Meyer Messenger

Yoho Yoho a pirates celebration for Josh

2010-03-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

I don't think you are ever too old to celebrate a birthday. Fortunately my daughter has inherited this love of parties and is great at coming up with themes for parties. For her husband Josh's 33 b-day we made him "walk the plank" and celebrate the pirates way.

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Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-23T08:49:00.001-08:00

Wishing all of our family and friends a very blessed Christmas and New Year filled with joy, peace and good health!
My New Years Resolution is to keep this blog up better.

Welcome to the World Addy

2009-06-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

On May 28, 2009 another of God's miracles arrived. Adelynne Rose. Perfect with ten little toes and ten little fingers. Larry and I are thrilled to have another granddaughter to spoil and love. Megan and Josh are doing great and Isabelle is adjusting to being a big sister. Josh was able to stay home from work the first week the baby was born and then I took the second week to help. Changing diapers, feeding, bathing, rocking and keeping up with Isabelle is a full time job and then some. Mothers have the hardest job on the planet. By Friday I was blissfully exhausted.

Count Down to Baby O#2

2009-05-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Surrounded by love, friendship and family Saturday was a celebration for the upcoming "birthday" of Baby O #2. Our newest little girl is due to arrive on June 5th and we all wanted to make sure Megan and Josh have everything they need to bring home little Adelynne Oldenburger. Megan's sister-in-laws, Marsha and Kelly , her sister, Katie and her two dear friends Brooke and Liz coordinated and were hostess to a beautiful shower on Saturday. Though we were going to have the event in my backyard, the weather was way too hot so we stayed cool in the house and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. We even learned some rather weird but true trivia thanks to Brooke. Like the largest baby born was 23 pounds. -Ouch! And the oldest woman to give birth was 66 years old (that just isn't right!) Did you know a baby has no knee caps when it is born?
Lots of diapers and pretty things in pink thrilled Megan and Josh quickly added up that they will have enough diapers to be able to change for at least 80 days after baby is born. That will save them a lot of money.

A True Friend is a Treasure

2009-04-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes in life God gives us angels to walk alongside us. I have been blessed for over 20 years to have a special friend Peggy who came into my life and the life of my children and husband at the right time in the right place. She will never fully know how special she is to our entire family but we were blessed to have had her for four days in April for a visit. We walked, visited the Biblical Gardens in Auburn, lunch at Aweful Annie's, had dinners with the kids and even learned what scatological was at a play on the Delta King - Sorry Peggy that was a raunchy play.

Is it a cake or is it Katie - Happy 22 Birthday Katie!

2009-04-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

What do you get a young lady who needs everything? - Hey why not bake a life size cake of her! Megan came up with this great idea for her sister and it took us about three days to make enough cakes and icing to pull this off. After masses amounts of eggs, cake mix, power sugar, butter and vanilla this cake came to life. I think Katie was quite surprised. Her task after the reveal was to take the entire body home with her. It looked like she was carrying a stretcher with a person on it to her car!
Even though out little girl is a young woman now, we are glad we can still have fun with her. We pray for God's will in her life and hope that He will guide her in making good decisions for the future. Love ya Katie!

Relax, Revitalize and Refresh your spirit at the Ocean

2009-03-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

When life seems to be zipping by and it is time to slow down to relax, refresh and revitalize the body , mind and spirit there is nothing more therapeutic than a trip to the ocean. How fortunate we are in California that it is a short drive away from where we live. Larry and I decided to get away for a weekend retreat to Carmel in our new Hyundai Santa Fe. Time alone with no phones, computers or interruptions to read, walk along the ocean, go wine tasting and eat fantastic food was just what we both needed. The drive to Carmel was just as beautiful with rolling green hills and open countryside. We stayed at a beautiful resort called the Carmel Valley Ranch Inn. Secluded in the hills of Carmel Valley we discovered an area of Carmel that we had not visited before. We ate at a wonderful restaurant in the Carmel Valley Village called the Village Fish House that served fresh seafood in an intimate setting and we sampled wine from a number of wineries in the Carmel Valley region.
We walked along the main streets of downtown Carmel taking in all the cute shops and drinking hot chocolate and chai tea lattes then headed to the beach to breath in the amazing salt air. We drove along the coast were there were just the most adorable storybook cottage like homes - most likely worth millions overlooking the ocean. We then drove to Monterrey for a day of walking on the bike/walking trail along the ocean and taking in the Harbor sea lions basking in the sun and playing in the ocean. What a fantastic sight. On the drive home we stopped at the Old San Juan Bautista which means "Saint John the Baptist". This mission was founded in 1797. The historic town is very quaint. After taking in the mission we stopped at the local bakery for cookies and fresh baked pumpkin and raisin bread to take home.
A short but wonderfully relaxing and refreshing weekend.

