Halloween & Fall

Catching up with fall, though it doesn't really feel like we've had one yet! I think we skipped over summer and had it in September and now we've skipped over fall. I'm still waiting! I really love fall, but it just hasn't been that enjoyable this year. I've had a hard time getting into the season. Both boys were sidelined with H1N1 a couple of weeks ago too. They have completely recovered now, but it wasn't much fun. Poor Porter had a temp of 105.1 one night!

It's not good when you have snow 4 times in October! Though the boys enjoyed it!



We did have a fun bonfire at my brother Steve's farm near Afton Alps. He brings dead trees over to the bonfire with his bobcat, drops them on and whoa baby, it's a BIG fire!

Porter with cousin Katie:

Mmmm...Giant toasted Marshmallow:

Connor and Porter had their pediatrician's check-ups together this year. 2 year check-up for Porter. He weighed in a 30 lbs, which I think is around the 75th%. Connor weighed in at 47.5 lbs which is around 50th% and he was 25th% for height. They both had to get shots. I didn't think Connor had to get shots, so it came as an unpleasant surprise to him! He was a very good big brother though, and read to Porter as we were waiting.


The boys had fun on Halloween. Connor dressed up as Obi Wan Kenobi and Porter was DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba. He refused to wear his hat or glasses on Halloween night, so it's a good thing I got a photo of him with it on the day it arrived in the mail! They got lots of candy, and I've had to exercise great restraint to not raid their candy too much! We paid a visit to the Oakdale Fire Station on Halloween too, and our neighbor Bill who is a volunteer firefighter was kind enough to let us in to look at the trucks!

Connor is Obi Wan:

Porter as DJ Lance Rock:

Random Connor stuff. He's been trying to earn some extra money to buy a lego kit that he really wants. He's been extra helpful, but always at a cost! He even wanted to do some jobs when he was sick with H1N1, but I informed him he wouldn't be doing any jobs besides getting better. Here he is helping to empty the dishwasher:

Finally, he brought this over to Jeff and I, and we both said, "Is that Jesus??" He was so proud of himself, he said "Yep!". Hmmm...Lego Jesus...now I think I've seen everything!!



Here is a video of Porter singing Twinkle Twinkle:

Redwoods and Wineries

We started out our morning with coffee and pastries at The Flying Goat coffee shop in downtown Santa Rosa, and then we headed northwest to the Armstrong Woods where the big Redwoods are. It was really beautiful and peaceful to walk around in the midst of such majestic trees.










After that we headed to a small vineyard called Porter Creek (which I really only wanted to go to because of the name!), but we ended up buying a couple bottles there. Then we headed to Healdsburg to buy lunch which we planned on eating at the next vineyard, Truett-Hurst. It was really nice and had a lovely spot to eat lunch by a babbling creek. We bought another bottle there. Next we stopped at Dutcher Crossing which had amazing views, and really good Sauvignon Blanc. We signed up for a club which.includes only 2 shipments of 6 bottles each, so we picked out the first six and will get another 6 in 6 mos. We next went to a really beautiful winery called Ferrari-C(something). It looked like a Tuscan Villa and had the most amazing surroundings. Just one bottle there with a pretty label! Next was Sbargia Family and we got 2 bottles there.

One lane bridge on the way to Porter Creek Vineyard:

Creekside lunch at Truett-Hurst Vineyard:

Ferrari-Carano Vineyard:

Beautiful View from Sbragia Family Vineyard:

Lake Sonoma:

Bella Wine Cave:

Grapes at Coppola Winery:

After that we made plans to meet up for dinner in Geyserville with Kate, the anesthesiologist I met yesterday, and her husband Dave. We had a little time to kill before we met them, so we drove up to Lake Sonoma which is a big reservoir. It was really pretty. We briefly stopped at a vineyard called Bella where they do their tastings in a cave. We didn't taste or buy, just looked around in the cave. Last stop before dinner was Francis Ford Coppola's vineyard where we bought one bottle.

We had dinner in Geyserville at Diavola, a great wood-fire oven pizza restaurant which was great. We had a nice time with Kate and Dave, and hopefully will continue that friendship.

We have had a wonderful trip and packed a lot of stuff into just a few days. I would LOVE to come back to this stunning part of the country again. Hopefully we can do that!

Home tomorrow. We might get to do a tiny bit of sightseeing in San Francisco before our flight in the afternoon. I'm looking forward to seeing the boys and getting back home!

Ride Day

Today was ride day. We started out from our hotel around 7am. It was cool but sunny. We split up after we parked the car, but I did get to see Jeff starting off the race and got a photo. He started off within the first ten minutes or so, which was lucky for him since it took about 35 min total to get everyone out.

Jeff ready to go:

Levi Leipheimer:

Jeff starting the race:

Levi & Odessa taking off:

Jeff at the top of King's Ridge, Thumbs up, he made it!:

At the medical tent there were already 2 paramedic teams in place setting up. Not much to do for me so I got coffee and wandered around. Eventually more folks showed up including Dan, a resident MD, Carla a NP and Kate a retired anesthesiologist whose wit and sarcasm I greatly enjoyed. Kate's husband Dave was also out doing the ride.

