LAPD Wife

Great Idea for Old Cards

Just a quick note about this great option I found for recycling Christmas cards. St. Jude's Ranch for Children, an organization for abused, abandoned and neglected children takes old cards, removes the front that is unwritten upon and makes new ones from them to be sold in packets for the next season. Cards are accepted through Feb 28 and you can find more information here at St. Jude's Ranch.

Merry Christmas everyone. Much love to all! - Renee

LAPD Wife Podcast

I had a fantastic time this weekend chatting with Ken from PoliceBackground.net and Gloria, an LAPD applicant, about my experiences and outlook as the wife of a seasoned LAPD officer. What's really fun is that our conversation is now available as a podcast you can listen to at your convenience.

Check it out at the link below. I hope you like it and just remember, this wasn't rehearsed or scripted, so if I sound goofy, be kind. I have to say that I really had fun talking about a subject I am passionate about and hope that I provided words of hope, motivation, inspiration or maybe just laughter for those who find themselves in similar situations.

PoliceBackground.net / LAPD Wife Podcast

 

Cell phone harassment

One of our friends, Mark, called this weekend and asked for Officer Jake. Mark and his wife Michelle are good friends of ours who we socialize with often. They have 3 daughters, the younger are friends with our kids and their teenage daughter is one of our babysitters. However,  when Mark called and asked for Joe, the way and tone he did so made me realize that this was one of "those" calls. I can always tell when friends call for help of the law enforcement kind - there is a different tone of voice and I've gotten very good at reading it.

So I handed the phone to Jake with a whispered "sounds like a serious help call" to him. Within a few minutes of talking, Jake switched from joking friend type conversation to serious, get-down-to-business conversation and left the room to discuss whatever they were talking about away from the listening ears of the kids.

Our friend's 14-year-old daughter had been getting obscene phone calls on her cell phone. The caller, who sounded like a male in his teens or 20s, saying things like "I want to have sex with you," or commenting on how hot she looked that day, how sexy she was, all sexual in nature. The caller ID was blocked, and though the girl's parents told her not to answer blocked  calls, she had several friends who also showed blocked numbers so often picked up the calls anyway.

Our friend Mark reached the breaking point when, as the caller was again bothering his daughter, she handed the phone over to her Dad who threatened him to stop calling and harassing his daughter. The called was so bold as to tell him that he thought his daughter was hot and planning on having sex with her. Mark saw red and called Jake.

Jake was very sympathetic. We have a daughter and this is a fear of a father, for sure. He gave advice to Mark such as 1) don't answer any blocked calls no matter what. 2) make a report to the local station. 3) get a new cell phone number asap.

They followed his advice and thankfully the calls stopped. But as far as trying to track down this harasser, there wasn't much to be done. If they were able to find out who the caller was, and prove it - which is unlikely - the most they can charge him for is a misdemeanor child annoyance. Phone companies will not backtrace a blocked call without search warrants, etc.

Even though the calls have stopped, Jake has cautioned our friends to let this be a lesson and still be aware. He says that often the harasser is someone they probably know, or close to someone they know. A friend's brother, father, relative. Or a friend of a friend who was able to get her number - pretty easy with teenagers who are socially active, in sports and not very aware of protecting their privacy.

They are being much more cautious, and Jake talked to the daughter too, giving her advice and cautions to follow. We hope that some of it sank in. At 14, you feel indestructible, but it's just not true. A good lesson for all of us.  

Veterans Day - Support Our Soldiers

Flags are flying everywhere today and our thoughts turn to both those who have served our country in the past and in the present. I have two nephews who are in the Marines, my brother-in-law recently retired from the 101st Airborne, my father-in-law served in the Korean war and there many more I could mention. I am thankful, very very thankful for their sacrifices, their love of country and all that they do to keep our country safe and give us the chance to continue to thrive in this great country.

Today is a good day to also think about how we can show our support beyond just a few words on the internet. Cop the Truth has a good post about sending care packages during the holidays. Think about this early, folks, you can't wait til Dec 23 to get it there in time.

I've also listed a few other organizations I'm familiar with that give us opportunities to show our support for the troops. If you would like to recommend any others, please leave their info in the comments section. Thank you.

Cop the Truth: Support Our Troops this Christmas

Cell Phones For Soldiers: Cell Phones for Soldiers was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass., with $21 of their own money. Since then, the non-profit has raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas.

Operation Gratitude: This organization seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas. Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.

