As Easter and Mother's Day approaches, and anniversaries and birthdays are always around the corner, isn't it good to know the meaning of flowers and their colors? Wouldn't it impress her when you give her a huge bouquet and tell her why you hand picked that particular flower? Hummm, now those are some brownie points my friend...
Acacia
Friendship
Agapanthus
Secret Love
Amaryllis
Pride, Timidity, Splendid Beauty
Anemone
Forsaken
Aster
Afterthought
Azalea
First love, Temperance
Belles of Ireland
Good Luck
Bouvardia
Enthusiasm
Buttercup
Childishness
Caladium
Great joy and delight
Calla
Magnificent beauty
Camellia, Red
Unpretending excellence
Camellia, White
Perfected lovliness
Carnation, Red
Alas poor heart
Carnation, Pink
I'll never forget you
Carnation, Purple
Capriciousness
Carnation, Striped
Sorry I can't be with you
Carnation, White
Innocence
Carnation, Yellow
Disdain
Chrysanthemum, Red
Love
Chrysanthemum, White
Truth
Chrysanthemum, Yellow
Slighted love
Crocus
Youthful gladness
Daffodil
Regard, You are the only one
Daisy
Innocence
Dandelion
Rustic oracle
Fern
Fascination
Fleur-de-Lis
Flame: I burn
Forget-Me-Not
True love
Freesia
Innocence
Galax
Encouragement
Gardenia
You are lovely
Gladiolus
Strength of character
Lilac, Purple
First emotion of life
Lilac, White
Youthful innocence
Lily, Orange
Wealth
Lily, White
Sweetness
Lily, Yellow
Gaiety, walking on air
Lily of the Valley
Return of happiness
Lotus Flower
Estranged love
Magnolia
Love of nature
Marigold
Grief
Myrtle
Home, love
Narcissus
Egotism
Orangeblossom
Purity
Orchid
A belle
Pansy
Thoughts
Peony
Bashfulness
Queen Anne's Lace
Haven
Rose
Love
Rose, Burgundy
Unconscious love
Rose, Deep Red
Bashful
Rose, Pink
Perfect happiness
Rose, White
I am worthy of you
Rose, Yellow
Decrease of love, Jealousy
Rose, Red & White together
Unity
Snapdragon
Presumption
Statice
Remembrance
Stephanotis
Happiness in marriage
Stock
Lasting beauty
Tulip
Fame
Tulip, Red
Declaration of love
Wall-Flower
Fidelity in adversity
Wax Flower
Riches
Yarrow
Healing
Call the Flower Lady in Bonita for a spectacular bouquet this Easter Sunday. 619-425-5968
3121 Bonita Road, On Bonita Road just East of the 805.
PetCo in Eastlake is having an Easter feast for you and your dog, on Easter Sunday! They are serving up Irish Stew and Sausage and will have free give aways!
When: Apr 4, 2010 3:00 pm (Sunday)
Where: Petco 878 EASTLAKE PKWY #1210 Chula Vista, CA
1301 Oleander Ave., Chula Vista, CA 91911 (619)421-4011 NEW Extension # 312
To use the skatepark -- A skatepark waiver must be completed (youth 17 and under under need to have parent sign in person at the park) NOTE: Helmets Requred ! (knee & elbow pads recommended)
LEN MOORE CHULA VISTA SKATEPARK 1301 Oleander Ave., Chula Vista, CA 91911 (619) 421-4011 NEW Extension # 312
To use the skatepark -- A skatepark waiver must be completed (youth 17 and under under need to have parent sign in person at the park) NOTE: Helmets Requred ! (knee & elbow pads recommended)
Our 55,000 square foot skatepark, including new wooden half-pipe, features shaded bleachers for viewing, lights for night skating, fully-stocked skate shop, and a snack bar.
Equipment required: Helmet, knee pads, elbow pads
Fees: Member $4 Nonmember $10 Annual Membership: $25 (includes programs discounts) Fee: $125 per week 10-session pass: $30 (Members only) TIMES Monday- Tuesday -- Park Closed for Maintenance Wednesday - Friday 2:45 pm-7:45 pm Saturday 11:30 am-7:45 pm Sunday 11:30 am-6:45pm
What to do? Where to go? Remember this from your youth?... Oh you belong in the zoo, the San Diego Zoo......
