What a fun weekend!  Dan and I had dinner with friends Friday, Saturday and Sunday night.  On Friday night, it was dinner and drinks at Savannah in Laguna Niguel.  Savannah is an old-fashioned steak house with yummy food.  Dan and I bought extra large steaks so we could make tacos the next night, and invited Tom and Renee over to enjoy them with us.

Tom and I were DM's together at First Interstate Bank.  He and Dan worked together at FIB and at two other banks after Wells took FIB over.  Renee and I have become good friends over the years with our relationship kicking into high gear on our joint cruise through the Panama Canal several years ago.  (Long enough ago that we didn't have a digital camera!)

So Saturday, Dan and I kicked around, ran errands, and then came home to rush putting tacos together.  He was a real help (even though he was a reluctant partner in the process--thanks, Dear!).  He mixed the margaritas, put away the food that we used for Sunday night's dinner, straightened up and was general sous chef.

The tacos turned out delicious, if I do say so myself.  We had steak and chicken with mushrooms, red onion, red pepper and zuchinni alongside black beans and guacamole.  (And no, for the benefit of Sally and Dad...it wasn't low salt or low fat!)

Then yesterday, Dan golfed while I listened to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I multi-tasked, cleaning up the house while listening.  It's not the same as curling up with a good book and I kept having to rewind after I miss parts because I get distracted.  Loving the ipod, though.

Last night, we hosted our friends, Deb and Steve Thoren-Peden and their four kids (Connor, Hunter, Michaela and Savannah--ages 15 to 4) for build-your-own-pizzas.  The girls seemed to enjoy the building more than the eating...but it was a fun meal to have with kids.  They loved the loft, playing golf, tossing around some small plastic balls we had up there and watching TV.  I can see that the back yard will also be a big hit once it is (finally) completed.

We love having kids over...and it was fun to see Deb and Steve, too. Both are good people, attorneys, great parents and fun friends. They're our partners in Hale Honu, our Big Island home-away-from-home.  They are flying over next weekend for their month at the house.  I wish I was going with!

It was so fun to open up the house to friends...reminds me of the many wonderful times we had hosting folks in Santa Clarita.  When I was shopping for houses down here, the real estate agent was amazed because I kept insisting on big spaces so we could entertain.  "No one entertains in Orange County," she said.

Someone does now!

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