Yard Work Alternative

Because if you can't parade around the front yard, singing at the top of your lungs and dancing with a broom while wearing footie jammies and rubber boots at the age of FOUR, when else can you really do it?

Romance in Wine Country

My husband is many things (and many of those things I rediscovered and fell in love with all over again this weekend), but "easy to buy a gift for" is not one of them!  So, for his birthday, I decided to forgo the actual present and instead arranged childcare, cleared Dave's weekend schedule and booked a romantic getaway to a spot in CA we've never been-- Sonoma.  Sonoma runs in a valley parallel to Napa and is the less visited part of Wine Country.  The 2 full days we spent here were glorious and everything I had hoped they would be as I put the details of this little trip together!

We took a tour of a great old winery called Gundlach Bundschu.  This winery has been family-owned for 7 generations (about 150 years) and is the oldest family-owned winery in all of California.  Hearing about the winery's history and how it survived the earthquake of 1906 and prohibition was really interesting.
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The tour we took focused on the caves and how barrels are used to age and flavor the wine.  There was a lot of tasting, and it was done in a unique way-- right from the barrel!  We had the opportunity to compare and contrast wines of different ages and wines of different oaks (French vs. American, for example).  This may sound impressive, but for wine novices like Dave and I, it all tasted pretty much the same.

Though our pallets are not sophisticated enough to detect or appreciate all the subtleties among the wine varieties, nor are we really able to down 8 glasses of wine in a one hour tour, it's always still fun to take these wine tours and continue to learn more about this industry.

Some wine tasting and touring are a must when you're headed in this direction, but the real star of this getaway was the super luxurious hotel room I booked at the Fairmont Mission Inn and Spa.  Our room was probably the nicest one I've ever stayed in, with plush robes, a veranda, fireplace and huge jacuzzi tub (you might even call it a "Fantasy Suite"! :).  All the pools at the Fairmont are heated by geo-thermal hot springs, so we just had to jump in one for no other reason than to say we've now been outdoor swimming in January!  The water was 80 degrees, warm, but still not comfortable enough to stay in for very long!
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We had some good meals on this short trip, but a picnic dinner I packed with grapes, olive oil, apples, Gouda cheese and a loaf of bread we picked up at a bakery in Napa may have been the best eats. (I promise, we're really NOT this kind of couple who stays in opulent hotel suites and enjoys fancy wine and cheese for dinner.  But it's fun to pretend every once in a while!)

On our second day we strolled around the grounds of our fancy hotel and took a tour of the spa.  If you watch The Bachelor, you may be interested to know that when Bachelor Ben took his bevy of beauties to Sonoma, this was where they stayed and filmed one of the dates.  We also walked around the downtown plaza where he did several of the other dates.  I booked it long before the episode aired, though, and won't make another Bachelor mention because I don't want my wonderful memories of this weekend to be connected with a ridiculous reality dating show. (Okay, it was kinda cool, but please don't tell anyone I watch it! :)

I found great reviews for this fabulous little breakfast place called Community Cafe.  Thank you 500 reviewers on Yelp, it will indeed go on the list of best breakfasts I've ever had! (Walnut cinnamon French toast with homemade butter maple syrup-- yum!)

Our second day was all about enjoying Sonoma's beautiful scenery, which we did through more driving, ground walking and tasting.  We stopped at two more wineries to sample a few more varieties and take in some gorgeous views.
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One winery had a neat museum of models about California's 21 famous missions.  The other winery had kiwi vines!  We've never actually seen kiwis growing before!  Did you know they grow more like grapes on a vine rather than peaches on a tree?

Dave and I will tell you readily that we don't place a high priority on romantic weekends or even dating.  We love hanging out as a whole family and always feel gratified spending time together the four of us.  However, these few days with just Dave were so lovely, such a great way to celebrate our happy marriage and how much love and fun we still find with one another. We may have to rethink our priorities and plan more romantic getaways.  Like maybe next weekend!