Dave & Kate:

We ended up only seeing about 10 patients or so, and mostly minor stuff. We did see a few people with some pretty bad road rash which needed cleaning out and dressing. The EMS said they made 4 runs with ambulances from out in the race. All in all not many injuries which was good. Probably due to the fact that this was not meant to be competitive but more of an enjoyable experience.

Jeff came pretty close to reaching his goal of 103 miles in 6 hours by making it in 6:37. Overall he ended up coming in 268 out of 3,500 riders, so not bad, especially for someone who is not used to doing climbs and descents of this magnitude! I'm proud of him for doing it and for doing so well. I think he really enjoyed it.

Jeff after completing the ride:

This eveving we went to Willi's Wine Bar which was great! We are both tired, but looking forward to hitting some wineries tomorrow!



BTW, the kids are doing fine and are with my mom and dad tonight. Porter had his 2 bottom molars break through right before we left and had a bit of a runny nose, but it doesn't seem to be stopping him. Connor started Fall hockey today. I miss them and will be happy to see them, but I'm also really grateful to our friends the Hollys and my parents for watching our kids and allowing us this wonderful opportunity to get away together!

Night before the big ride

We had a great day today. Jeff had a good 40 mile ride and met up with 2 other cyclists who are also doing the ride tomorrow, one form Santa Rosa and one from New York. I enjoyed some sun and relaxation while he was on his ride.

When he got back, we went to register for the ride, which was quite a long wait. We then drove West through Sebastapol and to Bodega Bay where we drove out to Bodega Head, a big cliff-like overlook where we could see the Pacific Ocean crashing in. It was super windy and cold, but I still got that wonderful smell of the sea. We went north on Highway 1, or the Pacific Coast Highway which was very narrow and twisty. We ended up in Jenner and had dinner at The River's End, a restaurant at the meeting place of the Russian River and the Pacific Ocean. We arrived around 6 pm and were soon treated to an amazing sunset and a beautiful full moonrise simultaneously. We also had a great meal.











The drive home was a bit more treacherous in the dark, and we had 2 near misses with deer. We are now back at the hotel and getting ready to hit the hay and get some sleep before the big day tomorrow.

Also, Jeff saw some signs along Highway 1 for the race, so they will get a chance to ride along some of the breathtaking coastal beaches and rocky coastlines we got to see today. Oh, and we did see some whales spouting and some sea lions from a distance too!
All in all a pretty great day! We are both looking forward to an amazing experience tomorrow and we look forward to sharing our day later. Hopefully Jeff can stop and take some photos along the way.

Off to bed...

California

Jeff and I arrived safely in San Francisco yesterday and made our way up to Santa Rosa through some heavy traffic. We were glad to finally reach our hotel, the Fountaingrove Inn, which is very nice, and better yet had a great happy hour which was perfect since neither of us had eaten much all day and it was about 7:30pm Minnesota time. We got some great chicken tacos, sweet potato fries and beers for about 15 bucks including tip. We didn't want to eat too much though since Jeff made dinner reservations for us at the Riviera, a restauran that Levi Leipheimer likes.




Which brings me to why we are here in California in the first place! We are celebrating our 10th anniversary, which really was in July, but better late than never. Also Jeff is doing a 103 mile bike ride put on by professional cyclist Levi Liepheimer who lives in Santa Rosa. I am volunteering my time as a nurse in the medical tent for the race. It could be interesting, and I'm sure I will have stories to tell when I get back! I'm hoping Jeff is not going to be one of my customers! There will be 3,500 riders!

Back to dinner last night. We had a very nice meal at the Riviera, and who should we be sitting 5 feet from, but Levi himself and his whole family! It was pretty cool. Jeff didn't want to talk to him though, so we didn't get to schmooze.

Today we slept in a bit then headed towards downtown to have breakfast at Dierk's which was quite good. We then headed to The Historic Railroad Square where we made a stop at the Santa Rosa Visitor's Bureau to get some maps and info. We also headed to Finley Park, where the race will kick off, so I could sign in and we could figure things out. Next stop was the NoCal Bike Shop where Jeff got a bike map and advice for where to do a 1 hour ride today, which is where he is right now as I lay on a chaise by the pool!! I must admit, I could get used to this! :)

Later we are going to head to the Pacific to see some sea lions, the sunset and grab some dinner!

Big race day all day long tomorrow! I'm taking photos which I will post when I get home. Getting hot...time for a dip!

Happy 2nd Birthday Porter!!

We had Porter's 2nd Birthday Party on Saturday. He won't actually be 2 until October 4th, but Jeff and I will be in Santa Rosa, California on the 4th celebrating our 10th anniversary and also Jeff will be competing in a 103 mile bike race on the 3rd. To alleviate my Mommy guilt for being gone on his birthday, I had to celebrate it early! :) We had a fun party and Porter enjoyed everyone helping him celebrate, and of course loved getting some new toys (many of which have been enjoyed more by Connor!). Here are some photos from Porter's big day!

Finally, all sacked out after a long, fun day:

Connor's 1st Day of 1st Grade

Today was Connor's 1st day of 1st Grade. It's hard to believe he's getting so big. His day went really well, and I think he'll have a great year! Connor said a few weeks ago, "I get a warm feeling whenever I think about being in 1st grade, and I don't know what it is." Too funny.

Not happy about going to work/school:

Excited:

Connor & Porter:

So sad about dropping big brother off: