Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Fabulous Find

I was out and about looking for something for a Christmas present I am putting together. I decided it might be a good idea to try some thrift stores, that way I could also see if they had any great winter wear for my babes or toys Corban could enjoy. We are going light on spending for presents this year, every year for that matter, so I have to be creative in how I find them. I had been to four thrift stores and had one more to go. I had purchased nothing because the few items I had found were so cheap it would have been ridiculous to put them on a credit card- I will have to remember to take cash next time. I arrived at the last store and the parking lot was jam packed. I drove to the back in hopes of finding a spot, but there was a traffic jam of people dropping off items. The first person I saw was taking little girl toys over to the trailer. I wanted to shout out, "Hey, I will take those off your hands!" But I felt silly and she was in a rush. As I passed by the back of her truck I saw there were more items. So when she came back I got the guts to ask her. She seemed a little hesitant but said she would set the items aside. I then had to quickly maneuver my vehicle to not be in the way of others while i loaded up the toys. As I walked into the store I still had it in my mind that the first items I saw her take over would be great..but how would I get them? I could see through the back of the store to where they were loading the trailers, so I decided to head back and see if I could talk them into pricing the item and allowing me to buy them. Unfortunately they wouldn't do that for me because "it isn't fare to everyone else." But I was more than fortunate to find...

I couldn't believe it! Who gives away a phil&teds?! I put my hands on it right away and strolled it around thinking-"There must be something wrong with this? Why has no one else claimed this steal of deal?" It was a little wobbly, but I could see it had a flat tire- easy fix! What was even more unfathomable was the sticker- $49!!! AND I came on a day more perfect than others, "30% off everything in the store." As I stood in line there were two Spanish ladies (that means they were only speaking Spanish) admiring my find. They even came up and touched it and spoke a few words back and forth. They were just as surprised as I was that this item was for sale at the thrift store.

I left having spent only $35 and feeling so grateful for wealthy people! I couldn't be happier with my fabulous find, so I hope they felt really good about giving it away to some unknown individual! I got home and Jared filled up the tires and I took Corban for a stroll through the house and then down the driveway a few times (it was already really dark outside). I read the entire owner's manual online, which is not even something I usually do when I purchase things brand new. I really am so stoked about this stroller, I might even take up running so I can use it everyday...not really :)

To make the day even more fabulous, Malia was out shopping with me for four hours and was so happy and smiley (when she wasn't sleeping) all the way to the end. I did have to feed her the parking lot before driving home, but we are accustom to that.

Here are two reasons I love life:


And this is Malia talking to me.









Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The Luckiest

Hey there! So I am the luckiest guy in the world. I have the coolest, most beautiful wife! Two amazing and cute little kids! And to top it all, they love me and I love them. Here are a couple of recent looks.

Malia in the bath, loves it as much as Corban Two cuties together.
This is Malia in the morning, this and a lot of smiling. I just liked this one.
This is what Corban looked like when I checkid in on him during his nap this evening. gotta love it!


If you haven't heard the song, the luckiest by Ben Folds you have to check it out. I will try to attach it to a video or something. we'll see how that goes.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Almost a week late...

So, last Monday night my night class was cancelled and I was able to come home and enjoy the afternoon and evening with my family. This almost never happens on Monday's, so Amanda had a great idea and we just ran with it. We decided to have a picnic on the beach. I dressed Corban in his swimming gear as Amanda put together some sandwiches and we headed off to a nice breezy evening on Torrey Pines Beach. We arrived around sundown and loved the view. Corban loved the water, but after falling in was shivering so much that we had to change him. then we ate dinner in the dark on the beach on a single beach towel. It was a great night. I love my family! Here are some pictures of the events.


I was explaining the birds and the bees...

...but all he wanted to do was get in the water...let's go!

Mommy was camera shy at first...that and she didn't want to get in the water with us.

Corban gets really excited around the ocean.

Curse you aqua scum!!! Or maybe he is dedicating the rock for some unknown purpose.
The kid wasn't afraid of getting his feet wet, and at this point he had already fallen in.

Finally got mommy to pose with the kids.

This is the classic "our son is running out to sea, you better go get him" face.

My beautiful wife and daughter.

I just love this face he made.