Napa with the Family!

On a wonderful October Sunday, we got the opportunity to go to Napa Valley with our brother and sis-in-law, Benton & Tessa, and our Mom and Dad. We all carpooled down to the wine country and started our adventure off at Hagafen Cellars for a tasting and tour.

Being the wine-o that I am, it was great doing the tour because I learned so much about the wine-making process. And we got to eat the grapes right of the vine!!

We also tasted some great wines at Baldacci.

But the most amazing winery was the Beringer House. Look at how beautiful the house is!!

However, the best part of the day was spending the time with our family. What a great way to bring in the Autumn season.

The new house!!

Welcome to our new home!

We are just so excited and blessed to be owning our own home. Our 3 bed, 2.5 bath little slice of heaven makes us so happy. Complete with 2 car garage, backyard, and shiny countertops, this home is a place we see ourselves in for a longgggg time.

Unfortunately, the pictures aren't great because I took them with my phone camera (and they are also out of order. ooops!). Our office is still not unpacked, meaning that we couldn't find the cords for Justin's good camera.

Enjoy!

[View of the Kitchen from the Living Room]

[View of the Living Room]

[View of Dining Room and Stairwell]

[View of the Family Room from the Stairwell]


[View of the Family Room, Dining Room, and a little peak into the Kitchen and Living Room]

Also on the downstairs is the laundry room and a half bath. Once you go upstairs, you will find the master bedroom with connected master bath and walk-in closet, the office, the guest bedroom, and the guest bath.

We have been blessed with so many friends and family visiting our new place and can't wait to have more people over. If you are in the area, please stop on by :)

We're Back!

Hello Blogworld -

Well, it has been a while since we have been on our blog. A LOT has happened since the last blog. Let's see, summer has come and is almost over, Justin and I have been working like crazy, oh and we bought a house! It has been a whirlwind, but things are finally settling down.

The new house is just amazing. We feel so blessed and so thankful for our new home. And wow, making the transition from renters to homeowners is quite the rollercoaster ride. However, I think the biggest joy of this whole experience was unpacking all of our things that have been boxed up since January. Who knew a girl could miss her KitchenAid mixer and pretty linens so much?

The house is almost completely decorated, other than the office. We also still need to landscape the backyard, but that will come with time. I'm hoping to convince Justin to whip out his camera tonight and get some house shots to share on our next post. Stay tuned!

Adventures!!

It has been a little while since we blogged, and have a lot of updates! Justin is now employed at Ultra Link Cabling Systems in Auburn, CA. It is a company that specializes in telecommunications and fiber optic installs. We are so thankful and blessed to both be employed, and at such great jobs, during a challenging economy. We keep ourselves very busy with work, but leave time for fun and playtime together.

First and foremost, we finally got a picture of us in front of Burney Falls. What a special moment.

Justin and I also went with to the Auburn Rodeo with some friends and family. I had never been to a rodeo before. We loved being there and loved wearing our cowboy boots!

Here are some great pictures of our time at Cassel, CA with the Murschels during the last weekend in April. It was opening weekend for trout season and boy did we have fun. We had such a great time up there in the mountains. Justin caught his first fish on the fly rod (most likely due to having such great teachers).

Lots of Fish!

Fishermen

early morning up for opening day of the season

It has just been a blessing being back in California, surrounded by friends and family. We sure are getting anxious though to settle into our own space. We currently have an offer in on a beautiful, and HUGE, condo in Lincoln, CA - conveniently right in between our two works. Keep your fingers crossed! You know these short sales can be anything but short!

Grandpa

Wow! We are just SO happy that we were able to go see our dear Grandpa Al today. How wonderful it was to take a day off of work to go see him. We are so thankful that we are home, back in California, and able to go see family when they need company.

Dear Grandpa still has a long road to recovery, but he has his spunk and perky attitude still. We love him so much and hope to go back and see him again soon.

We love you Grandpa! And are praying for you everyday.

Family

Man oh man! How wonderful it is to be back in California and see family. This last weekend we got the pleasure of seeing my dad's two siblings, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Bruce. We haven't seen Aunt Lisa since the wedding, and haven't seen Bruce in over 1.5 years.

There were so many factors involved when we decided to move back to California so soon, and one of the biggest factors was being around family. And tomorrow, we get to go see my sweet Grandpa in the hospital in Napa. Can't wait to give him a hug and tell him how much we love him.

Grandpa Al

A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.

~Author Unknown

A great picture of my dear Grandpa Al and his daugher (my sweet Auntie Karey) at my cousin's wedding. Grandpa Al has gold in his heart like no other man. He is wise, caring, and has a humorous sense that makes him an absolute joy to be around.

Grandpa Al has been in the hospital sense Saturday, March 5th for many different health reasons. He is staying strong and doctors are helping fix a lot of the medical issues he is dealing with, and trying to make him comfortable along the way.

We are hoping this will be a short-term visit with the hospital, but either way, it makes you so thankful for this man. He is 87 years old, a husband of over 50 years to an amazing woman (who passed 11 years ago), and a father of three beautiful daughters, and a grandfather to 5 amazing grandkids.

If you get a sec, say a quick prayer for this amazing man. We are all hoping he will feel better soon, so we can see him as his wonderful self again.

up up and away

One of the best ways to spend a Saturday afternoon is flying around in a personal plane :)

Our dear father, Roger White, has his pilots license and he has taken us up multiple times in the past. Yesterday, he and mom came back from a quick trip to the Bay Area so we decided to go to the airport to watch them land. Once they got out of the plane, dad askes: Would you guys like to go up for a quick flight?! We couldn't deny such an offer.

We had so much fun up in the air seeing all the beauty below. Its amazing how small your troubles seem when you are at such a high altitude.

Thanks, Dad, for an awesome Saturday afternoon.

A tribute...

We love these two boys in this picture with us. Just absolutely love them to pieces.

Between Sam being the brother that I (Alyssa) have never had and Luke being a man of honor, truth, and pride, we truly feel blessed to have the opportunity to hang out with these sweet guys on a weekly basis. The love we have for these men is just astounding. It is truly wonderful to be home and be around those you love, and those that love you to pieces as well.

Happy to be home :)

After being back in California for a month, we find ourselves being so happy. Being around family is just amazing.

What's on the agenda for us next? House shopping! Even though living with family is great, we sure can't wait to really set our roots back into these California grounds with a house we can call our own.

Our trip across the country!

On January 20th 2011, the two of us, plus our dear brother Samuel, took a little road trip:

Maybe it was a little more like a BIG road trip. 9 states, 3 people with fevers, 2.5 days, 2 pets, a moving truck, a car carrier, and 2 vehicles, we made it to the beautiful state of California.

Thankfully, we made it home in one piece. However, its a little sad to leave Virginia behind. We will never forget some of our favorite memories:

Our first apartment

The Navy

Camping (our favorite past-time)

Our first townhome

We are so blessed with such great memories of our first 2.5 years of marriage in Virginia, but we are even more excited to start our new life in California, all surrounded by family and friends.