Dodgers vs. Cubs

My Father has been a Dodger fan for as long as I can remember. My husband was born and raised in Chicago and has been a Cubs fan since birth. We always try to make it to a game when the Cubs make their way out west and this year was no exception. The two teams only play once this season and we were fortunate enough to get 8 tickets for a suite at the Saturday May 26 game. Even more exciting than the suite tickets, though, was the opportunity we had to actually go onto the field beforehand for some pre-game festivities. The kids participated in an autograph gathering and my Dad (celebrating his 61st birthday May 30) threw out the first pitch!


Such a beautiful park!


My sister, friend, husband and Dad posing with the Dodgers' relief catcher.


My girlfriend and I in the suite before the game.

Greggy Girl

I discovered this fabulous line of little girls' clothing a few months ago and have found two adorable outfits for my daughter to wear on our DisneyWorld trip/cruise later this Summer - one is nautical and the other, Pirate Couture. Visit Charlene May's site to locate stores that carry her line or check on eBay!

Lumpy's Run To The Wall

Someone I know is making his way from his home in California to Washington D.C. to visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. He managed to somehow pack a digital camera and his laptop onto his hog and is updating a blog when he can - check it out and support him on his journey!

15 Years Ago...

...my husband and I went on our first date. It was a Sunday and he took me to the White Horse Inn in the San Fernando Valley. I believe it was at the corner of White Oak and Roscoe but have heard that it has since closed down. We moved in together exactly 6 months later and married three years after that. It's gone by so fast and - here we are - 12 years of marriage and 2 kids later...

Happy birthday, Debbie!

Have a great one, my friend!

29, right?

On This Day...

1889 - Adolf Hitler was born

1941 - Ryan O'Neal was born

1948 - My Mommy was born (Happy birthday, Mom!)

1949 - Jessica Lange was born

1971 - the United States Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools

1972 - Carmen Electra was born

1999 - 2 students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, killing 12 students and one teacher before taking their own lives

Oklahoma City National Memorial

It's hard to believe it's been 12 years...

Trip Planning #1

I love going on vacation. I love planning for vacations almost just as much. Maybe I'll look into becoming a Travel Agent in my next life...

Anyway - those of you who have visited me here for a while know that I like "detailed" trip reports and I'm sure I'll write one once we return in July. I thought it'd be fun to post here some of the pre-trip goings on as well and, today, I booked the hotel that we'll stay at the night before our early morning flight out of LAX.

A few years ago, we discovered the Renaissance Montura - a Marriott property very close to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and perfect for the night before those early morning flights out of town. We get a Park & Fly rate there (with our AAA discount) of less than $200. (I booked our room for July at $169 and will continue to check their site for the rate as, if they lower it, they'll adjust my reservation accordingly.) The Park & Fly rate includes a fabulous room (with amazing views of the airport runways but literally no airplane noise!) on the Club Level which allows us access to the concierge lounge that has beverages, cocktails, snack foods, hors d'ouevres, desserts and breakfast as well as 7 days of free valet parking while we are away! The parking alone is $21/day so the rate is incredibly reasonable! Also included in the rate is a limo (towncar) ride to the airport the morning of the flight. Can't beat that!

Mickey Mouse Here We Come!

It's official - we are taking the kids to Orlando this Summer for a week! We are all so excited. Our children have never been to Disneyworld and my husband and I have only been there once for a short period of time and, while we did spend an evening at Pleasure Island at Downtown Disney and enjoyed a nice dinner atop Disney's Contemporary Resort at The California Grill, we did not have any time to really explore the city or any of the Disney Parks. I am all about "memory-making" for my kids and I know this trip will be fantastic!

We are going to stay at the airport in L.A. pre-flight as we usually do when we fly out early. We'll then enjoy 2-day park-hopper tickets early in the week before catching a shuttle from our hotel (The Disney Yacht Club) to Port Canaveral where we will board the MS Disney Wonder for a 3-Day Bahamian Cruise. More details to come...

Spring

I love Spring... I have many azaleas and other plants that are so pretty this time of year. I thought it'd be fun to share some pictures from around the "casa de OnlineMom"!

In Memory of Dana Fisher (August 21, 1953 - March 23, 2007)

When my husband and I purchased our very first personal computer, it was October of 1992. We were so excited to finally have access to the "world wide web". We subscribed to Prodigy (Classic) when it became available and I immediately became hooked on their message boards. Dana was the first person I met online - my very first "online friend".

He was a chemist and computer-know-it-all who helped me with everything from e-mail to HTML and beyond. We made the switch from Prodigy Classic to Prodigy Internet together and stayed in touch even after they were long gone (bought out by SBC Yahoo in 2001).