Getting Older Isn't So Bad

2009-01-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

When I count my many blessings of family, friends and the life experiences I have had I realize that getting older isn't so bad. I have had a full week of being treated to dinner at Crush 29 by my dear friends Amy and Gretchen, seeing my niece Colleen from Seattle in San Francisco ,having dinner at Max's, shopping and spending the night in San Francisco and spending the day at the beach with my daughter and granddaughter. Larry bought me beautiful roses and we went to see Australia the movie which was a wonderful movie, celebrating with my work collegues and the weekend has more opportunities to be outside enjoying the sunshine, walking with my great walking friend Janet and spending time with Katie, Megan, Larry, Josh and Isabelle.

I Hope you will Always Dance

2009-01-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Birthdays have a way of making me reflect on the past and appreciate exactly where my life is now. On my birthday I had the wonderful experience of spending the day with my daughter Megan and my grandaughter Isabelle. Watching my first born dance on the beach with her first born was truly magical and beautiful. I hope as I grow old my daughters will always dance on the beach and enjoy life with their children as I have with mine.
Snapfish:Photo:Video

Merry Christmas and to all a Good Night

2008-12-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

Our family startedcelebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ on Sunday, December 21st at our church, FOPC, where Pastor Kirk portrayed the Shepperd boy in the fields where the angel of God came and spoke to them. It was a captivating and very thought provoking presentation of the Christmas story. Then we attended Bayside Church where Megan and Josh are members. The evening service was filled with amazing music by Lincoln Brewster and the Bayside band including snow falling from the ceiling! The message of Jesus' birth was beautiful. Having the week off work helped in getting those last minute gifts, wrapping, spending time with little Isabelle and catching up with friends. Christmas eve day Donna and Al came over from Angwin and we enjoyed the afternoon visiting and then the Christmas Eve service at FOPC where we lite candles and sang Silent Night. It is always a spiritually moving experiences. Complete with a full orchestra and choir and a church lite with only the light of hundreds of candles is such a beautiful sight. What a wonderful reminder that Jesus is the light of the world.
Christmas morning was filled with the smells of Starbucks Christmas blend coffee, fresh fruit, breads and egg dishes and of course the Meyer woman running around in our crazy pajamas. Some traditions can never die. Christmas through the eyes of a Child is magical. Watchning Isabelle in awe of lights and gifts was such a joy. Basically she would have been happy with just the boxes. I have included some pictures of the day. God Bless and we look forward to seeing everyone in 2009! Have a Healthy Joyful Holiday.

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Merry Christmas

2008-12-15T14:23:00.001-08:00

Tis the Season

2008-12-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

As we rush around in the weeks leading up to Christmas I hope that you will have an opportunity to reflect, relax and celebrate the birth of Jesus. What a beautiful time of year. I love the music, the lights, shopping and all the wonderful treats but most of all remembering that God sent his only son so that we could be forgiven and have everlasting life in heaven. What Joy, What Hope, What a miracle.
May God Bless each of you that read our blog and we wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Thansgiving Blessings 2008

2008-11-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

"O Come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. Psalm 95:1-6

Each day of the year is a day to give thanks but at this time of year we truly do pause and give thanks to God for the abundance we have personally, as a family and as a nation. It is wonderful to start this 2008 Thanksgiving day with our family tradition for the past six years of participating in the local Run For The Hungry. This year 27,000 lined the streets of for miles joyfully celebrating together a time of thanks and an opportunity to help those less fortunate. All proceeds from the race go to the food bank.

Megan, Josh and Isabelle spent the night on Wednesday night. As the guys played and corralled Isabelle, Megan and I were busy in the kitchen doing all the prep work for Thursdays brunch. It was such fun to have them stay overnight and work together as a family to get everything prepared.

Thanksgiving morning Katie and her boyfriend Chad met us at the house and we headed to Sac State to start the race. The morning was a perfect brisk fall morning. After the rain of Wednesday the air smelled so fresh and the temperature was perfect for a run/walk.

