Week 3

Happy Tuesday and welcome back!  What a full week last week was and this week could prove to be very interesting with the upcoming weather pattern. We're finally looking at a good series of wet systems lined up to bring us some much needed rain and snow. Thankfully this is just in time for our annual ski trip. We'll be heading to the mountains at the end of the week and can't wait to enjoy some fresh snow. We're just hoping it will let up in time for us to make it there safely as a good 7 ft could be dropped over the next few days. In other news things are looking up with the peaceful transition at the white house and a new sense of hope for the future of this country.  Now if we can just get everyone vaccinated and get this virus in control. All the new variants are making me nervous that this may never really end but I sure hope I'm wrong.

For now let's just enjoy last week's pictures:

Day 18- Monday, 1/18/21

Today was a chill day with everyone off from school and work for the Martin Luther King Holiday.  I did at least make it outside to check on the yard and was happy to see that the new tree we planted a couple years ago behind the pool is finally flourishing.  These new flower pods and berries will help attract humming birds.

Day 19- Tuesday, 1/19/21

Brandon drove himself to the get a haircut on his own for the first time ever and is liking the freedom to be able to take the car and run his own errands.  They grow up so fast and this is my baby so it's hard to believe he's at this stage and will only be home for another year and a half!  Later, on the eve of inauguration,  I was happy to see the President and Vice President elect honoring those who have passed due to COVID-19 in a tribute at the Washington Monument. (photo credit: The New York Times)

Day 20- Wednesday, 1/20/21

Today was Inauguration Day we and are happy and hopeful for the changes that will happen with the Biden and Harris team.  The best speaker of the day was the young poet Amanda Gorman. (photo credit: Associated Press)  Wow!--such moving and powerful words.  My day didn't end there--more screen time for me with virtual back-to-school night at Brandon's high school that lasted until after 7pm.  He's got another good set of classes and teachers this new semester, and they amaze me at how well they have adapted their classes for the online platform by striving to keep them engaging and interactive.

Day 21- Thursday, 1/21/21

It was a long day for this girl.  Bella had a dental cleaning at UCD Vet School Community Practice which is no small feat because it requires anesthesia.  She was there for 6 hours.  Thankfully she just had some very yellow tarter build up that needed to be removed so it ended up being more simple and cost effective than we were expecting.  No gum disease, no cavities, and tooth extractions--yay! Those are good things.  They only downside was recovery from anesthesia especially for an older dog it's quite hard and not fun at all.  It took her a few days to get completely back to normal.  Wish I had before pictures to go with the after, but trust me, the difference is remarkable.

Day 22- Friday, 1/22/21

Happy Birthday to me! Sadly, I had to work but it was for a good cause.  We had our brand new fancy microscope set up in my new lab space which is exciting and it felt kind of like a work present.  Back at home we celebrated with an order-in Mexican feast and ice-cream birthday cake. I need to get John to stop using number candles ;0) These cool wine glasses were one of my presents that I got to try out right away.  It rained a lot today and was cold so relaxing by the fire with wine this evening felt like a great way to end the day.  Cheers to another year!

Day 23- Saturday, 1/23/21

Today was a sunnier day and I actually have a new rose blooming out back which is unusual for this time of year.  It's on a white rose bush but has some pick color mixed in it possibly from cross pollination.  At any rate, love the effect.  I was also able to use my new turtle keychain for the first time today that Justin gave me for my birthday.  Thanks kiddo and wish you could be here.

Day 24- Sunday, 1/24/21

Sunday is Bella's new favorite day because Tyler comes to visit and joins us for Sunday dinner.  She seriously cannot get enough of him when he's here. Tyler also brought me this wonderful succulent potting gift for my birthday with a cool new and colorful succulent to start it off with.  He was working Friday night so could not join us then, but we saved 1/2 the cake to enjoy with him after dinner today.

That's it!  See you next week after a trip to the snow.

Week 2

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  I hope everyone had a good MLK holiday.  It was a quiet one at home for us. Can you believe we're more than 1/2 way through January already?  It's a big day tomorrow and we are praying that it will be a peaceful inauguration and transition.  I'm ready and hopeful for the change.

