Stuff Cobbs Like #20: Coronado

The Cobbs like Coronado!  This is our favorite weekend getaway spot (well this time it was a weekday getaway - just as good).  We dropped the kiddos off at Grandma Evie's and Grandpa Ken's house in San Diego and Erick and I cruised over to Coronado Island.  We made no plans to do any thing - just relax and try to regain my sanity!  We stayed at Loews Coronado Bay Resort.  We are creatures of habit, we always stay there.  It is very family friendly and very comfortable.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous!  I was expecting it to be cool and cloudy.  What a nice surprise.  We enjoyed some of Coronado's great restaurants and shops, but mostly we sat by the pool pretty much the whole time.  We brought Dr. Timothy Keller with us :-)  He was helpful in regaining my sanity.  I read his article called "Did He Die For You?" from the Journal of Biblical Counseling (Spring '07).  It was very good.  I feel like I need to reread it so I will apply it better.  Erick finished Keller's new book "The Reason For God".  Erick says it is outstanding!  Read his review. I had a great time just kicking it with Erick.  He is such a joy to be married to!

We had a great time and were glad to see the boys this afternoon.  They had a wonderful time playing cowboys and Indians, visiting many parks, and hiking the trail behind grandma and grandpa's house.  Thanks mom and dad! 

Stuff Cobbs Like #19: Lindsey

The Cobbs like Lindsey!  She is amazing.  She house sits for us when we leave town.  House sitting for the Cobbs is no easy job.  We have two very elderly cats that have health problems.  She gives one of our cats "Queso" his insulin shots 2 times a day.  Yes, that is right my cat has diabetes!  My other cat has renal failure. Yikes!  It is amazing anyone would volunteer for this crazy job!  Oh we have a dog too.  The dog is absolutely crazy.  Very hyper and hard to catch, unless you have a treat (I forgot to leave the treats out last time, sorry Lindsey!).  Lindsey is such a good sport and always does a great job.  Thanks so much!

This is Lindsey swinging with the orphans in Mexico.

Stuff Cobbs Like #18: Tim Keller

The Cobbs like Tim Keller!  Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, NY.  Erick and I had the opportunity to hear Keller speak at the 2006 Resurgence Conference.  Tim Keller "has a big heart for city dwellers and secular skeptics".  He is great at reaching the "intellectual skeptic".  He has some great messages available online.  At Kaleo we have Keller's "Who is this Jesus?" CD available for our visitors.  Our family has also given this CD to neighbors in a Christmas or Easter gift basket.  Tim Keller has a new book out called The Reason For God.  It is #7 on the NYT bestseller list!  Erick is reading it right now and says it is excellent! He has The Reason for God Website too.

Monergism just posted an interview with Tim Keller.  Check it out!

Stuff Cobbs Like #17: Legoland and Legos

The Cobbs like Legoland!   Yesterday Grandma Kristie and I took the boys to Legoland.  We have passes so we have been there a few times, yet there still seems like there is always something new.  Mason is crazy about Legos.  He is impressive on how well he can follow the directions on a Lego kit.  He is also very creative at just building something out of his imagination.  I am a bit of a Lego fan too.  I need directions though.  When Mason asks me to help him I have a hard time resisting taking over and making the whole set... then Mason gently says "Can I do that part mom?"  They have girl Legos now (cute little beach houses and pink sets).  I don't think that was available when I was a kid.  Erick claims that he had a huge Lego collection when he was a kid too but most of them gradually vanished over the years.  Uncle Paco just found a bucket of Lego people, horses, dragons, and even a Lego bike.  There must have been close to a hundred.  That was a great find because that is worth a fortune on EBay.