We returned to the Meyer house for a relaxing time watching the movie Wall-E enjoying a wonderful brunch and visiting that seemed to last for hours. Josh's mother and father joined us in the afternoon for more eating and visiting. Megan and I are heading out early in the morning for Black Friday shopping (yeah it's crazy but it is good mother/daughter bonding) and we hope to score some good deals for Christmas.

Grosse Pointe Girlfriends Reunite

2008-11-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Snapfish:Photo:Shared

After 34 years Pam Schnur (Pemberton), Sue Stahl (Lewis), Janet Watson (Derkich) and Ruth Woodrow (Meyer) flew to Phoenix Arizona for a fantastic, fun four days of sun, slides, and lots of laugher. This was four days we will never forget and look forward to seeing more friends next year at the Phoenix Hilton Squaw Peak resort.

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M I C K E Y M O U S E - YEAH FOR DISNEYLAND!

2008-11-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

The Meyer/Oldenburger clan joined Larry in southern California for a fun weekend at Disneyland. Larry and I had not been to Disneyland in 11 years. So many things have changed. the creation of Disney Downtown was new to us and we totally enjoyed just walking in and out of stores and listening to the live music. Saturday morning we got up early waled to Disneyland from our hotel and got in soon after it opened at 8am. After walking down Main Street we spotted some stages and lights being set up. Katie and I decided to explore the action while Meg, Josh, Isabelle and Larry headed to Storybook ride. Katie and I soon discovered that they were taping for the Disneyland Christmas Day special and the Jonas Brothers were in concert for their taping. Katie and I got in on the action and will be watching on Christmas morning to see if you got on TV. They also had Jose Feliciano singing Feliz Navidad and the Christmas parade with roller skating snowflakes, etc. We had a blast riding all the rides. It was so cool to have our adult kids know more than us about fast track tickets and the strategy of what rides to hit first. We let them lead the way. Isabelle was such a good little girl all day. For a 14 month old she is a perfect little traveler and loved the rides she went on. She really liked Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo and the Carousel horses. We finished the weekend by having brunch at the ocean at Balboa Pennisula. Katie and I flew home, Megan, Josh and Isabelle drove home and Larry stayed at Disneyland (oh he did have a business conference he was attending!).

Fall Fun

2008-10-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

October flew by with Larry's Birthday and our 23rd wedding anniversary celebrations, a short weekend trip to San Francisco for shopping, walking and exploring with my friend Janet, a wonderful week long visit with my sister-in-law Angie from San Antonio Texas, Halloween parties and taking in all the fall colors and just taking advantage of the wonderful warm weather we have to be outside.

Look who they found in the Pumpkin Patch!

2008-10-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

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Warm thoughts for Fall

2008-10-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

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Fall is in the Air

2008-09-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

I love the feeling when seasons are changing and fall has to be one of my favorite seasons. The cool crisp air in the morning and the warm sun in the afternoon. The changing colors of the trees as they begin to turn their rich colors of yellow, orange and red. I always know it truly is fall when Starbucks starts making pumpkin spice latte's ! I have to admit I am addicted. I enjoy just about anything with pumpkin in it. This morning we woke up with overcast skies and that cool crisp fall air and headed to Apple Hill to meet up with Megan, Josh, Isabelle and Josh's brother John, his wife Marsha and their two adorable children for a little apple cider, apple fritters, apple muffins, carmel apples oh and we couldn't forget to bring home a couple of fresh apple pies for later. Yum! It was perfectly clear blue skies and we leisurely perused the crafts tents and took in the fresh air. The kids enjoyed watching people catch and release fish from the pond, feed the ducks in the pond crawling on the grass and Lily and Adam even got to ride the little ponies.

Isabelle Emily turns 1

2008-09-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

A year of Love, A year of Joy and A year of watching our little granddaughter grow, explore, discover and melt every ones hearts. Isabelle's proud mom and dad along with grandparents, friends, cousins, aunts and uncles gathered at our house in celebration of Isabelle's first birthday for a sunny afternoon party. Isabelle seemed to love all the attention and playing with everyone.
She is truly our little gift from God.

