UCSC and Beach Dates (Santa Cruz Part 3)

The entire four years I attended UCSC it was under construction. The student union was being relocated and expanded, new dorms/new "colleges" were being added, I think a new library, a student health center, and a parking structor were all being worked on in those years as well. Some of the things still weren't completed by the time we graduated so I enjoy taking a drive up through campus whenever we can to see what has been finished. With that said, one of the main streets was turned into a one way street to accommodate the construction before I started in 1998. This year was the first time we were able to drive DOWN that street. It was kind of exciting! The school looks beautiful, and the additions add so much to the campus, but the views are still the best part of The City on the Hill.

(Spencer wasn't really impressed...)

(but Princess Jasmine was!)

After multiple attempts to meet up with our friends Zack and Ingrid, we were finally able to make it happen. Ingrid and I sat with the babies while Zack and Travis took the big kids to the jump over all the waves.

Pretty amazing that one short year ago we were here...

The trip must have been a success because this was our view on our drive home:

Another great trip in the books!

9th Anniversary (Santa Cruz Part 2)

The weather was so nice and the kids were doing so well that we decided to stay a few extra days in Santa Cruz. We had a few more beautiful mornings at Davenport Beach- with the weather in triple digits for at least a week straight at home, we were going to soak up every day below 80 degrees that we could. 

We unceremoniously celebrated our 9th anniversary with a walk along West Cliff Drive. We sat and talked about how far we've come in 9 years. Two masters, one administration credential, two children, two dogs, and a cat. We may not have a lot of tangible things in our lives, but we have soooo many memories. Happy Anniversary, Travis!

Santa Cruz Part 1

Every year we look forward to our first trip of the summer- Santa Cruz! Luckily, we have a great place to stay and beautiful places to visit! Grandma and Grandpa came with us on one of our morning beach/coffee runs before they left for Mexico. 

We were able to take professional photos on Main Beach- the weather was beautiful and both kids were great subjects! I can't wait to show the pictures when we get them :)

More to come...

Happy Birthday, Travis!

What better way to toast Travis's all day birthday celebration than to take a bike ride to the local brewery? 

Delicious lunch and tasty beer- what more could he ask for on his birthday?!

A party hat!

The new horn for his new bike was Adaline's favorite (thanks Hayley and kids!)

Travis has been wearing the same quadratic formula polo shirt to work for a few years so I decided it was time to update his work wardrobe a bit...

But I think the best present was a new bike trailer for the kids to ride in! It has already logged a few miles and is ready for more.

Lucky Travis was able to extend his birthday almost a full week- we continued the celebration with a visit to Santa Cruz. We had another yummy dinner with his parents (and a great gift of a new camping stove!)

Always a little crazy to think about how quickly a year passes, but it has been a great year. Here's to another great year coming around for us! Happy birthday, Travis!

Udder Run 2013

Okay, so now that June is over, it's probably time to start blogging about what we've done all month :)
Travis gets out of school the week of Memorial Day and we take off running- literally!
Our first big event of the summer is usually Hilmar's Udder run. My dad's cousin Michelle has organized this race for a decade- a decade!!! We've only been able to participate for six of the last seven years (I've racked up the technical shirts to prove it) and we seem to be on a streak of extreme weather. Four years ago it was blisteringly hot, three years ago it was rainy and cold, and last year we had 40-50 mph winds whipping all the sand and dirt into our eyes and ears. This year we had another blisteringly hot race. It was 86 when we started running at 8am and by 9 it was already 90 degrees. The high that day was 107. It was hot. Even so, Travis joined me and offered to push the double stroller. Thanks to him, I was able to truly compete in my age group and I came in first with a PR of 16:32 for the 2.2 mile course! Talk about a supportive husband :)

After the adult race there is always a children's fun run and Adaline has been doing it since just after her 1st birthday. We have so much fun watching her excitement to run like Mommy and Daddy.

Staying cool before their race with the cousins

 We promised Spencer he could join in next year :)

Adaline and Trace in the back of the pack

Adaline about to pass the guy with the stroller ;)

 So proud of her medal! 

 Why do we have so many pictures with just the three kids when there are four now? Because this always happens...

Oh well, like I said, next year he'll run the race :)

Goodbye, GoogleReader.

I am sorry to see google reader shut down (mainly because it's the only reader I've ever used!) I have heard a lot of other bloggers talking about which reader they're using and multiple people have named Bloglovin...and because I don't have time (or much interest) to research which one would be better, I'm going with it, too. If it doesn't work for me, I'll let you know ;) So here we go~ Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Mother's Day 2013

Yet again, I've fallen behind on my blogging. Life is so full right now!
 I hope everyone enjoyed mother's day...I sure did. Travis and the kids treated me like a queen all day! They started off the day surprising me with a necklace that I had mentioned I liked in a new upcycled store in Turlock- I love how Travis pays attention to all the little things :)

Then we joined my family for a lovely brunch...

Don't mind the green deviled eggs. I was trying a new recipe...guacamole deviled eggs. They were okay- next time they need more garlic or pepper, I haven't decided yet.

I had a beautiful day and I am so thankful to have a loving family that supports me in all my decisions.
I hope you were surrounded by your loved ones, as well!