Summing up the last month

I apologize for my lack of blogging over the last few weeks (and getting into months).  We haven't been too busy to blog, but I just have not had much I've considered "blog worthy."  I will work backward from today.
This afternoon, I had a very enjoyable afternoon with Erin as we went to downtown Riverside and saw a matinee performance of Hairspray at the new Fox Theater.  It was a very fun performance and it was even more fun to see the renovated theater.  A definite plus for downtown Riverside.  Before the performance, we had a nice outdoor lunch at Bella Tratorria, situated adjacent to the Mission Inn.  It was a nice afternoon.
The last few weekends have not produced anything significant.  We mostly have been trying to do some spring cleaning and yard clean up (tasks I detest).  We also have been gathering plans and supplies for our upcoming trip to Switzerland in June (6 weeks away, but who's counting?).  Airline tickets are bought, hotel reservations made, rail passes are here, and we are as prepared as possible for our trip.  We both have purchased new pieces of carry-on luggage for the trip (as this will be our only luggage), but I'm sure we will be using them quite a lot in the future.
Sierra continues to be a source of joy and humor.  Her latest hobby is "picking up" after Nick and myself, especially upstairs.  This includes underwear, socks, and cleaning rags among other things.  She loves taking them to her "space" and licking them.  It doesn't last long and we take them away (I know-we're so mean).  She also continues to demonstrate an exceptional appetite, eating the peel of a banana a couple of weeks ago (not intentional).
Here are some photos of the last few weeks including a baby blanket I put together for Matt and Desi's little bundle of joy, Ethan.  Hopefully everyone is enjoying spring and the nice weather.  I promise I will be a better blogger!

Spring Has Sprung

here in southern California. The last few days have been clear and sunny with temperatures in the 80s. This, with the added daylight at the end of the day, is certainly a breath of fresh air. You may laugh at this enthusiasm for spring, but our winter has been a true "California winter" with plenty of rain and cool temperatures (cool for us, that is).
This past weekend, we took advantage of the improving weather and hiked in the Aqua Tibia Wilderness, a part of the Cleveland National Forrest. This area was adjacent to the Temecula Valley which is the largest wine producer in this part of California. The hike was fun and the views from the top were amazing. Sierra was too excited to finish (she spent all of her energy in the first 15 minutes) and kept hinting to turn around when she would lay down on the side of the trail. Not too subtle!

Everything else is continuing to go well. Work is chaotic and busy, which make the days go fast. We are looking forward to Easter weekend and doing...something, not sure what yet. We are looking forward to the summer and whatever "fun" that brings (plans TBA, but I know it will be good!.  Sierra continues to be a source of joy and pleasure to our lives and we love being around her sweet nature and beautiful smiles.  That is the summary of our lives as of now-not too exciting, but hopefully you enjoy the photos! 

My V.B.B. behavior

That is, my very bad blogging behavior. I have no excuses for my lack of blogging over the past month. We have have not been busy, in fact, it has been quite the opposite.
We have had a series of significant rainstorms that have given us more than a season's worth of rain, so we have been truly enjoying a California winter. Things are now beautiful: sunny, clear skies with great distance views of mountains, green on all of the mountains, and warm temperatures well into the 70s. This is why we stay in southern California. For all the millions of other negatives in Southern California life, days like these make all the other headaches melt away.
We have had three guests stop by in the past week alone, which is highly unusual for us. Last Sunday, Nick's mom stopped by, then on Friday Nick's uncle and cousin drove out for lunch. Since I was working, I missed their visit, but we are really happy that we have had so many visitors!
Sierra continues to be a good sport about the weather. She pretty much knows if it is cloudy and wet, she will be stuck inside all day with no walk. She is content to be near Nick and me with occasional Kong treats of baby carrots.
Work continues to go well for me. We have many new faces at the clinic to be "trying out" part-time positions. Friday, we had a "senior meeting" which consisted of lunch at El Torrito and a reflexology massage for an hour. I think I can handle that!
We continue to play softball every Friday night, weather permitting. We won our first game this week and we were so pumped up, we even one the second game of the night. It is fun to get out and play each week and even more fun to win!
I have no new pictures to share, but will post some if we do anything exciting!

Back by popular demand...

and several inquiries, I have reluctantly started to blog once again...I thought my Facebook account would cover just about everything, but I am told that my posts are missed. It is nice to know that I am not just writing to cyberspace =). I hope everyone is enjoying the new look of the page.
January is my favorite month in southern California, mainly because the weather is so beautiful, and this year has been no exception. We have had mostly sunny days, clear and clean air, and temperatures in the 70s. It doesn't get much better than this.
Nick and I have started a co-ed slow pitch softball league. We play Friday evenings. It is fun to return to a game we played in our youth, but our bodies sure do complain louder than we remember. We both have purchased new cleats (matching in fact), a bat to share and I have purchased a new glove. We have enjoyed just "practicing" with the two of us by playing catch, hitting grounders and pop-ups to each other and hitting soft toss.
Sierra is continuing to be a great pet. She is so sweet and has the best temper. She is quite a lazy dog in the morning if you let her. The other morning, we got up at 6:30 but she didn't get up until 9:30! She continues to love to go for walks and hikes and spend time at the dog park.
This weekend has been busy, but a fun one. Friday night we had our first softball game, which was actually a make-up game from the previous season. The other team refused to really hit the ball and got a lot of walks, which doesn't make for an exciting game. Saturday we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a hike with Sierra in the Cleveland National Forest. Sunday I am going to go to a bridal expo with our friend Erin in Ontario, as she and Josh finally got engaged! Congratulations you two!
Here are some pictures of our hike this weekend in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness area in the Cleveland National forest.