Huh? Hand Sanitizer Misuse

Here's one I would have never thought of on my own. It's flu and cold season and I've stocked up on the hand sanitizers for my car, purse and to send with my kids to school. We do what we have to do to protect ourselves from the rampant germs this time of year brings. (Right now my son is home sick from school as I write this with a bad chest cold and heavy cough).

Hand sanitizers have gotten very sophisticated as they've grown in popularity. You can get everything from a 99-cent clear, unscented version at your local drugstore to a grapefruit and melon-scented, moisturizing beads included, glittery designer-type at Bath & Body Works at the mall. (A personal favorite store of mine).

But here's something I didn't think I needed to worry about. I read today that since hand sanitizers often contain a high volume of alcohol that there is now "hand sanitizer misuse" similar to the old Nyquil Smoothies of past years. Yes, somewhere out there, a misguided person is chugging hand sanitizer. Makes me gag to think about it, but with an often 60-percent alcohol content it becomes more seducative to those looking for an illicit high.

One more thing to warn your kids about. "Honey, rub it on your hands.... DON'T drink it!"

Happy Halloween

Block parties, pumpkin carving, Halloween parades at school. So much fun. Today we're carving our pumpkins and I'll be roasting the seeds - a favorite of Officer Jake's and our son. My daughter and I worked on a sweeter treat for a Halloween party - pumpkin cheesecake. Oh so yummy and oh so decadent, but very festive, wouldn't you say?

I made a simple pumpkin cheesecake with a white topping, but then got all Halloween-y by decorating it to look like a spiderweb with spiders and all. Was quite simple. Just take a tube of black cake decorating gel and make a spiral pattern around the cake, starting at the center and working your way out. Then take a toothpick and draw it through the gel in lines to create the webby look. Here are photos of it still in the springform pan and a closeup. I meant to take a photo of it once I'd plated it for serving, but was running too late and Jake was giving me the stink-eye for holding things up. Plating was simple, though. Put it on a simple glass platter and surround the base of the cheesecake with more plastic spiders.

I witnessed one man at the party eat THREE pieces. That's the best compliment of all - when someone is willing to clog an artery because your food tastes so good. Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween!

New LAPD Headquarters

Working as a freelancer, there are up times and there are down times. And then there are the times when you don't know which way is up or down and you life is consumed with meeting deadlines and telling your husband and kids that if they want to eat, they should order in or eat a bowl of cereal. This is one of those times for me.

Part of the work I've been doing has taken me downtown, near the new LAPD police headquarters. An amazing building that I've been able to watch go up over the last year as one one of my clients is located close by. The grand opening of the new headquarters has been billed as the end of an era and coincides with Chief Bratton's last week as Chief of the LAPD.

As the clock ticks toward Chief Bratton's final day, there is still debate about who will be our next Chief. It's generally acknowledged that departments insiders , Assistant Chiefs Jim McDonnell, Earl Paysinger and Sharon Papa and Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, are the final four, with Beck widely thought to have the edge. I say wait and see. You never know what last-minute political maneuvering may bring to the table. We'll watch and we'll see.

Meanwhile, I was also witness a couple weeks ago to the installation of some new and very....let's say "interesting" .... sculptures being installed around the new headquarters building. The consensus of my coworkers and myself was that they looked like bulbous animals without heads. I do like better Chief Bratton's description of them as looking like "cow splat." I see stuff like this, shake my head and wonder how much better $500,000 could have been spent. Yes, I said $500,000.

Los Angeles Times: With new police headquarters, LAPD ends an era

Photos of the grand opening here

LAT: Sculptures at the LAPD and a comments blog about the art called "art or atrocious?" with more pictures. I recommend that you read a few of the comments, there are some pretty hilarious ones in there.

BTW, the party for Jake's 20th was amazing. I've taken pictures and will give a full report on it later.

Party Countdown

I've been planning a "party" for Officer Jake the last few weeks, to use the term loosely. First of all, Jake drives me nuts because he hates parties, he doesn't want attention or any sort of fuss to be made about his birthday or any other milestone. I, on the other hand, love to plan events and am constantly dreaming about big dinner parties, cocktail events, picnics, backyard weddings, you name it, that I could throw at our home. Well, finally, he agreed to let me have a small dinner (can't say the word "party") for a few friends as a celebration of both his birthday (last month) and his 20-year anniversary with the LAPD.

Twenty years with the LAPD (or any other department) is a big deal. First, there is the accomplishment of surviving this long without any major injury or incident that adversely affects our lives. Don't get me wrong, he's been in his share of bang-ups, been in the hospital a few times and we've had our scares, but overall he's healthy and still on active duty.

