Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

SIERRA AND LUCY

San Diego + Rain = ...

For the past 2 days it has 

RAINED

in San Diego.  

Rain and San Diegans don't get along.

  Because we got about 5 inches of rain

 the city essentially shut down.

How did I spend my time indoors?

Finished 2 books

Used my Dutch Oven for the first time

To make a very yummy Red Wine Pot Roast

And of course....

 Hung out with Sierra 

Sierra is a true San Diegan & hates the rain.

It is a battle to get her to go 

outside to go potty.

This is how she acts after spending 

3 minutes outside in the rain.

She apparently thinks she has hands 

and tries to catch her toys with her paws.

Unfortunately... 

Sierra "died" in the process

An Old Soul....

I have come to the conclusion, 
I must have an
 Old Soul."

In an effort to make friends.... 

I have joined various groups and organizations.... 

I am definitely the only one under the age of 40!

I guess my hobbies aren't popular among my age group... 

Who knew?

Any ideas on some new hobbies... 

where I will find friends my age???

I have tried...

PILATES

VOLUNTEERING

And last but not least...

SINGING 

at our local church

Funny story about volunteering at PAWS, 

a local animal rescue organization....

At the last meeting of the board and volunteers... 

I introduced them to the concept of using email 

for newsletters instead of snail-mail... 

And to using a list-serve to organize 

their different email lists. 

 I semi was "shut-down" because they're not yet 

ready to be that advanced.

Invisible Conflicts... 

I miss your organization!

A California Christmas

Here is our lovely Christmas Tree.

Can you see our "stockings?"

San Diego in December....

Blue skies... 

It's tough living in "paradise." 

By The Way

Californians wear winter jackets, gloves, scarves, and Ugg boots.... When it falls below 

70 degrees.

Welcome to the Navy...

About a month ago I came home from work

 to my husband telling me he was going on a

two week work-up in about 12 hours.  

Positive: It was only for 2 weeks.

Negative: We literally found out 12 hours before he left.

Now, three of our closest friends are in Guam... 

for the next three years.  

WELCOME TO THE NAVY




PS.  I am not allowed  to access Wikileaks 
because my husband 
is in the Navy....

Craig's First Thanksgiving

Ben and I had our first 

THANKSGIVING! 

 Here is our wonderful 

Turkey

Isn't it pretty?

We put it in a BRINE for 36 hours and used this recipe:

1. Dissolve 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of 

brown sugar in 2 gallons of cold water

2. Add 2 quartered oranges, 2 quartered lemons, 

6 sprigs of thyme, and 4 sprigs of rosemary

We also made:

 Cheese Biscuits, Bacon-Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, 

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, 

Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Rum Pecan Pie

And last but not least... 

APPLE BUTTER PUMPKIN PIE

Not too shabby for our FIRST Thanksgiving

Joseph Martin Nemeth IV

I know I haven't posted on my blog for a few months.  A lot has been going on.  The day of my last post, I found out my older brother Josh had died.  Josh wasn't just my older brother, he was an amazing Godfather, friend, teacher, son, writer, lover of dogs, and so much more.  


Josh not only was fully committed to his family but also his job.  He was a dedicated teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, IL.  

He made such an impact on his students, we had to extend his wake an extra 90 minutes.... there was a line out the door and into the parking lot of family, friends, students, and alumni.  

He truly was a man for others.

He was so supportive of me.  Somehow Josh came to every event of mine - starting with my choir concerts when I was 8 years old, all the way up to my Polar Bear Plunger fundraiser for Invisible Conflicts.  I could always count on Josh no matter what - he was the person I called when I got a flat tier in downtown Chicago.  


There is so much more about Josh I cant write about.  Maybe other people's memories will help convey what an amazing person he was:Josh's Guest Book


Happy Birthday Josh!  I love you and will always remember you.  I'll be sure to enjoy a Good Book, a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and a Cheese Pie with Garlic Salt today.

Our First Visitor: Nikki Skells

Over the weekend, my friend Nikki came and visited me in Coronado!  Even though it is November, we went to the beach and I introduced Nikki to amazing Mochas with Chocolate Whip Cream.

We also shopped all around Coronado and San Diego.  If you ever are in the area, you must have Mexican food.  We had amazing Mexican Food in Old Town and Cafe Coyote.  And yes, I do believe we had a Margarita with every meal =)

We then took the Ferry from Coronado to San Diego to the Gaslamp District.  An amazing area in San Diego with tons of stores, bars, and restaurants.

I firmly believe you are never too old to go to the Zoo.  The San Diego Zoo is huge!  I highly recommend wearing gym shoes as the terrain of the zoo is crazy with steep hills!  Definitely wait in line to see the pandas - the wait was well worth it.  

Yes, We've Become THOSE People

 

So Sierra is the best puppy in the world.  

She also has an amazing ability to make us feel incredibly guilty about leaving her home alone.

Who could say no to that face?

Well, we couldn't. 

 Hence bringing Sierra anywhere we can.

Like...

Out to Lunch at Tartine.

OR

To the BEACH

Sierra loved the Beach!

Especially all the doggies to play with.

We're still working on getting her comfortable with the water.

She is terrified of the water.

 

Ben is trying to bribe her with a treat into the water. 

Not working so well...

More puppy adventures to come.

PUPPY!!

We got a PUPPY!  

Ben and I went to the Escondido Animal Shelter 

yesterday and fell in love with this 

lovable face.

We would like you to meet SIERRA!  

She is a beautiful 

American Staffordishire Terrier mix!

Sierra is so loving 

and when she approaches you 

she will immediately lay down on her back 

so you can rub her belly.

She is an extremely smart dog!  

We have taught her how to sit & lay-down.  

We are working on staying, 

not jumping (when she gets excited) 

and walking nicely on a leash.  

She definitely has 2 speeds.... 

Energizer Bunny

and 

Couch Potato

 

Looking for a New Hobby....

So I have been trying to find a hobby.... 

especially since afternoons/nights that Ben are flying are extremely boring.  

I have always wanted to try Yoga or Pilates 

so I Googled "Yoga, Coronado" and found a Center.  

Ben was flying last night until 7:30pm 

and there was a Pilates' Beginners class from 6:15 - 7:15pm.  

So I went!

I had no idea what to expect since I have never done a Pilates class.  

It was a mat class.  Lots of instructional-led stretching. 

 Knew most of the stretches/poses we did... but surprisingly, it really worked!

My abs definitely got a workout!  

I really liked the class!

Even though it was a beginner's class, 

the instructor always showed us some modifications to make it more challenging.  

I was pretty proud of myself... 

I was able to do all of the "harder" modifications, 

except for one.  

I plan on keeping up with Pilates and am looking into trying Yoga too. 

 There are 3 beginners' classes at this center... 

Iyengar Yoga, Flow Yoga, and Forest Yoga.  

Any suggestions?