That little didi was a great commercial jingle that probably inspired many of us to bug our own parents to take us to the zoo as children. Being in marketing, I can really appreciate the efforts of a genius marketing department, and the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park has no shortage of genius. Here are a few of my favorite commercials (thank you YouTube!)... Maybe they will inspire you to visit the park this Spring Break. I know I'm feeling inspired already :)
The Nature Center in Chula Vista is having some great spring camps this year. If you haven't had the chance to take your kids down there, now is the time.
We've heard our Mayor, Cheryl Cox, talk about our fantastic Nature Center, we've seen our community come out in support of our Nature Center... Well there is a good reason! It is a fantastic place to bring the family, and it's right here in our own backyard.
This spring break the Nature Center is hosting several Spring Sessions, and even a Slumber Party. Sea Turtle Day Camp for campers 6-12 years old Make a splash this spring break with the Nature Center's first ever Sea Turtle Day Camp! From beak to tail, we'll discover everything turtle through games, crafts, hands-on activities, and up-close encounters with the Nature Center's sea turtles. Sign up for one, two or all three days. Space is limited, so call the Nature Center today! Session 1: March 30, 31, April 1 Session 2: April 6, 7, 8 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Combine with Art Camp for a full day of fun! $44 per child per day or $122 for session (members $40/$110)
Sea Turtle Art Camp for campers 6-12 years old Under the direction of local art instructor Carolyn Helton, Art Camp students will use watercolors, salt and saran wrap to create brightly colored sea turtle art pieces. class times are 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. on the same dates as the Day Camp $12 per child per day or $33 per session (members $10/$27) Art supplies included
Sea Turtle Slumber Party Ages 5 and up Join us for a very special family overnight adventure at the Chula Vista Nature Center! Experience the secrets of Sweetwater Marsh after dark with fun hands-on activities, sea turtle stories and crafts, and a chance to meet our very own green sea turtles up close! At evenings end we will snuggle down in sleeping bags for cozy indoor camping in the Nature Center's auditorium. In the morning we will enjoy breakfast at Sea Turtle Lagoon followed by a morning bird walk. Don't miss this evening of discovery and fun designed especially for families with children. April 2, 6:00 p.m. - April 3, 9:30 a.m. $48 per person ($45 for members)
For more information on any of these camps or other events being held at the Nature Center, or to donate, visit www.chulavistanaturecenter.org
With Spring in the air, baseball beginning, football sign ups well under way, we start to think about getting our kids into shape again for another year of youth sports. Really?... Like our year ever really ends! One just dissolves into the next. Basketball, then baseball, football, then soccer. Oh, did I forget softball, and cheer, or volleyball!
We are busy parents, and we love our kids. Enough to give them the very best. The best equipment, the best training, the best sports associations. For those of us into sports in the South County it's more than just extracurricular, its a way of life, our passion! We've met our bestfriends through our childrens youth sports, our children have met some of their life long friends, we have bonded with a tight group of people that share our same values and live in our community. Some of us even met our husbands or wives. We have given our time, and money and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Now, we have the advantages of the Gonzalez Sports Academy, its amazing facilities and its fantastic group of coaches. The Academy's focus is on baseball, softball, strength & conditioning, volleyball and football.
Eastlake Panther's Youth Football and Cheer had their returning player registration there on Saturday, and the place was simply impressive. I will be signing up, my XBoxing - out of shape, football player, immediately and getting him ready for football season. I'm as excited has he is for this opportunity. I'm even more excited to hear the football training coach is Castle Park alum and former Charger, Zeke Moreno.
BE THE FIRST TO VIEW THE SOUTH COUNTY EDITION OF DREAM HOMES MAGAZINE TODAY!
McMillin Realty is dedicated to changing the perception of Chula Vista and the South County their main vision is that South County is the premiere living destination in San Diego County. Let's get the word out!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Frida's Mexican Cocina, Otay Ranch Town Center, Chula Vista
Despite depressed housing conditions, closed retail spaces and a lagging job market, McMillin Cos. stepped up its drive Wednesday to get started on a massive, $4 billion, mixed-use project in Otay Ranch, which it is dubbing “Millenia.”
