The Ostapecks

Guess who decided to join the blogging world again?

2011-07-28T19:22:00.001-07:00

ME! Posts to come. :)

October 30th Birthdays

2010-12-31T21:59:00.000-08:00

On October 30th, Ashley and Mark celebrated their birthdays. We all went to Downtown Fullerton and wanted to go do some karaoke, but unfortunately, that didn't work out when we realized they were closed. Instead we went to a restaurant. Here are some pix from the night.

Bradley's blessing

2010-12-31T21:52:00.000-08:00

On Halloween morning, David's best friend and his wife blessed their baby, Bradley. It went really well. He is such a good baby and didn't cry almost the whole time. In fact, the only time he did cry was when they were changing him (but ya can't blame him for that). David and I were so honored to be invited to such a special event. We can't wait to see Bradley grow up. He is a VERY loved little boy!

The Apple Orchards :)

2010-12-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

David and I went to the apple orchards in late October to get into the "fall" feeling. It was a lot of fun. We drove up and went and checked out all of the little shops. While we were there we went to one shop that had caramel apples. Of course, we HAD to get one. It was AWESOME! We also bought come kennel corn, some chocolate, and a few other things. After we went to all of the shops, we headed over to see all of the apple trees. They had a place where you could pick apples, so we did. It was fun.

Halloween :)

2010-11-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

David has an annual Halloween costume contest at work. He has won the last 2 years in a row (2008 and 2009), so he really wanted to find another great costume, but he also wanted to be comfy. Here is what we came up with...

He was a Chilean miner :)

On Halloween night, David and I stayed home and passed out candy to all the little kiddos. It was a lot of fun, and we had a TON of trick-or-treaters.

We were crazy and got full-sized candy bars to pass out. We were trying to lure in lots of kids. :)

Motley dressed up, too!

Halloween at work! :)

2010-10-31T22:55:00.000-07:00

At work, we were able to dress up as "storybook characters" for Halloween. I think this is an attempt to keep Halloween PG at school. It works decently. Linda Vista is my ABSOLUTE favorite school, and it is because of the staff. They are so great. It's like they're one big family, which makes things like this WAY fun. Here are some pics of the day. :)

I went as Fancy Nancy. She is my favorite storybook character! :)

Linda as Merlin. This costume was so cool.

Jackie "the boss" went as Hermoine.

Susie as Einstein and Cindy as a bee.

Richard as Darth Vader

Lori went as Fern from Charlotte's Web.

Terri as a witch.

Carol borrowed David's costume from last year and was Wilbur.

Christy as the Grinch

Best Friend Camping Weekend!!!

2010-10-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

The besties, David, and I went camping at the San Mateo campground, in San Onofre. At first I was a little worried because when I got the reservations, I kinda thought it was gonna be a "hole in the wall" kinda place. I had heard from a bunch of people that it was not that great, but we decided to try it anyway since San Clemente was full. I was plesantly surprised. It was VERY nice. We originally went to another one in San Onofre (I think that's the one everyone was saying was bad), and they told us we were at the wrong site, so we had to drive about a mile the other way, and finally made it. It was so fun!!!! We all pitched our tents (each set of couples) and "roughed it!" It was so much fun to just hang out by the campfire, and chat about everything. We made breakfast and dinner, had lots of snacks, went on a hike, and just really enjoyed eachother's company and the fresh air. We are already thinking of what we can do next :)

Danny and I after putting up our tents. Haha, okay...actually, Danny put up his tent and mine...David wasn't there yet, so I needed help. I am so lucky my best friend has an awesome husband! :)

Danny and baby Adelyn. She was so good on this trip. Best 4 month old EVER!

Mommy and Addy!

Lil' miss "A!"

Allie and I making breakfast while drinking hot chocolate.

Allie and Mark making Bacon.

Allie and Mark

Me, making Addy laugh. I just LOVE her!

The besties, minus Ash and Mikey (they were on their way and didn't get there till after this pic)

Best friend hike.

The Olivas Family

Me and David. He is awkwardly tall, and I am vertically challenged, so...this is our pose. I promise we really do like eachother. You just can't tell in this pic.

Friends since we were kiddos.

The boys were playing football, and this is what happened when we told them to "look tough!" ...hummm...

iCamp

LOVE this pic of the 4 couples!!!

Ash and Roxi

Dorks

The girls <3

This was SO much fun. I am so lucky to have such great friends!!!!

bad wife.

2010-10-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

...that's me, as you'll see.

This dreamy guy had a birthday....on October 13th, and I STILL have not written about it yet. sigh. So, here it gooooeeeessss....

Now, just for the record, I hate it when wives write about how wonderful their husbands are. C'mon. Let's be honest. Husbands are difficult sometimes...but since this post is for his b-day, I am gonna break my own rule and talk about my stud of a husband. :)

He is pretty great...and I am pretty lucky. He saves me from myself and is "the best thing that's ever been mine." I am such a lucky girl, and so proud to be his wife. Happy 32nd birthday, my love! <3

CLEAN!

2010-10-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

David and I cleaned our garage this weekend. It needed it BAD. We have been using it as a work area since we bought the house. We decided it was time to clean it so that we could park our cars in it. It looks so much better now. See for yourself!

Messy Garage

Clean Garage :)

Our American Dream :)

2010-10-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

i suck at life. i have had my house for almost 6 months, and i am JUST now posting pics. lol. what'd ya gonna do?! in all fairness, we have only been living in it for 3 months. we gutted the whole place before we moved in. it was a HUGE project, but it was WELL worth it! i love that almost everything i hand-picked. we replaced: the doors, the floors, painted the entire inside, completely remodeled the bathrooms, tore walls down, put walls up...and these are just a FEW of the things. needless to say, it was fun, but extremely exhausting. okay...enough talking. now for the pictures...

okay, but before the grand tour...i must say. this house was in good condition when we bought it, BUT it was nasty...i really don't think these people ever cleaned a day in their lives. nice people...but they didn't clean...ewwwww....i am not willing to show pix of the nastiness because it's embarrassing, even though i didn't make the mess. yuck.

Here are some before and after pics.

Before Living Room

After living room.

Before Kitchen

After Kitchen

Before Kitchen (sink area)

After Kitchen (sink area)

Before Pantry Area

After Pantry Area

Before Kitchen Table Area

After Kitchen Table Area

Before Family Room

After Family Area

Family Area (continued)

Guest Bathroom Before

Guest Bathroon After (excuse my mess)

Before Guest Room

After Guest Room (still not finished...but we're working on it)

Before Master Bathroom

After Master Bathroom

I still don't have pictures of our bedroom, because....honestly?! it's messy, and i am not gonna show you that, so you will have to wait until after i clean it. AND David's office is still in the process of being decorated. i am going with a math theme, so i have to do lots of research and make a lot of stuff. you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a life-sized abacus :) ...looks like i'll be making that! ...we also have another small bedroom, but it's not decorated yet either so...sorry :(

i realized i have no pics of the backyard and the front yard. that's silly. i will have to make sure and take some, but it's dark at the moment, so maybe this weekend! :) thanks for stopping by and checking out our house. you should really stop by and visit...we LOVE visitors!

Ostapeck Barbecue!

2010-10-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday David and I had his family over for a barbecue. They hadn't seen our new house yet, since we have been so busy working on it. So, we decided to have them over for dinner. It was so nice to see them. Everyone is always so busy, so it's hard to get together a lot. Hopefully we will be able to have a lot more family barbecues in the future! :)

Ruby and Cruz decorating cupcakes

Ruby, Maren and Me!

Maren, Candy, Kathy and Grandma chatting

Grant watching Shelby and Cruz play Guitar Hero

Early Birthday Celebration

2010-10-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

We celebrated David's birthday with his parents a little earlier than usual this year. The oldie (David) turned 32 on October 13th, but we had dinner and celebrated with his parents on the October 2nd. We went to City Broiler and had a yummy dinner. Afterwards, we went to their house and David opened his gift. His mom made him a Laker's blanket. He loves the Lakers, so it was a great gift for him. Thanks for dinner, mom and dad Ostapeck!

Me and the birthday boy!

Gary and Kathy

Opening his gift

The Laker blanket his mom made him.

Uh-oh!

2010-10-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, David and I decided to do some work on our house, so we had to run down the street to my parents' house to borrow a few tools. Mind you, they only live 2 streets away. We decided to take David's car since it's bigger, and his car is bigger than mine. This was VERY un ordinary, since we NEVER take his car and we ALWAYS take mine places. On the way, the car made a VERY loud, disturbing noise. I told David to turn the car off immediately. It felt like something fell out the bottom of the car. He turned it off, we both got out, and everything looked okay. Since we were on my parents' street, I called my dad to come take a look. He came over and had David start the car. By this time it sounded fine, so my dad told him to try and drive it. After about 1 full wheel rotation it made the horrible noise again, so my dad told him to stop. When we looked at the car again, the wheel was off. It looked like the picture. Come to find out (after it was towed), the A-arm snapped and the wheel basically became unattached from the car. While it was really funny at the moment, I continually thanked God that David was not on the freeway. He drives 108 miles a day on the freeway. Had this all taken place a few hours earlier or a few hours later, it could have been disastrous. The mechanic said the wheel would have flown off and the car would have be uncontrollable. Thank you GOD!!! for keeping my husband, and fellow drivers safe.

