HALLOWEEN SILHOUETTE PARTY IDEAS

I love silhouettes!  I love black and orange.  So what better why to have both then by having a Halloween Silhouette theme party!

I have decided that this year this going to be the look of the Halloween party I throw for my Girl Scout Troop this year.

For our craft project, I think we will make silhouette pictures for them to take home and they can hang them up year after year. 

Hope they like this!

THE GREAT FOOD TRUCK DEBATE

Today I went to the Orange County Fair Grounds because I heard they were having several food trucks there.  They were celebrating their one year anniversary.

I have been watching The Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network and it really got me wondering if the food on these trucks were as good as they claimed.

I was about to find out.

Since I don't eat meat, I couldn't eat these hamburgers.  However, they had some really unique items on some of their burgers.

I wonder what the peanut butter and jelly one was like. 

I'm sure the burgers are super though.  This truck one the Great Food Truck Race last season.  They also had a super long line of fans waiting to place their orders.

I was so excited when I saw that Sea Birds was there. 

Watching them this season and seeing all the great food they made had me longing to try them. 

They make only vegetarian and vegan food.  Perfect for me since I'm a vegetarian.

I thought everything sounded so good on their menu.  As I saw the food leaving the truck, I found my mouth watering.

However, I did want to check out the other trucks to see what they had before I made any purchase.

This truck sold Philly cheese stakes.  The smell was wonderful and if it were several years ago, when I ate meat, I think I would have tried the food from here. 

I was happy to see that they had both a great menu for meat eaters and also offered vegetarian food.  Big plus in my eyes.

The bakery truck sounded yummy.   But, I was going to enjoy a meal first and so I had to move on from here pretty quickly.

As I walked by, I heard some of the customers talking about how good everything was from here.  Tucked in the back of my mind, I was thinking I may have to stop back here after I eat lunch.

Short Stop BBQ also had some wonderful smells coming from it's truck.  Another big line made me believe they had a big following too.

This is where my sister ended up eating from.  She quickly became a fan of Short Stop BBQ too.

So much to pick from.

She finally decided to go with the Tri Tip sandwich and fries.  She said she would surely get this again.  She really liked the coleslaw on the sandwich.

She also said the price was very good for the quality of food.  She was very pleased with her purchase.

Home Skillet was at the end of the line of trucks. 

While they seemed to have a good variety of food, I saw nothing I would order for lunch.  Well, the Sweet potato fries but I wanted more then just a side dish.

I knew there was no other Truck that could compete for my taste buds like Sea Birds.  So, I went to the line and waited my turn.

While in line, I spoke to a few of the people standing by me.  One girl said she follows this Truck and eats something from them every week. 

The menu changes and she had not had anything on the menu today so she was excited to try something new.

As I got closer to the window I knew I had to pick something.  It was hard for me to decide because I really wanted to try everything.

When it became my time, I chatted a bit with the girl at the window.  I told her I felt they should have won the Food Truck Race.  I was so sad to see them go.

I have to say that the girls were so friendly and happy to talk to me.  I didn't feel rushed or looked down upon. 

Points were scored right away for that greeting.

I ended up getting the Pesto Brown Rice.  Oh my goodness!  This was so good.  As soon as I took a bite I had so much flavor and texture going on.

It was pure heaven!  I loved the toasted pine nuts.  I was very pleased with my choice.  This was something that vegetarians and meat eaters would enjoy.  Plus, it really fills you up.

I also got their grilled apples with cinnamon and walnut crumble.    The apples were warm but still crunchy.  The combination of the spices and walnuts gave them an added flavor that made them delicious.

The only thing I found wrong with Sea Birds was, they didn't have an actual restaurant that I could go to all the time.  I am going to have to track them down when my cravings for their food pops up.

Other then that, I would give them a 10! 

If you should ever find yourself near Sea Birds, please, do yourself a favor and order something.  I'm sure you will love it.

Both my sister and I were super full and happy we had made the trip to visit these great Food Trucks.

However, remember that Bakery Truck?  Well, we really wanted to try them.  They had the perfect ending for our lunch.  It was a raspberry cheesecake shot.  A wonderful, creamy cheesecake in a shot glass served with a tiny spoon. 

It's a great idea.  When you are super full you can still have a little bit of dessert without making yourself feel sick. 

I had a great time spending some time outdoors, talking to a lot of people.  It seems people are more friendly when they are getting to enjoy great food. 

I still have to give my vote for Best Food Truck to Sea Birds.  They really know how to cook!

A 9/11 REMEMBRANCE AT NIXON LIBRARY

Today I went to the Nixon Library.  They have a week long remembrance of 9/11 going on.

Outside, in the parking lot they had a 16 Ton piece of steel that was once part of the outer frame of one of the buildings at The World Trade Center. 

As I stood near this piece of steel I knew it was so much more then just another piece of steel.

This piece of steel helped to form the building that so many people went to work at ever day.  It was also a piece that once was part of the wall that held the windows. 

I couldn't help but wonder if this held one of the windows that someone jumped out of. 

This piece of steel represents that fateful day when a group of men with evil in their hearts decided to change the world. 

This piece of steal also represents the 2753 men and women who died that day. 

It represents the countless people who lost their loved ones.

It represents the 343 brave Firemen who died Heroes.

This big piece of steel represents how Americans came together.  How even though it was one of the worst days in American history, Americans became stronger. 

We have all learned of bad things that happened through history books, movies and TV.  Yet, we who were alive 9/11/01 became part of history. 

