Playing at Tilden Park

We've gone hiking a few times since moving back at Tilden Park with our friends, Jess and Dan....such a beautiful park and it's so close and convenient! Riley loves it - especially rolling in weeds, burrs, poison oak and swimming in the water even though there are signs everywhere to keep your dogs out of the water so they don't hurt the salamanders (yes, really).

We went on Saturday and snapped a few photos....like me and Jess ducking in a cave/hole in a rock wall.

....or like this beautiful view from the drive up to the park. It was a beautiful, clear day - we could see the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Rafael Bridge.

Happy Birthday, MIL!

I've been a bad blogger, so I need to backtrack to Sunday and wish my MIL a Happy, Happy (Belated) Birthday! Looking forward to celebrating your birthday at the Russian River next month!

Gualala Camping

We took our first summer trip this past weekend and spent the whole weekend camping with friends at the Gualala River. Had a blast - no phones, no computers, tons of laughs, cold cocktails, QT with nature, fun time for Riley. Here are some photos we brought home from the trip...

Girls shotgunning beers....it was rough.
Boys shotgunning beers - much easier for them. Are they just naturals or do they get too much practice?

Tried to head to the river for some fishing for the boys, but the fishing wasn't great. What was great though was polliwog / tadpole hunting. Riley definitely ate a few baby frogs...

And of course plenty of campfire time. Riley was a good boy and loved sleeping in the tent with his new favorite friends, Erin, Todd and Amy.

Great times with old friends....I've known these girls since I was 6 and we have nothing but fun when we're together.....so thankful to still be so close!

I Hear Wedding Bells...

Wow! So much good news going around. I posted a couple of months ago about love being in the air - well, I'll tell you, it sure is! I got a call from one of my BEST friends, Nikki on Sunday...."Pat and I are engaged!" Woohoo! So excited! Pat and Nikki are a fabulous couple - so good for each other!

Then, on Monday while at work, I got a text from my friend (and old Alpha Phi roommate), Tessie is ALSO engaged! Kim proposed in Yosemite and they are both on cloud 9 - could not be happier for them! I guess the timing is perfect with all of the Prop 8 business going on, too!
I have a few friends I'm holding out for on the engagement front (you KNOW who you are!)....hoping the engagements keep rolling in!

Summer Reading

Summer reading has been delightful thus far. I love that I've gotten through a handful already. To name a few, I have some reviews....

I've seen these books in magazines, on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, etc. but the summaries just didn't do it for me. Then, a friend of mine started The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and we have similar taste in books so I gave it a whirl. WHAT A FANTASTIC BOOK! Creepy? Yes. Odd? Definitely. Twisted? Mmmhmmm. Suspenseful? Yep. Regardless, captivating, interesting and entertaining!

So when I finished with the first book, of course, I had to buy the next two.....all good. I highly recommend this series by Stieg Larsson to any serious reader!

This book (That Old Cape Magic), on the other hand, I just finished. Not a fan. It was tough for me to get through. Ugh.

This book, by one of my favorite authors, was pretty good. Not my favorite, but I like her style. It was a real tear jerker, though. Get your tissues ready if you're going to read it! I do recommend Promises to Keep, however.

I am now onto Commencement which I am, unfortunately, disappointed with, as well. This one was on the recommended reading table at Borders and also featured in People Magazine. I'm not even halfway through and I'm not impressed with the style of writing.

I hope to get through a list of others this summer....to name a few:

One Day by David Nicholls

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Zac Brown Band in SF

This past Saturday, we spent the day at Fort Mason at the West Coast Country Festival and Barbecue. I've been DYING to see Zac Brown Band in concert and I finally got my chance and HE IS FANTASTIC!

Erin and Todd are in town and we got to spend some QT with them, along with Amy. We had some extra tickets, so at the last minute, Christina and Nick joined us, too - GREAT COMPANY!

But that's not everyone who joined us.....DOGS WERE ALLOWED so Chicky McGee came, too. He got lots of love and compliments from those around us.
Just a snapshot of me with Erin and Amy.

The boys were having a good time - lethal combo, those two - too much fun. Riley wasn't as into the dancing, though...

The one thing we forgot....sunscreen! Here's a photo of the aftermath and this does not do it justice! Brian still looks like a raccoon!

Goodbye, Favorite Bag

I had a Nine West overnight bag similar to the one above. Except, the black straps were red and the checked pattern was navy and grey. I loved this bag. I say "loved" because it broke and had to be thrown out :( I cannot find a replacement anywhere and now I need to go on a quest for a new overnight bag. I never realized how attached I was to this bag until it died. If you see this bag in a store, PLEASE call me!