From that point on, we packed in the fun (and the food) with a group bike ride and playing at the pool (note: do not attempt to go down a water slide while dry-you will not slide easily and will hold up the line as you shuffle your way down, especially avoid this activity when your preggers because you look even more lame). We went tubing down the Deschutes River, golfed (well, the boys did) and had a spa day (that would be us girls), and scoped out Mount Bachelor. We had a very productive family meeting (Kris participated via telephone) to help Nick and I agree on a name for our daughter, we enjoyed a laugh-filled dinner with the Horn's family friend, Kara Magee, and, of course, cherished the serenity of our surroundings. Mom outdid herself preparing an Italian feast on Sunday night as well as some gourmet cookout cuisine on Monday before she and Dad had to get back home. Such a treat!
On Thursday, the remainder of us packed into the suburban and headed home. Nick and Grant got us home in record time with the sleepy direction of our navigator, Ben, but not without a stop off at Crater Lake, OR. It is so unbelieveably beautiful, not to mention positively frigid for being the beginning of August! Definitely a stop worth making should you ever be in that part of the country.
We rolled into the Horn's driveway and did our best to pack in the fun to the last two days of our trip. Friday was Nick's 29th Birthday!! Between deployments, military training, and sorority commitments, we realized this was the first birthday of his we've spent together in 9 years! What the heck?!?! To make up for lost time, we celebrated over lunch with our fellow Horns and then ran around savoring all of the shopping venues that we are deprived of in northern Tennessee...Nick and I enjoyed a delectable dinner at Postino's in Lafayette before meeting up with a few of our great friends at Blackhawk Plaza for a Journey cover-band concert over the pond. So fun!!! From there we made our way over to a random bar in San Ramon so that the boys could throw back some libations and Annie and I could chat, people watch, and avoid dancing with them (note: there is NOTHING sexy about a pregnant woman dancing). Friends don't let friends dance pregnant...Anyways, I digress...
Saturday, our last day, Nick and I took off in opposite directions...I got to spend some much-needed time hanging out with my Grandma Odell and Grandpa Hagg while Nick met up with his boys to play frisbee golf in Moraga and then tune in to some big UFC fight that apparently was a big deal (to some people).
We took off from San Francisco before daybreak on Sunday headed for home (by way of Chicago). We arrived home, lugagge-less, only to turn around and head out to a yummy Mexican Restaurant to meet up with our wonderful church group! They had banded together to shower three of us preggers with adorable baby gifts! What a fantastic group of friends we have...and what a wonderful way to cap off our "summer leave".
P.S. While we were in Oregon, Nick and I took full advantage of the lack of sales tax and purchased an obnoxious "parent camera"...It's way cool. Anyways, that explains the absence of photo documentation for most of the trip :-P.
Ben awake :-)
Grant trying to stay warm
Two Nick Horns and me!
Windblown lakeside
The majestic view
22 weeks down 18 to go!
The Bruthus at Nick's Birthday Lunch
YAY!!!! SO happy that you're joining the blogging world AND so happy that you got a parent camera (LOL) to enrich the experience! Emily Elizabeth is a great name-YAY!! And, I love the stories of dancing and going down a dry waterslide :) XOXO jen
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blogosphere! Now, no politics, PLEASE! Love, Dad
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