We saw how the world has changed.  How we now can no longer just hop on a plane to go on vacation like we used to.  How we must wait in long lines to have our purses checked just to go to Disneyland and other amusement parks.  How, laws have changed.  How more cameras have been installed to watch our every move in public.

Some say it's gone to far and has become an invasion of their privacy.  I say it's helping us to stay safe and catch those still out there that want to hurt us.

No, I did not just see this as a big piece of steel at all.

I wondered if anyone died under this piece of steel.  I prayed they didn't. 

This fire truck was also there.  It did not get crushed by the buildings because it came afterwards. 
I admit, at first I wondered why this truck was important enough to travel from New York to CA.  Then it hit me.

This truck was at Ground Zero helping to put out fires that were still burning even though the build had collapsed. 

It shows how the heat was so strong that parts of the truck was damaged.
It held heroes, men who came to save others.

Some believe that all the firemen were just "doing their jobs" that day.  Sure, that's true.  However, I don't think anyone would have thought anything less of these men if they chose to save their own lives and get out of the buildings when they knew it was ready to come down.

Yet, they didn't.  They kept going up higher and higher.  Stopping to help anyone and everyone they saw. 

There are many stories of people who came across these brave men and how they willing gave their life.  Not because it was their job to do so.  But, because these men are HEROES.  Men who put others before themselves. 

You can read about this important truck by clicking on the above photo.

We then went inside the building to hear a true life hero speak to us.

I was very happy to see so many people there on a weekday. 

This man is a Los Angeles Fireman.  He was one of the first to get out to New York to offer help.  He told stories of the destruction, pain and loss.  He also told stories of the brave men and women and dogs who spent countless hours searching, helping and doing what they could to find survivors and sadly bodies to return to their loved ones.

My heart broke when he could no longer hold back the tears.

Even though we watched it all unfold on TV we will never fully understand what those who were there lived through.  My heart aches for them as I'm sure those sights, sounds and smells will be forever etched into their minds.

My prayers are that 9/11/01 is the last time Americans are ever attacked.  My fears are, it's not.

WELCOME TO 1865

Every Labor Day weekend Huntington Beach CA puts on a weekend of fun with living history.  A whole mini city seems to pop up from the past for everyone to enjoy.

The highlight of each day is the battle that is reenacted between the North and the South.

If you have never made it to a Civil War reenactment, you must go.  It's like watching a movie being filmed right in front of you.

They dress in actual period clothes, have real guns, flags and speak like they are from that time long ago.

The sounds of the battle taking place sounds like you are stepping right into 1865 as the war was about to be over.

It is very loud and the men (and sometimes women) would get shot and fall down, they would move forward and back depending on who had the upper hand at the time.

The sky was filled with the smell and sight of smoke from the canons.

Once the battle is over, the men go back to their camps.  They have set up camps that they actually live in for the weekend.

Ol' Abe himself even showed up and gave a speech at the end of the war. 

To be honest, I didn't hang around to hear his speech.  But, I happened to be walking towards him and he was more then happy to stop and let me take his picture.  He didn't say a word to me though.  He just nodded his head when I thanked him.

Perhaps his mind was on the war and his upcoming speech.

There were several shops selling just about anything you could think of. 

As I was walking by this one, I felt like I was watching what it would have really been like back then.

They had uniforms for sale (yes both for the North and South).  I guess if anyone wanted to sign up to join right then, they would have gladly taken them to battle. 

There were hats waiting to be purchased by the next brave men to offer up his life for his Country.

There were cans of food (no not real - the cans were actually empty).

Bullets could be purchased.  Yes, these are actual bullets from the real Civil War. 

Dishes could be found and purchased.

I loved the dresses.  Each one was so pretty.  The colors were lovely.  I know, I should have let you seen the colors but then it wouldn't look like real photos from the Civil War.

While they sold the under garments for women, I found myself wondering if they would have really had these on display for everyone to see back then.  After all, is it really proper for men to see these things?

I loved when I turned around and saw these three women just chatting.  I'm sure this would have been a common sight back then.  Women talking about being worried over their men being at war, exchanging recipes or just gossiping about others.

There were hundreds of tents set up.  They were set up to show what camp would have looked like during the winter.

Also, when the men were allowed to have their wife and children come to visit them. 

They would have been set up to still hold down their jobs and do their duty.  A simple desk out front and their guns ready in case they should need them in a hurry.

I found this place to be sort of funny.  Back then one person often held several job titles.  You can see this guy was the Notary, Legal Council and also did embalming.  Oh yes, he also sold games and whiskey and fine ales. 

I really enjoyed the day here.  However, the parts I loved the most was when I would be walking and notice a little scene going on that may or may not have been planned for us to see. 

Like these two ladies just sitting in camp talking to each other.  For some reason it seemed more real to me.  Almost as if I had stumbled upon a camp that I should not have been walking through.

One thing I did learn was how important the ladies who did the laundry were.  It took almost a full week to wash a uniform.  They had to scrub them, soak them to get stains out, boil them to get the lice and bugs off, dry them, iron them and so on.  Each part took hours to do.

The women were so greatly needed that they were paid very well.  In fact they got paid almost as much as the officers.  It was back breaking work but because it was paid so well, many women sought after jobs like this.

Also, many women wanted to take up arms and fight along side the men.  This of course, was not legal.  However, some women cut their hair and put the uniforms on and gave a male name.  No one was asking questions because every body they could get they needed.  So, several women died and several women helped both sides fight in the Civil War.

I love to learn about history and US History is something I really love.  Funny because in High School I hated it more then any other subject.

What about you?  Do you enjoy learning about the history of your country?