We exchanged e-mails, instant messages, photographs of our families, online jokes and websites and even Christmas cards through the mail for over 10 years. We loved to chat about our families, NASCAR, technology, bowling, his job and their beloved puppies.

In early 2006, he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) - news that stunned and deeply saddened me. He suffered tremendously and had to give up all activity very quickly once he lost use/mobility of his hands and arms. He passsed away on March 23, 2007 at home in West Virginia with his wife and family at his side.

On This Day...

1889 - Eiffel Tower Opens

1945 - Don Sutton (L.A. Dodgers) was born

1992 - John Gotti found guilty in death of Paul Castallanos

2005 - Pope John Paul II dies

Video From The Masters

They have live cameras set up Monday-Wednesday at the driving range and tournament coverage starts on Thursday.

I love Masters week!

212 Yards

That was how far I hit my drive on #2 today - my longest drive ever!

The weather here has been wonderful and I've been taking full advantage of it (hence my absence from the blog!). I've been golfing three times/week and absolutely loving it. It's so great to be at it again!

FORE!

I've started golfing again.

It's a sport that I spent time around my entire life. My Father has played (every Saturday and Sunday) for as long as I can recall and my husband plays once or twice/week as his schedule allows. I first picked up a club in 1995 - right after we were married. I was instantly hooked. I wasn't great - but I did seem to inherit my Fathers' natural swing and I definitely discovered a passion for it.

For a few years, I played regularly with a girlfriend - two or three times during the week. In 1998, though, once I became pregnant for the first time, I gave it up. I lost that pregnancy (as well as a few others) and my priorities changed as my husband and I struggled to start our family. My children were born in June of 1999 and June of 2000 and I didn't get back onto the driving range until 2002. Even that, though, was short-lived - life was just too hectic with two toddlers for me to get out and play with any regularity.

My kids are finally in school full-time (5 hours/day), now, and I have been thinking about picking it up again since last Fall.

Recently, I dusted off my Callaway irons and my Big Bertha driver and started visiting the range again on the days when I don't work in the classrooms. It's great to be back out there again! Starting next week, I hope to start playing at least two times/week. God help me! As much as I enjoy the game - it makes me absolutely nuts. I expect a lot of myself and have high expectations that I can't consistently meet!

On This Day...

1944 - Carole Bayer Sager was born

1945 - Mickey Dolenz

1963 - Kathy Ireland

1976 - Freddie Prinze Jr.

1971 - Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden and retains heavyweight boxing title

1974 - Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris France

1986 - Martina Navratilova is 1st tennis player to earn $10 million

On This Day...

1913 - Federal income tax takes effect (16th amendment)

1920 - Harry Caray was born (Chicago Cubs baseball announcer) GO CUBBIES!

1932 - Charles Lindbergh Jr. (20 months old), kidnapped in New Jersey

1944 - Roger Daltrey was born in Hammersmith London England, (The Who rocker/actor/producer)

1969 - Jim Morrison arrested for exposing himself at Dinner Key Auditorium

1988 - Pontiac announces the end of the Fiero automobile

2007 - At least 8 people at a high school killed when a tornado touches down in Enterprise, Alabama

Sunday NASCAR

We had a great time at our 2nd NASCAR race (The Auto Club 500) last Sunday. We didn't stay the night (like we did last September) - just going down for the day. The kids did great (despite the two long drives and all of the excitement) and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves once again. The race was great and the weather was much better - 40 degrees cooler than the 115 degree temps we dealt with over Labor Day!

My son was thrilled to meet Kasey Kahne and drive around the track with him once before the race started. He has yet to meet his favorite driver (Tony Stewart) but we're hoping to make that happen for him eventually!

I never would've dreamed - just a year ago - that we would ever have this much fun at a race! We really look forward to the two times each year NASCAR comes to southern California and are already making plans to go again in a few months!

On This Day...

1940 - Mario Andretti was born (race-car driver)

1979 - Mr Ed (talking horse) died

1983 - Final TV episode of "MASH" aired on CBS; record 125 million watched

1997 - North Hollywood Shootout at a Bank of America in California (I can't believe it's been 10 years! I lived just a few miles from the bank back in 1997 band will never forget how wild and scary the event was - with every minute televised for the world to watch.)

Bury Her, Already!

I'm sickened that a Mother would allow her deceased child to lay in a cold morgue for three weeks. I am sympathetic to Virgie Arthur's situation and her loss but she is the one holding up Anna Nicole Smith's burial and I am of the opinion that it has been more than proved that Anna Nicole wanted to be buried with her son in the Bahamas. To stop that from happening, like she is (there is talk of taking her appeal to the Florda Supreme Court now!), is just the most selfish thing I could ever imagine anyone doing.