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.

Quality Time with My Dad

This weekend I got to spend some quality time with my dad. A week ago my dad was working in the back yard and fell 8-10 feet, landing on the concrete, which resulted in him compressing a vertebrae, fracturing his lower leg, and tearing a tendon away from his ankle. As bad as his injuries sound, we are praising God that nothing more serious happened. Since he ended up having to have surgery on his ankle, he is out of commission for the next couple of months. For those of you who know my dad, it just kills him to have to stay off his feet and not be able to do much.


I had the pleasure to get to help him out since my mom was out of town with my grandma in the hospital. With the weather being rainy all day Saturday, we had a great time just relaxing, watching the Olympics and playing cards. Jim joined us Saturday afternoon and stayed until this afternoon. I joked that we were having a slumber party at my parents.

Maddux of course loved spending the weekend with her grandpa being spoiled. Andrea, Reggie and Corban were even able to make it over to see us all. Corban was missing Maddy and was so excited to get to play with her. By the end of the night though, Maddux was ready to just crash on the couch.

I caught Maddux trying to hide behind all of my dad's pillows he has to use to prop up his ankle. Isn't she cute? I had a great weekend spending time with my dad, Jim and Maddux!