Diamond Head Hike

I recieved my Newtown t-shirt in the mail recently and decided it deserved a photo opp on top of Diamond Head!

I grabbed a few willing pals and we had a perfect day

Can you see it?  It's a little like "Wheres Waldo," the Navy version, but I'm pretty sure it's the mighty Lake Erie herself!

Remember all those lovely photos I've shared of the Diamond Head Lighthouse?  Here she is from wayyyyy up!

I honestly don't know how my friend gets anything done at all!  You really never tire of staring out at the ocean.....

Great day, great friends.  Do something kind for someone this week - because you are alive to do so!

The Queens of Hearts!!

For school Valentines this year we decided to give out crayons instead of candy.  Not because I'm anti-candy but because little girl was browsing the internet again...

Cool right?  She was very pleased with the results and we made enough crayons for the class AND the neighborhood!

We postponed the at home festivities so that Daddy could be here (see blowing up stuff shots below)

The good news about waiting a few days to celebrate is that a large bunch of artificially bright and glittery flowers can be snatched up for 50% off!!

Add some cake, fruit and of course chocolate and voila!

As promised, this was a toned down year.  No heart shaped food, no new laptops, iPads, cell phones or any such nonsense.  

Just a coupla big fat lip pops ;)

The girls had a great week and we are going out for dinner tonight to officially celebrate Olivia's birthday.  I think it'll be an early night - she and David RAN the Great Aloha Run today!  4 am wakeup, 8.2 miles in 1:17.  Little turkey beat my best time!  Emily had a pal spend the night and they had a late bedtime and a 5 am wakeup.   Um hum, tonight should be fun!

Jack!!

Remember Jack?  Silly goat :)

DGUTS!!

Another successful intercept!!!

Always a little easier to breathe when they go as planned.  These tests are highly complex; but as usual it was executed perfectly.  Congratulations to all.

Here is the official press release:

February 13, 2013 - A Standard Missile – 3 (SM-3) Block 1A interceptor is launched from the USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70) during a Missile Defense Agency and U.S. Navy test in the mid-Pacific. The SM-3 Block 1A successfully intercepted a target missile that had been launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The LAKE ERIE’S crew detected and tracked the target and its weapons system developed a fire control solution. The crew then launched the SM-3, with the intercept occurring a few minutes later. Today’s test was the 24th successful intercept test in 30 flight test attempts for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program since flight testing began in 2002

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North Shore

On Sunday the report was big surf on the North Shore so we hopped in the car with some pals and headed up to see!

No swimming involved in this beach trip.  15 - 20' waves are nothing to play around with but plenty of fun to watch and hear!

Hard to get a good perspective without any people in the water but I'd say most of the waves were around 12' with a few coming in at 15' or higher.  

As you can imagine, they make a big crash and a lot of turbulence when they break - the perfect stuff to run screaming from!

You didn't really think this one stayed out of it all together did you?

This guy doesn't listen either :)

You know what's next...Valentines Day!!  I can predict with a degree of certainty that this year in honor of the recession, going green, reducing our footprint or whatever excuse is your favorite these days that 2013 will be a scaled back version of the usual madness.  Seriously, it will.  I can feel your doubt.

Happy Birthday Olivia

I know what you're thinking...what kind of cake did she get?

 Well, if you take all the elaborateness and hardtopleaseness of her sister and toss it in the trash...you get Olivia.  

She is easy, appreciative and no-fuss.  Hallelujah!  She does however, love her food.  Since her birthday fell on a school/soccer day there wasn't a lot of time for fanfare but I did wake up at 5:30 am to make fresh cinnamon muffins. The smell got her out of bed at an unusually fast pace :)

Back to the cake.  Or no cake.  Hang with me.  

We discovered during a dinner conversation one night that the girls have never had a creme brûlée.  Ummmm, I just drooled a little at the mere mention.  Although I have eaten plenty of them, I have never made any.  A plan was born.  

If I could do the dolphin cake, surely this would be easy breezy!

It was.  Only 4 ingredients are keeping you from this delightful treat (and about 100 Dr.'s warnings)...

4 Cups of cream

1 Tbsp of seriously good vanilla (yes, this is worth it) and that price is in U.S dollars.

10 egg yolks (I'll wait while you answer the phone...it's your Dr. calling)

Whipped up with sugar

Combine and pour into those cute little ramekins which you should just go ahead and buy.  I have wanted them for years but somehow never indulged.  They are like $8 for 4...go ahead.  I give you permission.  

Bake 

Then comes the magic.  Of course I wanted to buy the little blow torch to do the sugar topping but wouldn't you know I couldn't find one.  (Dad, you will be happy to know I attempted to use the soldering iron we bought last time you were here but it was out of gas.  Probably for the best - "right tool for the job" speech inserted here.)

Back to the sugar.  This step can be done in the oven with the broiler.  Not nearly as much fun I'm guessing and very hard to get an even crust without burning.  Buy the torch, and when you do, get one for me too!  Thanks.  

Yes, she got Dr. Pepper for her birthday.  I told you she was easy to please! 

Happy 14th.  I don't know where the time has gone but I sure like what she's done with it.  Bring on high school, she is ready!

Oh, the creme brûlée - it was a magnificent, delicious, creamy, dreamy, way better than cake any day of the week treat.  None of us could finish the whole thing!