devastated

Our TV has been broken for almost 2 months. While we've been watching morning cartoons and the news in our bedroom, the DVR has continued to record all "our shows." Well, we finally moved the bedroom TV in to the living room, hooked it up to DVR, and are getting caught up on season finales... from Memorial Day.
Anyways, I've just gone back and watched my Jon and Kate Plus 8 shows. I've seen tabloids and know a bit about what is going on, but I just don't want to face it. Last summer, I started watching, and somewhere between their taking the kids to church, the Isaiah t-shirts, and their candid (yet a bit scary) conversations with one another, I grew attached to the Gosslins! I thought that just maybe they'd be a family to follow. It didn't take long, however, for questions to grow: are they for real? how much is scripted? are those kids okay? how much money do they want to make before they quit? is the next house going to be big enough? will she ever leave jon alone? can he do anything right? does she watch herself on tv? does she really believe that everything she does is for the kids? will they ever give it up? why haven't they mentioned counseling at all? are they really Christians? would they give up the big house/bad marriage for the small house/better looking marriage? was it all a scheme? is TLC evil? why don't they turn off the cameras and work on their marriage if they're so concerned about their kids?

I have to say I'm totally devastated by the way their life is turning out. The youngest just turned 5. That's my kids' age. No kid should have to deal with the mess their parents are going through- much less have it recorded on film and broadcasted to the world. With a broken heart, I took Jon and Kate Plus 8 off my DVR "scheduled recording" list and added them to my "seriously pray for them" list.

Then, in an attempt to be an informed individual, I did what any wondering ex-fan would do: I googled them. And, I found this article.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/juneweb-only/122-11.0.html?start=1

7 and counting

Seven years ago we got hitched. To celebrate this event, we handed the kids off to friends and went out to lunch. Nothing fancy. Just Napa Valley.
In just under an hour and a half (well, maybe two with the couple wrong turns), we made it to Napa Valley and dined at the Rutherford Grill for lunch. Fabulous. Just across the street we wondered in to a cute little tasting room from the Elizabeth Spencer Vineyards. Nice, nice people and yummy selections!
Then, we went to Peju, recommended to us by friends (thanks Kyle and Bekah!), they had the most beautiful grounds! Lots of groomed and blooming bushes and flowers that take you right up to the vines. Inside, there was an amazing art gallery on the second floor that looked out over the vineyard. Nice tasting there, too!
Finally, on our way out of town, we stopped into the Father of Napa Valley's winery to pay homage to Robert Mondavi. Also, we wanted pictures!!
It was a GREAT day! And, while it's hard for Scott to admit, it sure beats how we've spent the last two anniversaries... Cracker Barrel and a movie.

One Day Vacations

Sacramento itself is not the most impressive thing I've ever seen. It's actually funny to me that it's the California state capital.
But, what Sac has is pretty impressive; the real estate world would sum it up with "location, location, location."
For example, last week we piled the kids and dog in the mini-van and went to the ocean. For the day. It was about 3 hours to the cutest little city by the sea, Carmel by the Sea, specifically. We ate at a fun little pizza joint, played on the beach ( though not much in the cold Pacific Ocean), laid in the sun, ran the dog in the surf, and dug our toes in the sand.




Later, we wiped ourselves off and walked the hill up to Carmel. It is too cute. Very European or fairy tale like. Dog friendly. Tinkerbelle not only was allowed in all the stores and had a menu tailored to dogs at dinner, but she even drank from the Fountain of Woof- built to show just how friendly Carmel is to K-9s.
After attempting to watch the sun set (a bit cloudy), we piled back in the van and headed home. The kids slept. The dog slept. And me too.
I took enough pictures to make it seem like we were there a week.