Disney California Adventure

On Paul and Timothy's birthday this year, we decided to take advantage of "free on your birthday" deal at Disneyland.  We flew down to L.A. and stayed with my parents.  When we arrived at the gate, the ticket booth told us we need to purchase the birthday tickets separately due to identity theft.  He then proceed to give both Paul and Timothy and button that says Happy Birthday "name", Timothy didn't like to "name" there, so he took his button off.  While we were at the park, Daddy was recognized by park employees, and we hear "Happy Birthday Paul" but no "Happy Birthday Timothy", and then he decided to put the button back on for some luck.  Well, while we were at talking to crush.  He got picked! And the turtle sing him "Happy Birthday song".

What a treat!

Biking with Timothy

Thanks to boy scouts, Timothy and I completed 15 mile bike ride last week. Biking through Los Altos Hills was amazing. I see squirrels flying by infront of me and bikers fly by me. The slope was scary to go down. I learned how to shift my bike gears really well now. I saw Arastradero Hills preserve, pass by horse equestrian center, saw Roche and SAP, and lots more. I love biking for its sense of fun, freedom and and adventure.

Graduation

This is the year I have been waiting for.... two graduations in one day :) 

Monica graduated from 8th grade this year and Timothy graduated from 6th grade.

The kids grew up so fast.  Here are the photos.

Charlie

We found out this week that Charlie has progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). It's a disease that lead to blindness in dogs. The retina is the structure affected in PRA. This important part of the eye receives the light gathered and focused by the other eye structures. It takes the light and essentially converts it into electrical nerve signals that the brain, via the optic nerve, interprets as vision. The retina contains photoreceptors, called rods and cones, which help the animal see in darkness (rods) and see certain colors (cones).
I am learning how to live with a blind dog and understanding that we will love him even more than before.

Pescadero

While walking with Charlie one morning, my neighbor told me about Pescadero.  She says I should take my kids to the beach near Pescadero.  There are lots things to explore.  So, the next free weekend I can find, we headed toward Pescadero.  

Here is what we discovered about the town....

Pescadero is established in 1856, it is nestled between the ancient towering redwood forests and the pristine coastline, offering miles of hiking trails and endless wind swept beaches.  The town, with its historic frame houses and steeple churches grew from a single adoble dwelling on a Mexican rancho in the late 1840's.  Pescadero, accessible by stagecoatch from San Francisco, became a fashionable country "resort".  Local produce including artichokes, kiwis and olalliberries, as well as locally produced goat cheese and artisan breads. We took a stroll down the Old Stage Road, and discovered small shops, wood-fired pizzas, artichoke bread.  It was a peaceful and we enjoyed the beauty of Pescadero.