Happy New Year!

It is the last day of 2008. I think we all will welcome 2009 with open arms and a hope that this coming year will bring more peace and prosperity than 2008. Trae and I have found that the holidays are the most difficult time to be away from our family. We have met some truly wonderful people in our travels. And here in Oakdale, we have grown particularly close to several families. We appreciate how they have opened their homes and hearts to us to make us feel a little less removed from home. These special families range from young families with several kids to a middle aged couple with kids our age. I hope that these families know how much Trae and I enjoy spending time with them. But, even with the hospitality we have experienced on the West coast, there really is no place like home, especially during a holidays. I am not talking just Christmas and Thanksgiving. It hit us last year on Easter. Our families are crazy, unpredictable, unbelievable, insane, wonderful, perfect, frustrating, and all ours. We absolutely love our families. All the craziness and all the greatness they bring to our lives. I think we are home bodies. Home bodies who love vacations and traveling and adventures.
Well enough venting and wishing I was somewhere else. Something God has shown me this trip out here is that there are too many moments that I let slip by not doing what I should be and not loving and appreciating every moment, memorable or ordinary. That is my New Year's Resolution I guess (which I never really have gotten into), to be in each moment, with my whole self, and my whole heart. To be a positive light and personality to those I am fortunate enough to meet and be around.
Well, I do have good news, I got interviews at both UAB and UMC OT schools!!! YAY!!! Please remember me in January and February, this is when the interviews to my future take place. A special thanks and shout out goes to those in the application process: Darci, Ginger, Ginny, Peg, Denise and of course Trae and my family. Trae is working A LOT, even some night shifts. Which is "good" for us but sad that we don't get to travel as much as we did last year. Bella is doing great. She is loving getting to sleep at night with me and during the day with Trae. She misses the snow though!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all!
Well, it is Christmas time in California. No we don't have a snow, just rain. Where we are in the valley, fog is a very big deal. Fog will stay all day. There are weeks that we don't get much sun because of the fog. But it is cold and rainy and that is kinda like Christmas in Mississippi. We have a real Christmas tree in our house, complete with presents. The lights and ornaments are all borrowed. This being our second Christmas across country, we learned that as much as we want our own decorations and stockings, it does not make traveling any easier. So we came with no ornaments this year and our tree looks kinda blah and generic. But my resourceful husband has a hidden talent even I didn't know about fully until a couple of weeks ago. He can make the most beautiful snowflakes. I had to take pictures and send to my family so they also can be in awe of his nimble fingers. Last week, we took a trip to Tahoe just to see the snow. It was beautiful. Light, fluffy powder which would have made for incredible skiing conditions had there been a snow base beforehand. But there wasn't so we did not ski, just played in the perfect powder. Bella had a wonderful time. I think she was made to love the snow. The cold weather makes her feel frisky!! Just what we need: 130 pounds of friskiness. We also toured the Ritz-Carlton condos at Northstar while we were there. You know, just thought we would look and see for when we become wealthy. Mid mountain residences with 24/7 private personal concierge. Can't wait! Unfortunately, we had to come back. Trae has to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I am making a Christmas spread for Christmas Day after he gets off. Turkey, dressing, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and of course, coconut cake. For all of you who love coconut cake, it may be impossible to make in California because they do not carry frozen coconut! I know, inconceivable! Apparently, according to other displaced Southerners, only Indian food markets carry it. No main stream grocery store carries it. Trae is out looking today for it! I will let you know if he is successful. In memory of last year's Christmas, the pictures posted above are those of last year's Tahoe snow. I have not had a camera until just a few days ago. So be on the lookout for more pictures. Merry Christmas and may everyone remember the reason we celebrate this wonderful time of year is not for coconut cake, presents, or snowflakes, but the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace and Savior of the world!

We made it!

Well, we are in California now. The first night of our trip we stayed in Omaha, NE, about 15 hours of driving. Needless to say we slept in the following morning, Sunday. We left Omaha around 12 pm and arrived in Cheyenne, WY at about 8 pm. We left Cheyenne on Monday morning around 8 am. We drove through Wyoming, Utah and made it to Elko, Nevada. We left Elko around 8 am and drove to Reno to visit with my grandmother for a bit. We left Reno and headed for Truckee, CA to have dinner and stay the night with my aunt and uncle. We took Jake and Bella for a long run along the Truckee River. Bella needed that run so badly after being in the Jeep for 4 days straight! We had a wonderful time in Truckee, as always. Trae and I commented that we felt so at home every time we visited the Truckee area. We left Truckee around 8:30 am and drove towards Sacramento. We stopped in Sacramento and Stockton at the REI stores. We love those stores. Everyone should visit their local REI. We made it to the metropolitan town of Oakdale around 3 pm Wednesday afternoon. We unloaded the Jeep and got everything in its proper room and sat down on the couch to relax. Trae said he felt like he needed to go to work for a vacation. That was a first. Anyway, sorry there are no pictures from our trip. I forgot to pack the camera!! Oops! It is always beautiful driving across the country.

Tahoe

Ok. If any of you know Trae, this will be predictable. So our first assignment upon our decision to seriously travel full-time was a place called Oakdale, California. We check the town and area attractions out online to prepare ourselves. The internet is quick to inform you of how close in proximity Oakdale is to so many attractions. Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, Napa Valley, San Fransico are all a "short driving distance" away. We get to Oakdale and realize why the emphasis was placed on all these wonderful places AROUND Oakdale. This was because the town of Oakdale itself is not much to write about, literally. The town is fairly small, no problem for us, but in the middle of a few large almond groves and cattle farms. Sooo you can imagine the smell was lovely. The scenery was not much to look at either. With very few trees and flat dusty landscape, we were looking to make our first sightseeing trip quick. Soooo of course the first place to visit on the list for Trae is (drumroll please...) TAHOE!!! No surprise there for all you who know what a ski junkie Trae is!! Well I love Tahoe as well so of course I oblige. Here are a few picture from our first two trips to Tahoe. The jeeping pictures are the second trip in which we went and visited my aunt and uncle who live in Truckee.

September 21, 2008

So, I am sitting in Camille's dorm room right now trying to busy myself until she gets done with a meeting. I remember that I was supposed to be posting pictures of our travel adventures, which began almost a year ago. I guess I am a little behind. So here I am motivated and excited to get our pictures and stories online for our friends and family to see. Well, be patient, I have a year's worth of stories and catching up to do. Enjoy!