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

Dallas Vacation - June 2015

The first week of Summer vacation usually takes Chad out of town for a full 6 or 7 days, as he chaperones qualifying students to the annual National Forensic League (NFL) tournament.  While the destinations aren't always exotic, this year we got lucky -- "Nationals" was in Dallas!  It was a perfect opportunity to visit our dear friends The Sullivans for an extended vacation (well, for me and the girls, anyway!).  The four of us flew out to DFW together, along with the students Chad had qualified.  While he spent a week up to his neck in the tournament, the girls and I hung out with Randy, Lindsey, Brynlee and Degan at their new home in Prosper.  Chad joined us at the conclusion of the tournament and we spent another week there together, this time with our favorite foursome (US) in tact.  

Highlights of the trip: seeing all of Randy and Lindsey's family, Chad and Randy playing at "Top Golf," the Dallas "indoor" zoo, whiskey tasting, experiencing major Summer storms/flooding, and watching our four kids play together.

We continue to be SO BLESSED by our 11-year friendship with The Sullivans.  There is never a dull moment together, and it always feels like our hearts are home.

Thanksgiving At Tahoe

We spent Thanksgiving week enjoying our family home at Northstar in Lake Tahoe.  Now that we have two kiddos, our gratitude for this wonderful place to make memories (and vacation affordably and conveniently) continues to grow.

The week was pretty low-key with lots of quiet down time for all of us, but here are some highlights:

--Quality time with my Mom & Uncle
--Walks along the golf course
--Tess's first time ice skating (video below)
--Preparing our first Thanksgiving meal, which was delicious
--Taking outdoor family photos
--Shopping and coffee in downtown Truckee
--A wonderful "date night" at Pianeta in downtown Truckee
--A light snowstorm
--Tess's first time sledding (video below)

I took along a few projects and was thrilled to complete most of them during our time there, too.  We drank lots of coffee, sat by the fire morning and night, watched TV and movies, I read a book, and enjoyed lots of home-cooked food.  It was great!  On to Christmas and New Year's!

 

Phoenix Weekend

Last weekend we took our first plane trip as a family of four.  The girls did great!  It's hard work, traveling with two small ones, but rewarding on the other side, and the memories are priceless.

Our destination was Phoenix, to visit our dear friends the Coyles.  Stacy and I, along with our friend Kim who also joined us for the trip, have been best friends since freshman year of college.  The three of us rarely get time together, or with each others' kiddos and spouses, so our long weekend was such a treat.  Stacy's parents (who are like surrogate parents to Kim and me) were also in town, so there was much catching up to do.

We trick-or-treated. We crafted. We cook and ate.  We talked.  We shopped.  We ate.  We played games.  We watched the kids play.  We laughed and reminisced and made new memories.

This was Tess's first flight where she was old enough to engage in the adventure and understand what it meant to fly.  At one point she looked out the plane window, across the clouds and mountain tops, and said, "Daddy, is that where God lives?"  It was precious.  Both girls were so well-behaved and had fun visiting our friends who are like family.  Truly, we are blessed beyond description, to have the time and capability and resources to take such a trip and make more family memories, and to have such wonderful friends to spend time with.

Tess's Dirndl

Shortly after Tess "arrived," our dear friends in Germany, the Klaibers, sent her an authentic "Dirndl." What is a dirndl, you ask?  Good question... I wanted a better explanation for my daughter's beautiful dress than "What German girls wear to Oktoberfest."  Wikipedia rarely lets me down...

A dirndl [ˈdɪʁndl̩] is a type of traditional dress worn in Germany – especially Bavaria – Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and South Tyrol, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants. Dresses that are loosely based on the dirndl are known as Landhausmode("country-inspired fashion").

More details about the Dirndl can be found here.  Three years later, it finally fits!  Tess thinks it's a "pirate princess dress" and doesn't quite get the explanation of what it really is, but she was willing to wear it the other day and so I raced to take some pictures.  How cute is she?!  I was hoping she would want to wear it for Halloween, but the Belle dress won out.  But hopefully we have many dressup days ahead of us with the beautiful Dirndl, which can then be passed down to little sister Kate.

Thank you so much, Klaibers!

Disneyland!

After what felt like years of waiting, we finally made a trip to Disneyland!  We felt Tess would be old enough to enjoy it (given her current Princess obsession) and Kate was young enough to tote around without too much hassle.  With the help of Grandma Meg, our three-day Disney adventure was a huge success!  The focus was less on thrill rides and more on Princess meet-and-greets, but that's okay...Mom & Dad were just as star struck as Tess (if not more so) to see all the characters and talk with them.  We capped off our last day in the park with a much-anticipated and highly coveted appointment with Anna and Elsa from Frozen. 

