Yea, I know…all you women are looking at me funny, but, buying presents for my girlfriend is hard. She has everything in the world…and anytime she wants something, she just guys it. Well, normally if it’s not too expensive. So, I’m always on the lookout for things to buy her since it can be such a challenge most of the time.

Today I was looking around for some birthday presents and found some awesome shoes and purses but they were a little out of my price range…like most of the stuff she always wants. Haha. But, I thought maybe I could find a nice Endless.com promotion code or something since I know they have a ton of items she likes, and I can always smile about saving some extra cash! And never one to be a waste, I also found some kick butt Finishline.com coupon codes to use on myself, cause hey, don’t I need a little present every now and then? Am I right or am I right guys?! If she gets some new shoes, then I need some too. I mean…come on, if she’s gonna look hot, she needs her guy to look hot next to her right?

Anybody think that excuse will work!? Haha

The city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration narrowly escaped the budget axe this spring, and the event will take place from 3 to 10 p.m. as usual next month at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

City officials slashed funding for several nonprofit community groups and events this spring, including the Grape Day Festival, military band concerts, local high school Grad Nites and First Night Escondido.

But they decided certain events were too important to community spirit and local quality of life.

In contrast, Oceanside decided in February to cancel its Fourth of July seaside fireworks display, saving at least the $40,000 price tag for the production. The city could also save additional money in police overtime if holiday crowds leave Oceanside beaches early to search out fireworks elsewhere.

Oceanside typically sees crowds of roughly 150,000 on the Fourth of July, and a shoreline fireworks show had been offered in the city since as early as 1903.

Other displays in North County, including Vista, Poway, San Marcos and Fallbrook, will continue to go on as usual this year.

So if you’re looking for a place to check out, Escondido seems like the best bet this year.

One thing I’ve done for the past few years is give myself and my girlfriend a summer vacation. It’s always something nice to look forward to, and it’s a nice break during the year. For me, when I work 12 straight months, I get so drained…I just have to take a week or two break in there and forget about everything. The past few years we’ve stayed pretty close to home but I’ve been saving for a nice trip out of the country this year. The place that I’ve continually been looking at is Australia. It’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit, it’s so beautiful, and they have Accor Hotels there as well, which are my favorite hotels of all time. It makes your trip so amazing to have a beautiful and elegant place to stay on vacation. And they treat you like royalty!

I think going to visit the Great Barrier Reef is one thing I’m going to do on the trip as well as a visit to the Outback. I’ve watched enough TV shows on them, bout time I actually visit!

I noticed Accor Hotels were also running a special of savings of up to 60% off when you book on-line between 23 - 29 June, for stays between July 10 and September 30, 2009…so I’m totally on that right now!

So, when I got out of college, I ran out of health insurance so I had to go out and buy it…which, sucks. So after a while, I had a minor tooth problem and went to go to the dentist - yet, little did I know - I only had health insurance, not dental insurance. Lucky me right?! I was not paying 900 bucks for a silly filling!! So, I had to look into getting some good, yet cheap dental insurance. I started looking around for reviews and found nothing but positive remarks for Landlord Insurance. I really like their rates and the way they treat their customers. I hate feeling like a piece of meat…they actually have a great support team that will help you with any needs or questions you have, not to mention their awesome rates. Can’t really complain.

Living near the ocean as I do, one of the favorite stress reliefs is to go out and just relax in the bay here. I’ve never been a big ocean person - as it freaks me out a bit to go out into the major waves, so, that’s why I prefer using the local bay. It’s calm…easy to navigate, and has tons of space for water sports with my friends. A few of my friends are professional wake borders, so it’s fun to take them out and see them do their magic.

