Our trip to Brighton, Iowa

Brighton, Iowa

Tom took his kids, Madison and Grayson and me to visit the farm he grew up on in Brighton, Iowa where his parents still live. Visit our album above to see the pictures.

Nathan's 8th Birthday

Nathan's 8th Birthday

Click on Nate's photo to visit his birthday album.

Jackson's Day at PetCo Park

Jackson's 6th Birthday

July 16th we celebrated Jack's 6th Birthday at PetCo Park. The Padres beat the Mets! It was a blast. See the album attached.

Throwing Rocks

Throwing rocks

The fires started on Sunday. Tom and I packed for the boys and us Sunday until about 2:00 am. Monday morning we went outside and it seemed the whole neighborhood was out assessing the danger. I started working in the garage to grab photos and memories from my father and grandparents. The smoke continued to get worse, the sun barely showed through the smoke. At 12:30 pm we got the reverse 911 call. The car was already packed but where do we go? We had planned to go to Tom's apartment in Carmel Valley, directly west of us. The evacuation was just north of the 56 highway which is less than 1/4 mile from Tom's complex. But we went. We loaded my car with the cats in their boxes and Nate decided to brave the ride with me. Tom and Jackson took Tiki in his car and we took off. On our way out we waved to our neighbors and promised to text our locations when we got there. The afternoon was filled with unpacking food, settling in the cats, and tension. Towards sunset Jack was bouncing off the walls in the one bedroom apartment. I loaded him in the car and headed just west to Torrey Pines State Beach. He needed to release some energy. So we threw rocks and let our minds wander the open ocean in front of us.

Halloween 2008

Halloween 2008

My 1st Star General

First Star General

Nathan tested for his first star black belt test. He is a 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. This test is his 1st star. He needs 3 stars before he can test for his 2nd degree black belt. He was so nervous before the test! He didn't eat dinner and when we got there he looked pale and a little green. He did all his forms perfectly, he sparred against several one-on-one opponents before sparring two-against-one, and he broke a board with his arm/elbow. I think he was really releaved after it was all over.