NOR CAL

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, life has been busy, making it harder and harder to find the time to update this blog.  So... for those who occasionally check in, I thank you and send apologies for the lapse of time between entries.  I have been fortunate to come across several consulting jobs, most of which I can do from home, which allows me the opportunity to spend tons of time with Annabelle and also put in the late night hours on the job.  Nathan and I have been trying to find the balance of work and childcare which has been challenging at times in our transitional state, and has made any semblance of schedule difficult to maintain.  Since we have returned from France in October, we have been living this limbo life of uncertainty of if's, when's, and where's.  With some answers looming on the horizon at the end of this month, we decided to take advantage of a mid-week road trip up to Nor Cal with two stops in mind, Gran and Gramps, and a visit to the Vandenbergs.  The Vandenbergs are part of our extended family with Kim being Michael's cousin.  We get together every Thanksgiving, but wanted to spend some quality time with them so we could really chat.  At the risk of sounding "too corporate" and use the word "mentors", I would rather say Nathan and both really look up to Ron and Kim both personally and professionally.  Not to mention they are incredibly fun to hang out with.  They have both been supportive our life decisions so far, particularly when we have chosen not to take"the safety Sally" route.  As we head into the next chapter, we were eager to bounce ideas off them and get their much valued insights.

First stop was Gran and Gramps.  After a long car trek we arrived for a few relaxing days of soaking up Petaluma.  We experienced both rainy days and sunshine and spent much of our time exploring the property and letting Annie check out the vegetables, "smell" the flowers (very animatedly), and meet the animals.  After months of identifying farm animals in her picture books, it was awesome to see Annabelle recognizing the real deal.  She seemed to really "get it" this time around, mooing at the cows and petting the horses.  She loved her baths in Gran's big tub, tossing walnuts all over the kitchen and dancing in the living room to the Euro Beats CD.  After a few days there, Nathan and I headed South for Berkeley and left Annie with Gran for her first overnight sleepover without mom or dad.  Supposedly all went well, and we send a huge thanks to Diane, as we know how tiring a toddler can be.  She loved her quality time with Gran.

Back in Berkeley we enjoyed the unseasonable high temps with some pool time at the Claremont, a yoga class, afternoon wine and cheese on the deck, and a stroll through downtown.  We fell in love with the darling homes, the lush trees and the outstanding views of San Fransisco from the hilly streets.  We cooked up a delicious dinner and chatted away.  Sunday allowed for a hike in Tilden Regional Park, breakfast burritos, and when Annie arrived with Diane, a ride on the steam trains - a special treat.  On Monday we began our journey home.  All-in-all, it was a relaxing trip and a nice getaway.  Here are some pics from our travels...