Knotts Scary Farm

On Saturday, Oct 1, Bradley got me a couple of VIP passes to Knotts Scary Farm that he got from work. Cyndi and her mom went out of town to a retirement party so I ended up going with the person who would most appreciate a Halloween event, Angela. I'm not big on roller coasters so I made it known that we were there for the mazes and shows.

Everything was free including parking and a VIP buffet. The food was amazing and they had a bunch of Halloween themed chocolate sculptures for desserts. I'm not much of a drinker, but there was unlimited free alcohol for everyone.

Angela was pretty scared in the mazes which just encouraged the monsters to follow her around and get up in her face. We also went to a circus freak show, a Halloween themed improv comedy show similar to Comedy Sports, and the Hanging, which proclaimed Tom Cruise as the most annoying celebrity of the year.

Being the nice guy I am, I made sure to call Bradley while I was there to thank him for the tickets. Seeing as he was sitting in the Oakland airport after a bad vacation, I'm sure it cheered him up knowing I put his tickets to good use. HAHAHAHA

You're Out!

Tonight was the Dodgers last home game of the season. Bradley couldn't go, some fancy trip up to Oakland so he hooked us up with the tickets. Paul, another friend and I went to watch the game. The seats were decent. The crowd was a little strange since it was the last game and the Dodgers lost there were angry people even though the out come of the game didn't matter. It was fun anyway. The game felt like it was going to last forever and there were no exciting plays or grand slams but I enjoy going to ball games no matter what.

Ewwww

We've got mold!

Busy! Busy! Busy!

So much to do this weekend

Thursday: Dodger Game

Friday: I am going to Simi Valley and Paul is going to Knotts Scary Farm

Saturday: Reagan Library and my Uncle Barry's Retirement Party

Sunday: LA County fair

Photos and Details to Follow

Dessert

Today I stopped by Riverside to see Moe for a bit and give her a few things that Angela and Charlie had asked me to drop off for them. We had a nice time hanging out and talking for a bit. Monday's are her Bible Study Night but tonight they were just going to Norm's for dessert so I tagged along. It was good to get out with some girls for awhile. Tricia Sousa and her new bundle of joy Connor joined us, as well as Alisha and Julie some of their neighbors. We had some great conversation and the dessert was good as well.

Quote of the day

"The gospel is meant to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"

--Garrison Keillor

Movie Night!

On Friday afternoon we went to see Corpse Bride after I finished work. I liked it, but since I'm such a big fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, I think my expectations were too high. My biggest issue with it was that all the living scenes were so gray and depressing. I kept wanting them to go back to the colorful afterlife. I really like the music (of course) especially the Mr. Bonejangles song because it was Danny Elfman going back to the beginnings of Oingo Boingo. Overall I would recommend it and will see it again sometime.

Yes Drill Sarg: Take Two

=( Drop and give me TWENTY! =(

Well the day finally came our friend Charlene has left for boot camp! She will be gone for many many months. Please keep her in your prayers as she goes through this training and prepares for a future job and also for her safety.

C of P&C from A-Z

I haven't been outta my apartment in over 3 days I have to do something to amuse myself.

A Age: 25

B Bands (well groups really) my top five : u2, joss stone, garth, mars hill, counting crows

C Career of Future: who knows...I don’t have a career of right now but there are so many possibilities.

D Dirty little secrets: honestly can't think of any

E Ethnic Background: german, dutch and irish

F Favorite Song at the Moment: holy water by big & rich

G Great Escape: movies or idyllwild, vegas every once in awhile

H Hometown: san diego, california

I Instrument: I use to play sax and piano, maybe I will again someday

J Job Title: right now... substitute teacher

K Kids: none that I know of

L Last Person Who Made You Laugh: paul

M Movies - best you've seen recently: just like heaven, white oleander, in good company

N Number of Siblings: 0

O Oldest Living Relative: that I know of my grandparents

P Phobias/Fears: spiders, drownding, being kidnapped (one to many csi episode I suspect)

Q Favorite Quote: just about every line from billy madison

R Radio stations: 93.9, 94.1, 98.7, 106.7, 95.1

S Song You Sang Last: who are you (csi is on the tele)

T Television - show you last watched: criminal minds

U Unknown Fact About Me: I don’t answer hard questions after midnight!

V Vegetable You Hate: onion, radish, celery, tomato

W Worst Habit: fingernail biting when nervous or under stress

X X-rays You've Had: let's see... all ten fingers, both wrists, both ankles, left knee those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. come to think of it might be shorter to list ones I haven't had.

Y Yummy Food: chicken, pizza, steak, chocolate covered peanuts, peanut butter and chocolate ice cream

Z Zodiac Sign: leo the fearless lion (come on, sing it if you know it)

Sick with ICK!

