It's starting to feel like winter....

Alaska has been blanketed with snowfall, so much it looks like there will be a new record. Sacramento set one too....for the least amount of non-rainy days. With temperatures hovering in the high 50's, low 60's, it's easy to see why so many call Northern California home. Very nice weather, until today. A northern storm is headed our way and the rain has started. We need it, desperately. But I don't like it. Only 5 more months until the heat begins (and then I'll get to experience my "winter weather" again when I head up to visit mom).

I'm getting ready to start my graduate classes in February. They'll keep me busy, but it's better if my time is more structured.

Jessica heads back to NYU tomorrow. She's been home a month already. We don't have the same spring break this year so she'll just stay in NYC. A friend of hers attending Johns Hopkins might try to stay with her for the week.

Joe and I are taking Andrew to visit some colleges in the LA area for spring break (and of probably Disneyland).

Not much else going on...just have to get through the next couple few months of rainy, yucky weather!

Christmas Season

There is usually so much going on this time of year which makes it more important than ever to remember our values and stick to our beliefs.

Consumerism is alive and well in the USA, but subscribing to the theory that Christmas is all about gifts perpetuates, and substantiates, the global thought that Americans are materialistically driven. What ever happened to a few quality gifts under the tree instead of multitudes of junk?

We all know those people, you know the ones I'm talking about, the ones who start shopping in July and buy so much stuff, there's hardly anywhere to put it? Who have to say the cost of each gift, where it was bought, and then make sure we know it's a designer label. Do the people receiving the gifts actually appreciate them? Probably not! The Christmas message is lost amongst the glittering bows and festive lights. Pagan symbols designed to sell an artificial feeling of warmth and good cheer.

I'm not a particularly religious person. There is no church I frequent on a regular basis, but, I am spiritual and I have faith. What I don't have is a bunch of gifts under my tree trying to trick me into thinking I'm showing love for my family.





And speaking of family....

I am so happy and excited to have Stephen join our family. The wedding was simply spectacular!!

Updates...

The countdown is on. Jess and I are heading for NYC on the 24th of August, in 2 1/2 weeks. The time will fly by, I'm sure. We've been busy getting items together. Bed Bath & Beyond has this neat programs for kids going far away from home. Items are ordered at the store with one of those handy clicker things, and stored at the store location nearest the school. Great!! Some things we have to take with us, such as towels (the purple ones she really wanted are not available in NYC) and a few other miscellaneous items. She picked out some really great luggage (2 pieces only) and is *supposedly* starting the cleaning out of the black hole that is her bedroom.

Andrew came home from camp having burst blood vessels in both his eyes. He was horribly ill from a fast-moving bug running through camp. Now he looks like a vampire. I'd post a picture, but it is really creepy. Not much can be done about and the blood will be absorbed eventually. Think of it as a bruise that can be seen. Under the skin the blood pools (that's why bruises discolor) but on the eye there's no where for it to hide. Yuck!

I have one more week of summer vacation then I'm back to my high school job. Looking forward to it this year. I really am the kind of person who needs structure. Even though I really like my time off, too much of it leaves me bored.

Beautiful Saturday morning. So far this year we've only had 3 (maybe 5, can't remember what they said on the news) days of temps over 100. Our usual summer has over 20. No complaining here!!

Andrew is heading to the American River today with his troop, Joe is working on a home improvement project, and Jessica is....sleeping :) I'll probably squeeze a run in when I drop Andrew off.

Family pics...

My sister Marie and her fiance Stephen

My brother Carl and our Uncle Peter

My brother Carl and his son Jesse

Mirror Lake, near where I grew up. I learned to swim in this lake, which is not as cold as it looks.

My nephew Jesse, my sister Marie, and my brother Carl. Can't wait to see them at Marie's wedding in November!!

Thanks to my cousin Brenda, whose photos I copied from her blog site!!

What's been going on....

Not much, really. Two weeks ago Andrew came home from camp for an all too brief 18 hours. When we took him back we detoured down Highway 1 to San Francisco. We had a fabulous lunch at Marshall Cove right on Tomales Bay. Sadly I did not take pictures of the food, but these pictures show the view made the food all that much better.









And who can forget Harry Potter? (well, I can because I haven't seen it yet. I'm waiting for Andrew to come home so I can see it with him). Jessica went to the midnight showing with some of her friends.