After Boise...

We drove to McCall where John and Jenny own a cabin. The cabin was decorated beautifully with a mixture of new ornaments and decorations that have been passed down through the family. They had my name stitched into one of Randy's childhood stockings. So special.

Christmas

Sorry it has taken us so long to update everyone on Christmas. We had a fantastic time. We spent the first few days in Boise with Martha and Mike, then drove to McCall for several days to stay with John and Jenny. Here are a few photos from Boise.

Happy Birthday Randy!

Randy turned 34 on Sunday (I tried to post sooner but Blogger was giving me trouble. Seriously, I'm not a horrible wife :)). John, Karen (Randy's step-sister), Randy and I ate dinner at Lavanda in Palo Alto http://www.lavandarestaurant.com. Jenny called the restaurant from Idaho and ordered a bottle of wine for us. Randy's co-workers filled his office with balloons and streamers. It took an hour to clear out his office.

Uh...oh

53 in a 35 in Idaho. We had a great time in Idaho over Christmas (more photos later), but this one little thing wasn't so great. Oh well.

One year ago today...

Randy popped the question in San Francisco. It was one of the happiest days of our lives. It's been a wonderful year.

Chicago

Randy and I had a wonderful time in Chicago. It was freeeeezing (15 degrees), but fun. We spent Sunday with Martha and Mike and we ate brunch with Randy's second cousins, Gretchen and Maren, walked through the Field Museum, went to Macy's and saw the Christmas tree and had coffee and Peppermint Mochas at Borders. After Martha and Mike left for Boise, Randy and I had a drink at the top of the John Hancock building and ate a wonderful seafood meal at McCormick and Schmick's. I hope to visit Chicago again, but next time I would rather visit in the summer.

Grandpa Baker

Recently Randy and I flew to Illinois to celebrate Randy's grandpa's 90th birthday. The celebration was in the little town of Mt. Morris where Randy's mom, Martha, was born and raised until she was a sophomore in high school. It was fun visiting with Randy's relatives, listening to stories about their childhood, driving by Martha's childhood home and visiting the family farm.
So many people turned out to wish Dr. Baker a happy birthday. He was the town doctor and many people told stories of how he delivered them and their children many years ago. He looked so happy to see everyone and Randy and I were thrilled that we were able to make the trip out there.

Country Mouse

Randy recently earned a bonus from work. He was able to choose one of three locations to spend a weekend away. His choices were Country Mouse, City Night Life, or Tropical Island. He chose Country Mouse, and we spent the weekend at the Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa http://www.fairmont.com/sonoma. Our room was beautiful and included a large tub in the middle of the room and a fireplace. We ate dinner at the restaurant in the hotel and had breakfast in bed the next morning. We also indulged in a couple's massage at their spa. It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend and we can't wait to go back.
We're off to Chicago for Randy's grandpa's 90th birthday. We'll be back next week.

Apple Pie

We made an apple pie for Thanksgiving dessert. We used a recipe that has been in Randy's family for many years. The crust is so flakey and the apples are so sweet. It is perfect with vanilla ice cream.

Thanksgiving

Randy and I had a relaxing and quiet Thanksgiving at my parent's house in Los Banos. The day consisted of watching tv, eating, napping, more eating and of course, more napping. Randy and I baked a pie (I'll share that in another post).

Congratulations Alison and Travis!

Tonight my friend Alison married Travis Beech. I traveled to Modesto to watch them exchange their vows. I was able to snap a few shots with my new camera.

A few more photos...

A beautiful wedding

In early October, Sarah married Stephen at the Menefee Ranch. It was a beautiful wedding with delicious food. Here are some of the pictures I took of the happy couple.