After one complete year of blogging I have decided to continue on with my tales and anecdotes in a second edition blog. Not only have I found blogging to be the perfect way to get news out to friends and family members, I have also found it to be the perfect way to reflect on being a mom and wife. I am happy to see my blog becoming an online scrapbook of the Tahoe Browders. In fact, I even found a website that will convert blog entries into a bound book. Therefore, beginning a new blog seemed to be the best idea. From now on I will begin a new edition with the start of each new school year. Appropriately enough, today was Ben's first day of preschool. But to hear more about that please visit our new blog address at http://www.tahoebrowderstoo.blogspot.com/ .
See you soon!!!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Flashback
I got the boys ready for church yesterday morning and once I had Sam dressed I did a double-take! Many people tell me how much Sam is beginning to look like Ben. I haven't really seen the similarities until Sam was decked out in an outfit I fondly remember Ben wearing. Let's see what you think....
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monkey See, Monkey Do
With the boys under the weather into the weekend, we spent lots of time inside. And is usually the case, if Ben likes doing something, so does Sam and vice versa.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Mama Called the Doctor and the Doctor Said....
This last Wednesday evening was my last summer softball game (not including the playoffs) and since it was the earliest time slot at 6:15, I decided to take Ben along to watch the game from the dugout. Ben was pretty quiet while my teammates and I came in and out of the dugout between innings. I took it for him being in a new situation and didn't think much of it. When I came in after an inning in left-center field I found Ben with a snotty nose caused by crying. Apparently a fly had not only buzzed near him but had actually landed on him. Obviously he had memories of his recent bee sting in Dayton and was shaken up a bit. I held him and helped to calm him down and noticed he was a little warm. I assumed that the rise in his body temperature had to do with the adrenaline rushing through his system with his fear. From then on he would ask each time I returned to the dugout if it was time to go home yet.
After winning by a few runs, I said goodbye to my team and started toward the car with Ben. He was still not quite himself but I knew he was tired. When we got home he was a mess....fussy, whiny, and clingy. I started to get him into his pj's when I noticed he was still warm - no, hot! I took his temperature and found him to be bordering on 103 degrees! I gave him a dose of Motrin and put him to bed. When I checked on him less than two hours later he was nice and cool. Situation averted? Not quite....
The next morning, Ben's temperature was back up to about 100 degrees so we opted to stay in for the day. More doses of medicine didn't seem to change his temperature much so we kept things low-key throughout the day. By that evening, Ben appeared to be fine, still a little warm but not uncomfortable in any way. As a precaution I gave him one last dose of Tylenol before bed and again found him nice and cool when I went to bed.
By Friday morning it appeared that we were out of the woods. Ben had no fever and was a happy boy. I told him that he no longer had a fever and his response was, "Good! Now my throat won't hurt when I drink my ice water."
"Did your throat hurt before, Ben?" I asked.
"Yeah, a little, but not now," he replied.
We headed out to Carson City before 7:00 A.M. to get the car to the shop for an oil-change and to have a leak investigated. All turned out well and the boys and I took the opportunity of being out of town to get new sneakers for Ben since he had outgrown the pair he started wearing in the spring. As usual, Sam fell asleep in the car on the way home ruining any chances of a decent nap at home. I knew it would be a long afternoon but didn't expect to have two feverish kids by the evening! Nor did I expect to read my sister-in-law's blog and find that her entire family was suffering from strep throat! Brian and I both looked into Ben's throat before bedtime and found his tonsils to be very red with a few white speckles....clearly not normal.
After a fitful night from both boys I was not surprised when they were both awake this morning at 5:30 with low grade fevers and Sam with a snotty nose. I opted not to medicate them and take them to our local urgent care clinic when it opened at 9:00. Brian headed in to work and the boys and I went to get a diagnosis. The nurse took their temperatures and both were fever-free! I filled the doctor in on our strep throat exposure and he decided to do throat cultures on both boys. Let's just say that didn't go over well until the doctor promptly produced a lollipop for each boy. Ben's culture came back clear and his ears looked fine too. Sam's culture also came back clear but both of his ears were infected! Poor little monkey! The doctor prescribed a five day dosage of antibiotics for each boy to clear up any chance of strep and take care of Sam's ears.
After waiting at the pharmacy for the prescription we returned home with a VERY fussy Sam. I got the medicine into the boys with their lunch (along with a dose of Motrin for Sam) and they played happily until it was time for their rests. They are both now sleeping peacefully.