Savoring the Last of Summer

2008-08-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Summer time is definitely a wonderful time to visit with friends and family and enjoy traveling. Even with Larry's consulting schedule and working in the desert the past few months we have squeezed in time with the family and taken some well need time out for rest. We went to Tahoe for a week in July and were able to escape the smoke filled valley from all the fires that were going on in the state. Tahoe is always good for relaxing, walking, wine tasting, kayaking and of course once again this year we took in spectacular fireworks on the 4th of July from the roof of the rental condo.
In August I took a whirlwind trip to Chicago, Michigan, Canada and San Antonio. I was able to connect with my siblings and their families and see my mother in San Antonio. Chicago was fantastic and my sister and I have decided we have to make that an annual meeting place to shop, dine, take in theater, etc. What a great city. I visited my 88 year old Aunt Margaret in Canada. She is an amazing woman with lots of energy and such a positive attitude. San Antonio was a blast being with my brother and sister in law and taking a 12 mile bike ride on the historic San Antonio Mission trail with them and my niece Sarah, her husband Joe and their five children who have just returned state side from several years in Germany. The kids are adorable and what troopers. We had seven kids with us all under the age of 9 and three of them riding their own bikes. You can see by the pictures it was a beautiful day in Texas and that is unusual in the month of August to have such great weather

Trip to North Carolina

2008-05-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Without Emily the RAGE group is just RAG so in celebration of Emily's 50th B-Day - Amy and I flew to Charlotte, North Carolina on April 24th to meet up with our dear friend Emily. Before we spent time with Emily we had a couple of days to drive to Asheville, North Carolina. With our trusty GPS guiding us we arrived in the lovely city of Asheville. Amy and I checked in to our motel about 8pm and then headed downtown to find a place to eat. After a great meal and drinks we started walking outside and noticed commotion up the street. As we headed that way we became aware that Hillary Clinton was speaking and there was quite the buzz. We quickly got swooped up in the Hillary frenzy. We heard a bit of her speech and got caught up in all the Hillary madness. Whether you are a supporter or not this was history and fun to be in the mix. The next morning we headed to the Biltmore Estate. It was beautiful and more than we expected. We spent nearly the entire day doing a walking tour through the expansive house and the gardens. The tulips, azaleas and other flowers were in bloom and the colors were fabulous! After all our walking we drove to the Biltmore winery and sampled various wines and champagnes . The next day we meet my dear friend Peggy who drove up from Tennessee. We decided to explore a state park called Chimney Rock. It was quite an adventure. We hiked up through the eye of the needle and to the top of Chimney Rock - incredible views. In the middle of the walk we encountered a tremendous rain storm. We got absolutely soaked but was such fun and added to the adventure. We definitely were not prepared for what we experienced. We then traveled back to Charlotte through torrential downpours and lightening storms. It is very scary driving when you can't see anything in front of you. We arrived in the lush green city of Charlotte where Emily and Spence have made their new home. Their community is absolutely perfect for them. We had a blast riding the mini Nascars and then actually getting on the Nascar race track, and seeing Emily's new life. Love it!

Happy 21st B-Day

2008-04-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Katie turns 21!
After asking several times what she would like to do to celebrate the big 21st birthday Katie gave a great deal of thought to her request and told us she would like to fly down to Southern California to see Grandpa Bob. Katie has the most loving and tender heart and this request blew us away at how selfless it was. So Megan, Isabelle, Katie and I flew to Ontario on a beautiful morning and spent a grand day visiting with Grandpa Bob Having lunch at Tom's Farm and then flew home that evening. Love Southwest airlines!
As she enters into adulthood we are so proud of the hardworking young woman that she has become. She continues to pursue her degree in business and has a dream of some day working for Nike. We pray that God will guide her, light her path and that His will be done.

ALOHA MAUI

2008-03-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Larry and I departed Sacramento on February 18th for a 9 day relaxing vacation to Maui. The island was gorgeous. We explored just about every inch of the island in the HHR rental car. From the Napili beach to the South end of the island to traveling the road to Hana and the seven sacred pools we loved every minute of our trip. Maui has to have absolutely the most beautiful sunsets ever! We were in Maui at just the right season to experience the whale migration. We took a two hour boat trip with the Whale Research Foundation and saw amazing whale watching the entire time! It was very difficult to come back to reality but we know that we will definitely be going back soon.

Wine Tasting in Sonoma

2008-03-23T19:01:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed meeting up with Mike and Linda on a sunny Saturday in February for wine tasting at the St. Francis winery in Sonoma where they are club members for wine tasting and food pairing. We each brought our gourmet picnic baskets filled with fruit, cheese and bread for a delicious picnic of good food, good wine and wonderful company in a picturesque setting of vineyards and beautiful wineries. You can't beat Northern California for quick weekend getaways. Larry and I especially loved the "old vine" Zinfandel and Chardonnay.

