2009 is over!

What a ---- year this has been. I dont know the right adjective to use in describing this year. Probably because there is not one word that can capture what 2009 has been for us. Jan 1st 2009-Dec 31 2009 brought about so much change for us.

I am just happy we could throw the 2009 calendar out and welcome 2010!

Long Thanksgiving Weekend

What a great Thanksgiving weekend.

Enjoying a comfortable couch

I am sitting on our comfortable couch going down my mental checklist of the to-do list. This month has been packed full of events. Here is our November run down. We went to Reno the first weekend for my groundwater convention. (I currently work 1 day a week at the Ca Groundwater office). Cohen was in Utah for the second weekend. This weekend we are catering for Montgomery High School. We have 2 nights down and 1 to go. Next weekend is going to to be awesome because I have Weds-Fri off!!!

So stoked for Thanksgiving. I get to spend time with my family and eat, eat, sleep and eat. Perfect! Cohen is going to be having a busy T-day service at Equus as they have lots of reservations coming in.

I only have 1 complaint my left hip has been hurting since the beginning of September. I think maybe sciatic issues?? I have on/off pain sitting, standing, walking, running, laying down. It has really affected how much running I haven't done. I am hoping to get some relief for it.

Halloween

I hope everyone had a safe and sweet Halloween. Here are some pics from our night. I passed out candy at my parents while Cohen worked at the restaurant.

Sunday Afternoon

Its beginning to look a lot like fall....everywhere I go. Its the first week of October which means we have made it to my favorite time of year. I love Oct-Dec. Between the candy, parties, food, family and friends its a feast for the mind, body and soul.

Surprised by Minnesota

Labor Day Weekend in MINNESOTA / Twin Cities

Our trip to visit Cohen's oldest sister Brandi and her family in Minnesota broke down-no tore down-stereotypes previously held in my mind about the great state of Minnesoooooooota. The suburbian area of St Paul that we visited is full of beautiful scenery, homes and friendly people.

Here is a Wikipedia fact about the Twin Cities Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the most populous urban area in the state of Minnesota, United States, and is composed of 186 cities and townships. Built around the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers, the area is also nicknamed The Twin Cities for its two largest cities, Minneapolis and Saint Paul, the former the larger and the latter the state capital.

The area is part of a larger U.S. Census division named Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI, the country's 16th-largest metropolitan area composed of eleven counties in Minnesota and two counties in Wisconsin.

It has everything you need to live a fun filled life. There are lots of inside activities for the cold winters and BEAUTIFUL state parks, rivers, lakes for the summer.

To help with the captions the family members: Brandi her husband Jesse and their children Kaylen 10, Julia 7, Jayson 4, and Sean 2.

Cohen's Top 5 Highlights

-Hiking up the waterfall at Willow River State Park in Wisconsin

-Eating french fries, donuts, 1/2 gallon of root beer, bucket of cookies, fresh milk, corn dogs, and chocolate covered bacon at the fair

-Eating ice cream at the Grand Ole Creamery

-Shopping at the Mall of America

-Playing with my nieces and nephews

Aimee's Top 5 Highlights

-Meeting Al Franken at the State Fair

-Eating downtown St Paul with Brandi and Jesse and having ice cream at an amazing creamery

-Dutch oven cookout on Labor Day Weekend

-Seeing the Mississippi river

-All you can drink milk for $1 and a bucket full of choc chip cookies at the State Fair

one more.....eating Wisconsin cheese in Wisconsin

Jesse, Brandi, Julia, Jayson, Sean, and Kaylen

Julia

Chocolate covered bacon

Fresh strawberries and cream!

Brandi

The Senator/Stuart Smalley and Aimee

Jayson and Cohen

You could pick regular or chocolate!!

One of our many times in line

look the bucket is almost empty

Cohen doing Kaylen's hair

Grand Ole Creamery

Cake in a dutch oven..yummy!

