Monday, August 9, 2010

This one's for Gigi...

Instead of feeling bad for not writing on this blog more often, I'll just take time to catch up and move on. :)


We've been in our house for 1 year as of today! It's hard to believe that a whole year has gone by, and yet in many other ways it seems like so much more time has passed. We still have MANY boxes to unpack, we still keep finding little things that need to be replaced or fixed, and we still are adjusting each month to the bills and costs involved in being homeowners.


Our house got broken into in January, likely by some teenagers, and several things were stolen. We felt unsafe for a time and every little noise would bring up fear...but God is faithful and it is only through His peace that we do not have to be afraid. We are cautious and make sure our house is secure when we leave...but we are not afraid to leave home and we are not afraid to be home.


In July we were able to attend my cousin Bethany's wedding along with my parents, sister, Auntie Terrianne & Uncle Jerry and cousins Laura and Kevin. We had lots of fun being silly at the hotel we all stayed at as well as during the beautiful wedding of Bethany and Ray.


The cousins - Jay, Laura, Kelly, Bethany, me, Kevin and Brandon
After the wedding, Josh & I were able to spend one extra night near the central coast - in Cayucos at our favorite Shoreline Inn on the beach. We enjoyed the opportunity to spend the afternoon with my longtime friend Jeff while there, as well as checking out the antique stores and cute shops like the new Brown Butter Cookie Company which had amazingly delicious cookies! On the way home, we stopped at the Pasolivo olive oil tasting room and joined their press club and had the best crab lunch ever in Pismo Beach at the Cracked Crab. Though I am not usually a fan of crab, this was especially delicious and sweet and the owner was very knowledgeable and friendly - we would highly recommend that you visit if you ever have the opportunity!
Almost a month ago, my Mom had surgery to remove her right kidney which had a tumor growing in it. They chose to remove the entire kidney due to the location of the tumor and we're glad they did so - it turned out that it was stage-2 cancer, but it appears that it had not spread at all so she does not need to have chemo or radiation. She recovered quickyl in the hospital and was home within 3 days, but still needs help around the house. Now that Dad is back to work, my grandparents have come to visit for a few weeks to help out.
Saturday was my Dad's birthday, and for lunch my sister & I took him out to lunch for Thai food - something new for all three of us, but we were all eager to try it. We went to the Thai House in Redlands which had been recommended to us, and we had several menu choices recommended as well by friends. For starters we had Chicken Satay with peanut sauce and cucumbers, Tom Yun Kai - lemongrass soup with chicken and mushrooms, and Larb - minced beef with onions in a lime dressing served with cabbage. All were quite tasty, but we especially loved the soup and Kelly's favorite item of the meal was the Larb. For our meal we shared Gang Karee - yellow curry with potatoes, carrots, onions and chicken; and Drunken Noodles - wide, flat noodles in a sauce with tomatoes, onions and thai basil. Dad & I both decided that the curry was our favorite item of our meal. All in all, the Thai food experience was a big hit and we all can't wait to try again. :)
Well, this doesn't completely cover everything from the past many months, but it's some of the highlights. Hopefully my grandma (also known as Gigi - an abbreviation for Great Grandma for my niece and nephew) will be glad that I finally updated and I'll try to do so more often. Love you Grandma! :)