Wine Tasting in Sonoma

2008-03-23T18:17:00.001-07:00

Northern California is so rich in the variety of things to do on any given weekend. On Saturday February 9th we headed to the Sonoma Valley to meet up with our cousins Linda and Mike to do some wine tasting at St. Francis winery that they are club members of. St. Francis winery is a lovely mission style winery with wonderful wines. We enjoyed sampling the many varieties and pairing with different foods. Larry and I really loved the "old vine" Zinfandel and Chardonnay We all had brought our gourmet picnic baskets filled with fresh fruits, various cheeses, breads and other nibbles and headed to another fabulous winery to have a picnic. Of course once setting up our picnic next to the beautiful vineyard setting we were asked to buy some of their wine which we did and really enjoyed as well. After all it is Sonoma - how could you go wrong with any wine.

Shamrock 1/2 Marathon

2008-03-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

After months of preparation leading up to a 1/2 marathon the excitement begins to build. The event itself is like the big party you have been preparing for and there is a great sense of excitement and relief that the day has finally arrived to push your bodies abilities to the limit.
Megan, Janet and I looked forward to Sunday March 16th to a great venue that started at Raley's Baseball field and finished on the field with the medal being put around your neck and hearing cheers from the crowd. A day or two prior to the race my foot was bothering me and started looking red. I thought it would be fine so on the morning of the race at 6am I crammed my swollen foot into my running shoe and hobbled off to the race. Once at the start line I knew things were not going to be good for me. I just told Janet and Megan to have a great race and I would take it slow and see them at the finish. Four miles into the race, I was in excruciating pain. I hobbled back to the start line and sat out the rest of the race waiting for Janet and Megan to cheer them in. Megan finished in a fantastic time under 2 hours - the woman is amazing! Especially since she had just given birth to Isabelle six months ago. Janet finished with a great time also. Once home I decided to head to the Med Center and was diagnosed with cellulitis. It is a bacterial infection that can be very serious. With a quick injection of antibiotics and directive to see my own physician the next day I was glad I didn't try to run any further. There is the American River Parkway race in May that we will begin working towards and hope no more injuries.

Tea Time with Angie

2008-01-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

I feel abundantly blessed to have a wonderful sister-in-law who I consider one of my best friends. Angie is the most amazing woman with the brightest smile, so much love and a very patient listening ear. Where ever Angie goes she exudes love and we were so blessed to have have had here visiting in Sacramento this week. Though she was very busy with her clients, we managed to have a pamper day of pedicures and tea and shopping. The evenings were filled with wonderful talks, wine, dinners out, eating decadent pastries and fighting off robbers! Angie was able to meet her great niece Isabelle and spend time with both Megan and Katie. We treasure our time together and always look forward to our next visit what ever part of the world that takes us to.

Friends Reunion

2008-01-13T20:59:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful weekend in Tahoe! Saturday morning, the skies were ominous in Sacramento and the weather report for Tahoe was rain with snow flurries but our good friends Emily and Spence were in town from North Carolina and we miss them so much that nothing was going to stop us from driving to Tahoe to visit with them. The dreary skies soon turned to beautiful blue and the white snow was blinding. the crystal blue of lake Tahoe magnificent and best of all Amy, Larry, Spence and Emily had a wonderful time catching up, tasting wine at the Picchetti's wine bar and then a lovely lunch at the Blue Water Bistro which I now think is the best kept secret in Tahoe. It has wonderful food and the view is breathtaking! Picture perfect day with wonderful friends.

Happy Birthday to Us!

2008-01-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

Donna and I were able for the first time to celebrate our birthdays together. We had a wonderful lunch at the Rutherford Grill in Napa and still managed to blow out our candle. Thankgoodness there was just one for each of us otherwise we collectively would have had 119 candles blazing!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-01-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome 2008! We celebrated the end of 2007 with Megan, Josh, Isabelle and another couple and their daughter that are friends with Megan and Josh. The evening included Chinese food, games with lotto tickets as prizes. Unfortunately out of all the lotto tickets only $4 was won - I guess we will all have to go back to work next week after all! We ended the evening watching the countdown in Times Square and shooting off a couple of our remaining fireworks left over from the Fourth of July.

I never like to make New Years resolutions but it is definitely time to get serious about getting back to the gym and start pushing myself away from the table.