Pray for Rain

When visiting the home page of any of our area ski resorts, you will find the site wallpapered with the slogan, "Pray for Rain!" and you'll see that even though we are halfway through January, the lifts have not even opened for the season!  This winter may be the driest one we've ever experienced.  Our valley desperately needs these winter months of rain and our mountains need snow to fill the reservoirs and carry us and our farmers through the long, hot summer and fall.  Even knowing this, it's hard not to enjoy the sunny, coat-free January afternoons we've been having.

Delia's preschool class has also been praying for rain because today they had their annual Winter Celebration and Umbrella Parade!  It was one of our coldest days yet and the gray skies did look promising, but the kids still had to march in the dry today.

   

 That line of preschoolers, marching in their rubber boots, twirling their brightly-colored umbrellas and singing rain songs, is something that makes us smile every year!  Delia was excited and waved like a pro for each of her 7 laps around the block.

After 4 years, it's our last Umbrella Parade, boo hoo.  But, since this caterpillar/butterfly umbrella we bought for Ella's first preschool parade is ripped, worn and needed to be held open with tape this year, it's actually good timing that we conclude this tradition! :)

Four Little Monkeys

Today we got to spend our day off in the company of great friends.  Dorina invited us down for a visit and planned a super fun morning at a place called SkyWalk.  SkyWalk is one heck of a trampoline experience!  It's a huge room, with wall to wall trampolines.  There are trampoline ramps and slides, a dodge ball court and a special trampoline that launches its jumpers into a pit of foam blocks.  Needless to say, we ALL had an excellent time!

(My favorite part of the foam block pit was watching the girls get stuck in it!  They had to really work to wiggle themselves free and relied on hands from each other to get dislodged!)

Yes, we spent the morning boinging, playing "Crack the Egg" and whipping kids high into the air, but that was not all the good today held.  The reason we planned this trip was to meet Dorina's newest daughter Zayla, who is a month and a half and just as sweet as she can be.  Dorina and Ericlee are close friends and no strangers to discerning the call of God.  It was important to talk about what we've been going through, also.  And, of course, Dorina spoiled us once again with a fabulous meal (Italian Wedding soup and chicken salad in crunchy wontons).  Living near enough to make day trips to see these dear friends would fall into the "Reasons to Celebrate Staying!" List!

100 Reasons to Stay

All through the holiday we sat wondering what our family's future would hold as a Search Committee in Chicago sought God's will.  We, and many other dear friends, prayed fiercely that God's will would be clearly revealed. This week, we're happy to report that we have unmistakeably heard Him speak!

It was on Wednesday, a day that I went to school to pick up Ella.  We were headed to our friend Becky's after school for some $10 haircuts.  As we waited for Ella, I pushed Delia on the swings in the January sunshine, neither of us sporting a coat.  A few favorite teachers came to ask how we were doing and told us they selfishly wanted us to stick around.  When Ella emerged from her classroom, she hugged about 10 of her friends goodbye.  On the drive home from Becky's we marveled, once again, over the sight of black mountains silhouetted against a sky turning pink and orange.

The Search Committee was very torn between Dave and another equally-strong candidate.  Because he is more different than their current pastor and more ready to leave his current church, they offered the call to this other pastor.  So, we get to stay in the home we love!

While the girls met this news with huge smiles and relief and our initial reaction was one of peace and celebration, the more we continue to process, the more we feel a twinge of disappointment.  We started to give a piece of our hearts to this pretty amazing other church and we started to imagine what life could be like back in the Midwest.  We'll continue to search for lessons in all this and trust that somewhere, even if it's years down the road, God will reveal why He wanted us to go through this process.

When we moved across the country out to California to begin a ministry at this church, Dave was fresh out of seminary and we had no idea what to expect.  As we questioned if we could leave it all this year, we acknowledged that in living and serving here God has exceeded our expectations in every way.  This state astonishes us every weekend as we try our best to get out and explore it.  Our church is healthy, strong and growing.  And the people!  The people that have come into our lives are not just good folks we like serving with.  We truly love them, some like family, and our list of life-long friends has grown tenfold.

