Santa Barbara Christmas Parade

Our friends Chris & Jen own a business that will design, decorate, hang, remove and store your Christmas lights. It is called Santa Barbara Holiday Lights. This year was the first year that they had a float in the Santa Barbara Christmas Parade and they asked us to join in! Chris made an amazing float in only THREE DAYS!!! It was really amazing. The theme of their float was the shoemakers workshop. Chris was the shoemakers and his friends were elves. Eliza was a Christmas tree. It was so much fun!

Thanksgiving 2008: Party in the Desert

Well, I'm late in posting this, but it has been an insane week. We arrived back in SB at midnight a week ago and have been running ever since. For Thanksgiving, we visited my Nana and Pop Richard in Tucson. We had a great time. Nana made a fabulous dinner. I enjoyed lots and lots of cucumbers a la Nana. We did a lot of shopping and even made it to the Tucson Zoo. With the exception of the massive amounts of traffic on the 10 on the way home, it was a perfect trip. Here are the pictures:

Spoiling the Surprise

Below are Eliza's holiday photos. They are pretty good considering we had to wait 40 minutes before they started. Any favorites?

By Popular Demand

I wasn't initially going to put this on the web site, as it was taken on the fly and Eliza had trashed my house. So, don't judge me or I'm takin' it down! You can judge this awesome dancing though.


Eliza's a Maniac! from Amanda Ridge on Vimeo.

Girls Night Out

First of all, let me preface this by saying, no I am not 14, and yes, I realize the cheese. The girls and I had a great night out. We went to dinner at Nordstroms Cafe. If you've never been there, the salads are awesome. Then we went to a benefit for Angels Foster Care. That, at least, is the mature way to describe our outing. In truth, we went to a 7:30 p.m. premiere of Twilight. Yes, we got to see the movie even before the midnight showings in NY. We had a great time, and the movie was definitely better than I expected. That being said. If you are a man or not already an avid reader of Ms. Meyer, then this is not the movie for you. Go see Bolt. But if you are a fan, it is better than you think it is going to be, so have fun!

Why I love it here!

I know I've posted my love of California on my blog before, but I can't help it. Lately I have been hearing seals at night. Claron called me crazy until he finally heard them as well. We live right on the coast and it is really amazing all of the flora and fauna that surrounds us. Yesterday, Eliza and I made it to Coal Oil Point to play in the tide pools and watch the sun set. We saw so many animals: brown pelicans, a million egrets, turns, sand pipers, snowy plovers, sea otters, hermit crabs, anemones, surfers and yes, seals! Our neighbor has this awesome blog with photos: http://www.calliebowdish.com/ but here are my favorites.

What a busy week!

We've had such a busy but great week.

On Tuesday was election day. We are very happy with the results. I am really hoping that this election will usher in a new era of American politics. Claron and I of course both voted. Eliza went with us.

On Wednesday, we went to an awesome birthday party for our friend, Jen. Chris, her husband, concocted an amazing surprise for EVERYONE! Chris arranged a huge Hummer limo. The ladies got a manicure and pedicure and the gents went to play billiards. We later went to Milk & Honey for dinner and it was superb. Thanks to Chris (and Jen) for an awesome night out! Thanks to Liz for the pictures.

On Thursday, Eliza and I shopped almost all day. We finally found pillows for the couch that I like. I've only been looking for a year.

On Friday, Eliza and I went to the Ty Warner Sea Center with our friends. It was a beautiful day. It was sunny and in the high 70s. The Wharf was especially sunny. Eliza liked the petting pools and she enjoyed running around the pier with her friends Taylor and Warren. She loves older kids.

If Eliza could vote...

Eliza's Vote from Amanda Ridge on Vimeo.

Happy Halloween!

Wow! What a day (and night!). Eliza was Wall-E for Halloween. Claron and I both worked on her costume. I made the onesie portion. I was afraid she wouldn't wear her box, so I sewed all of the Wall-E parts onto the onesie as well. I made the gloves also. Claron worked tirelessly on the box portion. I also made Claron a cockroach costume, but we didn't get any pictures of it.

