November 2015

A busy month, come and gone. Let's see what happened in November...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="455"] Another of Matthew's artistic photos! Field across from Uncle Jim and Aunt Carol's one Sunday evening gathering.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="567"] Here's the picture I took of him taking a picture! I think it is a pretty neat picture, too![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="344"] Going into the dog pods to clean one morning, I had to stop and take a picture of the puppies! Notice the one in the very front, and then there are two on the blanket and one on the bed.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="425"] I think this is Anna. A shy dog I was working with. This little nose work puzzle is a favorite of many of the dogs. You put food or treats in the different levels and they have to spin it to find them.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="363"] This is the plant I bought several weeks ago from Kmart. After one big leaf fell off I was sure it was going to die, especially since I read that it is a very picky plant! But, lo and behold, a few weeks later I noticed these new little leaves growing! Yay, I didn't kill another plant![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="370"] Matthew sent me this picture one day from work. It did make me panic for a second but I noticed how short the crutches are for him and knew he was pulling my leg. Ouch! maybe I need those ;)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] One Saturday Matthew attended a mini edtech conference in Avila. I went along and after writing in my journal, went for a lovely run until he was ready to go![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Seagull's view.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="516"] Pretty clouds at sunset as Matthew was leaving work one day.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="525"] This picture makes me laugh every time! The bros with their Under Armour T-shirts. This was soon after Uncle Jeff and Aunt Donna from PN arrived. A lot of the family met at Merry Hill to have coffee together. That evening everyone went to Mom and Dad's for dinner.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="456"] One of our new favorite activities is 'frolfing'. Frisbee golf. It is pretty chill, can do it with two people or 7, exercise but not intense. You can play however many holes you want. Also, the ones who are better still do bad throws and those of us who aren't so good get good throws! For obvious reasons my frisbee has thence been dubbed "Tree Hugger" and Matthew's "Rolling Stone". Yeah...[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="539"] Sarah Beth's 17th birthday![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="540"] So glad this little cutie is my niece![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="521"] Sorry about the poor quality of photo. Some of the family went to see "Cinderella" at the PCPA in Santa Maria. I went with Mom and Dad since Matthew didn't go.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="559"] This is Brad's brother, Jeff, and his wife, Donna. It was super fun to be with them again, as always. We missed the boys, though![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="377"] One Saturday we drove out to Cayucos for lunch and to walk around a bit. It was fun to go out on the new pier![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="331"] This little guy had been under the trash can. He was so cold that he didn't even move when I touched him! I was afraid I'd run the wheel over him, but he was gone later on once he warmed up, so I guess he was okay[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="329"] Remember when I posted a picture of the clean dishes stacked in the drainer? This is kind of the same thing. Often when I do laundry, we have dirty laundry ready to go in the basket before all the clean clothes are even put away! But this day it was empty for several hours. It just feels good to have a job completed for awhile.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="287"] This is my spice rub for some tri-tips. They were still pretty frozen so I put the rub on them and let them thaw another day in the fridge. Then I started grilling them before Matthew got home. Since I had plenty of time, I didn't rush them and they were SO yummy![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="318"] Guess what was for dinner this evening?! Spaghetti is one of Matthew's favorites, so I took the picture to send to him so he could start anticipating dinner :)[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="503"] Okay, silly picture... Matthew had dine-in at work one Thursday evening. It is a really fancy dinner for all the cadets and cadre and civilian staff. Lucy and I went to Farmer's Market. I was excited to see 'The Wandering Madman' back in town.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="387"] One afternoon Mom, Cherisa, Sarah Beth, Aunt Donna, and I met at Bru to visit. This was a very yummy chai latte.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Enjoyed a lovely Saturday with Poppa and Granny Clem. Way too short, but glad we got to do something with them. We did a scenic drive, two piers, dinner at Duckies. In the evening we visited Nancy, Tanja, and Lucy, then to Mom and Dad's since Sarah Beth had begged me to bring them to see her![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="544"] Sunset from the Cayucos Pier[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="353"] Finally getting around to cutting denim squares![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="402"] This bright gold tree kept catching our eye from our house so I took a picture to share with you all.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="635"] SO strange to have the grass turning green in November![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="535"] On Thanksgiving day we went Frisbee golfing with the whole family! Then we went to Mom and Dad's for chili and hot Fridays![/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Matthew captured this (un)lovely picture of me making dinner at Mom and Dad's. I wanted to get to know Joel and Vivian Cooper more and I thought Granddaddy and Grandmommy Cotten would enjoy meeting them as well. Brad and Vanessa were very hospitable in opening their home for everyone to come there.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="382"] And here the month of November ends with taking care of each other while we are sick! I'm very thankful for my amazing husband and the cozy apartment we make home. I'm thankful for all he's helped me learn about myself and the growing we've done together. Just as I knew God's hand was in our meeting each other, I see it in our past two years of learning and living together. Life in general as well as marriage isn't always a bed of roses, but I'm happy and blessed beyond every dream! I thank and praise God for his amazing love. Until next time~~~[/caption]