Fun Time in Ventura

It's hard to believe we are back home in Colorado and our trip to California is now just a memory.  We had a fantastic time visiting with Holly, Erich, Zoe and Ezra!!!  It was quite nice to spend Easter with them this year!  I loved seeing the excitement in Zoe's and Ezra's eyes when they colored eggs the night before--and also on Easter as they searched for eggs inside and outside!


I was so glad we fit in a visit to the beach to just walk around.  At Carpinteria Beach, luck was with us...the tide was out so we got to check out the tide pools...lots of interesting creatures, shells, etc.


Took a drive to Lake Casitas...another beautiful, relaxing place!  Poor Ezra took a spill and landed on his face; a bit bumped up and two teeth slightly loose, but okay.  Quite an end to an otherwise nice day!


The Ventura Charter School's biggest fundraiser, the Ventura Eco Festival turned out to be a bust (for the vendors) due to the high winds which kept the crowds down.  It was a beautiful sunny day, in the mid-60s and despite the lack of "business", I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with everyone there!  I was very happy that Greg and Michelle stopped by, too, to wish me a Happy Birthday!  (Yes, the Eco Festival was on my birthday!)  And, speaking of my birthday, I was trying to remember when was the last time that Holly was able to celebrate with me; I think it's been at least 12 years!  So, I definitely enjoyed this one!


I also had fun going on the Wheeler Springs hike with Holly, Ezra and Zoe, too!  We had to be careful to avoid the new growth of poison oak, particularly at the start of the hike.  But it was so pretty walking among the trees.


And just doing the everyday things was extra special...fixing Zoe's hair as she gets ready for school, taking Ezra out for ice cream, playing a game of Scrabble with Holly, Erich, and Mark, dinner at Ferraro's, lunch at In-N-Out Burger...the list goes on and on!  


Now we get to look forward to July when they will come out to Colorado for a visit!  (Erich has to work, though...we'll miss him.)  I'll be counting the days until then!  Can't wait for them to see Sophia, too!  They last saw her as a newborn almost a year ago!  She'll love playing with Ezra and Zoe!

Great Days

I've had a busy birthday week and partook in several fun activities!  On Wednesday, I went to my first Fort Collins Newcomers Club coffees hosted by one of my friends, Karen.  Met several interesting ladies and hope to take swimming lessons from one of them this summer.


Thursday evening, Mark and I went down to Denver for my birthday...ate dinner and took in a play. We saw Shakespeare's "As You Like It".  Good production!


On Friday, we went to the club for dinner with Barbara and Dick and Carolee and Joe, two of our neighbors.  Barbara set it up since we hadn't seen each other all winter and wanted to catch up on everyone's "news".  Had a nice time!


Then, this morning, there was a formal dedication ceremony and opening of the River Bluffs Trailhead.  We road our bikes down to the trail and took part in the event. It was a little chilly when we started but within an hour or so, it was sunny and in the 60s!  Beautiful!


This afternoon, Sara and Zach drove up and we celebrated my birthday with them, too!  Sara looks great!  Only about 3 weeks left until our new granddaughter arrives!


Had a nice call from Holly this evening!  She had a booth at a fair in Ventura and she did really well on her sales!  I'm so happy for her and Erich because I know they worked really hard on all their wares.  

A Little Hiatus

I'll be taking a little break from writing in this blog while we are on vacation. We're currently enjoying time with Holly, Erich, Zoe and Ezra in California! Today we'll be celebrating Ezra's 3rd birthday with a "Rock Star" birthday party (even though his actual birthday is on February 24th). Mark has his Led Zepplin t-shirt on and I have on my Rolling Stones one. Should be a fun day!

Are There Only 24 Hours in a Day?

It amazes me how 24 hours--1,440 minutes--seem to fly by! It doesn't matter if I stay home for the day or go out for errands, practice, or classes; time keeps moving at an amazing pace! I thought the days would "stretch out" once I stopped working full time. If anything the hours seem to contract! All the more reason to live each day to its fullest, to enjoy each moment and take pleasure in even the simplest things in life.

Speaking of pleasurable things, Mark celebrated his 58th birthday yesterday but the actual "celebration" was on Saturday with Sara and Zach. Made his favorite meal: Swedish meatballs, egg noodles, lingonberry sauce, and chocolate cake! He thought he was turning 59 and when I reminded him he was only turning 58 this year he was thrilled! Too funny.