My husband and I love to go out to breakfast. We even call it our weekly date. Orange County California has an abundance of different types to fun places to try. There are some that, quite honestly, I would have loved to have tried and included, but didn't quite get the chance. Hopefully I will be able to have another chance to write another article about one of my favorite meals out and include them. For now, here are some of our favorite restaurants to start our day:

Plum's Cafe: Costa Mesa. Located in a strip mall, this place is so popular that even during the weekdays you need to allow for a long wait. But it' well worth it! The owner is an Oregon transplant who brings wonderful produce, coffee and artwork into her establishment. The menu has some very interesting items-my husband loves the coconut french toast, served with tropical fruit. I love the greek omelet. We both have trouble resisting the Oregon boysenberry muffins! My mom says the lamb/feta burgers served with field greens salad is the best. For my father-the dutch baby reigns supreme.

Brooklyn

The Omelet Bar: Just a block up from Plum's in yet another strip mall is this rather quirky little place. The wait staff dresses like Cyndi Lauper, but are very good. Lots of very good egg dishes, but good lunch menu also abounds. Lots of old Orange County memorabilia abounds on the wooden walls. The homemade apple butter is really terrific on the english muffins.

Las Brisas: Laguna Beach. Honestly, for us the food is highly over-rated, but the view of the Pacific is what makes this place a destination spot. Plus you can walk the beach trails and shop all over the city, providing you find a parking space!

The Cottage: Laguna Beach. Another local classic spot. Literally a cottage. Sometimes, this place has a dicey reputation, but all the same, it somehow remains a must try spot for vacationers.

Cafe Zinc: Laguna Beach. For the most part-vegetarian, but food is hearty enough that even a meat-lover like my husband doesn't mind starting out the day here. Also has a cute little market attached to it, so you can try out a few of their goodies at home.

All the Ruby's diners: It's a chain, but popular with families. What can I say? Even my infant grandson loves the noise and the trains, planes, bikes (depending on the unit) and cars that glide on tracks along the ceiling.

Alice's in the Park: Central Park in Huntington Beach. If you love tiny little family run places and huge out-of-this-world cinnamon rolls-you have to go to Alice's. Believe me, you will need to walk the park several times to walk off the calories, but the place is terrific and worth every bite.

Cafe Neff: Laguna Niguel Design Center. Only open during this To The Trade areas hours of operation, but it's staff and food is a favorite, not only with the designers and their clients, but with anyone who wants to do a more relaxed version of "the ladies who lunch", plus I've never had anything but absolutely delicious food. They have daily specials and scones of the morning. Maple bacon aroma is too die for! Coffee is quite good.

Ted's Burgers: Just across the street from Cafe Neff in a strip mall, Ted's is a local hangout. Everyone from families, to biker's, senior citizens and law enforcement loves Ted's breakfasts. Nothing to look at, but it's all comfort food based. Portions are so large that even my husband doesn't mind sharing a meal with me!

Pacific Whey Baking Company: four locations. Trendy, but excellent breakfasts and bakery choices. We love to share and ABC omelet and a chocolate pinwheel. While they do have an interesting lunch and dinner menu-trust me, stick to breakfast and desserts.

Corner Bakery: again, it's a chain, but good food and choices. The outdoor seating at most locations make it perfect for one of our typical sunny California mornings. Ours is close enough and allows pooches on the patio, so we take our labrador mix for a walk there and back!

Hopefully, if you live close by you'll seek out some of these breakfast treasures. And if you visit in the future, you look them up and give them a try

Wedding reception is the fun time of the occasion after a wedding. It is a happy event, where the invited guests mingle with each other and meet the bride and the bridegroom. It is the part of a celebration to have dancing, drinking, fun and laughter. So, when planning for a wedding reception, always keep in mind the venue. There are number of places to have a Wedding Reception.

Planning for a wedding reception is a lifetime event. It is important to choose a location that follows the theme and spirit of the wedding itself. Wedding receptions can be held in the same place, where the wedding have taken place or in a fresh location. There are myriad of places to have a wedding reception but choosing a place depends on the type of reception the couple likes to hold.

Banquet Halls

The choice of wedding reception venue should be well researched. The first thing to consider while choosing a location is the budget. There are many options to choose from such as romantic restaurants, outdoors, theatres, a cruise or a club. There are also cities which have historical sites that a couple can choose to hold a wedding reception. These historical sites sometimes go well with the theme of the wedding. It can also add an authentic setting and greatly enhances the wedding reception.

There is new trend going on of having wedding receptions at museums. This is really helpful when planning for a larger wedding reception as the place in the museum would fit the occasion. It poses an elegant setting to a wedding reception.

Outdoors are great places to have a wedding reception. Mansion courtyards and public parks are wonderful places to hold an outdoor wedding reception. They have great sceneries and views already with them. These are large open places and can hold large number of guests.

Romantic hotels and restaurants are ideal places to have a wedding reception as they create a wonderful setting with candles, flowers and light music. Music is played live in hotels and the good food and wine would make the guests comfortable and happy. There is also space for dancing and holding activities and games.

When choosing a place to have a wedding reception, always hold in mind the parking area. So pick a location that has a convenient parking lot for the guests. Wedding receptions should be planned well ahead of time if looking for a popular location that is booked often.

The biggest thing in finding a place to have a wedding reception is to have a good time and a memorable evening. So be creative and make your wedding reception a special one.

A country that was known worldwide for the rich petroleum and crude oil resources is also where war ruled through the year. A small country in Western Asia, Iraq's history dates way back to Mesopotamia.

The majority of this country is covered by deserts, except for the two main rivers, Tigris and Euphrates. Since the land is dry, weather here is quite hot most of the time, though the mountains up north do see cold winters and snow falls, sometimes so severe, it leads to flooding.

Banquet Halls

Babylon is one of the places that is famous worldwide and is situated right here in Iraq. An ancient site, that was once prominent, is covered with high walls, and palaces apart from the magnificent temples. Even though the place has been eroded by rain and time, it still stands tall. To get to this monument, one can either take the boat or a water taxi from Baghdad.

One of the most famous ancient sites in Iraq is the Ur of Chaldees, which was even mentioned in the Bible. It is said to be the birth place of Abraham and built around 4000 BC. It remained the capital of Sumeria for decades, and the tombs and ziggurats in Ur have remained well preserved.

What remains of the city of Ctesiphon is this huge Arch, which was part of a banquet hall built during the early century by Persians who ruled the place. It has survived the severe flooding that happened in the Tigris River and is still open to tourists to feast their eyes on.

The hands of Victory were a monument that was built by Saddam Hussain, to celebrate his victory. This used to dominate the Baghdad skyline ever since the Iran and Iraq war took place. It basically marks the entrance of new parade grounds in the central region of Baghdad. It looks like two swords crossing each other at the top as if to symbolise the war that happened. At the base of this monument, lie nearly 5000 helmets belonging to Iranian soldiers who were slain in the war. The hands that hold the swords are a replica of Saddam Hussein's, in fact created from a photograph given to the sculpture. This was torn down and destroyed during the recent war.

Yet another tourist attraction in Iraq is the Shaheed Monument, which was open to public in 1983. This is again a place that symbolises all the Iraqi soldiers who died during the war with Iran. A huge dome, which has been split in the middle, with the two halves offset, has the domes are sheltering a flame. Around this area, a playground for children, walkways, bridges, ample car park, and even a lake can be found.