joe and jen's place

master settler of catan, and his lady

2009-07-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

thanks for hangin', you guys! we LOVED it...laughing all night - and we love you! blessings on your home, job, and non-trucking life in general. :) next time we head north, we will be calling on you.

garden salad

2009-07-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

i know...i look pretty tickled at the whole thing. but, it's cause i am! how fun is that, to stick some little lettuces in the dirt and have them end up looking all lovely on your plate? super fun, i say. they were sweet and crisp and perfect. God's inventions are rad. ;)

heads

2009-06-30T21:48:00.001-07:00

jes 'bout pickin' time! salad bar, anyone?

makeshift

2009-06-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

he's patiently waiting for the green to build his dream barbeque/rotisserie. meanwhile, a fire pit of scrap brick and borrowed grate works rather nicely. he's tickled.

aquarius

2009-06-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

a probable five-star dive, first night open to the public

(beth, if you're reading this, this is the santa cruz hotel restaurant where you spent that one summer making california money!) :)

so hollywood

the view at 6:30 pm

the view at 7:30 pm

retro

joe had surf

i had turf.

i also ate all my lima beans. can we say, delicious?!! i know, weird. lima beans are so 1950. but hey, retro is in. and they weren't squishy mealy.

not shown here: pretzel-dipped guiness gelato

some other fab desserts that i oggled

and for the "take-home mint": cotton candy

our loverly waitress. amy, you catered to our every whim! thanks for getting us reservations.

veggibabies

2009-06-26T17:16:00.001-07:00

'mato

pepper

pea

day with jane

2009-06-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

my mom's friend from kindergarten, jane chellino, made the yearly trek over the hill to come for a visit. she wanted to eat at zelda's on the beach in capitola, so her wish was our command. it was a gorgeous day! and, because jane is jane, we had great adventures.

the 86 steps to depot hill. yes, we climbed them.

at the top

the view from the private walk in depot hill. i want to live in that neighborhood someday! i didn't get pics of the houses, but they are lovely and quaint and have views like these.

every house had a breathtaking garden. my garden aspires to these hydrangeas.

i found the man here when i got home. ;)

day for dad

2009-06-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

the unveiling

bbq'd corn: so good

kale salad, just for fil

orange vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

goofs ;)

thank you, dads, for being our dads! we love and cherish you.

dinner at amy's

2009-06-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

thank you, amy, for making us your first dinner guests! i LOVED the salmon (and that's saying a lot!) ;) we love you both, amy and josh! you two are rad. ;)

house warming

2009-06-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

thank you, ALL of you who came and warmed our new home! so many loving people and delightful surprises - we love you and thank God for you!

how many folks can our kitchen hold at once? well, we know four can hang comfortably. :)

(sorry i couldn't get pics of all of you sweet friends and fam! i was so busy giving tours and catching up on your lives! ;)

lettuces

2009-06-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

summer salads, here we come!

the roberts skidaddle

2009-06-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

while kim and chris were scurrying around the hotel room, stuffing the last of their essentials into every possible suitcase for their move across country, their children (and grandpa) were likewise being ever-so-helpful:

we were, of course, be ever so helpful too. we did some taking. we sat on the couch, took it (the madness) all in, took pictures, and took a bag of food, a box of recyclables, some laundry soap, and a swim noodle home with us. boy, were they glad to get that swim noodle off their hands! and joe's still enjoying the dried mangoes he found stashed in the food bag. :)

kim and chris, we love you, and wish you ALL joy in your new life in north carolina! we hope to visit someday! ethan, nik, nat, and erik - don't forget you have a tall, silly uncle joe and a sweet auntie jen back in california. ;) have fun in your own rooms!

greenish thumb

2009-06-09T12:52:00.001-07:00

we have a garden. with real dirt and everything. and, i will say (though i never thought i would), it's such a pleasure growing one's own vegetation. i might be acquiring a greenish thumb (emphasis on the -ish though, 'cause our lemon tree's not doing so hot). we've got the vegetable thing going, and they're happy as clams in the one hot corner of the patio. here now are the before-and-after shots of our real dirt.

before:

after:

in this box: early girl and orange cherry tomatoes, snap peas, thyme, sage, anaheim pepper, and two types of basil. the basil and the herbs have been of great use already!

in the the lower box: oregano, purple basil, lemon cucumber, mint, and cilantro. not sure if these guys will be as happy, as it's not as sunny there.

