Searching for summer: Napa

Third time's the charm... maybe this year we've finally learned that we need to get out of the city in the summer!  We had a great opportunity when Emily and Adam were in Napa for Emm's sister's wedding.  We had never been to Napa County, and the drive really was pretty just as everyone always says.  We skipped wine tasting for a more family-friendly afternoon picnic in Yountville.  Yountville was beyond cute (i.e. appeared very touristy).  We drove past the French Laundry... one day we'll be back for dinner.  

Anyway, we had a totally fun and hot afternoon (Nat, Chris and Gavin came, too, along with a bunch of people who aren't really pictured because I was pretty lazy with the camera).  We never even managed to get a good group shot (this is the closest and Nat has her eyes closed but I feel compelled to post it; however, it refuses to center align, grr).  

Vigorous game of frisbee.  Gavin and Grace really gave it a go.  They also liked to be held while we played... ever tried to dive for a frisbee while holding a 30 pounder?  Not as easy as it looks.

One of my favorite photos. 

The girls (san Jess, we missed you!).

Plus babies that aren't babies.

Gavin trying to teach Grace downward dog (really).

Fun, warm, pretty afternoon.  Such a pleasant drive and of course, winding through the Marin Headlands and then catching a view of the city and bridge framed by the Waldo Tunnel is breathtaking.  Still not tired of that view.  

Glamour girl

Sometimes bedtime inspires a little accessorizing.  

And PS, I can't believe how much Grace looks like my cousin Cara in these pictures!

Friday funny

Try reading this without laughing out loud at work.  I was shaking and convulsing and trying not to spit out my lunch.  Not that I can't laugh at work. My office, in fact, is extremely-laugh friendly, but it was kind of like reading Me Talk Pretty One Day on an airplane (humiliating).  

The only thing I would add to these pictures is what happens when you are two miles from home in a gas station bathroom at the end of a looooong car trip and the child cannot wait 8 minutes.  Then the child decides it's a good time to poop in the grossest toilet ever while a man outside is banging on the door, shaking the doorknob, not listening to you yell "in a minute! occupied!", and then breaks the lock and opens the door.  Where is the picture for that!?!?!?!

Happy Friday.  

Fourth of July

It was kind of fun to have Independence Day in the middle of the week this year.  Steve and I had been in LA helping his mother the previous weekend while GoGo stayed with Grace.  We flew down Saturday morning, ran errands and packed, moved and unpacked things all day Saturday and part of Sunday, and then drove back Sunday afternoon.  So we were exhausted and relieved that we only had to get our game faces on for two days.  Plus, it was the first full day the three of us had together without anything going on in a while and we needed it.

Grace had been clamoring to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge since the bridge's birthday celebration at the end of May.  When the weather was good on the 4th, we headed to try it.  Such a fun way to get outside and enjoy the spectacular scenery.  However, by "walk", Grace meant "ride in the ergo."  I hope you'll forgive me, today - sometimes I just can't pick among the pictures.  This is one of those days.

After our walk, we headed home for a lazy afternoon of naps and cooking (Bittman's oh so good sweet potato salad and the triple berry pie receipt Megan found years ago and I continue to make every summer).  In the evening, we went over to barbecue with our dear friends.  The chill had crept in after a beautiful day, but it was still great.

These two crack me up.  As they were both sitting at the table, eating and talking, I commented on how amazing it is how they've changed since we met them.  Grace could barely walk and Lizzie was just shy of 2.  For at least a year one of them always ended up hurt whenever we got together.  Now, they delight in each other's company.

Grace also loves to play with baby Emily. Aren't the three of them so cute?  Too bad I couldn't convince Grace to wear her blue pants.  I guess she was being Canadian?

Against our collective better judgment, we took all the kids out at bedtime to see the fireworks from Ghirardelli Square.  It was a mob scene but we got the last patch of grass.  Thankfully, Jane-the-genius and much more with it mom, had brought glow bracelets and necklaces, which made for great entertainment during the long wait as well as glowing when we were walking through the crowds.

