Wet weather and a new stripe!

Monday started out the wild weather for the week with some hail.  Then Wednesday and Thursday we prepared for some massive rain.  Wednesday it was extremely windy and we got a fair amount of rain.  They were predicting a high as seven inches of rain for the day but thankfully that turned out wrong, we got about 2.5".  But the winds were no joke.  It was shocking that we kept power and internet going all day, but thankfully we did.  Mason's teacher kept loosing power which was making it really hard for him to teach and the principal had to help keep things rolling.  

On Thursday Taz decided that he couldn't spend another day cooped up in his dog house all day like he did on Wednesday so he sat right outside in our view to make sure we knew he was there and getting wet.  So he basically did the same thing but got wet...  We ended up getting a lot more rain that was consistent all day with a total of about 4.5" for the day.  

On Friday I took this photo of the storm water run off behind the house.  It held up well and it was nice to see water flowing through it.  And during the day we got about 0.5" bringing the total to over 7.5" over three days.  That is a lot for us!  And they are projecting more rain next week!  Looking forward to seeing green hills again!

On Friday Anna had some visitors for her birthday (including a sign from her Grandma and Grandpa Arnold in the front yard), and a few more on Saturday.  Although having a fun 13th birthday party would have been great, she is keeping a positive attitude and joining the long line of people who also were stuck with quarantine birthdays.   

On Saturday the sun was out.  It wasn't hot but felt good!  Anna was able to go for a ride (a nice treat for her birthday weekend) and Olivier was still able to attend jiu jitsu in the parking lot.  And his hard work is paying off!  He got his first stripe on his grey belt!  We are proud of him, and thankful for the instructors who have done so much to keep thing rolling in these crazy times.  

We have enjoyed a quiet Sunday!

Anna is 13 years old! A little glimpse back...

As we celebrate Anna's 13th birthday, I thought it would be a good time to look back.  I will edit the photos after we celebrate tonight but wanted to start with these photos of our sweet girl!

 Here are the silly questions we ask each year:

• Favorite Color:  Pink (pink, pink, pink, pink, pink, pink, pink, pink) Maybe a theme???
• Favorite Book:  Not sure which to choose, there are too many! (Harry Potter or Keeper of the Lost Cities or Unwanteds, Unwanteds or Going Wild books by Lisa McMann, Harry Potter spell book, Harry Potter - all of them, Rainbow Magic, Rainbow Magic, Rainbow Fairy, The Cat in the Hat)
• Favorite Gift: Assassins Blade book (tall boots and Harry Potter movies, Hermione wand - from Harry Potter, pen pal kit, doll scooter, roller skates, wallet, pop charm bracelets)
• What do you want to be when you grow up:  Horse vet (Horse vet, Horse trainer or vet, horse trainer, horse trainer, horse hider, horse rider, librarian, librarian)
• Friends:  Lina her cousin and Lupe from school (Lina and Lupe, Lina and Lupe, Lina and Lupe, Lupe from school, Lupe from school, Lina her cousin, Sydney from Cal Poly, Sydney and Brooklyn from school)
• Favorite thing to do:  Read, write and ride (read and ride, read, read, read, read, read, read books, play on the structure at school)
• Favorite thing to do at school:  sitting a computer - sign of COVID times! (read, science, science, science, science, write, play on the structure, write in straight lines)
• Favorite food:  Macaroni and Cheese home made (Macaroni and Cheese, Macaroni and Cheese and ham casserole, macaroni and cheese, macaroni and cheese, Macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, macaroni, yogurt)
• Favorite place to go:  anywhere with horses (home, anywhere with horses, I forgot to ask!!, she wasn't sure where this year, school, beach, library, the secret forest - a place they trek to at school)
• How old will you be when you grow up:  21 (21, 21, 20 because she won't be a teenager anymore, 25, 20, 53, 34 - Same age as Mom, 16)
• How old will you be when you get married:  23 (23, 24, 22 like mom, she didn't have an answer and wasn't sure if she would, 30, 20, 20, 17 - and she said she would marry Mason)
• How old will you be when you have a baby:  30 (29, 29, she isn't sure that she will, 30 if she gets married, 35, 25, 40, she said she didn't know if she would have a baby)
• She is 5' 2.375" tall and in news she isn't excited about, Mason is now officially the exact same height...!  

Hope, positive momentum and riding Barbie!

On Monday, Matt and the kids hike to the P on a local hill.  It was a very windy day which you can see from their hair in the photos!  We talked about Martin Luther King Jr and how so much he worked for is finally making progress.  We have huge strides that still need to make but as we looked to inauguration day on Wednesday when the first female Vice President would be sworn in, we focus on hope.  

If you look closely at this photo (the one below) you can see how windy it is by looking at the boys hair!  

On Wednesday Anna and I watch some of the inauguration ceremony.  I held her close and had tears in my eyes knowing that another glass ceiling is being crushed for our girls.  Seeing someone in the role allows those coming behind them to imagine themselves in those roles, and this goes for the girls and the boys.  There is a lot of hurt in our country and we continue to focus on hope for the future and that the country is moving in the right direction.  