The good news is that Ben will not have to miss his first day of preschool on Monday. Nor will Sam have to miss his first day solo (with Mommy) at TCF's bilingual program.
After winning by a few runs, I said goodbye to my team and started toward the car with Ben. He was still not quite himself but I knew he was tired. When we got home he was a mess....fussy, whiny, and clingy. I started to get him into his pj's when I noticed he was still warm - no, hot! I took his temperature and found him to be bordering on 103 degrees! I gave him a dose of Motrin and put him to bed. When I checked on him less than two hours later he was nice and cool. Situation averted? Not quite....
The next morning, Ben's temperature was back up to about 100 degrees so we opted to stay in for the day. More doses of medicine didn't seem to change his temperature much so we kept things low-key throughout the day. By that evening, Ben appeared to be fine, still a little warm but not uncomfortable in any way. As a precaution I gave him one last dose of Tylenol before bed and again found him nice and cool when I went to bed.
By Friday morning it appeared that we were out of the woods. Ben had no fever and was a happy boy. I told him that he no longer had a fever and his response was, "Good! Now my throat won't hurt when I drink my ice water."
"Did your throat hurt before, Ben?" I asked.
"Yeah, a little, but not now," he replied.
We headed out to Carson City before 7:00 A.M. to get the car to the shop for an oil-change and to have a leak investigated. All turned out well and the boys and I took the opportunity of being out of town to get new sneakers for Ben since he had outgrown the pair he started wearing in the spring. As usual, Sam fell asleep in the car on the way home ruining any chances of a decent nap at home. I knew it would be a long afternoon but didn't expect to have two feverish kids by the evening! Nor did I expect to read my sister-in-law's blog and find that her entire family was suffering from strep throat! Brian and I both looked into Ben's throat before bedtime and found his tonsils to be very red with a few white speckles....clearly not normal.
After a fitful night from both boys I was not surprised when they were both awake this morning at 5:30 with low grade fevers and Sam with a snotty nose. I opted not to medicate them and take them to our local urgent care clinic when it opened at 9:00. Brian headed in to work and the boys and I went to get a diagnosis. The nurse took their temperatures and both were fever-free! I filled the doctor in on our strep throat exposure and he decided to do throat cultures on both boys. Let's just say that didn't go over well until the doctor promptly produced a lollipop for each boy. Ben's culture came back clear and his ears looked fine too. Sam's culture also came back clear but both of his ears were infected! Poor little monkey! The doctor prescribed a five day dosage of antibiotics for each boy to clear up any chance of strep and take care of Sam's ears.
After waiting at the pharmacy for the prescription we returned home with a VERY fussy Sam. I got the medicine into the boys with their lunch (along with a dose of Motrin for Sam) and they played happily until it was time for their rests. They are both now sleeping peacefully.
The good news is that Ben will not have to miss his first day of preschool on Monday. Nor will Sam have to miss his first day solo (with Mommy) at TCF's bilingual program.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sam Says...
Sam is officially the chatterbox of our family. For a 20 month-old kid, he has a lot to say, all the time! He falls asleep talking and wakes up talking. He even talks in his sleep! His enunciation is not bad either, especially when it comes to pronouncing people's names. In Dayton, he loved saying Cristina with his own twist on it, Cristita.
Some things he says are just plain cute. While looking at a book of animals the other evening he saw a picture of a zebra and enthusiastically said, "Beezra!" And upon seeing a picture of a macaw he said, "Carrot!"
He also tells me, "That tickles!" every time I put his socks and shoes on.
Same woke up at 4:00 in the morning this last Sunday following our travels home from Ohio. When Brian went to retrieve him from his room before he woke Ben too Sam said, "I want Mommy." Brian was surprised that within the few days we were gone Sam had begun speaking in COMPLETE sentences! And yesterday morning when Ben went downstairs with Brian before Sam and I, Sam said, "I need my Ben," then, "I need my daddy." How sweet is that?
Sam has also started to have naps and bedtime more frequently in his big boy bed. He does a pretty good job of staying in the bed even though I was quite worried he would be all over the place without crib rails to keep him contained. I try to give Sam the option of where he sleeps so it doesn't become a battle to have him sleep in the bed. Yesterday when I took him up for his nap I asked him if he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed or his crib. He replied, "No sleep in big boy bed."
I asked, "Do you want to sleep in your crib?"
