So it's Fall...

Finally fall has arrived. Nothing says Fall like cool crisp air, leaves changing colors and warm apple cider. To experience Fall, Jim and I took an afternoon trip up to Julian, a small mountain town known for their apple orchards and amazing pies.

Our delicious caramel apple pie

Amazing Artwork...in Chalk

A couple weekends ago Jim and I, along with some friends, went downtown to Little Italy to check out Festa 2010. Festa is large Italian Festival that goes on every year and features "Gesso Italiano" (Italian chalk art). The highlight of the afternoon was walking around and seeing all the amazing artwork done in chalk on the street. The artists ranged from school children to seasoned artists. These were some of our favorites...enjoy!

Great Friends are Hard to Come by these Days...

We had great time on a Saturday morning with Andrea, Reggie and Corban at Old Poway Park. Jim was photographing their little family while I was able to just hangout and talk with Andrea in between shots. I must say that all three of them are so photogenic and Corban has the most cute and silly faces. After Jim finished taking the pictures, we headed over to the Farmers Market and then to breakfast to just hang out and talk.

Elijah & Elsie

As a gift for my sister and brother-in-law, my mom asked Jim if we would take pictures of Elijah and Elsie for the 3rd and 1st birthdays, respectively. This would be Jim's first photo shoot for JPhotography, his new business endeavor. Both kids were hams for the camera so Jim was able to get some good shots. Enjoy my nephew and niece...and Jim's work!

A Day at the Races

Although I have lived in San Diego all of my life, I had never been to the Del Mar horse races until Jim and I met up with some of his Orange County friends a couple of weeks ago. I didn't know what to expect, or how the betting worked, so once we arrived at the race tracks we walked around observing people and eaves dropping on conversations about how the betting worked. Just before the first race, Jim decided to take a shot at placing a bet. The race started and instantly the energy level was raised as everyone was intensely watching the track and cheering for their horse. Although he didn't win anything the first race, Jim went on to win five of the next six races.

After the first race, we met up with a few of Jim's friends on the inner track where we watched the rest of the races for the day until the $1MM race when we decided to call it a day. We will definitely be going to the races again next year and may even make it a family event and bring my parents, Jen, Matt and the kids. Although they too have lived in San Diego for most of their life, they have never experienced a day at the races.

10 years later...

During my senior year of high school, my family made the decision to house an exchange student for the year. I remember waiting anxiously at the airport for Nanna to arrive. The year Nanna lived with us was full of many great memories and adventures... and flew by way too fast.

Fast forward ten years later. Jim and I have just arrived back in San Diego from our trip to Chicago and are on our way to my parents house to visit with Nanna and her family who have flown in from Denmark. Earlier this year I was talking with Nanna via facebook and found out that her and her family were planning a vacation to the states during the summer. The thought of getting to see her and meet her family was exciting. She had told us all about her family while she lived with us so it was great to finally meet them.




Nanna still looked liked Nanna and we had a great time catching up on each others lives and reminiscing about time she spent with us. In some ways it didn't feel like it had been ten years even though a lot had transpired.

The time with Nanna was short, but well spent, so maybe we will just have to take a trip to Denmark to visit some more...and see a new country!

Nine down, twenty one more to go!

For those of you who may not know, one of Jim's goals is to visit every major league baseball stadium for a game. Last month he was able to check Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers off the list, during our trip to Chicago for a friend's wedding. Although visiting all the baseball stadiums isn't high on my priority list, it has been fun to be able to do this with Jim, knowing it is something he looks forward to. Many of our friends keep telling Jim he has a pretty awesome wife who is willing to do this...I would agree!

I Love Surprises!

It was Friday evening, Jim and I were celebrating our four year anniversary eating pizza and watching shows on our DVR, when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID to determine whether I was going to answer the phone or just let it go to voice mail and saw that it was one of my best friends, Kelly, who hadn't I talked to in a while. I answered the phone and to my surprise, Kelly and her husband were in San Diego driving up the 5, for a little 4th of July weekend get away. Kelly and I have known each other since second grade; we went to the same the church, same college (lived together for 2 years) and were in each others wedding (two weeks apart). We hadn't seen each other for three and half years so the thought of getting to see her was exciting. Luckily we had the Monday after the 4th off so we decided to meet up for lunch so we could catch up and Brenton could get his In-N-Out fix! Even if I had had to work or had other plans, I would have made sure to find a way to meet up.

We had a great time at lunch, catching up on life, reminiscing about the past and talking about what the future may have in store for each of us. If only Kelly and Brenton lived closer...maybe one day we will live close to each other again.

I don't mind these types of surprises and could definitely get used to them if they happened more often!

Maddux has a new best friend...

Having company from out of town is always a treat for us. Ryan, Theresa and their little boy Jack came for a visit last weekend. They were already planning on coming out for a couple of days for a mini vacation at the beach and we talked them into coming a few days early so we could all hang out. I was really looking forward to this not only because they are such an awesome couple but also because we would finally get to meet Jack...a little over a year after he was born but still better later than never. Jack instantly became Maddux's new best friend as soon as they walked through the door. Maddux loves babies and Jack was no exception. He would chase Maddux around, throw the ball for her to chase and give her hugs. In return, Maddux loved licking him to death. I think Maddux was a little sad when Jack had to leave.

Hugs...

and Kisses!

Happy 2nd Birthday Corban!

