Week 4

Hello and welcome back!  It's so crazy that we're ending January already.  Thankfully we had  a mostly dry, sunny, and warm week last week, but it's super cold and windy so far this week.  As much as I usually like winter this year I'm ready for spring right now.

Until then here are last week's pictures:

 Day 23- Monday 1/23/23

Look at that sunshine! It is so nice and warm especially with no wind. Time to soak it all up.  The pool is looking much better too.  There is still some debris that needs to come out but at least it's clearer and more true to the normal blue color than that stormy, mucky green we've been seeing when the rainfall overwhelms the chemicals.  This dry period is so needed.

Day 24- Tuesday, 1/24/23

Slow morning vibes cuddling with my furry friend on a remote work day before getting started with meetings and computer work in between appointments.  I did a lot of waiting around at those appointments for John later in the day but happy to have them done.

Day 25- Wednesday, 1/25/23

Wednesday at work I'm in the freezer farm trying to organize free boxes into racks to save space and make finding samples a whole lot easier.  This is our brand new -80 freezer and I want to make sure it's set up right.  After work I finally got the last of the med refills we've been waiting on which are all supposed to be synched but have been coming in at too many different times.  It was pretty confusing trying to sort it out over the past few days but we're on track again hopefully for the next 90 days.

Day 26- Thursday, 1/26/23

This cat is always under foot which is endearing but can also be dangerous at times.  The sun may be out but it's still really cold which means chunky sweaters and socks are a must.  This floor in particular is freezing cold so I'm sure Rusty is trying to pull some heat from me to help with that right now.

Day 27- Friday, 1/27/23

 Typical Friday night scene.  TGIF!!  We're watching this new Netflix movie while staying warm with blankets.  I'd turn the fire on but the gas prices right now are through the roof  which has made for a painfully high PG&E bill I don't want to repeat next month.

 

 

Day 28- Saturday, 1/28/23

I finally found time this weekend to plant the heart-shaped succulent box Justin gave me for my birthday and love how it turned out.  Otherwise I spent the day cleaning house and doing laundry before settling down so watch another newly released streaming movie.  How many wedding movies has J.Lo been in?  I looked it up and the answer is 7!  This one had a new action packed twist that at least changed things up a bit.

 

Day 29- Sunday, 1/29/23 

Game day!  I made some wings and other gameday food for Tyler and John to enjoy as they watched.  Too bad the Niners lost.  Maybe next year?

That's all!   See you next week in a new month.

Week 3

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Last week, thankfully, was more about sunshine than rain and wind for a change.  That was much appreciated.  It felt so good and lifted the spirits to have full doses of vitamin D plus we really needed the sunshine to help dry things out a bit.  Aside from the sun our week also included a lot of good food to share with loved ones.

Take a look at last week's pictures:

Day 16- Monday, 1/16/23

I was off for MLK day and it was still cold and a bit cloudy out but very little rain and mostly sun to start our week with.  We also saw a rainbow outside the PT place this afternoon and the start of a nice sunset that got even better on the ride home.

Day 17- Tuesday, 1/17/23

I showed up to work in the dark but coming out to head home in the afternoon it was all about the sunshine and the warmth it produced which is for sure something to smile about.  Once the sun set for the day though it sure did get cold and even led to freezing temps overnight.  It is still winter after all, and of course this fury friend of mine knows what to do if he get cold.  He's also been missing Justin so is a bit more clingy right now than normal.

Day 18- Wednesday, 1/18/23

Our coffee place at work has been closed for this new year until now and they have changed their hours plus quit allowing lids.  I guess that's fine as long as they make pretty designs like this for me, but now I have to be extra careful not to spill on my walk back to the building across the street.  Later at home we're showering Brandon with good homecooked meals before he heads off to school again.  I love hearing that he misses these meals while away and for sure appreciates them more.  All 3 of my boys finally realized how good they had it at home with our family meals after being away at school and on their own.  Tonight we had bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin cutlets, fettuccini alfredo, cheddar bay biscuits and baked beans.  I would have made a salad too but my salad eaters are not around.