"No sleep in crib," he answered.
"No sleep in crib," he answered.
"Sam, if you don't sleep in your crib or bed then where are you going to sleep?"
Sam's answer, "Sleep in rocket ship crib."
Not even two years-old and he is pretending his crib is a rocket ship!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Summer Days in Dayton
Monday, August 10th - We checked into the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno intending to get a good night's sleep before our 6:00 A.M. flight. The boys were excited to look out our fourteenth floor window at the pool party below. Needless to say, bedtime ended up being delayed by a good two hours!
Tuesday, August 11th - At 4:00 A.M. Brian called to cancel our wake-up call since we were already awake and had been awake most of the night. Apparently, Sam talks in his sleep.....a lot.
We were on our way to the airport by 5:00 A.M. and the boys were groggy but excited to ride on an airplane. After checking one suitcase, Brian accompanied the boys and I through security and to our gate. He stayed with us until we boarded at 5:40. By 6:10 we were in the air on our way to Denver. The boys were wonderful the entire flight and by the time we needed to switch planes they were ready too. We had to maneuver from one concourse in Denver to another by way of a small subway train. Ben loved the train and the people-movers in the airport while Sam took a short rest. After getting some cheese pizzas for an early lunch, we boarded our second plane to Dayton. Again, the boys were great in the air and we had some of the nicest flight attendants I have ever met. Brian's parents, Dave and Sarah, known to the grand kids as Nan and Teddy, were at the Dayton airport to welcome us and transport us to Tom and Elma Talbot's home in Kettering.
I had forgotten what it's like to be in the land of humidity after living in essentially a desert climate for several years. From the moment I stepped off the plane I felt suffocated. Luckily, the Talbots have a big, beautiful grassy back yard complete with a swimming pool so the boys and I immediately changed into our swim suits and took a dip - or in Ben's case, the plunge. Not much later Chris, Emily, and their kids (Elyse, Camille, and Harrison) arrived for a visit and dinner. It was Emily and the kids' first time meeting Sam and my boys and my first time meeting Harry. All the kids are not only cuties but also well-behaved. Sam and Harry being only five months apart in age really seemed to hit it off.
Wednesday, August 12th - After a decent night's sleep considering the previous long travel day, the boys played for a bit with Teddy while Sarah, Elma and I took a walk. My left knee was feeling pretty stiff after hours of being crunched into economy seats on our flights so I was happy to stretch out some. While walking we ran into one of Brian's old high school classmates, Holly, and her two little boys. We have been exchanging Christmas cards with Holly for the past few years so it was nice to actually meet her.
After our walk, Elma returned to the house to get cleaned up to retrieve her son, Tommy, his wife Cristina, and their two kids, Cate and Peter from the airport. Sarah and I loaded the boys up in the double stroller and walked to Orchardly Park. Sam ended up napping along the way but Ben was quite happy to be awake to enjoy a huge sand pit, multiple climbing structures, a teeter-totter, and a water sprinkler/fountain area meant for kids to play in. Eventually Sam woke up, ruining all chances of an afternoon nap, and played with Ben more. Ben had asked me several -weeks ago to go to a play ground with a teeter-totter so he was extremely happy to try it out with Sam.
When we arrived back to the house we were greeted by Tommy, Cristina, Cate and Peter. Ben and Cate were quick to hit it off and spent hours over the few days playing in the sun porch with a variety of old Fisher Price Little People toys.
Again in the afternoon we got more time with the other Browder kids, swam in the pool, and had a great dinner out on the deck. I put Sam down for an early bedtime and Ben stayed up until after dark to catch fire flies. Many people don't even think about it but if you live on the west coast you just don't see fire flies. In fact, fire flies are seldom seen west of Kansas! Mr. Talbot was wonderful in leading Ben out to the front yard and helping him see the flashing critters. Tom has a definite knack for making people feel at home. Sam really seemed to connect with Tom, even exclaiming when Tom returned home from work, "Hi, Tom!"
Thursday, August 13th - Ben's first request upon waking was to go play in the sun porch with the toy airplane and Cate. And Sam was happy to be part of the trio.
Mid-morning, Elma, Tommy, Cate, Peter, Sarah, Ben, Sam and I loaded up and drove across Dayton to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/). The museum was amazing! The hands-on activities for the kids were endless and engaging. Ben was especially fond of the water activity table where he was able to connect pieces of plastic pipes and fittings and watch water flow through. There was a fossil pit, a pioneer log cabin, a huge rope ladder with a long spiraling slide at the top, and even a small zoo! The one downfall was that it was impossible to see everything with four toddlers all going different directions.
