Summer in September

Hello to all out there!

So summer is finally showing up. We have had a few days that were warmer than the others this summer (still relatively cool compared to the folks that have 100+ temps!) It's made for a nice few days lately, even though the days are getting shorter.

This year, Jeff decided to do a garden, and so far it's been successful! We have already harvested tomatoes and zucchini, and he has also planted herbs and cucumbers that haven't really ripened. He also planted peppers that just don't get hot enough to his liking, and originally we only had one corn plant grow. After talking to someone from our church, he decided to try soaking the corn before planting, and sure enough, we now have 100+ plants!! All of this is being grown in our FRONT yard, for fear that the dogs would take them out in the back. On the plus side, our zucchini plant has become a beautiful shrub in our front path!

We also celebrated Jeff's birthday last weekend. Since he wasn't feeling that great (more on that later), we decided to keep it simple and just celebrate together. On Friday, we both took the day off and decided to drive to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Jen's sister had given us passes for the year, so we thought we would go. They recently have been trying to rehabilitate a Great White shark, so we went to see that. Even though we have been numerous times, this was probably the first time either one of us went and there wasn't any construction or closed off portions of the aquarium! It was really pretty and we took plenty of pictures.

The following Monday was Jeff's actual birthday, so we decided to go to San Francisco for the afternoon. We started out eating at a burger joint in the Ferry Building, which is on the water, and do some shopping in the food market. Because of the holiday, a few shops were closed but we had fun anyway. We also went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Although we were only there for a little bit, we did get to try out the famous Mondrian cake and saw some very interesting exhibits.

The bad news is Jeff has been pretty sick lately. A few weeks ago he had to leave work because he had gotten sick. Although we suspected it was from milk we had purchased (the only thing Jeff had that Jen didn't) the doctor said no, it wasn't likely. The next week Jeff had more of the same milk and again got very sick. His stomach unfortunately hasn't been the same, and we spent part of Jeff's birthday in urgent care because it was really upset. All seems to be pretty good now, but we are both being really careful about what we eat.

School is again continuing for us both. Jen began a new class with the teacher she started with in her Master's program, and Jeff began the fall semester with four new courses. Despite sickness, we have been fortunate to keep up with our homework. Work has been great for Jeff, but Jen is wrapping up a study and working on two new ones at the same time! So this month is pretty packed, and we are looking at a trip next month for a much-needed break!

Right now we're uploading the photos from Jeff's birthday but hopefully we can get them posted ASAP. Hope all is well for you all!