A great fall night.

A crisp fall night and a rack of ribs. Dave and I made ribs and had a lovely dinner on the deck. We had to share...Beatrice had a few bites of Mom and Dad's ribs tonight. After dinner she passed out on the couch...could she be any cuter?

Sweet sunny south...the garden produces!

We have worked very hard on our garden this year....well, Dave has! He loves growing veggies. He works in the garden every day after work and for hours on the weekends, it's quite relaxing for him. Here are some of our latest productions. We grew sugarshack tomatoes and grape tomatoes this year instead of romas and they have been great. We've had homemade salsas, stir-frys, it's been awesome! This year for the first time we also grew okra from seeds. They started out in the garden but weren't getting enough sun so we moved them to the deck...we were so excited to see an actual okra!

With Kinney's advice, we've been growing them and they are ready to eat!We weren't sure when they were ready, but Kinney said to measure to about 3 inches.

For our first okra dinner we cooked cayenne peppers, okra and tomatoes -- all from our garden! Sooo yummy!

What a beautiful buzz, California!

We just returned from a wonderful trip to California. My cousin Liz had a beautiful wedding in Carmel, which was a great excuse for family time! Then Dave came out and we made a trip to Pismo, Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey and San Francisco. A trip of a lifetime for us, we loved it! The first full day there we got to see Susie's horse, Spot. He's so big but awesome. Liz also took us to a waterpark - a great day! The next day we headed to Carmel for the wedding festivities. We stayed at Mission Ranch, a beautiful spot in Carmel. "Mr. Eastwood" (as the sheep herder told me) loves his sheep! Josie and I even got to feed them. It was awesome.

Josie is a big animal fan and loved giving them their dinner! On Friday The Greens and I went to Point Lobos to hunt out some seals. We found a few and some sea otters. It was great to spend quality time with Katie, Pryor, and Josie.

Josie was a beautiful flower girl and so was Liz's other cousin, Geo. He was so cute with his hat!

The whole family came out, minus Dave...it was wonderful to all be together but we sure missed him!

What a beautiful couple The Brushes are! We are so happy for Lizzie that she found Colin! Josie tore up the dance floor, loved it! She especially liked Justin Timberlake, it was hilarious!

I am so lucky to have such great parents and to get to spend this time with them, it was wonderful!

The wedding was beautiful and the reception was a blast! Loved having everyone together.

Dave arrived on Sunday and we were off on our little adventure. First stop was Pismo Beach in Central California. It was warmer and very sunny. We loved it. Our hotel was on a cliff in Pismo Beach, very different from the East coast. We loved the sunset that night.

It was so nice to get away and relax. Best trip we've had in years!

The next morning we went on a run and took in the coast. It was so peaceful.

We didn't want to leave Pismo but were excited to head up to Big Sur.

On Monday we went to Nepenthe for lunch in Big Sur. Everything was amazing -- the wine, the food and the view. Could have stayed there all day!

We had local wine, local artichokes and some goat cheese. It was the most relaxed either of us have been in years, just soaking up the California sun! Then on to the 17 Mile Drive and Pebble Beach. It was a dream come true for Dave to see Pebble. We were so excited!

We did some shopping at Pebble, we had no idea it would be so cool! Just a wonderful day.Would love to have played Pebble, some day! Some day!

We left Pebble and checked into our hotel in Monterey. We ate some amazing seafood and also went to the aquarium. We also did some shopping in Carmel and ate some amazing fish tacos. It was colder there, that was the only bummer!

We stayed in downtown Monterey and there was a Tuesday farmer's market on our street. Dave got so excited about the fruit and yummy food. I also loved the bluegrass music and the beautiful flowers. It was a great California experience.

After two nights in Monterey we headed up towards San Francisco. We stopped in Half Moon Bay for lunch at Sam's Chowder House. They are famous for their lobster rolls, so we had to try it! I can see why The Today Show reccomended it!

The view of Half Moon Bay from Sam's was awesome.

The server at Sam's told us how to get to Mavericks surfing spot. Dave was excited to see it, although there are no large waves this time of year. We saw the rock memorial to Mark Foo there too.

On Thursday we had a great day in San Francisco. Kirstin gave us directions to all the hot spots. We saw Haight/Ashbury, Lombard Street and Fisherman's Wharf. It was a perfect day in the city.

We saw so many sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf...it was so cool. They were so loud and so stinky but fascinating. We decided Beatrice is part sea lion because she likes to sleep on her side on top of other animals or people. And well, she's a little stinky too!

Honestly, the sea lions were way cooler than anything we saw at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We could have stood there all day if it wasn't sooooo cold! We had some great seafood on the west coast, but this dungeoness crab cocktail is on the top of the list! So fresh and yummy!

The ending of the trip was amazing too - we went to Phish with Jonathan and Craig. It was a great show with great friends. What a wonderful trip we had!

Summer happenings

Dave and I have had a great summer in Greenville! The garden is growing, the sun is shining and life is good! Here's a few pics of recent happenings...

Our 6th wedding anniversary celebrated with a few mojitos, our summer favorite!


And....the 4th of July in downtown Greenville.

Best view -- the parking lot of Chicora Alley!


And a mid-July trip to Williamsburg! Katie and Josie's new home as Green's!

Beatrice is a birthday girl!

Beatrice turned 5 on April 2! She got a birthday pupcake, new collar and leash, and many little treats from Barkery Bistro.


Yummy carrot and banana pupcake!


She couldn't wait to tear into it...


Wearing her new purple daisy collar.


Loves her mommy -- even though Dave kept saying, "Look what Daddy got you for your birthday. Daddy got you a pupcake!" Yeah right, haha!


The day we got her, 7 weeks old! How did she grow up so quickly?

Look how little! We are so lucky to have such a cutie in our lives! We love you, Beatrice!

Ahhh, Arizona!

Dave and I just returned from a lovely four day trip to Tucson. The Southwestern Surgical Congress had their annual meeting there and we soaked up every minute of the warm Arizona sun. We had never been to Tucson and fell in love!


The Catalina Foothills on the way to the Loews Ventana Canyon. What a view!

Dave enjoyed the conference very much and I enjoyed the pool very much! We also got to spend a lot of time together, which was great!!


We found La Encantada - full of great shops and restaurants...turned out to be our frequent hang out in Tucson!


Need the perfect mojito? Just go to BluePoint Kitchen in Tucson. Heavenly!


Ahhh, see why I love this place?

The most beautiful spot at the Loews. And the koi fish in the pond were huge!


The Catalina Foothills of Tucson, love the cacti.


Ok, my idea of camping. At our hotel you can get s'mores to roast at the fire pits. My first time roasting and loved every second of it!


Before the roasting began...


Dave doing some damage, we loved them!


Driving in Tucson one cannot miss the mountains. They took my breath away!


We loved our Western beers - Santa Fe, Alaskan and Sweetgrass from Wyoming!


Dave after winning the Southwestern Surgical Congress Golf Tournament! Longest drive and won the tournament. Sweet score and $100 gift card to the pro shop.


At our favorite spot in Tucson, La Encantada...we are in love with you, Tucson! Please invite us back again!