Tahoe Trip - August 2015

As is becoming our Summer tradition, we enjoyed a week up at our family's home in Northstar, Lake Tahoe, in August. We played at the beach, we visited Heavenly (our favorite South shore destination), we shopped, we swam, we crafted, we played on the 12th hole (outside our back door)...and for the first time EVER, I actually played a short round of golf with my Sweetie (Incline Village's Mountain Course -- I was there for the 19th hole!).  Nine holes is plenty for me, thank you!  It was fun to put my golf equipment to good use and put my ego in its place.  

We are continually grateful for our memories made in this special family place.  Our pictures can be seen by clicking this link;  Tahoe Trip August 2015.

Sarah

Tahoe Vacation 2014

We are so grateful for our family place up at Northstar California (North Shore, Lake Tahoe).  Last week we were able to get away for about 4 days for a short family vacation with Chad's parents Paul and Barbara and our nieces, Elise and Everlee.  Tess sure enjoyed the extended play time with her cousins, and they were equally enamored with baby Kate.  While we didn't have any huge adventures, we spent plenty of time having fun -- at the beach, by the pool, and on the back patio.  Below are the pics from our trip and a video of the fun little "show" that Elise coordinated for us.

And P.S...A sweet little video of our niece Elise singing to Baby Kate!

Visit From Lindsey

For the second summer in a row, I got so lucky that my best friend Lindsey decided to extend her trip west with a visit to California.  She attended the Origami Owl convention in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, and then hopped on a plane to see me (and meet baby Kate)! 

 

Linds flew into Burbank, and I drove down to pick her up so that we could have a day or two together "just us" in beautiful SoCal.  She arrived around 10am and we spent the entire day in Santa Monica, shopping, lunching on 3rd Street Promenade, watching the ocean, and riding the ferris wheel at Pacific Park.  It was so relaxing to just be together, doing what we do best -- talking/eating/shopping -- with no agenda.  As evening approached we headed down to "The OC" to visit my mom (Meg) at her new place (that's another story for another blog post).  We enjoyed a "girls' night" with her and a leisurely breakfast in the morning, before hitting the road for Fresno.  We took our time and stopped for more shopping (shocker!) at The Citadel in L.A. 

 

Linds was able to spend about a day and a half here in Fresno with me, Chad, and the girls.  We made a visit to the local zoo and had breakfast with my inlaws (Paul and Barbara), who coincidentally adore her. 

 

We are getting really good at goodbyes, after 16 years of long-distance friendship.  But we always know that it's more of a "see you later"... we already have our next visit in the works!  I'm so grateful for Lindsey and the wonderful, special story of us.  I couldn't love that girl any more!

Summer Funsies Continue...

We've been having a Summer full of fun! Our "Summer Fun List" is helping us stay motivated to take advantage of the family time we have together while Chad's out of school.

 

We spent 4th of July weekend visiting the circus, and took an overnight trip to San Luis Obispo/Avila Beach. We met up with Grandma Meg for a friend's art show at the SLO Museum of Modern Art, and enjoyed a trip to Avila Valley Barn. Tess and Daddy had fun making sandcastles on the beach! Below the pics is a fun little video of Tess chasing a seagull and doing a little jig -- it cracks me up!

We also took a day trip up to Bass Lake -- Kate's first lake trip! Tess brought along her little friend Lucy and they had fun playing together in the sand. We decided we like Shaver Lake better, and that we need a better shade structure. Someday we will perfect the lake day trip!

 

We also took Tess bowling! It was a great way to get out of the house but not be outdoors. She had a great time and Daddy was her personal bowling assistant while Mommy and Kate watched.

Afternoon At Shaver Lake

Of course Mommy forgot
her swimsuit...

Yesterday we decided to beat the heat and take Tess on a little adventure.  She had been begging to go to the beach lately, and as much as we wanted to take a day trip to the coast, we are just TOO TIRED these days.  So, we made the 45-minute drive up to Shaver Lake, bought some food for an easy beach picnic, and hit the sand!  Tess had a blast and didn't seem to care that we weren't at a REAL beach.  Daddy helped her play in the water and feed the ducks while Kate and I tried to shade ourselves on the sand.  We are looking forward to more lake or ocean time this Summer.

