Happy Birthday G.G. Dorthy!

We went to Gilroy for the 1st swim day of the summer at the Chiesa home and to celebrate G.G. Dorthy's 85Th birthday! (the girls call her G.G. as in Great Grandma) Dorthy is my best friend Marina's grandma and my in town "mom" Marge's mother! Dorthy is a wonderful woman and has opened her heart and her home to family and friends since she was a young woman. Doesn't matter if you are related or not she is Aunt Dorthy to everyone! Today we all came together for the 1st swim day of the summer and her Bday. Her nephew presented her with a scrap book filled with memories from swim days and Easters of the past,truly priceless! Happy Birthday Dorthy we love you!

Dorthy with Pita, Carolyn, Betty and Pauline

Pita and Dorthy

Dorthy and all of her family listening to Greg's Birthday wish to Dorthy

Luci and her buddy Jessica, just days apart in age!

Ashley, Luci, Evie and Drew

After a cake delivery that Jim and Michelle helped me with Ashley, Luci, Evie and Drew got some quick play time before they headed home. (mika and abby are in Fresno) Thanks so much Jim bob and Michelle for helping me get that big order to Tehama safely!

Silly cousins Ashley and Luci!

"...Who's my favorite niece in the world?..." Ashley "I am!"

Luci and her famous faces!

Evie munching on seashells! Yuck!

"...Who's my favorite nephew in the world?..." Drew "I am!"

Fires, Thunderstorms, and more Fires...

On Friday I headed home from Fresno with Luci and Evie to be home for the weekend to deliver wedding cakes. I made a quick stop in Gilroy and noticed a new plume of smoke that was orange and black. I made a couple of calls to see if there was a new fire and no one knew. I then got a call from a friend and there were what is assumed 5 arson fires set between airport blvd and mar monte and in Larkin Valley. Needless to say I could not get home, so I detoured to Monterey to hang with Lisa until things cleared up. Lisa actually was evacuated from work due to a fire down the hill from the hospital where she works. We headed to the beach to pass the time and take advantage of the nice weather.

On the way home from my cake delivery to Tehama yesterday again I noticed a new plume of smoke in the distance. On the way down there we drove through lightning and thunder and a crazy rain storm. The lightning caused 10 grass fires on Hecker Pass. So this morning when we were trying to get to Gilroy to visit Kenna and go to GG Dorthy's bday party, we had to be detoured. It has been quite the weekend of weather! But we made it through okay and had fun at the same time!
This picture taken from Monterey of the Trabing Fire (near la selva)

Luci, Evie and I at the beach

taken from hwy 1 north, fire came right down to the highway

The girls and I in the pool.

We love you Kenna!

Our visit with Mari

I have been quite the social butterfly this visit to Fresno! Usually we get to my mom's house and never leave! But I have been to a picnic, baby shower, graduation party, dinner at CPK, the mall, back to CPK for pizza making, a visit to Mari and dinner with Deb to Japanese Kitchen! Wow! I got a phone call from my good friend Mari yesterday and she told me she was in Fresno so we went out to her house for a visit. The girls had so much fun taking rides on the golf cart and picking apricots and eating mulberries. Dr. Monty took them on the tour of the place and went off roading with them and then we came in to cool off and eat apricots! I have known Mari and her family since she was in 1st grade! That is just a little older than Mika is right now! Crazy! Mari just graduated from Stanford Univ last weekend and starts her Masters/Credential program on Monday! Congrats Mari, I am so proud of you! Thanks Montoy's for the visit! It has been a long time. We were lucky enough to see Dr. Montoy and Hilda, Mari's parents. They are great people and the girls loved them.





Mari graduated from Stanford last weekend! Yay Mari!

Makin' Pizzas!

My friend Deb is the Assistant GM at CPK in Fresno and she invited the girls to come in and make their own pizzas! The girls put on aprons and then got a tour of the kitchen, alot diffent from Marina's kitchen! And then they got to belly up to the bar and make thier own pizza! The girls had a blast and even made a pizza for Granpa Catfish! They had pizza for lunch and dinner yesterday! Thank you so much Deb!

Baseball games and Pool time...

Not many people other then me I guess call coming to Fresno a "vacation". But when me and the girls check in at Mom-o's and Catfish's house it IS vacation! It is non stop play time, movie time for the girls and I get to spend a lot of time surfing the web, sleeping in and hangin on the couch! We have been watching a lot of college baseball and hitting the pool at least once a day. We have been doing our best to get out of the house early, while it is still 85 degrees for some outdoor play time and then head home for movies, lunch and then swim time at Deb and Bryan's. It is truly vacation when i can send an awake evie down the hall and I can sleep for another hour! Do I have to go home? It doesn't get any better than this! Well, that is other than having John home to ourselves for the rest of the summer! We miss you daddy! Enjoy the pictures my European traveling family and friends!

Evie checking out Grandpa Catfish's socks

Evie checking out Luci's shower cap that Catfish brought home for her from the hotel in Cabo


Fashionista Abby

Go Dogs Go!

Evie playing dress up

Too cute!

too pooped to whoop!

Ever see a Catfish climb a tree?

When my dad takes to a project he goes all out! It is operation clean-up in my parents neighborhood so that means everyone does major yard work or house restoration and all of waste is out on the curb for the garbage co. to pick up. So Catfish decided to "trim" the tree in the back yard! He had a pulley system for his chainsaw and ropes to pull large limbs down! Needless to say the girls enjoyed seeing him up in the tree!