Introducing...Ryder Noelle!!!

Gosh, I cannot believe it! The Good Lord has blessed me yet again with another beautiful niece. I am now an auntie 11 times over! My amazing littlest sister, Nessa (for those of you reading this that aren't family LOL), gave birth to a healthy, beautiful Ryder Noelle on 9/22/09 who is 17 days old today! I am so excited to meet Ryder when I come to Fla in November. Love you all! Beth

Wax on? Wax off? Waxing Philosophical? Yikes!

Oh my goodness! I have finally encountered a class in school that is truly difficult for me! There have only been two classes in which I have even felt challenged (by the curriculum, not the teacher LOL). This Philosophy class is really giving me a hard time. I really thought myself a decent thinker and that I was an 'outside the box' kind of person. However, some of the concepts presented in this class are so out there that I just hope to pass the class. Wow! I just keep telling myself that I just have to hang in there until 11/8/09 and then I'm done with my AA in Business. Pray for me!

Check out the new 'do'

Hola, people! Check out my new do! I decided to cut off a bunch of my hair (about 4") and the stylist showed me what I look like with straight hair (she blew dry it, which I have never done in my adult life). Now I can see why my mom spends so much time blowdrying her hair. I love this look! What do you think?

Ending days of summer...

Ah yes, the waning days of Summer stir in me both melancholy and anticipation. I really love the super hot temps we get here in Vacaville (average days are in the low 100s) because my garden grows beautifully with all of that sun & heat. I also enjoy all the cute Florida-style clothes I get to wear for a few months. Plus, we can only use our jetski during the warmer months so as the cooler months roll in, it gets stored away in the garage patiently awaiting another year when it can roar to life again.

On the up side, I find myself excited to be watching another football season rolling in. The sound of a football game in the house and that oh-s0-familiar Monday Night Football tune (dun-dun-dun-dunnnn) filling my ears brings a terrifically wide smile across my face. So many good memories!

Most importantly, as Autumn draws nearer, so does my November trip to Florida! My heart leaps with joy at the anticipation of seeing, hugging, and kissing every single member of my amazingly loving family. I giggle at the thought of hearing the melodious chorus from my nieces & nephews -- "Aunt Bethie!!!!"

On that note...I bought my ticket tonight & will arrive in Orlando on Tues, 11/24/09. I am blessed to be staying with my brother Chad, his sweet wife Steff, and their three adorable kids in their beautiful new home in Harmony. See you guys soon! Love, Beth

Gram's first time on the jetski

Check it out! My 80-year-old gram begged us to take her out on the jetski...so we did. We launched where we normally do -- Lake Berryessa. She had an absolute blast. Gram says she loves anything that goes fast and wished she could have stayed out longer. Here's a picture of her and dad on the jetski.

Woohoo! On Vacation!

Hola! Just thought I'd let you all know where NOT to go for vacation. Dad and I decided we wanted to see the Giant Redwoods up in northern CA, so we chose Garberville (about 4hrs north of us) as the spot where we would rest our heads for a couple nights. The geography was absolutely stunning. Garberville, however, left much to be desired. The locals were not friendly, the shops did not seem to want us there (and begrudgingly took our money), and some of the merchandise available for purchase was stamped "locals only". Guess we should have taken our cue from that, huh? Anyway, here's a pic of Dad's car inside the beautiful Chandelier (drive through) tree. Pretty neat!