Pumpkin log :)

2010-10-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Roxi asked me if I would post this recipe because she wants to make it. It is soooooo yummy. AND it is the PERFECT for the holiday season!

3 eggs, beaten

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2/3 c. pumpkin

Mix all ingredients in order given. Beat by hand until smooth. Prepare a well greased baking pan 9 x 12 inch and cover bottom with wax paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Prepare a tea towel with powered sugar and turn out cake on towel. Remove wax paper. Roll and refrigerate approximately 1 hour.

FILLING:

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese (let stand to room temperature)

1 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsp. butter

Cream ingredients by hand until smooth. Open roll and spread evenly. Roll again and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Green Grass... :)

2010-10-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

David and I have been really into trying to get our grass green. We have been watering it, and decided we should probably fertilize it, since we don't know the last time it was done. While David was mowing the lawn, I decided I would fertilize. I put the pellets in the container and fertilized the front yard grass. Later, David went to do the backyard and this is what happened:

David: Where is the rest of the fertilizer?! (HE was gonna do the backyard)
Samm: In the garage.
Dave: No. The bag you were using earlier. (We had 2 bags-one opened/one not)
Samm: I used it all on the front yard. Use the other bag.

Dave: WHAT? A WHOLE bag??? ...... that was for 5,000 sq. ft!!

Samm: Oh...well how many sq. ft. is the front yard?!

Dave: ...about 1,000

Samm: Oops...our grass is gonna be REAL green.

Dave: uhhh...either that or it's gonna be REAL dead!

Samm: Ehh...ya win some, ya lose some! :)

I am happy to report it has been about 2 weeks since that little episode, and our grass is not dead. We just had to water it a lot. It actually looks great! See...I must know what I'm doing! ;)

What's been going on in the Ostapeck household...

2010-10-01T23:51:00.000-07:00

Humm...

He's been playing poker, working hard, doing yardwork, loving football season, eating endless amounts of ice cream, playing bejewled, and doing the "boy chores," she hates to do (taking out the trash, killing spiders, etc)

She's back to work, reading a riduculous amout (for pleasure, not business), decorating the house for fall, baking, hopelessly waiting for rain and, of course cleaning, doing laundry, and all the other fun things wives do.

Since I've blogged last, here is what has happened:

David is taking a break from tests. He has decided he wants a little break, and I don't blame him. He has been going strong for awhile now. So, he has been spending a lot of time playing poker online. He loves poker, and I tell him as long as he doesn't lose money, he can play with no complaints from me. :)

My friend Gabby went home to Eurpoe. It's funny...she worked so hard to get her U.S. citizenship, and after 18 years, she FINALLY gets it...then 2 years later, she moves to Europe for vet school and will be there for 5 years. LoL! Brittany and I called a last minute "get-together," to send Gab off. The night before her flight, we gathered at Britt's and watched the award show. I'm sad she's gone, but she'll be home at Christmas, so I have that to look forwad to.

My best friend, Roxi and her baby Adelyn came to stay with us on Saturday, and spent the night. It was so much fun to have them over. We hung out and just had some "girls" time. To top it off, our friend Ashley joined us. It's always fun to get together with the girls.

I am almost finished with the Hunger Games trilogy.
It has been amazing.

I am trying to help fall along. You see...Mother Nature has decided that California doesn't deserve fall. The temperature has been in the hundreds lately, and there is no sign of fall. So, therefore, I have made it my personal mission to help it along...well, I guess all I have really done is decorate for fall, and...most importantly...I have been making PuMpKiN LoGs!!!! :) ...and they're yummy!!!! Yay for Fall...hurry up and here, please! :)

I decided that I wanted to be a part of a book club. So, I solicited my friends, and we all decided that would be a great idea. It will be fun to be able to discuss books we are reading. The book club starts today, and our first book is: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I have heard it is good from a lot of people, one being my Aunt Terri, so we'll see...

I think that's it for our boring lives as of now...

Stop the h8!

2010-10-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

Children are killing themselves. Ending their LIVES because they are not accepted at school. They are being bullied, and they feel ALONE. This problem is REAL. As adults, it is our responsibility to lead by example. It is OUR job to teach ACCEPTANCE! My heart is broken.

The Hunger Games

2010-09-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

CAPTIVATING! That is the best word I can use to describe this book. I would also use INTRIGUING, too! My Aunt Cindy suggested this book, and when she told me what it was about I kind of thought she was crazy. The whole story line seems a bit far out there...Basically, it is about a torn apart North America that has been rebuilt and is now comprised of 12 districts. Once a year, each district has to send a boy and a girl, between the ages of 12 and 18, to the Capitol. These children participate in the Hunger Games-a fight to the death.

And while it sounds weird, it ISN'T! It's AMAZING! ...and you should read it! One of my all time faves... I couldn't put it down, and ended up reading it in just hours...

ENJOY!

Shmancy

2010-09-13T22:26:00.000-07:00

Shmancy. I think Webster's dictionary would define it as "super fancy." Now, I know what most are thinking. Samm-yes, she's fancy...in fact, many people make fun of me and call me Fancy Nancy. I get it. I like big rings, I LOVE to accessorize (maybe to the point where I over-do it a bit), but I found a way in which I am NOT fancy!!! Ready?!

So...David and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary last week and we thought "Let's do something fun!" David and I tent to be, what most people would describe as, a "boring married couple." Now, don't get me wrong-we're a riot, but as far as the things we do...kinda the "boring married couple" stuff...date nights consist of: movies, a quick dinner at a local restaurant, etc. Nothing in the least bit "shmancy." So...we decided-for our anniversary, we are gonna be shmancy.

I had heard about a restaurant called The White House in Anaheim. I knew it was a nice restaurant, but I was more interested to hear they provide 150+ meals for children a day who are less fortunate. I was sold. If they're helping kids, then I will support them.

We made reservations, and off we went!

Once we got there we were very impressed with the fancy-ness. However, it was sooooo quiet in there. We could barely whisper without feeling awkward. So...we just whispered the whole time. THEN, it was time to find something to eat. Literally EVERYTHING on the menu was some sort of concoction. I asked David if he saw any "normal" food. LOL! Everything looked DISGSTING! They had bacon pasta, and all of these weird things. David ended up getting the bacon pasta (they had a prettier name for it) and just the smell of it made me sick. My meal was no better. I had a few bites and told David I was full. Then I asked if we could go to McDonalds afterwards! :)

Moral of my story...it was not our idea of a good time. We had each others company, so we made the best of it. But, we promised that next time we would resort to our "boring" ways. We like our boring, simple, conservative lives just fine, thank you very much! :)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2010-09-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

The name of this book does it NO justice. Something about it just turned me off. However, I really enjoyed it. It is about the German Occupation, and the whole book consists ONLY of letters. It was not like anything else I have read before. One thing I really enjoyed about the fact that it was written in letters, is that you can start and stop a lot, instead of waiting for a chapter to end. It was nice while I was teaching and waiting for the kids to complete an assignment.

Some favorite quotes:

"She's one of those ladies whose more beautiful at sixty than she could possibly have been at twenty." I loved this. I think that about people sometimes.

"My friend Sophie calls it coincidence, and Mr. Simpless, my parson friend, calls it Grace. He thinks that if one cares about someone or something new one throws a kind of energy out into the world, and a 'fruitfullness' is drawn in."

I would suggest this book!

Bradley Andrew Hoang Dornan

2010-09-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

David's best friend, Derick and his wife, Lan had their first baby last week. David and I were really excited to meet Bradley. He was born on August 31st, 2010. We went to visit them Monday (Labor Day). It was so much fun! He is SUPER cute, and a very good baby. Congratz, Derick and Lan!

4 years down...FOREVER to go...

2010-09-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

4 years ago, today David and I were married. I am such a lucky girl to have such an awesome husband. He takes such good care of me. I couldn't have asked for a more caring, thoughtful, loyal husband.

...this is all on top of the fact that he is a stud! ;)

Lucky us!

2010-09-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

My friend, Ashley called me one day and asked me if David and I would be willing to go in to a photo studio and be subjects for her sister. Her sister, Kelly is pursuing a career in photography, and needed to have different shots for her portfolio...one being couples. So, of course, I thought it would be awesome to have some pictures taken of the two of us. Afterall, we haven't had any good picture taken since we got engaged.

With that being said, I think we got some good shots. Here are some of my faves...

Another recipe! :)

2010-08-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

This is called broccolini and bucatina...and it's yummy! I got this one from Rachael Ray's TV show.

You should DEF. try this!

Here are some suggestions though:

I added chicken so that there was a protein with the dish. I just put some extra virgin olive oil in a pan and then threw some chicken in there with pepper and thyme. Then, later I sliced it into slivers and added it to the pasta.

Also, when adding the red pepper flakes, add with caution...it was pretty spicy. Maybe use 1/2 of what she suggests, unless you like it hot!