Second, there is the mental aspect of knowing that he could now retire if he felt like it. Retiring at 20 years wouldn't be a good move financially, though, as the pension is still pretty low at this point, but just knowing that he could do it if he really had to is a sort of mental release. It's all downhill at this point, as we head toward his retirement. He's figuring on working around 30 years for the department, so we're over the hump and I think this next decade will pass very quickly.  

So here I am, with a guest list of about 20 people for dinner at our house. It's looks like a who's-who of Jake's career, with old partners, supervisors, Academy classmates and their husbands or wives from the past 20 years working for the LAPD. I think it's going to be a blast - I've known most of these people, or at least heard alot about them - and it'll be great to have everyone together.

Cooking for 20? I'm up to the challenge and thrive under pressure. First thing is to clean up the house,  put away all the guns, ammo and handcuffs lying around (just kidding! I think some of my readers assume our house is like a scene from Lethal Weapon - it's not!). Spruce up the backyard and get all the outdoor furniture ready. No way am I going to make it formal - casual dinner, sit inside or out (thank goodness the heat wave broke) and mix and mingle.

Here's the menu:

Appetizers for arrival will be: olives, cheese and cracker tray, eggplant dip, homemade guacamole and various interesting chips from Trader Joe's.

Meal: Grilled bbq chicken, grilled Tri-tip, grilled and roasted vegetables with an herb balsamic vinaigrette. A rockin' green salad with  baby greens and fresh spinach, dried cranberries, sliced apples, candied pecans and crumbled blue cheese.

Dessert: Old-fashioned Apple-peach crumble with french vanilla ice cream.

I'll report back how it went soon... wish me luck! And yes, everything is homemade. I don't do mixes. And I'll be sure to share the recipes of everything that goes over well here in the future. And pics if I remember to take them. Bon Appetit!

Piedras Blancas Lighthouse Tour

Jake's father, a retired Nassau County detective, is the type who would happily live in a lighthouse, away from the world and all of its noisy excess. I wonder if many police officers end up this way. It makes sense to me that after a career of dealing with crowds, noise, excess, violence and chaos that a person would crave peace, quiet, and the tranquility of waves crashing and the cries of gulls to the alternative.

In my father-in-law's honor, we visited a lighthouse in Central California for the grand tour a couple of weeks ago. Piedras Blancas, located six miles north of San Simeon on Highway 1 (near Hearst Castle),  was built in 1874. The lighthouse was originally 110 feet in height, but in 1949 the upper part was removed due to earthquake damage. Current height is 74 feet.

The name "Piedras Blancas" means white rocks in Spanish. The reason for this name is apparent as visitors view large stone outcroppings in the water covered in massive amounts of bird poo. The lighthouse is managed by the BLM and tour goers are met by BLM rangers and led by local docents. Our docent was a semi-retired professor from Cal-Poly who not only was good at reciting the dry facts of the history and use of the lighthouse, but also full of info and stories about local flora and fauna, shipwrecks just off the coast (BEFORE the lighthouse was there, in case you're wondering) and even had some cool skulls of local wildlife for the kids (and Officer Jake) to touch and see.

I had a heckuva good time taking photos. Nothing like lighthouses and the Big Sur coastline to inspire artistic tendencies. And Jake's dad is now contemplating life as a lightkeeper yet again. His Mom? She would never leave her bowling league. But we can let the man have his dream for now.

Miss me?

To my readers: I'm so, so sorry that I've been off the blog for so long. Vacation with no wifi turned into start of school chaos with the kids. I then took a big breath and the inlaws came in for a week visit. All this while a large contract with one of my better-paying clients fell into my lap that involved me commuting 2-hours a day downtown. I'm going to try to work in a mental breakdown somewhere, but don't have the time. Ever get that feeling yourself?

Meanwhile, I'm having big thoughts as I commute of redesigning the blog. I need a new banner on the top. The red lips have been great, but I think we need a visual "makeover." Let me know your thoughts and if you would like to be in my beta test group. I'm going to send out ideas to a select few readers and beg for your input. So leave me your email either in the comments  or drop me an email at renee@lapdwife.com and let me know.  (read more below the photo)

Meanwhile, here's a pretty picture from my vacation on the Central Coast of California. The coastline pic is near Ragged Point in Big Sur, just north of where Hearst Castle is. Google Hearst Castle if you haven't heard of it - it's amazing. The flowers were ones at a local garden. If any of you want to send me flowers, I looooove daisies. One of my top 5 faves as far as flowers go.  Now... breathe... anyone know yoga?!