so here goes…

1. for a the most beautiful & loving wife who puts up with all my crap and always gives back love.
2. forgiveness from God & from others
3. sally’s funny faces… lately featuring big eyes
4. holding hands with wisey while we are driving
5. starbucks peppermint hot chocolate
6. sally’s amazing school. they have taught her so much!
7. a job i love
8. trips to chicago and other far off places… adventure is great and it reminds me what I love about home
9. a car that always gets me from here to there
10. christmas music

let me give some backstory. a few years ago when the market was up and land prices were riding high… the city council decided that they could get a good deal from a developer to build a senior center instead of paying a park in-lieu fee. the developer complied because the deal they got was less than what they would have paid (then) in fees. so the deal was struck and the location was chosen… 6.5 acres of prime central park real estate. the voters of huntington beach approved the funding mechanism and the location by a razor thin majority. since that time there has been battle after battle to try and define what this building will look like, how much it will cost to build, how the developer (who is now broke) is going to pay for it and since it is in a park, should it be a model of sustainable development.

back in december of 2007 the planning commission (full disclosure… I am an HB planning commissioner) voted to approve this project with a few changes from the staff recommendation. we voted to strike “strive to” from the statement “The project shall strive to achieve LEED Certification.” our intent was clear. we wanted a LEED certified building in the park. proponents cried that it would bust the budget… it could never work… why bother.

the council in february of 2008 then took up the issue. they added “strive to” back into the condition and thus the die was cast. the project would not end up a real LEED certified building.

flash forward to now. the economy is in the tank. the developer cannot build their project downtown, let alone the senior center. the city is cutting community service programs and staff… and the senior center is right on track to break ground this fall! staff brought back the final design before the council and asked them to accept the current design as “equivalent” to LEED silver. over the course of the meeting tonight we learned that the silver LEED equivalent is based on the older 2.2 LEED standard, which we could not get now because we did not file in july. (note: the fee in july would have been $2,000) we learned that our city staff did not want a true LEED building. most surprising was that our city energy manager was the loudest voice in opposition to LEED certification. during the debate a motion was made and seconded to require LEED silver certification, but was pulled and ended up in a vote to work to try and add as many green features as possible to get close to the older LEED standard.

so why does this bug me? well it is pretty simple. i want our city to be a model of cutting edge sustainable development. i would like for us to be leaders by example. the investment today (or really 2 years ago) in a design that would achieve LEED certification would pay for itself in the first decade of the building. not to mention it is the right thing to do when building in a park. i also believe that certification means something both for the building and for the city. it means we jumped through the hoop to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this building is a cut above other buildings. i have personally opposed the senior center in the park at every step of the way. it should be built elsewhere. we should not start till we have the money, and we should know how to fund the operation once built.

so… what say you? should it be LEED certified?

so what is my problem with him now? simple. he doesn’t tell the truth. he generalizes facts. he states opinions as fact. he takes clips out of context. he sees conspiracies where there are none. he builds fear. he roots for failure. he sells himself as a defender of the american people. he bills himself as a solution to the problems. he preaches selfishness, not self reliance.

so my choice… I generally do not listen anymore. i would rather listen to something else. something that makes me think. something that presents all sides to an argument and lets me arrive at a conclusion. something that works towards a solution and not something that just rips apart those who are working hard to propose solutions. i’m all for spirited political debate. i just don’t think that is what rush is doing anymore.

Norma Brandel Gibbs Park Sims Grove (via the Stock Team)

Prior to being designated as Norma Brandel Gibbs Park, this site was known as Sims Grove. The park is dedicated to the first settlers who established homes and farms on the Bolsa, including prominent people in Orange County political and agricultural life such as Grahams, Heils, Kettlers, Slaters and Moores. They raised lima beans on the fields around the grove and served the county as legislators and agri-businessmen. This grove was planted by Charles Graham, an original settler around the turn of the century (20th), because he needed wood for building. When the wood proved unusable for construction, he used it for firewood. Since that time, generations of children have grown up playing here, the last rural spot in a maturing city.

Sims Grove is a place to sit and reflect amongst the thick eucalyptus groves that provide shade all day long. A stroll through the grove leads to the new Sims Park situated in the Summerlane tract of homes. This region was once a small airport called Meadowlark Airport. It now includes the park and the residential area.

