Week 12

Hello and happy Tuesday! Last week was crazy busy with a lot of moving parts, but it was also good because we have our oldest back so the house is full again which is never a bad thing except of course when it comes to the food bill. There is much more craziness to come and I'm afraid it won't settle down until the end if June when school lets out. These last couple months leading up to Justin's graduation are cram-packed with commitments.  Hold on tight--it's going to be a wild ride. I'm just hoping it will be more sunny and less wet really soon because that would help a lot.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 77- Monday, 3/18/19

Justin is trying to get some homework done but Rusty has other plans.  No worries though.  It's finals week and spending time with a furry friends helps reduce stress so I'm all for that.

Day 78- Tuesday, 3/19/19

Time to squeeze in a pretty spring picture before the rain kicks in again.  It's beautiful out now but the rain is supposed to start up again tonight.

Day 79- Wednesday, 3/20/19

Tyler is home on spring break!  It rained all morning and pretty much right up until we headed to the airport to pick him up and then the clouds parted and the sun came out just for him. Great welcome Id say.  It's so nice to have my three sons back together again.

Day 80- Thursday, 3/21/19

The younger boys had a minimum day at school so we took advantage of the free afternoon to see the latest Marvel movie and were excited to see that it features an orange tabby cat much like our own.  We loved "Goose" in the movie.  Right after that we had just enough time to run home, grab a quick bite, and then head to Brandon's end-of-season basketball banquet.  Full but fun day.

Day 81- Friday, 3/22/19

Yesterday turned out to be a really nice spring day but today the rain is back in at full force and will be on and off like this through the next week.  Blah!  Rusty has the right idea--when you just don't want to deal with it anymore you bury yourself in a nice warm blanket.  TGIF!

Day 82- Saturday, 3/23/19

It's another full day starting with basketball for Brandon and ending with the Senior Prom for Justin.  And, yes, he's rockin a Pac-Man suit which was a big hit.  Thank goodness there was a break in the storm systems for these kids so they could enjoy themselves without worrying about rain and wind.

Day 83 Sunday, 3/24/19

Now you see him, soon you won't!  John just got back yesterday afternoon from a March Madness trip to Reno and in about an hour he's off for a flight to LA on another work trip.  Thankfully that will be it for a couple months before he has to travel again.  We're lucky his April work trip to China got cancelled so we can have him home some more.  Something else that got cancelled--my jury duty for next week.  I was instructed to call tonight to see if I needed to report and turns out my entire group was is off the hook.  Yay!  I actually don't mind jury duty and have served on a trial before which was very interesting but the timing is just not right especially with John traveling and the courthouse being so far away from where my kids are with all their school activities and what not.  Summer service dates would work way better for me.



Ok that is it!  Hope to see you all next week.

Week 11

Happy Tuesday! Last week was such a good weather week. We really enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. It most certainly helps put a pep in your step especially when you finally have a weekend that is dry and pleasant out to enjoy.  Good thing we enjoyed it while it lasted because more rain is coming and expected on and off for the next couple weeks. No! I want more of the same dry sunshine.  In other better news Tyler wraps up finals today and flies home tomorrow!  Can't wait to see him.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 70- Monday, 3/11/19

 Our Monday was a bit gloomy looking but it was warm and never did rain so all was good.  Look how full the causeway is!  It's usually farm land with very little water if any at all.  Later Brandon was relaxing just before bed while hanging out with Bella.  His pajama bottoms have black labs on them and she likes that--too cute. They actually used to be Tyler's but he out grew them before he hardly had a chance to wear them so I've kept them all this time for Brandon.

Day 71- Tuesday, 3/12/19

You can see the sun is shining today even later in the day as we prep for dinner thanks to the recent time change.  It's Taco Tuesday so that's what's for dinner tonight.

Day 72- Wednesday, 3/13/19

It feels and looks so much like spring out and it's great to be out and about enjoying it.  It was even warm enough for some refreshing Shamrock Shakes--have to get them before their gone in a few days.

Day 73- Thursday, 3/14/19

. . . and today is Pi Day so of course we had pies.  Pizza pies for dinner and fruit or chocolate pie for dessert.  This made for another happy day especially since we were stuck at a doctor appointment all afternoon.  It was a nice treat to finally get home and just eat pie.

Day 74- Friday, 3/15/19

So I guess this is a foodie week.  TGIF!  We like to end the week with a nice drink, some finger food and a movie to watch while chillin at home.  This Friday it's "Instant Family" which was funny and touching--a great flick to help us kick off the weekend and forget the work week.

Day 75- Saturday, 3/16/19

On this beautiful weekend day we spent the morning at a basketball game.  Brandon randomly got number 10 which is also his HS basketball number so that's cool.  Then we were able to spend some time outside so we could soak in that sunshine.  Our yard is coming alive again with nice new leaves, pretty colorful flowers, and plenty of song birds.  Such a welcomed sight!  The only downside is the bugs--so many mosquitoes--swarms and swarms of mosquitoes!

