Joey's Graduation

Joey and his love, Kristen

Graduation procession

My nephew Joey graduated yesterday from USD with his MBA! Way to go Joey.  We went to the Jenny Craig Pavilion to watch the ceremony and then headed back to Jay and Heidi's house for the party. It was a great opportunity to sort of christian their new house.



 The new patio was great. The table was under the pergola with the drinks under the shaded eves. Margey and Tom bought them a beautiful set of solar lights to line the edges of their lawn. Their yard is really coming together nicely. On the lawn we played some game where you toss 2 balls on a rope to a little stand with three bars on it. You play it in teams. Very fun game. Cannot remember the name of the game though. Suffering from OBS-Old Brain Memory.

Then came the Taco Man! OK, so two Mexican fellows arrived and set up a tent and two grills. They brought in coolers of meat, tortillas, and fixing's. The smoke sent amazing aromas into the air, and the meat cleaver chopped away at the steak and chicken. It was an all you can eat taco bar for 1.5 hours.

And we ate! I know I had 5 and I'm pretty sure most folks had at least that many. They were delicious. We cooked some beans and had chips and guacamole on the side. I made lemon cupcakes for dessert. There were margaritas, beer, wine, and Jack Daniels (Jay's drink of choice). Heidi and I had lemonade and tea.

It was fun to see all of Joey's roommates and buddies. Since Brian is here we were able to get a great family picture with Danny included. Beth is missing because she was home with bronchitis. The only thing missing from making this a perfect day!

Heidi, Jay, Tom, Joey, Margey, Katie, Dan Brian in the center with Danny Boy, wiener dog.

Frisbee Fun

Now that Danny Boy has a new backyard, I thought it would be fun to get a small Frisbee for him to race around with. Now we know that Danny isn't the sharpest dog, but once again his charming personality outshines what he might lack in the smarts department.

In the first days of Frisbee training he would let the thing hit him or would duck. No sense of what to do with the flying blue disk. Eventually he would begin to run after it once it landed, but would proceed to dig up the newly laid sod around it. Not a good move on his part.

After moving practice onto the patio, he would go fetch it once it landed and bring it back to you. That was some real progress. So we thought he would be ready to try the grass again.

Today, when I went to visit and play Frisbee, I see he will chase it on the grass with a mandatory two sharp barks. When the Frisbee lands he runs to it, but instead of picking it up and bringing it to you, he has to stop and chew some of the grass first. Can we say "side-tracked"?

His short attention span makes him all the more adorable! If you remind him to get the Frisbee and bring it to you, he will finish his last few bites, pick up the rubber disk, and trot to you with a wagging tail. Such love! We will not be entering any Frisbee contests in the foreseeable future.

Hi Grandma!

Well, it is official! Jay and Heidi are 6 months away from being parents. We are so excited for them and for ourselves as we become first time grandparents. I wish mom and dad were still alive to witness this wonderful event.

Here is a recap...July of 2011 they got married in a beautiful outdoor wedding. It was picture perfect!

June of 2012 they bought a house which is now fixed up really nice. New paint and baseboards, new recessed lighting, some new living room furniture and lots of little personal touches have been added to the inside.

They have completely re-done the front yard. With the help of Heidi's dad, Don, they took out all the Palm Springs - zero scape rock yard (can we say ugly) and added a retaining wall. Jay and his buddy Paul laid the sprinkling system and then put in the sod. The next big job will be the removal of the palm tree.

Just this week they finished the initial stages of the backyard make-over. That included clearing the canyon, installing the fire pit, running gas lines, having Pavers put in, laying sod, and constructing a Pergola for summer shade. It looks awesome. This does not resemble the original overgrown backyard in any way! We will be christening it this weekend with a graduation party for cousin Joey. 

And now the baby. The little peanut (because we don't know sex yet) is due the day after Thanksgiving. What a blessing! Love the little bib they gave us to announce the big news. They are both super excited. Danny Boy will not know what hit him, but I think he will take it all in stride and lick the new peanut to death. He just loves people!

They certainly have accomplished a lot in a short time. We are very proud and happy for them.

The Suitcase

Ugly but practical and durable!

Like the infamous "hat," I now have " the suitcase."  Dan and I have traveled enough now and it seems like with each trip, our reasonably priced suitcases are trashed by the airlines. No one wants to take responsibility for the damage either.

International travel has gotten super picky about the size and weight of suitcases too. The weight I understand--50lbs. But the length/width/height is now a consideration. I have a great 30" Samsonite as part of a lovely purple set that is ultimately 1 1/2 inches too big! And they measure!!

So, we header for a travel store called Bergner's in the local mall. I had never heard of it until just recently when I bought a new travel day pack. Of course what we liked, and what was the correct size, was outrageously expensive. The even worse part was we need 2 of them!! So Dan got the basic black and I got what they call "olive." Don't be fooled, it is puke green! But they are big and for our long cruises and travel they are the perfect size. Here is the best part: there is a lifetime guarantee to fix or replace any piece regardless of who has damaged the case. Now that guarantee is worth the extra right there. I think it is by Briggs and Riley and is huge inside. It isn't their super-lightweight line, but light enough. AND the bars for the handle are not inside the suitcase so it is easier to back. Of course I love the 4 wheel bottoms too. With that feature I am very self-sufficient managing my own luggage which makes things easier for Dan.

We also got a great little duffle by Eagle Creek that was on sale. It seems that on these trips we end up buying little (or not so little) souvigners and no room to get them home. Typically we do the best of our group. The last 2 trips we've been on people have actually gone and bought extra suitcases before heading home! LOL. So the little duffle can fit flat going over and be used as a carry-on on the return trip. If we need to use it fine and if not, no big deal. It will make a nice weekend bag too.

Where Did I Park the Car?

Brian is back in San Diego for a few months before moving on to his beloved Chile. It is great to have him back in San Diego. I am not sure how thrilled he is, however. Two days after being here his car was stolen! After a lunch with a friend over by Dan's office he went to get in his car and couldn't find it. Now Brian has a sense of direction like mine so he thought maybe he had parked elsewhere. He walked the area for about 30 minutes before grabbing his brother to canvas nearby streets. Alas, no car!

Fortunately, he had taken everything out of it. The police were called and it was reported stolen after determining it was not in a tow yard. For now he has a rental car and then while we are on vacation he will have our cars to choose from. Quite a bummer to deal with! Who knows, maybe it is in Mexico and will be driven back to the US side soon. Now what condition it is in is a whole other story! Thankfully he has good insurance and so far they have been very helpful.