4th of July

We finally dusted off our tennis rackets and thought we should use them.  We actually were wanting to play several days prior, but realized the strings needed to be replaced BADLY!  As much as I played the sport growing up, I'm clueless when it comes to picking out the right strings and indicating the desired tension.  This was one of those moments that made me really appreciate one of the many things my dad did for me all the time!  So, this was also another moment I found myself using my phone (while at the sports shop) to educate myself on tennis strings.

You would think there would be a handful of tennis courts around town, but there's actually not many.  We ended up at Ventura College and the courts were pretty full.  We found ourselves in between two courts with very experienced players...quite an intimidating experience after not playing for so long.  It was a good time of playing for 2 hours!

Justin got off to a rough start and kept hitting into the net.  In the end though...since he's good at every sport, sad to say that he beat me many times.

Right next to the tennis courts is the soccer field and while we were playing Justin learned there was going to be a soccer game for a development league, meaning these players may have a chance to play professionally.  This was all new to me and apparently Ventura has a team, Ventura Fusion.  At this point in the season they were almost undefeated.  Since we didn't have plans for another couple hours, Justin really wanted to go to the game and I thought why not, especially if they were supposed to be good.

You can't tell from this picture because this was taken way before the game started, but it was a full audience.  Just our chance though, the game that we choose to come to they lose!

In the evening we went to a BBQ at our friends' house where we met some more new friends.

Ventura College puts on a fireworks show and you could get view of it from their house.  The girls went out to take a look while the guys played "Settlers of Catan".  The girls did get a game of "Apples to Apples" in before the night ended.  No "Nerts" playing here...all in all, a fun 4th of July in Ventura!

A Lesson Learned...

After chopping a whole bunch of vegetables, I found myself confused as why my hand was burning and it was only one hand.  There wasn't anything obvious on my hand to show for it.  I hadn't even touched the oven or and the stove wasn't on.  It felt like acid was eating up my hand.  I kept washing my hands over and over, but the burning sensation kept intensifying.  Justin was even partially serious when he asked if I needed to go to the emergency.  After thinking about it more, we realized my hand was burning from chopping a fresh green chili!!!  Justin read online that the oils probably had gotten on my hand and soaking it in milk would help remove it.  So, I found myself soaking my hand in milk and it felt a lot better.  By the next morning there was no more burning!

"1776"

My boss is not only my boss at work, but an entertainer!  My coworkers and I spent a Sunday afternoon watching him perform in a play called "1776".  It was a story that highlighted the events/conversations that took place in signing the Declaration of Independence.  Afterwards we all went out to dinner.  Apparently Justin had made an impression on my boss as several days later my boss asked me if Justin would be interested in auditioning for upcoming plays!!!

Camarillo Greek Festival

Justin has always encouraged me to try new foods and Greek food is one of them.  I finally caved in recently and this time I was glad I did.  We went to a restaurant nearby and several weeks later we found out there was going to be Greek Festival in Camarillo.  Perfect timing and we both enjoyed having lunch there!

Summer Solstice

We ventured back to Santa Barbara for their annual Summer Solstice parade!  We took the bus this time as traffic and parking gets ugly, especially this time of year.  Justin got to experience my daily ride to work and is the first time he wasn't driving so he could enjoy looking out the window.  It really is a nice commute along the coast!

This parade was another recommendation by my coworkers.  It's very unique to say the least.  Everyone's into it! You can't tell if the parade participants are parade watchers or not.  It's common to see people dressed up and everyone wishing each other "Happy Solstice"!  One of the rules of the parade is that the costumes need to be handmade.  The parade ends at a big park where there's lots of food, entertainment, kidde rides, crafts, etc. and an area where you could see the floats up close.

 

Bible Study Venue

We continue to attend bible study and enjoy these new friends.  Now that it's warmer, we've been able to have bible study in the backyard!  The couple whose house we go to own their own sound and lighting company, so it's no surprise have these cool stringing lights in their backyard!

Oh, and here are their ADORABLE beagles!!!  They are dancing and then they do the conga line!!!!!!

Birthday Smash

One of the couples from bible study celebrated their daughter's first birthday.  We learned that first birthdays are not as huge as it is back home with inflatable jumping castles, magic shows, balloon monsoon, billions of people, etc.  Our friends invited mostly their families, few friends, and had it in their own backyard.  They even cooked the food!

We also learned that it's common here to have a birthday smash!  They let the one year old go at it with their own birthday cake or cupcake.  It was so entertaining to watch this little one dab her fingers in the cake, lick them in such a classy manner and barely making a mess!  They let her go for a while as everyone watched her.  It was even more funny (but heartbreaking at the same time) when her dad took the cake away...she held her hand up and wholeheartedly screamed her head off.  Her face was so red with tears and all.  Too cute!