10 Years

August 5, 2000

While one of my goals of my year long obsessive wedding planning was to have a fete that would never look dated, the one thing that I didn't count on was the massive advancement in photography technology.

I was thinking about this as I was scanning some of my pictures in to be able to post them.

I remember when we were looking at photographers... there were 2 that we talked to that were doing this new fangled "photojournalist" style. They cost 3x as much as the "traditional" photographer.

Our photographer actually had 2 cameras - one with color film and one with a few rolls of B&W. And we had to pay extra for the B&W pictures.

There were very few touch-ups. The pics were what they were. 

Guess it's a good thing that we were still young and cute.

We even debated getting disposable cameras to put on the tables so other people could take pictures. But we didn't because we were worried what exactly our friends would be taking pictures of.

10 Years. It goes by in the blink of an eye. Careers, kids, birthdays, holidays... You stop and turn around and an entire decade has gone by. 

Song of the Open Road
by Walt Whitman

Listen, I will be honest with you
I do not offer the old smooth prizes
But offer rough new prizes
These are the days that must happen to you:
You shall not heap up what is called riches,
You shall scatter with lavish hand all that you earn or achieve.
However sweet the laid up stores,
However convenient the dwelling, you shall not remain there.
However sheltered the port, however calm the waters, you shall not anchor there.
However welcome the hospitality that welcomes you,
You are permitted to receive it but a little while Afoot and lighthearted, take to the open road
Healthy, free, the world before you the long brown path before you, leading wherever you choose.
Say only to one another:
Camerado, I give you my hand!
I give you my love more precious than money; I give you myself before preaching and law:
Will you give me yourself?
Will you come travel with me?
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live? 

Jason, Thank you for walking the road with me... here's to the next decade! 

Random Monday

Just some random thoughts to start off the week...

* Are there exercises I can do to strengthen my feet/ankles back into wedge/heel wearing shape? 

Do your kids miss you so horribly after a few days apart that they really feel the best way to show you this is to punish you with tantrums and melt downs and eye rollings, or are they just acting normal and it seems worse because you had a blessed 2 days off?*

* Does beer taste better these days, or had I just not had really good beer until recently?

Biggest pet peeve: A crappy mani/pedi...*

*Thinking that before we move, I'm going to paint one wall of the kitchen and my closet. Thinking of doing my closet Tiffany blue with white shelves. Thinking that would make me very happy every morning and help to ease my daily clothing crisis. And yes, the closet is big enough to paint. {SQUEE}

Packing kinda sucks...4.5 years and 2 kids means you have accumulated a lot mess o' crap.*

*Screw cookies and milk. Cookies and Chardonnay is where it's at.

Batting my lashes

A bit of a confession. About 5 months I grabbed one of those San Diego Daily Save deals for Latisse eyelash enhancer. At $49 dollars, this was a STEAL as the goods usually go for about $120. And yes, it worked. And no, it didn't turn my blue eyes brown (FYI: My eyes do have a brownish circle. Always have.)

I have to say, I love Latisse. Singing from the rooftops love. Big puffy heart LURRRVE. 

And I'm out.

Sigh.

I usually have 2-4 different types of mascara on tap. I'm one of those women who can't pick up a prescription at RiteAid without buying a mascara. I also can't walk past Sephora without popping into to try out a member of their ridiculously expensive elite mascaras. Somehow, over the past few weeks, I've run down my selection. I had been alternating between Maybelline's Lash Stiletto (Glossy Black, waterproof) and Anastasia lash lifting, (also Black). 

The issue I have with waterproof is that I can never get it off. Even using the mascara remover from the same company, the Maybelline mascara while FABULOUS on, does not come off. The long term problem with that? I think that not being able to properly remove mascara leads to lash fall out or break off. I end up scrubbing my eyes to hard (SO bad for those of us beginning to face aging concerns) and I can feel my lashes sticking to my eyelash curler when I use it the next morning. 

Facing a drastic decrease in lash fabulosity, at a quick Target run this week I picked up Revlon's Grow Luscious mascara (black). Knowing how well Latisse worked for me, I was hoping that this mascara would be all I ever needed.

With a quick once over of the packaging, I noticed a very bold marketing statement: 

*96% saw instantly longer, lusher lashes

Being on a quick diaper/toilet paper run, I saw the statistic, saw the name, and it grabbed me and I purchased the product. It was only later that I realized the sheer ridiculousness of this statement. I mean, I HOPE that 96% of women using mascara instantly see a difference in their lashes when they apply mascara. Isn't that the point?

Unfortunately, I seem to be in the rare 4% of the population, because post-application I saw NOTHING. Like there wasn't even mascara on the wand. I dipped again. Got a little something. Smeared the wand on my hand and got a black smudge, so I KNOW there is something in the tube... but still, nothing on the lashes.

I have to say in my 22 (or so) years of wearing mascara, I have never encountered one that did so little for my lashes as this product does. Even the clear mascara I wore as a young teen did more than this one.

My advice? Save your $8 and put towards your Latisse savings fund. 

Where the surf meets the turf...

Every year I declare "NEXT YEAR I will be at Opening Day..." and while that promise didn't come through this year for me, it did for over 43,000 of my fellow San Diegans. While work and parental obligations kept many of us away Wednesday, at least we have this Sunday's Family Fun Day. 