Stuff Cobbs Like #16: The Internet

The Cobbs like the internet!  Thanks to Dave the Verizon repair technician, we now have internet access again!  Apparently our router died!  Our last router looked like it was from the 80's (but is was only installed about 1 year ago) it was so huge.  The new one is half the size.  We have been with out an internet connection for over a week.  It came on sporadically for a few days last week.  It is funny how you don't realize how much you use something until it is gone.  I kept thinking, "Oh I'll just check it on the internet.  Oh No I Can't!!".  Well we are now very excited to have an internet connection again.  I have a bunch to post about.

Plant World

On Sunday we drove down to Plant World.  This place is amazing!  You have probably all driven by it.  This just west of the 15 and south of Valley Center.  We are making a little vegetable garden in the back yard.  We bought some tomato plants, cilantro, green onions, squash, corn, peppers, and some honeydew melons.  The boys have been very enthusiastic about the garden project.  Hopefully I can keep it alive! 

This is Miles with his tiny little plant.  He had his choice of pretty much any plant and he loved the smallest one he could find!

The wildflowers growing along the freeway by Fallbrook were unbelievable!

Some useless information

Erick was able to wake my computer up from it's coma.  And now I have some useless trivia to share with you. 

I have a weakness for magazine subscriptions.  I receive way more magazines than I have time to read, but I usually would rather read a book or magazine than watch TV.  I was flipping through the latest issue of Real Simple (April 08) and this is what I found interesting...

1.  The 5 Rainiest U.S. Cities:  Quillayute, WA;  Astoria, OR;  Tallahassee, FL;  Mobile, AL; Pensacola, FL. 

2.  The average American household does 400 loads of laundry each year.  (I am pretty sure our house does more than that!)  The first laundromat opened in 1851, and the washing machines were powered by donkeys!

3.  The first bar code was on a pack of Wrigley's gum in 1974.

4.  Do you have warm or cool skin tone?  Look on the inside of your wrist.  If your veins are a green color, you have a warm skin tone.  If they are blue, you have a cool skin tone (that is me).  Apparently this is helpful when picking out the right color of nail polish or makeup.

5.  Some obscure medical trivia.  Anonia is having trouble thinking of an object's name.  Blepharospasm is an eyelid spasm.  Borborygmus is stomach rumbling.  Eructation is burping.

6.  The new Honda Odyssey has an option for heated leather seats.

7.  Real Simple did a test on the leading paper shredders.  This will be useful to the Cobb family.   We are always looking for a better shredder.

I am also looking forward to reading some of Real Simples more useful and helpful articles such as: a guide to laundry, a guide to liberating yourself from unnecessary clutter, and a guide to getting a full nights sleep!

Stuff Cobbs Like #15: Trader Joe's

Cobbs like Trader Joe's.  Trader Joe's is often referred to as the "quirky grocery store chain".  They have so many different and unique food and drinks.  Most of the products they sell you will not find at a traditional grocery store.  My friend Carmine, got me hooked on this store.  She and her hubby lived with us for a bit, and she kept bringing home all this great food from Trader Joe's.  So I decided to check it out.  I am now a huge fan.  Thanks Carmine!  I now love to go grocery shopping!  Trader Joe's makes grocery shopping fun!  I love the chalk board artwork and they have a great taste test counter in the back.  These are a few of the things in my freezer/fridge from Trader Joe's: light string cheese, the vanilla ice cream bon bons (you must have self control if you buy these!), balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (they discontinued this for a bit and I was frantic!), creamy spinach & artichoke dip-comes frozen (this gets devoured before I can put it down on the counter - huge hit at Kaleo), traditional pot roast, garlic fries, organic creamy tomato soup, mini chicken tacos, and pico de gallo salsa.  Erick does not do the grocery shopping but he does stop by Trader Joe's often to pick up some beautiful flowers for me.  Very sweet!  Trader Joe's is not only hip, tasty, unique, but surprisingly inexpensive!  I have told Erick we can only move to a place that has a Trader Joe's within an hour drive!  I am waiting for one to open in Maui.  I just discovered today that there are blogs dedicated to Trader Joe's products such as TraderJoesFan and TraderJoe's-CandyBlog (yes, they do have great candy too).  Trader Joe's has some of the yummiest food! 

