Have you visited Kickstarter.com yet? This revolutionary, fantastic web site is geared towards helping people find money for all sorts of interesting and compelling projects. Visitors to the site can browse through all sorts of different projects from video games to books and movies to inventions and gadgets.

There are thousands of projects going on in the Orange County area, and you can check them out and make a donation. Look at some of these neat projects that you can donate to:

• Three Goats Gruff: A children’s book being written by a local author
• Canvas by Callas: This artist is trying to start a small business making canvas for painting and other arts at an affordable price
• Metal Soldiers: Sci-fi short animation film featuring robots and lots of action

These are only just a very small sampling of the projects you can find on Kickstarter, so head over there today and find a project that interests you and consider making a donation today!

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Getting ready to hit the links? Got the urge to go outside and enjoy a nice, relaxing round of golf? OK, maybe it’s not so relaxing if you’re swing is off… Well either way, the good news is there are so many bright, beautiful courses in the Anaheim area that will challenge you and offer you unique golfing experiences.

With so many to choose from, though, we thought you might want a little help in deciding where to go. We’ve picked out some of our favorite courses and clubs nearby, and we hope you’ll stop in sometime to any of these great places:

• Black Gold Golf: Favored by national magazine Golf Digest, this club is an absolute classic; book your tee times online!
• Coyote Hills: Highly rated country club offers picturesque holes and quiet, serene play year round
• Dad Miller: This public course is certainly challenging and offers an accessible alternative for the casual player
• Los Coyotes Country Club: Comfortable club that offers all the amenities at an affordable price

All these courses and clubs are no more than a half our drive from The Crossing, and would make a perfect weekend retreat to help you unwind from work. Give one of these fine establishments a call today and set up your tee time.

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Getting bored with the usual supermarket trips? Looking for the freshest, tastiest in organic produce? If this sounds like you, why not check out some local farmers’ markets in the Anaheim area?

Whether you’re looking for fresh lettuce and tomatoes for a tasty salad, or you’re looking for apples and grapes to have a snacks with your lunch, you can’t get better groceries than you’ll find at these great markets.  They’re all located closeby The Crossing, for convenience and ease, as well.

• Orange Country Farmers Market: Located at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, and open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays
• Sam’s Farmers Market: Freshest produce and available at great prices you can’t resist; open every day from 9:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m.
• Fullerton Farmers Market: A short drive into Fullerton gets you quality produce; open every Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. for evening shopping convenience.

Each of these great locations will provide you with superior produce that you and your family will love, so don’t hesitate to stop by sometime soon.

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Staying fit and keeping active is an essential part of maintaining your health, and luckily there are always lots of great opportunities to make exercising a fun activity as well. Summer is an especially great time to get outside and enjoy the warm weather while getting some intense exercise.

There are plenty or races and marathons being planned all over California, and in particular there are some opportunities nearby The Crossing. So strap on those running shoes and put on your active wear and head out to some of these upcoming races and marathons:

• Villa Park Union Bank Run: This race will kick off on Saturday, June 25th with a 5k race at 7:17 a.m. and a 10k run at 7:55 a.m.  Registration is required, and costs $35.
• Summer Solstice Watermelon Run: Free watermelon for everyone that completes the race, plus prizes given out for different groups. Starts Thursday, June 23rd.
• Peters Canyon Summer Trail Run Series: Evening run through scenic park in Tustin with food and music to follow the race. Come to either the June 9th, July 7th, or August 4th race.

Each one of these great events will help you keep fit and you’ll have a lot of fun attending them, too. So get out there and stay active!

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One of the best parts of summer is getting to spend time outside grilling hot, delicious food for yourself and your family.  Everyone loves a good plate of spicy, sweet BBQ, and luckily there’s a big festival celebrating this delicious food on the way.  Only about a 20 minute drive from The Crossing, the Orange Country BBQ Festival will be on Saturday, June 11th at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.  The party gets kicked off at 11:00 a.m. and lasts into the evening until 6:00 p.m.

You can come out and be a part of all the exciting events going on.  There will be a car show, BBQ eating contests, the “Mr. BBQ” pageant, plenty of live music to enjoy, plus lots of fun activities for the kids.  And of course the main attraction: the State Championship BBQ Contest.