Norma Brandel Gibbs Huntington Beach City Council 1970-1978 & Mayor 1975-1976

A political pioneer, Norma Brandel Gibbs served Huntington Beach as its first woman Councilmember and Mayor. She is a dynamic and visionary leader who contributes unselfishly to improving the quality of life for all living beings. Her deep commitment to helping individuals and communities realize their potential is evident in her career as a professor and in her community work. Her legacy include impacting the lives of thousand of students, the development of Huntington Central Park and neighborhood parks, bicycle paths, beach and wetlands preservation, and the Sister City program. She was also instrumental in the development of the Huntington Beach Library and Cultural Center, and the found of Interval House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence. Norma Brandel Gibbs’ love of life permeates her love of teaching and the raising of her four children. It is fitting that this park, home to butterflies and people of all ages, is dedicated to this warm, inspiring leader who holds as her motto:

You can fly But that cocoon has to go.

today I received word that on the same day we visited this beautiful park there has been vandalism (via OCRegister.com)

By ANNIE BURRIS

THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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HUNTINGTON BEACH – Police are looking for vandals who cut off the tops of seven pine trees and two eucalyptus trees at a Surf City Park over the weekend – trees that were planted during an Arbor Day celebration last year by Boy Scouts, officials said.

“It is just a crime,” said Leslie Gilson, who discovered the broken trees at Gibbs Park on Sunday. “It is sickening that we are working so hard to make the city green and better for the kids and this happens.”

The trees were about 16 months old and could cost about $4,500 total to replace, Jean Nagy with the Huntington Beach Tree Society said.

“They were so well taken care of and they were growing so well,” Nagy said.

In March 2007, the tops of 34 pine saplings were cut off in Central Park. The trees were later replaced by the Tree Society but the vandals were never caught, Nagy said.

About 25 of the trees in Central Park were planted three years ago as part of an Eagle Scout project. The rest of the trees were planted as memorial trees, purchased by people who dedicated them to loved ones.

The vandalized trees in Gibbs Park were part of an effort to restore the park after several dead and dying trees had to be cut down about two years ago because of drought, crowding and pests.

Gibbs is known as part of the winter migrating path of Monarch Butterflies, which are drawn to the eucalyptus trees, said Gilson. She is spearheading the restoration effort.

Huntington Beach police will be increasing their patrols at Gibbs Park, specifically during the night, Police spokesman Lt. Russell Reinhart said.

Anyone with information on the vandalism is asked to call Huntington Beach Police Department at 714-960-8811.

Hopefully those who did this will be caught. Hopefully the City will chip in the needed funds to restore the trees that were lost, or damaged. The volunteers who are passionate about this park are doing a great job at raising funds and maintaining this beautiful little corner of our city. Even though it is simple… the place is beautiful, and frankly our City needs more places like it.

so here is my favorite part about this stage we are in right now… for the first time in her life we can have a real conversation. we can talk about things she finds funny… how she is feeling… what she thinks and dreams about and even sing songs together. (sidenote: she knows all the words to the james taylor song “line ‘em up” how many other four year olds can do that??)

to celebrate this year sally got to have 2 parties! we had dinner with grandma sharon and kurt & becky on sunday night and the theme was princess cupcakes. on her actual birthday we had a good old fashioned chuck e. cheese blow out with grandma’s patty & sue. click here to see more photos

four is going to be great… and we are going to savor every moment of it!

so here is your opportunity to learn from masters of the art of storytelling just how we can tell a more compelling story. ben arment (the brains behind the wildly successful & creative catalyst west coast event) is now leading a new conversation about story. here is the info you need to know…

STORY is a first-of-its-kind experience for communicators of the Gospel – the greatest story ever told. It will be held on Wednesday, October 28 at the Paramount Theater in Aurora, Illinois. Speakers include Donald Miller, Nancy Beach, Dave Gibbons, Ed Young, Stacy Spencer, Chris Seay and Mike Foster. A day of workshops will follow on October 29 at nearby Orchard Valley Community Church, featuring illustrators, designers, scholars, authors and communications experts. Register for the conference and enter to win 2 free trips to the Kilns – CS Lewis’ home in Oxford, England – at www.StoryChicago.com.

so are you in?

for those of us who work in ministry, there are a few seasons of the year that are more hectic and crazy than almost any other. easter is one of those times. we recognize that it is a time when people seek out a church experience. we want to make sure that everything is perfect. we plan and prepare… we clean and shine… we dream up all new ways to provide an experience that will make a difference in the lives of those who choose to join us.

at the same time we battle with an overwhelming sense of not enough time to get it all done. we wrestle with exhaustion. we work overtime to make sure all of the bases are covered. it is easy to be so focused on the task of being ready for easter… that we forget.

we forget that at the end of it all… our tasks and plans and schemes and dreams pale in comparison to the power of God!

at our good friday services this year we were reminded that there is a seat at the table for each and every one of us. at easter services we were reminded of the power of the cross. we heard that message in song, in the spoken word… and in the powerful testimony written on cardboard, of individuals whose lives were changed by the cross.

and in the midst of it all I cried. why? because as person after person… some of whom are my friends… walked on that stage and bared their souls… they reminded me that Jesus is in the business of changing lives. praise God for easter and the power of the cross!

oh… and one more thing… while we acknowledge and seek the power of the cross… we also have lots of fun on the way…