Jiu Jitsu and Art & Wine ...

This past weekend, my two oldest grandsons attended their first belt promotion (I think that's what it's called).  It was held in Livermore (same place I found the rattlesnake a few weeks ago).  Here are some pics.

Before getting their belts, they had warm-ups - just to give us a taste of what they do.

Here they are with Grandpa and their certificates of promotion .. so very cute (auntie is in the back photo bombing ..)

the whole gang .. but of course I didn't get their faces ... what's up with that?

and the other boys were there as well. but first dad hamming it up ...

After the ceremony, we went to the Livermore Art &Wine Festival.   #17 on my list.

Quick Question

for which I don't necessarily expect an answer, or any answers for that matter ....

lately, when reading articles on the internet, I am having trouble figuring out when.  There don't seem to be dates posted or published or whatever it would be.

I read a touching article about a man who had lost his sister to cancer, he said that this was his second Easter without her.  I tried to find out if it was this year or last or 10 years ago.  There was no date anywhere, that I could find, to tell me.

Has anyone else noticed this?

'twas the night before Christmas ...

Another book to add to my collection, courtesy of my YD.

That takes care of #50 on the list! Yay!

Goals for May

Here are my goals for May:

1 - Make quilt for Nate
2 - Work on baby quilt
3 - Sew 15 minutes a day (3x week)
4 - Complete week 4 of couch to 5K
5 - Meet step goal 3/7 days
6 - Make a new bread (biscuits)

If I come up with anything else, I'll just include it it in my "May Wrap Up" post.

April Wrap Up

So here's how I did with my April goals.  Not too bad.  I should be able to get back on track with exercising next month -- my treadmill should become available.  I am also hoping to get more sewing done.

Visit with my YD's in-laws - done
We had a great time -- I didn't take many pictures though.  (A video follows.)  We played a lot of cards and other gates, visited, walked, and ate and ate and ate.  I think I gained at least 5 pounds.  It was a wonderful time.

Send cards to grandsons - done

Work on baby quilt : nope ☹

Make quilt for Nate : nope ☹

Make a blue elephant - nope ☹

Take a new hike ... done (see here)

Make 2 new meals - 1) Chicken Alfredo! 2) Loaded Hasselback Potatoes
also made Chicken Divan .. so I actually made three new things.

Hasselback Potatoes

Chicken Divan

Try different waffles (malt) - nope ☹

Get through week 4 of the couch to 5K (go to the gym at work) (Thwarted again .. the gym is closing for renovation ...) ☹

Reach step goal 5 of 7 days (each week)
  Week 1 - (4/2-8) 3/7
  Week 2 - (4/9-15) 2/7
  Week 3 - (4/16-22) 5/7
  Week 4 - (4/23-29) 5/7 ..
I did it twice ...

Start a biography - nope ☹

Get the garden prepped -- plant? (prepped)

It doesn't look very impressive, but if you had seen it before I started ... 

And I even got the tomatoes planted ...

Bread? Try a new one. - nope ☹

okay, well not so good.  There's always next month ....

New Hike #2 - Sycamore Grove Park, Livermore

A week ago Saturday, Nevada and I drove up to Livermore for a vertical tasting at one of the wineries she belongs to, Cuda Ridge.  We went early in order to walk at a park that we've driven by several times.  Sycamore Grove Park.

It was a nice flat trail, actually several trails.  We took the winery loop, of course.  We were in a time crunch and so walked for about 20 minutes, I'm guessing about a mile.  We had hoped that the loop would take us back to the beginning, which it would have, but we didn't get far enough to actually loop.  We got as far as the winery ruins.

This is a picture, from a placard along the trail, of what it used to look like.

And this is what it looks like today.

We saw a lot of ground squirrels while walking and even some wild turkeys, but the most exciting thing we saw was a rattlesnake (probably hunting the ground squirrels).  Unfortunately, I didn't get my camera out in time to take a picture -- actually it took me a long time to even realize what it was.

A very nice walk that I'd definitely be up for again.