Background

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Catch-Up!

It’s been 105 days since I last posted a blog. Wow. 

To get you up to speed...

We had a wonderful anniversary weekend following my last post. We took Hans and our bikes to the Napa Valley where we enjoyed the scenery, wine, food and each other.


Anniversary in Downtown Napa
Dryw at Ca' Momi in Oxbow Market
We liked it so much we went twice in one weekend!
Hans in Dryw's messenger bag for our bike ride 
In early July, we had the opportunity to go to Pacific Grove with my father-in-law Bill, brother-in-law Daniel and other family members. We rode our bikes through part of the swanky 17-Mile Drive and took in as much ocean breeze as our lungs could hold.

In mid-July, I finished a painting project that was preceded by months of sampling paint colors on our bedroom walls. Light gray was the final pick for our master suite!

Before: too many samples!
After
The last couple months have been spent with family and friends, celebrating mothers-to-be and their babies inside, showering the soon-to-be Mrs. Engle, vacationing with the Owens in Tahoe, and lots of working in between.

Melanie and I went kayaking to Emerald Bay
I have been involved in planning showers, for Stephanie & Baby Girl Johnstone and the future Mrs. Tara Engle, and a fun run for Nevaeh’s Hope. Tara’s bridal shower #2 went off without a hitch and we had a blast at the bachelorette party that followed. My last baby shower of this season (3 in the last couple months!) is for my good friend Stephanie this coming Saturday. I’m finishing up a couple details as are the other ladies that are all pitching in to plan her a real shindig! (photos to follow) I’m in charge of making brightly colored poms, bingo cards, scones, spinach dip, and “spa” water (I chose cucumber and mint).
Miss Tara Klein (soon Mrs. Engle)
My Grandma Penny's China that she gave me
Peach Champagne with Raspberries
Party People
The planning for the 5K fun run was starting to heat up with stress as we searched for sponsors and tried to get some details nailed down. Last month, however, we were faced with a slight problem: the city of Roseville planned to start construction at the venue we chose on the date of our event! We had to postpone the run to early next year. Fortunately, we will have more time to prepare and kick off NH’s first run with more success.

Dryw has been busy working, studying and applying for Sac State’s English program for Spring 2012. He finished an album for The Thomas Confession last week and started working with From Indian Lakes on their second album.

Last weekend, we joined family at the Race to Break the Silence for ovarian cancer. We walked in memory of Dryw’s mom Shalita. One of my favorite things that happened there was that Dryw’s Uncle John pushed his and Shalita’s mom in a wheelchair 3.1 miles. We miss Shalita lots and this was a good way for us to honor her.

Team Shalita
Kim, Ashley, me and Dryw
Needless to say, I have not made any progress on my couch cover project... but I hope to soon. In the meantime, I’ve added another task to my “To Do’s”: apply to Spanish Masters programs at Sac State and UC Davis for Fall 2012. These are two fairly different programs, with two different price tags and time-frames. Dryw and I are weighing the pros and cons, but likely won’t decide until well into next year.

Dryw and I are really looking forward to this Fall and the beauty it always brings! I’m hoping the weather cools off soon (not only because our air conditioner broke) so we can enjoy a day at Apple Hill with a true Fall climate. The holiday season is upon us, and we don’t expect life to slow down any time soon.