Wine/Holiday Party-December 3, 2005

We decorated the house for Christmas. The tree prices were exorbitant, but we found a good deal on a very fresh tree at Home Depot. Our first ever Noble fir, and almost eight feet tall!

That weekend we also had a wine tasting party. Every guest brought a bottle of pinot noir. A host of friends helped us determine the "best" of the bunch. The winner? Meridian 2003 Pinot Noir, only $5.99!
Enjoy the festive decoration pictures, I guess we were too busy drinking to take pictures of the actual party. :)

Thanksgiving 2005-a mix of Southern and New England styles


While it wasn't easy being away from our family, we had a wonderful time with Ryan and Kate on their very last night in Monterey. That was followed by a wonderful weekend in San Francisco visiting Andrew and Rachel, including the Notre Dame/Stanford football game. After some obligatory tailgating where the Domers outnumbered the Cardinal by a geat deal, we were treated to a thrilling conclusion in the very last game at the old Stanford stadium.

Hello everyone and welcome to our blog!

Halloween 2005

Invited to a party through Emily's work, finished off at Duffy's late night. It was fun getting to dress in costume again. Emily went as "hot for teacher," Matt as Indiana Jones. We were surprised by the quality of costumes at the parties, but truly felt that "She ne ne" took the grand prize. It brought back good times of our first "date"years ago at Halloween in Chapel Hill.

SONOMA!

A great weekend in wine country with Ryan, Kate, Andrew, and Rachel. We rented a truly charming house in Healdsburg, right on the vineyards. We enjoyed a big deck and a hot tub, and had the luxury of a limo on the second day of wine tasting. We came home with bottles and bottles of good vino to add to our collection.

Navy Birthday Ball-October 14, 2005
A wonderful night in the beautiful Hotel Del Monte on the Naval Postgraduate School campus. Ryan and Kate accompanied us and a good time was had by all.

Visit from Mom & Dad. Wonderful visit in September when we got to enjoy football games, the Officers' Club, Big Sur, a sailing trip at sunset, and great food! Always special to have visits from family...

Family & Friends additions:
"Auntie Em" and "Unkie Matt" are very proud!

Introducing:

Kelly Flynn Wilson


Sydney Shane Flowers

Harrison Lee Rogers

Tahoe, or "Why you buy a Jeep..." September 2005

Tahoe was a beautiful getaway. We had gorgeous weather and good luck gambling. The latter part of the trip was spent camping via a remote off-road trail near the Rubicon. Ryan's Jeep Cherokee made the trek with no problem, but Seth's Blazer encountered problems in the soft dirt. Stuck with no cell phone reception and miles away from civilization, we were "rescued" the next day by two guys on dirt bikes, with a souped-up F150 back at base camp. We definitely will have memories of this trip for a long time.

These are pics from my brother Andrew's visit. We drove the Pacific Coast Highway, went to a hookah bar, golfed, and ended the trip w/a bang at Duffy's Tavern. Great time!

Big Sur camping trip-Summer 2005
A beautiful trip down to Big Sur. We were high on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The remote campsite was only reachable by many miles of off-road Jeep trails, which made for a secluded campsite. We saw lots of wildlife and enjoyed beautiful weather. Incredibly, we were above the fog line as it rolled in and enveloped us each evening.