I only smile after the flash

Aw, ain't he cute? Gotta love morning rituals!

And I quote...

"Things ain't been too good around here!"

(That one is for my grandpa...and all who know him)

In keeping with the "happy thoughts/Ikea" mentality, I will post an "all things orange" tribute. As we all know, you are what you eat. My hair is my proof, but here's my all things orange lunch. Yummy!!!

I also post this wonderful food for another purpose. All you who know me know that I am way not political. At all. In the least.

However....in California there is a proposition, Prop 8, which simply states in 14 words that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Simple, yet there is so much backlash and rejection of this idea that there is a chance it will not pass. If it does not, pastors may be sued for not marrying same sex partners. It would mean that potentially, churches may stop performing marriage ceremonies at all to be "fair" to all. If they will not marry same sex, they would have to also make a blanket policy that they simply do not do marriages/weddings. There was already a $60,000 (I might be mistaken on the monitary value of the lawsuit) lawsuit that a pastor in New Jersey refused to allow a lesbian couple to marry on their 30 feet of beach property. Mind you, the jersey shore stretches for miles and miles, and why the couple insisted on those 30 feet or so, well, I wonder.

Anyhow, this brings me to a point. I am going to be joining with a huge movement to pray for and fast for this prop to pass. I will be starting a fast as of Sept 24. I have not yet decided on the specifics of how to fast in a healthy and safe way, but I am sure pizza won't be eaten during that time.

There are a lot more ramifications that will go down if this prop fails, but I won't go into it. Like I said, I'm not a political person. If you want more information about it, you can google it, I am sure.

But please be praying for me, for all the Californian voters, and for California itself. This could get icky. And as it is said, "As goes for California, it will go for the world."

Anyhow, it's good to be me and still eat pizza. For now!

Virtual Jog

Oh, can't get started just yet!!! There's a GI Joe doll sized mushroom forest to photograph first! Can you feel the cool chill of the layer of fog? This is Lake Poway, our jogging adventure.
But, oh, those mushrooms! It's like they grew upside down so you could see the underside displayed on top.

Crystal and I ran around the entire lake, so now, virtually, so will have you.

The mushrooms remain in my thoughts though, so unique~

Such a stark contrast to the desert shrubbery along the trail.

The fog is still around, cool against hot sweaty skin. Perfect jogging weather!

We're picking up the pace, jogging/running on the downhill, hoofing it up the uphill.

We have made it about 3/4 of the way around the lake now. That's about 2 miles!!! Good going!!!

It's good to have you on a walk with me! Thanks for coming along!

Playing tourist

I bet you can't guess where we started..... Well, for most of my readers, you probably have. So I will instead introduce you to a new wine!
It was a 2006 Chardonnay, very refreshing with just a hint of sweetness.
I was not expecting the water lilies to be in bloom, but it was certainly a delight to behold.

I could have photographed all day long. But I was limited to 40 pictures left on my camera card. You other photo entheusiasts can feel my pain!!!

I was glad to see the koi back in the pond and healthy as ever. It has been a few years since someone poisoned them all, and they seem quite content residents of Balboa Park.

Another lovely view. Behind me, that is!!!

I was suprised how this shot came out, looks so dark on such a bright and cheery day.

And I'll turn the view around for you. Ever been there? I know many of you have, so I hope you enjoy coming back for a visit.

Now this place you may not guess by this shot. There is an excavation going on.

Does this help?

The second half of the day Crystal and I explored the San Diego Mission. No, not the Presidio. The original one.

It is an active mission and while we were there we were privy to Saturday evening mass.

Doesn't the girl take a great picture?

The restoration of the Mission was almost complete. Reminded me of my 4th grade California Mission project.

Did you know each mission is built exactly a days walk from the previous one?

It's good to be me playing tourist! Hope you enjoyed your virtual vacation!

A favorite wine

I just wanted to share with you a favorite wine of mine. I first discovered it when living in Houston, TX during the spring of 2008.
Great label, great taste. It's good to be me, especially when this wine is around...

Crystal and I both had the weekend off, so in celebration of that fact, we decided to stick close to home and play tourist. It's a really great game. We got dressed up, and dressed down for the occasion. Comfy walking shoes, a camera, our wallets and some cherry chapstick, a rental car and like jockey straps we were off with a snap!!! (ode to Spike Jones)
Stay tuned for what the afternoon had in store for us...pictures to follow!

More who's who and get my Mom all caught up on the relatives

More who's who... This is my grandma on my dad's side, and her daughter, Shari, who also happen to be the mother of the groom. My cousin Kathy's son, Liam. Well, he's 14. What do you expect a 14 year old to do when you ask them to make a smile? But behind him from the left is my grandpa, the father of the bride, and Diana's latest.
The cute little girl is Cierra, who is now 5 (I think) with her daddy, Jon, standing behind her. Jon is married to Sarah (#5 in the lineup) and they have 2 cute kiddos, with Cierra being the oldest. There is a picture of his son coming up a little later. Steven (#7) is sitting down on the right.
There he is! The cute little buggah is Keane. Pronounced Key-in. He's cute and he was the ring bearer. Crouched down is Diana, #6 in the lineup.

Then there is my grandpa and I. And look! A nice smile on him!!!

This is Diana (#6) and her boyfriend. Unfortunately, I have forgotten his name. I am sure someone will let me know what it is. They both are in Kentucky, and I wouldn't be suprised if there was a wedding coming up in the not too distant future.

This is part of the wedding party. She is married to the other owner of the pizza place Tim (the groom) owns. I have no idea who the guy is...but it isn't her husband. Thats just how is rolls sometimes. Her husband was in the wedding too, so I don't know why they weren't matched up together...

Tim, the groom (#3 in the lineup) and Steven (#7 in the lineup).

This is the father and brother of Danielle ( the bride).

Here we have Gwynn and her boyfriend of who knows how many years. According to her, "I think someday we are just going to run off to Vegas and just get married." No timeframe, but after so many years, I think we are getting close to commonlaw marriage. If we still have that in California!

And the parents of the groom, Shari and Joe.

And, lastly, the sister of the bride and the bride herself.

I think that was all the major player in the family and in the wedding. Whew! That was a lot of folks to get straightened out. Anyone lost? That's okay, we get confused too!