Grandma's House

On Saturday we went to my grandma's house to help pack up items and get her dinning room set and china cabinet. My grandma moved to an assisted living community a few months ago, so we are sorting through the items still in her home. This is hard because she kept everything and there is a lot of emotions involved. We went through some of the items in her front room/dinning room, bedroom, and kitchen. I had fun finding items that brought back childhood memories and Rich had fun trying to sneak items into our take home pile. My grandma is a collector and a pack rat. She has more Franklin Mint coin collections than I can count. She also has figurines, stuffed animals, 8-tracks, Happy Meal toys, and the list goes on. She also has a lot of paintings and pictures of family. This is going to be a big job and I feel bad for my mom and uncle who have to do most of it.

I am happy to now have items in my home that belonged to my grandma and that we will be able to pass onto our children. I have added some pictures of the more memorable and interesting items we have. I have also added a picture of my grandma, Charlotte Oliveira, who I love very much.

Grandma and me Christmas of 2007.

Grandma's China Cabinet. Isn't it beautiful. I have always admired it.

Stained glass window my grandma made.

Some of Grandma's old purses and her beaded rose shoes I use to play dress up with.

Rich snuck home a giant fork and spoon. My grandparents got them in Hawaii. They will eventually hang in our kitchen. Rich was pretty excited about his prize and they remind him of the TV show "Everybody Loves Raymond."

Happy Birthday Mom!

Last Sunday we went to Rich's parents to celebrate his mom's birthday. It was a lot of fun. We got to spend time with some of our nieces and nephews and visit with Rich's grandpa. Luca also had a blast playing with all the kids. They love him and he loves them. Luca had so much fun that he was completely worn out the next day.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Last Sunday Rich and I fed the missionaries. I have been wanting to try a recipe I found for a pork tenderloin, so we tried it out on them. The pork was stuffed with a basil pesto which was also spread on top and then covered with a bread crumb/Parmesan mix. I was a little nervous that the pork might not come out, so we also made spaghetti and meatballs as a backup. We were happy to find the pork was delicious and went well with the spaghetti. Luca also enjoyed both the pork and meatballs.If you look closely under my arm, you can see Luca staring at the pork hoping to get some. He was sad he had to wait the hour for the pork to cook, but was happy when his bowled was filled with pork and meatballs. He ate faster than anyone at the table.

Daffodil Hill

Last Saturday we went to Daffodil Hill in Volcano, Ca. This is something we have wanted to do for the past couple years, but it is only open for a few weeks each year and we always seem to miss it. This year we were determined to go and last week was our only opportunity. The daffodils and tulips were beautiful. There are over 300 varieties and over 300,000 bulbs throughout the grounds. We were amazed that there were so many varieties of daffodils and took pictures of our favorites. Next year in our backyard we plan to make our own miniature Daffodil Hill..

Turkey, Deer, Pheasant...Oh My!

Today Rich got home earlier than usual, so we took Luca on a long walk along the bike path. I decided to bring my camera to take some pictures of the reasons we love the path so much. We saw a lot of wildlife and had fun watching Luca track the scents through the fields. The only problem was when we got home we had to remove the weeds in Luca's fur and he did not like it. We found a lot of burrs stuck in his fur, so we decided we probably won't take him walking through the fields of weeds anymore.

On our walk we saw deer, turkey, woodpeckers, and many butterflies.

While Luca and Rich were walking through the tall weeds tracking a scent they scared a pheasant and it went flying. It was pretty neat to see and I barely got a picture. I was really far away, so the blown up picture is a little blurry.

Easter Weekend

SATURDAY

On Saturday Rich and I went to his parents for an Easter egg hunt, B.B.Q., and visit with the family. Easter egg hunts are always fun at Rich's parents because they hide chocolate and money in the eggs. Rich and I usually go slow and let are nieces and nephews get most of the eggs though. It is a fun time and we enjoy watching the little ones get chocolate all over their faces.

