St. Barb Pics

I've been lazy lately and going on strike against things I should do, but don't want to do. I've been doing the things I have to do, but ignoring the non-imminent things. Like dying my hair and blogging. I'm back.
Here are some snaps of our weekend in Santa Barbara. Aaron loved it, but somehow I felt like I still lived there and was not on vacation. The highlight of my trip? Brophy Brothers. After all these years it is still my favorite restaurant.
We cruised around on bikes for a few hours and hit all the major beaches. Here is me on the bike that only hours later a runner would literally knock me off of. Yes, he ran into me, folks. While wiping off the dirt I had to quickly prevent Aaron from coming to fisticuffs with the man.

We rode out to the pier. I can't believe I used to canoe out to the tiny green buoy in the middle of us. I was so buff when I was on an outrigger canoeing team!

My favorite hidden gem beach in SB.

A trip to the mission would not be complete without posing as a friar.

I still have not mustered the energy to blog about our trip home and short lived detour on Hwy 1, but we were so bored while sitting in traffic that Aaron's orange peel became a man and put on a show for us. Enough said.

kids size = less guilt

Oh how I love you, Starbucks hot chocolate. I really, really love you. I love that you represent fall and I've had two so far this season. But, what do I love most about your hot chocolate? The kids size. This option is not very noticable on the menu, so I over looked it for years, but now it is my go to. The price hovers around a buck, it comes in a petite 8 oz size which lessens my guilt and sugar intake, and the baristas usually lower the temperature of the milk for kiddos who don't want to burn their tongue. Me. It's the baby one on the left in this picture and my perfect treat for a crisp fall night.

A New Favorite

Aaron and I stopped by the LA temple on our way to SB this weekend. Not a great idea to sit in rush hour traffic from San Diego and try to hurry to a session, but it was so worth it. The SLC temple is still my favorite but this comes a very close second. I'm pretty sure my jaw was open a few times while staring at the beauty and magnitude of this building.

It is enormous and I love that a temple of this size was needed for California and the surrounding areas. My grandparents used to take a multi day bus trip with their stake to come down from the Bay Area to attend this temple. As I walked through the vast hallways and rooms Icould easily picture each area full of people back in it's prime and my heart was glad that people were willing, and still are in other parts of the world where a temple is not nearby, to sacrifice so much to attend. There is such a historic reverence in these walls. We're already planning our return trip!

good job, brother.

50 miles is such an accomplishment. i'm a proud sis.

Macgruber

Aaron loves, loves, loves, the Macgruber skit on SNL, but maybe even more loves the Pepsuber commercial featured during the Superbowl. We watched the game at a friend's house and even though it has been 8 months since it aired, Aaron repeatedly prank calls said friend, while she is at work, and always uses the name Macgruber.

He just did it again and excitedly called me to tell me all about it. Boys. Thanks for being such a great sport, Jen. It's not like I could get him to stop anyway. If you haven't seen the commercial or just want to see it again, check it out here!

a picture show

i found this while wandering online. if you have ever eaten fast food or ever plan on eating fast food, check it out. i'm not going to say if this should deter or encourage a fast food habit, but i think stopping and looking at what you're eating every now and then is a good thing. enjoy!

http://www.good.is/post/picture-show-visions-of-fast-food/?GT1=48001

Dear Fall,

Where are you? Tomorrow is your yearly debut, but I see no signs of you coming to San Diego. Yes, there is a bit of fog and chill at my house in the morning, but not enough to put a jacket on. Fall, you make me look silly because I longingly wear a hoodie when no one else is.
Also, I miss baking. I am dying to bake something pumkin related and maybe some chocolate, too. I have a major chocolate chip craving going on, but with this heat I'm experiencing baking is out of the question. We could save energy and turn off our A/C if you'd come around. You're part of the Earth, so don't you want to help me save it?
Then there is the whole business of my wardrobe. I'm really ready to be done with shorts and being sticky and long for my scarves and long sleeved tees. I know others say we don't have seasons where I live, but I miss our Fall-esque weather and have been waiting many months for your return. Please hurry.
Looking forward to your arrival,
xoxo-aimee

happy to us

saturday was our one year anniversary. i have made a mental note to write about the experience of being married for one year in my journal. perhaps that will translate to action. aaron and i carried out 1 of 2 traditions we have and ate at a favorite pizza place. we brought the camera to document the experience for posterity and the government, but the battery was dead. of course. here's to hoping for better planning this week so i can post some pictures of our celebratory trip to santa barbara this weekend.