Thank you, Lord, for having a plan for our lives, a plan to bless and grow us into the people you want us to be!  As we seek to do your will, may we glorify you in all we do! 

Dave's 2011 Reading List

I'm back with a 2011 Reading List!  Though I took last year off to focus more on miles ran instead of pages read, I'm happy to report an all-time high page count this year.  I finally met a 12,000+ page goal, averaging about 1000 pages a month.  However, completing books like "War and Peace" (which I actually started last year) and "The American Short Story" certainly helped with this.

Just to review my "Rules":
- Only books read completely can be included in the list - nothing unfinished, nothing I read only a portion of, even if the portion was substantial.
- Page count is calculated by taking the last page of the actual book and then adding any introductory pages that were not in the count and any additional appendices that get read. (Glossary and Notes pages are subtracted, unless read - Illustrations within the book are fair game).
- Categories of “Professional” and “Personal” are totally subjective and usually divided more on why I read the book.
- Reviews (all based on general impression at the end of the year) Green = generally positive, Red = generally negative, Black = Neutral

Professional Reading:
“Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership” Gary McIntosh & Samuel Rima 245
“College Ministry 101” Chuck Bomar 203
“The Story” Zondervan (and God) 491
“Integrity” Henry Cloud 286
“Sacred Encounters” Tamara Park 331
“Love Wins” Rob Bell 205
“Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership” Ruth Haley Barton 223
“Me: The Me I Want to Be” John Ortberg 254
“Almost Christian” Kendra Creasy Dean 250
“The Godbearing Life” Kendra Creasy Dean & Ron Foster 223
“Imaginary Jesus” Matt Mikalatos 232
“Experiencing God” Henry Blackaby & Claude King 189
“Guerillas of Grace” Ted Loder 142
“OMG: A Youth Ministry Handbook” Kendra Creasy Dean 165
“College Ministry from Scratch” Chuck Bomar 186
“Spiritual Leadership” J. Oswald Sanders 201
“Be Mine” Jolene DeHeer 121
“The Real Deal” Dan Webster 197

Personal Reading:
“War and Peace” Leo Tolstoy 1455
“Catching Fire” Suzanne Collins 391
“Mockingjay” Suzanne Collins 392
“Letters and Papers from Prison” Dietrich Bonhoeffer 426
“The Book Thief” Markus Zusak 563
“The Help” Kathryn Stockett 451
“Water for Elephants” Sara Gruen 335
“What the Dog Saw” Malcolm Gladwell 418
“The Big Burn” Timothy Egan” 285
“At Home” Bill Bryson 453
“Unbroken” Laura Hillenbrand 406
“Decision Points” George W. Bush 483
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” Harriet Beecher Stowe 446
“My Side of the Mountain” Jean Craighead George 177
“On the Far Side of the Mountain” Jean Craighead George 170
“The American Short Story” Various Authors 1012
“Bossypants” Tina Fey 277
“The Princess and the Goblin” George Mac Donald 199
“Cannery Row” John Steinbeck 181

Total Pages: 12,664

Was blessed to have a lot of good reads this year, with only a few bad ones - it would be hard to even pick my favorites.  "Unbroken" certainly stands out as a top pick, but I would recommend almost anything green - which was a lot this year.  We will have to see what next year brings - already into some good ones.

Loved On

The moment we arrived home from our Monterey Getaway, the presents were unloaded from the suitcases-- pink moustaches, pillows to color and bedazzle and Calvin College wear (plus the co-pilot tandem bike Auntie Heather sent on ahead of her).  And from that moment the spoiling did not stop!  I know Dave and I love having visitors, but I do believe our children, and even our dog, may love the guests best!

Another gift Ella had received this Christmas was a knitting kit.  Since I know not-a-thing about knitting we were waiting for a friend to give us some lessons.  One night a crowd formed around You Tube where knitting demonstrations were watched.  Mostly, we were confused...

But Heather persevered and actually taught herself how to knit just so she could show her niece!  It's pretty tricky, so I hope Ella remembers what she learned and I hope she remembers that it was her Auntie who taught her!

