Stealing Away

Something that I have not yet blogged about, but which has been heavy on my heart, is the fact that my mom moved to San Francisco in January. She was given the option of taking a furlough from her job with United here in Denver, or transferring to another city. Having lived in Northern California for quite a few years in the past (my parents met there, and my sisters and I were born there), she jumped on the chance to transfer to San Francisco, where she would be near two of her sisters, living near one of her favorite cities in the world.
I don't blame my mom for taking the transfer. She was only two months away from having 10 years with the airlines, at which point she gets lifetime flight benefits (she reached this anniversary last week, on March 9th). My mom is an adventurer, and she tied down by a house or an attachment to "things". This made it easy for her to pick up and go. Unfortunately, she left 3 daughters and five grandsons behind. I must admit, I've taken it a little hard.
So...when Gavin and I boarded a plane for San Francisco this past week, my heart was singing. I was going to have quality time with my mom, visit one of my dearest friends who also lives in San Francisco, and enjoy the luxury of having no guilt whatsoever about not doing the laundry or cooking. Not to mention, not having to run in a million directions getting people to and from school, soccer practice, piano lessons, etc.Here is a glimpse of the wonderful time that Gavin and I had; and I must say - he was a trooper! I will no longer use the term "fussy baby" when describing Gavin. There is no way a baby who is fussy could get dragged all over the place like he did and keep such a sweet disposition the whole time!


This is the view from my friend Kerri's adorable apartment right in downtown San Francisco. She is getting her master's in book illustration and she has the most charming apartment, with the most beautiful view. We were blessed with a rare treat - a sunny 63 degree day in the city with no wind and not a cloud in the sky. The very next day it was cold, rainy and foggy.









This is the view of the main room of Kerri's apartment. This picture doesn't even begin to do justice to its bright, airy, and cheerful feel. The apartment is also filled with a lot of fun artwork. Unfortunately, Kerri does not hang any of her own work, which is amazing. I found myself drooling over some of the pieces she showed me, which she humbly tossed to the side and dismissed as "C work". Oh, to have even a fraction of that talent!



We started our day with a walk through China Town, on our way to North Beach. I persuaded (without much arm-twisting) Mom and Kerri to step into this nice little tea room, where I wanted to inquire about my very favorite tea - Gen Mai Cha (which I've taken to ordering online because it's not easy to find around here). There we were treated to tea served in the Chinese custom.


We tasted many delicious teas, and some that were also quite funky. Our hostess kept up a steady stream of information about each tea, it's medicinal qualities, and the proper way to steep each tea. I learned more about tea in that 30 minutes than I've ever known about it! Of course, I walked out with some tea - though not the one I originally went in to get!





In North Beach, the Italian section of SF, we enjoyed a bottle of California wine and a long lunch on a sunny sidewalk. Gavin was very cooperative, sleeping through all but the last bit of our lunch. It was almost as if he sensed how much we had to catch up on!

On our way to Trader Joe's, we stopped for Gavin's first photo as a tourist...(why, oh why, can't we have a Trader Joe's in Colorado? It's simply not fair!)

Our final stop of the day was the Buena Vista. An adorable bar that my parents used to visit 40 years ago when they dated. It is located right by a cable car turnaround, with a beautiful view of the wharf. It is known for it's big round tables, where customers are encouraged to sit together to fill the tables. I have been there quite a few times, and have never sat next to anybody uninteresting. Most importantly, the Buena Vista is known for having originated Irish coffee (which is a surprisingly American drink). I have four words to describe the Irish coffee at the Buena Vista... Nectar of the Gods. There is an art to this drink, and it has nothing to do with Bailey's! While we enjoyed two of these little lovelies (thankfully, decaf for me!), Gavin tipped back his own bottle...

We ended our day with a long, uphill walk back to Kerri's apartment, stopping at two different bakeries for some delicious pastries. Incidentally, I should mention that Kerri lives on one of the steepest streets in San Francisco. It was no easy task pushing a stroller up the hill, but holding onto it as we descended was even harder!

Our day in The City was the highlight of my trip. Spending such quality time with my mom and one of my best friends (whom I rarely see anymore) was a treat, and the girl talk was never-ending. During the rest of my visit to California, I was able to see my Grandma and Grandpa Kirby - unfortunately, it was a hospital visit, as she is very ill right now. I also saw my great uncle Hulon and my Aunt Lola (my dad's older sister), and my cousin Shelly,who humored my mom and me by coming on a moment's notice, to have dinner and spend the night with us.

It was a wonderful trip, and I'm so thankful for such a sweet little adaptable baby. Of course, perspective is everything. I'm not sure I would have had the nerve to do it my first time around!

