Week 4

Happy Tuesday!  We're plugging on through this trying month with a new administration that just wants to dictate everything.  As a career scientist working in the infectious disease realm a lot of what is being dismantled is really scary and could be damaging to our work and the health of this country not to mention all the human rights and equality progress that has we've been working on which will now turn to discrimination, hate, violence and injustice that is allowed. It all makes me feel sick to my stomach. The best part about last week was that I was in the mountains with family and sheltered for a short time from most of the upsetting news. Sadly now it's back to our stark reality.

Here are last week's pictures:

Day 20- Monday, 1/20/25

I find it ironic that this particular Inauguration Day fell on MLK day.  I'm sure he's turning over in his grave. I have the day off and am trying to stay away from the news and what better way to do that than to try out one of my Christmas gifts and learn to crochet.  Seems fun but will take some practice for sure.  We have also been watching this new series on max--15 episodes, 15 hours, 1 ER shift makes the first whole season and it's a lot so really puts things in perspective.

Day 21- Tuesday, 1/21/25

Time to head to the mountains!  I worked in the morning, dropped Bailey at boarding after work and then we drove up to Northstar in the Tahoe area.  Love that Bailey's name was on the welcome sign and that they have cameras in the playgroup areas and private suites at Wag hotel so we could check on her.  Once we made it to our condo it was time to relax and enjoy the start of our escape.

Day 22- Wednesday, 1/22/25

Happy Birthday to me!  What a great way to spend it--on the slopes with my 2 oldest boys. Sadly Brandon's spring semester classes started this week so he couldn't join us. John and Lupe are here but not skiing. This was Justin's first time back in 5 years since he's been away at school so it was really nice to ski with his again and see how much more confident he is on the slopes.  We also had perfect weather and the mountain pretty much to ourselves not waiting in a single lift line since it was mid-week. This is the best way to get the most out of some very expensive tickets

Day 23- Thursday, 1/23/25

Today was a travel day back home and the pets were super happy to see us.  Bailey did well at Wag but was super tired.  She pretty much slept on my lab all afternoon.  Rusty was able to get a quick catnap on my lap too but later that evening and really likes my new super soft blanket which was on of my birthday gifts.

 Day 24- Friday, 1/24/25

I took the rest of the week off since there was only Friday left after we returned and spent most the day playing with this pup in between unpacking and doing laundry.  Our Friday night movie was The Substance which is really a strange one--twilight like in a way.  We watched it because we just heard Demi Moore was nominated for an Oscar playing the lead character and she did an amazing job but it wasn't quite what I was expecting from the movie.  The first half was fine but the end was way out there to the extreme of craziness.

Day 25- Saturday, 1/25/25

It's so nice to still have the weekend ahead of me. I enjoyed a slow start to the day with a nice warm drink as it was super cold with some wind moving in. Thankfully while in Tahoe the weather was perfect with no wind and lots of sunshine.  Another cool thing happening right now is the alignment of planets. Unfortunately there was a lot of cloud cover tonight so we couldn't see anything but it's supposed to last for the next week in one form or another so we'll keep checking.

Day 26- Sunday, 1/26/25

I'm enjoying more birthday gifts today. Aside from my new throw blanket that John gave me, Justin gifted me this cool dragonfly shirt and Brandon gave me this wildlife Lego set--love them all!  So now aside from crocheting a cute fox I'll also be building a Lego brick one.  I think I need to take more time off to play with my new toys ;0)

 

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back next week.

Week 3

Happy Tuesday and glad to see you here. It's been super cold lately with clear skies and no cloud cover.  Thankfully not much wind either at least in northern Calif but down south they are still struggling with terrible winds continuing to fuel those fires. It so devastating.  In happier news we are preparing to head to mountains soon for a ski trip so everyone is looking forward to that. 

Until then here are last week's pictures:

Day 13- Monday, 1/13/25

Our neighbors down the street have these very colorful flowers I just noticed today our on a dog walk.  It's so nice to see them in an otherwise drab winter setting.  Over the weekend I started watching and have been continuing to watch this newish Netfix series.  Can't wait to see how it continues to unfold.

Day 14- Tuesday, 1/14/25

The pets finding their best spots to keep warm.  Rusty has stolen Justin's spot and Bailey has stolen mine.  She loves those grey throw pillows to nuzzle into for a nice cozy and comfy nap.