Day 76- Sunday, 3/17/19

Happy St Patrick's Day!  Brandon thought Bella needed a little green bling too and she was actually ok with it.  John also made us some festive drinks that we could enjoy in our lush green yard and then we all sat down to a nice Sunday dinner but it was nothing Irish since most of us don't really like their traditional foods.  We had orange chicken instead--LOL!  It was our pot of gold ;0)

That's it.  Looking forward to tomorrow when we get our oldest back.  See you next week.

Week 10

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  We may actually dodge the rain this week. What a concept! I think we have enough rain and a large enough snow pack to last us through the rest of the year and then some.  On another brighter note, Tyler will be home a week from tomorrow for his spring break.  He's lucky enough to be done with his finals early so he can have more time with us which is great because we haven't seen him for almost 3 months.

Now for last week's pictures:

Day 63- Monday, 3/4/19

It's grey and gloomy out but our tree in the front is starting to bloom pretty pink flowers which helps remind us that brighter days will come. 

Day 64- Tuesday, 3/5/19

The rain today was hit and miss so I planned to pick up the kids from school just in case.  Poor Brandon is also fighting a cold and not feeling too well.  You can see it in his eyes.  The pets are not liking the cold damp weather either and immediately sought me out for comfort once I got home.  Haha--these two.  She is jealous he gets to sit on my lap and he is disturbed that she is trying to move in on his space--lol!

Day 65- Wednesday, 3/6/19

Another rainy day school pick up but this time it was really pouring out and to think Justin wanted to chance it and ride his bike this morning.  Good thing I said no!  Later in the evening John made brownies so we all enjoyed brownie sundaes by the fire. Yum!

Day 66- Thursday, 3/7/19

Justin and Bella have been clowning around all afternoon and he's trying to get her get me.  I love how her tail is all blurred because she's wagging it happily in true Bella fashion.

Day 67- Friday, 3/8/19

It's International Women's Day and here's to all those strong and smart women out there in the sciences.  I'm lucky to be able to work with and learn from so many of them.  It feels good to be wrapping up this work week and to be heading out into this nice weather.  Look at that blue sky and those pretty pillowy white clouds.  This is my view from the lab just before I leave for the day and I can't wait to get outside into that goodness.  All day I've been saying it's too nice to be inside.

Day 68- Saturday, 3/9/19

It's teen hoops evaluation day which means the city basketball league is starting up.  This will be a piece of cake compared to high school basketball though.  There is only 1 practice per week and 1 game on Saturdays for a couple months.  The best part is it's are all local so no traveling.

Day 69- Sunday, 3/10/19

Awww . . . the sunshine!  It was even nice enough out today for the BBQ.  That means burgers and dogs for dinner as John works the grill. 

That's it!  See you next week.

Week 9

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  It was a yucky weather week last week so it was kind of a boring week since we were stuck inside a lot.  We did made the most of it though and are looking forward to the start of this new month where hopefully we'll see more sunshine and pretty blooming flowers soon.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 56- Monday, 2/25/19

It turned cold and wet for the evening so I saved money not turning on the heat or fire by enjoying this nice warm beverage instead.  Worked like a charm!

Day 57- Tuesday, 2/26/19

So much rain!  Tonight we turned on the fire to try to keep dry and warm.  Brandon and Bella got a little wet on a short walk so the fire was a welcomed sight for them upon their return.

Day 58- Wednesday, 2/27/19

It's still wet and windy out but this is the perfect kind of weather for watching Survivor.  It's another new season that is shaping up to be another great one.  Later as I went off to bed I checked in on Justin who was finishing a project for his English class.  This kid works hard at all hours of the night.

Day 59- Thursday, 2/28/19

With John being gone and the weather bad Justin did an awesome job driving him and Brandon to school the past few days but now we have a break in the storm so they are back on bikes and I get my car back.  The most important thing to remember is to swap out permits because the campus parking police are super on it and very unforgiving.  Once at work I spent the day banging out 6 boxes of antigen slides to sell so it was a productive day.

Day 60- Friday, 3/1/19

It's March which is Justin's birthday month so he posed with my monthly marker while Rusty photo bombed.  It's been a good week for this kid in terms of college offerings--Fullerton, Chico, Sonoma and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  Yay!  There are only a couple more he's still waiting on before making a decision.  At least he has a lot of great options. 

Day 61- Saturday, 3/2/19

The rain is back for the weekend and our pool is quite full.  John is also back from his trip so he'll be letting some of the excess water out today before it overflows.  March is coming in like a lion and since we're stuck inside again we might as well make cookies, right?  

Day 62- Sunday, 3/3/19

Most of the day was cloudy with a few sprinkles but late this afternoon we had blue sky and beautiful sunshine with fresh new leaf buds.  Regardless of all the rain spring is breaking through.  What a welcomed sight! Earlier, at the store, I picked up a couple red apples for Brandon because they are his favorite and he was supper grateful.  Mostly I buy the green Granny Smith ones because those are my favorite, but I have to remember sometimes it's not all about me ;0)  They didn't last long either.  Guess I need to buy more for next week. 

Wait!  One more:

February's Family Photo

In all honesty this was taken the first couple days in March because we didn't get to it before John left on his week long work trip the last part of February.  Such is life and it's close enough to work so we'll just roll with it.  As  you can tell we're all happy to have him back.

Now that's it.  See you next week and sadly there will be more rain.