Right Now...

...this is what it looks like out my window at the office.  That is Catalina Island dimly seen on the horizon in the distance.  I hope the weather stays nice and warm for a beach outing or two this Labor Day Weekend!

Happy Labor Day!

A Midsummer Night's Eve

San Clemente Sunset

If you think of the summer as being June, July, and August, today marked the midpoint of the summer.  We walked out of a youth fireside tonight to see this scene from the parking lot of the Stake Center.  This does a fairly decent job of capturing the beauty as we enjoyed the view of Dana Point Harbor in the distance.

I couldn't help but think that as the rest of the country is melting in an unprecedented summer heat wave, we are so blessed to have moderate temperatures, cool breezes, and these types of views.

Andy Reid, Head Coach of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles

The speaker was Andy Reid one of the most successful head football coaches in the NFL.  His wife Tammy spoke with him and I was struck by what a dynamic, strong marriage the Reids had.  They have been married for 31 years and I loved how Coach Reid referred to himself as the "Head Coach" and to his wife as the "Head Coach of the Head Coach."

It was a really great fireside--funny, interesting, and spiritual.  Coach Reid and his wife even took questions (on any topic) from the audience for at least 45 minutes.  They were so gracious.  I had a couple of questions that I wanted to ask him, but I held off so that the youth would have plenty of chances.

I got a chance to thank both Coach Reid and his wife afterward and remind them that their daughter and my brother had served in the same mission in Florida.  Coach Reid posed for a few pictures and even let people try on his Super Bowl Ring (from the Green Bay Packers).  I may regret not having my picture taken, but if I do, it's only because I felt weird asking for a picture after a fireside while we were on the stand in the chapel.

Coach Reid and Sister Reid, in the unlikely event that you ever read my blog, thank you so much for coming to speak to us tonight!

Night Falls in Southern California

My View Right Now

I love summer!  I'm surprised at how well this shot turned out from my iPhone.

What I'm Pinterest-ed In...

Do you use Pinterest?

Apparently, Pinterest is the new big thing these days.  I really don't know what it is or why I'd ever use it.  I guess the way it works is that if you like something you "pin" it.  Don't ask me how you pin things or what you do with them once you've pinned them.

I don't think I'm necessarily alone, however, at least amongst those of my gender.  I doubt that very many guys use it.  In fact, I only know of one guy that does.  And I don't actually know him--he's more of a friend of a friend type thing.  But I think that I saw some of his pins once and they were pretty cool.

I have another friend that uses Pinterest avidly.  She is an amazing designer.  She has a Pinterest album called "Blue."  I wish I knew how to link to it, because it has some really cool pictures in it.  Of course, I'm a little biased because blue is my favorite color.  I didn't like The White Album as much.  (haha--for all you music fans out there...)

Anyway, if I were a Pinterest user, here's a few of the things that I would pin...Enjoy!

Flowers:

California Golden Poppy

This is the California state flower.  It grows wild out here (like a weed) and it always makes me happy to see it growing.  When night comes, the petals will curl up and wait for the sun to come out the next morning to unfurl and bloom once again.  It's said that when the Spanish explorers first came to California these flowers were covering the hillsides like a golden blanket.

Swimming:

The Vista Hermosa Aquatic Center

This facility is gorgeous.  And it has this awesome playset in the middle of it where the kids can play.  This picture makes me want to dive in and swim!

World's Most Annoying Toy:

I'd be happy to give this away!

This toy always seems to find me at night as I wander through the house in the dark.  I always seem to bump into it which sets off the most annoying tune you've ever heard.  Plus, it's so loud, it seems like it could wake the dead.  We moved a while back and we put some of our stuff in these storage pods.  Since there's no way to apparently turn this toy off, I could hear that annoying ditty mocking me from deep inside the bowels of the storage crates.  

Unfortunately, E. seems to love this toy. I can't wait until she grows out of it!

Sports:

I love these brand new ball fields

I thought that there was a recession going on, but somehow our city came up with the money to build this awesome new sports park.  They put in these two great new artificial turf fields in the park.  It makes me want to take up soccer again just so I can play on these awesome fields.

Minivans:

My kids watching the "in-car" entertainment system...

...they're enraptured!

 To all those parents who claim that they're above ever driving a minivan (ahem...The Mostess!), you may change your mind when you realize how easy it makes driving your kids around.

Home Improvement Projects:

When we moved into our house, it had a hideous door knocker on the front door.  It was a hideous shiny gold color, but looked much like the door knocker above.  And by "much like," I really mean exactly like it.

At first, I tried to just buy a new door knocker, but I realized that I couldn't find one that I liked that matched the holes that had been drilled through the door.  I decided to take matters into my own hands.

I took the door knocker down, disassembled it, and then took some primer paint and sprayed it with several light coats.  Then, I got a can of antique bronze spray paint (to match the new lockset and door handle I put on after we moved in) and did several light coats until it was finished.  Then I put it back on the door.  I'm really pleased with how the project turned out.

My Hometown:

The View from the parking lot of our Stake Center today...

I refer to this view as the "Million Dollar View."  This is why people move to Southern California.  We have actually had people ask if they can have their wedding ceremony in the parking lot of our church so that they have this view as a back drop to their nuptials.

If you look closely, you can see Dana Point Harbor to the right.  I'm sorry, because this picture really doesn't even do justice to the view.  But it's the best I have at the moment.

Sunset...

My Kids:

E. is really into her stuffed animal pets lately...

E., I love you!  =o)

On Perseverance...

Nightfall.  Light recedes;

Yet we press, imperfectly,

Because we believe.