I Love You, California!

In September my dear Grandma Gladys passed away. We miss her very much, but it was the end of her journey and we are very happy for her. We know she is with us every day and that she is with Grandpa, too! Grandma gave me one last gift, and that was bereavement time from work. I took full advantage of this and used it during the Thanksgiving holiday, so that our whole family could be together, enjoy good quality time together, and celebrate and be thankful for Grandma. The first stop on our trip was Madison. Will and I spent some time with his family and had an early Thanksgiving with his parents and some close family friends. We had a nice time relaxing around our parents' houses. The new Edgewater Hotel had opened up since we last were back, so my parents, Will, and I stopped to take a look around, have a drink, and a little snack. It was a beautiful winter's evening. Outside the Edgewater On Wednesday my parents, Will, and I drove down to Chicago wher...

Of course Will didn't stop at a night out for dinner! We love going out on adventures to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and even just any old day! Will had made plans for us to go parasailing the Saturday after my birthday, but I was so sick we had to postpone it. Since we were so busy, we didn't have a chance to go until today. I had the day off for Veteran's Day, and Will took the day off as well, so we turned the day into another day of birthday celebrations! The first thing was a mimosa brunch at home. Then we were off to Waikiki for parasailing. It was an absolutely beautiful day. A bumpy pano of Waikiki! All strapped up and ready to go. Will and I went up to 1000 feet high! It was pretty windy so we got a little shaken around, but that made it a fun, exciting trip. We got such awesome views and felt like we were on top of the world! When we came back down, the captain asked if I would be willing to go again with a girl who was th...

Right around the end of September, beginning of October, the kids and teachers in my classroom were passing something around to each other. It seemed that everyday for a couple of weeks there were a couple of people absent. And so it went that I got sick the week of my birthday! Will had planned us a very nice weekend of dinner on my birthday (which was a Friday night, too!) and going to some other establishments in the area afterward. I did my best to get through and enjoy dinner (which I did!) but all other plans had to get postponed. My sister came to visit the following weekend, then Will was busy with work and traveling, so finally today, a month later, we were able to celebrate! Will took me out (thanks to my great in-laws) to an amazing dinner at Nobu, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant famous for sushi, blackened cod, and delicious small plates. It also happens to be one of President Obama's favorite places to visit when he comes to town. But before dinner we stopped...