California First Dates

I feel like I’ve been going on a lot of first dates recently.  First dates in respect to finding new service providers.  Most recently for me, it has been with a new hair stylist and dentist. 

Finding a new hair stylist is stressful business!  It takes time to build up a relationship with a stylist, to learn my hair, my tastes, with the ability to create a great customized cut and style.  Yesterday I finally ventured out and gave a salon up the street a try.  I figured it was a good bet since I received two recommendations for this place AND…they treated me well on our first date with a glass of wine while I waited.  SCORE!  I love my new stylist, Nicole.  She did a great job!

As for the dentist, I dread no more!  Tomorrow it will be our third date, and I am actually looking forward to it!  My friends, this dental experience was SO CALIFORNIA to me.  First, I had to “know someone” to get it.  Seriously, they don’t take new patients.  I totally had to name drop to get us appointments.  (Eric’s co-worker’s wife was my hook-up). 

This place is the Lexus of dentist offices.  It smells like a spa when you first enter the building, and the office itself has fresh brewed coffee for patients.  (Seriously?  I usually avoid tea, red wine, coffee and other staining beverages until AFTER my appointment).  My first visit they gave me a tour of the full office, every employee I saw welcomed me with a smile, I was half expecting them to burst into song together singing “Be Our Guest”.  The treatment at this place is with all the latest technology, it’s pain-free, and best of all, it’s practically free with Eric’s amazing dental insurance coverage!  They even sent a hand-written thank you note! 

The California “dating” scene is impressive!

Thank you note from our dentists

A Centenarian!

Last weekend we were in Naples, Florida to celebrate Fred Nelson’s 100th birthday!  We had a great time helping him celebrate his 100 years of life.  Grandpa has been part of my life the past 22 years, and has been such a blessing to me and many others.  He immigrated from Sweden as a young boy, and spent his career in the ministry, founding two new congregations along the way.  Grandpa shared some prepared words with his 70 adoring fans.  It was beautiful, and he honored Grandma, may she rest in peace, as the secret to his successful ministry.  I tried to soak up the sights, sounds and words of the day and secure them into my memory.  After his speech, I had a chance to chat with Grandpa.

Tara: Grandpa, I loved your speech, it was very moving.

Grandpa: Really?  Was is Ok?  I cut out the first part because it sounded too much like a sermon.  Are you sure it was Ok?

Tara: Grandpa, it was more than OK, it was WONDERFUL!  We loved it!  I really liked how you framed your message.  And I can’t believe you hardly used your notes! 

He’s so cute.  After all those years of preaching, he’s wondering if he’s still “got it”.  I think he does!

We also had a great time reconnecting with other relatives.  I hadn’t seen some of my cousins in 7 years!  Was fun to catch up and meet their children.   Cousin Christy shared with us the side benefit from all her bouldering, she can do a pull up on a door frame!  Of course the weekend would not have been complete without late night laughs with Justin.  He shared with us his mad cooking skills, ending with an “Uncle Louie” egg creations and cans of Bud Light.  Nice. 

The Birthday Boy!

Uncle Louie...Mmmm.

Lessons from Gustavo

A few weeks ago we were in Napa with some Texas friends celebrating a birthday.  (I say Texas, but really we all traveled from Austin, San Francisco, Chicago and Sacramento…but the friendships started in Texas).  I had a fabulous time, and my lessons learned from the weekend I will credit to our new friend, Gustavo.

Lesson 1: Your first career choice may not be your true calling. 

This Napa visit focused on wineries featured in the movie Bottleshock and our first stop was at GustavoThrace.  We were lucky enough to meet Gustavo and enjoyed many of his stories while we tasted his delicious wine.  When asked if he knew all his life that he would be a winemaker, he shared with us that he thought he would be a professional baseball player, then maybe a history teacher, and what ultimately brought him to school at UC Davis was to figure out why people were so obsessed with “stinky cheese”!  That goodness for his curiosity, which led him to his true calling of wine-making.  May we all keep listening for what we are truly called to do.

Lesson 2: Enjoy the journey

I really felt like Gustavo loves what he does.  Sure, I have no doubt there are aspects of his work that aren’t thrilling, but it was clear he had a passion for wine-making, and enjoyed sharing it with us.  I am starting to appreciate and embrace more the adventure that comes with the journey of life, I hope to find ways to share my little excitements with others along the way as well.

Lesson 3: This one is a Napa wine-tasting logistical lesson…start early!

This is not a “come early, stay late” piece of advice, but rather start early and end mid-afternoon in the natural hot spring-fed hot-tub at the hotel in Calistoga.  The benefit of starting early is you beat the crowds and get a personal experience.  My most enjoyable stops this trip were at GustavoThrace and Chateau Montelana (they had the winning wine in 1976 which put Napa on the map…see the movie Bottleshock).  At both of these wineries we were the only party tasting and had the opportunity to ask many questions and learn much more about their wine and the region than when we are just another pour for the day. 

The gang with Gustavo!

 

The winning wine from 1976.