I didn't feel good yesterday but I didn't feel terrible. Last night I woke up almost every hour on the hour, my temp continually went up as the night went on. By 6am I was at 101.8 and then at 8:30am I hit 102.1 My fever has broken a couple of times during the day but then spikes again and remains at 102 for quite awhile. Paul had to leave at 5:30pm to pick up Charlie from the train station and then he had to go to work because his overnight guy called out. As soon as Paul left I went to go use the restroom and ended up emptying my stomach contents which included water, 7-up and a few saltine crackers. So now paul has to work a 12 hour shift and I am trying not to move to much for fear the little bit I have drank will come back up. To top it all of I am going to have to not work tomorrow and possibly the next day. Oy. I need to go lay down.

Sea World

Thursday, September 15th 2005

This week the Suiters came out from Nevada for a vacation. They stayed some where in Carlsbad area and visited the Zoo and Sea World in San Diego. Since I was working Tuesday when they would be at the Zoo I met up with them on Thursday at Sea World. It was lots o fun. We had some time to catch up and talk in between shows and while Hailey played in the kids playground area. Since it was only $20 more for a year pass I did that since it would have cost that much for parking on two additional visits to the park. I had to leave early because I needed to get a few things fixed on the Corolla before heading back home.

Random Thoughts

I had my 5 year anniversary at work recently and just got my evaluation. I got just about the maximum they could give me. The only "negative" on the whole thing is that I need to give others a little more work so I don't burn out. I've been feeling burnt out for a while so they're a bit late on that one.

We're still waiting to hear if Girls and Boy's Town is going to offer us a position or not. I don't mind waiting though since we're both torn on whether or not we want it. It would help us out big time because we'd be making twice what I do now, but without having to pay any rent, utilities, food, gas, etc. We could have kids and pets there too. The downside is that even though it's in SoCal, it is a missionary job. We wouldn't be able to leave for more than 8 hours on our "days off". That means most family and friends contact would be limited to whoever comes to visit us in Rancho Santa Marguerita. Any advice, comments, or prayers on this are much appreciated.

The Corpse Bride comes out this week! Two Tim Burton movies in 3 months is cool.

I've had the White Stipes song "My Doorbell" stuck in my head for about a week now.

I've been working on making the coolest jukebox in the world with iTunes. I had about 500 songs on the computer already...a lot of live or acoustic versions of songs. Now I'm adding everything decent off of our 450 cds. Let me know what songs you would have to have in perfect mix so I don't miss anything.

We're the high bidder on ebay for U2 tickets at Staples Center and Vegas in November. I'm pretty sure we'll be outbid, but you never know.

I won my first regular season fantasy football game in a year this week. Hopefully this season goes better than last year when I was 3-14 with a 12 game losing streak.

Date Night

On Friday Paul and I decided to get out for a date night. We realized it was the first day of the County Fair so we headed up to L.A. It was only a buck to get in since it was the first night. We had a great time. We went to the petting zoo, got some good eats, walked through an area where they had different gardens and yards set up and the theme was Hawaiian which was cool since we bought different plants when we were in Hawaii now we have some ideas on how to make a cool looking yard. We also saw Bono, sadly not the real one but a U2 cover band. We enjoyed ourselves. After the band played we walked over to the exhibits and looked around. When those buildings closed we headed over to the board walk where all the games are. We tossed quarters we had in our pockets and won three stuffed animals. Then it was after midnight so we headed home.

Safe and Sound!

Please continue your prayers for those who are suffering because of Hurricane Katrina. I have just recieved good news. I have a friend who has been living in New Orleans while she was completing her masters degree. I have just recieved word that she had just moved up to Batan Rouge since she graduated in May and has been working up there. They did get some of the storm but not the eye of it. Her boyfriend as family that was in New Orleans and so far it has been good news all around because they were able to get incontact with his sister who is pregnant and found out she is fine and that everyone is safe. Pray for their continued safety as there has been some looting and violence that has broken out in the area.

I have another friend Melissa and her family that live in Pensacola, FL. They too were hit by the hurricane and I have not yet heard from her so keep her and her family in your prayers as well.

Interview

Sunday, 5th of September

We had a 3rd interview with Boys & Girls Town today. It went well however we have been going back and forth between if we would take the job if it was offered. After finding out how much time we would have off per week (18 hours total). We have pretty much decided that it would not be worth it for us even with all of the benefits because we would not be able to go any where ever, and we would not be able to see our family for long periods of time. So... back to the drawing board.