We had such a busy day. We started by going to the Chemistry department and giving out candy. We call it "reverse trick or treating." Afterwards, we went to the Family Student Housing Halloween Parade. Eliza walked the entire Storke complex. After the parade, they gave out four individual awards: Scariest Costume, Cutest Costume, Funniest Costume and Most Creative Costume. There were about 75 people in costume and ELIZA WON!!! She won most creative! Go Eliza! After the parade, we needed to stop home to pick some things up. It took us a half an hour to go around the block due to the mass influx into IV. We picked Scott up and took him to dinner at Flavor of India. It was awesome! If that wasn't enough, we went to Trunk or Treat at the church after that. THEN, we came home and went out trick or treating. Eliza had a blast. She really got into trick or treating. She was very happy to see so many of our friends (and rake in a boat load of candy.)

Happy Halloween!!

Here are the pictures:

What You've All Been Waiting For

I'm so over it

Yeahhhh... So its been a frustrating day.

Our neighbors "don't smoke." But it is amazing that right now as I blog to you, I have a massive headache due to the cigarette smoke billowing through our heater. I went over and asked them if they knew anything about it and of course, they are stumped. It is also a phenomenon that their house reeked of smoke when she opened the door.

Eliza today has decided that instead of Tuesday, it is Shriekday. All day every time something doesn't quite go her way... yup, you got it. I think that also might be contributing to the head problems.

Finally, I was massively disappointed by one of my formerly favorite blogs. I'm just going to put it out there. All my conservative friends can say what they like, but the last thing that I want to hear is Sarah Palin's expert opinion on the economy. She has no education to merit such. My friend, Frieda can be quoted on the economy. She is a stock broker and has a degree from Penn in business. My friend Ben can be quoted on the economy. He is getting a PhD in Economics at UCSB. Even I could be better quoted on the economy. I have an MBA and worked in banking and audit for quite some time. Sarah though... I don't think a degree in journalism qualifies you to tell the American people that we are going back to the Great Depression. Sorry.

I'm making chili and cornbread for dinner... maybe this day will get better.

Fun, fun and facials

So, it has been taking all of my restraint to prevent myself from putting up political messages on my blog. I just finished watching the debates.... ugh! Anyway, in other news... I got a facial today! Thank you, Jamie Olsen! You are awesome. Really, ladies, you should go see her. Thanks to Rileigh for watching La. I also did laundry. I know... my life is really exciting.

So, here's what Eliza's been up to. She talks.... a lot. She even says sentences. She doesn't have many verbs, but mainly she uses "go" and "did." Her favorite TV show lately is Wheel of Fortune. She loves to yell the letters at the TV. She's convinced that all of the puzzles have the letters "B," "G," and "A." She still loves her car and the swings. Her favorite place is the pool. It is actually warm enough to swim in the ocean here. It is odd that the ocean is warmest in September.

So, here are some pictures:

Whoa! BofA is taking over the world

As many of you know, I previously worked for MBNA who was the largest independent credit card company. Well, literally days after I left MBNA for Deloitte, it was bought by Bank of America. Making BofA a MAJOR player in the credit card market.

This year BofA also bought Countrywide, the largest mortage broker in the US. Today, they announced that they bought Merrill Lynch. All I can say is WOW! I can't wait to see their quarterlies. I wonder how much of the "assets" that they have bought are uncollectable. I'm also curious to see how their stocks open on Monday.

I wonder whether they'll buy AIG and Lehman too. I'm also surprised that the SEC is commenting further. There are no Sherman anti-trust concerns? They are a huge part of the financial services sector now.

P.S. Yes, I know that I am dork.

New Blogs and Toddler Madness

I have started two new blogs. The links are on the tab to the right. One is to document my cooking. The other is for the playgroup of mommies that I attend. Check them out.

