Addictive Corn Dip

Football season has officially begun. What better way to celebrate than to participate in BooMama's Diptacular?! This family recipe was given to me by a great friend. Enjoy!

Addictive Corn Dip
2 cans Mexicorn (or 1 can of corn and 1 can of green chilies)
16 oz. sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3-4 scallions, chopped
2-4 cups finely grated cheese
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon cumin

Mix together and chill. Serve with tortilla chips, wheat thins or corn chips.

California is on Fire

I'm sure you've seen the news about the wildfires that have sparked in the Los Angeles area. It's that time of year again. We were here for the wildfire season (so weird to have a season of wildfires) last year, but we didn't actually have to experience them. We saw one from the interstate, but nothing like the one that started at the end of our street last week. It hasn't made it's way over the mountain yet, but over 5,000 acres have been burned. I suspect that the fire has had something to do with the triple digit heat we have had this week.









View from the front yard.



The drive to work the following morning.

To Dodger Stadium We Go....

So sorry it has taken so long to update. The blog was undergoing a much needed update, courtesy of Kate G-Meyer.

As we approach our one-year mark in California (ca-razy), Patrick and I realized that we haven't made it to a Dodger's game. So....Patrick surprised me with tickets to the Dodgers/Cubs game Friday night. Because we live outside of L.A., we began the 30 minutes without traffic drive, two hours before the game. We got there early enough for me to pick up a cutsie Dodgers shirt and of course we had to go to Gordon Biersch for some Dodger Dogs and garlic fries (a must have for all you garlic lovers). The atmosphere was great and weather was perfect....as usual in California. The stadium is set right outside of downtown L.A., which makes for a nice skyline view. The game was a blast, although Manny underperformed and it was really hard cheering against the Cubs. We were sure to stay for the Friday night Fireworks when they allow the fans to take over the field to get a good view of the fireworks light up the surrounding palm trees. Although the drive home took almost as long as the game itself, it was a ton of fun.

The Wisdom of a Woman

Sometimes others can just say it better. I haven't had the same experience Molly is writing about, but I have definitely felt the way she is talking about. Soak it up.

Molly Piper-We used to be Happy People

Celebration Elimination

If you haven't been following too closely, Celebration Elimination is what Patrick and I have when we pay off one of our bills. As mentioned in our previous Celebration Elimination post, we are following the Dave Ramsey plan to get out of debt. We won't admit how much debt we started out with until this is all over, but it will be awhile until that happens.

Last week Patrick and I paid off one of our cars! It was so exciting writing the check and mailing it off! We celebrated by buying a small patio set for our front porch. We have been wanting one for quite a while, but Dave Ramsey kept haunting me every time we talked about buying one. Once we paid off the car, we felt better about buying it. The California weather allows us to spend a ton of time out there. We love it! Now, we have to get started on the next bill.....the other car.

Eaton Canyon Falls

So we have this book of a ton of hikes around the area. We started out planning to get to all of them, but I'm not so sure that will happen. Last weekend we set out on hike #2 to Eaton Canyon Falls. According to the book, the hike is at the easy/moderate level, 3.0 miles round trip and at 300 feet elevation. It was supposed to be a crazy adventure that would involve crossing a stream and getting soaked, but we are in a drought out here and the stream was completely dry. Not one drop. We did get to experience a little water near the fall, which Bailey greatly enjoyed, but the rest of the hike was rather warm and dry.

What do you Know....

Patrick and I finally discovered the beautiful California we have always heard about. Last weekend we departed to La Jolla for an early anniversary trip--I must pause here and mention that I can't believe that we have already been married for almost 3 years. We stayed at La Valencia Hotel, which made our trip comparable to our honeymoon. It was an incredible trip.

Friday
7:00am-8:00am: Up early to finish packing and get ready. Dropped Patrick's electric razor in the toilet and accidentally flushed the razor attachment.

8:00am-9:00am: Stopped for frappuccino and pumpkin bread from the local coffee shop in our quaint suburb. Dropped Bailey off at Jeff and Julie's so he could hang with his girlfriend, Allie--a yellow lab, for the weekend. Stopped at Wal-Mart to buy Patrick another razor.

9:00am: Finally got on the road

11:00am-4:00pm: Spent the day at the San Diego Zoo. It was huge and full of tons of things to see. The weather was perfect. Lunch at a hotdog stand....yum.

4:00pm-6:30pm: Drove north to La Jolla to check in at La Valencia. We bought the standard room, the cheapest option, and had minimal expectations. Wow. When we got to our room, we thought they had put us in the the wrong room. We had operable french doors that opened to a patio overlooking the pool and ocean. It was gorgeous!

6:30pm-9:00pm: Back to San Diego for dinner at Olivetto, where my aunt works. Yummy Italian food and wine bar.

Saturday
9:00am-10:00am: Walk to The LivingRoom for some frappuccinos

10:00am-2:00pm: Basked in the sun at the pool that overlooks the Pacific. I got lost in Twilight (don't judge) while my cool husband brought his highlighter to mark in his book The Mortification of Sin. We appreciate our differences. Paid an absurd amount for lunch at the pool.

2:30pm-4:30pm: Went on a kayaking tour that requires a blog entry of its own. It seemed more like a clip from a movie. We had a flawless trip up until the Kayaking tour. The blissful, romantic tour I had imagined was more like a baffling roller coaster of emotion. Patrick was immediately infuriated that he (we) could not master kayaking. I think he even held me exclusively responsible for not keeping the kayak in a straight line. He narrowly avoided a co-kayaker's paddle to the face, and I got sea sick. Not to mention the fact that our tour guide suggested I get in the water to help with the sickness....right before he told us about the leopard sharks that were swimming beneath us.

6:30pm-8:30pm: Another incredible dinner...this time at Acqua, compliments of my Aunt. She had everything pre-arranged for us. She ordered everything ahead of time and we were overwhelmed with not only the quality of food, but the amount of food. It was so yummy! We even got a table overlooking the sunset over the Pacific.

8:30pm-9:30pm: A little shopping on Prospect Street on our walk back home, then back to the hotel for some piano bar action.

Sunday
9:30am-11:00am: Rise and Shine. The husband went to the coffee shop while I held down some seats by the pool. Then, we soaked up every last minute until check-out at noon.