Kindergarten open house

Mrs. Kuzma and Mason

Tonight was Mason's kindergarten open house at his school.  He was so excited about showing us all the cool stuff he has been working on.  He has been talking about this open house for weeks!  He totally loves school!  He loves playing with his friends, he loves to do school work, and he really likes his teacher.  Mason proudly showed us all his creative handy work that was hanging around the classroom.  I cannot believe how fast he is growing up!  We love you, Mason!

Loving one another

Erick went to the Resurgence conference recently and was able to hear from a great group of speakers.  The conference had live internet broadcasting during the conference and I was even able to listen to CJ Mahaney's message live (while at home)!  Both Erick and I were greatly inspired and convicted from Manhaney's message.  The conference's audio is now available on-line.  Here is the link to CJ Mahaney's message "Pastoral Character and Loving People". 

Man Cold

This video is hilarious! 

Stuff Cobbs Like #14: The Arings

Cobbs really like the Arings.  Today we went down to San Diego to celebrate my dad's birthday (and mine too).  We hung out at my parents house after our trip to IKEA.  My mom took the boys up their hill to pick some lemons off her tree and then showed them how to make lemonade.  The boys thought that was a blast. 

My parents and us met my sister in-law (Jeri) and her two kids (my brother was sick with a fever) at Casa de Pico (it used to be in Old Town San Diego but now it is in La Mesa area) for dinner.  It is a great place to take a bunch of small kids because it is loud and very festive.  The food was yummy and the kids loved the strolling mariachi band.  Even little Lucy was clapping along with the band. Thanks mom, dad, and Jeri for the great night.  We love hanging with you and I thank God for my family.  Love you!   

Stuff Cobbs Like #13: IKEA

Cobbs like IKEA (aka "Stuff Mart").  The Cobbs also love shopping (yes even Erick), but that might be another future post.  Today we had the joy of visiting this consumer mecca.  It is such a cross cultural experience at IKEA.  We enjoy learning new languages as we read the labels on all the merchandise.  Did you know that SYNTES KONST is Swedish for paper napkins?  They have the strangest names for their products.  My parents love ethnic food, so for my dad's birthday I got him a basket of very unusual food (horse shaped chocolates, jams made out of fruit I didn't know existed, we skipped the Swedish meatballs but he probably would have liked them too...).  We love IKEA's cheap furniture too.  Erick thinks that it is cheap because they are making the kids in the play room make IKEA's furniture.  We have never left our kids in their childcare area (our kids like to shop too) so we don't know if they really are using child labor.  Their stuff is not only cheap but often very unusual.  At Christmas time, their wrapping paper and decorations are very different, in fact it is hard to even recognize they are actually for Christmas.   We find the place very interesting and we always end up leaving with something.  Aside from the goodies for my dad, we bought a cheap ($79) mattress for the top of Miles' bunk bed.  I find the whole place just very unusual, even how you walk through the store.  It is like a maze and you have to go with the flow of the people in the right direction or you make everyone irritated or you get run over.  When you are on the top floor and you just stand still for a minute, you can feel the floor moving (I find it kind of freaky).  This place is gigantic.  They have everything you need for your house, well actually it is mostly stuff you don't need but it is sure a fun place.

Stuff Cobbs Like #12: The Millers

Cobbs really like Tony and Holly!  We have been trying to go out to dinner with them for about two months.  Finally last night we were all healthy enough to go out.  We went to the Miller's favorite restaurant, Harry's Pacific Grill.  We had such a great time with the Millers.  They are such a fun couple.  We really enjoy hanging with them.  I woke up this morning and my stomach muscles hurt from laughing so much last night (or maybe it was from all the coughing too).  We had a great time with you guys and cannot wait till we hang out again!  Oh, Harry's Pacific Grill was delicious.  There were a lot of unique choices.  Everything we had was fabulous and the service was great too, the waitress sang me a blues version of happy birthday.  We will definitely be going back again!  Thanks, Tony and Holly!  We love you guys!

