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V-Day Surprise

I had been planning for months to wisk Dave a way for a Valentine's Day surprise.  I booked a cabin outside of Tahoe that is accessible only by snowshoes. To split the cost of the cabin, my sister Cassie and I went in together to spoil our men.  We informed them the night before we left to pack for a snow adventure!  They were left in total suspense. Of course, it didn't help that I took a few wrong turns on the way up.  I really had them lost (and me too!)

We planned all the food for the trip and left the next morning.  Our first stop was Cabelas in Reno, NV.....a outdoorsman's dream!

Lunch at Cabelas consisted of Bison wraps and buffalo burgers.  We told the boys we would follow them around and show genuine interest a whatever they wanted to try on or play with (this is more of an effort than it seems). After Cabelas we drove the to entrance of the park where we strapped on our snowshoes, threw on our packs, and began the 3 mile hike (all uphill might I add) to our cabin in the woods. Once the boys knew what we were doing, they were as giddy as little kids at Disneyland.  We knew this surprise would tap into their love language.

We arrived at the cabin just as the sun was setting.  We made sure to snap a few quick photos before we lost daylight.

The cabin was perfect. Small. Cozy. Warm.  It came stocked with wood and a wood burning stove.  Downstairs was a futon that turned into a bed, and upstairs in the loft was a queen bed.  We cooked up some dinner over the stove and spent the rest of the evening drinking wine and playing board games.  It was awesome!

The next morning we made breakfast and packed our bags for the hike out. Snow flurries dusted our heads as we hiked back.  The cabin in the woods was the perfect Valentine's adventure.

And he's off!

My brother David just joined the Navy. We dropped him off at the recruiting station yesterday with many tearful goodbyes and watched him drive away with nothing on him but the clothes on his back.  Can you believe they even issue him underwear?  Yep, they own him. He got driven to Sacramento last night for paperwork processing and is on a plane this morning to Great Lakes Illinois (about 45 mins north of Chicago) where he will spend 8 weeks in boot camp.  Our whole family will be flying out to see him graduate late March. After graduation he goes right into "A" school.  He schooling is somewhat unknown, but it is in the field of computers. Possibly ballistics, possibly radar. If it were his choice, he'd be on a submarine. Given that he scored so high on his tests and that his schooling is more intensive than most, his enlistment was a required 6 years.

Feelings of giddiness mixed with nostalgia flooded him over the last few days as he said his final goodbyes.  I can't wait to see him proudly in his uniform in a few short months.  I am sure going to miss my goofy younger brother.

Family

This weekend my entire family was together for the first time in years.  The celebration? Finally getting to see my niece from Alaska and my brother's departure. He ships out on Monday for a 6 year stint in the Navy.  As we laughed, ate, and played board games all weekend, I was reminded at how different we all are, yet how much we all love one another. Up until we moved away for college, our life experiences were relatively similar - we all grew up in the same town, went to the same church, had similar friends, etc.  But since then, I moved to Australia, Nepal, Thailand, and NYC, Brittany lived in L.A. and San Jose, Cassie went to San Francisco, and Eirik to Alaska.  We all met and married the loves of our lives who brought additional life experiences.  All this richness and personality shapes and molds us into who we are today.  I am so thankful for the changes that have occurred in all of us, for it adds spice to the family! This does mean an increased amount of differences, philosophies on life, and goals for the future.  It would be so easy to judge one another, get frustrated with one another, and expect that everyone should be like us.  That, of course, would rob us of the joy that comes from learning from one another and reveling in our differences.

So, today I am thankful for my family in all their similarities and differences and all the spice that comes with being together. Here we are in all our uniqueness.

Dave and I love the outdoors.  You can usually find us hiking on a mountain somewhere, skiing down slopes, or snowshoeing through ravines. We'd usually rather sleep in a tent in the great outdoors than in our own beds. Our summer plans consist of backpacking through Europe.

Bill and Cassie love their baseball!  Cassie is a die-hard Red Sox fan and Bill an A's fan - a cause for tension in their marriage =)  Bill loves to hunt and is an Environmental Science major while Cassie prefers the luxuries of a good shopping mall. I love these guys!

 

Brittany and Anthony probably spend more time at the gym than at their own house.  They have each competed in multiple marathons and their latest is a body building competition where they will be competing as a pair. Anthony is a personal trainer and Brittany teaches aerobic classes.  They are a great match for each other.  I love these guys and the diversity they bring to the family!

 

Eirik and Lauren spend much of their time with their new daughter Alexa. She brings so much joy to the family. Eirik fixes electronics on fighter jets for the Air Force, and Lauren, once a real estate agent, now a stay at home mom.  Eirik usually has us in stitches with jokes while Lauren rolls her eyes and laughs at the husband she has chosen.  I love the positiveness these guys bring to life and the joy they are to be around.

 

David walks to the beat of his own drum.....as you can see.  He loves the outdoors and the rigor of challenging himself physically.  David also loves acting and singing in local theaters.  He joined the Navy and ships out in a few days.  His quick wit and complete randomness makes him so much fun to have around.  We will all miss him dearly.