Day 19- Thursday, 1/19/23

Rusty is just as happy about the sun being out as we are and he knows where the best place in the house is to find it.  Plus the birds are back in full force with the better weather and he's enjoying watching them find worms.  The sun is deceiving though because it's still very cold out and even colder than it was when he had all the rain. For dinner a nice warm pasta dish did the trick which is also one of Brandon's favorite comfort foods--penne pasta with chicken in vodka sauce for a win.

Day 20- Friday, 1/20/23

Tonight we decided to go out to eat after PT as a proper send off for this guy.  He flies out early tomorrow to head back to the LA area for his second semester.  He's not looking forward to the food but is looking forward to warmer temps which is what southern California is known for.  It was great having the boys back for a good month and I'll miss them but will look forward to seeing them again in March for spring break.

Day 21- Saturday, 1/21/23

Tomorrow is my birthday but we had good friends visit to celebrate with me today.  The ladies went out for lunch and wine tasting while the guys went out to their own lunch and then watched football and played pool back at the house.  They brought this beautiful cake and spoiled me with nice gifts.  It was a good day and much appreciated.

Day 22- Sunday, 1/22/23

Happy Birthday to me!  I was able to chill for most of the day and enjoy doing nothing in particular.  Later we went out to a nice fancy dinner to celebrate with Tyler and Lupe.

That's it for this week. Thankfully the next week looks like it will be full of sunshine as well and nobody is sad about that. 🌞

Week 2

Sorry, I'm running a bit late this week but welcome back and I hope everyone is dealing ok with all the crazy winter storms.  We have just been constantly wet but are finally looking forward to at least a few dry days in a row.  I miss the sun and hate the wind so I'm more than ready to move on.

Take a peek at our stormy week last week:

Day 9- Monday, 1/9/23

Starting in this new year John goes to Sci-Fit (spinal cord injury/functional integrated therapy) 2 times a week now and is working really hard at building back those leg muscles. He's been practicing step-ups and trying small sets of stairs in hopes that he can tackle our stairs at home soon.

Day 10- Tuesday, 1/10/23

The rain has been insane and just nonstop.  The wind makes it even worse.  The hardest part is when I have to travel commuting to work so thankfully I was home doing remote work today.  Yesterday for my morning commute the causeway was a mess and a white-knuckle drive for sure, but I made it there and back ok. Today it will be nice to avoid that and just watch the craziness outside from the comfort of our home.

Day 11- Wednesday, 1/11/23

Rusty was really afraid of all of John's new equipment at first but after months of running away from them he's now much better being around them and likes to visit John by the couch on a regular basis.  They even play a fun string game together on a regular basis.  It must be nice for them to be snug and warm inside.  Justin and I were out running errands later in more of the same yucky weather.  That is Justin in the distance with the umbrella while he drops something off for me as I wait in the car.

Day 12- Thursday, 1/12/23

Today we got a break in the storms and it was actually nice and sunny with temps near 68.  What a treat!  Speaking of treats the boys went out to sushi with John for lunch.  They had to get that sushi fix in before Justin heads back to HSU in a couple days.  Later that night Rusty must of heard about us planning to help John climb the stairs soon and for him to be able to finally sit back in his favorite chair.  Rusty is partial to the chair as well and is not sure he wants to share.  LOL!

Day 13- Friday, 1/13/23

My birthday is coming up next week and the gift Justin ordered for me came today so he let me open it since he's leaving 1st thing tomorrow.  I now have some new cute succulents to plant in this cute heart-shaped box and love them.  Cheers to Justin and his last night home!

Day 14- Saturday, 1/14/23

Right after dropping Justin at the train station and saying good-bye to this kid we had a huge storm cell dump a vast amount of rain back at the house in a very short period of time causing our neighborhood street and backyard to flood.  It's a good thing I got him out when I did!  Things finally settled down and the water had time to drain for a couple hrs before the next system rolled in.  Sadly we have rain expected to continue through next Monday.  Picture include the view out the front of our house where the sidewalk has vanished and the water is 1/2 way up our sloped driveway and also our backyard where one side area is flooded and continues around to the back behind our patio.  We had some minor leaking in the house but nothing too concerning and definitely better than a lot of other people had so we feel grateful.