planning to make some vanilla mint iced tea again this summer with these guys

a lady at the grocer was buying a six-pack of pea starters, but didn't want all six. so she said, "ya want some peas?" and i said, "sure" and then she plopped them in my arms. off i went, full of gardener glee. and i, knowing nothing of growing peas, plopped them in the ground. i know now that i'll need something for them to crawl up, 'cause they'll soon be over two feet tall!

making ourselves to home

2009-06-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

we prayed the Lord to help us not spend our wad on getting our office/guest room put together, and He completely answered our prayers. it needed to look lovely because it stares at us when we're in the living room. we spent a total of 25 clams on the artwork (vintage maps of england and france) and $10 on the curtains, and everything else we already had. it's amazing how you can scrounge up things when you really need to. we used wood dowels and j-hooks for curtains rods. and our parents' need to get rid of a desk and a chest of drawers perfectly coincided with out need to take them! then, a little rearranging of the furniture and a little recycling and we had ourselves a room.

the guest bath's coming along. need to do a bit of patching and painting. waiting for the man to do that. ;)

the vintage artwork continues in the dining room...for now, at least. those scrumptious yellow roses are from my madre's garden.

we got this desk chair for free at ikea!

looks dark here, but the sun's pouring in!

love

2009-05-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

love this man!

(and yes, i did get bangs, the side-swoopy kind. but shhh...don't tell joe). ;)

my parents have the cutest puppy!!!

2009-05-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

i think i want one:

meet daisy. is she not the cutest thing you ever saw???

we seriously don't like dogs, but beagles we think are adorable. i think joe could perhaps maybe in some small way be in like with this dog. ;)

she's so wiggly, she's hard to capture.

and then all of a sudden she's not so wiggly.

and then she is again.

awww! i can't stand it! she's too cute for her own good!

she's ten weeks old

for you, jen

2009-05-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

happy birthday!

what was nate's surprise??

i like renunculas

2009-05-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

birthdays

2009-05-21T16:14:00.001-07:00

joe and i both turned a year older in the last month and a half. and yup, it's true. i'm still a year older than he is. can't figure out how to undo that one, and boy will it be handy for him when i turn 30...and 40! oh well. i've got three more years till 30 (yikes!), so until then i'll just smile and pretend like i don't remember how old i am. ;) (side note: i DO realize that i'm not old...i just feel that 30 marker coming on fast, and i'm feeling a bit weird about it).

anyhoo, the point is we've got a bunch of fun pics from all our celebrations. well, my birthday was in texas, and you've already seen all the photos from that (more than you wanted, i'm sure!), so i just have a few that prove i got some rad gifts. joe's day, however, was chalk-full of fun picture taking, so you're in for a treat (and long post).

trudy and donovan made me a precious dinner - everything i could eat, even down to the gluten-free gingersnap crust in the berry tart! they shopped organic at staff of life, and apparently had a blast. thank you SO much, fil and mil, for blessing me in such a way. it was a most loving gift. i can't tell you how much it meant to me. i feasted in pure delight, not concerned about a thing. :)

these are the treasures i brought home from texas. thank you amy, julie, and khiree! they're all being used as you read this. :)

this was my gift from my fil and mil!!! awesome, i say!! and their fabric choices couldn't have more spot on! thank you - i can't wait to make it!

okay, well, this wasn't exactly a birthday gift, but i got it right near there. it's a lemon tree, and i seriously think it's not gonna make it in my garden, poor thing. what with sitting in its container for weeks, being planted and transplanted, and finally accidentally being whacked hard by joe's shovel, and i think it has received a rough welcome. it's currently planted in the sunniest spot i could find, and looks anemic.

my mum bought me these hydrangeas! home depot had a crackin' deal on them and they're perfect for my part-shade garden! they're also currently planted, and happy.

this gift i am most certainly senitmental about. no, not a cello...but a cello stand! this is big, people! if one wants a cello accessible to one, and doesn't want to have to lug it out of its neanderthal cover every time one wants to practice, then one must have a stand. my hub got this for me, and i love it! it really has helped me practice more, which is good since i'm playing for church now. next thing to get is a proper cello case.

okay, on to joe's bday. well, actually, first, look at my hutch! isn't it adorable!??? yah, i think so. and then, look at that cute little menu thingy hanging there. that's also one of my bday gifts from my mil and fil! super cute and handy, as you can see.

i actually got balloons for joe!

at OSWALD, joe's most favoritest restaurant in all of santa cruz county. they were open in a tiny brick building in a side alley last year. then they were closed down because the city decided to make that alley a shop/condo plaza, so OSWALD had to find another venue. and boy is it fantastic! it's huge now, right downtown (front street, i think). and their food was still as divine as we remembered. we had a blast. and we decided that we need to save our pennies to go there at least four times a year, with the change of each season, as their menu changes with what's ripe and ready.

