Pasadena Drive

To all the moms in all the world, Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Special wishes to Ericka’s mom, Carrie; my mom, Kristi; and my grandma, Alberta…we love you all!!!

Today is the 5th anniversary of Apple’s iTunes Store. From 200,000 songs to over 10 million!

Paving the way for legal music downloads, the iTunes Music Store opened it’s “doors” on April 28, 2003. In five short years the iTunes Store (the ‘Music’ part of the name was dropped last year when they expanded their business to Videos, Movies, and TV Shows) has become the #1 reseller of music in the United States - surpassing giants like Target, Best Buy, and Wal Mart.

The success of the iTunes Store is no doubt directly connected to it’s integration with the iPod - the overwhelming leader of portable music/video players on the market today. With the expansion of Apple’s portable line, including last years hit iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple is sure to continue their rise for many years to come.

One question you may have of me is, “Are you smoking what you’re selling?”
Yes! Ericka and I have both had several iPods over the years. Ericka got her iPhone last summer, and mine’s on the way this year (I’m waiting for version 2.0…and my Sprint contract to run out). And yes, we BUY our music.

This evening I pulled into my garage after a long day at work. My 15 year old neighbor was hanging out in his garage with his buddies, who are all on Spring Break this week, messing around with their toys. We exchange our normal pleasantries of “What’s up?” You know, the usual conversation a 30 something has with a teenager.

Before I got inside he sneaked in a quiet question…”Can you buy us beer?” I did a double take, not sure I heard him correctly. Yes, my ears were faithful to me…my neighbors son was trying to pimp beer off me! Not since I had a freshly valid ID myself have I been asked to perform this service by anyone other than close friends.

To make a long story short (ok, the story isn’t long, but my rationalization is), I said “No.” If his parents, who were home, wouldn’t buy them beer, then I’m going to either. The last thing I need tonight are his parents and the cops standing at my front door with lots of questions.

I do feel for the kid. Thinking back to my high school days, I certainly remember standing outside of a Circle K with my friends doing the same thing. It wasn’t much consolation for him, but I reminded him he only has six years until he can buy his own beer…and that is a process much more rewarding!

Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here. He is ALIVE!

Christ is Risen! YOUR sins are forgiven, and YOU have received the gift of eternal life!!!

Happy Easter, all.

Has this ever happened to you? You’re in the kitchen making a new dish, and then you come the one ingredient in the cookbook that you’ve never even heard of, let alone seen. Then you wonder, “what can I substitute for that???” We found the answer, and it lyes in our new favorite store in Temecula - Old Town Spice Merchants. With walls and isles lined with any and every spice imaginable, it’s a chefs paradise.

Ericka and I stumbled upon this place on Saturday as we walked around Old Town after picking up some produce and flowers from the Farmers Market. We restrained ourselves and only brought home a hand full of things…Raspberry Chipotle Blend, Coffee BBQ Rub, and Habanero Powder were things we just couldn’t leave without.

We now have no excuse for being afraid of the cookbook. All the “what’s that” and more can be found just a few miles from home. Oh, and they have a generous assortment of loose leaf tea - more blends than I knew existed…so we’re trying a few of those too!

Warmest wishes to you all, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus!

Yeah, that update is still “on the way.”

December has to be the craziest month all year. No time to post lately. Just wanted to let you know we’re still alive and well. Hoping to get an update here soon.

Until then, Happy Advent!