May started off with a bang and a half marathon! Thanks Sarah Beth and Kevin and Cassi for the support! Brad and Vanessa were traveling to Washington by train for a wonderful week with her parents.
This very green banana was the only thing in my goody bag that I could eat! Somebody wrote on every single banana - I thought that was pretty neat.
When you run 13.1 miles you naturally get pizza for dinner!
Why is the grocery chain called Smart and Final? Now I know why!
Does anyone else see the jaguar?
We missed Austin (who diligently stayed home to study for finals) and mom and dad, but are so glad Sarah Beth joined us for the weekend!
The weather was cloudy and even drizzled on Saturday, but we still had fun hiking, playing in the creeks, climbing rocks, and chatting around Jon and Kris' camp fire. Thanks for coming guys!
Kitty looked a little too comfy this day when I cleaned at Glenn and Annie's!
I didn't know that Matthew took a picture of this, but it well marks a new phase in our life! I started a part time job at a local coffee shop. So several days of the week I'm up before he is and leave before he leaves for work.
He is really excited about my new job and me learning to be a barista! He has been a huge support and help, including flowers soon after I started.
As a surprise, he left a note one day when he was up and gone before me asking me to keep the following evening clear. I figured out what it was and was SO excited!!!!
We got to see Celtic Women! Matthew had been on jury duty (a whole nother story) and had met one of the ticket manager guys. When he mentioned what we were doing, the guy offered to get us better seats! It was really neat and a ton of fun!
Another night was the first Western Tough Rodeo. It is an event that Glenn and Annie and their co-conspirators put on. I don't know a ton about rodeos but it was an all bull riding event. Both the bulls and the riders were scored every time. One of Cali's bulls was entered and Alex was in the pen. It was neat to see how he and the other guy worked to distract the bull after the rider was bucked off. How they could even gain control of it sometimes. Alex got tossed one time but was okay.
Matthew and his "Little" after snow cones one Saturday at the park!
I potted these succulents for one of Matthew's bday gifts. Hopefully they survive at his office okay.
One day at Bargain Market I was drooling over the gluten free premade dinners and decided to treat myself to Gouda Mac 'n' Cheese! It was delicious!
A Saturday morning run for the guys in Montana de Oro. Austin and Matthew are training for a marathon and Michael (on the left) for an ulta at the same event. These guys (also Nate) have had some good times together and I'm very thankful for their positive influence and friendship for Matthew. Having some guy time for Matthew has been a bonus in our lives!
We finally got some charcoal and a chimney and used the little Weber Ron gave us over a year ago! Rib eye steak and grilled corn with asparagus for dinner! A little more experience will be beneficial, but it was a delicious start.
Matthew added the shelf from our closet for some table space. Can't wait to do another little cook out some warm evening!
The guys were kind enough to let me tag along on my bike for a Sunday morning (long) run. I had waffles and bacon ready to start when we got back!
Matthew's wedding ring was too big and we had talked for some time about replacing it. This is what we ended up with. We both like it a lot and it fits way better!
Took off to Montana de Oro when I got off work one Saturday. So good to hike again! and I love Hazard Peak! It is a steady but not steep uphill climb for 3 miles. This day was foggy and we couldn't see much from the top. I'd been pretty sick two weeks before, so I was stoked to be outside hiking and having the energy to do it again!
Orrr, maybe not...! Matthew was proud of himself for sneaking this pic on the way home! Hey, getting up at 5:30, working 5.5 hours, then hiking 6 miles, it IS nap time!
There are strict regulations on having your grass mowed down by June 1st here, so Austin and Matthew tackled it together one evening. Way to go guys!
Here's one of the foxes! This one is the curious one. He just kept watching us and then started playing with bugs and digging holes while we sat in the car watching him. They are pretty cute to watch, but annoying when they go yapping around the neighborhood til all hours of the night!
So Matthew finished jury duty on what the judge said was in the top ten toughest cases he has had. One news station was pleased with the verdict, the other not. And that is about how it goes. It was such a relief for Matthew to finally be able to tell me about it and explain his thoughts and feelings on it. We are very thankful that is over with. I dropped several of my cleaning jobs, two going to a friend. The other two have a agreed to once a week so I'll do one job every week. I miss the doggies, kitties, and staff at Woods and hope I'll get back there soon. I also may have a mentee meeting in the next few weeks. I'd appreciated prayers for that venture and also at my new job. I was excited to find at least one Christian co-worker!
Talk at you next month!
