Who likes their Dentist?

Hello Everyone in Clovis! I need a reference for a good dentist in the area. Craig and I haven't been to one since we moved here and I think we're both bout due. Everyone who likes who they see please let me know!

Tore up (see previous post)

Seeee- this is what happens when Craig doesn't wear chaps. The scars are 4 years old. His legs basically look like they are covered in hieroglyphics. Gunnar of course, had to jump in just as I was snapping the pic.

Craig's new toy

Just like his brother, Kent, Craig loves his power tools. I gave him a table saw for Christmas and he reacted like a kid getting the 5000+ piece Millennium Falcon Lego set. (which, by the way has been on his Christmas list since Dec of 07) Recently he and Steve went out and got a chain saw so Craig could trim our trees before the neighborhood pick-up day. Again he was like a kid in a candy store with that thing so, naturally, I had to document for the blog.
Oh- and notice his snazzy new blaze-orange chaps. Last time he "played" with a chainsaw he nearly cut his leg off, so this time- he got the chaps. Enjoy.







This awesome shot was recently set as the screen saver on our computer at home. And not by me:)

A San Francisco Treat:

Craig and I had an opportunity to visit San Francisco a few weeks ago, because our IVF doc is near the bay area in Santa Clara. (more IVF info to come) I had never been to San Francisco and I loved the area! As my friends and family will tell you, I am very much a city girl, and SF was no disappointment. We stayed in a cute little boutique hotel right in Union Square and it was a nice little 20-25 minute walk to the Fisherman's wharf, where, by the way I had THEE BEST lunch I have ever had to date. I even took a picture.
I had the jumbo shrimp cocktail and the cup of clam chowder. I'll admit I whined when they brought me the $15 dollar shrimp and there were FOUR of them, but after I was getting full after 2 I realized that 4 was a heafty amount- they were huge. For anyone who loves shrimp cocktail (I am a purist when it comes to shrimp) these were so tasty and so fresh, I swear they were still crawling around in the ocean as we were being sat at our table. And notice the freshly grated horsradish on the plate by the lemon- AWESOME. And the chowder! I like chowder ok, but this?! Mmmmm, it redefined chowder for me. And yes, Craig said his fish and chips were really good too, but that's as much detail as he would ever give so it must have been an award winning dish as well.
Besides the food- the city looked just like it did in Full House. I was hoping to get a great shot of the Golden Gate Bridge, but by the time we found it (in short- dont expect the golden gate bridge state park to lead you to it) it was too dark and too foggy. There are a ton of cool hotels, shops, and restaurants- my fav! And we did take a street car- since it was way cheaper and warmer than taking the cable car- but otherwise not much different. I look forward to returning and checking out more of the city and all its charm. I call it California's New York- the people seem much more impatient and antsy than most Californians I've met. And they honk A LOT!
This is a shot at fisherman's wharf- just downstairs from my amazing and unforgettable lunch experience.

My favorite Christmas gift (warning its a long read!)

I've been trying to figure out how to tell this story without making it 12,000 words long and taking 2 hours to write. If it sounds a little -all over the place...well, then, too bad. You either get all over the place or 12,000 words long. That being said...
Christmas was a treat this year. We got to stay home, and we had enough of a budget that we could really have some fun gifting to each other. Jump back to September- having just finished our kitchen remodel, I was looking for the perfect piece of artwork to go on the tall wall behind the dining area- table. The challenge was twofold: 1) it had to go with the kitchen, the dining area and the family room because it is all one large open area, and B) I had to like it. A lot. A really lot. Suffice it to say I hated everything I looked at. I don't like weird art, flowers didn't say kitchen/dining to me, not to mention nothing seemed to be the right color scheme. UNTIL...
We were at Z gallerie one day in Sept and I saw the perfect painting. The color was perfect, it was a huge painting- perfect for the huge wall, and it was a theme that felt like it would work nicely for the 3 rooms. It was a painting of cherries, nothing fancy. It was a happy painting. I adored it. Problem was it was pricey, and having just had a b-day in August, and spending all the $$ on the house, I thought it could wait until Christmas- if I was lucky:) Around November I started looking for the painting online. Z gallerie was kind of out of my way so I never really dropped in to check, but the painting was no where to be found online. I had seen it and found the artist's name online months before, but now it had seemingly vanished- like, from the planet. About 2 weeks before Christmas I stopped in to the store and it was no surprise that the painting was no longet there. The lady even said "yeah, I remember it hung right over there for the longest time. She even went into her computer system and it had been "discontinued by the artist"- meaning that the artist would no longer support the sale of it ANYWHERE. How selfish of that artist, the big fat jerk! I was heartbroken and I whined all about it to Craig. He was annoyingly amused at my pitiful display of utter disappointment.
Christmas Morning. We had opened all of our gifts, and I was feeling so happy that Craig liked the things I had given him (a rarity) when he said-"Ooooh, what's that over there??" He handed me a tiny credit card- sized wrapped...thing. I opened it and it was a large nail taped to a piece of cardboard that read "I wonder what this is for, look in the spare bedroom?" I was dumbfounded. A nail? For what? Was he building me shelves? My mind was a blank. And then...



There it was. I actually cried- just a little, though. Craig was the one that bought the last one in existence from the gallerie. It was the perfect surprise. That's why he was so amused by my sorrow, he had already bought it. I love you Craig- Not because you bought me something, but because you were more excited to give me that gift than I even was to receive it- If it was even possible.
So now it hangs on the wall on the very nail that was wrapped under the tree, and I smile every time I look up at it. -Really, I actually do, ask Craig.

ps- the other great part was that the painting was like 70% off since it had been discontinued. What a great story. (pps notice the popcorn maker- another gift from Craig. its so awesome! come over and we'd be happy to share a little corn with you:)

I haven't felt like blogging ok ! ...but now I do.

We've been all over since November and sadly, I am an idiot and I have few pictures to show for it. So this doesn't take me 2 hours to post, I'll give you the quick catch up and be done with it already.
1-We went to Hilton Head, SC with Craig's parents and his brother, Scott. It was awesome!

This was the golf course-Gator we saw. ONE of them. Craig threw rocks at it to see if it was real, but it still never moved. It was real though, I swear.

We flew from Hilton Head to Minnesota to visit my Dad , my Stepmom and some friends, but for some reason we didn't take any pictures. You'll have to just close your eyes and use your imagination here: here we are playing guitar hero and wii golf with my Dad and Brenda for hours and hours, now we're having dinner with my closest friends and playing catchphrase, and this is where we went down to LaCrosse, WI to show Craig where I went to college and to visit my friend, Richelle and her family. See? Doesn't it look like we had fun?
It was really nice to spend time with everyone "back east" as they say here in CA.




We went to Utah for Thanksgiving and the only photos we got were on the day that I went shooting with the boys. It was cold, but it was fun!:) I love the way I look holding a gun.

Stephanie Adams tagged me

Ok, I wasn't very good about posting after the first time I was tagged (i'd do it now, but I don't know where the card for my camera is) so I thought I'd come through with this one. You have to go into your photos, pick the 4th folder and then the 4th picture. This is Craig and I in my first trip to Disneyland, March 2007. Look at the short hair! Won't be doing that again anytime soon. Not that I hated it, its just not me. I've always had long hair (except in kindergarten when I had lice). Regardless, it was a great trip. Craig had just broken his foot and was in a wheelchair. Best way to do Disneyland because they have no wheelchair accessibility so they send you to the front of every line! I tag Linda, Stephanie Saunders and Kathryn.