Later on in the day we spent more time in the pool, of course. Ben's favorite swim buddy was Teddy. Ben would stand on the edge of the pool and yell, "Teddy are you ready?" and once it was confirmed that Teddy was in fact ready, Ben would launch himself into the water and into Teddy's arms. Ben's level of comfort in the water has grown by leaps and bounds this summer and I would guess that he will be a little fish next summer.
Ben also ended up stepping on a bee which stung him on the big toe. He as surprised and a little hurt but did not have any kind of allergic reaction, thank goodness! After having the stinger removed and numbing it with ice, Mrs. Talbot treated him with Benadryl cream and a bandaid.
We were also lucky to see Jane and Russel Falck, more friends of the Browders from their days in Oakwood. Of the three couples (the Browders, Talbots and Falcks), only the Falcks remain grandchild-less. As I told Jane, I am happy to share my boys with her anytime!
We also said our goodbyes to Emily and the kids as they headed back to Seattle while Chris stayed on until Saturday.
Friday, August 14th - A full day of playing inside and outside! Ben and Cate were practically inseparable the entire day. I also let Sam stay up late with Ben so he too could experience fire flies. Nan and Teddy gave the kids bug jars with mesh lids so the boys were anxious to catch fire flies to have with them at bedtime.
Saturday, August 15th - I spent a good portion of the morning trying to get myself organized for the flights home. The boys played and played all morning. We took a short swim before changing clothes, having lunch and heading to the airport.
We had no problems with security and were inside the airport ready for our 4:00 P.M. flight from Dayton to Denver with time to spare. The flight was full of families with young children and once again the boys were wonderful on the plane. We arrived in Denver, changed concourses via the train, and got some food for dinner. Our plane was delayed by about 15 minutes but once we were in the air it was smooth sailing. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we started our descent into Reno. The boys had not napped at all the entire day and Sam especially was running on empty. He literally fell asleep as we landed. I managed to lug the boys with Sam in his car seat off the plane and headed toward baggage claim. Brian joined us within a few minutes and we all headed back to Incline.
We had a wonderful visit to Dayton. The Talbots were unbelievably gracious, giving, and kind. And I can't even begin to sing my praises for my in-laws. Without Dave and Sarah the trip would have been a major challenge.
Ben, Sam, Brian and I extend our thanks with big hugs to everyone for an amazing summer trip!
Tuesday, August 11th - At 4:00 A.M. Brian called to cancel our wake-up call since we were already awake and had been awake most of the night. Apparently, Sam talks in his sleep.....a lot.
We were on our way to the airport by 5:00 A.M. and the boys were groggy but excited to ride on an airplane. After checking one suitcase, Brian accompanied the boys and I through security and to our gate. He stayed with us until we boarded at 5:40. By 6:10 we were in the air on our way to Denver. The boys were wonderful the entire flight and by the time we needed to switch planes they were ready too. We had to maneuver from one concourse in Denver to another by way of a small subway train. Ben loved the train and the people-movers in the airport while Sam took a short rest. After getting some cheese pizzas for an early lunch, we boarded our second plane to Dayton. Again, the boys were great in the air and we had some of the nicest flight attendants I have ever met. Brian's parents, Dave and Sarah, known to the grand kids as Nan and Teddy, were at the Dayton airport to welcome us and transport us to Tom and Elma Talbot's home in Kettering.
I had forgotten what it's like to be in the land of humidity after living in essentially a desert climate for several years. From the moment I stepped off the plane I felt suffocated. Luckily, the Talbots have a big, beautiful grassy back yard complete with a swimming pool so the boys and I immediately changed into our swim suits and took a dip - or in Ben's case, the plunge. Not much later Chris, Emily, and their kids (Elyse, Camille, and Harrison) arrived for a visit and dinner. It was Emily and the kids' first time meeting Sam and my boys and my first time meeting Harry. All the kids are not only cuties but also well-behaved. Sam and Harry being only five months apart in age really seemed to hit it off.
Wednesday, August 12th - After a decent night's sleep considering the previous long travel day, the boys played for a bit with Teddy while Sarah, Elma and I took a walk. My left knee was feeling pretty stiff after hours of being crunched into economy seats on our flights so I was happy to stretch out some. While walking we ran into one of Brian's old high school classmates, Holly, and her two little boys. We have been exchanging Christmas cards with Holly for the past few years so it was nice to actually meet her.
