Archive for December, 2010

A Wonderful Christmas

Monday, December 27th, 2010

Christmas Trees, Presents,  Stockings, great food, and wonderful company.  That was our Christmas Eve and Day and even the day after!  I’m stuffed.  My house is stuffed with wonderful new items and some old items have been recycled. 

Resting after he opened and devoured his new bone!

Amy, serving up Christmas Breakfast

Sharing Christmas morning with a Bloody Mary!

Allie, wondering why there isn't more bones!!

Showing Grandpa's bears

 And finally my Christmas gifts. Soft Pink Robe, socks, tennis balls, a Fresno State Shirt, Wine with Duke on the labels! Walk behind golf cart, 4lb exercise ball, and…

One of my Christmas Gifts!

 With all this exercise stuff maybe now I can get into shape!!!  Enjoy the rest of your year as I will be enjoying a few more days in San Jose and then we are off to Calistoga to the mud baths on January 3, 2011!!!

Amazing!

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

If the weather holds out we will NOT have a White Christmas!  More like a Blue Sky Christmas with temperatures in the 60’s!!!  This is why I love San Jose so much.   There is nothing like a spring day in the middle of December where you can get out those sandals again and take a walk. 

It is suppose to rain by Christmas but I am hoping those weather pro’s are wrong again!  Taking a nice long walk after that big Christmas feast is a great idea.  I’ll let you know!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

Decorating for the Christmas season is one of my favorite things but since we live in a very small space without much storage it is really hard to have decorations.  This year is different!  I have access to my many Christmas decorations that I was not willing to part with and then when I am done with them, Amy will store them for next year for either her or I to use! 

Christmas 2010

Only 10 more days until Santa comes!

Amy wants to keep Duke

Saturday, December 11th, 2010

Yesterday Amy begged to have a sleepover with her baby brother.  Duke wasn’t sure he would sleep but he went anyway.  Actually what choice does he have, he’s a dog!  I packed his overnight bag and bed and Amy picked him up after work and off they went to spend the night at her home.

Paul was very nervous and wanted to call and check on him every hour.  I told him let him be and besides he is too young to talk to you on the phone!  Silly me, this is 2010 after all.  About 10 pm we get a call or actually a Facetime request from Amy!  Duke was so happy to hear our voices and if he understood technology better he could have seen our faces!

I had no idea how cool this new 4G phone was going to be.  Just think you can see little Suzie’s smiling face no matter where you might be.  You can actually have virtual relationships with your babies while someone else is changing the stinky diaper that grosses you out!!! Hopefully the nanny doesn’t feel the need to facetime that!

Paul was able to relax and enjoy the rest of our evening after “Seeing” that his little boy was enjoying himself.  And then we both get text messages on our phones…..

"Duke drank too much"

 Damn, what happened to the good ole days where parents never knew what really happened when the kids were left home alone with the babysitter.

We’ve arrived!

Friday, December 10th, 2010

It’s time to secure the belongings, roll in the slides, crank up the jacks and head for San Jose – YEAH!!!  After spending two nights at the dealership in Stockton it is time to relocate to San Jose and I am so ready.  We left Stockton about noon and were cruising along under somewhat sunny conditions and then we arrived in Livermore on 580 to brake lights. 

What?  It’s 12:30 in the afternoon.  Must be an accident.  We come to a full stop on the interstate and of course Paul thinks of lunch!  I’m not hungry so he decides we are going to be here awhile and gets up from the driver seat and heads to the kitchen.  After starting his lunch he retreats to the bathroom!  I’m sitting in the passenger seat and realize the guy in front of me is moving!!! Yikes!  I figure we are only moving a little so I get in the drivers seat, start the engine and start pulling ahead.  The cars never stop!  So, Paul returns to the drivers compartment but now it is too late, I am heading west on 580 at 55 miles per hour! 

I can drive the motorhome but choose not to especially with Paul as a passenger!  My driving capacity is only in reverse in RV Parks, going 55 down the highway is Paul’s domain and this is my least favorite stretch of highway in the state!!!  There is so much construction, pylons, barriers, narrow lanes and ruts that keeping a small car in your lane is a large feat and I am driving a 36 foot house!

Paul is usually a lousy passenger, hence my reason for only driving in reverse with him outside, however today he is especially good.  He only made one comment about me hitting the cement wall so by the time we go to Fremont I was starting to relax.

We arrived under my skill in Morgan Hill about 2 pm and are ready to party San Jose!

A great start to Christmas

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Leaving Paul and Duke with the RV in Coloma I left for San Jose on Saturday to awesome weather!  Lately the weather has been very much a part of my life and finally I am back where the temperatures are normal!!!

Stephanie was also in town for a few hours so we got to have dinner before she headed back to Fresno for her last two weeks of college.  She graduates on December 16th and then it is to San Jose and the future for her.  It is very scary for her (and me) right now as jobs are still pretty competitive but she will get settled in her new home and begin the search.  Her degree will be in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting so we are very hopeful she will land a job and then persue a career that will both thrill her and support her.

Back to why I left home and why I am excited about the upcoming holidays.  When we lived in San Jose I started each December with a lot of cookie baking and then a party to exchange my cookies with friends that also make some amazing Christmas cookies.  Well that is why I am here.   I talked Amy into learning to bake some cookies (about time!) and accompany me to my cookie party.  She found the recipe, helped me shop for the ingredients and then bake the cookies!  A pretty great accomplishment for someone that had no interest in cooking growing up.

See, she can cook!

While we baked cookies, Amy’s roomates Jen and Stacy went out and picked up their Christmas tree and brought it home to decorate.  Amy’s home looks great and I can’t  wait to decorate my little house for the holidays.

Merry Christmas at Amy's house

We spent all day Sunday baking 12 dozen cookies.  They are awesome and tonight we will go to Barb’s house,  (Diana’s moms) where she will treat us to a wonderful dinner, great friends and the evening will finish with an awesome dessert right after we exchange cookies and a gift exchange.

Tomorrow I return to my house but we will be relocating to San Jose this coming weekend.  I can’t wait to get here, decorate for Christmas and then get out and see everyone!