California, Camping, and Cats......

I have been meaning to send out a blog update for the past few week but somehow have managed to steer clear of all things technology related. I think after my trip to California being surrounded by mass media, cell phones, and cars sent me into a techno-coma! As immediately after landing in Montana, the quiet was almost deafening and persuaded me to shut my cell phone and computer off for just a few days of recovery. Of course, as a result, I am majorly behind on updates!

Dale and me on the Queen Mary

The rest of my trip in California was amazing. I was able to spend some quality time with family, which was the first time in over a year! My mom spoiled me with new maternity clothes, bras that actually fit, and jeans that can be worn without a fear of them falling down!! Of course, my grandparents did their part spoiling me as we ate delicious food every night, food that made the baby kick like crazy and me, almost forget how to cook! I was sad to say good-bye to everyone as I am the family girl, or rather, Nana&Papa's girl, because I love spending time with them and hate saying good bye!! The next time I see them, I will be carting around an infant!


Almost the whole family!

Of course, Dale made that sadness go away when I arrived in Missoula. He surprised me with roses lining our walkway, a clean house, freshly set dinner table, and a feast for two (actually, 3)! We have since then been relaxing and enjoying what little time we have before friends and relatives start visiting in August, soon to be followed by our new addition in October!


My brother and me at Belmont Shore

Since I had a few weeks off of work, Dale and I spent our days playing frisbee with Emma (she got a new KONG frisbee which has been like crack for a dog!) cooking, and sleeping. We made some amazing meals! One night, we made seared flank steak served over corn polenta and drizzled with a white wine reduction. Another night, we made 40 cloves of garlic chicken served alongside a crimini mushroom risotto. And another, we got more creative and using lettuce and radishes from our garden we made flanksteak seared with radish and served over fresh greens. I promise I will post these recipes soon!


Leaf Lettuce from my garden!!

Tis the season for summer garage sales and Dale and I have been stalking sales in search of baby stuff and new household items. We havent had much luck but we were able to find a THREE wheel bike that has a basket large enough to hold Emma and stable enough to support my pregnant self without a fear of falling. It is amazing and I have been enjoying my tricycles (as Dale refers to it) riding to the park! We were also purchased a new Calphalon 16 inch saute pan which has been an amazing addition to our new family!!! It sears perfectly and cooks evenly and is a major improvement from our former skillet that leeched teflon into our cooking.


Dale on my NEW bike!

We were so excited to head out camping for a few days but realized about 30 minutes from our destination that it was almost 4th of July weekend. Stunned by all the RV's behind us, we were determined to find a suitable campsite free of people. We ended up at Lindbergh Lake (2 hours aways) where we did find an amazing campsite and spent two blissful days floating in the lake, hiking, and reading around a campfire and playing rummy. Unfortunately, our second night was interrupted when a bunch of people showed up drunk, setting off fireworks (which is ILLEGAL!) and making noise well after 10pm. We tried to ignore the noise, but we really came out to enjoy nature not listen to a bunch of idiots so we packed up and returned home.


My mom and me on the Queen Mary

I was a little disappointed having to cut our trip short but it was a good thing we did because when we got home we discovered that our cat, Sascha, had a urinary blockage again. He had struggled with this back in January and he spent 2 days with a catheter in at the vet. We thought the problem had fixed itself, but apparently not. We took him to the vet and $326 the crystals causing the blockage are gone, but he will have to stay on a special diet, drink filtered water, and continue taking prednisone. Normally I am opposed to spending this kind of money on animals but in Sascha's case, the problem, which is easily fixed, is fatal (within 48 hours) if left untreated. Fortunately, we have been saving money to buy a new bed this month and we had extra cash....bye bye bed, hello vet bill! He is home now and doing well but he is going to need extra attention over the next few weeks.

Lastly, Dale and I are starting to get baby ready. I am in the process of washing all of the new baby clothes we received at our baby shower. We have a crib coming our direction shortly and are starting to look more seriously at strollers and carseats. We have narrowed down to four names, but will probably not decide on one until D-Day (although we do have a favorite that will not be revealed until afterward!).


My nana and me

Dale is starting to get more serious about his career in the beer and wine industry and is looking at becoming a certified sommelier through the Court of the Masters Sommelier program. It is an intense program that has a very low pass rate, there are only 171 Master Sommeliers in the US! Nonetheless, they have a two day class and exam at Big Sky Resort (MT) September 21-23. So Dale is starting to study, blind taste, and prepare for the exam. If he passes the introductory (in which he would become a "certified sommelier"), they will invite him to take the next level all leading up to "Master Sommelier". All in all, it would be about 3 years before he could become a Master Sommelier but it would be the highest distinction in his field and would further his career astronomically!

Anyways, I will post pictures of our camping trip and California soon!