September at the Oakland Temple

 

It's such a beautiful time of year...I couldn't resist snapping yet another picture. :)

Shauna and her best friend lugging her luggage...

 

Our annual "back to school" ritual. Shauna and Nicole loading it all up and moving it all out. Now that is a TRUE FRIEND!

My first college roommate!

 

This my dearly beloved friend and former roomie, Dee. Oh the memories we have! :) My brother surprised me when I visited him last week--he had invited her over! It was so great to see her--I think we could talk for about a week straight without ever stopping. What a great surprise!

Start your engines! Or just hop on your bike...

 

We were just about to hop on our bikes and head into the wild blue yonder of 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach, California. This was our Labor Day weekend adventure, and it was one of the funnest dates we have ever had. We had previously ridden along the coast of San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and all around that area, and we LOVED that, so we were excited to go down to the Monterey area and do this ride. It was perfect! A perfect day, perfect weather, perfect EVERYTHING!

Along the way...

 

I think this is "Bird Rock"

 

...such an original and catchy name, don't you think? :)

Showing off his balancing skills

 

Beautiful scenery

 

Happy, happy us....

 

More of us....

 

Italians!

 

As if the day weren't perfect enough, Torrey got to chat it up with some vacationing Italians. He was in heaven...He LOVES to speak that beautiful language.

My Rock...

 

Biker babe? I think not....

 

Rockin' round the....rock.....

 

Some really awesome scenery...

 

...and the stuff behind him isn't so bad either.

Pebble Beach is a peach....

 

If the shoe fits....wear it. Embrace it. Proudly :)

 

How is this fair, I ask you?

 
I get up before the dawn each and every day, and work out until I can literally wring my clothes out (ugly mental image. I apologize. But still....) and my dearest beloved who sits at his desk all day and then comes home to the couch, can still totally kick my tushy when it comes to bike rides. The little dot you see way, way up ahead of me on the road is him. I was sneaky and let him get way ahead of me this one time so I could get this picture. :) All the rest of the time he was about two inches from me, watching over me and making sure that I didn't do anything clutzey like I have been known to do on previous bike trips. Oh, that everyone should have such a doting guardian angel! Truth be told, if I weren't holding him back, he would have lapped me about 5 times before I made it back to our van... I guess his trip across California on his bike a couple years ago lingers on in his muscle memory. Or something. Cuz....dang. It just doesn't seem fair...

Picnic lunch by the beautiful sea

 

Relieved to trade my bike in for my van...

 

Our Pre-Labor Day Adventure at Pebble Beach

 
We really love our van, even though we seldom have people to fill it up these days. We can throw our bikes in the back and take off to torture ourselves in any number of gorgeous locations within a couple hours drive of our home. We live in one of the most beautiful areas in all the land! :)