2011 Tour of California!

Yesterday we went to see the Amgen Tour of California stage 4 finish in San Jose. We were invited by Amgen and got to see the finish from their VIP tent. The finish line was at the end of a big climb for the riders. It was exciting and a great day!

Photo by our friend and professional cycling photographer Andy Tao. : )

Angels Camp

We went up to Angels Camp for the weekend. I don't take many pictures anymore (too busy) and the ones I do take don't turn out that great (Thad too wiggly). : ) It was beautiful and we had a great time...you are just going to have to take my word for it. : )

Wheel Day

Wheel Day 2011 - our new favorite local event! Trucks, cars, buses and more! It was heaven for Thad and we really enjoyed it too! Beep, beep!

Apple Hill

In October we made our annual trip up to Apple Hill for our fall fix of apple pie and pumpkins. We got some rain that day but it did not stop us from tailgating with some warm apple crisp!

Carmel Weekend

Last weekend we went to Carmel and had a couples weekend to celebrate the upcoming wedding of my dear friend Lindsey and her fiance Lane. It was a beautiful weekend filled with good company, cute babies and fun times. I love my friends soooo much! Can't wait for your big day Lindsey and Lane!

Thad's First Trip to Tahoe

A few weeks ago we took Thad up to Tahoe for family weekend in the snow. We all had a great time. Pat and Michele went skiing with the kids and we got to see some relatives, but mostly we just hung out at the cabin and enjoyed each other's company.
Oh... and the most exciting event of the weekend was that saw a big bear. It was very exciting! We checked out the prints the next day and it was a big bear!

Be My Valentine

We had a great Valentine's Day. It was a beautiful day so all three of us went to the Lafayette Reservoir, took a walk and spent some time outside. That night Auntie Michele babysat and Pat and I saw a movie. We missed our little guy, but it was nice to go on a date. Thanks Michele!

Snow!!

It does not usually snow in the Bay Area, but with the combo of unusually low temperatures and a big storm, we got snow! There was snow on the ground on Monday morning and the hills around Walnut Creek were covered in snow. There is a mountain in the East Bay called Mt. Diablo and it has been snow capped for two days now. I have never seen it like this. It is kind of magical, but a little too cold for us Californians!

Sunday Sundaes

My good friend Katie and her husband Matt are expecting a baby three weeks after us. We have met for dinner and sundaes as often as we could over the last 6 months at Fenton's creamery in Oakland (best sundaes ever!). Growing bellies are such a great excuse to hang out on Sundays and eat sundaes! Mmmmm. Can't wait for our babies to be best friends!

Go Bears!

My dad went to UC Berkeley and is a die hard Cal Bears fan. Growing up we went to every home football game and many of the basketball games. On Saturday, my dad and I went to the Cal/Arizona game. It had been about 10 years since I had been to a game and I have missed it. The Bears won and it was pretty exciting game. Grrrrr-Rah!

Last Day At Work

WoooHoooo! Today is my last day of work before maternity leave. I feel like my life is going to change so much in the next month or so...I am embarking on a new life. I'm not sure if I am going to go back to work full time. I would actually like to do something completely different - something I am eager to figure out in the next few months.

As excited as I am to have an extended leave from my job in San Francisco, there is a little part of me that is sad I won't be in this beautiful city everyday of the week.

Apple Hill

A few weeks ago we took a trip up to our favorite fall place - Apple Hill. It is near Placerville on the way to South Lake Tahoe on the 50 - it is such a beautiful place. We try to go every year for some Halloween cheer and apple pie. When we retire we dream of living on an apple farm. Pat has memories of apple picking growing up in the Midwest. It has become our family tradition to go to apple hill in October, eat some apple crisp and bring home a pumpkin!

Baby D is going to love it next year!

Wedding Weekend

Pat and I spent the weekend up in the wine country for a fun filled wedding weekend. My friend Michelle and her new hubby Tom are the cutest couple and I could tell they had as much fun at their wedding as all their guests did! Friday night was a BBQ at DuMol winery and the reception on Saturday was at the Mayacama Golf Club - one of the most beautiful places ever! What a perfect wedding!

Hope you are enjoying your honeymoon Mr. and Mrs. McNeil!!

Labor Day Camping - Silver Lake

Over Labor Day weekend we went up to Silver Lake and camped with some friends. Sliver Lake is south of Lake Tahoe and it such a beautiful place. We camped at Plasse's Resort and spent time hiking, playing Frisbee golf, and relaxing. It was a bit cooler than expected, but thanks to our tiny two person tent, Pat and I stayed nice and toasty.

There is a really cute resort on the other side of the lake from our camp ground called Kit Carson. They have cabin rentals and a great restaurant. We had Sunday brunch there and the fresh muffins were amazing!

Kirkwood ski resort is just a few minutes up the road. There is an awesome Frisbee golf course set up on some of the slops during the summer. It was so fun! I am not a Frisbee girl, but my husband continuously surprises me with his mad skills. Look at that form!

Day at the Beach

I went to a wedding shower for my friend Michelle on Saturday. It was at Stinson Beach and was awesome. In high school we use to go to Stinson all the time. It was so fun to go again with my same high school buds and hang out. The weather was suppose to be nice, but of course it was foggy, as much of the time the Nor Cal beaches are. It did not stop us from having an awesome day!

Double Date Bocce

On Wednesday night we met our good friend John and his girlfriend, Jessie, for dinner and bocce. What a concept! We went to a place called Campo di Bocce in Livermore. It is an Italian restaurant with indoor and out door Bocce courts. We had so much fun! Of course the Devingers won, but we will gladly accept another challenge if you are willing to risk bocce humiliation. : )

Walnut Creek's Farmers Market

I try to buy all organic so I do our grocery shopping at Whole Foods. I love Whole Foods, but it can be pricey. I had time on Sunday so I decided to go to the farmers market. I use to go all the time, but for some reason I have not been in months. I had so much fun and oh my gosh - the amount of food I got for $25 was amazing! All local, fresh and pesticide free! Can't wait to go again next week!

Movie Night

On Friday we had a fun movie night with Camryn and Connor. Our gym showed Madagascar 2 on a big screen out by the pool. It was so fun to watch a movie outside on a summer night.

FYI Madagascar 2 is hilarious!

Yosemite Camping

We went up to Yosemite for a few days with our friends Nathalie, Jason and their little girl Mischa. Nathalie's extended family was there too. We had such a great time being outside, sleeping in our tent and hiking. Can't wait to do it again soon! For all you out-of-towners - Yosemite is about a three hour drive from the bay and is just amazing! If you have not been - go someday : )

We spent Friday hiking up to Glacier Point - 9.2 miles round trip with an altitude gain of 3,200 feet. It was a trek, but I had no room to complain because Nathalie's 78 year old grandmother came with us! She rocked! The views from the top were spectacular! The top picture is a view of the valley with Half Dome on the left and Nevada & Vernal falls on the right. Wow!

Wellness Community Golf Tournament

On Monday Pat played in the annual Wellness Community Golf Tournament. It was at Orinda Country Club and he played for a team sponsored by my brother-in-law's company, Buckley Patchen Riemann & Hall. They had a beautiful day of golfing which was followed by a cocktail reception and dinner - and all significant others were invited! Michele and I met Pat and Dan at OCC and we had a great night. Michele and Pat both won raffle prizes! Wooo Hoooo! OCC is even more beautiful than I remember. Wow I grew up in a beautiful place. The tournament raised a lot of money for our favorite cause and we can't wait for next year's tournament!