Isn’t it Ironic?

A few weeks ago I saw an SUV turning into a Wal-Mart parking lot with a bumper sticker that read “I don’t buy Chinese crap”. 

Huh?  Do they think the “rolled-back” pricing is thanks to low, excuse me, “cost-competitive” wages in the Midwest? 

Just found this more ironic than Alanis Morissette’s unfortunate “rain on her wedding day”.

Mighty Yosemite

A few weeks ago we visited Yosemite National Park and snowshoed for the first time.  What an amazing trip!   First, I was very appreciative of being able to experience winter within 4 hrs (or closer if we hit the Sierra’s), yet I don’t have to LIVE with winter.    I experienced tire chains for the first time to drive on the snow-covered Yosemite roads.  Thank goodness for new chains that are easy to attach with color-coded instructions, and my mountain-bred husband!

I think I have discovered my winter sport: Snowshoeing!  It’s a great way to experience winter, without dealing with my fear of heights and feeling out of control (downhill skiing/snowboarding) or my inability to climb up a hill on skis (cross-country skiing).  Snowshoeing was like hiking with spikes on – no problem!  We lucked out with a gorgeous day, just under freezing but sunny, with ~2feet of fresh powder.  Some early morning trailblazers packed down the snow on our route, which made each step that much easier.  Along the way we discovered a few igloos previously hikers spent the night in…no thank you!

After spending our first day hiking on the mountain, we spent the second day in the valley.  At first there wasn’t much to see through the snowy day, until finally the white “sheet” was lifted, and revealed these incredible rock formations and waterfalls around us.  I felt like I was in the middle of an Ansel Adams photo.  Words do not do it justice. 

My favorite moments and photos from this trip:

• The view from Dewey Point on our snowshoe hike- breathtaking
• The silence when we stopped during our 7mile snowshoe hike
• Our first glimpse of the cliffs and waterfalls from the valley
• 5-star Chinese Restaurant in downtown Oakhurst.  What a funny place to spend Valentine’s Day with our traveling buddies!

Eric "Mountain Man" Thronson installing chains like a champ!

 

Beautiful Day in Yosemite

 

El Capitan

 

Dewey Point

Eric enjoying the view

 

The Snowshoe Crew! Eric, Tara, Ben and Lisa after our 7mile hike.

Yosemite Valley

Seriously?

“You sure are pretty, you wouldn’t happen to need a boyfriend?” – Stated by an employee at a nation-wide chain which specializes in tire replacement.

This morning as I was reading in the waiting area while the Mini was getting a pedicure (aka two new front tires), I heard an employee say the above quoted statement.  I looked around and realized since I was the only one there he must have been talking to me. 

“No, I’m married.”

I was shocked for a few reasons, but the question that lingers is…did he really think that line would work?!  Seriously, has the dating game changed so much that this type of approach is acceptable?  My first thought was no, I’m married, but if I wasn’t do you really expect me to say, “yes, I’m in the market for a boyfriend, want to grab a drink?” 

I’ll give the guy a little credit for having the guts to say something and putting himself out there, but I really wanted to coach him a bit and say that his opening line was one of the worst pick-up lines I have ever heard.  Maybe he needs to read a book about the psychology of men and women.  Guys like to get straight to the point, which he certainly did.  Women like to build relationships.  Although I’m appreciative of him not wasting my time with much small talk, he should have struck up a conversation with me, which in the midst of it I would have intentionally made my left hand visible so he could notice my wedding ring and hopefully avoid embarrassment for the both of us.  And if I was a single gal sitting there, he would need to do this small talk anyway for her to even consider saying “yes” to his boyfriend question. 

I might fly my brother Justin in and have him teach a seminar on “how to have game”…because clearly this guy needs to work on his.

I’m delinquent on a few blog updates, including Yosemite pictures, but this was just too funny to not post immediately.

New Life Together

Jasmine (our dog) and I started our new life together this week.  I started my internship, and she started her weight loss plan.  Yes, I’m THAT dog owner, the one I never wanted to be…the one who has an overweight dog.  I took her to the vet last week and was SHOCKED that her weight has continued to creep up even though we control her reduced calorie food portions and take her for long walks.  She is really living up to her “husky” name.  What an awful feeling, sitting at the vet hearing that she needs to lose 30% of her weight and knowing it’s not her fault, but mine. 

Rather than wallowing in the guilt and shame of it, we are turning over a new leaf and are doing things differently!  Eric and I cut back her food (which is much less than what they say to give on the bag…I guess I was a sucker for their marketing ploy to sell more dog food) and she doesn’t seem to be missing the extra portion.  In addition to her daily long walks, Jasmine is returning to the running world, she is running 1mile twice a week!

We are also keeping a close eye on Venus, I don’t want her summer vet visit to have the same conversation.  I think she has become too comfortable with indoor cat life and packed on a few pounds.  Her new exercise regiment is running up and down the stairs, when we can convince her this is a worthwhile activity. 

