Fire Station Field Trip

Last week k went to our local fire station with her girl scout troop.  Siblings and parents were invited so I brought n along too. 

k was called on to demonstrate the strength of the fireman’s steel toe boots.

I think it was good for the kids to see what a firefighter looks like with all of the gear.  It might make the kids a little less afraid if they ever need to be helped by a firefighter.  Can’t imagine wearing 60 pounds of gear in raging heat.  Thank you, firefighters, for all you do!

Unfortunately, the truck was getting new tires, so the girls only had a brief look.  Our tour guide was very enthusiastic and really seemed to enjoy interacting with the kids.

KBF is #5

Here are the top five theme parks in California based on attendance... #1 Disneyland (16.1M) #2 Disney California Adventure Park (6.3M) #3 Universal Studios Hollywood (5.1M) #4 SeaWorld San Diego (4.3M) #5 Knott's Berry Farm (3.7M) D+L have been to all of them. k has been to all except Universal Studios. n has only been to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. We need to bring n to either SeaWorld or California Adventures soon!

Baba’s Birthday

May and June are busy in terms of celebrations for our family.  We combined Mother’s Day and my dad’s birthday last weekend.  We brought the Tuxedo cake from Costco. 

It is not easy to wrangle the grandkids for a picture.  This was the best I could do.  Happy birthday, Baba!

k + n’s First Baseball Game

A couple years back I started subscribing to the OC Register only on Sundays for two cents a year.  I thought that deal couldn’t be beat.  One day I answered the phone and someone from the Register asked if I would like to be upgraded to seven days a week, no charge.  It sounded too good to be true, and the person assured me that there were no strings.  A few weeks ago, I saw an ad in the paper that seven day subscribers can get free tickets to Angels’ baseball games.  Again, it sounded too good to be true, but I signed up.  So, this is how k and n were able to watch their first baseball game for $15 total (including $10 parking).  (There is a $5 service charge).

Looking at the seating chart, I was not sure which seats to pick (only certain ones are eligible, of course).  I ended up picking a row of just four seats in section 135.  I thought that would be good so we wouldn’t have to climb over people to go to the restroom, etc.  It was also ground level, so it would be fairly close to the action.

This is the section that fans hang out in before the game to catch practice balls and try to get autographs.  Not bad, right?  Except this was our view to the right:

Talk about obstructed view!  (To be fair, there was a warning when I picked the seats, but I thought it was going to be a measly pole, or something).  Basically, we could not see center field or left field.  We also could not see the water fountain, and one of the jumbotrons.  Lesson learned, I guess.  It turned out friends of ours were also there that night, so we ended up sitting with them for the last two innings.  (They had a much better view). 

Right in front of us was a family with two kids around k and n’s ages.  The kids turned around and started chatting up k and n.

The night we went there was a cow milking contest (in honor of some Dairy Association) and it was Big Bang Friday, so there was a fireworks show immediately after the game ended.  The fireworks were pretty spectacular.  We had a good viewing location right by the flag poles on the outer ramp.  During the finale, my entire field of vision was filled with the bright lights from the fireworks.  The kids really liked them too.  If we don’t end up seeing fireworks this year during 4th of July, I won’t even be sad, they were that good.  Oh, and the Angels lost to the Chicago White Sox, by the way.  It almost seemed like an afterthought, though, since this was just all about the “experience”.     

Date Night in Woodbury/Woodbridge

For our date night last weekend D and I ate at Oceanic Grill in Woodbury.  We had a BOGO coupon (of course!)  The place was pretty empty, which does not bode well for this fairly new establishment.  It appears to be trying to duplicate the success of California Fish Grill.

We chose tilapia and white fish, both of which we enjoyed.  The service was a bit slow (especially considering that we were the only ones there), but the staff person was apologetic and we were not in a hurry!

 

For after dinner drinks we redeemed our coupons for a free Caramel something or other coffee at Seattle’s Best.  I’m not sure if I’ve been to a Seattle’s Best since going to one in Seattle back in the early 2000’s.  D said Starbucks bought the chain and is now marketing it as the cheaper alternative.  Works for me.

Our third stop was to park in the Woodbridge shopping center and walk over the bridge to walk around Woodbridge Lake.  We’ve passed by the lake by car before, but have never walked around.  It was quite pretty, and nice and peaceful.  We admired all of the homes around the lake—very nice.  We only walked around one part, and it did not take too long.  D estimates it is about a mile according to his internal pedometer.

Nice playground—we’ll have to bring the kids.  D also spotted a koi fish swimming in the lake.  There were plenty of ducks and geese.

Our final stop was to check out the new Korean store at the Woodbridge Shopping plaza: Assi Natural Market.

I am not sure about the correct pronunciation, but it is an unfortunate name for a store in the US, IMO.  Although they aspire to be a Whole Foods for Asian food, sadly, it is not.  Again, I’m not sure how long this business will last, given that there are other better alternatives.  We picked up some bulgogi that D grilled the next day for Mother’s Day.

This miso soup machine caught my eye.  That’s something you do not see everyday. 

So that was our mini tour of Irvine.  I’m always amazed at how big Irvine is (and still growing). 

Southern California

It is pretty amazing to think that I have lived in the Los Angeles metro area for 10 years now. I lived in L.A. for 1 year just after college and have been living in L.A./Orange County for the last 9 years. This metro area has been home for longer than any other metro area in my adult life! Since I have been in SoCal for so long and I do enjoy living in the O.C., I have felt compelled to start rooting for SoCal sports teams. Here are my official favorite teams by metro area: S.F. Bay Area: Cal Golden Bears, 49ers, Giants, Warriors. Los Angeles/Orange County: Angels, Clippers, Chargers. Indianapolis Metro: Indiana Hoosiers. The Angels baseball team is a easy choice as they play in Orange County. Choosing the Clippers is a little tougher since they play in L.A.; however they did play in Orange County in the 90s. For football, I am hoping L.A. gets a team, but I am not holding my breath, so for now the Chargers will have to do. I still like the city life in NorCal better (i.e. S.F. vs L.A.); however I do enjoy the suburban life in SoCal better. (e.g. beaches & bike paths). So I will consider the battle a tie. I have come to realize that my favorite metros are S.F. and L.A. (sorry Indy and Sacramento). Indy gets my nod for third place as it has a nice downtown and is a great sports town.

Another KBF Trip

I know what you’re thinking—again?  Well, we are determined to get our money’s worth, and the kids are not sick of it yet, so why not? 

Sombrero Hat ride—KBF’s version of the Teacups

D was able to go on the Ferris Wheel for the first time.

We also saw Schroeder.  D accidentally called him Linus (because I accidentally called him that), but the helper corrected him.

We have not seen very many of the shows, so we watched the Wild West Stunt Show. 

D wanted us to sit in the “Splash Zone”, front and center.  It was actually refreshing since it was warm.  It made me think about the fact that my parents would never have us purposely sit in the splash zone at Sea World, or wherever.  Maybe when k and n grow up they won’t want to sit there and they’ll tell their kids, “Grandpa used to make us sit in the splash zone!”. 

This is n after being splashed.