Our Families Celebrate Our 1 Year Anniversary

My sweet families decided to be with me during our 1 Year Anniversary and New Years this year, since my love is away. I was so touched that the Conkle's flew out and that all of them planned a wonderful weekend for me. On our anniversary day, we all met at The St. Regis (the scene of the crime) and toasted to our first year of marriage.

We had a little gift exchange and reminisced over cocktails of our beautiful wedding at The St. Regis... so many precious memories that will live with us all forever.

It was so special to have all four our parents with me, I felt so loved and it was the best replacement for actually having Ry there!

After cocktails, we headed off to Maestro's for dinner. We had their amazing dry-ice cosmopolitans and then came the most beautiful bouquet of roses from my sweetheart... I was SO touched. I called Ry and was able to get a hold of him, I passed around the phone and it felt like he was right there along with us :)

We had an amazing dinner and then dessert came out... a chocolate cake with a little green Tiffany's box... quite possibly the most perfect dessert combo!

Ry got me beautiful Tiffany's earrings that I immediately put on, I couldn't believe that he had pulled off such a surprise- I felt like the most special girl ever!

The following day, New Years Eve, we decided to go to the movies at South Coast Plaza... we saw Geisha, a tough but great movie. Afterwards we walked around South Coast and had lunch at Quattro... yummy pizza's! After South Coast, we went to Fashion Island for some more shopping and then had dinner at our favorite R&D Cafe. By the time we were finished it was pretty late so we headed back to my mom's to have a New Years toast... I couldn't believe it was 2006!

New Years Day we had a lazy brunch at my mom's, she is such an amazing host and always makes everything so special for us. Since Cliff and Marty were leaving later that day, we wanted to squeeze in one more walk around St. Regis and the beach!

We took pictures in the same spots we took our wedding pictures... one year ago! This was such a special weekend, I am SO thankful for our families. They really go above and beyond to show us how much they care and Ry and I are the luckiest kids in the world. Happy One Year Anniversary to my love, I can't wait until we get to celebrate for real next year :)

Merry Christmas 2005 w/o Ry :(

It's a sad Christmas this year because Ry is away in Okinawa and we can't be together :( However, my parents tried to make it as special as possible for me- thank goodness they are close! I drove to Laguna the night before Christmas Eve and on Christmas Eve morning my mom and I made a delicious champagne brunch... eggs, skillet ham and mimosa's!

After brunch, we went and got Starbuck's and took a walk around St. Regis, I reminisced of our beautiful wedding day, and then I got a call from Ry! Couldn't of been more perfect timing :)

So we talked on the phone and walked along the beach, a nice Christmas treat!

After our beautiful walk, it was so pretty outside, we came back home and began the preparations for our traditional Czech Christmas Eve Dinner. This year was special because I got to have the meal twice... once before Ry left for Okinawa at the beginning of December and now again on Christmas Eve! We took our traditional pictures by the tree to send to Ry and my family in Czech and then we feasted on my mom's delicious dinner.

After dinner, we opened gifts and had my mom's Christmas cookies for dessert. Although we had one very important person missing, we made the most of Christmas this year and now I get to look forward to next Christmas when we will be complete... I can't wait!

San Fran and Napa with Mom & Dad

As a Christmas gift this year, since Ry is away, my parents and I decided to take a trip to San Francisco and Napa. My parents had never been to Napa so I wanted to show them what a beautiful place it is!

We flew separately into San Francisco airport and from there we rented a car and drove to the Harbour Court Hotel in San Francisco. I love the location of this hotel, right across the street from the Ferry Building, my favorite! After we checked in, we headed straight to the Ferry Building for some Peet's and pastries.

We walked around all the amazing purveyors and then stopped at the wine store to have a glass of wine... Ry called from Okinawa, the best part of my day! I miss him so much and wish he could be with us.

We explored the city during the day and then went back to our Hotel to get ready for dinner. We went to Jardinere and had an amazing feast of gourmet food, it was perfection and I'm so glad my parents like it.

The following morning before checking out, we hopped over to the Ferry Building one more time for Peet's and bread from the Acme Bread Company, there couldn't be a better breakfast!

