2017
was kind of a big year for us. We visited 5 National Parks, many National Forrests and Monuments, made several great new friendships, drove countless miles on the road and we also got married.
January
was rainy and we did not do much in the way of excitement. Danielle started grad school and we adjusted to the additonal time that would take up.
In February, we visited some friends in Davis, CA for the annual Pig Party! An entire pig deliciously prepared in a wide variety of ways. And with only one hospital run, the party was a big success!
In March, we celebrated Ryan's birthday and at the end of the month we bought our TearDrop Trailer, Woody, and then we took him for his maiden voyage in April, to Yosemite National Park! We spent a week, camping, hiking and hanging out with our great friends Jason and Chelsea. It truly is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
In May, we moved into our wonderful house in a great neighborhood, with the backyard that we love!
In June we added Buzz to our family and spent the rest of the time getting ready for July. We started with making an awesome new friendship with our Couchsurfers (Quinton and Delia). Then the girls took me on my super fun Bachelorette Party! Finally, my parents arrived and we celebrated my mom's birthday at Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay.
Then we kicked off the Wedding Weekend. Which brought with it a wonderful celebration of our love. We spent the weekend in Tahoe, with our parents and close friends. We got married, had brunch, took naps, went to dinner and spent the rest of the weekend hiking, kayaking and enjoying being surrounded by friends and nature.
The second part of July was spent with the visitors who came for our wedding. We had a super fun Post Wedding BBQ to celebrate with our local Cali friends. We explored the city and its many breweries with Andrea and Kurt. Had a visit from Curt Reese, went to the Giants game and went whale watching with my parents in Monterrey. (note: I have no good pictures of the whales to share but we did see quite a few Humpbacks, it was super cool!)
In August we saw Ed Sheeran in concert. (One of the best shows ever!) We also went camping at Jug Handle Creek up the California coast and hosted a baby shower for Baby Patch.
In September we celebrated my Birthmonth with a trip to Sequioa National Park and spent a weekend among the tree giants. The later in the month we drove up to Truckee to a Basque oven in a beautiful field to say Farewell to my best friend, Scott, as he started his PhD program in Germany.
October
was our
big trip
, we hit up Lassen National Park, Crater Lake, The Oregon Coast and Redwoods National Park. It was amazing! You should read the attached green link...it's worth it!
November
was a great visit from Jason and Chelsea, hosted Friendsgiving followed by a long drive down to San Diego for a very fun Thanksgiving with the Paine family.
December
was the month of staying home. Danielle finished grad school and is now one step closer to becoming a Behavior Analyst. We got into the Christmas spirit. We decorated our house, hung the stockings with care, made cookies, drank coco and spent our first married Christmas at home, together. We had planned a great an end of the year trip to Seattle, however, the vicious flu virus had other plans for us. Ryan has been kicking the ass of that "In sickness and in health" vow though and I am finally on the mend.
In all, it was an exciting, fun filled 2017. We are looking forward to even more adventure and fun in the year to come. Happy New Year!!