As for the "Toddler Madness." It has been an interesting week. First, Eliza decided that Claron's phone would work better for the fish and gave it to him. Yes, Eliza dropped Claron's cell phone right into the fish bowl. All fair though because Claron was "watching" her at the time. This isn't all though. On Thursday, we had the missionaries over for dinner. Eliza had a late nap and awoke midway through dinner. When Claron brought her down she had something on her face. I kept looking at her but for the life of me could not figure out what it was. After they left, I gave her a more thorough inspection and discovered it was purple nail polish. During her nap, she somehow managed to reach my makeup bag from her crib. She opened it and had some fun with nail polish. Amazingly though she only got nail polish on her face and dress. There was not a drop in her crib, on her wall, on her hands or in her hair. The joy of toddlers!

The camera battery is dead. I need to recharge so that I can pull the pics. So, more pics some time this week.

What a trippy video!

Eliza is in love with this video. It kind of reminds me of the Quizno's subs rats. She loves to dance. I warn you though, it is an earworm of the highest order.

I like cake!

South Carolina!!!

Hey y'all! Greetings from the South. We are preparing to depart the east and have had a great time. Right now though I'm sick, sick, sick, but the important thing is that we've been having a blast! We went to SC with my parents and have been visiting with Claron's family as well. Eliza is being ridiculously spoiled and I'm not sure if I will convince her to come home with us. But for now, here are the pictures:

In the words of Eliza...

"Uh-oh!" I can't find my camera. I'm going to tear the house apart now. I'm sure my toddler has found an innovative place for it to rest-- like in the back of the plant, the oven or under the couch. *sigh*

Nursery and other fun

So, I've had a few people ask, "What is nursery? I thought you weren't sending her to daycare yet." Well, nursery is not daycare. It is a church thing on Sunday. Eliza goes and hangs out with other kids her age for two hours while Claron and I are in church. She loves it. Thankfully, we have great nursery leaders.

In other news, Eliza has pink eye. I think I have it too. How great! At least it will be over by the time we go to South Carolina on 8/23.

No, we're not dead... just busy.

So, what a busy summer we are having. Since I've last checked in here's what's happened.
-Eliza is now officially in Nursery! She loves it. We have great leaders.
-We went to the east coast and back. Lots of great pictures (on my parents camera. Ours was on the fritz!)
-We had an earthquake. It was quite minor. Nothing really.
-My sis-in-law (aka twin wife) is pregnant!! We are so excited. Eliza will have a 1/2 sister or brother. No, Claron hasn't been cheating on me. If you don't understand, e-mail me and I will give you a full blown genetic breakdown. (Claron and Clark have an idential genome. Blah. Blah Blah.)
-Eliza has started to potty train. I know I will be sorry. Yes, I know, but she has been begging. And yesterday was the last straw. She took off her diaper and pooped in her crib. You would think I would be furious, but I thought it was absolutely hilarious.
-Eliza is super tall and has a great tan (even though I slather her in sunblock every five minutes. Go figure!)
Here are the pictures:

Pretty gnarly, huh? This was the smoke from the fire.

Very Armageddon-ish.

Eliza will be glad to write you a parking pass.

Eliza eating crepes at the French festival.

Eliza having fun with Dad, Mike and Shayna. Three of her favorite people.

Eliza and Shayna with Mike in the background.

Eliza and I.

Eliza and Aunt Lilly.

Eliza was prepared.

Picking shoes. She is not the best at matching.

She loooooves shoes.

I like this picture.

Our new pet. The "kitty"

Swinging. She is so fierce.

She loves the swings.

Eliza's first day in Nursery.

Eliza and dad on the plane.

Eliza on the way to church.

Looking fierce again.

This is the look for the boys.

Smillllleeeeee....

Eliza in the pool

Byproducts of a disaster

The fire continues here in Santa Barbara. Last night it grew from 200 acres to 2400 acres. We watched as it went from a small area of our horizon to engulfing almost the entire mountains to the west. It is not coming south so much though, so for now, we are safe. However, the fire has been reeking havoc in other ways.

