Winter Days

One of my favorite Christmas carols says, "Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas." And it really is.

It is a nice, comfortable 59 degrees at quarter to one here in Napa. As I am sitting at my desk, out my window I see the tall Christmas-like pine trees, the stout northern Mayacaymus Mountains, and a little bit of yellow peeking through where the mustard flowers have started to bloom between the bare vines that are a cold, indian clay red now that they've been stripped of their fruit and the leaves have all fallen to the cold, damp earth. This sight is so picturesque it seems as though it could only be an oil painting in which the artist's rendition of a perfect Northern California winter can only be complemented by a baby blue, almost too perfect sky that is the culminating detail in his work of art. The presence of a few small, white clouds only brings me back to reality in which I realize how lucky I am to live where I do, how I do.

I know that Thanksgiving is typically when you give special thanks to the people and things in life you are grateful for, but I felt it only fitting that I express how much I really do appreciate everything I have.

It has always been so interesting to me how we celebrate Thanksgiving, where we are supposed to show how especially thankful we are for what we have, and then it seems most instantly we are swept into the Christmas holiday, where as children you are almost completely consumed with want. Although, as children get older they realize the real meaning of Christmas and the season is just as much about giving and appreciation as Thanksgiving, I think it is easy to forget the root of the celebration.

Let's not wait; make a resolution now. For this holiday season, and the rest of the ever changing seasons to follow, take a step back and look at the big picture. You might even find one that is far more beautiful than you ever thought possible.

Too long...

It's been too long. Here is an update.
It's Friday. The last Friday of football for Justin's first year as a varsity coach. If I don't say so my self, he has done a marvelous job! Its been a full time job and more. They ended the season 6-5 (one loss in the playoffs). I can't wait for next year, but I will definitely enjoy having him home on Saturday mornings, going to be at a reasonable hour and not having every conversation revolve around the next Friday. I love football season, but it's a good thing it comes to an end so that we can recuperate and be ready for the rest of the sports!

Speaking of the rest of the sports, Justin has decided to coach 7th grade basketball! Yes, Justin. I know what you are all thinking... he never played basketball. The one thing I know is that he is the most athletic person I know and he can do it! Plus he will have our friend Cam Neil to help!! Thanks Cam! Justin also applied for the head coaching position for the Vintage track team; we have yet to hear a decision yet, so FINGERS CROSSED!

Next up is the holidays, and as everyone knows, birthdays always seem to coincide! Justin will be 25 next week, on the 27th. Then there is Thanksgiving, then Joe's birthday is on the 15th of Dec. and then Christmas and most importantly... MY birthday! I will be 20. This, in my opinion, is the most pointless age. Although, I guess if you were to skip it, you'd lose out on all those experiences. Since We are getting married during that year, I think I just might like it!

Speaking of the wedding, we put a deposit down on the site. THANKS SO MUCH JOE & MOM. We will begin interviewing DJ's and florists soon. Next week we will be opening an account specifically for the wedding. It will be a place anyone can put money and then we can write checks for things for the wedding like for champagne, flowers, the next deposit, etc. When we have the information like bank and account number, we will post it on here so that if anyone wants to, they can put money in it... like for birthdays or Christmas, or just any ol' reason. :-)

Lola is doing great. She is 10 months and 18 lbs. We recently started going to the dog park. Now that she is bigger and better trained to come when called, we feel more comfortable letting her loose around other dogs. It is nerve-wracking though because Lola is not fixed as we plan to breed her in the near future.

That is about it. Love you guys!

Fog in the Valley

As I drove to work this morning, the fog lie so close to the ground that there was maybe a quarter of a mile of visibility. The dark pavement was all that broke up the expanse of the vineyards on either side of the road where they were a yellow color that seemed to have a dull glow, speckled with rust colored leaves.

It became sadly ironic to me how much the weather represented how I felt. It was cold outside. The fog eerily resembled the sadness that had taken over the days in the recent past since the day he passed.

As I drove, I began to climb the hill to work. I realized how hard my car was working to get up. It was straining, making a sort of humming sound as it made its way up, up and up a seemingly neverending slope. As the road finally plateaued, I noticed the seats were finally warm. I am still waiting for this feeling to come around.

Everyday I come to work and see the sadness. This is a family. Not only are Norman's children there, so are all the people who thought of him as family. People who have known and loved him for years. In the quiet of the day I look around and see the tears just behind the eyes of everyone around me. When I walk by the pictures in the hall of the family when the winery and they were all young, it brings it all home.

This is home. This is my second home. I love everyone here like family; so did Norman, and they loved him. I will always remember his quiet humor and the stories about his relentless dancing at every opportunity.

While it was known for 4 years that he was sick, it is still hard to find solace in the fact that he is no longer struggling day in and day out. I just hope that as they days pass, the struggle to move on gets easier -- for his entire family; his wife, all of his children, grandchildren, his sister, and everyone in the extended ZD 'family'.

It truly is a gloomy day -- this Halloween.

Fires

As everyone I'm sure knows, Southern California is on fire. I cannot believe how out of control these blazes are. From what I last heard there have more than 500,000 people evacuated, 410,000 acres (roughly 460 square miles) and $1 billion in damages thus far. Just keep in mind these people being affected by the fires and make sure to call loved ones.

Love you everyone,
Brenda

Welcome!

We have created this blog to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in our lives. We know that we aren't quite the "Nunley's" yet, as the wedding date is not until Aug. 1, 2008. Yep that's right! We picked a date! Mark your calendars. We will be sending "Save the Date" cards out early in the new year so be on the look out.