Later in the morning on Wednesday I attended our county vaccine task force meeting and it was less heartbreaking than the last two weeks but also because we weren't able to open the vaccine to more groups because there just isn't the supply.  

On a fun note, Anna rode a horse on Saturday she hadn't ridden before, Barbie.  Each horse has their own quirks and Barbie was no different.  She was rather silly with her tongue.  Check it out and get a giggle!  

Anna enjoyed the ride!  Big weather change this week from last weekend.  This week it was barely over 50 degrees!  

And now we get ready for what they are predicting to be a very wet week (maybe more than 5 inches of rain in three days, crazy for us!) and we will be celebrating a big birthday!  I told Anna she would be 13 today if she had just arrived on her due date!  :-)  

Happy 19th Anniversary!

This week we celebrated our 19th anniversary!  It was a nice simple anniversary.  We ordered a meal from a local restaurant for pickup and we enjoyed our nice meal at home while the kids had hot dogs!  It was a really nice day and we had fun talking about our prior anniversary celebrations.  

On Wednesday I participated in the County vaccine task force meeting (on behalf of the transit agencies in our County) and we got approval for our front line employees (Bus Operators, Utility staff, and Mechanics) to get vaccinated, as well as one other transit provider in our County.  The employee provide significant support to ensure the residents of our community continue to have access to the medical care they need, and in the future to support getting them to vaccination appointments.  It is a draining meeting to attend because as a group we want to open vaccinations to all the residents of our community, but with such a limited supply the availability must be limited.  The numbers are stark, there are 4,000 vaccinations available a week but opening the vaccinations to just those 75 and older has a need for over 26,000 vaccine doses.  It is painful how limited the supply is.  Our County is ready to administer 3,000 a day but they can't give what they don't have.  

Thursday and Friday were riddled with issues for our employees trying to schedule appointments, getting turned away when they did because there were communication issues.  We feel like we worked through those issues but we know the slow availability will keep tensions high.  And on Friday we found out that the national reserve we were hearing about doesn't actually exist.  Which means the slow progress will continue.  

We also had a bit of a hit wave that hit late in the week and continued into the weekend.  We had hamburgers on the BBQ on Saturday for dinner because it was so warm.  And we had to turn on ceiling fans to cool down rooms to sleep.  

Tensions in the Country remain high as we head into inauguration week.  Each of the state capitals has additional security, including support provided by the National Guard.  The Capital in Washington DC has a significant amount of security added in order to ensure the events of last week doesn't happen again this week also.  

We are half way through the school year!  We are assuming the rest of the school year will remain remote and although it isn't ideal, we are rolling forward.  

Anxious first full week of the new year

On Monday the kids started back to school.  Olivier was assigned a new teacher because we opted to have the kids go back in person if schools open back up and his teacher will be teaching the students who opted for distance learning the rest of the school year.  It worked out because he now has the same teacher Mason does (they are in opposite classes).  Makes thing every consistent for us a parents and Olivier seems to have adjusted without issue.  Anna's schedule may change slightly after the start of the second half of the school year on January 20th but as of right now it will likely stay the same.

On Tuesday the kids went to the eye doctor.  Anna's prescription has changed slightly and a new pair of glasses has been ordered.  

On Wednesday I participated in our County's vaccine task force on behalf of my work.  They have asked a variety of agencies to participate as they anticipate future vaccine doses being available for the coming phases, with transportation coming very soon.  Our employees are very anxious as we have been transporting to and from medical facilities and have constant interactions with the public.  It is a slow process but progress is happening.  As of Friday you can see how the cases are escalating in our area at an alarming rate:

During that meeting I was seeing that something was happening in Washington DC.  We knew that the votes from the Electoral Collage would be counted and likely contested but in the end Biden would be declared the winner of the Presidential election.  In an effort to try and stop that, protesters stormed the Capital building.  Lawmakers were evacuated and instructed to use their gas masks.  Just seeing that and retyping it now it painful.  Damage was done to the Capital, there were people who passed away due to injuries related to events as they unfolded.  There is a lot that lead up to the storming of the Capital building and a lot that happened after that could have been handled much differently.  And in the end, the protesters didn't change the outcome and Biden was confirmed, but the democracy that we all hold so dearly has been frayed and it is painful to see it in such a tattered state.  

We have tried to focus on the positive and this week has been another significant test of that.  Maybe we should focus on the Chinese New Year's celebration for the needed reboot?  February 12th!

New Year's Hike!

This afternoon we did our traditional New Year's hike.  The weather was nice, not too hot and not too cold.  We stopped at the big rock and I took this photo.  Amazed at how the sun/clouds turned out.  

When we made it to the top the peace sign made of rocks wasn't there anymore (neither was the cow, insert sad face) but we made a peace sign.  

Olivier found a heart shape made out of rocks and was doing a little meditation.  Wouldn't be a bad spot for it!  

And us!  Feeling very bless this January 1st and look forward to what 2021 has in store!  (And hoping for a few less curve balls!)