A Season to Celebrate

2007-12-26T20:32:00.001-08:00

Celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus is always such a joyous time. The Christmas Eve candlelight service at church, waking up Christmas morning and in the Meyer woman tradition wearing our crazy penguin PJ's and enjoying breakfast, coffee and opening gifts together. this year Christmas Eve dinner was held at Katie's apartment. This was her first dinner for her family. She did a wonderful job decorating the table beautifully and serving a meal of tri-tip steak, chicken and her special green bean, asparagus and bacon dish and my favorite pumpkin muffins. She was assisted with the dinner by her boyfriend Chad whose parents also were invited. Katie had to work at 6pm that evening so everyone went their separate ways. Larry and I attended the 8pm Candlelight church service which was filled with God's spirit of peace, joy and love. We always love the final song of Silent Night with our candles lite and the church aglow.
We began Christmas morning making waffles, fruit, cheese blitz souffle, Starbuck Christmas blend coffee, almond champagne and lots of other wonderful warm breakfast dishes. Josh, Megan and Isabelle arrived first in their Christmas PJ's then Katie . After feasting on food, opening gifts we headed to the theater to see the movie National Treasure. This was Isabelle's first movie. True to her nature, she was an angel throughout the movie. It really is a fun family movie for all ages.
We returned from the theater and played the game Last Word. It is a fun, fast game which thank goodness takes very little skill. We laughed pretty hard at some of the word play that took place.
It is now time to toss out the wrapping paper, begin thinking of putting away the ornaments and look forward to a New Year. The New Year gives us time to reflect on the past year and pray that 2008 will be a year of Peace and good health.

Tis the Season

2007-12-10T11:50:00.000-08:00

Tis the Holiday Season. A time for Family, Friends, Food and wonderful music.
Praying that this Christmas season your heart will be filled with happiness and with love and memories and that your Christmas be filled with God's goodness!
We had a fun action packed weekend beginning on Friday when Ruth and girlfriends Amy and Gretchen took a shopping trip to Walnut creek. The stores are decorated so pretty and in the middle of the shopping district is a beautiful tree fully decorated. It really gets you in the holiday spirit. Of course shopping anytime makes me happy ;) Friday night we meet friends and attended an Evening in December at the First Covenant Church. They put on a wonderful musical with a message of hope and joy in celebration of Jesus' birthday. The performance was followed by delicious deserts at the home of our friends the Moores. Saturday, I hosted a table at the annual Christmas Tea held at our church. Each table was decorated differently. Some tables are elegant, some whimsical and some theme oriented but all fantastic. We were served scones ,sandwiches,and pasteries with our tea and heard an incredible story of God's Grace by our guest speaker Wendi Carlton. It was extra special for me this year to have Megan and Isabelle join us at the tea. Isabelle was an angel throughout the entire two hours. After all she is the most perfect baby in the enitre world! Saturday night we had our Mariner Christmas dinner at the Penrod's house. Again, we had a incredible buffet of appetizers and deserts and wonderful fellowship with all the couples in our group. We have been blessed to have been a part of this couples group for 17 years and to have been Skippers for the past year.
Sunday, Larry and I were voted in as Decons for our church. This will give us an opportunity to work together and be able to serve our church. We are looking forward to the opportunity in 2008. Sunday night we attended a gospel musical performance at our church and were wowed by what this group of singers performed. I think it is actually good to go back to work this week to have a normal routine and rest up so we can be ready for another fun weekend coming up.

Long Lost cousin - reunion

2007-11-25T20:10:00.000-08:00

After 34 years - I had the opportunity to catch up with my cousin Ron Woodrow and his wife Marianne. The years have aged us but Marianne's wonderful laugh is still the same and Ron reminds me so much of his dad, my uncle George it was uncanny. The reunion was made possible because of Ron and Marianne's daughter Linda Woodrow-Gray who we discovered lived in Walnutcreek after I had received a random e-mail about a T-Shirt contest for the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. Linda, a senior graphic designer, had entered a design for the T-Shirt and when I went to vote for her design I noticed her e-mail address attached and decided to drop her a note and let her know that her father was my cousin. She e-mailed back right away, we met for dinner along with my brother Andy who was in town from San Antonio. When I found out that her parents would be visiting for Thanksgiving we made plans to meet and catch up. It was such a kick to see old pictures, and make this family connection. Larry and I look forward to seeing them again before another 30 years goes by.