Ingredients

Salt

1 pound broccolini or broccoli trimmed into 3 inch long, thin florets

1 pound bucatini pasta

1 cup pecorino Romano cheese, freshly shaved or grated

3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small Italian red chili or Fresno chili pepper, thinly sliced or substitute 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced or grated

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta. When it comes to a full boil, salt the water and add broccolini or broccoli and par-boil about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted kitchen utensil and cool in an ice water bath, then drain. Add pasta and cook to al dente.

Heads up: you will need a couple of ladles starchy cooking water just before draining pasta.

Place cheese in the bottom of a shallow serving bowl.

Meanwhile, heat EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat and add chili pepper and garlic, sauté a couple of minutes. Then add thyme and stir, then add broccolini or broccoli and heat through. Add pasta and cheese and toss with a little starchy water to combine and coat pasta.

Garnish with additional grated cheese.

ENJOY!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-08-30T23:49:00.000-07:00

Today was my dad's 48th birthday. I just wanted to wish him a happy birthday! :)

Man, they grow up so fast!

My Parents' 25th Wedding Anniversary...

2010-08-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

July 20th, 2010 marked 25 years of marriage for my parents. I was born 11 months after they were married, so I feel like I had the opportunity to watch their marriage throughout the years, which is neat. I have always wanted to throw them a 25th anniversary partty, and had honestly been planning it for years. These days, I feel like 25 years is REALLY something to celebrate. So, I applaud all the couples who have made it through THICK and THIN. YOU are something to celebrate! And to my family...my mom and dad, my Aunt Terri and Uncle Jim, and My Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rick...THANK YOU. Thank you for making it! :)

Here are some pics of the party. It was held at our new house...that proved to be challenging, especially since we had only lived there for 6 days. :)

This is a picture of our front room. I decorated with their wedding albums.

These are the decorations. We had the party in our backyard. I chose my mom's favorite colors: Red, black and white.

Of course I thought the party would NOT be complete without a chocolate fountain. THIS was WAY worth the investment! It was a HIT!

David's best friend owns a catering business, so we had him cater it for us. We had a taco bar. It was really YUMMY!

I wish I could take credit for this AMAZING cake, but I can't. My friend's sister did it for me. It was BEAUTIFUL, and really good too!

This is a picture of my parents and their friends from high school.

My grandpa was hamming it up with all the ladies! :)

My mom wrote this letter when she was 9 1/2. It was saved in a safety deposit box and taken out for her wedding, and NOW for her party!

Here are some more photos:

Overall, it was an AWESOME party. Thank you to those who came, and ESPECIALLY those who traveled from out-of-state! I SO appreciate your presence. :) To another 25 years...

Lettuce Wraps

2010-08-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

I made these YUMMY lettuce wraps for dinner tonight! I have had them at P.F. Chang's Restaurant before, but I wanted to try and make them at home, so that I could be in control of what went in them. We like to try and stay away from salt and preservatives.

You should try them. They were WAY good, AND easy to make. They would even be a great snack.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil

1 1/4 pounds thinly sliced pork or chicken cutlets or 1 1/2 pounds ground pork or chicken

Pepper

1/4 pound oyster, baby white or shitake mushrooms, chopped or thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, chopped or thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, cut into thin matchsticks or finely chopped

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice or chicken stock

1/4 cup Tamari (dark soy sauce)

A few dashes of hot pepper sauce

1 small head iceberg lettuce, core removed and head quartered

Preparation:

Using a food processor, finely chop the peanuts.

In a large skillet, heat the oil, two turns of the pan, over high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; season with pepper. Add the mushrooms, scallions, garlic and ginger; toss for 2 minutes. Push the ingredients to the side of the pan and add the peanut butter to the center to melt. Whisk in the apple juice, Tamari (eyeball it) and hot sauce. Stir in the peanuts.
Spoon the satay into a serving bowl or individual bowls. Serve the lettuce wedges alongside. Scoop the satay mixture into lettuce leaves to wrap up as you eat.

****I also added wontons, which made for a good crunchy texture. I would highly recommend!

VOILA! Enjoy your yummy creation!

My Time in UTAH! :)

2010-08-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

UTAH...that word makes me so elated! Sappy, I know...but, I don't care what anyone thinks. I left my husband for 2 weeks, and headed to the great state of Utah, to see my family. It was blissful, to say the least. How do I love them so much?! My friend told me before I left that I had the most AMAZING family...and you know what?! She's TOTALLY right! I am sooo blessed!

Sometimes I think it's best that I live far away from them. Maybe I appreciate them more that way ;)

I am a loser and didn't take any pictures, so I will just use some older ones to describe my experience the best I can.

Here is what I did...

I traveled with my GREAT Aunt Linda to Salt Lake via Jet Blue. :) I do not have a picture of her, so you'll have to use your imagination.

Once we got to Salt Lake, my cousin Alison picked us up!

I stayed the night at her house. The next morning she took me to my Aunt Cindy's (where I would be staying during the duration of my trip).

This would be Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rick. I know, I know...I look just like my Aunt Cindy...we're practically twins...sheesh...if I aged a year every time I heard that, we WOULD be twins! bahaha! (She is gonna kill me for that little joke!) ...Love you auntie! ;)

So, I got to hang out with these two cool kids. Lucky me, right?! My Aunt Cindy and I did a lot of running around to get ready for the annual family reunion the first few days I was there. We went to lunch and hung out too, so it wasn't all work. ;)

Lucky for me, I got to have lunch with my Aunt Terri too. It was great to spend time with both of my aunts.

...and I got to see these pretty ladies. love my cousins!

Unfortunately, because I suck at life, I have NO pictures of me meeting baby Charlie, or me and my aunt taking Luke and Layna to the zoo. BUT, we did do that...and it was more than enjoyable.

Overall...it was amazing...and, while I may try, no amount of gushy words will begin to express how much I cherish the times I share with these extraordinary people.

The Adventures of Cindy and Samm

2010-08-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Later in the week we headed to our family reunion...Uncle Rick had a golf tournament, so he
was gonna have to meet us later. So, my Aunt Cindy decided she was going to just drive the RV herself. YA...I thought...girl POWER! So...we got in and drove off...but not before we almost drove off with the RV plugged into the house. Oops!
SO, now I must finish my story in a dialogue, because that is THE ONLY way I will do this story any justice.
Achem...
We get on the highway...and....

Aunt Cindy: (singing "I am Woman hear me Roar")
Samm: Wow...(thinking: are you really singing that right now?!)
Aunt Cindy: It's the adventure of Cindy and Samm!
Samm: (laughing...and thinking my aunt is sooo cute!) Yup, it is..
We keep driving...
Aunt Cindy: I hear somthing weird...do you hear it?!
Samm: Ya, I do...

Sound goes away...

Aunt Cindy: Ahh...I think it went away...
Samm: Cool.

5 minutes later...

Samm: Do you smell that?!
Aunt Cindy: Smell what?!
Samm: I smell something burning.
Aunt Cindy: No...I don't
Samm: Humm...
Samm: Are you sure?! It smells like something is burning...
Aunt Cindy: No...let me check the gauge. (looks at gauge) No...the engine isn't overheating or anything.
Samm: Oh, okay...just keep your eye on it.

2 minutes later...

Samm: I STILL smell burning...

Meanwhile Grandpa and Aunt Terri are in front of us. We're following them.

Aunt Cindy: Woah, look at my dad swerve!
Samm: Geez...grandpa is gonna kill someone.

Grandpa pulls over fast and so we pull over too...

Aunt Cindy: I wonder why he is pulling over.

As we stop, smoke fills the air, and it's coming from the engine!

Aunt Cindy and Samm: (screaming!!!!!!) Ahhhhhhh!

Aunt Cindy: Get the dog!!!!!!! (yes, we thought the car was on fire, and YES she screamed "get the dog!" not "save my niece...she's too young to die!") LOL! :)

The RV was smoking and it looked like it was on fire. Luckily it wasn't. We just blew the radiator hose.

I knew I smelled smoke! :)

We had to call my Uncle Jim to come and save us. He did...and we made it to the reunion...AND we had a good story too!

TOM'S

2010-08-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of these?! They are called Tom shoes. Now, you're probably thinking..."okay...so what?! What is so great about them, anyway?!" Well, ladies and gents...I have an answer! They are so wonderful because everytime you buy a pair, the company "TOM" will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. I told you it was pretty great, now didn't I?!

What could be better than buying a pair of shoes?! How about getting a pair of new shoes, AND helping a child...THAT'S what's better! :)

So, go buy some...seriously. And, if you're thinking, "oooh...I wanna help a child in need, but I don't need those shoes...," well, of couse I have a solution. I'm a size 8.5! :)

<3 SammAsh

PAUSE!

2010-08-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Ever wish you could make time stand still?! I DO! ...and if I had the power, I would have pushed the pause button here! Then I probably would have rewound and replayed a few times. <3 my family to pieces!

I did, however, make sure to soak up all the time with them the best I could. Afterall...it's gotta get me to Christmas, and I am ALREADY having withdraws! :)

Okay...this is the real thing!

2010-07-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

So, I have promised my self (again) that I will start blogging. I still follow the rest of the family and their blogs, and when I look at them I realize how much I miss my blog. So, I am starting again. I REALLY, REALLY promise. In fact...if I don't post, I request that you harass me, so that I do it :)

I suck at life...