Show up early on Saturday morning to get registered early and pick up your tickets to make sure you get into this once a year event.  You’re sure to find plenty of good food and big fun at the Orange County BBQ Festival, so don’t miss out.

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There’s an exciting event coming up in the Tustin area this weekend that promises plenty of food and fun.  The Tustin Street Fair & Chili Cookoff will feature a chili-cooking teams from across the area, competing for a chance at major cash prizes and being declared the best chili in Tustin.

Several events are planned in conjunction with the cookoff, and there’s fun for everyone to enjoy.  There will be live entertainment throughout the day, as well as multiple craft vendors, carnival rides for the kids, car exhibitions, plus all the chili you can eat.  This family-friendly event comes only once a year, so don’t miss out on all the excitement.

The Tustin Street Fair & Chili Cookoff will take place down in Tustin this Sunday, June 5th, starting at 10:00 a.m. and lasting until 5:30 p.m.  The event will take place a few miles away from The Crossing,near Pepper Tree Park in downtown Tustin.  It’s free to attend as well, and chili tickets are just $1 per serving, so it’s a great entertainment option if you’re looking for something inexpensive.

You can check out their FAQ page as well for more information.

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It happens. You’re pulling out of your parking spot in our underground parking at The Crossing apartments, and then you accidentally knock your neighbor’s car slightly. Now you both have dents in your cars, but you’re very busy and don’t have time to run around getting estimates. So, what do you do?

One option you have is to visit a wonderful website called DentBetty, which will find quotes for you all located in your town–yes, right here in Anaheim. All you have to do is snap a few pictures and submit them. Within seven days, they’ll send you up to seven estimates from auto shops.

It’s possible to get accurate estimates by photo only, but the damages must only be cosmetic and can’t be too serious. Would you use this service?

Photo Credit: DentBetty

For all our wonderful residents at The Crossing Apartments, we offer breakfast every week on Fridays 7 to 9 a.m. in our clubhouse.

We serve the following yummy items:

• coffee
• orange juice
• bagels and cream cheese
• danishes

We hope to see everyone at this and other social activities we host. The breakfast is a great way to start your Fridays off successfully!

Photo Credit: mädchenkrawall

The official Weekend Without Oil has arrived–August 21-22, 2010. This is the kind of environmentally friendly thing we at The Crossing Apartments definitely support.

The U.S. is the largest consumer of oil, yet few of us realize how much oil is a part of our daily lives.

To accept the challenge go to the website and agree to the following conditions:

1. Walk or ride your bike.
2. Enjoy the outdoors.
3. Use reusable bags.
4. Be conscious of what you eat.
5. Don’t buy new makeup.
6. Drink tap water.
7. Make your electronic gadgets last.
8. Avoid buying new movies.
9. Avoid buying new clothes.
10. Read books and news online or at the library.
11. Spread the word.

If you can’t practice all of these rules this weekend (e.g. you plan to go on a road trip this weekend,) at least try to follow as many as you can, and at least encourage others to lead a more green lifestyle.

Photo Credit: Igor GOLUBENKOV

This years’ Orange County Fair (it’s in its 120th year) is sure to be a do-not-miss-or-you-might-cry event. With a “The Beat Goes On” theme and running from July 16 to August 15 Wednesday through Sunday, you can expect music, food, a carnival and lots of wonderful people and special events.

Today is definitely the day you want to start incorporating this spot into your weekly routine–it’s about 17 minutes away from The Crossing; how could you not go? Here’s more reasons why you should:

Swings at the Orange County Fair.

• Free admission to all day with free parking for the first hour (noon-1 p.m.). Parking lots open one hour before gates.
• In the Pacific Amphitheatre, a limited amount of terrace seating for The Pink Floyd Experience at 8:15 will be free (tonight!).
• Ice museum will keep you cool.
• $1 carnival rides until 7 p.m.
• $1 fair food tastings until 4 p.m.
• Check out the full schedule of Friday’s events.

You can search the OC Fair website for food by category, which seems especially useful to me.

O.K. now for the deal–a super fair coupon book. Print it out, share it and enjoy.

Are you wondering: How much will I pay to get in for all the fun?

General (13-59) $10 | Seniors (60+) $7 | Children (6-12) $5 | Children under 6 FREE every day

For good times, food, entertainment and the best of our wonderful California, the Orange County Fair is perfect for families and everyone else.