Thanks to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, a bunch of us parenting bloggy types are headed to the track this Sunday to see the Ponies, and place a few bets while the kids are entertained by magicians, bounce houses, face painters and more. 

Each child that walks through the gate will also get a free "Pony Boy" webkinz and the chance to meet the "real" Pony Boy (Del Mar's Mascot) during the infield activities. 

The fun begins at 1:00; remember that you can also bring a small cooler with a picnic lunch and snacks... just no booze. That, you have to buy there. 

If you end up going on Sunday and want to meet up with some of the coolest parents that the San Diego Blogosphere has to offer - use the hashtag #delmarfamilyfun to find us.

Tickets are $10 for adults and kids 17 and under are free. Parking is $8. First post time is 2:00 so be sure to get there with enough time to place your first bet. 

You can visit www.DMTC.com for any additional information.

iPhood: Chef Rich Sweeney's R Gang Eatery

A few months ago at the San Diego Influence Awards, a few of us from the San Diego "Momfia" totally accosted the cutest guy in the room and tried to talk him into letting us adopt him and make him an honorary Mommy Blogger. Theresa from Rock on Mommies and I then spent the next few months internet stalking Aaron Hier (or @AHizz as he's known by his adoring fans), like a bunch of 12 year old's would stalk Justin Bieber. Yes. It was kind of pathetic. But our efforts paid off in the end... and a few weeks ago we got the invitation we were waiting for.

One of Aaron's best friend's is Chef Rich Sweeney (of Top Chef Season 5 fame), and just last month Chef Rich opened his new restaurant, R Gang Eatery, in Hillcrest. Being the Top Chef uber-fan that I am, I was THRILLED when Aaron invited us to dinner at San Diego's hot new restaurant and got downright giddy over the propect of meeting Chef Rich in person. 

Drinks and Apps

We began the evening with R Gang's signature cocktail, the "Prickly Pear Margarita". With habanero-infused vodka and pear lemonade, this drink was definitely "prickly" - and that chili flavor hits you in the back of the mouth as you swallow. Of course, it didn't stop me from DOWNING mine. For the appetizer, Aaron ordered us the portabello fries. Now, I'm not a huge mushroom fan, but I am a huge fan of fries, so I gave them a whirl. And politely had to stop myself from scarfing up the rest of the plate and leaving none for my dinner-mates. 

Dinner

While both Theresa and Aaron had the fab looking burger with TATER TOTS on the side (yes, TOTs, which almost swayed my decision) I decided to go with something a little different. I had a hard time deciding between the Mac n' Cheese and the Chicken Curry Pot Pie, but thanks to the suggestion from our totally a-dorable waiter Terence, I went with the Chicken Curry Pot Pie. And I was SO HAPPY I did! While apparently the burgers at R Gang are good enough to turn a vegetarian into a meat-loving sinner, the pot pie was more unique in its flavors and was very well seasoned. Oy, how Tom Colicchio of me to say...

Dessert

Now, if you are as obsessive about Top Chef as we are around here, you may remember Chef Rich's shining moment - when he was asked to pack his knives and go for making S'Mores for the Foo Fighters. And as a nod to his last night with Padma, you better believe that there are delish S'Mores for dessert at R Gang... along with banana pudding with homemade Nilla wafers covered in chocolate, and strawberry rhubarb cobbler. And yes, we did order all three. NOMNOMNOM.

The DISH.

The food, the drinks, the adorable waiters all put this restaurant high on my list. But really, I was a bit star-struck and could not get over how amazingly gracious Chef Rich was. When things slowed down a bit, he took the time to hang out with us and talk to us about his Top Chef experience. Being the TV whore that I am, I was practically squirming with excitement. 

First thing, the thing I know you all want to know. Yes, it's not just your television: Padma is smoking hot. Rich said there was something about her...she is fabulous in every way. He also said that Gail has the most amazing palate he's ever met. He said you could put a pinch of something in your dish and she would catch it. Tom was hilarious and had a great personality, and Toby Young, who can come across as the harshest of the Top Chef judges, was actually a really great guy. Chef Rich also had nothing by praise for his fellow contestants, and told us that they are kinda like a fraternity; only people that have been on Top Chef can truly understand the experience.

Rich answered our questions about where they went after they packed their knives ("Elimination Island", a secret location where the eliminated chefs are sequestered until the regular season wraps up shooting) and talked about how hard it was not to be able to tell your friends and family where you went off to for 5-6 weeks - even after coming home. 

Chef Rich was honestly one of the nicest people I've met in a long time. He was open, sincere and the type of guy you would want to sit back and have a few drinks with. We talked about his love of bacon, and I tried to impress him with my Bacon Cupcake/Bacon Toffee achievement, which he immediately topped by hinting at the BACON MADNESS that he's perfecting for his new brunch menu, along with chicken n' waffles and his build your own Bloody Mary/Maria option. Drool.

The evening was a blast, and while in the beginning Theresa and I may have wanted to adopt Aaron, now we are just hoping he and Rich will adopt us!

 R Gang Eatery

3683 Fifth Avenue - Hillcrest

Dinner Tues-Sat 5-11PM & Brunch Fri-Sun 9A-3PM