2010-05-03T23:16:00.001-07:00

...cuz I never update my blog. LOL! Sigh... :(

House Hunting continued...

2010-02-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

So, I thought I would post a little more about the process of purchasing a home. I hope one day I can look back at this and laugh, because right now I am just frusterated.

You see...in Chino Hills (where we live), we are faced with homes in short sale situations. There are virtually NO standard sales in Chino Hills. Well, at least not in our price range. This makes finding a home, a LONG and stressful process. I often fantasize of "the normal way" people buy homes. They find one, then put an offer on it and 30 days later they get the keys.

Unfortunately, with short sales, the process can be drawn out to months. So, we are stuck making offers on short sales if we want to stay in Chino Hills.

So far, I believe we have offers on about 20 different houses. Seems like a lot, right?! IT IS! In fact, we have made so many offers that we just signed a blank contract so that realtors can just send them in for each home we think we like. We are even making offers on homes we haven't seen.

We have to make offers ASAP because some homes will have 25+ offers submitted within the first day or two of being on the market. So, there is no room for error.

We recently had an offer accepted-which was a HUGE accomplishment. THEN, the bank countered our offer $20k more. While we wanted to get into a home, we didn't think it was worth it, so we walked away. It was a HARD decision since we have been looking for what seems like FOREVER!

However, currently, we made an offer on another home and we went to the bank on this one too. The reason it is such a big deal is because with 25+ people competing for one home, you have to be hand picked. Basically we beat out others, so that was exciting! So-currently our offer is at the bank. IF the bank accepts our offer, we still have a long process ahead of us. The bank would STILL have to send it to the investor and the investor would have to approve it too. Then they would have to appraise it, etc. If all went well we would be looking at getting in sometime in late May. So, we are crossing our fingers, but not holding our breath, cuz we've been through this before...

House Hunting

2010-02-27T21:11:00.000-08:00

David and I decided in October that it was time to find ourselves a home. What an exciting time in a couples lives...or so we thought! I have come to despise the house hunting process. What once seemed to be an exciting adventure, has now turned into a stressful limbo between extreme highs and lows.

Now...I suppose I should be somewhat thankful for the opportunity we have to purchase a home, because, let's be honest...without the downfall-correction-PLUMMET-of the economy, there would be no way we could have afforded a shack here in good ole' $outhern California. :)

So, I just felt the need to share. I have been really irritated with looking lately and not finding anything.

David After Dentist

2010-01-04T22:44:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite youtube videos of all time. This little boy just got back from the dentist...

I HATE teeth!

2010-01-02T02:10:00.000-08:00

...seriously! Why do we need them?! I mean, hasn't modern technology thought of a better way yet?! We can send people to the moon, talk face-to-face with people in Tokyo, and travel by plane, but we can't live without teeth?!

Well, I thought I could. In fact, when my dentist told me I needed my root canal "redone," my first response was "just pull the damn thing!" ...and then he told me that if he did, he would have to drill a titanium screw into my jaw to replace the gap that would be left. So...I waited...and waited...about 5 years...then it got infected...and I waited a little longer...

Then, last Monday (6+ years later), I FINALLY got it done. I was really proud of myself. I have an insane fear of dentists. I was injured by one when I was about 12, and since then, I have been a big wuss!

Do you honestly blame me?! Who wouldn't be afraid of this?!

...right?! Is it crazy that I am afraid of this?! Cuz apparently, my Endodontist thought I was unnecessarily stressed out...I guess most people don't turn white, shake uncontrollably and grip the dental seat. Humm...

Well...anyway...now I am currently on antibiotics to kill the infection, then I will get my crown on Monday. And to think...all of this fun will ONLY cost me $2,000! What a DEAL!!!(NOT!)

...and, we're back!

2010-01-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I am back, and have decided that one of my many resolutions is to keep up on my blog. So...here goes nothing! Stay tuned...

Kristin's Annual Birthday/Bowling Extravaganza!

2009-01-27T20:18:00.002-08:00

The day after Christmas, my family has an annual bowling tournament...boys against girls! We started the day off by heading over to the portrait studio to get family pictures taken. It was the first time, in a VERY long time, that the Reid B. Pearce family was all together. We were able to get a few really great pictures.

After getting our pictures taken, we headed over to have lunch. After lunch we went to the bowling alley. We had three lanes...one for the boys, one for the girls, and one for the kiddos! As usual, the boys won, but it was probably because they always cheat! LoL! j.k.!

Christmas Evening...

2009-01-27T20:18:00.001-08:00

Christmas evening was spent at my Aunt Terri's house. We had dinner at her house and waited for my cousin Katie and her family to come down from Idaho Falls. They hadn't celebrated Christmas with us yet, so her kids got to open all of their presents from everyone. It was a lot of fun watching them! Afterward, we played bunko. I wasn't very good, but it was fun anyway!

Christmas Day!

2008-12-30T22:09:00.000-08:00

We woke up Christmas morning and headed over to my Aunt Cindy's again. It is always a lot of fun to have breakfast at her house. Dan, Danika, and Luke came over from Layton, Cory, Kristin, Braden and Will came from home, and Jenni was already there. It is always so much fun being in a house full of family! :)

Christmas Eve!

2008-12-30T22:08:00.001-08:00

This Christmas we were lucky enough to travel to Utah to be with my family. We spent Christmas Eve at my Aunt Cindy's house in Logan. For dinner we had meatball sandwiches...they were VERY good!

After dinner we had a white elephant game. THAT WAS A LOT OF FUN! I ended up with Jenni's gift, which were lottery tickets. I won $25! David won some lotion...LoL! Looks like I really lucked out! :)

We also played a family poker game. It was a lot of fun. My dad and David really enjoyed it! David ended up winning after him and my dad went "all in!"

We opened presents after dinner...then went back to Aunt Terri's for the night! Christmas in Utah is always wonderful!

Lunch with the fam-bam!

2008-12-28T17:56:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve my dad headed down to Salt Lake to pick up Skyler, David and Jenni from the airport. While he was doing this, my Aunt Terri, Aunt Cindy, mom, Cousin Ryan and I went to lunch at a restaurant called Blackstone.

We started out wanting to go to Juniper take-out, but they were closed for Christmas Eve. Ryan was disappointed, but we just decided to go to Blackstone. It was a really nice restaurant, and the food was great too!!!

Me, Aunt Cindy, Ryan, Aunt Terri, and mom.

My crazy cousin Ry, Aunt Terri and mom

Everyone made fun of me for taking this picture. I though it was hilarious that we all paid separate, and that we all used plastic money...LOL!

Driving to Utah!

2008-12-28T17:45:00.000-08:00

On the 21st, I started the journey to Utah with my parents. We left around 10 a.m. and took all 3 of the dogs. David and Skyler were going to be flying up on Christmas Eve since they had to work.

My parents decided that they wanted to stop in Mesquite and stay over night, instead of driving straight through, so we did. I prefer making the drive in one day, but since I was with them I had to do what they said :)

We made it to Logan on the 22nd around 6 p.m.

Mady and Motley were not sure what they were supposed to do in the car...Mums getting comfortable for the 12 hr car ride :) My parents REALLY wanted to stop in Mesquite so that they could gamble. I, unfortunately do not enjoy casinos, so it wasn't much fun for me...

Christmas with The Ostapecks

2008-12-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

Since David and I went to Utah for Christmas to visit my family, we celebrated Christmas with David's parents early. We went to their house on Friday December 19th. We started the day shopping with David's mom for snow clothes for David to take to Utah. Once we finished that we headed over to David's parents to open gifts.

David's mom opening her gifts.

David's dad with his gifts all around him.

Motley attacking me

David's parents got our dogs gifts too. This is David playing with their new gifts.

Wife/Husband

David's mom got so excited, she accidentally opened his dads gift...haha

DANCING.......with the Stars!!!

2008-12-28T00:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Linda and I were able to go and see Dancing with the Stars on December 18th. Before we went to the show, we went out to dinner to P.F. Changs.

The show was at the new Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario. I was surprised at how small the new arena was, but it was nice to be able to see the show so well. Our seats were pretty good, so that was nice.

The show was pretty good, however, in the beginning they had a pre show that wasn't that great. In fact, when we saw it we thought it was the actual show and we were REALLY disappointed! Good thing we were wrong!

We watched the show and really enjoyed it. It was neat to see all of the celebrities and professional dancers. I LOVE Dancing with the Stars, so I LOVED the concert too!

At dinner

Waiting for the show to start...

The show (dancing the Paso Doble)

The Cha Cha Cha

Intermission!

Here is a video of the dancing...

We were hiding in the bathroom so we could meet Derek Hough and Mark Ballas :) Haha

There they are. We just wanted to see them. We didn't stay around to meet them or get their autographs...

The Glory of Christmas

2008-12-27T23:40:00.001-08:00

David's parents took David and I to see "The Glory of Christmas," at the Crystal Cathedral. I have always wanted to see the production, so I was really excited when they told us they were taking us.

The production is about the birth of Jesus. They have real animals and flying angels! It was so neat to see angels flying above you!

You weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside, but I took some before.