Below are a few “before” pictures.  I’m hopeful we’ll eventually have some “after” pictures where Jasmine looks less like a sausage with legs, and more like a lean pack dog. 

Jasmine "Before" - Lounging

Jasmine "Before" - Standing

Here are some Venus “before” pics.  It’s hard to capture how big she is, but I know she can lose a few pounds.  Maybe I should start a reality TV show “The Biggest Loser – Pets Season”.

Venus "Before" - Just Chillin'

Venus "Before" - You know I hate to do anything you want me to...but when you dangle that ribbon in front of me I can't help but attack it!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

I’ve heard that the two most common prayers are “thank you, thank you, thank you” and “help me, help me, help me”.  I have prayed both of these in the past week.  Last week when another door “closed” in my job search, in frustration, I broke out the “God – please help me know what I am supposed to being doing here!” prayer, pretty much asking to be thrown a bone…or at least have a door propped open so I can take a peak in. 

Patience Tara, patience.  This week a door flung wide open and I feel a huge weight lifted off my chest!  Since moving to Sacramento, I have been pursuing a change in careers.  Although I appreciate many of the skills I developed in the high-tech semiconductor industry, I’m ready to apply my skills sets to a field where I can make a more direct positive impact on society.  I recently decided to volunteer part-time while I continue my job search, partly for my sanity (so the most exciting thing in my week is something other than how much I saved at the grocery store), and also so I feel like I am adding value to the world in some small way.  

During my research of area organizations I kept running across a local non-profit called Valley Vision, and I really felt aligned with their mission and philosophy.   As a result of following a gut instinct that I should offer to volunteer at this organization, and my few small Sacramento “worlds” colliding, I recently connected with the staff and rather than accepting me as a volunteer they offered me a paid part-time internship while I continue my full-time job search!  I am VERY excited and am SO appreciative of the opportunity!  An organization I was excited to volunteer at is willing to pay me, I am so blessed.   Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Whata-weekend

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m already chalking this up to a fantastic weekend.  We kicked off the weekend hosting a dinner party Friday night with a few of Eric’s colleagues and their spouses.  I had a great time getting to know folks better, discovering shared obsessions with ipod solitaire and singing karaoke.  Yes, the evening did end with a few rounds on the karaoke machine (sorry neighbors) including an all-out booty shakin’ to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and a group-sing to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline”.  Thank goodness Lisa and Kacey have amazing voices so there was a break from the Thronson’s mediocre (at best) singing…although we have great stage presence! 

 

Ben, Lisa, Kacey, Brian, Taric

On Saturday (Eric’s first day off in January!) we ventured to Placerville, about 45min east of Sacramento, for a long hill run.  Eric discovered an awesome trail that gave us just the workout we were looking for on what turned out to be a GORGEOUS day.  Without a cloud in the sky, temperatures in the sixties, we stopped at a little hamburger joint for lunch.  Since we’ve been in California I have tried local burger joints, the famous In-N-Out burger (which I really like their business model), and Carl’s Jr…but Eric and I both agree…they are no Whataburger. 

On our way back to Sac-town we stopped by Boeger Winery for a little wine tasting and to stock up on a few bottles.  This was one of the wineries we visited back in October, I love this place!  They are so nice, and their wines are delicious! 

Perfect weather, a fantastic run and wine-tasting…I can’t ask for much more, but we went ahead a topped it off attending a local play with one of Eric’s colleagues.  It was a great opportunity to get our first taste of Sacramento’s theatre scene!  The play was very intense but a great experience, we’ll definitely catch future shows at the Sac City Theatre!

Although sometimes it takes a little reminder, all in all, life is good.  I appreciate times like this weekend when I don’t need a reminder.

Every Town Needs a Trail

Every town needs a place where someone can have a special connection and camaraderie with their city and with others.  Where, in a city of over a million people, can a person escape and find nature, peace, joy, determination and courage?  For the last eight years, that place for me has been the Lady Bird Lake hike and bike trail in Austin.

As I ran on the trail last weekend during my brief visit back to Austin, memories flooded back of the first time I ran seven miles and thought that was the furthest I would ever run, of friendships that developed over miles of running along that dusty trail together, and of the personal challenges I met or contemplated while on that trail.  I love that while on the trail I feel immersed in nature yet in the heart of downtown.  I love that I always see someone I know, either by name or just a familiar face of a fellow-trail runner.  I love that I know some parts so well I could run it with my eyes closed, yet it always offers surprises at every corner…a sudden notice of the calm water or seeing the season’s first wildflower bloom.

I don’t think I have found my “trail” in Sacramento yet, literally or figuratively.  In the literal sense, I have found 1 mile of trail surface where my joints get a break from the pounding and I feel safe to run solo, but I realized this trip that the trail in Austin meant more to me than just logging miles.   It was a place where many of my relationships were started and nurtured, where I processed life, where I set goals and challenged myself, where worlds crossed boundaries and I had a shared connection with folks whom I might not otherwise meet. 

I am on the lookout for my Sacramento “trail”, in whatever form(s) it may present itself!