mil and fil. so cute!

this is the view into the kitchen from the street! awesome.

after a most palate-pleasing meal, we went home for a not-so-palate-pleasing gluten free lemon poppy seed cake with cream cheese frosting. the idea was brilliant, but the product was less than impressive - sorry hon! he put a good face on it though, and it was tolerable.

the fireplace rocks!

looks good, huh? hmmm. well, it was overbaked, for one. so it was anything but moist. bad start.

next morning, i made brunch for joe and our parents. actually, joe said he wanted to cook, but then morning came and he kinda didn't want to anymore. so, i was cooking in my jammies, rat's nest hair and no face on, and everyone came over and we had a blast. oh, the food was divine...i mean, you really can't go wrong with breakfast! we had amaretto french toast (i made some with rice bread for me...not fabulous, but i wouldn't turn my nose at it!), sundried tomato and fresh basil (from my garden) fritatta, bacon, strawberries and whipped cream, berry spritzers, and coffee from the Cat, of course.

joe had to get a shot of the meat.

look, everyone fits in our dining room! here we are about to dig in!

okay, after that scrumptious morning, we jetted off to the monterey bay aquarium. we wanted to see the sea horse exhibit, and it was a hoot! i LOVED those little guys. i wanted to just wrap one up and put it in my pocket and take it home. they're so cute! but, i'm getting ahead of myself.

it was 95 degrees in scotts valley, but it was gorgeous here.

the watkins came with us to celebrate

now for the seahorses! these are teeny tiny babies...they eat almost constantly, so they have to be in these little feeding waters so they can grow big and strong. awww, they're so cute!

leafy sea dragon!!

okay folks, this was my FAVORITE part of the whole exhibit! is this guy not CRAZY amazing!??? he's a weedy sea dragon!! i LOVE him! i really wanted to take him home. someone's gotta put him in a fantasy novel. maybe for n.d. wilson's next project. if he's fascinated by elephant seals, he really needs to see these!

see the man swimming in there, feeding the fish? joe, with trav on his shoulders, was watching intently.

on attending a 5 year old's birthday party

2009-05-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

if you go to the boardwalk with a 5 year old, chances are you're gonna have fun. if you go to the boardwalk with a 5 year old on his birthday, odds are even better. and if you throw in a penguin cake, a darth vader helmet, and some cotton candy, you're in for it now!

joe and i gave him the darth vader helmet. :)

on the "people mover"...about as daring as i get, sad to say.

sur le gare avec notre meres et grandmeres

2009-05-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

so, for some more festivities in honor of Mum, we took a train ride - it was grandma's wish. a bunch of the family gathered and we rode the roaring camp train to the top of the mountain. it was quite a hoot. most of these pics come courtesy of uncle ric's fabulous camera. we love you grandma mae, we love you trudy!

classy lady

joe showing us how he can play "yankee doodle" by hand-cupping, and aunt suzie showing us how she can call the kids home to dinner. :)

uncle ric and aunt suzie

hanging at our new house after all the fun

le tea avec maman

2009-05-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

for mothers day, mom and i went to the new bloomsbury tea house in soquel. it was lovely in every way. surrounded by flowers and tea cups and wing-backed chairs, eating bacon quiche, artichoke bisque, strawberry custard, and vanilla citrus iced tea on a gorgeous may saturday - can't get any better than that! this place is owned by a family, and the owner has her boys serving tea! i can't think of a job more challenging for a young man than to spend 8 hours in a cottage full of delicate china and women! i almost felt sorry for them, but then they didn't seem to be suffering too much. and let me tell you, they knew their tea!

afterward we stopped by the garden center and i bought some hydrangeas for my garden, we perused beverly's craft store, and i also found a special something for our house (see pic below).

love you, momma!

a B for bloomsbury. this was the artichoke bisque.

they brought the check in this!

this was THE most delightful chair. it could excel any more in comfort. we asked the owner where she found such luxurous chairs, and she said "salvation army." but she paid big $ to have them re-cushioned and uphostered.

and a lil' hutch for my dining room! more pics later. ;)

texas, part five

2009-05-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

san antonio, and beyond. we did a TON of stuff here!:

gruene:

charlie and amy, lunching with us at the gristmill in gruene (pronounced "green").

it was my 27th birthday that day, and i celebrated by staring at a free strawberry shortcake which i couldn't eat! how sad is that??? i've had s. shortcake every year for my birthday since i can remember. :) my mom's is the best.

downtown san antonio:

amy, bless her heart, trudged around downtown on a full bladder and flip flops to show us the sights. ;) thank you, mames!

