30th Annual Buddy Party

Every December, Doug and I take part in a strange phenomenon.  Men and women, decades after their high school graduation, gather at a home and rekindle friendships (and drink a lot!).  Even though they only see each other once a year, they act as if they were just talking last week.  Doug has a group of friends that have been getting together for the last 30 years!  Some of them went to grade school with him.  They are a great bunch of friends who party like high schoolers once a year to stay young.

Family – so many to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.We spent this holiday surrounded by loved ones.  We enjoyed Thanksgiving at Doug’s parents home.  I just love it when I look around and see the smiles on faces and hear laughter- from quiet giggles to loud belly laughs. Our family “landscape” is noticeably changing.  Now Doug’s parents have great- grandchildren at the holiday table.

Four generations of family…. Memories to treasure always.

Halloween Fun

Doug’s brother, Art has a Halloween party.  We had not dressed up in a long time so we put on some outifts and blended in with everyone else!  Don’t you love the pumpkin my niece carved (like the ghost from Ghost Busters!)

Harvest time at Apple Hill

So my girlfriends and I finally found a date that worked for all four of us to escape… We were all burned out, in some way or another and really needed a change of scenery.  Our first stop was Starbucks, of course!

Afterwards we headed up to Apple Hill.  This is a well known area of our Northern California foothills.  There are several apple groves and farms there.  Every fall, the farms open to the public to sell apples.  Anything apple that is - Apple pies (fresh or frozen), apple fritters, apple donuts, apple butter and apple cider.  There are also craft vendors set up at every farm and depending on the day, there may be live entertainment.  We girls went on a Thursday near the end of the season and had a great time with fewer crowds. We ate, shopped, and laughed the whole day.

When we left, we decided to stop at Red Hawk Casino for lunch.  We aren’t a gambling bunch so we really did go for the food (and gave the slots about $10 each)! To further maximize our girlfriend time, we stopped at the Folsom Outlets on the way home and did some more shopping!

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Battle of the Bands

Branden’s band, Woe to Bethsaida, has been performing throughout the year.  They have also been trying to do some recording in hopes of eventually producing a music CD.  This is a new promotional photo and Branden is the second from the right. Branden has cut off his curls and is sporting a mullet now with a long 11″ tail in the back.

In November, they participated in “Battle of the Bands”.  This is a locally held event where bands come together and compete for prize monies. A total of 30 bands competed, and though Woe to Bethsaida did not win, they made some good connections. They now have plans to play in a New Year’s Eve show at Club Retro. Get your tickets now!

On a sad note, one of the guitarist, Branden’s good friend Phillip, has left the band.  The band hopes to soon find a replacement for Phillip but he will be missed!

Austin’s new job

After a long period of unemployment, Austin has a job!  He is so happy about it too!  He had been doing odd jobs for his dad and for my clients, making barely enough to put gas in his car.

He has passed his Guard tests and been cleared by the Dept of Justice.  He is now a security guard and works at the local Galleria mall.  He let me take this picture only because I said it was so his great-grandmothers could see him.  He generally doesn’t like to stop and have a photo taken.  You can tell by the huge smile on his face (not!).

Smile Baby!

One of my personal goals this year was to spend more time as a “grandma”.  Now that Natalie has graduated and she and Branden are able to get along without me, it has been easier to do.  Besides having Matthew and Tristan for one week in July, I also have what I fondly call “Grandma Wednesdays”.  On the Wednesdays that my daughter-in-law is scheduled to work, I watch my granddaughter Lilian (nickname “Squeaks”). It has been so much fun seeing her grow, move, and develop her little personality.  I had some fun taking these photos of her in October.  She is 7 months old here.

Neighborhood Picnic

Ours is an older neighborhood in Sacramento.  Quiet, tree lined streets without sidewalks or street lights.  Most houses have 1/2 to 1 acre of property.  Every year we have an annual community yard sale that is followed by a neighborhood picnic.  Doug and I hosted the picnic in our backyard. Our neighborhood association provided the meat that Doug barbequed as well as the entertainment.  Over 40 neighbors, young and old, came and had a great time.  It was good to hear the stories of some of the long time residents and to see the children hit it off so well.  In the hectic pace of today’s society, it’s good to spend time getting to know your neighbors.

Family Time

With 5 grown children now, it can sometimes be challenging to get together.  Sure there are the traditional times of Thanksgiving and Christmas but we try to get together, all of us, more often than just during the holidays.  Family means more than gifts…. The last time we were all together was at  Doug’s 50th birthday.  Josh and his family live 3 hours from Sacramento so we try to get together when he is in the area.  In October on a Sunday, we met for breakfast at Mr Perry’s, a local coffee shop in South Sacramento.  The only one missing was Austin because he had to work.

It was indeed a short visit, but thoroughly enjoyable.  Everyone is well and the grandkids cannot get much cuter!