Another Great Visit!!

We just had another great visit from Ryan's mom, Debbie! We had so much fun and did not stop the entire time she was here. First, we went to Palm Springs...It was a cute town, but pretty hot...after all, it is in the desert! We took an ariel tramway up to the top of the mountains and hiked around.




It was absolutely beautiful! The next day we went to Temecula or aka the Southern California wine country. It was one of the prettiest places I have ever been to. It was definitly a great time and we found some wines that we like! I have never been a wine drinker, but I did find an almond champagne that is delicious! I am sure no one out there is surprised that after tasting all those wines, I left with two bottles of champagne! I know Natalin is out there nodding in agreement! :)
Here are a couple of pics...





The next day we enjoyed Easter with Ryan's cousin who lives here, Courtney. We went to our new church, Saddleback. The preacher there is the author of the book, Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren. He is a great leader and we can learn a lot from him. The church has 6 services, most of which contain a few thousand people each. It doesn't feel that big, but it is! We all bought this book "One month to live" which was being sold there for a discounted price. We are going to start a bible study with it if anyone wants to join! Also, after chuch we came back enjoyed a nice Easter dinner prepared by Yours truly! I loved getting to share my new culinary skills with others besides Ryan!



Now, for the new news here....
I think this pic can some it up....



Yes, folks, those are BINGO balls! I decided that I have extra time now that our last visitor has left...so why not give my time to the Seniors at the Orange Senior Center. I have already worked with kids, so now its time to give my time to the older adults. I just love it! I am now their official BINGO caller, so that the regulars can play. They take it so seriously! When they announced me as the new caller I got a round of applause! I speak into the mike and try to make it as lively as possible! They said I have young eyes so I should be fine...yeah well not so much. Yesterday I called G50-G51 and got all messed up. You heard this rumble thoughout the hall then I said I was sorry and to please excuse the mistake. Lukily they all started clapping and forgave me. My predecessor tells me that is rare! I have also joined some of their classes-- Yoga, Tai Chi, Strength Training, and now I can barely move my limbs... Those folks really know how to get the most out of a workout, thats for sure... The ladies in the classes are older than my grandparents and sitting there showing me up with bicep curls. It actually is amazing to see. I sit there and think, "wow, what is stopping me?" I met a 98 year old man named Al who I hope to keep up with forever! He was more mobile than me! I have met people from all over the world, including a man who was in Hitler's army!! Its amazing to meet people who have been around for so long! So these sweet people are my first official Californian friends!

One more thing...

Ich erlerne, Deutsches zu sprechen. I am learning to speak German. We are taking 3 hour classes everyday. Its tough, but I hope I am picking it up...Will keep you updated on that :)

Hope all is well with ya'll!
xoxo

A GREAT VISIT!

We just had the time of our lives with some visitors...OUR BROTHERS and AUSTIN! They decided to come out on their spring break from A&M. We decided that since they were coming we were going to do as much as we could in that week. They went to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Disneyland, Huntington Beach, Newport Island, and Big Bear Mountain!



We took the boys surfing at Huntington Beach. This is where surfing started in the States. We figured they wanted to go surfing so we would take them to the best place. I don't think any of us were ready for what we saw when we got there. Evidently the waves are big anyway, but this particular day they were HUGE! Even the locals were leaving because they couldn't even swim out past the breakers! They eventually got the hang of it, but it did take a while for them to feel it out. The first clip below is of the boys wiping out...its easy to laugh when you weren't the one out there trying it!



This next clip was at the very end of the day when David caught a wave. I figured it would be like a before and after!



After we went surfing everyone figured we would go snow skiing just because we can! They say Southern California is the only place you can snow ski in the morning and surf in the afternoon. We are about 10 miles from the beach and about 70 miles from the snow capped mountains. You get a view of them everywhere you go! Anyway we woke up and set out bright and early to ski. However, I woke up to a nice surprise, evidently while I was laying on the beach taking pictures, the beautiful sun was burning a whole through my legs! I woke up and couldn't even bend them to walk. I was SO disappointed that I couldn't ski...but we can always go back since its so close.

Anyway, the boys skii'd and the girls sat at the lodge all day! I actually got burnt again on my face! They had much better luck with skiing as they worked their way up to the black diamond slopes. They got their money's worth and stayed all day. I drove home while all slept!



Its hard to see everyone go, especially because you blinked and it was over! It is a hard reminder that we are not just a quick drive away from our families. We are looking forward to Ryan's mom coming soon. We will update after that!