Family Photo

Here we are with my parents and my "German sister," Susi. A very happy family, indeed!

Visit From Susi

October was a great month this year, because we had a visit from our dearest Susi, all the way from Germany!  She arrived on the 16th and stayed for 3 weeks at my parents' house in Reedley.  We would be so thrilled if she came to visit EVERY summer! This time together was especially fun for two reasons: 1) she got to be "Auntie Susi" to Tess, and 2) I was off work!  Although we couldn't hit the road for LA like we did last Summer, we made the most of our time together at home. We talked and talked, watched "Say Yes to the Dress," cooked, baked, played with the baby and the cats, and we shopped till we dropped (again!).  It's so wonderful to have friends who are like family, where being together is just so easy and it doesn't matter what you're doing.  Susi is a gift to us!  What a precious "souvenir" from our trip to Germany in 2006. 

Cooking Up A Big Birthday Dinner

Last weekend we had a great family dinner to celebrate my Dad's 61st birthday. It was also great to have Susi with us, and my sister-cousin Valerie was home for the weekend. Lately I'd been excited about the idea of making Eggplant Parmesan. It's such a rich and tasteful dish, and it's interesting to me for a couple of reasons: 1) eggplant is kinda stinky and unappetizing when you're a kid, and 2) how can something have no meat and still be so delicious? So, after talking with some ladies in my life who are EP veterans, I decided to give it a go. Little did I know that 3 hours before my first EP debut, I would find out I was making it for 20 people!

I think it was a hit. At least I got a lot of compliments on it; many of which I believe were genuine. (I had a LOT of leftovers, which Chad enjoyed for a full week after the party and raved about each time.) When you make something for the first time, you learn what you'd do differently the next time around. And since last weekend, I had the opportunity to make EP again, a little differently, with a friend who uses some different techniques/ingredients. So, I'm fully equipped for round two, as soon as I get the opportunity! Cooking is so much fun!

See pics below of "the process," along with Valerie enjoying her first few bites, the family dinner, and a beautiful shot of my parents' cozy home in Reedley, taken from the backyard looking in. It was a wonderful night with family (Susi included). The big highlight (aside from the EP, of course) was the framed art my grandmother gave to my Dad -- a water color of a New Orleans scene that she painted in the 70's, which was just hangin' out in a scrapbook somewhere, waiting to be discovered. It is just gorgeous! Susi took a great pic of it, which is also posted below.

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.

Reunited With Our German Friend

Back in 2006, before this blog began, Chad and I went to Germany & Austria with the Unruh parental unit. Our itinerary included a few nights in a small town called Spaichingen (which is about half the size of Reedley), so that my dad could visit some business contacts there. This tiny town is not known as a tourist attraction, and one morning we sat in our hotel's restaurant struggling over the menu and trying to place our order in German. A cute and friendly young lady (who also spoke excellent English) was sympathetic to our plight and came over to us, offering to help translate (she had worked in the restaurant and was visiting a friend there). We introduced ourselves and invited her to sit down and chat with us, and a wonderful long-distance friendship was born! We spent several hours with Susanne ("Susi") that day, had dinner together, met her family and friends, and have kept in touch since via email, Facebook, and Skype.

Now, more than 4 years later, Susi has come to visit us for a month! She's staying with my parents and having all sorts of fun experiences as she prepares for her final year at the University of Trier. Her parents arrive on September 28th and they will spend 3-4 weeks together traveling around California. In the meantime, we're having FUN with her around and planning some special excursions -- stay tuned for details!

What's great about Susi is that she is positive, outgoing, easygoing, silly, fun, sweet, kind, generous, and just beautiful inside and out. She fits in so well with our family, and we are thrilled to have her here with us!