1) Electric. Last night smoke affected the main power line to Santa Barbara, and we were without power for 5 hours. We had scheduled with friends, Jared and Katie, for dinner. They came over and we had a great time playing Apples to Apples and eating by candlelight. The babies also had a great time playing. Also, we did not open the fridge or freezer and so everything was fine. My popsicles didn't even melt. Yea!

2) Air Quality. It may not snow in Santa Barbara, but it sure looks like it today. Ash is dropping from the sky and it is "overcast." The picture below is from yesterday. Because of the poor air quality, Clark and Lilly aren't coming to visit this weekend.

3) Society in general. With the power out and the fire looming on the horizon, it has been reassuring to see neighbors helping neighbors and being generally social. In my own way, I really enjoyed the power outage last night. It was truly dark for once and everyone was congregating and talking. A lot of people left though.

Yesterday afternoon, the winds were easterly; hence, the billowing smoke.

Mmmm... Makes me want to breathe deeply.

Sunset

Today, the smoke covers the whole sky. The first picture is from the Independent. You can find updates on the fire here.

Here is the current info:

Fire! Fire!

Vivian took this picture. That is my house on the left and my car on the right. Niiiiiccccceeee...

We're on Fire!! No, really!

So, there is a wild fire that I can see from my front door. They are calling it the "Gap Fire." It looks pretty gnarly at night when you can see the flames. So, far they are estimating that it has burnt 100 acres and is heading this way. However, we live on the ocean and have pretty good wind coming off of the water. Also, it has been "moist" from these breezes. On the other hand, SB gets these crazy winds called "sun downers." They are these hot winds that come from the hills. We are predicted to get sun downers tonight which would push the fire towards us. We were predicted last night and thankfully, they didn't come. It still has to burn through the ranches, a few developments, jump the highway, burn a shopping center, and a big field before it gets to us... or it could go west then south and burn all of Elwood Mesa and get to us.

There was a fire 18 years ago that burnt into the city with sun downers. It was the Painted Cave fire. It was 4 miles from where this fire is burning.

The helicopters and planes have been going all morning and they've brought in firefighters from the two neighboring counties and from LA.

We'll keep you updated.

For those who understand fire lingo: http://www.wildlandfire.com/hotlist/showthread.php?t=5461

Here are the pictures:

The red dot at the top is the fire. This is the view from the ocean.

This is the view from Cathedral Oaks.

This is the view from Camino Cielo.

This is Eliza watching the news with Dad.

My Strawberries!!!

So, yesterday my buddy was back. Yup, him!

I go out this afternoon and all of my strawberries were stolen. He'd better watch out or I'm going to buy a voodoo doll off of Etsy. Check it out. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12253032

Description
Varmint Voodoo dolls are for those times when you have tried every humane thing you can think of to rid your yard, garden, home and life of these creatures, but are still plagued by them. No real or imagined hexes have been placed on Varmint Voodoo dolls, but dang if you don’t feel a little better after poking one with a pin* (three included).

Approx: 7“ x 6“ x 1.75”; it’s just the right size for humanely taking out your frustrations with your particular varmint(s)! This is a toy for grown-ups only; kids and pets already have enough toys. Watch out; pins are sharp!

Bubble Off Plumb Productions Inc. is a smoke-free, cat- & dog-friendly, potpourri-unfriendly studio. The Varmint Voodoo doll pictured may not be your actual Varmint. Each is handmade and may vary slightly, but all key Varmint features are the same.

*No one at Bubble Off Plumb Productions Inc. or anyone we willingly associate with endorses or approves of harming animals.

You can find ANYTHING on Etsy!! ;-)

Who needs Sea World when you live in Santa Barbara?

This was taken by a guy in SB.