Jesus Storybook Bible at Costco

Miles and I were just at the Lake Elsinore Costco and they had The Jesus Storybook Bible for only $7.99!!!  This is a fantastic book and an unbelievable deal!  This book would make a great gift for all the kiddos of your extended family/neighborhood/friends/co-workers.  Give this book instead of a chocolate easter bunny on the upcoming Resurrection Day!

Worth reading, watching, and listening

Yes, the disease in our house has finally hit me.  This has been the most prolonged illness.  As soon as one person in our family starts to recover the next one gets hit.  Why couldn't we all just get it all at once instead of it being drawn out over three weeks!  I have been to 3 different doctors appointments this week (and it is only Wednesday):  the pediatrician, the dentist, and the ENT doctor.  But I am very thankful for my prayer warrior, Mason.  He prays over me constantly.  He is the sweetest.  He is always thinking about others.  The good Lord has had great mercy on me this week in my sickness.  Miles has been a delight the past few days.  Praise God! 

I don't have anything witty or interesting to say because I am under the influence of cold medicine and have a head full of snot. So, I am pointing you to some very interesting info by people who have clear heads.

1.  Here is a very interesting and sad article posted on Radical Womanhood to show us where feminism has gotten us.  It is called Soccer Mom Wannabe.  I have a ton to say about this.  I wrote a lengthy post just on this article but I am still contemplating publishing it.  Please read her post linked above.  Maybe I'll share my story later.

2.  Desiring God has posted a short video from abort73 titled Medical Testimony Against Abortion.

3.  Matt Chandler and I are hanging out again.  I have started listening to his new series on Luke.  Very good.  Go add him to your iPod!

4. Christianity Today writes about The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones.  I saw that our local Barnes and Noble is now selling this book.  Go get a copy for all the kiddos you know (Christian or not).

5.  Disturbing info on one of our presidential candidates.

6.  Resurgence Blog

7.  C.J. Mahaney's Blog

8. Erick talks to Kaleo about Loving Your Enemy.

Stuff Cobbs Like #11: Bo and Hannah

Cobbs like Bo and Hannah!  We had a great time hanging out at their casa today.  Bo and Hannah have hearts that are full of hospitality and love.  They both are a great example of joy and thankfulness.  Bo wakes up in the morning and tells himself  "I am the luckiest guy that ever lived."  I need to have that attitude in the mornings!  They are such a wonderful couple and we love their friendship.  It has also been a pleasure to serve with them at Kaleo.  We are excited to see how God will continue to use them in many ways.  Thank you Bo and Hannah for your love for people and your great friendship.  We love you guys (and Happy Birthday Bo)!

Stuff Cobbs Like #10: Honda Odyssey

Cobbs like the Honda Odyssey!  OK, you knew this one was coming.  Erick and I talk constantly about the Odyssey, and I think I already have 3 posts about my Odyssey.  This is by far the best car we ever bought!  Yes, I realize that it is a minivan and not very hip, but it is very practical.  After you have kids, practicality is much more a priority than style (but I do think the Odyssey has style even if it is a minivan).  The Odyssey has incredible power and is actually fun to drive.  Erick likes to turn the Odyssey into a "Suburban Assault Vehicle" on Saturdays.  He sees how much junk he can cram into the back to haul off to the dumpster.  He has dreams of customizing it with a utility rack on top.  Today we stuffed four 10 foot long wood boards, a wooden fence (for my vegetable garden), and a bunch of other junk in to the back and we were able to shut it's back door!  How many SUV's or trucks can do that?  Our next car will probably be another Odyssey, but with leather, dvd players and painted camouflage.  Yes, the Odyssey is wonderful.  Some would disagree and say get a Prius, but they are wrong!