Mike-1, Sy-0

GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chargers suck!!! (aka Sy is a loser!)

This was my first Broncos game at Mile High stadium and I was sold! It was a blast!!

And that's how a Bronco is born...

When's the next game???

Coach Spruiell is Cool!

We headed to Colorado to visit Mike's family and had a great time! I finally got to watch Mike's younger sister, Amy, coach her college volleyball team. Amy is the head coach for Chadron State College and we could not be more proud of her! She has truly done an amazing job recruiting and coaching that team and it was SO exciting watching her coach. (She's the one in the red.)

And, of course, I couldn't leave Colorado without some pictures with the resident furry creatures.

Me and Toby, Mike's dad and step-mom's beagle:

Me with Jakey, Mike's mom and step-dad's poodle (I'm holding a treat in my hand to get him to focus on the camera):

Eat, Drink, & Be Merry

Our very good friends Craig and Amanda, flew to our side of the world over the Labor Day weekend to do what we do best in California...taste some wine! It was Amanda's 30th b-day so we had LOTS of celebrating to do.

Craig had our entire itinery planned out with multiple tours, wine tastings, and yummy lunches and dinners. Mike and I just promised them some great weather and good company.

Lunch at Mondavi was a highlight of the trip. We ate a 3 course meal outside in their garden and each meal was paired with one of their wines. Most of the food prepared in the dishes came directly from their grounds...it was so good!

Some of the barrel rooms we visited...

And the Newlyweds....

Introducing the Referee

As my good friend Alison put it, Toby gets no love...but he's a BIG part of our lives...even for such a small individual but he never makes it on the blog and that's going to change. It is mostly due in part to the fact that he never makes it out of the house...it is pretty much best for everyone. Toby is just as happy to stay at home and nap on the couch as the dogs are to go to baseball games and find tee pees while hiking.

Most people who know Toby understand that he's got a BIG personality. Toby's sole job is to pretty much keep us all in line. He gets involved if Jerry is picking on Sandy and even keeps Sandy in line if she's just plain annoying him. And sometimes if Jerry is being his occasional stubborn self, Toby intervenes and all of a sudden Jerry obeys. It is truly amazing to watch this little 10 pound man boss around 100 pounds of canine. Toby was the first creature on animal planet and deserves a post of his own. So let me introduce the "man of the house". First off, here's the most recent picture I've got of him...taken just a few weeks ago.

And as Toby does best, showing the dogs who is king and taking over their beds...

The furry creatures really do all get along! Especially on a warm day on the balcony.

The 4 of us hanging out on a Sunday morning...

Toby is a 5 year old (soon to be 6 in October) maine-coone mix that followed me home from work one day back in Houston and hasn't left my side since. He's not much of a cuddler but then again, neither are Sandy nor myself. He has a very sweet side that, unfortunately, many don't see that much b/c if you pet him more than he deems appropriate you'll meet his teeth very quickly. Toby and Mike have a love/hate relationship. Let's just say that Mike isn't a big fan of Toby (if you ask me there's a bit of a 'power struggle' as to who the 'man of the house' is) until he realizes how many spiders Toby actually kills in any given day. Then Toby is the #1 man on Mike's list (watch out Jerry).

And one of my favorite pictures of Toby at about a year old...

Take me out to the ballgame

One of the great things we have found living out here in the bay area is how dog friendly this area really is. Case in point: Dog Days of Summer! How do you sell more tickets to a Sunday afternoon Giants game? By inviting the furry creatures of course. Sandy and Jer-bear took in their very first baseball game this summer!



In the beer line...

And in the stands...

The dogs even walked away with their own souvenir Giants bowls too!

(Oh, and don't worry...we are still Astros and Rockies fans at heart...but I really don't feel like I need to remind you of that.)

Playing Cowboys and Indians

We went hiking with the dogs a few weekends ago and look what the dogs came across...

Yep, right in the middle of the park! Very random but Jerry sure did enjoy the shade!

Following the wildfires... (Part 3 of 3)

Wow am I behind on my blogging...I promise to catch up very soon!


To complete our wildfire experiences for the summer we headed to the booming metropolis of Redding, CA to visit our good friends Will and Jennifer Bond and their adorable baby boy. Redding is about a 3 hour drive north from San Francisco and is allegedly surrounded on 3 sides by mountains, including Mt. Shasta. I had been hearing about this for two years so I was anxiously awaiting to see Mt. Shasta!


As we arrived into Redding we couldn't help but notice the smoke in the air but it really hit us when we opened the car doors. We were in the middle of a campfire! Seriously! I couldn't help but begin thinking about marshmellows and graham crackers b/c it was smore-making time! We were supposed to stay indoors but really what was a little smoke inhalation going to do to us really??? Since it was apparent that I was NOT going to see any mountains this go around, nothing was going to stop me from seeing the infamous multi-million dollar sun dial bridge that I've been hearing about as well. So off we went to check this thing out...and it is truly a site to see.


You can see the shadow in the following picture...it is pointing to the time!





And here's one of Will and I standing by the marker that the shadow points to...telling us what time it is.





Will and Mike on the gazillion dollar bridge...

We were also lucky enough to meet a couple of Will and Jen's friends too...such a fun group of people! We EVEN managed to meet some friends of our own too...

We really had a great time hanging with Will and Jen over the weekend. We will definitely need to make it back if for no other reason but to see this Mt. Shasta that I've been hearing about. And we definitely have motivation to get back there to meet the new Bond girl. Did I mention Jen is expecting??