The newest Askew addition

Sunday, 28th of August

After all of our travels we finally got a chance to go over to the Askews and meet their newest addition James. He is a cutie. Abby and Drew are so adorable wanting to help take care of JR and give him kisses and cuddles. I had a chance to hang out with Moe a bit. Things were a little crazy as Moe's sister was moving out that day and a lot of their family was over to help. Congratulations Moe & Nick!

Vegas baby Vegas

Wednesday, 24th of August to Friday, 26th of August

Once we got back from Hawaii we had to stick around town even though Paul had an additional week off because we had a second interview for Boys & Girls Town. After the interview we decided we wanted to get out of town for awhile longer. We were hoping to get out to AZ to visit Roland but we didnt get the message he left for us until we got home because our cell phones were on the fritz. So we hung out in Vegas. We had fun, didn't really do much. We walked around, took the tram up and down the strip. Paul entered a poker tournament, he didn't win money but got further than he has in the past.

Cyndi was able to set it up so that before we left town she could stop by and see her old college roomie Kelly. We stopped by Kelly's work and talked for a bit. CJ (kelly's brother) also works there and boy has he gotten tall. It was good to visit even if just for a little while. Cyndi did find out that they would be coming to San Diego in a couple weeks so maybe they can meet up again for a longer time.

Hawai'i Day 8

Saturday, 20th of August

We checked out of the cruise ship today. Because we wanted to go to Pearl Harbor and we have heard from others that they only allow X number of people per day we wanted to make sure we were able to go we decided to go with a tour from the ship. It was a somber experience to walk through the museum and the memorial to those who were lost. In addition to Pearl Harbor tour we also got a city tour. We drove around the enitre city and learned about some of the rich history of the land. After the tour we still had a few hours before we had to be back at the airport to meet my mom who went to visit a friend. So we decided to go over to Waikiki and look around. We walked on the beach and went to the international marketplace. We learned that Taco Bell/Pizza Hut and Taxi's cost a lot in this town. We still had fun walking around and looking at the different shops.

Paul:Exploring the city of Waikiki with Cyndi was a lot of fun. Just looking around the shops and enjoying each others company.

Cyndi: I am not sure what my favorite part of the day was I enjoyed the history and being able to go to Pearl Harbor. I also liked going to the beach at Waikiki.

Hawai'i Day 7

Friday, 19th of August

Today we didn't have to be at our activity until 10am which was great. It gave us the opportunity to sleep in a little bit, have a leisurely breakfast and grab a taxi over to the place. Todays activity was tubing. We each got our own intertube, hardhat complete with flashlight and gloves to protect our hands from sharp edges. We went tubing down an old sugar cane plantation irrigation system consisting of open ditches, tunnels and flumes dating back to 1870. Tubing was a lot of fun, our only complaint was it didn't last long enough. After we finish tubing the adventure company took us over to a watering hole and picnic tables where we had lunch and were aloud to hang out and swim for a bit.

Paul: While going through the caves the inner tubes would speed up, that was my favorite part of the day.

Cyndi: I thought it was cool how many tadpoles and little bitty frogs were all over the swimming hole. I wish I could post the picture of the frog paul caught but it was taken with just a regular camera not digital.

Hawai'i Day 6

Thursday, 18th of August

We decided to book a tour through the cruise line for the day. It is a 7 1/2 hour tour. It takes us all over Kauai through private land owned by the AOL guy. The scenery was so beautiful. We saw many cows, goats, egrits and other birds. We saw the grand canyon of the Pacific as it is called. Paul's bro and sis were at the real grand canyon the same day so we called them when we were there. We also visited the Napali coast, drove through a tunnel that was not made with any type of concrete or metal, it is just dirt.

Paul: I liked the Napali coast. The view was nice. Driving in a 4X4 equiped van was cool too and the cows in the road that would barely move as we came towards them, that was funny.

Cyndi: I loved seeing the Napali Coast Line. There are no roads that go around this part of the island so the only way to get down there is to hike in or by boat. The view was spectatular.

Hawai'i Day 5

Wednesday, 17th of August

Today was a bit of a bust. We were trying to find a 4X4 road trip but everywhere we called said they were booked up. So we rented a convertable and drove around the city. We stopped at a few beaches during our drive and looked around.

We dropped of the rental car and decided to walk around the little beach town near where the boat was docked. We had lunch at a little Italian restaurant and then looked at the shops. After that we had a few hours left so Cyndi rented a boogie board and went to catch some waves. Paul walked up and down the beach, collecting sand and lookint at a sea turtle that was coming up really close to the shore. Cyndi's mom layed on the beach and enjoyed the day.

Paul: When we were driving around there were white rocks that people used to spell different things on the side of the road. The rock graffiti was pretty cool.

Cyndi: Loves the water so she loved going boogie boarding.