By the time the fireworks started, all the kids seemed pretty mellow and I think Lizzie even got the munchies - pretty sure it was from all the smoking around us.  Oh well, they are San Francisco kids.  The fireworks were awesome - especially cool over Alcatraz.  Grace loved it.  We had a long, steep hike back up to the cars (again with Grace in the ergo - more pie for me!).  Such a fun day.  I think we would all be so much more productive if we always had a midweek holiday.  Or happier at least.  

Happy Belated Birthday, America.

Pomp and Circumstance

In mid-June, Steve's division held their annual graduation party.  It's not really a graduation, but all the fellows (at varying stages of training - sub and sub-sub specialty) and their families attend along with the faculty and there's good food and they give out certificates and awards.  It was pretty fun and a nice event, but a little goofy because they had Steve's cohort get certificates for finishing their clinical training (though most of them will have further clinical training for the sub-sub specialty training) although next year they will all really graduate when the finish the program.  Nevertheless, I will gladly  put on a dress and make small talk and eat/drink well anytime someone wants to congratulate Steve on how hard he's worked because he deserves it (even if they did give him someone else's certificate).  Grace also had a great time, although for her the event was all about seeing her friend Lizzie and she refused to do anything (eat, mingle, be polite) until Lizzie showed.  

All (well, most) snark aside, Steve has been in the most malignant program for his specialty (and that's what other people have told me, people not even in his program; and malignant is doctor-trainee code for horrible).  So even if it's funny that they "graduate" when they aren't done, it's awesome! that he is done with the clinical years.  These two years have been harder on him and our family than any part of internship/residency.  We are so excited that he will never have another "Moffit weekend" and there's no more q2 call at the General.  Now he's doing his easy "research" year, which he will use to do a bunch of non-compulsory clinical work just for kicks along with his research.  It was kind of funny/awkward because at the dinner, his program director said to me "oh, you know it gets much easier from here on."  And I couldn't help saying "Really?  I've heard that before."  And I wanted to add "you do remember he's doing not one but two more fellowships, right? And then he will have a career with a lot of call."  But I didn't say that last part!  I was polite!

Anyway, here are the pictures.  This is the most "official" one I got - someone was bouncing a baby and kept popping into my shot when he actually got his (well, someone else's) certificate.

Handing off the chief's torch... that was fun and the trip to Hawaii was great, but glad he's done with that gig!

 We made it!

Grace testing out Steve's special, new stethoscope after she helped him open his award gifts.  I think it's hilarious that it's almost as long as she is tall!  (Incidentally, she recently said "Daddy's a doctor and Mommy's an office!")

 

 

Congratulations, Steve!  I'm so proud of you, even if I sometimes sound a little bitter.  I know you're the best doctor in the world and would totally want you to be my doctor if that wasn't illegal.  

Girls day

So life has been... intense lately.  Steve's mother has had some hospitalizations and other health issues, requiring us to help her move out of her home.  Steve made four trips to the LA area in May and June, and I made two.  It seems like most of June was spent on the phone dealing with various aspects of the situation, which, frankly, has been extremely difficult for everyone involved.  We have found some great resources and had help from one of Nana's amazing friends (truly, she has been so incredibly selfless and helpful - Dee, if you're reading this we will never be able to sufficiently thank you), and now we are hopeful that things are settling down and Nana might be feeling better soon.  And a little preview for all of you not yet dealing with such situations - the "sandwich generation" thing is not a joke.

So, now you know why my blogging has been sub-par (at best), not to mention riddled with typos.  But, I do want to catch up on what we've been up to and I'm going to really give it a try.

During one of Steve's LA trips, Grace and I set aside a Saturday to be "girls day."  We planned a few fun things that just the two of us like to do and are a little out of our norm.  We started early after taking Steve to the airport at 4:30am.  I convinced Grace to go back to sleep when we got home by letting her sleep in my bed, which she did until 7:17am.  This is notable because she never sleeps past 7 (hardly past 6:30 really).  

After lazing around in our PJs we headed down to Arizmendi in the Inner Sunset.  We love this place - it's a sunny little cafe with good people watching and even better coffee and and pastries. We shared a chocolate brioche and a decaf coffee (Grace loves her some coffee) and then we walked over to the SF Botanical Gardens to feed the ducks.  It was a a gorgeous day.  It was in the 80s by mid-morning so all the San Franciscans were loving/dying of the heat.  