 

Here's the whole clan all together. I love each and every one of them in their unique way. My prayer is that as we grow older and make different life choices that we can remember that it is our diversity that brings life to the family. 

Dogs

There were LOTS of dogs during our Christmas celebration.....5 to be exact......in one house.  Here's  some documentation of the chaos.

Europe, here we come!!!!

Dave and I just booked a 23 day trip to Europe this summer! We are so excited we can barely sleep (literally, the night we bought the plane ticket I was awake for a large portion of the night just out of sheer excitement). Our flight is as follows:

Monday, June 27, 2011
United Airlines # 8516 Operated by: AIR CANADA -- AC 756 - Please check in with the operating carrier

San Francisco International (SFO) to Toronto Pearson International (YYZ)
Departure (SFO): June 27, 12:30 PM PDT (afternoon)
Arrival (YYZ): June 27, 8:21 PM EDT (evening)

Monday, June 27, 2011
Air Canada # 836

Toronto Pearson International (YYZ) to Madrid Barajas (MAD)
Departure (YYZ): June 27, 9:45 PM EDT (evening)
Arrival (MAD): June 28, 11:10 AM CEST (morning

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 Swiss # 8 Zurich (ZRH) to Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) Departure (ZRH): July 20, 12:55 PM CEST (afternoon) Arrival (ORD): July 20, 3:35 PM CDT (afternoon) Class: Economy ORD Wednesday, July 20, 2011 United Airlines # 153 Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) to San Francisco International (SFO) Departure (ORD): July 20, 6:30 PM CDT (evening) Arrival (SFO): July 20, 9:01 PM PDT (evening) We are still mapping out our destinations, but here's what we have so far.  We start in Madrid, Spain and end in Zurich, Switzerland. Our trip begins in Madrid and Toledo (they are right next to each other).  There are some great sites to see in Madrid and Toledo is the ancient capital of the country, so we'll spend a few days there. Then, we'll take a flight (flying is now cheaper and quicker in Europe.  Dave and I can fly between cities and countries for less than $60 a couple!) to Seville. Seville is famous for the Flamenco dancing.  We'll spend a few days there and hope to catch a Flamenco show. We'll head just 30 mins south to Jerez de la Frontera where Sherry (the wine) originated. They have unique wineries there that will be fun to tour. We'll take a bus to Lagos which is on the coast in southern Portugal.  Lagos is a resort town where the national surfing championships are held. The beaches are supposed to be spectacular.  We will then head North to Lisbon, Portugal's capital for the history and culture of the country.  finally, a flight to Barcelona will land us back in Spain.  A few days in Barcelona will conclude our western Europe stay.  Next we fly to Venice, Italy. We will land in Venice, Italy and spend a few days exploring this amazing city. From Venice, we'll take a train to Milan, and spend a day there before heading to Torino.  In Torino, we'll visit with Dave's Italian family that he lived with while living there 12 years ago! It will be great to catch up (for Dave) and for me to meet them,  From Torino we'll head north through Swizerland.  Some of our major stops in Switzerland will be the quaint town of Inerlaken at the base of the Alps. In Interlaken, we will be going canyoning. Click here http://www.outdoor-interlaken.ch/en/tour/49/canyoning-interlaken to find out more about canyoning. Driving north towards Zurich, we'll also stop in Lucerne - another quaint town with lots of history. Zurich will be our final destination before we head home.

Since flights are so cheap and countries are so close, we may throw in a few more destination (Morocco, Austria, or Germany).  Once we narrow down our itinerary, we'll know better.  We also want to keep it somewhat open to allow for adventure. This will be a challenge since we will be staying with people who will be expecting us at certain times, and flying in between countries which require advance booking.  We'll keep you updated!

Bon Voyage!!

Sled Games 2010

This year Dave and I headed up the first annual Sled Games.  The rules were simple - each couple was in charge of making a sled using items in the garage. Supplies were allowed to be purchased, but no more than $5 was allowed to be spent.  Also, no pre-existing sled was allowed to be used in the process.  The competition was multi-faceted. You could win an award in any of the four following categories: Speed, distance, best design, and the show off award (consisting of tricks and jumps).

So, on Wednesday the sleds were made and on Thursday the whole family went up to Butte Meadows to start the competition.  We had a fire pit going to keep warm along with hot tea.  My parents were the judges - let the games begin!!  Brittany and Anthony crafted their sled out of a pool mat and a wood frame. Unfortunately, their sled didn't, ...well, ....sled. Cassie and Bill's sled was an up-side-down ironing board with roasting pans glued to the bottom.  To craft a seat, they used a laundry basket.  My little brother David's sled came complete with a flag on top. He used a piece of plywood with a lawn chair on top.  Half of a bucket completed the front of his sled.  Dave and I used a scrap of linolium we picked up from Lowes and constructed a wood frame with rope handles to brace ourselves. As you can see, the pictures describe the rest.