Company executives unveiled a marketing campaign at a VIP reception aimed at interesting investors and piquing the interest of potential buyers, office users and retail tenants three years down the road.
Todd Galarneau, vice president of project management, said the project will not break ground until McMillin secures equity partners and construction financing, but he said that could happen within the next six months, leading to the first home sales in early 2012.
“We’re waiting for values to support the development costs and the lending environment to normalize, as well,” Galarneau said. “The test is to balance costs with revenues. That’s what we’re trying to look at — how to phase the project, what portion we can get at early, keep the costs down and then accelerate for coming out of the ground.”
As part of what is called the Eastern Urban Center, Millenia — purposely spelled without a second “n” — gained Chula Vista’s approval in September. The 20-year plan calls for 2,983 condominiums and townhouses; 3.5 million square feet of commercial space, including a hotel; and six parks, a library, school, fire station and transit station. The high-density development on 210 acres lies east of state Route 125 and south of Birch Road and the Otay Ranch Town Center mall.
Galarneau declined to specify how much funding is needed to start construction but said McMillin probably would provide equity in addition to what investors offer. In such a scenario, developers typically then go to commercial or institutional lenders for construction loans to cover initial grading, sewer and water lines, roads and other infrastructure. Building sites are then sold off to developers to construct homes and commercial improvements. McMillin’s commercial and residential divisions probably would be part of the builder pool.
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox welcomed McMillin’s announcement, saying her city was the first to face the housing downturn and is now ready to lead the region on the way up. She compared Millenia with Liberty Station, McMillin’s conversion of the Naval Training Center in Point Loma into a residential, commercial and arts complex, a symbol of San Diego’s conversion from defense industry dominance to a broader-based economic mix in the wake of the 1990s recession.
“To put that kind of mixed-use product in is what made Liberty Station so successful, and McMillin has a proven track record of doing things right,” Cox said.
Galarneau said that since fall, the company has submitted documents to certify the project under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program for environmentally sustainable and energy-saving features, applied for grants and developed a presentation for the Western builders show in San Francisco this spring.
Meanwhile, there are signs that South Bay might be ready for new construction after five years of declining prices, thousands of foreclosures and a slowdown in commercial activity during the recession. MDA DataQuick reports that median single-family home prices bottomed out last year and appear to be on the rise. Foreclosures and defaults have fallen, though they are still higher than historic norms.
“We’ve seen a stabilization of values in Otay Ranch,” Galarneau said. “That was probably in the first or second quarter of last year.”
He suggested that by 2012-13, home prices and the economy will have recovered enough for first-time buyers and empty-nesters — the target audience for Millenia — to try out living in a new suburban community with an urban flair. Millenia’s master plan calls for densities of up to 40 dwelling units per acre, roughly six times that of typical single-family tracts.
His strategy was endorsed by two market watchers, Gary London and Jeff Meyers, who said McMillin’s timing may be perfect, if not a little too conservative.
“The market will more than likely be ripe for new product in about three years,” said London, who heads London Group Real Estate Advisors. “Certainly, they shouldn’t be in a hurry, but we’re going to reach a crisis milestone in approximately three years when the recession is a thing of the past, the local economy is resurging and there’s no new housing. Otay Ranch is uniquely positioned to accommodate reasonably priced homes in a high-quality community — almost without parallel and probably without competition.”
Meyers, who heads Meyers Builder Advisors, said McMillin actually could speed up its schedule by about a year and hit the mark even more accurately. Buyers of new homes now pay 10 percent to 20 percent over the price of foreclosures and other distressed properties because they receive warranties from builders and do not have to worry about a home that has been trashed by its previous owners and tenants.
“The consumer is getting impatient,” Meyers said. “Short sales (homes sold for less than their mortgage balance) and foreclosures, while they might be priced attractively, are not always what they’re cracked up to be.”
Although McMillin originally intended to build Millenia’s residential and nonresidential components concurrently, Galarneau said it is more likely that the homes will have to go first. London and Meyers said buyers will accept that phased approach as long as it is clear that the community amenities, shopping and workplaces come online within two or three years of moving in.
“I think housing can stand on its own,” Meyers said. “Obviously, though, with good, strong, mixed-use projects, that can influence the price of those units if they are truly well-executed in a lifestyle center.”