Trip to Angwin

2007-11-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

Nestled into the foothills of the beautiful California wine country is a little community called Angwin. Donna and Al Voth, my sister and brother-in-law have moved there this year from Michigan. Angwin overlooks the Napa Valley with a spectacular view of vineyards and rolling hills. We spent Friday and Saturday exploring some of the special places Donna and Al have discovered since moving there. We went into Callistoga to a little candle shop with amazing candles. I found a little english tea house which actually sold my favorite candy "Smarties"! Castello de Amorosa is an amazing authentic castle which took some 13 years to build. We did not actually tour the inside of the castle as it was a $30 entrance fee. We hiked a great trail near the Angwin airport which took us on a 4 mile loop which was like being in a magical forest with moss covered rocks, tall trees and leaf covered trails.

Giving Thanks

2007-11-23T09:10:00.001-08:00

I read a wonderful prayer that Dear Abbey had written before she died -
something to think about all year round:

O Heavenly Father
We thank thee for food
and remember the hungry.
We thank Thee for health
and remember the sick.
We thank Three for friends
and remember the friendless.
We thank thee for freedom
and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service
That Thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen

The Meyer/Oldenburger family got up early Thanksgiving Day and Ran for the Hungry. It has become our annual family tradition. We love the idea of doing something to help those less fortunate and also doing something good for our bodies before we sit down to a day of delicious food. After the race we enjoyed a brunch and relaxed watching the parade on TV. Megan, Josh and Isabelle then left to see other family and Larry, Katie and I went to the movies and saw Enchanted. A very cute and light Disney fairytale/romance. We would recommend it for any age.

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Isabelle's First Halloween

2007-11-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Although Isabelle didn't have a clue what was going on, her mommy had fun dressing her up for Halloween. She was the cutest little mermaid and little princess I have ever seen.

I know that Megan and Josh look forward to the day they can take her trick or treating so they can get the candy!

Larry Turns 60

2007-11-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

Another milestone is turned. Larry turned 60 on October 12th. He decided to downplay his birthday this year and let his family throw him a little asian mystery night with a murder mystery game called "Who Hung Woo" Each of us came dressed as a character with names like Hao Dee Doo, Ding a Ling, Pen Ta-gon, WooPi, Wee Ping etc, We played out the mystery and ate chinese food that night. With a new granddaughter in the picture all things do revolve around Isabelle. When she got tired we all decided to focus our attention on cake, presents and just enjoying each others company. As you can see by the pictures there is an undiscovered side to larry. We never did figure out who Hung Woo that evening. to be continued.....

Changing Seasons

2007-11-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

The leaves are turning color, our little Isabelle is growing each day and now actaully smiles and coos! Larry and I continue to juggle work, family and social time and we praise God for the many blessings and peace he has given us these past two months. Larry had the opportunity to fly back to Illinois with his sister Donna and reunite with many family members that he had not seen in a number of years. Larry's mother Gwen, will soon turn 88 and was thrilled to have her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren surrond her with love.

Welcome Isabelle Emily Oldenburger!

2007-09-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2007 a precious little girl named Isabelle Emily Oldenburger arrived in the world! Isabelle weighed 7 lbs. 12oz at birth and 20 inches long. She was born at 7:53 am following approximately 16 hours of labor. She is absolutely beautiful and the most perfect little creature on the planet! Megan and Josh are proud parents and worked together throughout the labor to bring Isabelle into the world. We are over the moon happy and can't wait to spoil this little one. We have called her Sunshine from the time Megan found out she was pregnant and she certainly is a ray of sunshine in all of our lives.

In Memory of Morgan

2007-08-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful sunny afternoon in November 1995 I decided to just go "look" at the dogs at the SPCA. Larry was working in Tracy at the time and I felt that it would be good company for me and protection for the girls and I to have a dog. As I walked up and down the corridors watching all the dogs jumping up and down and barking for attention I suddenly spoted a very poised quiet medium sized dog in the last kennel with three other hyper dogs. I asked if I could take the dog out to the yard area to get a feel for what kind of dog she was. As soon as the lease was on she yanked me straight outside. She ran around the yard area like a giselle and then came over to the bench that I was sitting on and layed her head on my lap. She melted my heart and I knew that was the dog for our family. I called the girls and they were so excited. We went the following day to pick her up in our family blue van. We had no sooner pulled out of the parking lot at the SPCA when she jumped over all the seats and sat her self right in the middle between Megan and Katie. She was now just one of the girls.We named her Morgan. For the past 12 years she has been our faithful companion and friend always greeting us at the door with her little stub of a tail wagging. Whether we were going to drop off or pick up the girls from school or go to the store, soccer practice or anywhere she was the first to the door and jumped into her favorite spot in the front seat so she could see everything. She let the girls dress her in the most ridiculous outfits and drag her around like a baby. On Wednesday August 7, 2007 her life came to an end after we found a large mass in her liver. Our house has a big empty place in it now without her but we will always remember her and the unconditional love she gave us all.

