#2 On the List – Showdown at Saddleback Lanes

Danny and I have this list, which apparently everyone already knows about, and we are slowly working our way through it all the while adding things to it as we go. It isn’t any crazy life list or anything like that…it is simpler than that. It is just a list of things we haven’t had time to do over the last two years of our crazy life. It is just made up of fun things we like to do and in fact most of them we have already done before. It is all about bringing our life back to the simple things, the real things.

We already did one item on the list, the Nixon Library and a week ago we completed the 2nd item from our list…bowling. It wasn’t bowling in one of the newer fancier alleys like Lucky Strike; we opted for a simple old school lane complete with your traditional fried food, beer guzzling bar.

This outing was a part of the list not only because I think bowling is so fun but because Danny and I have only been bowling once in the 10 years we have been together and it was early on in our relationship. Let’s just say that on our first bowling outing Danny didn’t break any records with his score. Hehehehe. Ever since then I have been telling him that he sucks at bowling. This is so fun to me because Danny is pretty much good at everything!! AND I mean everything...watching Jeopardy with him I can’t even come close to competing.

Ever since that day he has sworn he was just messing with me and that he is really great at bowling…a bowling superstar!! I didn’t believe him and I waited years for my rematch!! I made sure to take pictures of our trip to the bowling alley so you can judge for yourself who the bowling super star is.

We arrive at the bowling alley and get our shoes from the bowling alley guy who takes his job way to seriously!! Danny of course sees the checking out of shoes as the perfect time to make fun of my large feet…I say let’s just take this to the lanes!!

This battle will be settled on Saddleback Lanes, lane #23. We put on our rental shoes and select our balls.

Which one do you think was mine?

You probably selected the pink one. This would make you right…kind of, because all three were mine. I like to vary it up, if one weight doesn’t work I just move on to the next…I am obviously a very skilled, very precision type bowler.

Time to hit the lanes. Danny of course had the form of a bowler, using all the right moves.

You can see he swings his leg back and releases the ball just right.

I on the other hand have NO form or method to my bowling, I would just let it go. Sadly I don’t have a picture of my “form” as I am usually the one taking the pictures. This is probably better though…I wouldn’t want to cause myself too much embarrassment. However we were able to figure out that the more thought I put into my game the worse my game got. So my basic strategy was to not have a strategy.

Which method worked better you ask? Well let’s take a look at some scores.

Game 1:

I was so excited to take the first game!! I was off to an awesome start and I didn’t win by a point or two, I took it by 11!! Yay!!

Game 2:

It was getting closer but I still won TWO in a ROW!!

Game 3:

I am not trying to make excuses for myself but at this point in the game my poor, little, weak arm started to get tired. I mean I am a girl, I don’t have the same muscles as Danny, it just isn't physically so.

Game 4:


The muscles are getting more tired with every frame.

Game 5:

Even though Danny won this one I was still impressed with my score of 97!! I was so close to 100 I could taste it!

Game 6:


Sorry this picture is a little blurry, we were literally being forced out of the alley at this point, but it does read 69 (Me) and 53 (Danny)! That is right, I was back. Before you ask, yes our scores were low this round. As I mentioned we were being basically kicked out at this point and we had to “speed bowl” just to finish the game. Plus after two hours of bowling both our arms were feeling a little weak.

For those of you who aren’t good at math that is three games Heather and three games Danny. It doesn’t sound like a bowling superstar to me, it sounds like another rematch it the making…after all a tie is like kissing your sister and who wants that.

P.S.

Just for some fun here are some funny pictures of us.

Danny so confident in his skills he doesn’t even need to open his eyes.


And me…do I even need to say anything. I mean who bowls like that? Obviously I do…poor me. Hehehehe.

Richard M. Nixon – Our 37th President

So with everything that has been going on in our lives (for those of you that know me, you know what I am talking about) Danny and I finally had some time on our hands to start doing stuff for us again. So this last Saturday we went to the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace, I know this might not seem like fun to a lot of you but I LOVE this kind of stuff. I was giddy from the moment we pulled into the parking lot…it was the same feeling I get when I go to Disneyland.

