Standards

I witnessed something Saturday that really struck me for the first time ever. Well, first off, I actually went shopping with Zach (he didn't really give an opinion on the dresses I tried on, but I guess I'm training him for his future female relationships:) Anyway, as I am searching for a semi-formal dress at 10am on a Saturday in Macy's, a young teenage girl is browsing the formals with her parents. She is clearly MAYBE 13, probably even a little younger... and OF COURSE I eavesdropped... Like I said, it was just me and Zach (and a gillion old people, since no one my age could get their rock star selves out of bed that early)! Party on GenX... Back to the story... The parents are trying to be hip, "Oh, honey look at this cute dress." "This one's super cool." Oh, parents of teens... parents trying so hard... Anyway, as they go along through some pretty promiscuous dresses (short, cleavage, short, etc... not something a 12 year old should wear...) I hear the mom say, "Well, how short did the school say your dress could be?" Really parents of an almost teenager?! Are you going to let a school policy dictate how your child should dress. Scary. I am certainly no expert on raising children, let alone teenagers, but something tells me my children should have standards (and morals) that go beyond the public school system. Anyway, note to self: instill values and standards in my kiddos before they rely on the public school system to do it for them.

A first... Chino Bandido Takee Outee

If you are obsessed with the Food Network like I sometimes am and like a sense of adventure, you'll love this:) In the show Diners Drive Ins and Dives, Chino Bandido of our very own Phoenix, was featured. So, of course, it has been on our list of places to check out:) Well, far be it from us to procrastinate anything to do with eating... especially when it comes to Mexican and Chinese fusion. It's like our marriage put to food. Ben LOVES Mexican, I LOVE Chinese. I thought, if this restaurant is successful, our marriage will be too, right? I was also pretty sure this sounded like a, albiet bizarre, WINNER.

     So, off we went into a "Mexi Ghetto" in Phoenix. It took us about 30 minutes or so to drive there, but it is still on our "side" of the valley. The parking lot was totally full, so that's a good sign... As we get our kiddos out of the car, I realized Ike is not wearing shoes. Wow. We are THOSE people! For the record, I had asked him to put on his shoes, he didn't, then Ben whisked him off to the car while I was on the phone with my dad (KU had just won the Big 12 Championship- it was a Big day)!

      Anyway, so since this place literally is a DIVE, we had to carry Ike and Zach through the whole place... ughh. I won't go into that. The restaurant used to be just take out, thus Takee Outee, so you just order at the counter and they bring you your food several hours, I mean, half hours later... The interesting thing is this.. Mexican and Chinese foods are listed on the menu. You have "Jade Red Chicken"- sorta like Orange Chicken at Panda. Anyway, it can be served with fried rice, steamed rice, in a burrito or in a quesadilla. Strange. BUT, interestingly good. Ike happened to LOVE it in a quesadilla! I also ordered "Emerald Chicken" with fried rice, staying true to my chinese love. It was just eh. Ben ordered the largest Chile Relleno I have ever seen (at least 4 inches long)! with fried rice, refried beans and Jade Red Chicken. All the food was good... not great though. I guess the best part for us were the snickerdoodles that come complimentary with every meal. They were worth the wait! Yumm! Anyway, a very bizarre option if you are ever in Phoenix. We'd probably even take you there ourselves, even if it was just for the snickerdoodles! Have you ever come across bizarre restaurants like this in your neck of the woods? I'd love to hear about it!

Not exactly Redneck, but what??

Ok, so you can find more about our trip to California here, but I just had to post this photo... As we were driving down the freeway in LA, I happened to look in my rear view mirror to find this bad boy. "Quick Ben! Grab the camera!" Yep, that's right, I made my hub dive over the seat to get the perfect shot of this pseudo-mercedes-camper... What a combination. I would call it redneck, but I'm not sure a Mercedes is redneck. But then what?? Ah, to be the one with this clever idea.
"Honey, I'm sick of having a sedan with no leg room. I can't quite get comfortable on my long commute home. I know! I'll take off the top and add a camper. Genius! Now we can camp in the wild jungles of LA!"
"Brilliant!" as Ike would say.
The sad thing is, this may be a sign of the times and the economic crisis of California. Oh the depths to which we are sinking...