After our walk, Elma returned to the house to get cleaned up to retrieve her son, Tommy, his wife Cristina, and their two kids, Cate and Peter from the airport. Sarah and I loaded the boys up in the double stroller and walked to Orchardly Park. Sam ended up napping along the way but Ben was quite happy to be awake to enjoy a huge sand pit, multiple climbing structures, a teeter-totter, and a water sprinkler/fountain area meant for kids to play in. Eventually Sam woke up, ruining all chances of an afternoon nap, and played with Ben more. Ben had asked me several -weeks ago to go to a play ground with a teeter-totter so he was extremely happy to try it out with Sam.
When we arrived back to the house we were greeted by Tommy, Cristina, Cate and Peter. Ben and Cate were quick to hit it off and spent hours over the few days playing in the sun porch with a variety of old Fisher Price Little People toys.
Again in the afternoon we got more time with the other Browder kids, swam in the pool, and had a great dinner out on the deck. I put Sam down for an early bedtime and Ben stayed up until after dark to catch fire flies. Many people don't even think about it but if you live on the west coast you just don't see fire flies. In fact, fire flies are seldom seen west of Kansas! Mr. Talbot was wonderful in leading Ben out to the front yard and helping him see the flashing critters. Tom has a definite knack for making people feel at home. Sam really seemed to connect with Tom, even exclaiming when Tom returned home from work, "Hi, Tom!"
Thursday, August 13th - Ben's first request upon waking was to go play in the sun porch with the toy airplane and Cate. And Sam was happy to be part of the trio.
Mid-morning, Elma, Tommy, Cate, Peter, Sarah, Ben, Sam and I loaded up and drove across Dayton to the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery (http://www.boonshoftmuseum.org/). The museum was amazing! The hands-on activities for the kids were endless and engaging. Ben was especially fond of the water activity table where he was able to connect pieces of plastic pipes and fittings and watch water flow through. There was a fossil pit, a pioneer log cabin, a huge rope ladder with a long spiraling slide at the top, and even a small zoo! The one downfall was that it was impossible to see everything with four toddlers all going different directions.
Later on in the day we spent more time in the pool, of course. Ben's favorite swim buddy was Teddy. Ben would stand on the edge of the pool and yell, "Teddy are you ready?" and once it was confirmed that Teddy was in fact ready, Ben would launch himself into the water and into Teddy's arms. Ben's level of comfort in the water has grown by leaps and bounds this summer and I would guess that he will be a little fish next summer.
Ben also ended up stepping on a bee which stung him on the big toe. He as surprised and a little hurt but did not have any kind of allergic reaction, thank goodness! After having the stinger removed and numbing it with ice, Mrs. Talbot treated him with Benadryl cream and a bandaid.
We were also lucky to see Jane and Russel Falck, more friends of the Browders from their days in Oakwood. Of the three couples (the Browders, Talbots and Falcks), only the Falcks remain grandchild-less. As I told Jane, I am happy to share my boys with her anytime!
We also said our goodbyes to Emily and the kids as they headed back to Seattle while Chris stayed on until Saturday.
Friday, August 14th - A full day of playing inside and outside! Ben and Cate were practically inseparable the entire day. I also let Sam stay up late with Ben so he too could experience fire flies. Nan and Teddy gave the kids bug jars with mesh lids so the boys were anxious to catch fire flies to have with them at bedtime.
Saturday, August 15th - I spent a good portion of the morning trying to get myself organized for the flights home. The boys played and played all morning. We took a short swim before changing clothes, having lunch and heading to the airport.
We had no problems with security and were inside the airport ready for our 4:00 P.M. flight from Dayton to Denver with time to spare. The flight was full of families with young children and once again the boys were wonderful on the plane. We arrived in Denver, changed concourses via the train, and got some food for dinner. Our plane was delayed by about 15 minutes but once we were in the air it was smooth sailing. We were absolutely exhausted by the time we started our descent into Reno. The boys had not napped at all the entire day and Sam especially was running on empty. He literally fell asleep as we landed. I managed to lug the boys with Sam in his car seat off the plane and headed toward baggage claim. Brian joined us within a few minutes and we all headed back to Incline.
We had a wonderful visit to Dayton. The Talbots were unbelievably gracious, giving, and kind. And I can't even begin to sing my praises for my in-laws. Without Dave and Sarah the trip would have been a major challenge.