tres chic

a snuggie runway show at New York's fashion week? oh heavens. i knew i should have gotten one.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/32862975/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty/

hot fudge haze

i got together with some friends for sundaes on Sunday and my contribution was hot fudge. i found a great recipe out of The Quick Recipe cookbook by America's Test Kitchen (thank you, Nicole). a few basic ingredients and 20 minutes later i had superb hot fudge. i am a very picky hot fudge eater, but this passed all the tests. aaron and i have been eating the leftovers each night. hot fudge + vanilla = my favorite combo. let me know if you want the recipe!

a serious case of the mondays

one of God's children (i have to call him that so i don't lose my lady-like cool) on a motorcycle sidewiped our car today and just kept on going. what a way to start the work week! while i've experienced many types of car accidents, never a hit and run. now i can check that one off, too. i watched the 'serenity now' episode of Seinfeld last night. who knew i'd need it today?

ah, kids these days

while teaching my precious mia maids yesterday two generational differences were brought up and they both had to do with technology. first, i was talking about using a 1-800 number on a pay phone and one of them looked at me and said, 'you can do that?'. i replied, 'that way you don't have to put money in'. 'Oh'. i know pay phones are a lost cause these days, but are they really a relic? that led into the second old lady point which was, 'why didn't you just use your cell phone?' and my answer was 'we didn't have cell phones in high school. when a guy got your number he wrote it on his hand'. their faces became contorted with mystery and stared back at me.
it's like teaching a history lesson.

Good Book Alert

I find it hard to read a book unless it is recommended to me. Not sure why, but I guess I'm not confident in my picking abilities. I decided to be bold and pick a book at the library all by myself. What a great pick. This book details the life of a couple who use their zoo to hide Jews during the Holocaust. Diane Ackerman went to great detail to research this true story and the book is woven with facts, actual quotes and pictures. Countless times throughout the book my heart was saddened by the horrors that took place during World War 2, but just as quickly my heart was touched by the amazing courage people had in risking their lives to save others. It's a good read!

P.S.-The new book I picked up is Wicked. I'm only about 40 pages in, but I already don't want to put it down.

A Lunch Story

I'm always trying to find new and exciting things for Aaron's lunch. I eat oatmeal every day for lunch and love it. I'm a creature of habit. Aaron, not so much. The other night I was trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of Ritz crackers we have and asked Aaron what he would eat with them. His reply? Meat and cheese. I looked at him and said, "like a Lunchable?". Apparently exactly like a Lunchable. The next morning I was cutting up Ritz size pieces of lunch meat and cheese and packed them in his lunch. Verdict? A varied success. He loved it, but understood his co-workers would probably give him a hard time about the petite stacking he was doing, so he ate at his desk. Aw, just like school days.
Even when I was a child I did not like Lunchables. I think I wanted to like them cause they were cool and a rarity at my house, but I didn't trust the meat. Still don't. I'll never understand man-food.

Can I have too much of a good thing?

Regarding cereal, I don't think this saying applies. Last night I bought 5 boxes of one of my favorite Kashi cereals for only $8! With the combination of a great sale and the perfect coupon to go with that sale, I walked away with a steal. After arriving home, I carefully stacked them among their counterpart boxes on top of the fridge. Our cereal count is now at 21 boxes. Aaron was quick to note that only 6 boxes were for him (meaning cereal he would eat). 15 boxes of cereal just for me. That sounds about right!