After the Easter egg hunt we enjoyed spending time with everyone. Our nieces and nephews like our dog Luca, especially Nathan. He had fun playing with Luca and thought it was funny to get inside Luca's crate. We also took Luca on a walk and Nathan was determined to hold his leash. It was fun watching Nathan try so hard to hold on to Luca's leash and not get pulled around.

After playing with Luca and enjoying our B.B.Q. we celebrated Kobie and Rachel's birthdays. Kobie will be 5 on March 31st and Rachel will be 10 on April 1st. We enjoyed strawberry cupcakes and ice cream. Then the two of them opened gifts. Rachel loved her Legos and Kobie was really excited about his transformer.

That night we enjoyed watching Enchanted on Rich's mom's projector. Rich's dad watched the UCLA basketball game on the TV and we watched the movie on the wall. It is a cute movie and I enjoyed the music. Everyone enjoyed the "Happy Working Song" scene and we had to watch it for a second time because it is just that funny.

SUNDAY

Unfortunately on Easter morning I woke up with a migraine which lasted until 2:30pm. Rich went to church and I took medicine and stayed in bed. That night we planned to feed the missionaries, so we had to keep that appointment. I did feel better that night so we were able to have a nice Easter meal and color eggs. Rich and I have know each other for almost 12 years and we have colored eggs for 11 of those years. This is a tradition that we enjoy and will probably continue each year. Besides its always fun to have colorful deviled eggs or egg salad sandwich following Easter.

Starting our Garden

Yesterday Rich and I started some seeds for our garden. This is the first year we are starting our garden from seeds and we are a little nervous. Rich set-up some lights in the garage and we bought some seed trays. Usually we buy plants from the local nursery, but this year we decided to be a little more adventurous. We ordered tomato, pepper, and eggplant seeds online, so we could get hard to find varieties. We also bought some melon seeds at Lowe's to try. We are keeping our fingers crossed and reading the many books we checked out from the library to make our garden grow.

(Notice I'm holding a Martha Stewart book)
Here are a list of the seeds we planted:
Tomatoes
1. Neves Azorean Red
2. Oaxacan Jewel
3. Jersey Devil
4. Zapotec Pink Ribbed
5. Church
6. Florida Basket
7. Super Marzano
8. Sprite
Peppers
1. Giant Marconi
2. Rocotillo
Eggplants
1. Rosa Bianca
2. Kermit Hybrid

Once the ground is warm and danger of frost is gone we will also plant beans, soy beans (edamame), cucumber, and herbs. Rich and I enjoy having home grown vegetables around to turn into sauces, salads, and salsa. Last year, I started keeping a garden journal to document what we grow and if we like it. This way each year we can keep growing our favorites and then try something new. Who knew growing up that I would enjoy gardening so much?

This year I am also starting a flower garden on the side of our patio. This area gets some light, but not enough to produce good quality vegetables, so I am going to try flowers there. So far I have dahlias, gladiolus, poppies, marigolds, and zinnias planned. I will probably add a few more as I find plants that catch my eye. Last year we completed my small rose garden, so this year I bought a new mini-rose to put in a pot because that is all I have room for. My main problem with gardening is I don't have enough space.

We Love Spring

We have been enjoying the beautiful spring like weather and are taking advantage of it. We have been walking Luca a lot on the bike trail and enjoying the green grass and wild flowers. This past Saturday while walking Luca on the trail we let him sniff around an open field. He loves to smell and follow scent trails, so we let him take the lead and followed him around the short grass. Luca pulled hard on the leash and followed a scent toward some tall grass. Rich and I joke about Luca finding a pheasant and 5 minutes later Luca had scared a pheasant out of the tall grass. It was pretty neat to see and if we were hunters Luca would probably make a good hunting dog. It is so much fun to watch Luca follow scents. He really gets into it and sometimes snorts as he goes along.

Yesterday I took Luca for a walk by myself in the afternoon and it was so quiet and serene. We had the whole path to ourselves and I enjoyed the quiet. On our walk we came across 5 deer and 4 turkey. Even though we often see deer on the trail I still get excited every time we see them. We haven't seen turkey in a while so it was nice to see them coming back around this time of year. The only disappointment was I did not see the woodpeckers. There is an old tree along the path that woodpeckers live in, but the last few walks I haven't seen them. I hope they have not moved on because I always look forward to walking by that tree and looking up to see 2-3 woodpeckers hanging out.