 

We topped off the day with a visit to Foster's Freeze for dinner.  Happy tummies all around!

Nipomo Visit

One of my favorite pictures of all time...



Last weekend we ventured to the coast to visit some family who just relocated to Nipomo.  To make the complicated family tree more simple, we consider them our aunt and uncle -- Rusty and Tenli.  It was a wonderful little getaway for us, very relaxing, and we also got to see their daughter Rhyan, her husband Michael, and their new baby girl Dylan.  On Saturday afternoon, the girls (Tenli, Rhyan, Tess, Dylan and myself) shopped at an interesting little craft fair in Halcyon while the guys played 9 holes.  Tenli made a delicious dinner for us, and we turned in fairly early for a great night's sleep in their guest room.  On Sunday morning we took a quick drive to Osso Flaco Lake for a walk on the beach.  It was just beautiful, and I had to share some of the pics taken on my iPhone.  Oh how I wish I'd had my Canon, some warmer clothes, and more time to capture the expanse of sea, sand and sky.  I managed to get some adorable pics of Chad and Tess that will be wonderful mementos of their relationship for years to come (she is the ultimate "Daddy's Girl"!).  Tenli also took a great family pic of us on the beach, which I love.  We had a great time catching up with them, seeing their new place, and exploring the Nipomo area.  The sights and smells (beach, farmland, eucalyptus trees, the ocean air) remind me so much of my childhood in Ventura! 

 

Hiking in the sand ain't easy when you're pregnant! Just sayin'.

Day Trippin'

Weekend before last we decided to forego a Saturday of baby prep and head for the coast.  Neither of us had been anywhere since April/May and we are used to a busy summer of weekend trips!  We got permission from my doctor and headed to MUCH cooler weather in Pebble Beach and Carmel-by-the-Sea.  It was a gorgeous day to drive and enjoy the fresh ocean air.  I discovered that in 65-degree weather I can walk for at least 3 hours with absolutely no swelling in my feet/ankles.  How wonderful it was to look like myself again -- from the knees down, at least!  Ha! 

SoCal With Susi

I had a GREAT weekend of fun in Southern California. with Susi! We hit up Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice, Santa Monica, Disneyland, and Disneyland's California Adventure. We stayed with my cousin Valerie and her roommate Amanda at their cute little place in Glendora. We got a lot of great pics! You can also check out Valerie's blog entry about our weekend here.

Day Trip To Santa Cruz!

This past Saturday, my girlfriend Andreana and I took a day trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This has become a summer tradition for us -- hanging out at the beach, riding some rides, shopping downtown, and dinner at Kianti's. Since Andreana is getting into video editing, she used some of our photos and footage to put together this short feature of our time there. How fun! We had a great time and now we have a great souvenir!

Weekend At Pebble Beach

We spent a lovely weekend in Pebble Beach this past Friday to Sunday, thanks to our dear friends Troy & Carrie Cutlip. Carrie's extended family shares a home on the 6th hole of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, and occasionally she and Troy are able to schedule a few days out of town there. The house is less than a mile from the beautiful Seventeen-Mile Drive and minutes from downtown Carmel. We had some fantastic dinners out (accompanied by some remarkable bottles of wine!), the guys golfed at Rancho Cananda, and Carrie and I shopped and went to see "The Proposal." The house was so cozy and we got in some good TV time watching the U.S. Open, too. Sprinkled into the weekend was some great conversation and the knowledge that we are so blessed to have friends that are as close as (possibly closer than!) family.

Troy and Chad went to high school and junior college togther, and played on the same golf team. When we got married, we wanted Troy to be part of our wedding party, but he was scheduled to graduate from Fresno State on the same day. However, Chad got to be Troy's "Best Man" when he and Carrie got married. I knew Carrie (formerly Carrie Mullins) when she attended Fresno Pacific University for our freshman year; then she finished her degree at Westmont. It was fun to reconnect when she started dating Troy. They have 2 little boys, Caden (age 5) and Ryder (age 3), who are entirely adorable! They're the sort of friends we can truly be ourselves around and share openly with. Even when we don't see each other for a few months, we can pick up right where things left off.

We're so grateful they invited us to share a weekend with them at one of the most beautiful places around!