I snuck a picture of the set...haha :)

David and I getting ready to see the play.

David's parents at the play. (Thanks for taking us Gary and Kathy!)

Christmas Carol!!!

2008-12-16T01:20:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I was able to see the theatrical performance of " The Christmas Carol." My former master teacher takes her students every year, and this year she took me too!!! I was really excited to go because I missed my former students. We all went out for pizza, and then we met at the theater to see the show.

The show was REALLY good! I was VERY impressed!!! I have seen the movie, but seeing it live was SO much better!!!

Miss Harter and I at dinner!

Our former master teacher and us...Now we're ALL REAL TEACHERS!!!

Two of my former students and I.

They all looked so cute!!!

Where is Mrs. O? (Some of them wanted to know if they could call me Samantha since I wasn't their teacher anymore...haha...not so much!!!)

Catching Up On Christmas!!!

2008-12-16T01:05:00.000-08:00

The weekend of December 6th, David and I attended his work Christmas party. It was in Redondo Beach at a restaurant called "The Depot." We had a lot of fun. They were celebrating their 25 year anniversary also, so the festivities were double. They had a slide show of pictures that showed how the company had grown over the years, along with a man that drew caricatures of everyone. David and I right before dinner...

Our Caricature!

On Monday the 8th, David and I went down to the Christmas tree lot to pick out a tree. David was making fun of me because I took pictures of this event, however, many other people had cameras, and were taking pictures also.

The weather in California is getting VERY chilly...as you can see!!!

We found the perfect tree!!!

My buff husband carrying the tree to the car! :)

:( The End of a Touching Chapter...

2008-12-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Friday was the last day of my student teaching. While most would be relieved, I find myself extremely saddened by the situation. I had one of the most memorable experiences. I feel so fortunate to have been apart of the Linda Vista staff, even if it was for a mere 8 weeks.

When I finished my student teaching last semester, I was nervous because I wasn't sure if teaching is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Of course, since I had spent almost 5 years of my life working toward this goal, I wasn't about to turn back, but I honestly had lost the passion I had once felt.

After my time at Linda Vista, I have no doubt that teaching is my calling AND, more importantly, what I want to do. So, thank you to an AMAZING school, staff, students and master teacher... You have all made me remember why I have worked so hard to get where I am now...

I went ahead and posted some pictures of my last week at Linda Vista. You'll be able to see just why I loved it so much.

These kids are AWESOME! Can you see why I had so much fun!

My partner in crime, Lauren. By the end of our student teaching, we were finishing each others sentences... I'll miss you Miss Harter...

Reading groups with Mrs. Ostapeck. This was my last day, and a difficult one, at that.

Working hard...OR hardly working? It just depended on if there was anything good to talk about! Haha...Noooo...we worked hard!

Me, and the woman that put up with all of my crap...Sure gonna miss you all too...

Celine Dion!

2008-12-07T23:50:00.000-08:00

I took my mom to see Celine Dion last weekend. I had purchased the tickets awhile ago, so we were excited that we finally got to use them.

The show, of course, was amazing! We had a lot of fun. Just thought I would post about it!

Thanksgiving!

2008-12-07T23:40:00.000-08:00

So, I know I posted about what I am thankful for, but I didn't post about our Thanksgiving or any pictures from then.

For Thanksgiving we headed to David's parents house. We were accompanied by my parents, his grandma, Uncle Grant, cousin Maren, and her kids Ruby and Cruz (and of course since we were at David's parents house, they were there too).

Unfortunately, I didn't remember to take very many pictures. Usually when there are kids around I only get pictures of them. So, needless to say, I have a lot of pictures of Ruby and Cruz, and almost none of the adults. Sorry...I promise to do better at Christmas.

Ruby and her pumpkin pie!

Cruz being attacked and licked by Mady!

David's grandma Ostapeck

Father/Daughter...this is where I get all of my good looks :)

Brea Improv with Friends

2008-11-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night, before we left home for the Thanksgiving break, a bunch of us from Linda Vista (the school I am student teaching at) went out to a comedy show.

David and I got free tickets and so I decided to ask some people from school to go.

David and I thought that the show would suck, since the tickets were free, but we were pleasantly surprised. It ended up being HILARIOUS!!! David was really excited because they had a surprise guest...Gabriel Iglesias! He is a VERY well known and popular comedian who just recently came back from Iraq, where he did shows for our troops.

I didn't think he was the best of the comedians that night, but he made David laugh so hard he cried, and so I had fun watching him...

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE laughing!!!

The three ladies who got me through the last 8 weeks of my life... 3/5 Student teachers from Linda Vista

Susie and Lauren...

Me and the MASTER teacher, Linda

David and I...before he laughed so hard he cried... :)

...Oobleck...

2008-11-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

Heard of Oobleck? Naw, you probably haven't... If I could describe it in 3 words I would use: messy, fun and messy. Yes, I am aware I used "messy" twice, but that is because it ended up being twice the mess I planned on. So, here's my story...

In our science books, they have a fun extension lesson called Oobleck. So, Lauren, (the other fifth grade student teacher) myself, and our master teachers, Linda and Susie decided to do it. Lauren and I prepared the lesson the night before and realized that it was going to be messy, but we still decided it would be fun.

You should have seen us. We got so dirty just trying it, and we are adults. I got in a fight with the corn starch, and, well...lets just say the corn starch won :)

Here are some pictures of our lesson. It went REALLY well. I usually don't enjoy being messy or enduring loud noise, but I decided to loosen up for the day and have fun with it...

Mrs. Ostapeck and Miss Harter take on Oobleck...Making Oobleck...Some of my students and I...boy, I'll miss them...Lauren and I trying to manage the mess... I got so lucky this semester...look at these wonderful students...

Working hard...AND learning...

THIS is Oobleck...Look how messy I was!!! I played it cool too...See...LEARNING CAN BE FUN!!!

Miss Harter in the middle of it all...

Trying to explain to them that the substance is going through a chemical change. You see, the lesson WAS educational too...This is what happens when two students teachers take on Oobleck....A BIG, FAT MESS!!!

A Day to be Thankful!

2008-11-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take the time to write a blog about being thankful. I feel like too often we take things for granted. Everyday I wake up and have so many blessings from the start. I wake up and have the opportunity to eat, get where I need to go with a car, wear proper clothing and live in a country where I can think and be what I want. While this may all seem silly, I realize that many people in the world do not have these daily blessings. Therefore, I feel it appropriate for me to tell you some of the things I am thankful for.

God

Family

Husband

Friends

Good health

Freedom

Education

Open-minded people

My puppies

Good food

Having a place to call home

Having a car

Soda

Chocolate

Clothes

My cell phone

H&M

Hot showers

Accessories

Free Shit

Warm Pj's

Giving gifts

Vacations (new places, road trips)

My king size bed

Having a great Master Teacher

Having good students

Almost being done with my Teaching Credential

Gossip

Music

A good laugh along with funny people

Touching moments

Texting

Instant Messaging

E-mails

Massages

Shoes

Main/Pedi's

A funny conversation

Babies

Children

Dancing with the Stars

As the World Turns

Desperate Housewives

One Tree Hill

Coats and Scarves

A tear jerking movie

Plans...I LOVE having a plan for EVERYTHING!

Even numbers

Things that are in order

ORGANIZATION!

BMW's

Decorating

Holiday decorations

PICTURES!!!

Spontaneity

Spellcheck

Christmas

Big, gaudy jewelry

Teaching with Trash :)

2008-11-23T09:26:00.001-08:00

Yes, it's true... I taught with trash. And have I told you what an amazing experience it was? Perhaps one of my favorites...

Last Tuesday I had to teach a science lesson. I have been following the teachers manual like a bible...it tends to make things MUCH easier. So, the manual informed me to send a letter home asking parents and students to keep the packaging from some of their household products, and bring them into class. At the time, I didn't really care why, I just did what it told me to do.

So, on Tuesday the kids got to take all of the different packages and look at the labels. They were searching for all of the different elements they could find. Now, I know this doesn't sound that exciting to you, but it was AMAZING for me. It was so neat to see ALL of the students actively engaged in the lesson. It's one of those "I'm glad I chose this as my profession," moments. I saw the light bulb...

I had to share...and NONE of these photos were staged...they were having THAT much fun!!!

Yorba Linda Fires

2008-11-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share my experience during the Yorba Linda fires. So here it is:

Friday night I left school around 6 or 7 (school, meaning the elementary school I am doing my student teaching at...::yes, I ended with my sentence with a preposition, Linda, so insert you noun::)

I remember thinking to myself how weird and eerie the weather was. It was warm, windy and dark. I think I even mentioned to Susie and Linda that the weather was weird.

Anyways, I left Yorba Linda and went home. I feel asleep early, exhausted from the week I had just endured (my master teacher is a slave driver...haha j.k).

I woke up to the sound of all of my telephones ringing. My cell phone was going off, David's was, and so was our home phone. When I finally decided to answer it I heard my mom on the other end. She was calling to inform me that Yorba Linda was on fire. I just figured it was a small fire and it would be out in no time...boy was I wrong!!!

I turned on the news and was shocked to see what was unfolding right before my very eyes. It was hellish. I can't even explain what was going through my mind, but I do remember that I was in disbelief.