Until then, here are last week's pictures:

Day 11- Monday, 1/11/21

Mondays are hard on Bella with everyone back to work and school so some afternoon attention in the yard does a girl good.  She's as happy as can be here and we're happy for a nice, warm, winter day to enjoy the yard.

Day 12- Tuesday, 1/12/21

So much for warm winter days.  Today is grey, gloomy, and cold.  It most certainly feels like winter so it's the perfect day for soup and sandwiches to help warm us from the inside out.

Day 13, Wednesday, 1/13/21

One nice thing about the cold weather is that it transforms our otherwise independent cat into a cuddly lap cat.  Today he tried out a couple different laps--mine and then Justin's.

Day 14- Thursday, 1/14/21

Stay-at-home orders that started before Christmas we're lifted this week just in time for us to be able to get Justin a much needed haircut.  He'll be heading back to Humboldt Saturday so it really needed to be done before that.  Brandon should have gone too but he was busy with a drawing for an art assessment in his new class.  It's no surprise he chose to draw Bella.  I love his shading to bring out here features, and I'm so happy he decided to take another art class.

Day 15- Friday, 1/15/21

At work in this new year we're cranking out the new lots of antigen slides for more testing.  We made 800 slides this week and now just need to get them all fixed and in the freezer before making another batch.  Later there was a beautiful sunset to help mark the close of the work week and then a yummy drink to cheer in the long weekend.  This year's lemons from the tree out back are beautiful and a great sight to see after a couple years of bummer crops.

Day 16- Saturday, 1/16/21

I was on the road all day taking Justin to school and then driving right back--12 long hours but after the fog lifted it was a great scenic trip.  Best wishes for the new semester kiddo!  We won't see him again until May--yikes!

Day 17- Sunday, 1/17/21

I finally tried one of my Christmas gifts.  Tyler gave me an apple peeler/corer so since he was coming over for Sunday dinner I decide to use it for an apple crisp dessert we could enjoy together. It turned out great plus was super easy to make using my new tool.   It peeled, cored, and sliced 6 apples in record time.  John wants turnovers next and it will come in handy for pie over the holidays plus it will peel potatoes--oh the possibilities.

OK--that's it!  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you next week.

Week 1

Welcome to 2021!  It may not be the best start because of the carryover from 2020, but we're hopeful and optimistic for a better year overall.  I'm looking forward to a time when we can travel again, and have traditional classes, and see a movie in a theater, and go out to eat with friends. Our whole family would like to enjoy life more and make new memories without putting anyone at risk. Here's to hoping and believing we can accomplish this in 2021.

Until then, here we go with a post full of daily pictures starting off the first week with a few extra days thrown in for this new year:

Day 1- Friday, 1/1/21

Happy New Year's Day!  Here's a traditional picture with my boys and the yearly marker.  I'm happy and grateful to have them all home with us right now.

Day 2- Saturday, 1/2/21

John made crab-cake balls today that he and Justin enjoyed very much.  Tyler was working and Brandon and I don't do shellfish.

Day 3- Sunday, 1/3/21

A new year and new pad for Tyler.  He found a place locally to rent with a guy his age who is just starting a nursing career and has a similar shift schedule as him. We all chipped to help him get moved and settled which made for a really long day but there was a pizza dinner at the end which was a fun way to send him off.  He's pretty excited to be living on his own again, and we couldn't be any prouder of how he's carving his own path to a great future.

Day 4- Monday, 1/4/21

It rained hard last night and earlier today which is good because we really need it.  At least it was nice out for our walk later in the afternoon.  We just had to navigate the many puddles--we'll I navigated them while Bella plowed right through them.  LOL!

Day 5- Tuesday, 1/5/21

Brandon started back to remote school today for his second semester of 11th grade and yesterday finished this Lego set of the San Francisco skyline he got for Christmas.  He had over a week to build this set but waited until the day before school started before busting it out.  That's so him.