From Harbour Court, we drove an hour and half out to Napa and checked into our adorable hotel, The Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville (where French Laundry is located). We loved everything about our hotel, it was so charming and cozy!

After checking in, we headed further north up to St. Helena to have lunch at the acclaimed Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. Robert, my boss, had highly recommended we go here and boy we were glad to have made the trek out! There was a bottle of wine waiting for us, compliments of my nice boss, and we enjoyed the best lunch ever! We savored every bite and then had the best dessert I've ever had... S'mores with a toasted meringue on top... heavenly!

After lunch, we went to Sterling Winery where we took a gondola up to the tasting room... one of the most breath-taking ways of getting to a winery! We tasted a flight of wines and enjoyed the stunning views from atop.

After Sterling, we headed back towards Yountville and had to stop at Rombauer, our families favorite. We can't get enough of their wine, there is nothing else like it.

After a full day of eating and wine tasting, we picked up a light dinner at a deli to have back at our room. We got to our room, put on our robes and used their spa for a bit. We relaxed and lounged and used their hot tub- the perfect way to unwind! We then had our picnic dinner in our room and watched TV before calling it a night, we had one more fun day ahead of us!

Sunday morning before checking out, we had a delicious breakfast at our hotel. We really enjoyed our stay at The Villagio and hope to go back again soon, it was wonderful all around. We explored Yountville and had to see The French Laundry before we headed back towards San Francisco... we had lunch reservations at Chez Panisse in Berkley! We had a delicious farm-fresh lunch at Chez Panisse and enjoyed every bite of it... talk about an extraordinary culinary weekend!

After lunch, we headed into the city to walk around before we had to go back to the airport. We explored a couple shops on Filmore Street and walked to Pacific Heights to get our last views of the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge and bay. What an amazing weekend, I'm so glad my parents had a blast and I think we did just about all there was to do in San Francisco and Napa!

Ry Departs for Okinawa :(

I've been NOT wanting this day to come but it finally did... we woke up this morning to have our last breakfast together before I had to take Ry to the base for their departure to Okinawa. To make things easier for me, Ry surprised me with he sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me...

He put a bunch of little gifts on our tree, each marked with a date in December of when I should open it! It was SO touching and special... now I have a piece of him throughout all of December when he is away. After breakfast, Ry packed up his bags and put on his cammies and I took him to the base. We said our tearful good-byes and I just hoped and prayed that he would be safe. Boy, this is not easy but I am focusing on February, when we get to meet up somewhere exciting. Until then, we have emails, short phone conversations and a gift that I get to open on certain days in December ;) Good luck to my Navy Man!

Christmas Time in Agoura Hills & Sad Good-byes

Our first Christmas in our Agoura Hills apartment and it's very bitter-sweet because Ry is leaving tomorrow for his deployment to Okinawa, Japan for SIX months. So many mixed emotions... we've been so happy being transferred to Port Hueneme so that we could be close to my family and our friends but the drawback with this battalion was that Ry would be 6 months home and 6 months deployed for two years, until finished with his Navy commitment. So here we are, December 2nd- the start of Christmas time and a day away from Ry leaving. This is was what we signed up for however, so we have to be brave and get through it. We are focusing on the positive... at the end of two years, the Navy will have paid for 3 years for Ry's Dental school and we are making the most of our situation by meeting up throughout his deployment and traveling to exciting places during that time. So here we go!

I decorated our apartment and even put our little artificial tree up. My parents were so sweet to come up and celebrate a "mock" Christmas for Ryan. My mom cooked her traditional Czech Christmas meal and brought it to our apartment so that we can have Christmas before Ry leaves! We had a great last night together and we just all pray for Ry's safety throughout all this, he will be so very missed!

Thank goodness my parents will be not too far away, I will definitely be needing them for lots of support during this difficult time :(

Thanksgiving & Party in Sacramento 2005

This Thanksgiving we had two occasions to celebrate... Turkey Day of course and then Marty and Cliff were hosting a party for Ry and I to introduce us to all of their Sacramento friends that couldn't make it to our wedding! We started off with Marty's traditional Thanksgiving dinner...