Day 15- Wednesday, 1/15/25

After 2 application rounds Justin was finally picked to volunteer at the UC Davis Raptor Center and had his first shift today.  He was so excited about how it all went and I was happy to hear all about it when he got home.  Raptors are his favorite and he's big on helping with conservation efforts.

Day 16- Thursday, 1/16/25

Bailey's January Bark Box came today and she is patiently waiting for me to go through it and decide what she gets to play with first.  How cool is it that the plush tear-apart toy is named after one of her boys?! 

 Day 17- Friday, 1/17/25

Cheers to the weekend!  Having an Aperol Spritz is making me want to have summer to start soon.  For our Friday night movie we streamed Back in Action on Netflix.  It's good to see this film finished and out there after Jamie Foxx's health issues and also nice to see Cameron Diaz back on screen.

Day 18- Saturday, 1/18/25

It was a cold start to the day so I had a very fluffed out cat on my lap seeking warmth.  Thankfully the afternoon was nice and warm in the sun so we took a long walk around the pond where I found some nice cattails nearshore.

Day 19- Sunday, 1/19/25

Now that Christmas is put away we are using the pool table to go through ski gear as we prep for our upcoming trip.  Later Justin played some frisbee out back with Bailey and after dinner we got vey close to finishing this new series on Netflix which is pretty graphic and intense.  It's  made by the same guy who made the movie Reverence so it has a very similar savage survival vibe.

 

That wraps up another full week. Thankfully for this coming week we get to escape for some fun in winter wonderland.

Week 2

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Last week was all about getting back into work for the new year and being in shock over the LA fires. At least it ended with a fun girl's trip for me to kind of escape it all.

Here are those pictures from last week:

Day 6- Monday, 1/6/25

The extended holiday weeks off were nice but now back to reality. I have my new calendars set at my desk and in the lab I'm currently working on 3 new projects so no time to waste.

Day 7- Tuesday, 1/7/25

We need to board Bailey for a couple days toward the end of the month so I have been searching for the best place to leave her where I can also condition her to be familiar with them before doing so.  Thankfully we have this place locally and they have daycare as well as boarding.  We even get 2 free daycare days as new clients and 50% off our first 2 days of boarding.  I used those 2 free daycare days as a tryout to see how she liked it and would do. She is an anxious dog with separation anxiety but made it through her first day last week and seemed happy to go back today for her 2nd day.  It sure wears her out and is good for helping to continue to socialize her to new people and new dogs different from her puppy class pack. We'll do one more daycare day before her actual 2-day boarding stay just to to keep her familiar with it all.

Day 8- Wednesday, 1/8/25

Sadly my favorite brown boots started to disintegrate and I had a hard time finding a good replacement but these ones turned out to be great.  In other news, our hearts go out to the LA area with all these devastating fires spreading like crazy because of dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds.  Entire communities are being destroyed.  Thankfully, so far, Brandon is not affected in the Fullerton area.

Day 9- Thursday, 1/9/25

I got this cute name initial necklace for Christmas and wore it for the first time today getting a lot of complements at work.  Back at home John cooked up some additional lobster tails not used for New Years and made lobster roles for dinner.  Later, as we watch the evening news, we continued to be shocked by footage of the damage from the LA fires.  So many people lost homes, businesses, and schools but it's also encouraging to see how they are working together to help each other. LA's landscape is forever changed. (photo credit Getty Images)

 Day 10- Friday, 1/10/25

Time for an escape and a break from the news.  After work I headed to the wine country in Windsor near Santa Rosa for a girl's weekend getaway.  Back at home John and Justin went our for dinner and drinks together.  Some of the husbands will join them tomorrow at our house for a hangout as well.

Day 11- Saturday, 1/11/25

We lucked out and had a beautiful sunny day with no wind which was perfect for a picnic at La Crema winery.  After that we ended the day with a tasting at Hook and Ladder before enjoying a nice dinner we pulled together back at the condo.  I heard it was super windy at home so I was glad that was not the case here.

Day 12- Sunday, 1/12/25

I got home this afternoon and I think somebody really missed me.

Done for now and hoping all fires get contained in the LA area ASAP.