon!

Well that's our summer of weddings. They were all special in their own ways and we loved all of them. If you are having weddings and need to fill some seats, give us a call. After this summer, I think we qualify for "professional" status and can help celebrate your most special occasions. Call today!

Friday, July 09, 2010

Street Eats

DSC_0031

If you know me at all, you know that I love street food. The food of the everyman, doled out in paper bowls or on a stick, at affordable prices really bring people together. So last week we went out to Oakland for Art Murmur, a once a month art festival/street fair that includes many of the street foods that I've been stalking on Twitter and have been wanting to try. Hipster central? Yes! But I was just there for the food...

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Many of the stands here are pretty simple. People made a bunch of food and set it on a table (I actually saw a lady walking around with brownies in a cardboard box and selling them for a buck a piece). That's actually the appeal, I think. Just good food for a reasonable price. The wandering musicians as entertainment helped as well...

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Luckily, my whole family is with me on trying all sorts of food. Some more adventurous than others, I suppose. Audrey liked this Ube cassava cake thing:

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The girls really enjoyed their grilled cheese sandwich. Boring, you say? Well it's award winning! Check out the trophies on the ground behind Hannah:

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Me, I like a little of everything. Like jerk chicken stick from @eviljerkcart:

Jerk Chicken Stick

Or the best Mac and Cheese from @jonsstreeteats (ok, the girls ate most of this):

Mac and Cheese

By the way, they had some awesome looking patty melts too. Might be my favorite street cart in the east bay right now. Check them out the next time you're in the Emeryville/Alameda/Oakland area (they rotate locations).

Patty Melts

Good stuff. Oh, and Britt had a pretty generous bowl of gumbo from @gumbocart. Mmm I love gumbo.

Gumbo

Anyway, that's our love of street food. There is actually a San Francisco Street Food Festival in August that I am already circling on my calendar. If any of this looks good to you, then please join us, and we'll catch up on the curb, chomping over some delicious delicacies. I can't think of a better way to spend time with friends.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Scenes from the road

Driving down highway 5 to southern California is boring. But the rest
stops can be interesting. Where else can you get a steak from a gas
station market?

Friday, April 09, 2010

WonderCon 2010

In a weird twist of fate, Easter this year falls on the same weekend as WonderCon 2010... Well, maybe not so weird. Organizers probably looked at the target audience and thought, "these people probably don't know Easter from a Klingon bar mitzvah." In any case, those of us who did celebrate the resurrection of our savior can still squeeze in a little nerdness on a Sunday afternoon. Mostly it's these people here:

Waiting for the Chuck Panel

I just like the general festivities. We really went on Sunday because Britt really wanted to attend the Chuck panel where the cast talks about the show and does some Q & A. As a bonus, we were shown the next episode a whole day early. I never knew group watching something like that can be so much fun.

The Chuck Cast

None of us are big comic book readers, but the kids like all the dressing up and such. There are some questionable content for kids, but they are pretty good about keeping those things away from wandering eyes. For more kid friendly participants, Star Wars is always popular...

Stormtroopers!

But this was most impressive. Homemade Buzz Lightyear costume, with real working buttons.

Buzz Lightyear!

I recommend any of you who haven't been to check it out next year. Definitely a spectacle...

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Paper Typing

Typing Away

She didn't have to, but Hannah insisted on typing up her Martin Luther King Jr paper for school.

Too bad the paper was due last Friday.

You win some and lose some....

(Incidentally, I think I have failed as a parent who is reasonably hip to technology. My 10 year old types like an old person. That is unacceptable. I'm going to give a call to Mavis Beacon.)