Mississippi River!!! I didn't see Huck Finn though

I was obsessed with the corn in the midwest

Cohen having fun at the Mall of America

McOmbers, Bottega

Yum Yum

We had 2 amazing meals this week. One was in honor of our friends who are visiting from Micronesia. Cohen cooked up some delicous lamb and side dishes. Matt and Courtney McOmber have some funny stories about their past year living on an island.

Bottega

We visited Michaels Chiarello's restaurant Bottega in Yountville with our friends Miriam, Augie and their son Max. Augie is a waiter there. Chef Chiarello just placed second in Top Chef Masters.

Down the street from French Laundry and across from Bouchon...not a bad location

Gravenstein Apple Fair 2009

(Entries to the Apple Pie Baking Contest)

Apple fritters, apple juice, funnel cake, corn dogs, cooking demos, animals, hay maze....believe me I could go on and on and on.

This was my second year as Assistant Fair Manager of the Sebastopol Gravenstein Apple Fair. The job entails a years worth of planning meetings, multiple mailings, vendor database maintenance, 2 days set up, 2 days fair and 1 day of break down. The fair is held every year in August at Ragle Park in Sebastopol.

I enjoyed this fair so much more than my first year because I understand so much better the behind the scenes. The fair works #1 because the community supports it and #2 because there are many volunteers who dedicate their time to the Gravenstein. Each year I am reminded of the how historical/important this little apple is to us.

Here is an excerpt from the Slow Food Russian River website about the Gravenstein. "It is part of our local agricultural heritage, and yet it is disappearing so fast that it could become commercially extinct. In the 1970’s Sonoma County was the Gravenstein capital of the world: today there are fewer than 10 Sonoma farmers who still make a living selling apples.

The international Slow Food movement is committed to preserving biodiversity and regionally important foods. Working with farmers, processors, and local community leaders, Farmers Markets and chefs, and in collaboration with the California non profit Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), the Russian River Slow Food chapter is helping to develop high-value marketing channels for the Gravenstein, and to increase awareness in the bay area and beyond of the value of buying and eating this local apple. We are actively working to safeguard the future of the apple and the livelihood on those who grow it."

The fair has turned from a way to make a few extra bucks to a new awareness of a Sonoma County treasure-that is worth saving.

(Sue Loughlin the Fair Manager and Aimee)

(Everyone except Amber)

(Aimee working in the information booth)

(With the penguin/corn dog)

August is looking good

Despite being very sick this week August has gotten off to a good start. My oldest sister Heather relocated back to Santa Rosa in hopes of finding some fruitful employment opportunities. Our friends Kat and Ryan made it safely (and quickly) to NYC. My sister Dawn is having a blast traveling in Australia. And the Gravenstein Apple Fair which I am assistant manager of is next week.

Cohen is currently on the hunt for a new assistant manager so I plan on seeing him again sometime in September.

There are times in life when everything is perfect......today is one of them

Sunday I was high on life. We had just finished spending the night in Modesto with Cody (Cohen's best friend). As we were driving to San Francisco I was thinking to myself ....There are times in life when everything is perfect......today is one of them. Here are the reasons I had this train of thought (in the span of 24 hours these things were happening)

1) Just saw Cody and Family

2) Going to see our friends cross the finish line at the San Francisco Marathon

Aubrey ran the full and Kat ran the half

3) Going to see Sam and Ben Spencer and their families

4) Having a massive picnic with the Taylors, Bradys, Oroscos, and Spencers

To say the least it was a time when you can't take enough pictures to capture how you and your best friends lives have changed. You can only sit in a chair and soak it in.

Aubrey Spencer

Kat and Ryan

Aubrey and Kat

Finish Line

Brady Resort

Abby (Ben and Raena's dog) and Diego the tortoise
Cohen and Porter (Mark and Lora's son)

Elijah, Alex and Eliana

All of us

Ben swimming with Dillon (Sam's youngest)
Elijah (Paul and Anita's son) flying

Sam and Alex