Day 15- Sunday, 1/15/23

He did it--made it to the second floor of our house for the first time in 10 months!! It was slow and steady but he was determined and did well.  Watch out Rusty--he wants his chair back.  We're also happy to see some sunshine today and not have nearly as much rain fall as the day before.  After the flooding yesterday now every time I hear heavy rain it still make me nervous.

That's it for now.  I'll see you next week after I've dried out a bit more.

Week 1

Welcome to a New Year on the blog!  Thanks for checking in on us. Despite our current weather situation I do feel like 2023 will be a good year.  At least all this rain is helping with the drought and we do need that.  Definitely grateful to have a safe and dry place to shelter as needed and look forward to more chances of sunshine to warm the body and soul as we progress through the weeks.

Have a look at the pictures from our first full week in 2023:

Day 1- Sunday, 1/1/23

New Year's Day started with a family picture minutes after ringing in the new year and ended with a nice surf and turf dinner.  Justin prepared the lobster tails with John's instruction and they turned out perfect.  It was a nice relaxing day and a good way to kick off another year.

Day 2- Monday, 1/2/23

Today is a work holiday for the new year since it fell on a Sunday, but I still had to run into work and feed cultures.  At least I was treated to a beautiful sunrise on my way back home.

Day 3- Tuesday, 1/3/23

Back to work for real today and it was a full and exhausting day.  When I'm on break I forget how physically demanding and tiring my job can be.  Later I was able to unwind with a glass of wine and some yummy turnovers for dessert.  The air fryer really does a great job baking those.  Also this fancy wine glass came as a set in a gift pack for Christmas and I love how pretty they are reflecting the light. 

Day 4- Wednesday, 1/4/23

Rusty knows the best way to deal with stormy weather--curl up in a tight ball and sleep through it on a warm blanket preferably with extra heat from a human.  It's been crazy here with the wind and rain and thunder and lightening and even some hail!  We have multiple systems lined up in the pacific just waiting to hit us and one with a cyclone bomb expected to drop tonight. Over the weekend we had a neighbor's tree end up in our pool.  Thank goodness it was a tall skinny birch and didn't cause any real damage. Today it was touch and go making it to work but I don't mind my rainy view out the lab window.  Everyone is heading home early during an afternoon break in the storm to beat the next wave which is supposed to be the worst of it.

Day 5- Thursday, 1/5/23

We had a work dinner planned with the ladies for tonight but weren't sure with the storm it would really happen.  Thankfully the flooding and power outages were not that bad and things actually cleared up today for a nice sunny break so we all made it to our get-together!  Dinner included wine, pizza and cake for all.  Plus I found a new friend.  This is Pico and apparently he likes me a lot.  LOL!

Day 6- Friday, 1/6/23

 I got this fun enchanted moon light for Christmas and was excited to see the the cool lighting effect it also makes on the ceiling.

Day 7- Saturday, 1/7/23

This is Brandon's way of dealing with winter storms.  It's all fun and games until you lose power.  He's also connecting with his girlfriend by playing these games with her online and recently helped her study to pass her written driving-permit test.

Day 8- Sunday, 1/8/23

This is what I woke up too.  I think the overnight storm that hit last night was way worse than the "cyclone bomb" Wednesday night.  Our only issue was this small leak in the dinning room but many are without power including Tyler and Lupe plus there is scattered flooding on surface streets and also many fallen trees causing severe damage to homes, cars and those power lines.  Our gas station was out of power so I couldn't fill my tank today but the stores were at least open for me to pick up what I needed for a nice warm and comforting lasagna dinner.  Tyler and Lupe were super appreciative of that.  Current update--they finally got their power back this morning (Tuesday).  Thankfully they have a gas heater in their place so they kept warm and live close enough to us to help with other things as needed.

That wraps up the first full, wet, and windy week.  See you next Tuesday for more fun and hopefully dryer conditions although it's not looking to be much better.

Wishing you all the best year ever!