Coming Attraction!

2007-07-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

35 days and counting! Megan has had a beautiful pregnancy. She is glowing and the baby is growing like crazy right now. Megan says that our little "Sunshine" has quite a kick. we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first grandbaby! Her due date is the first week of September and she will be delivering at Mercy San Juan Hospital - just down the street from us.

Last Days of Summer

2007-07-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

THE RAGE MINUS AMY
LAKE ALMANOR

This past week marks the last days of summer vacation for Ruth. Every day has been maximized and filled with memorable times. This past week I had the opportunity on Monday to visit with my friend Emily who was on a whirl wind visit to the west coast from her new home in North Carolina. Janet and I did our four mile walk in the morning on Monday, followed with meeting Amy for kayaking at the CSUS Aquatic Center. Lake Natomas was beautiful, a calm peaceful morning on the river. After kayaking we met up with Emily for pedicures and lunch. I was then off to Placerville to pick up Larry and head up to Tahoe to have dinner with our good friends from Portland Oregon, Tom and Kathy Marshall. We had a fabulous tritip dinner on Lake Tahoe at their rental house with all of Kathy's family and headed back to Sacramento as the sun was setting on Lake Tahoe. I left for Lake Almanor Wednesday to spend the rest of the week with the RAGE group minus our "A" = Amy. The RAGE is not the same without her but we did have a blast at Gretchen's cabin. Kayaking, laying on the dock and talking about everything under the sun for hours on end, walks, great food and a perfect end to a fantastic summer. It is back to work next week and this fall will be challenging and interesting as we adjust to new administration and new students. It truly has been a wonderful time of re-energizing, relaxing and realizing how blessed I am.

Visit to Victorville

2007-07-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 7-18-07 I made my last trip to Victorville, where the city motto is "A Vedder community". I never did figure out if this was just a misspelling on the part of Victorville folks or is that really a word - vedder? The high desert is a place of hot, dusty, windy and did I mention hot weather. I don't know why anyone would want to live there but the city is exploding with growth. Bob Ruess, my dear friend and former father-in-law has decided to move to Corona. After losing Iris in October who he was married to for 63 years, he is really lonely there by himself and will be moving closer to his son. I was able to help him pack up lots and lots of stuff that he will probably never use again and bring home some special things of Iris's for each of the girls to remember her by. I was glad to have had the time this week to spend with him and hear his many fascinating stories of growing up during the depression era. They were truly the greatest generation - I don't think I could have survived some of the things they had to do.

High Flying Adventure

2007-07-17T12:14:00.000-07:00

PLEASE LORD GIVE ME A SAFE LANDING

Like mother - Like daughter... Not to be outdone by her mother, Katie and her Jamba Juice management team went on a high flying adventure 7-16-07 at the Lodi airport. Katie's manager and two other team members went skying diving. This was the first time for all. Katie had a blast and said she would do it again. maybe next time she will take me along with her. We Meyer woman love adventure and thrills. This picture says it all.

2007-07-12T11:02:00.001-07:00

Summertime Adventures

2007-07-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Summertime is always a great time to catch up with friends and do a little traveling. We kicked off the summer with a trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. It was the first time for Larry and Ruth to really see the culture of Mexico. Larry did amazingly well with his limited Spanish in trying to converse with the locals and we even explored Puerto Vallarta and Bucerias by public bus and taxi which was an adventure in itself. The lush tropical Sierra Madre's and the beautiful ocean gave us plenty of options everyday. Our favorite activity though was lounging around the gorgeous pool at the Mayan Palace where we stayed and enjoyed our poolside service.

We then spent a week at Lake Tahoe and were joined for the Fourth of July by Larry's sister Donna and her husband Al as well as Katie and her boyfriend Chad. We had a great day taking hikes, hanging out by the beach and watching the fireworks from our 7th story sundeck at the condo that we were staying in. Fantastic week with lots of relaxing and sleeping in.