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!

Gilroy Gardens!

We had to make sure we took at least one Summer trip to our favorite family amusement park, Gilroy Gardens.  Thanks to a great deal on season passes and a very engaged and helpful Grandma, we had a fantastic day away from the Valley heat while we enjoyed all the park has to offer.  Baby Kate had her first experience at GG too, and got to ride both the carousel and the train. 

 

While I personally think the day ticket price is way too high, GG makes it very easy to enjoy a season pass. I was able to get our season passes for the price of a regular ticket, which means we can go as often as we want in 2014.  Season pass holders also get free parking and 20% off food and merchandise.

 

GG is special to our family because we have a connection with the gentleman who designed and built it, Mr. Bonfante (the park was originally called "Bonfante Gardens" when it opened, and then later was purchased by Great America.  Anyway, he owns the chain of Nob Hill grocery stores, and is friends with Chad's grandpa.  Chad's grandparents were the owners of Sugar Plum Farm in Hollister, and Grandpa still makes their signature apricot syrup and preserves.  Mr. Bonfante struck a deal with Grandpa to sell the famous "Apricot Freeze" in the snack shop called "Sugar Plum Café" inside the park.  It's so fun to be there and see a piece of the Dryden family history on display. 

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.

Napa Getaway

Although our 15th anniversary was in May, we had a limited ability to celebrate with a newborn baby in the house!  (Wow, as I type that, I realize how OLD we are to have a newborn baby....just, wow.)  We did manage a night out at Ruth's Chris, our favorite steakhouse, but decided to postpone any extended celebrating until baby Kate was old enough to stay overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's.

 

Getting two small kids the appropriate childcare so that Mom and Dad can go out of town is quite the logistical feat!  Thanks to our parents Paul and Barbara and Cliff and Melody, our girls were well cared for while we spent 2 nights in Napa last week.  We had an absolutely wonderful time!  We managed to fit in everything we wanted to experience: a fancy hotel, amazing meals, lazy mornings, wine tasting at beautiful wineries, shopping, swimming, and a trip to the day spa.  It was pretty impressive what we packed into about 48 hours. 

 

Highlights:

--Getting a room upgrade at the North Block Hotel in Yountville

--Discovering a wine called "Tess" at Peju Winery in Napa

--An amazing dinner (and pigs' feet appetizer!) at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville

--Joining the wine club at Alpha Omega winery in Napa

--The couple's mud bath at the Solage Spa in Calistoga

--Pastries and coffee at Bouchon Bakery in Yountville

 

What sometimes seems old felt new and young again...we came home feeling rested and so very blessed, and dying to see our precious little loves! Below are the best pics from our short little trip.



 

Weekend In Hollister & Monterey

This past weekend we headed to Hollister for Chad's grandfather's 95th birthday.  Uncle Ted and Aunt Diane hosted a large party in Grandpa's honor in their beautiful backyard, and the entire Dryden clan was present except for one (cousin-in-law Ben is a firefighter and had to be on duty).  "Pop" is still going strong at 95 and boasts 7 grandchildren, 5 grandchildren-in-law, and 10 great grandchildren.  It was fun to see him with all of his friends, and to have another opportunity for a large family photo (our last was at his 90th birthday party in 2009).  Tess had fun playing with her cousins, and Kate was the darling of the party. 



The Dryden Family

 

We stayed night with Chad's Uncle Dave and Auntie Kim, and on Sunday we decided to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  It was a great little getaway to much cooler temps!  We enjoyed some local seafood, live music at Steinbeck Plaza, and all the marine life the aquarium had to offer.  Chad and I felt like professional parents, navigating Monterey in our double stroller, keeping after Tess, and caring for Kate as needed.  Even though I was a little stressed about everything that had to be packed and accounted for to get out of town, it seemed to go off without a hitch! 

An Amtrak Adventure!

Waiting for the train in
downtown Fresno!

We celebrated Easter Monday with a little adventure I'd been hoping to take for a long time!  While Daddy was finishing up his grading, Tess and I -- along with Grandma, Papa, and cousin Everlee, took the Amtrak train down to Hanford for a visit to Superior Dairy. 

 

It was SO cute to see the little cousins waiting at the train station, big-eyed as the train approached and watching the scenery go by outside the train's window.  When we arrived at the Hanford station, it was a short walk to the downtown area and the large park across the street from Superior Dairy.  We enjoyed a picnic lunch made by Grandma, and the girls rode the carousel.  After eating some HUGE scoops of ice cream at the dairy, we stopped in at the Hanford Public Library for some story and play time until it was time to get back to the train station for the ride home. 