Look at that Turkey! It was scrumptious and we all had a good time being together... we are so thankful for all of God's blessings and we prayed that Ry be safe while deployed in Okinawa.

On Friday, Ry and I decided to take a little day trip to Napa... I just love it there, so clam and beautiful. We tasted champagne at Domaine Chandon and then had lunch, it was a gorgeous day to be outside!

Saturday morning the preparations began for the party... we were all given tasks and Ry had to take care of the broken light circuit... amidst searching for parts, he found this hat and moose slippers and as we were all working hard he kept going around and asking everyone "Did you forget about me?" Yes, my husband is hilarious.

By 5pm it was time to get all dressed up! Everything was all set for the guests to arrive and we took lots of family pictures since Paw Paw and Aunt Harriette were in town.

Cliff and Marty did an amazing job hosting our party... they are so sweet to do this for us. We had a great time meeting all of their dear friends and finally putting faces with names we've heard so much about!

Marty had her caterer cook food for the party... everything was delicious and the table looked beautiful! It was a fun and special night, we felt so honored. Sunday was clean up and then it was time to head back home... it will be hard to be back at work after a nice long weekend and I am sad that Ry will be leaving for Okinawa soon... I'm trying really hard not to think about it but it keeps creeping up on me... I have to enjoy every minute that I can with him!

Kelli & Jason Visit

On Saturday, Kelli and Jason came to visit us! Since Ry was at work until 3pm, I took Kelli and Jason to the Ronald Reagan Memorial... we loved looking around and seeing Air Force One... this is such a great memorial with stunning views.

After our Reagan Tour, we met Ry and Bailey at home and I cooked us all dinner. Kelli and Jason loved meeting Bailey for the first time and Bailey loved the attention!

We had salads and Baked Ziti for dinner... and of course wine! It was so fun to catch up with these two, it's been a long time and it's so nice to live close to our friends again.

Happy Halloween 2005

Happy Halloween! Ry carved our pumpkin and I made my traditional scallop and corn chowder topped with crispy prosciutto. We handed out candy to Miss America's and Spider Men this year, it was exciting to have lots of trick-or-treaters. For dessert, we saved the pumpkin seeds and I baked the them for 30 minutes in a 375-degree oven and flavored half with salt and the other half with cinnamon and sugar. Even our new family member seemed to enjoy his first Halloween with us!

Dave's Birthday Dinner

A busy weekend it was! First off, Cliff was in town for a business trip so he took us out to dinner to Nobu, Malibu Friday night... delicious! Then on Saturday, we all went to Dave and Amy's in Irvine to celebrate his birthday.

We took Bailey along and he got lots of attention, as you can imagine! Gabe came as well, it was so good to see the boys.

Amy made lasagna and salad and we had some nice wine... it was so fun to celebrate Dave and see their new home, we are so happy for them!

Cafe R & D and Parents meet Bailey

One of our first outings with Bailey was to visit my Mom and Dad for the day... we met them at Fashion Island and my mom and dad got to meet him for the first time. It's hard not to fall in love! We walked around Fashion Island for a bit and then had lunch at our favorite... Cafe R&D.

We had fun catching up and sharing our stories about Bailey... it was a beautiful sunny day, it was so nice to be out and about and Bailey did really well on his first outing to the OC!

Baily Arrives!

After patiently awaiting our puppy's arrival, he finally flew into LAX from Georgia on Saturday! Boy were we excited to pick him up. He arrived in a little crate and as soon as we opened up his little door, he came into our hands. OMGosh is he adorable! We about melted. We were SO happy that he arrived safely and that he didn't look too overwhelmed, we think he did great!

Look at all these kisses!! He is the sweetest puppy ever, we ended up going with Bailey... we thought it was perfect for him. From the airport we went straight to Petco to pickup some supplies and Bailey picked out a couple treats too.

We got home and showed Bailey around, I think he will adjust just fine. Potty training may be a bit of an issue but hopefully he will get it down quick! We gave him a little bath at night, look at how precious... I am so excited to create memories with our new little guy!