A Fabulous Fall Weekend

We had a whirlwind weekend which included James’ soccer game, visiting with Sean’s folks and attending the UCLA game.

It started out with a late flight in for Sean on Friday night. Then we hit the ground running on Saturday morning with a walk with Kosmo. James had a game at 9:00 and of course, we had the snack assignment for the game, so after a delicious breakfast with Rob and Marianne, we made it to the game. Thank goodness Sean was there to lug the cooler around! Sean enjoyed his first pomegranate ever (Lara thinks she’ll toss him one every so often when he needs a chew toy) and James’ team won their first game of the season. We should take Sean to more games!

Then we were off to take Cinnamon to have her incision checked by the vet (a good report for Cinn), and then for a quick chat with Mary Ann Cordova of Packages of Gratitude about sponsoring a school project together to send care packages to our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Her “command central” is quite impressive! She is a wonderful lady who works tirelessly to encourage our armed forces and send them reminders of support back home.

After we picked up Gabe, James’ friend, we set off for the game with Rob and Marianne. What wonderful hosts! We had a delightful tailgate picnic before the UCLA/Stanford game and caught up on all kinds of personal, local, national and international happenings. UCLA won the game, and we enjoyed all kinds of treats and the atmosphere of college football. At half time, 45 high school bands with all their pageantry and color took the field to play some beautiful music. A newbie to any kind of football, I was pleased with the family environment at the stadium. The fans, all dressed in UCLA blue and gold, cheered on the Bruins to an easy win. I learned more about football from the boys than I can say!

The boys spent the night on the living room floor, reportedly staying up until 5:00 (but, funny, I was up at 5:00 and they were asleep!) and we had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. After taking Gabe home, I went over to spend the afternoon with Sean and his parents, while James enjoyed some Home Depot time with his uncles. We relaxed in the Jacuzzi with yummy adult beverages and snacks until it was time to take Sean back to the airport.

All in all, a busy, but enjoyable weekend. They go by so fast! This fall is particularly busy, but filled with good things! But, I’m looking forward to long cool winter nights and hoping for a slow-down in activities as we near the winter months.

Happy Fall!