Friday, July 31, 2009

Tahoe with the Fam...both sides!

Last weekend, we got to spend time in Tahoe with not only Joel's cousins, but some of mine, too! We loved having my cousin Justin and Krys De and their two kiddos Brooke and JT with us for some typical Tahoe summer fun. :-)


Riley, Brooke, & JT dressing up at Living History Day at Sugarpine.














JT, Brooke, Allison, & Owen coloring in the kid zone.














Georgia & Owen playing on the beach at Meeks.














Brooke, Allison, and Sara play together at Meeks for our BBQ.














Joel, Brooke, JT, and Justin take out the kayaks.














Brooke waits for Joel to do the grunt work. ;-)














Me & Joel with Krys De, Justin, Brooke, & JT.











Monday, July 20, 2009

Jack Loves Lisa - & so do we!

While we were in Italy, Jack and Bridget stayed at the Animal Den in Sacramento (we highly recommend it!!!). The owner, Lisa, is a friend of ours that we met through the Aussie MeetUp group that we participate in. Lisa is the organizer of the group and we have been attending MeetUps since it began in April of 2008. We get together for monthly activities with our Aussies and love how Lisa always takes the time to make these fun plans to enjoy with our dogs. From camping to snowshoeing to hikes and general dog park visits - Lisa is always coming up with great ideas to keep our Aussies busy!

When we went to Italy, Lisa made sure that Jack and Bridget were well taken care of (read: downright spoiled!) in our absence! To thank her and sneak in a non-MeetUp visit, we had her over for dinner recently. Jack loves to cuddle so he crawled right up and claimed his spot as oversized lap dog. (We love Lisa just as much Jack, but she'd probably look at us funny if WE crawled into her lap to say thanks for all she does!)

Thanks for everything Lisa! You're the best!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

The Newest Aymeric Cousin

On June 27, 2009 - we celebrated the addition of the newest Aymeric cousin at Mike and Georgia's wedding in Atherton, CA.  Mike and Georgia have been dating since their days at UC Davis 7 years ago.  Mike is one of Joel's many cousins, so we have been fortunate to spend a lot of time with them at Tahoe or for other holidays over the years.  Mike & Georgia even came to stay with us when we lived in El Segundo for one of their Disneyland trips!  I am really excited to add another "Aymeric-by-marriage" cousin to the bunch and I couldn't be happier that Georgia is finally a permanent fixture in the family.  Of course, we always knew she would be, but still... :)

Allison getting ready to star as the Flower Girl...

The tallest bridal party I have ever seen....

Riley & Allison make their way up the aisle...

Mike seeing Georgia come up the aisle - always my favorite part!

Saying their vows...

Introducing....Mr. & Mrs. Walton!

Me & Joel at the wedding - about 22 hours after returning from Italy ;-) 

Arguably the cutest Aymeric cousin, Sara, with our nephew Owen, Kelly & Joe's youngest.  

Wait..these kids look like they've done this before....(not that they hardly remember!)

The Aymeric & Kleeman-Keller families all together

The beautiful centerpieces done by Georgia's brother's girlfriend - gorgeous!

Tim's Best Man speech

Ken & Owen with Grandpa Ray in the background. 

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Welcome home?

This is what we were welcomed home to when we returned from our big trip....















We are still sorting and digging through the mess we left when we got home.  When we get that done, I will send out pictures to show you all more about our trip!  





Sunday, July 5, 2009

Another Fourth of July in Tahoe!

Jack plays navigator on the way up to Tahoe.  He usually paces the backseat, but today he was pretty set on watching over Joel's shoulder.  
















Morning hike in Tahoma to wear the dogs out. Mission accomplished!
















Another day at the beach in Meeks Bay - my idea of the perfect summer day! 















Jenn & Melissa on the beach in Meeks Bay















Our friends Melissa & Brian came up to join us for the weekend. We love having friends come to Tahoe with us! 
















Melissa strikes a pose!















Since the 4th is my favorite holiday, I made cupcakes!  Who doesn't lick the bowl? 




















At the Meeks Bay Fireman's Pancake breakfast...where else would we be???

















We love kayaking in Meeks Bay - it's always fun to be out on the water!
















Our nephew Owen just hanging out ;-) 
















A typical day at the beach - Sara, Allison, Owen, and Riley















After the Tahoe City firework show - Happy Birthday Allison! 















The whole clan before heading home - Joel, Jenn, Bridget, Jack, Bruce, Brian, & Melissa








Friday, July 3, 2009

Happy Birthday Bridget!

Bridget turned two (uh-oh!) on July 2nd - our puppy is not a puppy anymore. :-/  

This year, I finally got around to trying a doggie cake recipe for the celebration.















I used this recipe for the Peanut Butter Delight cake with a fat free cream cheese 'icing'.  Since I used a star shaped cupcake tin, I think I should have decreased the baking time, but they turned out fine in the end! 















"Sit....."   (Shortly after this picture, Bruce couldn't take it any longer so he swiped his a few seconds early!) 



















Jack tried to swallow his whole...apparently he liked it! 















Bridget is our slow eater - she likes to savor her meals.  















The Birthday Dog licks her lips.... yeah! The recipe was a hit! 


 


Thursday, July 2, 2009

What's Cookin?

After spending 3 weeks traveling and eating out (albeit amazing, delicious Italian food), we were happy to be home and able to enjoy cooking for ourselves again.  
We are also aiming to eat at home as much as we can to break our bad habit of eating on the go - a habit that is both expensive and not the healthiest!  Here is one of my recently used recipes: 

"Not-Really-Fried Rice"
from The Biggest Loser Cookbook (we love that show!)














This recipe is really simple.  Ingredients are as follows: 

2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. hot mustard
1 tsp. chili paste
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
3 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut or shredded
salt & black pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup frozen peas
2 large egg whites
* This last time I added about a half cup of chopped mushrooms - yum! 

Directions: 
1.  Combine soy sauce, mustard, chili paste, and sesame oil.  Stir to mix & set aside.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, cook in a skillet or wok, set aside to cool.  Cut or shred.  (I have used a Costco rotisserie chicken many times in place of cooking my own!)
3. In a wok or large saucepan, lightly mist with olive oil spray.  Set over medium-high heat.  Add green onions, carrot, and garlic to the pan.  Cook and stir 2-3 minutes.
4. Add rice and peas.  Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes or so. 
5. Create a well in the middle of the rice to expose the center of the pan.  Lightly mist the pan with oil (off the heat). Add the egg whites & stir to mix into the rice. Cook 1-2 minutes, or until egg whites are completely cooked.
6. Return the chicken to the pan.  Stir in the soy sauce mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, or until hot.  

The above recipe makes 1 serving - only 415 calories!  I usually follow the recipe but add more chicken and about a cup of cooked rice.  That usually makes about 4-6 servings for dinner and leftover lunches for us.  It's a really quick and easy meal! :-)