I think we our so fortunate to have the bike trail so nearby. It is a beautiful place to walk and it is nice to have so much nature in the middle of the city. Now that the time has changed and it is lighter later, Rich and I plan to spend more time on the trail together.

BEAUTIFUL SAN DIEGO

We spent this past week on vacation in San Diego with Lisa's parents. We stayed in Oceanside and had a beautiful room with a view of the ocean. While there we went to the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. We also walked on the beach and visited one of Rich's mission companions.

The first day we went to the zoo. We got there just in time to see the baby panda. The panda was 7 months old and adorable. We were surprised when we saw the baby had climb up a tree all by herself and was comfortably taking a nap.

We then made our way to the Galapagos Tortoise exhibit. A couple of years ago we went to the zoo and missed seeing the Tortoise, so we made sure to see them this time. Most of you probably know Lisa loves Tortoises and Turtles, so seeing these giants was the highlight of our day.

On Tuesday we spent the day hanging out at the beach and visiting with Rich's mission buddy. At the beach Rich skipped rocks on the waves and I looked for shells. We both love the ocean and walking along the beach. That night we had dinner with Rich's friend. They served their church missions in Italy together. They had a good time reminiscing and catching-up.

The next day we went to the Wild Animal Park. We enjoyed the ride which takes you on a safari through Africa. It was neat to see the animals roaming free like in the wild. We were excited to see a baby giraffe and 7 lion cubs. We also had fun feeding the Lorakeets (birds) and riding the wild animal carousel.

We had a great vacation, but are glad to be back at home. We missed Luca and were happy to pick him up. We also missed our bed and are excited to sleep in it tonight. Rich has the rest of the week off so we are planning to relax and spend time at home.

Visit with Parker and Zoie

This past Saturday Rich and I drove down to San Diego for a vacation. On the way we stopped to visit with Rich's sister, Anne, and her family in LA. We spent the night and had a good time with our 2 nieces, Parker and Zoie. We were excited to see how much Zoie had grown and to meet Parker for the first time. We also enjoyed chatting with Anne and Craig.

3 Day Weekend

It was nice that Rich had President's Day off because it gave us a chance to work in the yard. We have been planning to plant a couple of fruit trees since we moved here 3 years ago and we were finally ready to plant. On Saturday, after finishing the last of the prep work we went to Capital Nursery to pick up our trees. We got an Early Elberta Peach and a Moorpark Apricot. Since there was a sale going on we also picked up a Mandarin Sunburst Miniature Rose because I love roses. That night we soaked the bare root trees and on Monday we planted the trees along the fence in our backyard. We are excited to have the trees planted and now we have to wait patiently for the next 2 years for the trees to produce.

On Monday morning we went on a bike ride along the river because the weather was beautiful. After about 2.5 miles I heard a loud hissing noise coming from Rich's bike. At first he thought it was his chain rubbing, but then all of a sudden he stopped dead in his tracks. We then realized his tire was completely flat. It went flat so fast that we were not able to pump it up to make it back home, so we began to walk. We walked along a back trail so we were not in the way of the other bikers. Since we rode 2.5 miles we had to walk 2.5 miles pushing our bikes. At first we weren't that happy, but it turned out to be a nice because the trail was pretty and we were able to talk.

That night after planting the trees we relaxed while playing our favorite Wii game Lego Star Wars. This is a game Rich and I enjoy playing together and we often stay up way too late playing. My favorite character is Boba Fett and Rich likes the Emperor.

For those of you wonder about Luca, he is doing great. His stitches have healed and he is the same crazy, high-energy, fun dog again. Actually, he was fine about 2 days later and we worked hard to keep him calm so he didn't rip out his stitches.

Luca and Rich are best buds. They like to play and relax together. Aren't they so cute.