Besides nightly cuddling with Heather by the fire, Lily was treated to her other favorite thing in the world this week-- a nice long walk.

We spent one afternoon hiking and geocaching around our favorite local hiking spot.  When Heather wasn't being dragged along by an exuberant Lily, she was carrying a pooped-out Delia on her shoulders!

A special thank you to Anna and Heather for all the love and attention you showered on the five of us!  We're going through some withdrawal now...:)

3 Stops in the City

Today we had to sadly bid adieu to Anna.  Since she flew out of San Francisco this afternoon, we took the whole family and made a day in the city out of her airport drop off.  We found a number of different and interesting things to do.

Our first stop was to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, where we arrived early enough to get in free!  Dave and I visited this garden years ago before we even lived here and we've only been back one time since (before kids).  Things like pruned bonsai trees, koi ponds, zen gardens, waterfalls, pagodas and this reflection bridge made it a unique and peaceful place to stroll around.  (Lovely, but not worth the $7/person admission fee-- go before 10:00 am on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday.)

Next we drove to the old favorite that is Fisherman's Wharf where we did the old favorites that are wandering around gawking at the fresh crab stands and eating lunch at Boudin's flagship restaurant on the wharf.

Can't visit San Francisco without getting some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl!

A real worthwhile stop proved to a be a totally new hiking path for us, from Crissy Field to Fort Point.  This trail followed the waterfront and kept an incredible view of the Golden Gate in front of and above us.  I don't think we've ever gotten such great pictures of the bridge (and the parking was easy and free!).  We'll definitely be adding this path to our "Must Do in SF" List!

Though we were unfamiliar with the Hopper's Hands plaque when we came upon it, a quick search on the iPhone taught us all we needed to know about the famous turn-around point for those using the Fort Point Path.  We sat and watched about a dozen runners, bikers and hikers come up to the trail's dead end and proudly tap this sign, so we had to do the same!

The last thing we saw was this crazy pelican, totally not scared of visitors and their cameras, looking for handouts from the fishermen on the pier.  Up close he was so cool, especially gulping down the whole chicken legs someone fed him!

Our day in San Francisco gave us 3 good stops-- one to a place we hadn't seen in a while, one to a favorite we visit regularly and one to a whole new place that we're sure to visit again!

Minute to Win It New Year's

Our final hours of 2011 may have been some of the best hours of the whole year!  We happily took Jetta's invitation to merge her family and mine for a night of NYE fun.  Dave and I put together a whole Minute to Win It Tournament that we knew both kids and adults would get really into.  And besides the humiliating video footage that now exists of me whacking a huge softball across the room with a grapefruit stuffed into a pair of pantyhose tied around my waist, I'd say the night was a huge success! 

Heather pulled "Chocolate Unicorn" and had to stack 7 Ding-Dongs on her head.

Kirsi got "Dizzy Mummy" and had to unroll a whole roll of toilet paper using her 360-degree-turning body.

Dave selected "Noodling Around" and had to stack 7 penne noodles on a single strand of uncooked spaghetti using just his mouth.

My favorite task-- Annelies pulled "Tortilla Head" and had to flip a tortilla onto a plate on her head using a scuba flipper.

Jetta got "Just Hang On!" and had to make this hanger tower, balancing each in the middle, not the corners.

Ella easily completed "Junk in the Trunk" by wiggling and jumping a bunch of balls out of an empty tissue box belted to her waist.

Anna impressed us all with her dice stacking skills when she aced "Getting Dicey".

Phil proved to be the Minute to Win It Master, easily completing each of his tasks, as well as others that people just couldn't do.  Here he does "Face the Cookie" by moving a cookie from his forehead to his mouth with no hands.

What's better than ringing in a new year in the company of friends and family?  And some roaring laughter too!  We were just dying watching the 25 tasks Dave and I set up being attempted.  If you need a fun party idea, I totally recommend this!  You can easily find lists and descriptions of events by Googling "Minute to Win It" or I can email you the list we put together.

Happy New Year! :)