Recently though, we’ve started going out a little later in the day and we get stuck out there in the late afternoon and evening when it starts getting a little dark. So, I’ve been thinking about getting some type of lighting system, but I wasn’t sure of what to get. I’ve never bought lights for boats, so, I asked a couple of them and they told me to look into magnalight.com. I guess that’s what a few of them use on their boats and far as I’ve seen, it’s awesome. They’re really bright and light up everything very well…which is exactly what we need. I hate coming in to shore at like 4 or 5…I wanna stick around till 7 or 8, so the lights will be awesome for us.

Federal authorities this week caught a woman trying to smuggle pot into the country by hiding it a baby stroller.

It was one of four incidents at the Calexico Port of Entry in which officers seized drugs with a total street value of more than $1.7 million, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said yesterday.

About 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, a woman pushing a baby in a stroller at the pedestrian crossing was stopped when a Customs officer noticed she looked nervous.

Officers found five packages of marijuana in the stroller’s padding. The woman, age 27, a resident of Seeley in Imperial County, was arrested. The baby’s relatives took the child. The pot weighed 10 pounds.

I mean seriously - are people really going to stoop this low?! Involving poor babies!?

I don’t even know what to say any longer.

You know, I think this is one of those topics you really hate to think about, but it’s important that you do. And I think it’s especially important if you have a significant other and/or children.

I mean, I really don’t like to think about death but you never really know what can happen. You could get extremely sick…you could simply drive down to the local store and get into a horrific car accident. I know, it’s a scary thought and something you want to avoid thinking about but it’s really important you think about your family and protect them by getting Life Insurance for yourself. And let’s face it - once you’ve signed up for it, you have it. You don’t ever need to worry about it again.

When it comes to a Life Insurance Company, in my opinion, you want to pick a company that you feel comfortable with and a company that will make sure your family is comfortable as well. You hear all these horror stories about shady life insurance companies and you don’t want that. I’ve actually been looking into some companies for myself as I am getting a little older and have more responsibilities. If something horrific did happen to me, I’d want to make sure my Mom was protected. One company that has really impressed me is Rainbow. I’ve heard a lot of good things about them, seen great reviews, and they’re well known for the way they treat their customers. Something that’s a nice change.

If you’re going out today or tomorrow, cause it might just be a wet one. A cool…wet one.

Cool and cloudy conditions should persist through the week, and there’s a slight chance of thunderstorms Monday and Tuesday.

Highs at the coast should be in the upper 60s all week, and the inland valleys are expected to be in the low to mid 70s. The deserts, which would normally be hitting about 100 degrees this time of year, will struggle to make it to 90.

The National Weather Service is listing a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms through Tuesday. Forecaster Stan Wasowski said the storms will be widely scattered, and shouldn’t produce much rain.

The thunderstorm threat goes away Wednesday, but a moist, onshore flow and heavy marine layer should remain in place.

Seems a lot like last week, doesn’t it?

Well, the time has come - my little cousin is finally moving out onto her own. I remember when she was just a little thing that I’d take to the park and play with, coach her softball team, etc. I’ve never really been in this situation - it’s almost in a way like I’m her big brother, but, with a dash of parenting on the side since I took care of her for so long.

She e-mailed me today and told me she’s going to be moving into some Lexington apartments. It’s a really lovely area…I’m sorta jealous. I told her I’m going to come crash at her place when I can…haha. Hopefully I’ll be able to go visit later this summer…it looks really beautiful. I wish they had something similar here in Pickens.

In what was hailed as a moment for celebration, the Oceanside City Council on Wednesday signed off on a development blueprint for El Corazon, a former sand mine envisioned as a giant park.

Roughly 80 people, including youth soccer players, applauded the unanimous vote.

Given to the city in 1994, the 465-acre El Corazon property is bordered by Oceanside Boulevard, El Camino Real, Mesa Drive and Rancho del Oro Drive.

The specific plan spells out development guidelines and design concepts for the site. It reserves 212 acres for athletic fields and recreational uses, 34 acres for civic buildings and 164 acres for natural habitat. A long list of amenities includes hiking trails, an aquatic center and a tree-lined promenade.