Happy Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day was busy for us because like most of you we had to work. I was fortunate enough to get home around 3pm so I could make our dessert. Rich and I like to celebrate Valentine's Day at home alone with a good pizza. We don't enjoy going out to restaurants and fighting the crowds. This year we ordered 2 large pizzas from Round Table and relaxed at home playing Boogie (dancing/karaoke game) on our Wii. We also ate red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. It was delicious (if I do say so myself). We also exchanged valentine's. Rich gave me a giant heart shaped box full of my favorite See's Candy...3/4 full of milk chocolate-chocolate butter cream....HMMMHMMM! I gave Rich a box of See's Candy, Peanut M&Ms, and something to keep his puzzle pieces organized. For us Valentine's Day is about being together, relaxing, and indulging in cake and candy, so this day was perfect.

POOR LUCA!

Yesterday was a horrible day for Luca. A little after 1pm Luca and I went for a walk like we normally do. We headed down to the bike trail which is one of his favorite places because he loves to smell everything. As we started heading down the trail I saw another dog acting excited and running around its' owner. The dog was on a leash and off in the field 20-30 yards away so I did not worry and we kept to the trail. Luca usually ignores other dogs and this is what he did on this occasion. He didn't even notice the other dog and keep sniffing whatever scent he had found. A few moments later I heard the owner yell, "NO, come back" and she fell to the ground. My initial reaction was to help her because she fell pretty hard, but then I realized her BIG (100lb.) dog was running straight for us in an aggressive manner. I went to pick Luca up and get him out of the way, but before I could get to him the dog grab Luca's back end and started shaking him. I of course was freaking out and screaming as loud as I could. I tried to hit the other dog but he grabbed Luca 3-4 times before I was able to position myself in between the two of them and protect Luca. By this point the other owner made her way to us and got her dog, so I could survey the damage. At first I thought Luca was okay, but then I saw the blood. I noticed at least 2 places where he was bleeding on his hind quarters. I was very upset, scared, and unsure what to do. I didn't know how I was going to get Luca back home quickly because he was in not state to walk and he is pretty heavy to carry that far. That is when a true blessing happened. At that moment a park ranger came driving by and he drove me home. I was so grateful because by the time I got home I noticed he had more puncture wounds than I originally thought. I immediately called the vet and a good friend to help me get him there. By the time we got to the vet the bleeding had stopped, but I was still worried because I couldn't see the full damage. The vet kept him for about an hour and a half to suture the 5 wounds. Unfortunately Luca had to be put under anesthesia because he was too wiggly. When I picked him up he was walking on his own and appeared to be happy. All of last night he was loopy from the anesthesia and pain medicine. He also limped on his right leg where the worse wound was. It made us sad to see the pain and discomfort he was in.












Today Luca is doing better. He is acting more like himself which makes the recovery hard. Luca is not suppose to jump or play hard for 2 weeks. It is only day 2 and he wants to jump around and play with his toys. He also has to where a cone collar from time to time so he does not lick his wounds. Even though he appears to be feeling better he is unhappy he cannot play and has to where his cone collar. The poor guy can't see where he is going and keeps bumping into things. We also have to help him drink his water or it makes a big mess. Rich and I are trying hard to help him obey his recovery rules, but it is going to be a long 2 weeks.
This whole experience has been traumatizing for both Luca and I. I am just grateful the park ranger came by when he did and that my friend was home when I needed assistance. I am also grateful his wounds weren't worse and that I was not injured as well. Luca has been a true blessing in our home and we have grown very attached to him over the past couple months.

On Your Mark, Get Set, GO...It's Pinewood Derby Time!