Day 6- Wednesday, 1/6/21

What a crazy messed up day.  We're all watching the insanity at the White House unfold as we clean up after dinner. This country is so broken, and I really hope we can all just come together and be united to move forward in better times.  Photo credits: Washington Post and Reason Magazine

Day 7- Thursday, 1/7/21

A typical look from Justin as we have conversations about random things. Also, I can't get this kid out of that sweatshirt.  We hardly ever see him without it except for maybe a couple hours on laundry day.  Haha!  He's also pretty happy he still has another week before starting his school again.

Day 8- Friday, 1/8/21

This is a typical January morning here in the valley.  The fog usually burns off around 10am but otherwise is pretty thick before then.  We see so much fog this time of year that John gave me fog lights for Christmas to be installed on my new car which helps make my early morning commute better and safer.  Thanks babe--they work wonders!  Back at home John has this recliner from our sectional out in the garage so he can replace the part that actually makes it recline.  Bella is a bit concerned that her master's chair has gone missing especially since it's Friday and she knows he should be sitting there  watching a movie right about now.

Day 9- Saturday, 1/9/21

When I can't find the cat I know where to look--under this blanket.  It's been cold lately and he likes to hunker down under here for the entire day.  The only thing that will draw him out is food especially meat, and speaking of food involving meat, John made us chicken strips for dinner tonight.  Always a family favorite.

Day 10- Sunday, 1/10/21

They just cleared vet med essential employees to get the COVID vaccine so I had my appointment at the UC Davis Med Center this morning.  It was pretty packed but they had an efficient system so it went fairly quick.  I got the Moderna vaccine and not the Pfizer simply because that's what was available.  A couple weeks ago the same med center was giving the Pfizer, but it doesn't really matter because both are equally effective, and I'm just happy to have the opportunity to get what I can.  The second dose will be in a few weeks, and yes, I did have some minor side effects including mild flu-like symptoms the 1st night with a really sore arm and vertigo the next morning, but I ended up perfectly fine long before the 48hr mark which is the expected recovery time so it's all good.  Back at home, after returning from my vaccination appointment, Justin and John finished making some devil's food donuts to share. Yum!

OK, that's it!  See you next week hopefully during a peaceful transition time for our country although sadly, we're all on guard expecting the worst.

Week 52b

Happy New Year! Today I'll post just about the final days of 2020 from last week and then next week I'll post about the start of the new year from the 1st through the 10th since we had this weird 1/2 week between the years.  There was also that extra day in 2020 because the leap year--like we needed an added day in 2020. 

At any rate, here are the photos from the end of a very long year-

Day 363- Monday 1/28/20

We have another week of break and are enjoying the slow starts and winter vibes.  Christmas may be over but we still have a few candy canes left so I decided to add a small one to my mocha this morning and it wasn't bad at all--like a peppermint mocha from Starbucks but better because not so sweet.  Outside we have this interesting bush near the pool that blooms small red flowers just in time for the holidays which adds a nice pop of color to our otherwise drab and dormant winter landscape. 

Day 364- Tuesday 1/29/20

It's really hard to get this kid through the produce section without him gravitating towards the pineapples and coconuts---and to think he hated Hawaii the last time we went!  Well, since pineapples are a traditional new year fruit, I caved and let him take one home for us to enjoy heading into 2021.  Outside it's been beautiful and sunny with a lot of birds around. This tree was full of them just chirping away.

Day 365- Wednesday, 1/30/20

Time to start wrapping things up and thinking a of plan for the new year as we reflect on the past.  I chose "fit" as my 2021 word of the year and took this picture for a photo prompt highlighting it.  I plan to work on being more fit in mind, body and soul.  Then there is the past, and as my Instagram Top Nine shows 2020 wasn't all bad.  I used my camera phone to capture some pretty major milestones that happened for our family and am grateful for our blessed life.

Day 366- Thursday, 1/31/20

My last photo prompt for awhile.  It was a fun 3 months doing that but I am ready for a break.  Justin actually took that picture of me for the prompt about not looking back which is a perfect prompt for leaving a difficult year behind and being mindful to embrace what is ahead.  Latter as the last day in 2020 set we started our little party enjoying finger food for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert while playing pool and watching the new year's eve shows on TV.

Happy New Year from our family to yours!  

Ok that's a wrap for 2020!  See you next week when I officially start the posts for 2021.