Seattle

Another traveling week-end for us. This time it was only Greg and I. The kids stayed with grandma and grandpa for 3 days and we went up to Seattle. The American Association of Immunologists (AAI) had its annual meeting there so I united work and pleasure. The meeting was really good (although rather packed with talks) and Greg and I had a good time walking around the town after the meeting. The pop-corns wit garlic and truffle from Oliver Twist will be memorable for a long long time!!

One Year Older and Happy!

Another year has gone by so fast! I can't believe I am 45 already..oh my!! Anyway I am very young at heart and that is all it matters. My birthday week-end was wonderful: it started Saturday morning with Greg making waffles for everybody, and then the kids gave me the present they made for me: a beautiful vase with their hand prints on it and with a gift certificate for Anthropologie in it. Do my men know me or what??? Then, at a leisurely pace we got ready for our adventure. We had lunch at "Stacks" (where I ordered another waffle with strawberry!) and then we went to visit Grandma Elva at the cemetery. She died exactly one year ago and we felt it was important to go see her. I am so glad we went! After that we took off for Monterey. We arrived there a little before 5PM, checked in (by the way I highly recommend the Intercontinental Clement, right on Cannery Row and very nice!) and then while Alex was "chilling" in the room we went for a brief visit to the Aquarium (the tickets were good for 2 days, so there was no rush). Dinner was at the "Fish Hopper" with good food and lots of laughs. After a walk we went back to the hotel where we rented "Inkheart" and watched it in bed (forgot to say that we got tea and cookies to bring to the room as well!). Sunday was another event filled day. Greg got up and went to get breakfast for everybody, then we finished watching the movie and then we all went back to the Aquarium. For lunch we decided to go to the Wharf and ate at the "Old Fisherman's Grotto" where we had another really good meal. The week'end ended with a bike ride for the entire family on one buggy that generated lots of laughs for everyone. I loved every minute of the week-end!

Lake Tahoe

So, I think by now it is well established that I am an horrible blogger. I don't know if I am too busy (I tend to believe that) or if I am too lazy and I don't make an extra effort to sit down and record the events of our lives and the emotions that go along with those. I really don't know, but the week goes by extremely fast and the week-ends we are often traveling (and I am so thankful for that as I am an avid traveler). The past week-end we went to Lake Tahoe and guess what I did?...I skied for the first time in the longest time!!! I think the last time I put skis on was probably 7 or 8 years ago, before I was even pregnant with Ryan. Well, it was the perfect day, blue sky, perfect fresh snow, and nobody on the slopes! I had the time of my life! While the women were skiing the guys went sledding with the kids, so everyone had a great time! The day after we all went for a hike (where this picture was taken). That was fun as well, and the scenery was very beautiful. We stayed at the Timberlodge Marriott Resort at Heavenly and Greg even managed to go gambling!

Easter

The Easter Bunny most certainly stopped at our house yesterday and the kids had a great time trying to find all the secret spots where the eggs were hidden. It was a very peaceful day for us. After the hunt for the eggs we all went for a walk (kids on scooters) around the neighborhood and then back home for a big lunch in the backyard. The weather was perfect for an outdoor lunch! Lucas took a nice and long nap, while Greg took Ryan to the Park. I spent a couple of hours reading and totally loved it! Then we all went to see Doug and Margaret house (almost done with remodeling and it looks great!), followed by dinner at all together (Passage to India, one of my favorite Indian restaurants). Oh, how I wish every day could be Easter!

Swim Meet

I have not fallen out of the face of earth, I have been extremely busy both at work and at home. Last week the kids had a swim meet and it was the first time for Ryan. It was pretty hectic but a lot of fun. Alex was great, he swam the 50 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke and he did really well. In the freestyle he got an A time and got first place. Ryan was so sweet, a little nervous for his 25 backstroke, but he went for it and got second place.

Raining week-ends

I like rainy week-ends, especially if we do not have anything planned and we adapt to the weather. Today is one of those days.One of the advantages of living in California is that soon enough the sky will be blue and that will last for several months. So, with that in mind, rainy days are not all that bad for me. We went out in the morning for hair cuts, grocery shopping and a fast lunch at an Indian restaurant, but the best part of the day has been the afternoon. The noise of the rain and the feeling of warmth in the house are for me a great combination. Lucas took his nap and Ryan was at one of his friends' house for a playdate, so the silence was sovereign in the house for a while.

Oscar Night

I have been quiet for a while. A lot to do at work and not enough time for fun. I will be back after today. Big Oscar night fan over here!

Week-end in Sacramento

Got back last night from a little trip to Sacramento. It was a last minute idea and it worked out really well. I had never been to the State capital and we thought it could be fun for the kids to go see Old Sacramento. We stayed only one night, but it worked out perfectly. Saturday we went to Old Sacramento and visited the Railroad Museum. Dinner at Joe's crab shack followed and the crabs were awesome! Sunday we visited the Capitol and then went to the Ranch to see Auntie Neese and Uncle Dan, where the kids fed Alpacas and drove the golf cart. They loved that part!!!

When something bothers you...

Change it!!!
The window behind our bed in our bedroom has been bugging me for a while. I did not like those blinds, they felt sterile and tome they made the room very uninviting. I kept looking at that window and wanting something different, I just did not want one of those curtains that was all soft and mellow. I wanted something that was going to make the room warm and inviting. well, I bought these dark brown curtains and the room changed instantly. The picture does not even show the change all that well. I am really happy with the change, now when the sun hits the room the contrast with the dark color makes it so cozy!!! Love it!

Disney Album

I finished the Disneyland album. I am so reliever because I had a lot of pictures and it felt like I was going to work on it forever. I think one of the aspect of scrapbooking that I enjoy the most is the feeling of reliving a special memory. This trip has been great fun for the entire family, I loved spending time with the kids and see them so happy and easy going for once. And it has been great to live those moments again while I was putting the album together.

The Happiest Place on Earth

We are back from a 4 day vacation in Disneyland and we had a great time (if we don't count the few times Lucas went wondering off!) and it is hard to get back into normal life, including school and work. Still very tired as we walked all the time and took advantage of the early entrance each day (meaning wake up call at 6AM!), but boy did we do a lot! The highlights would have to be Lucas loving Thunder Mountain and the Matterhorn (hands up in the air), Alex forcing me to go on the California screaming roller coaster (never again, my stomach is still upside down), all of us loving the Aladdin show and Soaring over California (both in California Adventure), lots of food (including the Mickey shaped waffles, yummy!) and simply watching the kids having a great time and being there with them.