You will be able to find "Live" stats on our South County market on this blog. I have created a page that is dedicated to our market. Just click the link above and it will take you right there. Like I mentioned, it is a "Live" link, so it is updated weekly.
I've also added, at the bottom, a comparison of our Eastlake market to Poway, 4SRanch (the new RB), and Carlsbad. I would say they are competing communities as far as schools, facilities, homes, etc., are considered. The big difference, the price point, well and the proximity to Downtown and beaches! South County really is the jewel of San Diego!!!
AVERAGE LIST PRICE for Chula Vista (zip codes 91910, 91913, 91914 and 91915)
THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS IT IS TAKING TO SELL IN THIS AREA
NUMBER OF HOMES FOR SALE
THE BUYER ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA
AVERAGE LIST PRICE for Bonita, Paradise Hills, National City, Ocean View Hills
THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS IT IS TAKING TO SELL IN THIS AREA
NUMBER OF HOMES FOR SALE
THE BUYER ACTIVITY IN THIS AREA
PRICE POINT OF SOUTH COUNTY VS. NORTH COUNTY
South County has everything North County has to offer, but we have one thing they don't - a better cost of living!
I know baseball just started and no one wants to think about football, but if you want to get your son on a youth team this summer you really need to do just that.
For most associations in South County, returning player registration will begin in the next few weeks. New player registration usually begins in April. Since there are only 35 players per tackle team, and most associations only field one or two teams per division, they do fill up quickly.
San Diego Youth Football and Cheer is the largest conference in San Diego County and operates 6 associations in the South County from Imperial Beach to Bonita. You can find their links on our side blog. Check your individual association's website for registration dates.
For all associations there are standard requirements, the county contract with player photo (3 copies), the physical (turned in prior to practice), the final report card. You will also be required to turn in proof of residency (some associations require more than one source, you will need to check with your local association), also, each association has their own forms for refund policy, weight requirements, player and parent code of conduct, etc.
My son played for Otay Ranch Broncos and then moved to the Eastlake Panthers last year. The caliber of coaches he has had the fortune of being coached by all his years has been amazing. I believe much of who my son has become is a direct result of the lessons he has learned from his football experiences and the people that surround him while he is there. Last year was a very trying year and the coaches were incredible, they made all the difference to a boy that could have lost football forever. That is community and I respect those individuals that give their time and energy to our youth. The mission statement of San Diego Youth Football and Cheer (just wanted to share, because I think it is important to know, they teach more than just football)
Our organization will make every effort to make sure that every child with the desire to participate gets the opportunity to play or cheer, without regard to prior experience or athletic ability.
We are committed to instilling Honesty, Loyalty, Integrity, Teamwork, Discipline, Sportsmanship, Respect, Leadership, Trust and Commitment in our young participants. We believe these values and virtues are important to their growth and to them becoming active members of our community and society.
We will instill in our youth the challenge of competition, the joy of victory, the reality of defeat, the importance of commitment and the spirit of community. Our Scholar Athlete Recognition program is to directly underscore the importance of academic achievement among athletes, and by doing so, it will prepare them for the challenges of high school and collegiate environments.
These goals will be achieved through organizing our dedicated volunteers, caring parents, and business associates who wish to partner with our great youth sport program.
I can't believe it is almost here, but little league baseball is right around the corner.
For most of us parents and players, we had our first practices this week. Met our new teammates and coaches, hooked-up with old friends, and just slid back into the sport that starts our Spring, Baseball.
For my son our first practice was actually on the minor B field this week. I got to walk my giant dog, Zeus, and watch my son play baseball with a new enthusiasm he didn't have last year. Kids grow and mature so much year to year, so every year sports is different, for them to play and for us to watch.
I saw many familiar All Star World Series Champions on the Juniors field practicing, and Coach Ric Ramirez was there with his youngest son and nephew practicing with their Majors team.
From what I understand, Parkview has more kids this year than ever, so that means more games, more uniforms, more coaches needed, more umpires needed, more everything. We will be playing games this year from Sunday - Saturday, basically every day of the week! WOW! That's commitment from their Board and the volunteers that run the place. Opening Day Ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday, March 13th. They usually start early with the T-Ball parade and team intros. Come on out and meet your Parkview Little Leaguers.