My first instinct was to make sure everyone I care about was safe. I called and texted all of my friends who live in the area and made sure they were okay. I was also worried about my students and their families. While I was watching the news, they were showing countless homes being destroyed...

It is so hard to sit there and know that you are completely helpless...but I was... I just sat in front of the news all day and watched...It was so sad, but for some reason I couldn't take my eyes off of it...

I spent the rest of the night worried and upset. I slept about an hour that night. When I walked outside on Sunday morning I saw flames across the street. That was such a scary sight. I cannot even explain it. All I can say is...SCARY!

We packed up some of our most valuable possessions and left. Luckily we were fortunate enough to be able to come home to our apartment in one piece. Unfortunately, others were not so lucky. I just feel so blessed that all of my friends and family are okay, and that their homes are in one piece.

Here are some pictures of the fire. One of the teachers I work with sent them to me. They were taken from her home...Her house is okay, but she was lucky as you'll see...

State of Emergency...

2008-11-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

So. Here I am at home. Yes, home. I am fortunate enough to have one. Right now in So. California, we are in a state of panic. Many people in Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills, Corona, and NOW some people in Chino Hills are being evacuated.

It is so scary how all of the sudden, one morning, you can wake up, and your life can be in flames....literally.

As horrible as this is, I can't take my eyes off of the news. In fact, ironically, I usually HATE the news. I generally don't enjoy watching a bunch of depressing stuff. Today is different though...it's so close to home. I am worried about all of my friends in the area and their families. Luckily they are all safe for now. I guess I will just stay up tonight and keep watching...waiting...and praying for everyone and their homes.

!!!StUdEnT TeAcHiNg!!!

2008-11-08T23:28:00.000-08:00

So, I know you are all wondering how my student teaching is going. I know I have been a bad blogger lately and have neglected keeping everyone updated. For those of you who were wondering, I am in a fifth grade class and am REALLY enjoying it. It took me a few weeks to get used to the classroom, but now I really feel comfortable and am loving my students, master teacher and the school itself... It has been such a wonderful experience thus far (fingers crossed :).

I am actually extremely sad that in a mere 4 weeks I will have to leave it all behind and be out on my own. With jobs so scarce, I think it may take awhile for me to land one, but I have been praying about it...so we'll see. (Staying Optimistic!!!)

I have gathered a bunch of pictures over the past few weeks. ENJOY!!!

This is my master teacher Linda Mason.

She's an amazing teacher, but more importantly an awesome person... It's so easy to see how much she loves her students...she's one of the teachers that doesn't get paid enough :) The type EVERY teacher aspires to be. (If you read this Linda, NO, I am not just saying these things to pass...just kidding, I am...just kidding, I'm not...NOT KIDDING!)

Here are some of the pictures I took on crazy hat day:

Science (mixtures and solutions): Presented by Ms. Mason and Mrs. Ostapeck-

Halloween at Linda Vista Elementary:

This is a really cute video of the boys in my class. They were dancing to the song "Ghost Busters." :) Linda called it their own little "mosh pit." They're HILARIOUS!

Yes!!! Teachers dress up too!!!Miss Harter, another student teacher, and I dressed up as Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus. I had the kids call me Mrs. Montana for the day...they got a kick out if it!!!Ms. Mason as a Pirate...she looks cute here though, I guess she's a pretty pirate and not a scary one.

I thought this was funny. One of the aides dressed up as Winnie the Pooh...haha

Just 3 days ago, I taught a lesson about Vikings. I was getting a headache and my students kept asking me if they needed to put their name on it, or if they needed to use complete sentences, etc.

I decided that since we sometimes have a problem with the students remembering to put their name, number and date on everything, AND I wanted the students to use complete sentences and restate the question, I would do this:

Linda and I were laughing because the kids got a kick out of it. I would say things like "what should you remember to do before you turn in your paper to me?" Then Linda would say things like "Uh...I wonder where I could look," or something like that. It was pretty funny. Needless to say there should be no excuse for not having their name, number, date, complete sentences and the restating of the question. :)

King's Game

2008-11-08T23:10:00.000-08:00

David's boss owns a suite at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 2 weeks ago, David had the opportunity to get tickets to a King's game, and so he did. We weren't really sure what to expect, but we were PLEASANTLY surprised when we showed up.

It was like entering a hotel room. When you walked in there were couches, love seats, a big screen TV and a fridge. It had free food and drinks for the whole night too. It was awesome!!! Here are the pictures I took while we were there.

Inside the Suite

David looking out from the bar section of the suite (he was in heaven)

The ice...it was CoLd

Halloween Party!!!

2008-11-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

For Halloween David and I decided we wanted to dress up. Neither of us could figure out what we wanted to be, so we went to the party store and looked around. We decided to look for something that was WAY out of the ordinary for us. This is what we came up with...

Meet David and Samantha, the punk rockers...

This is how my husband would look if he was a punk rocker...

Me as a punk rocker...sportin' a nose ring

My brother and dad dressed up as hillbillies and my mom dressed as a witch for the parties they went too...Here is how they looked:

Last day of classes

2008-11-08T22:15:00.000-08:00

I finished my classes at Cal State Fullerton not too long ago. It was really nice to know I was finally done with going to my credential classes. While I was really happy, it was a little bittersweet. I am going to miss all of the friends I made along the way. Hopefully we will still stay in touch.I was so proud of myself. I made these cupcakes for the last day...not too shabby, eh?
Cascia and Denise at our potluck

Afterwards, a few of us went to lunch. This is a pic of Brandi and I

Afterwards, my friends took me out to celebrate. We went to the Yardhouse and toasted to no more CSUF!!!

Best friend Gabby, and I

Gab, Me, Ashley and Britt

David's Birthday Festivities

2008-11-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

As you may have seen on my previous post, my husband turned 30...CRAZY, huh? (Yes, I know it was almost a month ago, but I've been busy) We had an awesome time. For his birthday, we went out to dinner with his parents one night, out to dinner together one night and then to my parents house for dinner another night. His birthday lasted a few weeks, needless to say. Here are some pics from the festivities:

Dinner with David's Parents

My aunt Linda and I

David's birthday cake...it was yummy!

David was laughing because I made him hold up a "3-0" with his 2 cakes

Skyler and his girlfriend Natalie

Here is a video of me being funny and putting 30 trick candles on David's cake: It didn't quite go according to plan, as you will see...and we almost had a fire. After I stopped the video the smoke detector was went off and things started catching on fire...It was scary, as you will see...

Look who's the BIG 3-0!

2008-10-13T21:15:00.000-07:00

Yup! It's true! My husband turned 30 today! I will post his birthday festivities soon!

Today!

2008-10-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. It started off when I woke up this morning and went to my Elementary School to observe. I got off early and then went to my parents house. I spent the rest of the day with them. My brother stopped by so he could show us his new "ride." He is working for a company and they gave him a tow truck to drive. it's brand new and he thinks it's pretty cool. Here are some pix...

Here is Skyler with his tow truck

I didn't quite get it, but apparently guys think having a tow truck is REALLY cool. Here are my dad, brother, and my parents neighbor (who came over to admire the tow truck) haha!

Later that evening my mom went out with some friends, so my dad asked if David and I wanted to go to dinner. He took us to a place called Teppian. It was really fun...AND REALLY good! Here are some of the pix from dinner...

Here is a picture of us at dinner.

This was our chef. He made a volcano with the onion. If you look closely you can see the fire coming out of it!

Our chef made a heart out of the rice and eggs he used for the fried rice. Cute.

My Obsession Begins...

2008-09-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, I am OBSESSED with Dancing with the Stars. Perhaps, obsessed is an understatement... I pretty much stop EVERYTHING I am doing to watch it.

And it is starting in just minutes!!!

Now begins a series of Monday Nights, equip with low brain activity... :)

The LA County Fair!

2008-09-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, my parents took David and I to the LA County Fair. We try to go to both the OC and the LA Fair each year. Since we made it to the OC Fair, we HAD to go to the LA Fair. My dad got discount tickets through work, so that was nice.

We had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures of the day/night...

Here is a picture of my mom, about to play her favorite fair game (the one where you have to shoot the water and hit the target)

If you couldn't tell, she takes this game VERY seriously!

My dad decided that he wants this off roading vehicle. He said "it's ONLY 12k."

My dad got a massage while we were there. He said they did a good job!

My dad and David. My dad was making fun of my mom and I for looking at the purses and wallets.

Here is a picture of me using the 25 cent foot massager. My feet were KILLING me by the end of the night...

You Can't Say, You Can't Play!

2008-09-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay! So, I read the book "You Can't Say, You Can't Play." Talk about controversial. We had a big discussion in my class about it, and since we are ALL teachers, of course we all had an opinion about it.

It poses a question...Should we, as teachers, have the right to tell children they HAVE to play with each other? Do children have the right to pick who they want to play with? It deals with Kindergartners. I'll admit, it CAN be a bit of a gray area... but I AM curious what every one thinks...

Here is my conundrum (I took it from the book): Who loses more? The kid that is told they can't play? Or the kid that HAS to play with the kid they don't want to play with?

