Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We had a pumpkin carving party at the poolhouse tonight. Lots of friends were there and there were many, many pumpkins carved! Fun, fun, fun! Here are some photos.

From 2007-Q4-Pumpk...

RD's Wedding Photos

RD's Wedding Photos

My long-time friend, legal counsel and golf-partner married on Saturday. It was a beautiful ceremony in a terrific location with lots of beautiful people in attendance. Some of my favorite people on earth were in and at the wedding. I was deeply honored to perform the ceremony. While I've done about ten weddings over the years, it's been a while and I was nervous I would say the names in the wrong order. But it went well. Click here for some candid photos.


Welcome to the "family", Stephanie.

Richard's bachelor party at 21 choices ice cream in Pasadena. Delicious!

RD is ahead by 6 after 9. He was up by 21 after the 18th hole! OUCH!

On dining out with children...

We get together about once a month with a group of dear friends here in LA. Up to now, we are the only ones with children (however, now that the Big Load in in LA I'm sure they'll join us). Anyway...since we are the only ones with children we continually feel pressure to choose restaurants that are fun for our kids and fun for the hip-young adults we hang out with (although one of them won't be young much longer...). So today I put down some of my thoughts about restaurant selection with children in mind. This may be a helpful guide to those of you with small children who, like we (or is that "us"? Help, Elisa!), routinely meet friends without children at various restaurants around town.

Because classes are beginning here in less than one-week, I'm in full-blown class prep mode. Therefore, I am thinking in logical analytical sequences.

"Daddy, When is my Food Going to Be Here?!": An introduction to restaurant selection with children

Any parent with a child between the ages of one-week and 15-years recognizes that one of the key factors in family satisfaction is restaurant selection. A "good" choice means an evening of fun, relaxation and happy memories. A "bad" choice leads to peril...high-stress, enormous anxiety, endless whining, and possibly even a time-out or an early departure prior to eating.

In choosing a family-friendly restaurant there are three factors to keep in mind: speed, volume, & ambiance. These three factors contribute to four distinct tiers of alternatives for restaurant selection with children.

• Tier 1- The most friendly places are high-speed, high-volume, & uber-casual ambiance. These spaces often include some free space so the kids can get up and walk around after dinner. That would include places like homes, parks, and restaurants with play areas.
  
• Tier 2 - A moderately kid-friendly place is a high-speed, high-volume restaurant with a moderately casual atmosphere. In these establishments a child who is struck with an episode of SCBS (Spontaneous Childlike Behavior Syndrome) it won't be noticed by everyone in the place. Also it is relatively quick to get you seated and get some food on the table. This includes many "family-style" restaurants like Applebees, Chili's (except on busy weekend nights)...as well as lots of little family-owned places (like Hop Li).
  
• Tier 3 - Less kid-friendly restaurants include restaurants that are either high-volume OR high-speed, but not both. The most common arrangement is high-volume, low-speed restaurants with a moderately casual ambiance. These restaurants are safe for SCBS, but slow to get a table and/or food. Children loose patience with a 20-60 minute wait for a table and then parents are at a deficit by the time they are seated. By the time the food arrives, the family may be ready to have it "to-go". This includes many tier 2 restaurants on busy nights as well as any very busy, popular restaurants like Claim Jumpers, P.F. Chang's, Outback, and Cheesecake Factory.
  
• Tier 4 - The worst places are restaurants with an adult ambiance. These can be either low-volume/speed establishments like quiet, formal restaurants (picture a romantic Italian place), or a high-volume/speed establishment like a club-like restaurant designed for college-kids to hook-up.

With luck, a Tier 2 restaurant will satisfy all parties in any group gathering. Otherwise, I advise you select a Tier 3 restaurant and give ample warning to the children that there will be a wait, or that they need to be careful to use "inside" voices. Also, give ample warning to the adults that you will make it a short night.

Under no circumstances should you select a Tier 4 restaurant, or commit to a long, adult-oriented discussion in a Tier 3 restaurant if you bring your children. It it must be a Tier 4, or an adult-oriented Tier 3, then find a sitter.

Finally, remember that children are people too. They have the same feelings, desires, and hopes that adults have, they simply have less ability to disguise them. A hungry, impatient adult will simply not be a good conversationalist. A hungry, impatient child will drive everyone crazy asking, "Daddy...when is my food going to get here?!" in increasingly annoying tones until the food is served.

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Pepperdine Bible Lectures

The Bible Lectures were this past week here at Pepperdine (ironically--my wife was on the lecture program before I was! See her name on the first page under "Story Time for Children"). We had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and making new ones. Highlights included introducing David Keller, visiting with Bobby Bligh, a wonderful lecture on the "innocence" of children by Holly Allen, pie with Conejo friends, catching up with the Moneys (above), pie with the Kellers, the best sermon I've ever heard (by David Fleer on the message of Jeremiah), and seeing old friends like Evan, Jason, Leonard, Holly, Jason, and Shon. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Visit with Philip

My buddy Phil was in town for a conference last week. We enjoyed a few hours touring East LA, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Pasadena. It's always fun to catch up with old friends you see too infrequently.

On the road again...

I'm in Prague this week co-leading a group of students in an exploration of business in Central and Eastern Europe. It's a beautiful city. The best part is I looked up an old friend from DC...Jakub Tomastik. We are going to get together for dinner this week. It should be great to renew an old friendship. For those of you from NLC you will remember Jakub as the F.O.E. who was studying Economics at GWU.

This ones for your, Sammy...

The following story is a shout-out to my buddy SLS to whom I've made similar accommodations over the past months...

Ping-Pong Rules Adjusted For Girlfriend