First I will start off by saying that I have the WORLDS BEST BOYFRIEND (don't argue with me that yours is better...I will win)!! A loonnngg time ago…I made a list for Danny of random things that I wanted to do such as going to the Zoo, going bowling and going to the Richard Nixon Library. I know, I am a girl with big dreams!! Hehehe. Next to each thing that I wanted to do I put the date that I had decided I wanted to do this…this way Danny couldn’t get out of it by saying it was something I had just asked to do…I am a smart girl! Well bless Danny’s heart he has had the weight of the world on his shoulders the last couple of years, just an insane amount of pressure. So one day I was sitting at work and I start getting all this calendar invites for the outings I had listed so long ago…Danny had taken the time to schedule each and every one of them (that were currently possible). I felt special. (I also was happy that I have a boyfriend who enjoys doing these types of things with me.)

The day at the Library was a great one. We got up early, took the dogs to the vet and the bill came to much less than I thought!! Off to a great start, then we headed home, dropped off the babies and it was off to the library.

I won’t bore you with all the details of the library, because I know some of you might not find it as fascinating as I do, but the library day went something like the following. We arrived at the library, got in for the student price=SCORE, looked around the lobby, then started the main portion of the museum. Side note: weekends are excellent days to go to museums…far less crowded. We quietly walked through this portion of the library, reading letters and looking at memories. Richard Nixon accomplished so much and lived a life with many “peaks and valleys”. In the museum they have a letter he wrote to a friend that suffered a stroke, expressing concern and offering assistance, just hours after writing the letter President Nixon suffered the stroke that would cause his death several days later. One of Danny’s favorite items in the library was this picture from Nixon’s funeral:


He said, “Those were the five most powerful men in the world, at that time, all sitting in one row…WOW!”

I so want to go into all the details of Nixon and his wife Patricia but I am realizing this post is already way to long for most people. After getting halfway through the museum portion, we headed back to watch a movie. This was great!! It was filmed when the library originally opened in 1990 and Richard Nixon speaks about his life as a president and as a man. My favorite part was a section where is talked about peaks and valleys, he said that he has been in some low valley’s in his life and that he believes it isn’t possible to be happy in life with out these valley’s because you would never be able to truly appreciate the peaks.

After the inspirational movie, I turned to Danny with “that” look on my face and he said, “what do you want?’ and I said, “can I buy a book today…please?” Of course Danny’s response was, “I knew that was coming as soon as the movie started!”

We headed back out into the main portion of the museum and finished up there. Again we learned some AMAZING things about Richard Nixon…I wish I could tell you all of them.
Once you complete the museum portion you head outside to see the burial site for Mr. and Mrs. Nixon, the last time I was here was just days after he was laid to rest. To me the greatest part of the library is that is built around the house that Nixon was born and raised in. They house holds many “original” items, including the bed that our 37th President was born in!

Just being able to walk in the house he walked in so many times is inspirational. He came from small beginnings and worked for everything he had.

They also have the helicopter, “Sea King”, which served Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. You are able to walk through the helicopter which is and added bonus…again I don’t know if I am weird but I seriously got the chills thinking about the men who walked into that helicopter before me. This is the actual helicopter President Nixon left the white house in, the famous shot where he turns around to say good-bye to his staff and displays the two peace signs.
I know I have bored you all to death and I swear that wasn’t my intention but I just get so excited about this type of stuff. I will end this posting with a few final thoughts.

I am fully aware of the fact that when most people think of Richard Nixon the first thing that comes to mind is Watergate and “I am not a crook.”…this is so sad for me because I think he was a great president and even more importantly a great man. He accomplished so many things like during his life. I believe that Nixon resigned his Presidency not because he was a crook but because he honestly felt it was the best thing for our county, he was willing to sacrifice. As President Nixon said, “I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is opposed to every instinct in my body. But as president I must put the interests of America first. Therefore, I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow.” Presidents before and after him, have done worse and not been as passionate about our country.

On a side note if I was in to the whole big wedding thing, I would have my wedding here in a heartbeat. It is so beautiful and full of AMAZING history.

Next on the list, Ronald Reagan Library…they have an Air Force One…how perfect is that!?!?

Yes I did get my book (remember I have the best boyfriend in the whole world), A Life in Full, Richard M. Nixon. It is just over a 1,000 pages and I have set the goal to read at least 10 pages a day. All in all a very humbling and inspirational day!!

A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits. – Richard M. Nixon