So, PLEASE, everyone that reads this, even if I don't know you, VOTE. I am posting a poll to see what everyone thinks. I will post later on my blog what I think.

Thanks :)

BTW, I don't really recommend the book. The author writes it in a whiny way, and quite honestly, it got annoying...

Samm

My favorite time of year :)

2008-09-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a wonderful time of year. I love that the holidays are approaching. In most places you can start to feel the weather change and children's laughter is heard everywhere you go. Most kids by now are realizing that they have to straighten up in order to get a visit from Santa Clause.

I am excited because David and I, along with my parents and brother, will be in Logan, UT this Christmas. Boy, it's been WAY too long. I can't wait to see my family and share lots of Christmas memories...

David laughs and tells me that the holidays are still a few months away. Maybe he's right, but I always love when this time of year starts. It's almost like it reminds me I can make it. I can make it a few more months, and then I will enter a state of BLISS...

See you all in December...

Anniversary Dinner

2008-09-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

For our anniversary, David took me to our favorite restaurant "The New York Grill." It is a SUPER nice restaurant, so we only get to go for special occasions. We were both really excited. In fact, I literally didn't eat ALL day. I wanted to make sure to save plenty of room.

It was a lot of fun, and VERY tasty!

Here are some pictures from our night out...

Inside the restaurant

All our food

Two years...
(p.s. this is me with my new short hair)

2 years ago today...

2008-09-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

We got married!

I can't believe we have been married for 2 years already! Time goes by so fast. It feels like just yesterday we were planning and getting ready for the big day, and now it's two years later and I am blogging about it! It's funny because while it seems like just yesterday, it also feels like we have been married FOREVER (in a good way!)

David and I met when I was a Senior in high school. I was behind in my math class because my dad got really sick. After he got better, he decided to hire me a math tutor (David) to help me catch up to where I needed to be. At first, I liked David a lot and thought he was funny (but I didn't LIKE him). It was actually my mom that peaked my interest. She said "You two are so funny together. I really like him. Do you?" I actually thought she was crazy because he was my math tutor, and the very idea seemed scandalous.

In the end, we decided to hang out as friends. We ended up hitting it off pretty quickly. A year and 9 months later we were engaged and 5 months after that we were married.

I love you David! Thank you for putting up with me from day-to-day! I am so happy you chose me as your wife, and I can't wait to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary together! I LOVE YOU!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

Chargers!!!

2008-09-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

David's friend Diego is down from Japan. He and his girlfriend got here last weekend and we went to an Angel's game (sorry I forgot to take pix). This weekend we had the opportunity to take Diego to opening game at Chargers stadium in San Diego. It was a lot of fun. The fans are really neat to watch because they LOVE their Chargers.

I am finally starting to understand football now, so I enjoyed it too. David really loves sports...ACTUALLY he more than loves them...so it was neat to see him having so much fun. The game went really well. Toward the end we thought Chargers had the win no problem, but in the last 2 seconds Carolina scored a touchdown and won the game...too bad. Everyone was REALLY bummed...

It was still a GREAT day though and I would love to see another one soon!

The Stadium was PACKED!!!

David and I watching the game!

3rd down...

David and Diego (both FULLY obsessed with sports)!

Me, happy because I understand what's going on (thanks to a lil explaining from David)

Yearbook Photos

2008-09-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

While cleaning out our closet the other day, I found some of mine and David's old high school yearbooks. I went ahead and posted a few of them for you to look at. Wow. It's amazing how much we have changed over the years... I can't believe I used to do my hair like that!

Class of 1960..............................Class of 1956

Class of 1966..............................Class of 1976

Class of 1968..............................Class of 1984

Class of 1990........................... Class of 1988

Back to School!

2008-09-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

So. I went back to school August 25th. I am now in my final semester of the credential program. That means that I never have to go to school again, after this is, I don't want to AND I can still teach! I will prob. go back to get my Masters right away, but knowing I don't HAVE to makes all the difference!

I have already been placed in a school district for my student teaching. I am in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District at an Elementary school called Linda Vista. I am in a 5th grade class with 34 students. I am excited, but a little nervous! Here is a picture of my school...

Wish me luck!!!

Blog Neglector (if that's a word)

2008-08-22T02:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have sucked at posting lately, and I have no problem admitting it. I think its been about 4-5 weeks, so I have a lot to post... here it goes...

Car Shopping:

David and I went car shopping with my parents. They are looking at some sports cars so it is fun to go test driving with them.

My parents test driving an M3 BMW

While we were at the car dealership David and I saw a Mini Cooper. I have never been inside one so we looked inside. David really liked it, especially the fact that the Cooper got awesome gas mileage. He said that when he gets a new car he will def. consider the Cooper.

David inside his new favorite car

The Ostapecks Visit:

David's Uncle Glenn and cousin Stephen came down from Sacramento. His cousin needed to be here for a baseball tournament. (his aunt and cousin Elizabeth were in Paris...lucky) We got to spend time with them which was nice. David's whole family went out to dinner with all of us. We don't always get to do things together. since people live so far away.

David's Uncle Glenn being Sandwiched in by his massive nephew and son...haha

David's Dad, Cousin Stephen, David's Mom, David and his Uncle Glen... Everyone thought David was tall. He is ONLY 6'4". Stephen is 6'6" and is ONLY 17...that means he is still growing...CRAZY!!!

Wedding fever:

David and I have been to a lot of weddings this year. I always joke around with him and tell him that we didn't get the memo that said "everyone should get married in 2008." Haha! My friend from high school, Sandon, married his long time girlfriend Laura. The wedding was beautiful, and a lot of fun too. They had a free photo booth, which I took full advantage of...

On our way to the Larson wedding...

The Bride and Groom

Our friends Chris and Linzie. (Chris was the best man)

"You may kiss your bride!"

Cocktail hour

The OC Fair

2008-08-05T00:30:00.001-07:00

This weekend my Grandpa Reid was down from Utah. On Saturday night, my parents, David and I decided to take my Grandpa to the Orange County Fair as an early birthday present.

We spent our time walking around the fair and looking at all of the little shops and eating some of the fair food. My parents always love getting fair food, so we decided to have Grandpa try it. He hadn't been to a fair for decades so everything was new to him.

The fair always has interesting food, including fried snickers. This wasn't something I was going to try. I DID however decide to dare everyone else to try it...no takers. They also have fried everything else, including fried avocados...ewww...

Here is a picture of the Ferris wheel. It was massive.

David, Dad and Grandpa eating turkey legs.
Mom and I, eating our corn... Grandpa really like the food. In fact, I saw him eat more in 2 hours, than I have ever seen him eat altogether. Here he is eating a Polish dog.
My mom and dad.
I talked David into playing the lottery game at the fair. He always says "the lottery is for people who suck at math," but I convinced him to play anyways.
We ended up winning $50...so he was happy I talked him into it! My grandpa and parents waiting for us to collect our money...
Since we won $50, we decided to treat everyone to ice cream. This is just a pic of David and I with ours, but I promise we bought everyone else one too... :)

Roxi's Wedding

2008-08-04T23:54:00.001-07:00

Roxi's wedding was on Friday, August 1st. The day started with me waking up and going to get my hair and makeup done. Afterwards I headed over to the hotel to meet the rest of the bridal party. We all finished getting ready and getting dressed. After that we went to Padua Hills and helped Roxi get ready in the Bridal Suite.

About an hour later the wedding started. It was such a beautiful ceremony. It was outside in the trees with lights illuminating everywhere. It was so gorgeous that words cannot even describe it. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by so much love, and to be reminded of how wonderful love is...

The beautiful bride

Mingling before the wedding
This is how I looked.

I absolutely LOVED the way MAC did my makeup
Stephanie and me
The Bride and her father
Walking into Padua. I am carrying the massive dress :)
Roxi's little sister, Aly. She was the flower girl.Steph and I
Roxi and Danny exchanging vows.

Roxi's Rehearsal Dinner

2008-08-04T23:39:00.001-07:00

My friend Roxi's Rehearsal Dinner was on Thursday. We all met at Padua Hills, where they were getting married, and practiced how the wedding would go. Afterwards we all went down the street to a restaurant called Buca di Beppos. It was a really great meal, courtesy of Danny's parents.

Maid of honour, Pam ,and The Bride
This is us all practicing
The bride and groom...less than 24 hours to go.
Bride and her bridesmaids
This is EVERYONE in the wedding, including the parents.

David Michael

2008-07-31T01:54:00.000-07:00

1. What is his name? David Michael Ostapeck

2. Who eats more? He does...for sure.

3. Who said I love you first? I honestly cannot remember. I wanna say me, just because I think it sounds like something I would do.

4. Who is taller? Haha. If you know us, it's obvious. I am 5'2" and he is 6'4".

5. Who is smarter? Depends. I say him. He is very studious and book smart. He also knows a lot about a lot. However, we would both agree I am more street smart and just everyday smart. So we are pretty much perfect when you put us together :)

6. Who is more sensitive? Oooh...this is a good one. I would say David.

7. Who does the laundry? Neither of us. Haha. No, but really... I do, but I will admit I kinda slack in that department. It is my least favorite chore. When I was single I would buy clothes so that I didn't have to wash them :) Haha...TRUE STORY!