Recently we had a great time celebrating one of my good friend's son's second birthday. It has been so much fun watching grow up the past two years. Time has definitely flown by these past two years. Andrea did a great job with the Sesame Street theme...they even had a Sesame Street little blow up bouncer. And to top it all off, Andrea made an Elmo cake for Corban and Cookie Monster Cupcakes for the rest of us.

Memorial Day Weekend Adventures

Jim's mom, Bev, came out to visit over the memorial day weekend. Work has been crazy for Jim the past couple of months so it was nice for him to be able to take a couple of days off while Bev was here so they could spend time together. Maddux was really excited to have her "mimi" around to play with her, take her for walks and take naps. Thursday I had to work so Jim, Bev and Maddux took advantage of the awesome weather and went to the dog beach for a few hours. Maddux was in heaven and worn out for pretty much the rest of the weekend.

Friday was a big day, Jim's 27th birthday. We spent the day celebrating by going on a harbor cruise around the San Diego bay. The weather couldn't have been any better.

Since we weren't able to spend Mother's day with Bev, we decided to celebrate a late Mother's day as well by going to George's in La Jolla for lunch. If you are ever out in San Diego and are looking for a great place to eat with unbeatable views, you have to go to George's and sit on the terrace...nothing beats the California coastline. Needless to say, Bev loved it.

One thing Bev wanted to do while she was out visiting was go to a baseball game. It worked out that the Padres were home this weekend so the three of us went down to the game and met up with my parents. The bonus for going to the game, free Chase Headley bobble heads. Not sure what I will do with mine but hey, they were free. The Padres won so the night ended on a high note!

The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxful. We spent some more time with my parents for Jim's birthday lunch, took Maddux on walks, played games and just enjoyed the company of having Bev here. We were sad to see her leave but look forward to seeing her and Ray in a month when we head back to Chicago for Jim's friends wedding in July. I think Bev was more sad to leave Maddux than us. We know though that Maddux misses her "mimi".

In Loving Memory of My Grandma...

Marjorie Ann Riess

May 8, 1920 - May 14, 2010

On Friday, May 14th, my grandmother went to be with the Lord. She was finally pain free, dancing with my grandpa, getting to see her three sons and seeing Jesus face to face. The day of her memorial service was a day of celebration of her life and the memories she helped make for all of us. My grandma was a great woman who loved her family, loved God and never met a stranger. One of her greatest desires was that all of her children, grand children and great-grandchildren would know God as their personal Lord and Savior.

During her service, it was so much fun to hear everyone talk about my grandma and the memories they have of the time they spent with her over the years. I have many great memories of my grandma that I will never forget. Although I will miss her greatly, I know that she is in a much better place and that I will get to see again one day!

Here are some final words from my aunt and mother about my grandmother:

"God gave us our mother Marjorie. We will remember her fondly with so many memories. She was kind, loving, and caring. Though she suffered the loss of her sons and a grandson, she continued her life with us, delighting in her surviving children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Towards the end of her life she would comment that death didn't frighten her as she had as many people waiting for her in heaven as she had here in this life. We are sad, but because of our faith in the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we have the assurance that we will see her again in eternal life with God. The Holy Spirit comforts us until then and all because of Christ Jesus our Savior. See 2 Corinthians 1:3-7"

Grandma Marge's 90th Birthday Bash

On May 8th, my Grandma Marge celebrated a great milestone in her life...her 90th birthday. Family from near and far came to celebrate. Even my mom's cousins from Seattle made a special trip down for the party. With my grandma's health recently starting to decline, we were excited to have everyone together for her special day. This was the first time in a long time that almost all of the cousins (grand children were together). My grandma loved having her family together and enjoyed watching her great grandchildren play. Her children, grand children and great-grandchildren always brought a smile to her face.

The morning of her birthday I had gone to say hi and wish her a happy birthday. When I mentioned that it was her 90th birthday she smiled and rolled her eyes...almost as if she couldn't believe she had made it this long. This would also be the last day I would get to see her as she went to be with the Lord the following Friday. Grandma held on long enough to have one last party with the family and to make some lasting memories.

I Love Spending Time with My Niece & Nephew

In March I spent a long weekend up in Bakersfield with my sister, brother-in-law and the kids. When Elijah was a couple of months old I had gone up North to help my sister and spend time with them. I wasn't able to get up as soon as I wanted with Elsie but a little bit later is better than not spending time with her at all. Jen had to work one of the days I was up there so I took the challenge of getting both kids ready and going to meet her for lunch. Jen enjoyed being able to "show off" the kids to her co-workers and just getting to see the kids. After lunch, the kids and I went to see Grandma Marge. I think it was the highlight of her day! She just loved watching the kids and smiling at them.

As my Grandma's health started to decline over the past few months, I spent more time up in Bakersfield which meant I got to spend more time with the kids. Being able to see them every month for the past three months was a treat. They are growing up so fast! Elijah gives the best hugs and Elsie has the sweetest personality. Their smiles just brighten my day!

Another Trail to Mark Off the List

A couple of years ago Jim came home one weekend with a new book, "60 Trails with 60 miles of San Diego". Our plan was to try and do at least one or two trails a month until we had hiked all 60 trails. As can be expected, we didn't stick to the plan and have probably only done a handful of trails. One weekend in March, we did the Piedras Pintadas Trail which is only a couple of miles from our home. The trail was peaceful and quiet and took us by a waterfall and scenic look out points over Lake Hodges.