Ben, Sam, Brian and I extend our thanks with big hugs to everyone for an amazing summer trip!
Aunties, Aunties!
We were very excited to get a phone call a couple of weekends ago from my brother-in-law, Pete, asking if we would like to get together with he and my sister Beth here in Tahoe. They decided to get in one last getaway before Beth had to go back to work with the start of a new school year. I was jubilant as I haven't spent any time with my sister since our travels over spring break in April. I was even more excited when Pete called back a few minutes after ending our first phone call and said that not only would they be up for a night but if it worked for us, Beth would stay a few more days and ride with the boys and I to Redding for my oldest sister Pauline's baby shower.
We were expecting Beth and Pete to arrive sometime in the early afternoon on Tuesday, August 4th, and the plan was to go out for lunch then get the kids down for a rest while Beth and Pete went to the Rustic Cottages where they always stay when they come to the lake. Shortly after noon I heard footsteps on the outside stairs and told the boys that it was Auntie Beth and Uncle Pete. Imagine my surprise when I found my niece, Kayla, (with an Ikeda's peach pie in hand) standing outside my front door! Beth and Pete had pulled a few strings with Kayla's mom so she could come up and see her cousins too!
Later on that evening the boys and I picked Brian up from his office then drove the few miles to the Rustic Cottages where we enjoyed a barbecue with Beth, Pete, Kayla, and their friends, Shawna and Jenn. The boys had a great time playing with Kayla and we all enjoyed playing horseshoes and visiting.
The next morning we picked up Beth after Pete and Kayla headed back down the mountain. Ben and Sam loved having special time with their auntie. And it turned out to be just what Beth and I needed to put the final touches on our big sister Pauline's baby shower.
On Friday morning we got everything loaded in the car and made the drive to Redding. Auntie Pauline was home alone while Uncle Howie and Olivia were camping. Ben was thrilled to play on the play structure in the back yard and let Fenway, Olivia's dog, cover him in doggie kisses. Sam finally warmed up to Fenway too and had lots of fun with Olivia's doll house.
The baby shower was a hit with lots of Pauline's co-workers and friends in attendance. Good food, fun games, and nice company made the event a success. My nephew is due at the end of September and judging from the gifts heaped upon him, he will be a very well-loved little guy. And it's nice for me to know exactly where to pass along things my boys have outgrown. Pauline will be starting the school year teaching her kindergartners so things will be hectic for her right up until the moment her baby boy arrives. For now, I wish her lots of luck with lots of rest.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Take Me Out to the Ball game!
Thanks to the generosity of our friends, Jackie and Eric Peacock (and their little one Chloe), we were able to not only attend a game in the Inaugural season for the Reno Aces but also watch a great game! Thunder storms loomed in the distance as we arrived to the game at the start of the second inning (darn road construction) but it ended up being perfect timing as a foul ball rolled to our feet outside the stadium.
We quickly found our seats - wait, let me rephrase, our INCREDIBLE seats! With the four middle seats in the second and third rows directly behind home plate, we were right in the action. In fact, for one of the first times I can remember, my dad didn't need his binoculars to follow the game.
After just two more innings, rain drops began to fall here and there. We took the opportunity to get up, check out the park, and find some food. Let's just say our timing was again perfect. Within minutes, the scattered raindrops became an all-out down pour! People who had thought to stay in their seats and wait out the shower quickly joined us in the covered area looking like they had all been tossed into a swimming pool. The rain continued to fall for a good thirty minutes creating a fifty-six minute rain delay. After we had successfully fed cheese pizza to the kids and obtain food for the adults, we returned to our seats only to find that one of the other fans in our row had dried the seats for us - how kind! Another short shower sprinkled us for a couple of minutes later on but it was hardly worth running for cover.