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do. I recently have been sleeping on the left though because the new comforter makes me really hot. (so I sleep on the left to be closer the the AC) However, I tap tapped the right side for life, so when I wanna go back he will have to give it up!

9. Who pays the bills? I do. Dave did in the beg. but he would stress too much about $. It wasn't a good situation, so I took over. Like I said before, I am good with everyday things. When David sees the bills he is reminded of how poor we are, when I see the bills I just pay and move on.

10. Who cooks more? Cook? Haha. Well. Umm. Me. David doesn't know how to cook. I am getting better too. I mean, I know how to cook, but I tend to slack on this too. I prefer going to my parents or something...makes clean up a lot easier :)

11. What meals do you cook together? Cook and together don't belong in the same sentence with David and I. He can't cook, so if any cooking gets done it's by me!

12. Who is more stubborn? We both are. My downfall is that I have a hard time saying sorry when I'm not. I'm not gonna lie...

13. Who is first to admit they're wrong? We both are. Although I have a hard time saying sorry, I do admit when I think I am wrong. The hard part is convincing me I am wrong. Both David and I don't have to worry about admitting we are wrong very much because it rarely happens :)

14. Who has more siblings? Me. I have one brother. Dave is the only child. We'll make up for it in kids :)

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? I win the battles, but David wins the wars. Meaning that I wear the pants most of the time, but when David puts his foot down, there is usually no changing his mind...(but it's rare, and has to be something he is passionate about)

16. What do you like to do together? EVERYTHING! We just like being around each other. In particular we enjoy going out to eat, movies, playing with our dogs, and we like to travel, although we don't do a whole lot right now.

17. Who eats more sweets? It used to be me. I like sweets a lot, but David is an ice cream fanatic. There are days I see him with the ice cream carton in his hands 3+ times a day, and I am not counting the times I see him with fudgesicles.

18. Guilty pleasures? ??? Me-Shopping, David- Ice Cream

19. How did you meet? He was my high school math tutor...(and I have heard all the jokes :)

20. Who asked who out first? Technically he did, however I helped him out.

21. Who kissed who first? I kissed him first. He was taking too long. Afterwards I asked him how long he would have waited and he said 2-3 months. I am sure glad I took initiative.

22. Who proposed? David...and it's complicated...so I'll move on :)

23. His best features? His humor, forgiveness, understanding, loyalty...He's pretty much perfect...(we're a lot alike ;)

24. What is his greatest quality? He is just good to me. I can't explain it in one quality. He loves me for me, and all my imperfections and mistakes :) and I love him too!!!

Our 5.4 Quake

2008-07-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

So, today there was an earthquake centered in the city I live, Chino Hills. It was pretty crazy. I was home alone, so the first thing I did was run to the door way and take cover. The quake lasted a long time. I was thinking that it was the longest one I have ever been in.

After the shaking, I decided to walk around the apartment and see the damage (thinking that a few pictures may have fallen). I was in for a big surprise. This is what I saw...

The following pictures are NOT staged, and were taken soon after the incident :)

The pictures in my hallway looked like this...

This is my guest room. The picture on the ground used to be over the book shelf.

This is my mantle. Only two pictures fell, so that wasn't too bad.

This is our wedding picture...it used to be on the wall straight, in case you were wondering :)

This was the biggest shocker... Our television jumped out of the wall unit and fell to the floor face first, along with the DVR and pictures and candles. Surprisingly it didn't break. This TV is from the 90's so it weighs like 70-80lbs (no exaggeration). CRAZY (P.S. I made sure to dust since obviously I don't dust under the TV often)

We also had other damages such as broken pictures, broken glasses, etc, but these pictures were the best. :)

Empire State Building, Ground Zero and Wall Street

2008-07-30T00:31:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, July 21st, our last day, David and I started by going to the Empire State Building. It was really neat to be at the top, but it was pretty creepy. We were so high up that it made me feel unstable, and I was afraid to trip, so I was walking SUPER carefully. After that experience we went down top Lower Manhattan where we saw Ground Zero and the memorial. It was really sad to be there and see pictures of all of the people that lost their lives, but at the same time, it was nice to pay tribute to them as well. Our last stop was Wall Street. David enjoyed this particularly since his dad has been a stock broker his entire life. Later that night we returned home... :(

Getting ready to start our day...
The view from the top.
Another one.
On our way down from the top.
Ground ZeroThese are the names of the victims of 9-11Part of one of the memorial wallsThese are origami that Japanese children sent to New York. They adorned the walls in the memorial building. The Wall Street Bull

Central Park & Grease

2008-07-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

On Sunday July 20th, David and I started our day by heading to Central Park. Once we got there, David decided it would be fun to rent bikes and tour the park. We made it through a lot of the park and were able to see most of what we wanted. Afterwards we went and saw Grease and walked around.Getting ready to go out for the dayIn Central Park near the GondolasWe saw this man. I thought his sign was funny...David taking a break while I take pictures.The "imagine" symbol. I guess it gets decorated by different people. This particular it was decorated with bagels and hot dogs. David riding his bike
Shakespeare's gardenThis was the Polish area of the park. These people are doing a Polish dance. I thought this was one of the neatest places in the park. It was where people play competitive chess and checkers.
Going to see Grease

Liberty and Ellis Island

2008-07-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 19th, David and I woke up and went straight to where the ferries dock for the islands in New York. We had reserved our tickets early, and it was a good thing because they lines were LONG!!! We spent the day touring Liberty and Ellis Islands. We even got lucky enough to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty's podium. Apparently they only allow a certain number of people to do it per day (since Sept.11th). Later that night we went to see "Hairspray" on Broadway. It was an awesome day!

I thought this picture came out really well. I took it on Liberty Island

"Our Lady"

David and I with our home girl LibertyShe isn't as big as I thought she would be...Inside the podium, walking to the top.David, with the NY skyline behind him...Me too...Ellis IslandThis is the place all of the immigrants walked through.Getting ready to go out for the night
Getting ready to go see Hairspray Times Square

Maine & Connecticut

2008-07-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 18th, David and I woke up in Maine and started our drive to New York. First we stopped at Dunkin Doughnuts because David's dad always raves about them.

I was shocked at how many different things they serve there.

Here is David with his Bavarian Creme doughnut...I think he liked it.

After having a doughnut we stopped at a gift shop, and then it was time to get on the road. We left around noon and drove through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.

I took a picture of the Massachusetts sign while we were driving. My goal is to have a picture of each state sign one day.

When we drove through Connecticut, we decided to visit David's Uncle Tim and cousin Tucker. We don't get to see them very often since they live on the other side of the country. When we got to his Uncles house we decided to go to dinner at a restaurant down the street.

This is us at Dinner... Thanks for dinner Uncle Tim!

After dinner, we were back on the road to New York. We had a difficult time finding our hotel. I would recommend having a GPS when driving through that city. We got a little lost, but finally made it.

This is us going through Battery Tunnel (which is underwater) to get into Manhattan.

Boston & The Freedom Trail

2008-07-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we all woke up and drove from Maine to Boston (which is about an hour and a half). We started the day all together, at the Constitution Center, which is where the USS Cassin and the USS Constitution are docked. We all went through the little museum that they have about the ships and then took tours of the ships. After the tour of the Ships and the museum, David, myself and his dad left and went on the Freedom Trail which is a trail that takes you all around the city of Boston and hits all of the historical sites.

Shelby and I making funny faces in the car on the way to Boston

In the Constitution Museum with ShelbyDavid's grandma, Uncle Grant and cousin ShelbyShelby laying in one of the hammocks the Seamen use to sleep inMe, Shelby, David and David's dadMe and David walking to the ShipsMe pretending to steam and press clothingDavid's cute Grandma on the USS CassinDave and I on the USS ConstitutionShelby on the USS Constitution ship playingDavid and his dadDavid's dad, David, me and Shelby on the USS Constitution with the Boston skyline in the backgroundDavid and Shelby walking back to the carThis is the freedom trail that we followed. It ran throughout the city.This is Bunker Hill and the Bunker Hill Monument. There are stairs that you can climb and get all the way to the top to look out the window.We decided to climb them. They were straight up and tough to climb.Once we made it to the top this was the view from the window.This is how we looked when we were finished.Us outside the monument.I thought this street sign was REALLY neat.David and I sitting on the steps in Faneuil HallPaul Revere's house
Samuel Adams Grave. David's dad loves cemeteries, however I could do without them :) After our walk, David's dad took us out to dinner...Thanx Gary!

Canadian signs

2008-07-27T02:52:00.000-07:00

David and I saw a lot of signs in Canada that were funny. Here are just a few...

We got such a kick out of this McDonald's sign. Where else would you see a McDonald's that serves lobster, and McLobster at that?

We thought this one was neat. David thought it was interesting that it had the checkered look to it.

This is what gas prices look like in Canada. They sell their gas by the liter.

This sign wouldn't be interesting except for the fact that if you follow the speed limit you are really only going 30 MPH because they measure in Kilometers. It was weird to see the speed limit say 50, and feel like you are barely crawling.

Again...here they are measuring in kilometers, so these cities aren't really THAT far...