Feeding the ducks also turned out to also mean feeding the turtles, which was pretty cool.  

Next, we walked across the park to the giant children's playground to meet up with Jennifer and her brood for a picnic.  Grace had a blast playing, swinging, digging and sliding - unfortunately, I only had my phone so the pix aren't that great (well, that and I was being lazy hiding in the shade and playing with Baby Ruth).  She even braved the big cement slides and learned how to go down on the cardboard (for a while, and then something happened and she freaked out and I had to rescue her from the steep part of the precarious ladder steps that are not intended for walking down but all's well that ends well and we'll leave it there).  After a while sharing the sand toys got to be too much for Grace so we headed home for a nap. 

Earlier in the week, Grace had started talking about crepes and making crepes (no idea where she got the idea) so I promised her we would make them over the weekend while Steve was away because they are decidedly not his thing.  I planned to be responsible and make savory crepes for dinner... but I didn't really have any good filling so we ended up with nutella and berries.  Oh well, that's what you do on girls day.  After dinner we did a little shopping on the way to the airport, where we picked Steve up and all went home and passed out.  

Grace is the best company.  She and I spend lots of time together just the two of us, but I have to remember to set aside time now and then to do something special and out of our routine and make a fun ritual of it, even if a major part of that ritual is chocolate for every meal.  

Big Sur

Argh.  I wrote this post weeks ago but between life (the continuing saga) and our Internet coming and going, I'm finally just posting it... sigh.

The final leg of our California tour was a couple nights of camping at Big Sur.  Steve and I were last there in 2007, just a few months before we moved to Boston.  We completely fell in love with the place and have been wanting to go back ever since.  The road is repaired post fires or floods or whatever calamity caused it to be closed so we could finally go!

The Central California coast is famous for a reason, and if you haven't been there, it's hard to describe quite how spectacular it is.  The views of farm country as you head north give way to incredible ocean views at Morro Bay, and then the road winds north along cliffs through San Simeon, past Hearst Castle with dramatic cliffs and coves on the west side and forest and hills on the east.  It's scary as all get out if you're a ninny like me, and I was glad we were heading north, on the inside of the road.  

It was crazy windy when we stopped at San Simeon to see the elephant seals.  We hopped back in the car fast and Grace conked out so we don't have many scenery shots from the drive.  I'm sure you're actually glad, especially because the pictures really can't capture the beauty.  We set up camp and Grace was soooo excited.  Actually, we were all ridiculously excited.  It had been a pretty stressful few months and although we really enjoyed the SoCal part of our trip, we were all ready to be in the woods and out of touch for a few days.

We did all the regular camping things - roasted dinner and s'mores over the fire both nights, did lots of hiking, napping, reading and eating.We are lucky that Grace loves camping so much - she hates bugs and doesn't care for birds, but somehow she's able to disregard all that and have a ball.  She's gets very concerned about birds coming near our food so she does a great job of keeping watch and screeching when they come too close.  I think, however, that the real reason she loves it is that she LOVES sleeping in a tent.  It works out since I love laying in my cozy sleeping bag while reading (more Maisie Dobbs) and Steve just plain loves sleeping.

Before we headed home, we stopped a bit up the highway for one last hike out to the beach.  The bridge was out so we had to cross the very cold river barefoot (good thing G was in the Ergo - I could never have balanced otherwise).  We had a lovely walk through wildflowers to a beautiful beach and it was hard to leave.  Then, on the river crossing back, poor Steve lost both his flip flops. They slipped off and floated away down the river.  Boo.  The drive back was incredible, but the weather was kind of stormy and Grace was asleep and we were tired so no pictures.  However, the stretch between Big Sur and Carmel was totally amazing.  It reminded me of Ireland (again with that - I guess anytime there are green cliffs dropping into the sea, I think Ring of Kerry).

All the Big Sur pix are here.

It was a really good trip and very hard to come home.  Well, home was fine - it was back to work and the routine that wasn't so easy.  The last month has been pretty rough and insanely busy for a lot of reasons (hence finishing my May posts here at the end of June - oops, now it's nearly mid-July!).  We squeezed in some good times and hit an exciting milestone... more to follow as I get caught up!