 

Little Miss Kate was along for the ride, too!  We had a great day -- see below for the pictures! 

 

Chicago & Family - Two Favorites!

One of the best things about my career at PrideStaff is the opportunity to travel -- just enough and not too much!  I especially love the annual trips to Chicago, and the times when I get to visit family there.  Last week I attended a Board of Directors meeting downtown -- my first "winter" trip to The Windy City, brrrr -- and then took the train out to the suburbs to see my stepsister Kristin and her family.  It was a quick overnight stay at their beautiful home in West Dundee, but a good opportunity to shop, talk, have delicious food (no trip is complete without a meal at Geno's East Pizza!), and spend time with her kids.  Jack and Nick are both 15 and probably could care less about a boring old aunt, but I thoroughly enjoy time with my now 10-year-old niece Sophia. Thank you, Kristin, for always making me feel so welcome in your home.  Sitting at your kitchen counter drinking coffee and talking with the family is one of my favorite places to be!

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'.

Boy Or Girl? Find Out Here!

Last weekend I flew to Phoenix for a quick overnight trip to see my best friend from college, Stacy (and her husband and kiddos).  We had the opportunity to make another wonderful memory together, as the purpose of the trip was to have her do my second trimester ultrasound and tell us whether baby is a boy or a girl.  I got to do this with Tess, and it was such a fun experience -- to have your best friend share that kind of special news with you, and give you a detailed tour of the baby growing inside you, is the ultimate of fun and memorable.  Stace took more than 100 pictures of our little bundle and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing and learning about all the different developing systems: heart, brain, kidneys, etc. and tiny but perfect hands and feet.

 

The BEST news of all, like the first time, is that baby is perfectly healthy.  This is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, as I am sure any mom can relate to.  People were asking me if I wanted a boy or a girl, but in my heart I just wanted to know that we had a healthy baby on the way.  Even though I was somewhat intimidated by the thought of a boy....completely new territory, and LOTS of new (blue) stuff to be purchased.....I figured it ultimately would not matter to me!  But practical me was just itching to use all the pink baby stuff I've got stored away in the garage, and the bins and bins of adorable girl clothes.

 

So, practical me was thrilled to learn we are having another girl!  Chad was right -- he said he definitely felt like baby was a girl, and he has always pictured us with two girls.  It kinda makes sense, too, because his twin brother also has two girls. We quickly and joyfully settled into this news, as it helps give the little one a bit more identity than anonymity, and we have a clearer picture of what's ahead of us.  Now we are working on what we should name her, and hoping for divine inspiration like last time! 

Cambria Weekend

Dinner at Black Cat Bistro.

Last weekend we managed to orchestrate a full two-night getaway -- our first ever since becoming parents!  We definitely had taken advantage of the one-night getaway, but pulling off two nights away from home without Tess took a bit more planning.  We are SO grateful for very involved grandparents who are eagerly willing to share weekend overnight babysitting duty. 

Chad really likes to get away in October and February -- his busiest months during the school year.  This time we journeyed to Cambria on Friday night, with a stop in Paso Robles for an amazing dinner at Thomas Hill Organics.  I can honestly say I have never had a meal prepared with all/only organic ingredients, and it was a taste sensation.  Rather than ordering the featured entrees on the menu, we both ordered a couple of appetizers.  What initially looked like not enough food had us happily satisfied and struggling to finish toward the end of our meal!
 

Amazing meal at T.H.O. in Paso!

We stayed the weekend at the "beach house" of our friends Jeff and Maggie, nestled in the hills above downtown Cambria.  It's a super cozy and quiet place, which turned out to be perfect for all the sleeping I did while trying to get past a nasty cold.  We spent Saturday reading and napping, took a drive down the coast to Morro Bay, and enjoyed another delicious meal at Black Cat Bistro in Cambria (the fuzzy pic of us above was taken while snuggled into a corner booth).   

 

After a leisurely Sunday morning, we slowly made our way back to Fresno via a lengthy lunch stop in Paso.  (No wine tasting, unfortunately -- the one winery we stopped at was closed for a private party.)  We came home to a happy baby girl and a clean house, with a quiet evening ahead of us.  Except for feeling like crud and blowing my nose almost nonstop, it was a super restful weekend!  And the countdown to our February getaway has begun....

 

Tahoe Vacation 2013

We spent the first week in August up in Tahoe with friends.  It was a great vacation!  Highlights include:

 

-A FULL WEEK with our dearest friends, the Sullivans, and their adorable kiddos.