Hawai'i Day 4 part 2

We had to be back at the ship fairly early this evening as we are leaving for the next island. Tonight was formal night. Everyone gets all dressed up, takes photos and has a nice dinner. We made this our mulligan anniversary. Cyndi wore a new dress, and Paul put on a jacket and tie. Dinner was delicious. We went to watch a comic in the theatre on the boat after dinner. It was a pretty funny show. Here is us right before we sat down to dinner.

Hawai'i Day 4

Tuesday, 16th of August

Our day started very early. We had to get up around 4:30-5:00am to get ready for the drive back to Lahaina. Our boat left at 6am to head out to Molokini. Paul rented a fishing pole for the drive to and from the two dive spots. The first dive spot was Molokini Crater where once we stepped down into the water the fish were swarming every where. They would swim right up to you. We saw many different types of fish along with eels. The second dive spot was Turtle Bay, the water was a bit choppy and it made Paul feel sick. He did get to follow a couple turtles around before retreating from the waves to the boat. I had a great time diving around getting as close as I could to the turtles. After our dive time was over we hung out on the boat for the ride back to the pier one of the guides showed us some sea creatures he had caught while we were snorkeling. He caught the fish of Hawaii whose name is Humuhumukununukuapua'a, an octopus, and star fish. We had a few hours before the boat was supposed to leave the dock so we went to Maui's Ocean Center to look around for awhile.

Paul: I enjoyed the ocean life, it was cool that the fish would swim up around you on all sides.

Cyndi: I love snorkeling. The water in Hawaii is so warm, I was apprehensive at first but once I got use to being so close to the fish I thought it was awesome.

Hawai'i Day 3

Monday, the 15th of August

We arrived in Maui this morning, and it was a beautiful day. We rented a convertable and drove to the opposite side of the island to Lahaina. We found a booth where we set up reservation for a dinner Luau and snorkling. Lahaina is a small town and we walked around and looked at a few shops and came across a restaurant we were told by one of Paul's co-workers we had to eat at. Cheeseburger in Paradise is the name of the restaurant. Not everyone has a seprate table at this restaurant, they have just little dividers they put up if the table is being split between two families. We had a great view of the ocean and beach from our open window. We sat next to a couple who were there to celebrate their wedding anniversary and the surfer dude even offered us some of his fries before we ordered anything. They were very nice people. Since it was only a few hours before the Luau my mom and I split a burger and fries and paul only had a burger. The burgers were awesome, and yes we ate them in paradise.

We just walked around and looked at more shops after lunch and decided to go on a scenic drive. We drove up and around half the coast of Maui. There were some georgious views. At one point it was a one lane road with two way traffic. Cyndi was not impressed as she was driving a convertable around blind turns. When we got to the top of the mountain part the view was great and there was a little art shop we stopped at. Along the road there were fruit stands and a large number of snow cone stands.

We headed back so we would get to the Luau on time. It was a cool show. There was an all you can eat buffett with 5 different kinds of meat, veggies, side dishes, and desserts. The view was nice too, and the sunset was like none we have ever seen before. After the Luau we headed back to the ship since we had to get up VERY early the next morning.

Paul: Kicking it with an old surfer dude at Cheeseburger in Paradise and driving up the winding road seeing all the little towns and scenery

Cyndi: The Luau was my favorite part of the day. All of the different dances, the sunset, the buffett and the strawberry daquari in a real pineapple.

Hawai'i Day 2

Sunday, the 14th of August

Everyone woke up early today so we could find a tour to go on once the boat docked. We ate at the buffett on the boat for breakfast this morning. Then we found a city tour that took us to most of the places we wanted to visit. The first stop was a statue of King Kamehameha where everyone quickly snapped photos so we could move on with the tour. Next was Rainbow Falls, The view was beautiful, there was a good sized waterfall flowing into a stream.

When everyone had enought time to walk around and look at the waterfall and grab a water or soda the tour went to the Mauna Loa factory where we got samples of Mac. Nuts and looked through the windows of the factory (they were closed it was Sunday).

Next up was the painted church. This church was very quaint. It has been saved from lava numerous times. Lava has come up to the steps of this church I believe 5 times and each time the church has been spared. The Hawaiian people decided to make sure this church was never consumed by lava so they moved it a few miles down the road.

The main attraction of the tour came last, the lava field. The tour group walked almost a mile out on the lava to get to a black sand beach. We planted a coconut tree on the beach. It is a tradition of any one who takes a field trip or tour out to this beach.

Paul: Enjoyed walking on the black sand beach and seeing the waves crashing against the lava rocks after our walk/hike over the lava field.

Cyndi: The Mauna Loa Mac. Nut factory was one of my favorite parts of the day aside from walking on the lava.