Father's Day Gift Guide

My man has a lot of interests...the one on the top of the list is GOLF...so I usually default and get him a gift certificate to a golf shop, which he is more than fine with....but I always feel like its such a cop out gift. Coming up to Father's Day, I know he has a birthday around the corner and our anniversary, so I am always stumped for gift ideas...I thought I would be a little more pro-active and create a gift list and share it with you - maybe it gets your brain going too?

1. Camping Coffee Maker
2. Funky Shorts
3. Chambray Shirt
4. Grill Basket
5. Smashball - kind of an inside joke, but also a favorite beach activity!
6. Camping hammock for 2! (okay maybe this is more for me since I am the lazy one!)
7. Scooter - He keeps telling me I need to get one of these (for therapy on my broken ankle) which leads me to believe he really wants one for himself
8. Travis Matthews is always a winner

Also....

Awesome Filliping Veggie Grill Basket 
His favorite balls

Long Beach Scavenger Hunt

I totally wussed out on my husband for father's day...and last year our anniversary (10!) was a total bunk...and he has a birthday this week...so i wanted to do something super special to cover all 3! I put together a little bike ride through Long Beach scavenger hunt. We covered Belmont Heights, Retro Row, Downtown, did a boat ride ($5 a person!) during sunset, Alamitos Bay and back home. I had 8 "clues" - every clue had a little bag that contained either a gift card, or cash- i included all the cash he would need to buy the dessert and pay for the boat ride, etc - or a little card to represent that clue. He was super pumped - we both love riding our bikes and we both love Long Beach...so this was a perfect way to celebrate our little life markers!

I have to say...i timed this extremely well and i am super proud of myself because that takes work for me...i had friends meet up with us at one point, and we had to make the boat at 7, so there was a bit of a time crunch, but not really - he felt he had enough time to shop at the stores and a timeline was probably a good thing for Bryan since he has been known to spend an hour looking at all the different cereals in the grocery store...not really...but kinda...

It was so nice to spend the day alone with him...it really felt like a mini-vacation (thank you thank you mama!) and we had all sorts of funny conversations and new experiences together. Long Beach really is the perfect town to do this sort of thing - its easily accessible and has such cool unique parts to it...we are in love with where we live! where else can you take a semi-private (there were 2 other couples on the boat with us) sunset boat ride for $5 a person? so cool. and we took our bikes on the boat. 

We had a lovely dinner and since we don't really have lights on our bikes or night riding stuff - we got a cab home and locked our bikes...i somehow picked them up the next day and somehow fit them in our car...no small task (they both have kid seats)...and side note...i was walking my bike at one point and slammed my foot into a metal pole and i ended up breaking my toe...i thought i just stubbed it at first but the next day it was swollen and all bruised and today it hurts like madness...so i was doing all this with a broken toe apparently...

anyway - very fun! i highly encourage this type of date - keeps things new and definitely a cool memory of our little mini home-cation :) 

Clue#1 - Your boys have your style, so ride about 1 mile, and pick something out to wear out and about! (The answer was Long Beach Trading Co)

Modeling his shorts he bought with his gift certificate

Clue #2 - Mama's little baby loves shortnin shortnin,
Mama's little baby loves ____________ Fill in the blank to pick up some after dinner goodies!

Clue #3 - They are truly unique, No two are alike, They help catch creeps, So get on your bike....Head to the store Where there is music galore, pick up some vinyl and go buck wild! He got a Leonard Cohen record <3

Clue #4 - What has, holy water, Beers made by Monks, Naughty School Uniforms, The Roddys? (Congregation Ale)

Bryan's white twin and his beautiful wife and beautiful beer :) 

Clue #5 - Get Ready, Get Set, Get Sailing! Hurry up or you might miss the 7:00 departure...Look for the purple red and yellow boat at Dock #___________ (Hint: the number is also a golf term)

On the Aqualink

We perfectly timed it for a sunset arrival

Right after I broke my toe :( - i didnt know at this point...

I missed some pictures of dinner - Clue #6 - and Clue #7 was maybe a movie - but we were so tired (read:old) this was clue #8 - a gift card to Roger Dunn so he can get his club re-shafted or something like that...

I Love It! Present Edition - Bryson (Age 5)

1. if i hadn't just banned toy "sets" in my house (because i still catch bodie trying to swallow legos, dimes, batteries, gum wrappers...you name it) i would totally get this for him - ingenious idea!!!