-A long weekend with our local close friends, the McDonalds, and their four precious daughters.

-Having 2 of our favorite families together with us!

-7 beautiful kids under one roof.

-Beautiful walks around the Northstar neighborhoods and golf course.

-2 full days of relaxing on the beach.

-Riding a ski lift up to gorgeous views of the Tahoe mountains.

-A fun day trip to Heavenly Village at South Shore.

-A full day of outlet shopping.

-Finishing a couple books.

-Wave runners, paddle boats, and PARASAILING on the gorgeous blue water of Lake Tahoe.

-A much-needed adults night out (triple date FUN!).

-A quick trip to the casino with some unexpected wins at the slot machines.

 

We are so blessed to have the family we do (with a beautiful home to vacation in) and the friends we do.  Grateful for such an easy and relaxing getaway! 

So-Cal Mini Vacay

Last weekend we took a mini-vacay down to Southern California to see a variety of family, and have a little early birthday celebration for our Tess. 

We arrived at the Suich home late Friday night and had a very low-key day on Saturday, starting with a long walk around the CSU Fullerton campus and its Arboretum.  In the afternoon we attended a church picnic and stopped to play at a gorgeous park in the area, while capturing some really adorable pictures of Tess.  Chad and I also got to sneak in a great dinner date (sushi) thanks to Grandma & Grandpa's willingness to babysit! 

Sunday we took Tess for a stroll around our favorite mall (we spent lots of time hanging out there when we were young and kid-free!), and spent the afternoon getting ready for a big family dinner/early birthday party for Tess.  Grandma Meg coordinated all the decorations and cake for a Bubble Guppies-themed evening, which Tess just loved! 

On Monday we had a nice family outing to the Santa Ana Zoo.  Since we are Fresno zoo members, our admission was just $5.00!  We had a light lunch, played in their park area, and then looked at the small selection of animals (mostly monkeys) and visited the petting zoo. 

We headed out from Fullerton on Tuesday morning...our destination was Oxnard, where our other parental unit (the Unruhs) were at Channel Islands Harbor with their 24-foot sailboat.  The goal was to take Tess on her first sail, which didn't pan out like we thought it would.  She was all smiles when we got to the boat, and enjoyed investigating the cabin and cockpit, but once we put the lifejacket on her, things got dicey....and then she went into meltdown.  This resulted in some "time out" with Mommy down below, after which we FINALLY got under way, only to have Tess pass out from exhaustion in the cabin.  We had a WONDERFUL sail (complete with a dolphin escort as we returned to the harbor),  but she slept through the entire thing.  She woke up as we were docked and tidying up from the outing, in time to have a light lunch before we hit the road for Fresno.  Oh well!  She had a good sleep, and I know from personal experience that boat naps are some of the best. 

Below are some pictures of our fun weekend, complete with birthday, zoo, and sailing adventures.  Enjoy!

Easter 2013

I was excited about Easter this year, since Tess is now of the age where Easter baskets are more exciting and the Easter-egg hunt is a viable source of entertainment for her. (Well, let's face it, it's really more for us.) We had a couple of Easter celebrations this year, given our extensive family tangle....we started with pre-Easter dinner in Reedley with my parents and Aunt Debbie/Uncle Dick, where Tess did a "dress rehearsal" of the big hunting event. What a hoot! Grandma had made real, dyed Easter eggs which Tess was able to run around and pick up with her basket. However, whenever she bent over to pick up one egg, another toppled out of the basket. For a bit, we thought the hunt would go on forever! It was quite funny. Next up, she modeled her Easter dress for the family and we attempted to take some backyard pictures. 

 

On Easter Sunday we drove up to Modesto with Paul and Barbara to spend the day with Chris, Kristi, Elise and Everlee. We joined them for church at Calvary Chapel, and then had a delicious lunch while the babies (Tess and Everlee) napped. In the afternoon, Kristi staged a MASSIVE Easter-egg hunt, which included a few dozen "real" (dyed) eggs and then about 10 dozen plastic eggs filled with candy. This didn't work so well for Tess....every time she came across an egg, she plopped onto the ground and wanted to open it and eat its contents. OR she wanted to run off with it ("put it in the basket" was like speaking Chinese to her) OR chase after the neighbor's dog.  This REALLY was the hunt with no end in sight, so after about 15 minutes of trying to get her to comply we decided to just take the little ones inside and open Easter baskets.

 

Here's a big "thank you" to the Grandmas (Melody & Barbara) for making sure Tess is always the most beautiful/adorable baby girl in sight....I absolutely loved both of her Easter dresses!  Below are pictures and video of our fun family day.