Monday, September 30, 2013

Spur of the Moment

We had a quick little trip up to Morro Bay over the weekend.  George and Robin were on their way down from a Washington/Canada trip and called and asked if we might want to meet up with them in Morro Bay.  Jeff's grandparents built a home there many years ago and it is still in the family so we had a nice place to stay.  It was our first road trip with the dogs in the new Prius.  Remember I showed you the liner that Jeff made to protect the back area when the seats are down?  The dogs are great travelers and they had so much fun hiking and going to the beach.  Here's a photo of a trail we took high above the Morro Bay area.  Off in the distance, you will see the big Morro Rock in the water that is a landmark for the area.  My physical therapist would freak out if she knew I did this strenuous uphill climb!

We've visited Morro Bay a lot over the years but this weekend was, without a doubt, the best weather I've ever experienced there.  It's so often foggy and cool but, as you can see, it was sunny and clear with temps in the mid-80's!  We did this hike with Jeff's cousin Susan and her husband Greg and their 12 year old Golden Retriever, Sophie.  We had a nice BBQ back at the house that George and Robin fixed for us all.  Delicious tritip steaks, George's famous twice-baked potatoes, salad, and apple pie a la mode.  The following night, we went out to a Mexican restaurant.  
Jeff, Kanan and Cooper at Morro Bay beach

Cute Sandpipers running in the soup

Otters Galore!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Catching Up

Sorry to go missing again but I am struggling with mixed feelings about blogging.  I guess I'm just plain tired of writing posts after 11 years of pretty consistent posting.  I'm not tired of my blog friends or reading their posts at all though and I miss you all and think about you often!  So I'll do a quick catch up of what's been going on.  As you know it's a busy month filled with birthdays and an anniversary.

I started Physical Therapy last week and will go twice weekly for 6 weeks.  I thought it would be mostly core-strengthening exercises but I'm also getting the little electrode zappers and the best part... a nice massage!  I'm feeling pretty close back to normal although they tell me that sciatica nerve may take a while to completely calm down.  

Ryan is back in school and doesn't get home until almost 3 PM so I only have a little over an hour with him each day.  Jacob, on the other hand, is here all the time.  He's still really good about his "Quiet Time" so he's in the downstairs bedroom with cartoons turned on at low volume and has my iPad and Jeff's Kindle.  9 times out of 10, he falls asleep so he's usually in there from 1 to 3 PM.  He was resistant to taking naps but since he falls asleep so often, it's pretty obvious he still needs naps... as long as we don't call it nap time!

Justin and Jessica both had their birthdays and Justin had some interesting developments at work.  The computer projects he's been doing for the last 10 years were winding down so he was beginning to wonder if he was going to need to dust off his resume and start looking for something else.  He was given the opportunity to do some work as a "Business Analyst" and really loved it.  He's a very good writer and in addition to his Computer Science degree, he has a Communications degree from UCLA so he was able to apply those skills to the Business Analyst work.  He had a big interview for a Business Analyst position within his company, Computer Sciences Corporation, and he got it.  The project is out of the Boston office but he will be able to work from home!  He and Sarah are going to San Francisco and Santa Rosa (Wine Country area) this weekend (the trip a birthday present from Sarah) and we will be dog sitting Sierra while he's gone.

Speaking of wine... remember my wine glass chandelier from Pottery Barn?  I found this at HomeGoods to hang on the wall.

What I love about shopping at HomeGoods is I usually go there with nothing special in mind and it's fun to find something unexpected.  I also got some really nice fillable seeded glass lamps there for our bedroom. Don't think I'll fill them with anything but I like the way the glass sparkles.  The shades are burlap  and I have them on a dimmer switch.  Lamps like this cost 3 times as much at Pottery Barn!  I often shop at PB or PB online for ideas and find similar items for much less at HG's! 
   

My comment above about finding something unexpected reminded me of the word Serendipity.  It's a word that I love and always reminds me of our dear friend Elizabeth whose first blog was named Serendipity. "Serendipity means a "happy accident" or "pleasant surprise"; a fortunate mistake. Specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it. The word has been voted one of the ten English words hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company."  Serendipity is also the name of that fabulous restaurant in Manhattan where you can get Frozen Hot Chocolates.  And don't forget the movie Serendipity!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Happy Labor Day!

Never like this end of the summer holiday time but in SoCal we have plenty of summer left ahead of us.  The last few days have felt more like Florida or Hawaii with the high humidity.  On Saturday, Jeff and I went to Fiesta Hermosa which takes place over the Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.  It sort of kicks off and wraps up the summer.  Ryan started 1st grade last Wednesday so we mainly have Jacob here with us during the week.  Ryan's school doesn't get out until 2:30 and his dad picks him up here at 4 so he's only here for a little over an hour in the afternoon.  Here's a photo of Ryan walking to school on his first day back.
Not too enthusiastic!
I can relate!  I always thought the last day of school was the best day ever!  All the anticipation of what the summer ahead held!  It seemed to go on forever...all those lazy, hazy crazy days... and now summer is over in a blink of the eye!  

September is a busy month for us.  Jessica's birthday is the 7th, Justin's is the 10th, our 39th anniversary is the 14th and Jacob turns four on the 22nd.  Jeff and I are determined to do something really, really special next year on our 40th!  This year was kind of spoiled by my back problem.  I see my doctor this Friday and I'm sure I'll be able to cast my back brace aside and begin physical therapy!