Weekend Events

Well, there is really no easy way to describe my Saturday but to just come out and say it.  I t-boned a City of Phoenix bus yesterday afternoon.  Thank God no one was hurt and everyone involved was super nice about it.  Especially since it was my fault (which Ryan, along with everyone else told me to NEVER admit again, should I ever find myself in this predicament).

Other than that, we had a pretty tame weekend.  Friday morning was spent at Chuck E Cheese for me and work for Ryan.  Here's a picture of my cute nieces enjoying a ride: 

That night after Ryan put in a long, hard day, I welcomed him home with a nice dinner and a game of Monopoly.  I schooled him.  Hard.  Gus was the banker and did a very good job.

Then he was over it..

.

Saturday morning, I woke up early and met my sister, mom, and two nieces at the zoo.  They had snow trucked in for the kiddos.  So funny to think that these kids think that's what real snow is like!

In the afternoon, Ryan golfed and I provided sheer terror on the road.  Again - thank God no one was hurt.   Today my parents came up and lent me their third car.  Generous - yes.  Smart - we'll have to see.  Hopefully I won't slam it in to the light rail.  I think people might start thinking I have a thing against public transportation!

Ava

For those of you who have been praying for/thinking of Ava, our niece, she had her kidney surgery yesterday and all the positive energy was well received!  She did great and is already recovering nicely at home.  Here she is in her beautiful new gown!

 I felt a need to document her trauma.  I know we'll be talking about this to her when she's 16 and the poor girl won't even have a scar to show off!  Julia is being an excellent big sister and is helping tend to Ava's "owie".  What can we say - Ryan and I have the best nieces!  We're so proud of them!  Thanks for everyone's support for Ava's speedy recovery!

Phoebe lost the battle with her tumor today.  Though her body wasn't able to recover, her spirits never diminished.  She was a special kitty, friend, and sister who left to join her sister, Addy, whom we lost earlier in the year.  As you all know, our kitties are our family (yes, even Ryan agrees!) and these losses have been really hard this year.  Gus is doing his best to remind us that while we are hurting now, nothing could ever replace or lessen the immense love we felt from Phoebe and Addy over the last 13 years.  

Phoebe Guernsey May 19, 1995- June 17, 2008

Phoebe lost her battle with her tumor today.  Though her body 

Last night was the 2nd annual Mitch Comstein Night Golf Classic!  It was definitely as fun as last year and we already can't wait for the 3rd annual Tourney!  Our foursome was myself, Ryan, John, and Paul.  I must say, the boys had excellent cart-buddies and Paul and John had top notch caddies!

Lots had been going on around here.  First off, we got some sad news last week.  It turns out Phoebe has a tumor in her colon that can't be treated.  We are being very positive and keeping her comfortable.  She is actually in great spirits and has been her usual sweet self.  Just a little slower and more lethargic. Here is Gus giving his his sister a big hug!

Gus also learned about candles last week.  He now has curly wiskers from the flames...

Ryan and got back from Italy and finally got over our jet lag!  The trip was amazing.  We have over 350 pictures and figure you only want to see the highlights.  So here's a shortened diary of our time:

Friday: Ryan and I took off with no checked luggage.  Compared to the Mexico vacation, where we took half our house, this was some what challenging. I'm guessing it was more challenging for the people who had to sit next to me on the plane coming home! 

Saturday: We got into Milan, took a train down to Florence, and arrived in my favorite city from our trip.  Michael and Erica were nice enough to let us crash in their honeymoon pad, which had a kitchen, living room, dining room, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, etc, etc, etc.  Nothing could top the view, though.  It is located in the middle of Piazza Del Signoria, which is the Times Square of Florence.  The apartment is the 3 windows with the original 15th century bust in the middle.  The other picture is the view from our living room. 

Saturday-Sunday: Pictures from Florence!

Monday: The whole wedding crew met at the Florence Train Station and we rented 5 cars to drive down to the Chianti Region.  Ryan thinks Florence is super easy to navigate and highly recommends renting a car there.  (Or maybe not...)  After Ryan finished touring every city street, he picked up me, Dani's grandparents and brother and we headed down!  The place we stayed was a working vineyard that had rooms/apartments for the entire wedding crew.  It was beautiful and it looked like it was straight out of a movie.  

Tuesday:  Erica, Michael, Ryan, and I took the car around the Tuscany (a couple times) to taste wine and find yummy cheese!  The boys started out driving (hence the multiple trips around the region!).  It didn't last. Once the girls took over the wheel we found amazing wine with amazing food.  

Wednesday: We spent the morning in Siena and the afternoon in San Gimignano.  They were really cool cities.  Here are some pics of what we loved best...

Thursday: WEDDING DAY!!!!  Dani and Ryan made it official in a great ceremony that was held in the City Hall.  (Does the outside of the hall look familiar?) The ceremony was great and the reception was almost surreal.  That kind of setting can really stop you in your tracks. It was a great day!  (Also, it was Ryan's 31st birthday.  I'd say it was a memorable one!)

Friday and Saturday:  We went to Cinque Terre to hike off all the wine and cheese we had in Chianti.  This was a picturesque place comprised of 5 hillside towns along the Italian Riviera.  They are connected by a hiking trail that took us about 4 hours to complete. 

Sunday and Monday:  To quote Dani, "Don't you love being in love in Venice?".  Venice certainly has it's romantic qualities.  Sunsets over the Grand Canal, Gondola rides, music in St. Mark's Square.  It's all very romantic and was the perfect last stop on our trip. 

Tuesday: One last view from the plane. This trip was one of kind.  Great food, great views, and great friends!  

KK

:)