A Weekend of Memories, Made & Remembered

This past weekend, we had a great mini-vacation in Summit County. This time, we stayed with some friend with whom we haven't connected as much as we'd like over the past four years. It was the first time our whole family stayed with them, and while they don't have children themselves, they are two laid-back people who put us at ease in their beautiful home, and were very gracious when the boys used their furniture for a trampoline and their hallways for a track. They also have two of the greatest dogs I've ever known - Monty and Loki. The boys had a ball with Graham's collection of Scooby Doo movies and DVD's (from the first two seasons!), and loved snuggling with a couple of dogs that are a bit more laid back than others they know.

In an attempt to save money and avoid the MLK crowds on the slopes, we decided not to ski. Instead we tubed at Copper (got a screaming deal thanks to Michell's employee discount), took the boys swimming at the rec center, and went ice skating on Keystone Lake. Our attempt to save money resulted in us doing our part to stimulate Summit County's economy! Our ice skating trip evoked a lot of nostalgia for Stephen, Michell and me. We all met working at Keystone, and have wonderful memories of our former lives. We couldn't help but laugh at the fact that we were now the "gapers" (or, "filthy Front-Rangers", as Graham so kindly put it) who were now bringing our family to ice skate and paying full price! When we worked at Keystone, paying full price for something (if paying at all) was so rare, and "hook-ups" were so common, that the resort actually rolled out a promotion called "It's not a hook-up...it's theft!" (by the way, that is my Dad's favorite thing to remember about me working there). Long gone are the days of free on-mountain dining, snowmobiling, skiing (with our employee passes, of course) and just about anything else you can imagine; not to mention the free beer that would be slid across the bar and labeled as a "mis-pour".

Good friends, good memories, and new memories being made with our kids were what made this past weekend a great little mini vacation.

Connor and Monty get all snuggly in the "cozy pit" at Graham & Michell's.

My old office on Keystone Lake (between the two white lights).
I know it doesn't look like much when you're standing on the lake,
but you should see the view from inside!

This used to be the restaurant/bar/nightclub that Stephen managed.
Now it doubles as activities reservation center and ice rink center.
(We had our first kiss here - tacky, I know)

This is the look of pure 5 year-old joy.

Hanging out on a patio at the base of a mountain
always was one of my favorite things to do...here,
we're relaxing with Graham and Michell
(oh, the boys are there too...they take the pictures
while we drink the beer!)

We were quite surprised that by the end of our
tubing session, Connor wanted to go it alone (he loved it!)

I just can't get enough of these pictures
with their arms around each other!

'Tis the Season to Enjoy

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activities and Christmas preparations. I've been having a ball doing what I love best...being a wife and mom with no studies! I've had plenty of opportunity to do one of the other things I most enjoy, which is working in the kitchen.

Connor and I made 11 loaves of pumpkin bread last week! He was a great little helper.

The boys got to meet the "real" conductor from the Polar Express. 

Connor spent the following 30 minutes quizzing us on where the train was, 

and wanting to know where it dropped off the conductor, when it would be 

back to pick him up, and how long it took him to get from the North Pole to the mall.

Connor was bright-eyed for his pre-school Christmas program. As much as I hate to admit it, he was definitely upstaged by the little girl who hiked her skirt up to her shoulders and adjusted the crotch of her tights about 4 times.

Connor slept through almost all of Kirby's program (can you tell he loves the hat?).

I fear that only in kindergarten will Kirby be so proud to wear reindeer antlers,

but I wish we could hold onto this innocence forever!

Stephen and the boys did their annual father/son gingerbread house decorating.

 

The boys in their Christmas sweaters.

And now, for the grand finale...

Watching these two box on their new Wii (thanks Gramma and Pop-Pop)

is pure entertainment. Note the two different styles; Kirby hits hard and fast, while

Connor prefers the slow and steady route.

Our Trip to Sanity

Thursday we leave for vacation. We're heading to New Jersey to visit Stephen's family. We haven't been "home" since Thanksgiving of 2005, when Connor was just 5 months old. Suffice it to say, Husband is excited. He has been scheming and planning for months, and somehow our trip that started out as 10 days of "nothing but relaxing", looks to be chok full of beach time, crabbing, deep sea fishing, a trip to Atlantic City, and of course visiting our favorite restaurants for the world's best pizza (seriously, I've had the pizza in Rome, and this is even better!) and hot dogs. Husband has been checking the fishing reports almost daily to let us know what the water temperature should be when we get there. Is this a guy in need of a vacation or what?

Actually, I think all four of us really need this vacation. We are all wiped out. It's not like the past year has been a tragedy or anything; it's been a genuinely blessed year. But, it's been intense. It's been a year of far too little sleep for me, far too much "shuttling around" for the boys, and far too much time alone for Stephen. Not to mention, the stress of his job (tip to readers: avoid 100% commission jobs like the plague). We are ready for some r&r with close family and friends. We are ready to play with our big cousins and swim in the ocean. We are ready to just have each other to think about. We are ready to wake up in Gramma and Pop-Pop's house, where the pace of life is just more tolerable and the tea is already steeping on the counter right when you think "I could use a cup of tea".

A trip to New Jersey is just what the doctor ordered for us, and we can't wait!