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This last weekend, David and I got a little vacation time away, with no kids.  It felt like we had to move heaven and earth to make it happen, what with arranging childcare, signing powers of attorney, getting everything squared away at work so we could be off the grid, getting packed and ready.  But, boy, was it worth it.  And we were truly off the grid!  David planned the whole thing (as a surprise) for our wedding anniversary.  4 years, baby, yeah!  And what a gift it was.  He took me on a cruise.  Where the boat went is not important (Ensenada, Mexico).  How long we got to be on the boat is only a little important (3 nights away from the babies – truly bittersweet).  What we got to do on the boat is extremely important (nothing! and more nothing!).  Our whole objective for the weekend was to truly relax, and with no babies in tow, to sleep.  And we did.  A lot of relaxing, a lot of sleeping, a lot of reading and resting and talking.  We ate and drank, and then ate some more.  (I did manage to get a nice long run in to burn some of those calories, thankfully.)  On Sunday, after my massage, we walked off the boat into Ensenada and got some delicious fish tacos from a street vendor.  And then we promptly returned to the boat and sat in the hot tub.  It was so delightfully lovely, relaxing, and wonderful, I just can’t even tell you…

But we couldn’t have done it without help.  So, to Mimi Susan, Kelly Collins, Megan Moltzner, and Stephanie Burnett – THANK YOU.  Thank you for sacrificing your time, energy, and money to be there for us, taking such good care of our children while we sunned ourselves and sipped cocktails.  Thank you for feeding them, bathing them, and watching over them as they napped so that we could nap more soundly.  We really needed it, and we’re very grateful.

Getting ready to leave port, and the fun has already begun!

Today was a beautiful, 72 degree December day in San Diego and we took the boys to the San Diego Zoo for the first time. To be honest, it was much more about me wanting to get out and go to the zoo, since they really have no idea where they are. Rachel and I love the zoo. We’ve been many many times, but each time there is something new. Today we saw a monkey hanging out on top of a hippo. The kids were more interested in their chew toys teething rings than the animals, but we all had a great time being outside and visiting a beautiful place on a warm sunny day.

What Snowstorm?

Today we went on a road trip out to the desert in the Eastern part of San Diego County and visited Lake Morena. The drive was beautiful and I just loved getting out of the city into the open expanses and boulder strewn mountains of the desert. This was our first real trip in our new Honda Odyssey minivan and I have to say, it was awesome. Forget everything bad I’ve ever said about minivans. It was comfortable, convenient, and Rachel was able to nurse the boys in the third row. We may not have looked good doing it, but who am I trying to impress? Besides, it’s not like I have any dignity left anyway. I lost that when I decided that I love elastic-waist pants.

Boulders, trees, sunshine, what more could you want?

We went this past weekend with our friends Chris and Stephanie out to see the wildflowers in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. I love going to the desert, it’s so beautiful and calming, and it’s an amazing sight when it’s in bloom. On the way back we stopped in Julian for pie. Mmmmm. Pie.

I’ve posted a few pictures of us and the wildflowers. Here’s one example.

My desert flower (I meant Rachel)

This past weekend we went with our friends Ed and Jamie and their daughter Celia to their mountain house in Green Valley Lake (map). Celia’s friend Nicholas joined us as did Rachel’s brother Tim from LA. For the most part, we ate too much and sat around a lot—so you could say it was a perfect weekend. For photos, click here.

We’ve decided that it’s time for us to move back to San Diego. Rachel got a great job offer just three weeks ago – it’s been a complete whirlwind and we’re already packing up and saying good-bye as we prepared to drive across the country.  It’s a really amazing opportunity for us to get back to the left coast, which is really home for us, close to Rachel’s family, good friends etc.We’ve only been in Richmond 2 years, but the project Rachel was brought here to work on has been completed successfully, and my professional time here was a disaster.

We’re really sad to be leaving our great friends and neighbors, but we’re ready for the next adventure. Rachel got a great job in San Diego in a senior position at a top 50 advertising agency. I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be doing, but I might work at least part time with my friend Jamie on some of her projects.