13.1 miles of Wine Country

Several months ago, my sister Maret, who lives in the San Francisco area, asked me if I wanted to run a half-marathon with her and several of her friends. So, while that is the main reason for this trip, I wasn't about to fly all the way out to San Francisco and not see a few other sights! I flew in a couple days early and met my friend Mindy there. We drove to the Monterey Peninsula and spent the afternoon in beautiful Carmel.

After having lunch and walking on the beach, we did the famous and BEAUTIFUL 17-mile drive, which includes views of Pebble Beach. My dad is an avid golf lover, so I've grown up hearing about this golf course and it was fun to see in person.

While living in HB, I was roommates with this lovely lady, Tiffany. She has since moved to the Monterey area, so after exploring Carmel, we drove to Monterey and met up with Tiff. We walked along Cannery Row and had dinner by the water.

The following day, we decided to visit the island of Alcatraz....

I've been to Alcatraz once before, but it's been 9 or 10 years, so it was fun to go back.

And we couldn't have asked for a nicer day! It was warm, sunny and clear. And thus we had absolutely gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge....

And of the city.

I took this pic for my mom. She loves lighthouses!

After Alcatraz, we spent the rest of the day at Fisherman's Wharf and exploring the city. We had a delightful lunch in North Beach in the Little Italy section.

And the next day, was the true reason for the trip. We ran a half-marathon in Healdsburg. It was 13.1 miles of vineyard after vineyard after vineyard. It was GORGEOUS! In fact, it was so beautiful, I didn't mind the fact that I was running for 2 solid hours! It was a very fun race and wonderful to spend the weekend with my sister and friends. And thank you to my sweet hubby for holding down the fort at home!

Millipedes and Alligators and Snakes, Oh My!

A local toy store had an even this weekend where they had a woman from Costa Rica bring all kinds of insects and spiders and such for the kids to hold, touch and see. Unfortunately, all I had with me was my camera phone and I didn't get very good pictures, but it was great to have some one on one time with my T. Here is is holding a HUGE millipede.

Holding a baby alligator....

Petting a snake....

Spain Day

Spanish spaghetti, Spanish Olives....

Spanish Queso and Jamon.....

Add a Spanish Tortilla and a Spanish flag with some Spanish music playing in the background, and the feast is complete! As many of those reading this may know, Spain holds a special place in our hearts. It's where Dave served a 2-year Church mission and it's where we met. So, we decided to create a family tradition to honor this country that we love. Spain has a day similar to our Independence Day and we have decided to celebrate this day in our family every year with Spanish food, decorations and music. It's very fun! This year, "Spain Day" was actually on Wednesday the 12th, but between Dave's work, my YW mutual responsibilities and Lacey's soccer practice, we decided to celebrate it today, on a Saturday. Anyway, it was a hit! And the best part was, I didn't lift a finger to make any of these delicious dishes :)

Hay rides, Animals and Smiles

This is the third year in a row we have gone to the Annual Kinder Farm Fall Festival. As I was there, I kept reflecting on how last year, I went as an 8 1/2 month pregnant woman with a 2-year old and 3 year old without Dave (since he was in Chicago running the Marathon). It was a little easier this year since I wasn't waddling around and I had Dave there and our 12-year old niece Becky too :)

After the hay-ride (which Tanner loved, since a huge tractor was involved!), we went to visit the animals and we were all impressed with this huge pig!

And we got to pet the Llamas....

But the best part of the day was enjoying the beautiful weather and seeing this face with this smile.....

And this face with this smile.

11 Months

Well, I set a goal to document each month of Riley's first year of life and here I am documenting her final month of baby-hood :(( It's gone by way too fast. I love the baby stage, so I am trying to soak up these next several weeks before she leaves baby-hood and enters full-throttle toddler-hood! Well, the biggest change since last month is MOBILITY!! She now crawls up an entire flight of stairs without any problem and can get absolutely anywhere. She shows no signs of walking yet, but she can pull herself up to a stand, so I suspect she'll start "cruising" some time soon. She also got her two top teeth, so she now has a total of 4 chompers. She sleeps like a champ! She gives me 12 hours of solid sleep every night and then will usually go back down for a morning nap 2 hours after waking up. She typically takes an afternoon nap as well, but today I have tried to put her down twice and she has not been shy is SCREAMING her displeasure of being contained, so I have her crawling all around me right now. And with that said, I think I will post this blog and give my sweet baby girl some attention :)