What Erin is blogging no way!

So five months goes by and I realize that I have been a horrible blogger. It seems we just got back from Thanksgiving and I swear I had the full intention to blog only to get bogged down with everything life quickly throws at you. I have also discovered that winter while it is one of my favorite times of the year because of the snow, winter doesn’t really suit me like it used to. Boise is known for its long inversion for which there is not a lot of sun to be found. Apparently this makes me really tired and grouchy because by the time I get home I am so exhausted that I would personally rather just go to bed. This has contributed to my lack of blogging. Now that the spring weather is on its way I am starting to see a little bit of a skip in my step. I have decided to do a couple of large posts to catch everyone up on the Colburns and then I will hopefully be able to get back to the normal posting schedule. I can hear the cheering now and the “about time comments” I deserve it for sure.

Thanksgiving Week

So we drove down to California to see Rusty’s family and we had a great time. Buddy came along for the ride. He did really well for a 14 hour car ride. He even took a nap the last stretch with me for about two hours. He then proceeded to crawl into the front seat and sit shotgun to Rusty. We got to La Crescenta about 4am in the morning. Russ opened the door and we dragged our tired butts into the house and went to sleep until about 9 or 10 am. We stayed the whole week with the family it was really fun. When we were finally settled Russ and Linda took us to Damon’s, a steakhouse, for drinks, twice baked potatoes, and prime rib. I think Rusty was in heaven. There was also a really interesting old guy there that kept asking how old we were and if we were married. He was very eccentric.

Buddy fit in right at home in California we took him for a walk and Linda wanted to get him a toy. I thought that the Black Kong could keep the Buddy busy oh how wrong I was he had it pretty much destroyed in one sitting. Remarkable how strong and smart that dog is.

We did take an afternoon to go site seeing at the Santa Monica Pier. It was beautiful and very neat. I found an arcade that had an actually DDR machine however, Rusty refused to let me get on it. Sad that I am only allowed to play in the quiet of our own home. :(

Linda also took me to Descanso Gardens which was really nice they have a lot of neat foliage and they are well known for their Camellias. They also have a very cool historical home called the Boddy House where the owner originally lived. Check out some of the pictures from our walk.
I had tea with Grandma Jo and Linda, which I had never done before and Rusty got to go through Grandpa Jake’s gun supplies and pick some really nice things. We also went to a Chinese buffet in Northridge with Linda and checked out some area shopping. Thanksgiving dinner was great between Linda and me we had “turkey in the bag,” potatoes, rolls and several pies: key lime, banana, and pumpkin. Julie brought some sweet potatoes, Betsy brought the cranberries and Carey brought the appetizers. In regards to the pies it was really funny Grandma Jo wanted to try the key lime pie and when Linda brought her the piece she thought it was banana crème pie. She asked why it tasted so tart. We ended up getting her a both, not only did everyone sneak pieces of turkey under the table to him, but Buddy thought that he could see Betsy closer by jumping up into Grandpa Jake’s lap. I might add I know Buddy knows he is not a lap dog but he sure tries really hard to make himself be one anyway.

The following Saturday Rusty and I began the trip home. We had decided to leave in the morning and take our time going up the 395 highway to enjoy the Sierra Nevadas and the scenery. We stopped and had lunch at a Port of Subs in Nevada and then switched drivers. I had only been driving about an hour or so when we made it to Reno. I got a little turned around and needed to turn the car around to go south so that I could get onto the freeway. I was able to get back onto the 395 only to have another vehicle flip a U-turn right in front of me. I hit the driver’s side end of his truck and pushed him into the turn lane. Needless to say Rusty got a ride in an ambulance to the hospital to check for head injuries and Buddy got a ride in the car as it was towed to the towing yard.

I ended up renting a Dodge Caravan yippy and picking up disoriented Rusty and confused Buddy. We stayed a night in the Airport Best Western where we then began the six hour drive back to Boise. I would have to say that Reno is not my favorite place anymore not that it really was before.

Rusty did get a really big kick out of all of the accessories on the Dodge Caravan. There is a little mirror underneath the rearview mirror which you can set to watch the back seats. He was so excited he indicated our next vehicle needed this so he could slap his kids when they are acting up without turning his head. I doubt he will get his wish. The car accident saga is still continuing today. I would not recommend getting in a car accident outside your own state. It can become very complicated and frustrating. It took about a month to get the car fixed, by which I had to fly to Reno to pick up and drive back to Boise with. We are still fighting the insurance companies to determine fault and I am still working with the hospitals and health insurances to get the hospital bill paid. Luckily no one was hurt badly except the car and my pride, but these things happen.