Between innings or during pitching changes we enjoyed the music and watching the scoreboard as it scanned the crowd. Sam was a main target for the camera man behind us, appearing on the big screen several times! The kids loved the entire game and were hard to pull away when their bedtime was imminent. We did stay through the seventh inning stretch to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" then watched a seven run streak by the Aces in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead them to their 10-9 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The name's Shakespeare, William Shakespeare
During the summer of 2003 I was one of a handful of teachers who took part in the Northern California Writing Project. This is where I met the kind and lovely, Janet Farschon, an elementary school teacher from Cedarville, California. Within the first couple of days of class Janet mentioned that she'd like to share my email address with her nephew. Thinking I had nothing to lose, I agreed and the very last day of class Janet handed me a small blue post-it note with Brian's contact information on it. That same afternoon I sent an email that started the ball rolling. After a few weeks of emails and phone calls, Brian invited me to the lake to go to the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare festival with him to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
So six years ago on August 2, 2003, I made the fateful drive from Chico to Incline Village to meet Brian face-to-face for the first time. Obviously the rest is history and now we celebrate the anniversary of our first date each year at the Shakespeare festival. Over the years we have had several friends join us for the fun. Originally it was just us and Steph and Matt whose wedding anniversary is August 3rd. But this year we welcomed three new faces to our Shakespeare entourage. My good friend, Tabitha, whom I met at Humboldt State over a decade ago, made the trek up from southern California to spend a few days with us and see "Measure for Measure." We also encouraged fellow TCF parents, Cris and Joe Hennessey, to join us and have a night off duty from their daughter Ella. We all had an amazing evening under the Tahoe sky that was fueled by Brian's very tasty and very potent margaritas.
Tabitha was the only one to bring along a camera so I must thank her for the photos!
So six years ago on August 2, 2003, I made the fateful drive from Chico to Incline Village to meet Brian face-to-face for the first time. Obviously the rest is history and now we celebrate the anniversary of our first date each year at the Shakespeare festival. Over the years we have had several friends join us for the fun. Originally it was just us and Steph and Matt whose wedding anniversary is August 3rd. But this year we welcomed three new faces to our Shakespeare entourage. My good friend, Tabitha, whom I met at Humboldt State over a decade ago, made the trek up from southern California to spend a few days with us and see "Measure for Measure." We also encouraged fellow TCF parents, Cris and Joe Hennessey, to join us and have a night off duty from their daughter Ella. We all had an amazing evening under the Tahoe sky that was fueled by Brian's very tasty and very potent margaritas.
Tabitha was the only one to bring along a camera so I must thank her for the photos!
Girls' Night Out
Several months after purchasing concert tickets the day finally arrived for Kenny Chesney's Sun City Carnival Tour 2009 to be in South Lake Tahoe. This was the first concert I have been to with my good friends, Kirsty and Maite, since the summer of 2004 when we traveled to Las Vegas to see Kenny Chesney and Rascal Flatts.
Concerts with the girls are always a blast. This year we met at my home then drove to South Lake where we had dinner and drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe before heading to the outdoor concert venue.
Back when I commuted to and from work I had a minimum of 40 minutes every day to listen to the latest chart-topping songs on the radio. Now that my job has changed, so have my listening choices...I haven't listened to much other than Raffi and the boys' Music Together CD's for quite some time.
When the opening act, Lady Antebellum, came on stage I was completely clueless of who they were. After a couple of songs, it really didn't matter because the fact was that I was at a concert, out of mommy mode, and with good friends.....who cares if I didn't know ANY of their songs or the songs of the next performer, Miranda Lambert. I was having FUN!
Luckily, I have been to a few Kenny concerts in the past several years and he is always sure to play songs from older albums because that is what the fans want so I was able to sign along with about two-thirds of his songs. And when Sammy Hagar joined Kenny on stage I was even able to sing along with his classic, "I Can't Drive 55."
A great show with good friends is one of the best ways to spend a warm summer night in Tahoe.
Concerts with the girls are always a blast. This year we met at my home then drove to South Lake where we had dinner and drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe before heading to the outdoor concert venue.
Back when I commuted to and from work I had a minimum of 40 minutes every day to listen to the latest chart-topping songs on the radio. Now that my job has changed, so have my listening choices...I haven't listened to much other than Raffi and the boys' Music Together CD's for quite some time.
When the opening act, Lady Antebellum, came on stage I was completely clueless of who they were. After a couple of songs, it really didn't matter because the fact was that I was at a concert, out of mommy mode, and with good friends.....who cares if I didn't know ANY of their songs or the songs of the next performer, Miranda Lambert. I was having FUN!
Luckily, I have been to a few Kenny concerts in the past several years and he is always sure to play songs from older albums because that is what the fans want so I was able to sign along with about two-thirds of his songs. And when Sammy Hagar joined Kenny on stage I was even able to sing along with his classic, "I Can't Drive 55."
A great show with good friends is one of the best ways to spend a warm summer night in Tahoe.
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