2. bryson loves dressing up and i think he would totally dig this beard

3. Bryson loves to listen to stories before bed...when i don't feel like reading "Bats at the Library" or "Put Me in the Zoo" for the millionth time...he listens to a CD of stories - we are loving Jim Weiss right now

4. Cause its awesome and cause i want this myself too...The Tauntaun Sleeping Bag

5. He watched Karate Kid 3 with his dad and is obsessed with Karate...he and bodie steal my headbands (they call them hi-ya's) and kick each other...he would love this shirt

6. We decided that 5 was the age we would start the whole "chores" and teaching fiscal responsibility - we always did the coffee can thing, but this is a great idea!

7. Bryson loves helping me in the kitchen - i know he would dig these because a) they are knives and b) he loves all weapons

8. We all know how obsessed Bryson is with paper airplanes. Paige found these knowing that and tipped me off and I already bought him some because he is gunna go bananas for them!

9. Bryson also loves helping in the garden - he has a "real" rake and shovel (they are just smaller versions of the real thing made for kids) but he would love getting a "real" wheelbarrow to help dad in the garden

10. rashelle turned me on to olive juice - their unionsuit is so cute and would make the best christmas PJs!

so fun!!

9 years

i keep repeating it to myself...9 years. monday morning we ate breakfast at the Jolly Roger with my dad and grandparents, which happens to be right below the spot we said "i do" at 9 years ago...it was neat to be back and see the place where we changed our lives forever.

for our anniversary we are going to see this and stay the night in a hotel like a big boy and girl...without kids...thank you annie mannie...but since they werent open yet, we went out to dinner on our actual anniversary. and we went to Haven in the Orange Circle (thanks JJ for the rec!) and can i please tell you what i ate? because i am very very PREGNANT right now and this is how i have my fun...

we ordered the brussel sprouts for starters...what? how do i know i am officially an ADULT? because i PAID for brussel sprouts...actually they were awesome! made with a lemon-ey sauce and awesome crispy prosciutto...yumm...for dinner we had the chicken n' waffles (buttermilk fried chicken, cornmeal waffles, maple syrup made with beer and hot sauce all over...OMG awesome!) and the cabernet crusted escolar (not as big a fan as the chicken n waffles - still good...but didnt finish) and let me tell you for dessert - we had...you ready? Candied Bacon Ice Cream over a brownie... and homemade twinkies...the bacon ice cream was actually amazing.

we must go back...there is a grilled octopus i need to try...and the arctic char...and the hamburger...so maybe a couple trips are in order!

in cleaning out my books i came across a travel journal i kept while on a trip to sweden in 2000...it was during that trip that bryan and i discovered we LOVED each other and we told each other when i returned. so needless to say, i was goo-goo gaga in love with him during the trip and it came across in my journal. it was fun to read to him during dinner...i kept writing things like, "i really hope i dont mess this up" - i knew what an amazing guy i had from the start and still do. the best 9 years of my life. he still makes me laugh until my sides hurt. he still makes my heart skip a beat when he takes his shirt off. he still has that way of getting me to tell him everything. i wont go on...though i could for many many a post on how wonderful i think he is...and if you know him...you know...just for fun here are some pics of us on our honeymoon in Bali and some more recent pics of us *old* ...goodness i hope my backside looks like that again!

the lion king

we went to irvine park yesterday...or lasterday as asher would say...or yestertime as bryson would say. we met up with my brother and his family and it was a gorgeous Sunday at the park. we went on a nature walk and played games and rode bikes and sara helped katlyn with geometry...ughh...geometry. anyway - we all crashed afterward...or i should say all the boys did...while i grocery shopped...ughh...anyway - there was this cool rock and i couldnt help but have bryan recreate lion king as i sang "oh sambaya" or whatever that song says...

Valentersary

feb 14 was bryan and i's valentersary...valentines/anniversary in case it wasn't obvious...9 years of valentines...its a long and complicated story and really the only people who can truly appreciate it are the few who were around at the time...the short story of it is that it is when bryan decided he wanted to be with me too (i had already made it clear to him my feelings...he just needed a little more time:) i really appreciate our valentine's tradition - we stay home and forego the fixed menu price jacking at restaurants and bryan cooks me an amazing dinner - lucky me! it usually includes shrimp - he makes the most AMAZING shrimp...i am sure he cooks them all in butter...i don't know and don't want to know because i truly enjoy every bite! this year he went all out - lobster, steak, shrimp, asparagus - edible flowers - i had to take a picture of it...i am so blessed to have such a good cook for a husband (not to mention his other amazing qualities, which i won't go into here and if you know him then you probably know most of them anyway). which is kinda funny because i was telling my niece katlyn (who is soon to be 15) that her uncle bryan is really good at cutting hair (she needed a hair cut) and she responded, "what ISN'T uncle bryan good at?" i know...its annoying isn't it?