On Friday the 25th our ward (church) had its annual pinewood derby race. For those of you that did not grow up around the Boy Scouts, the pinewood derby is a race held each year for the cub scouts in which they make their own car from a block of pinewood. The cars are then raced down a track and timed. The cars have to adhere to strict rules and must not weigh more than 5 ounces.
Ever since I married Rich I have heard all about the pinewood derby and Rich's glory days of old. He made several cars and won the race at least one year. I have always thought it would be fun to make a car and compete, but the race is only for cub scouts. But then we moved to Sacramento. In our new ward every year the scouts use the pinewood derby as a fundraiser. The cub scouts have their race, but then there is another competition in which anyone can enter for a small fee. In my mind this is ingenious because there are many men that want to relive their glory days of old and produce the fastest car. Unlike most of the competitors I like to make creative cars with themes. I don't care as much about speed, but I wouldn't mind being the fastest car. Over the past three years Rich and I have each made a car and had a great time doing it. I have converted Rich to making fun creative cars oppose to focusing on speed and winning. This year my car had a flower garden theme complete with potted flowers, ladybugs, and a butterflies. Rich made a coffin shaped car with Jack Skeleton (Nightmare Before Christmas) on top. During the prerace weigh in my car was way too heavy. We had to drill many holes in the bottom of the car to make weight. My car definitely was not the fastest, but it wasn't the slowest either and it looked pretty darn cool. Rich's car was underweight, so he added extra weights to the bottom of his car. Rich did well this year and placed 5th overall. He was happy with that and more pleased that he beat me because I have beaten him the past 2 years.

LISA'S CARS:

2006-Tortoise and a Hare

2007-Bowling Ally

2008-Flower Garden

RICH'S CARS:

2006-Pirates of the Carribean

2007-Spaceship

2008-Jack Skeleton

Luca Update

Luca is doing great. Today we decided to groom him ourselves. We have bathed him in the past and we haven't had any problems. Today we bathed him and clipped him. We did an okay job clipping him, but it took a lot longer than we thought and Luca was beginning to get antsy so we stopped. We still need to groom his feet and face. I feel bad because when I was grooming his head I used the shorter clippers and now the top of his head is too short. Luca looks like the bald bear from the movie "The Great Outdoors" with John Candy. The nice thing is in a couple of days it will grow out and he won't look like the bald bear or a balding old man. Even though his haircut isn't the best Luca is still cute and we still love him.

Yesterday we did a lot of yard work in our backyard. We did some cleaning up after that big storm a couple weeks ago and some prep work for the fruit trees we hope to put in this year. We spent almost all day outside and Luca loved it. He loves to run around and chase his ball. Unfortunately he got filthy dirty and was pretty smelly, but now he is clean and smells great. Toward the end of the day a sad thing happened. He lost his favorite outside toy, a glow-in-the-dark orange ball. Luca was so sad and is very attached to a couple of his toys...they are like his security blanket. He looked all around the yard for a while and then we looked too. We have no idea where it went and are afraid it got buried when we were putting down the grass blocker. That night we went to the store and got him another ball and he was happy again.

We have developed a new game we like to call the Adrian Monk game. The name refers to Lisa's favorite TV show "Monk". During season three episode 15, entitled "Mr. Monk and the Election" Mr. Monk plays a great game of keep away. We have adapted this game for Luca. Luca has his favorite toy, black kong, and a few others he likes. Rich and I get all these toys out and play the Monk game (keep away) in our family room. Luca loves the thrill of the chase and is quite acrobatic. Rich and I have a great time too and enjoy watching Luca leap in the air.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICH!

On January 15th we celebrated Rich's birthday. Unfortunatley for him he still had to work, but he did get off a little early. Since it was a week night and we didn't have much time we decided to keep the celebration simple. We went out for dinner at Black Angus and then home for cake. Rich wanted a chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting, so that is what I made. I decided not to put 33 candles on the cake because I didn't want the extreme heat to melt the frosting...ha, ha! Instead I found glow stick candles which were perfect for Rich because he loves glow sticks. I sang Happy Birthday to him, he blew out the candles, and then we ate. We gave Luca a special dog brownie made with carob instead of chocolate because we didn't want him to feel left out. After cake Rich opened his gifts. I gave him scrabble, picture frames for his office, Wii wireless head phones, and an IOU for the Wii Link crossbow. The gift he wanted the most was the Link Crossbow, but it was on back order. Originally amazon said it would not be available until Feburary, but Rich was happy when it arrived a couple days after his birthday. After cake and presents we relaxed and Rich played the Wii.