Two friendly humpback whales watch us for an hour less than a mile from Santa Barbara on April 4th, 2008. A fluke of a whale story unfolded a humpback whale and his friend floated, spouted, twirled, dove, spied, and came nose to nose with the whale watchers. We were on Captain Don's catamaran boat, "Speed Twin" based on Stearns Wharf. The captain put the trip in his top 5 with 15 years of piloting. The marine biologist on board was stumped by the whales behavior. Killer whales had killed a gray whale two days before and 15 had been seen the day before our trip. He hypothesized that they were sticking close to our big boat for safety, although humpbacks are curious too. It was magical as the whale, just a couple feet away from the boat, vertically treaded water with its giant fins as it raised its head to gaze at us in mutual curiosity. If the boat were lower to the ground we could have pet his barnacled nose.

Thankful

Wow, we are having a great day! I am so thankful for so many things I feel like I should let it out.

1. Thank you, Geico, for lowering my rates $300/year. Seriously! We've been GEICO customers for a long time and magically when we got our bill this morning it was $150 less. You rock, Geico! I love unexpected presents.

2. Thank you, Nana, for sending us another iPod so now Claron and I both have one. You are the best!

3. Thank you, Mom, for answering my crazy phone calls late at night (your time). The answers are usually things like: 2 lbs of kielbasa, OR it's just a rash, Amanda, settle down, OR aortic stenosis is hardening of the wall of the aorta. Poor mom, she listens to all of my crazy and is always patient. =-)

4. Thank you, Dude (or dudette) who invented baby swings. You are Eliza's hero.

I am having a very happy day. My house is immaculate. I pulled out Eliza's summer clothes that I bought ahead for basically nothing last year. It was like Christmas. Also, we beat Super Paper Mario last night. Yea! Hope you all are having a great day too!

Constantly Hugged Goats

Oh my! I have definitely met people like this!

I laughed so hard at this!
P.S. I'm enough of a yuppie to know that quinoa isn't pronounced KWINOH-Ah, but KEEN-wah

What a week! Voting, Beach x2 and a Dog Parade!

Busy as bees we've been this past week. I had my first Tenants Association Meeting and was announced as the official Vice President. Yea, me! Eliza and I went to the beach two times. We didn't make it to the zoo but I'm looking for a time this week. We went to two BBQ's, a dog parade, one of my favorite restaurants (Pacific Crepes) and I sneaked some "me time" at a Relief Society event that was so much fun. Here are the pictures. They are a bit out of order. Blogger gives me a headache sometimes.


We went to the parade on Saturday. Then to Crepes.

Parade Pictures



A Sheik and a Jewish Dog

Eliza yawning. Notice her dog shirt.

This dog was my favorite.

I loved the big dogs. Great danes!!!

The "tiger" Great Dane was huge and so sweet!

Look! It's Nana from Peter Pan!

A "Clydesdale" Great Dane

I hate to say it, but the little dogs were so cute!

A Fire Truck for my dad

This was the winning float

This Boston Terrier was awesome

Isn't that a huge husky!

Yes, that dog is riding the bike. Crazy!

After the parade, we went for Crepes.

I love this place!

We had a banana and nutella. Eliza LOVED it!!!

On Tuesday, Claron and I voted. Eliza was part of the process.


Eliza and Claron after voting.


On Monday, we went to the beach for the first time. Eliza did not like the water. She thought it was too cold. She did like watching the sea gulls and pelicans though.


On Wednesday, we went to the beach with our friends and had a great time. I got a bit sunburnt on the tops of my knees though. So weird and random!

Katie & Jacob

From left, Jocelyn, Rileigh, Roxanne & Esther

Taylor with a mermaid tail

Eliza hanging out (literally. Look at that tummy!)


Lounging under the umbrella

Esther, Roxanne & Eliza

Eliza later that day. I want to cut those bangs. I put a poll up. Claron is SOOOO... against it.

Eliza & Logan sitting on the bench.

Eliza took the following pictures. I think they are kind of artsy. They are of the inside of her hand. The white in the one is the space between her fingers. I think they have nice gradation.




Until next week... We have a busy one.... We start workout group tomorrow. We are also having the first Craft Day at our house. Claron has the Chem Award Ceremony. There is a Baby Shower, two parties and Father's Day! Wow! It will be fun!