some sort of shindig going on in front of the alamo.

big ol' oak, at the alamo

oh, wish we could have gone in!! it was closed in honor of fiesta week, which is like san antonio's mardi gras, and there was a big market selling fair-type food blocking the entrance. i would have rather seen the cathedral.

shertz:

vegging at haven and amy's. both joe and i finished two books on our trip! amy and haven, we LOVED being in your home and seeing you again after so long. thank you SO much for the energies and fellowship spent on us while we were there. we love you and cherish you both. (well, three actually!)

guess he's learning a lot from that there marriage book.

the riverwalk:

the riverwalk was so pretty, with all its lush trees and well-designed buildings. like i said, it was fiesta week there, so we saw all kinds of street musicians, tourists, and drunkards alike. :) we took a boat tour down the river, and the boatman said that they find all manner of paraphanelia in the river every year: laptops, cell phones, wallets, engagement rings, etc.

the parents-to-be!!

these guys were good!

so were they!

this is where we had some more good barbecue. i gave in and had ribs, even though it technically wasn't on my diet. the sauce was worth it.

the alamo:

this was a strange moment. we came to see the alamo. but surrounding this gorgeous piece of history was the davy crockett motel, ripley's believe it or not, haagen-daaz ice cream, and mall, and a myriad of other modern attractions.

wildseed farms:

they were so cute!! so in love even after almost four years.

it was SO windy!!! but it was a very warm, humid wind, and i kinda liked it. i was never cold in texas...except indoors because everything was air-conditioned.

fredricksburg:

alas! this is my only picture of julie!! this was SO fun. while the guys went off and toured some war museum and had beer and dogs for lunch, we had tea. it was the CUTEST place, adorable in every way. i loved the waitresses aprons. i should have gotten a pic! they were very amy butler-ish.

looking out the back door of a shop

and, to prove that we saw them, bluebonnets.

charlie and julie: thank you SO much for hosting us in your precious bed and breakfast, for feeding us, shopping for us (jen especially!), for making us laugh and filling our souls. we love you and cherish you!

texas, part four

2009-05-10T15:45:00.000-07:00

austin.

austin was loverly. i think, based on the full two hours we were there, it was our favorite city of the three we visited. it was hilly, charming, and ironically, the more liberal of its counterparts. i really wanted to taste some GOOD barbeque, which i had heretofor not found, and so dad promptly stopped a policeman walking by and asked him if he could point us to the real mccoy. he said we ought to hop over to the iron works and have us some tasty meat. we said thanks a bunch and headed straight over. it was a hole in the wall, which is exactly what i was hoping to find. the brisket was a tad dry, but the sauce was super yummy and the sausage was really good. we found out later that the iron works was THE place to go for barbecue. they had a whole wall of fame, autographed menues and pics from the famous folk who had been there.

it was a hot day, and plugged along the streets as well as we could. it was fun just hanging together. at last, we decided we'd move on.

my sweet uncle brad and auntie bev. thank you SO much, you guys, for welcoming us to your home and your life. we've got to come back for louisiana! we love you!

sweet mum and dad. below them was a full of fish and turtles.

gotta love him

typical brad face. he's a hoot, and they're even more of a hoot together.

turtle. almost everywhere we went, we saw turtles. it just kept my old childhood nightmares in fresh view. ;)

wall of fame

walking downtown

dodging the husband who was throwing water at me.

uncle "bad"

capitol building

dad got his wish - here's proof that we made it to cabela's!

we found a nice place to hang while dad shopped to his heart's content

his choice plunder

texas, part three

2009-05-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

the woodlands, and houston. my uncle brad and auntie bev and amanda live in the woodlands, which is this crazy gorgeous planned neighborhood (city!) within a texas forest. it's extremely well laid out, a very pleasant oasis on the outskirts of houston. we saw river otters on their riverwalk!

uncle brad also kindly drove us through the oil refineries of houston to see the battleship texas and the san jacento monument. had to take the car ferry to get there. i wasn't exactly thrilled about the elevator ride to the top of the monument, but i wasn't hang out at the bottom! i was finally here in texas, after all, so i decided to live it up. the view from the top was vast.

at the woodlands town center thingy where you find (or design) your texas dream mansion. mom and i celebrated our birthdays while we were in the big state, and i found that pink scarf for her. she looks delightful in it.

ferry ride

docking on the other side. don't you love the hats??

here it is, battleship texas. they are raising funds to dry dock it. it cost oodles to climb aboard, so we didn't.

the monument

view from the top. my dad paid a quarter for a monument penny. :) ah, memories.