All the leaves are green, and the sky is blue

So as everyone knows, Derek is another year older and is now a whopping 27 years old. He is even starting to find grey hairs (don't worry, there have only been 2 sighting so far...haha!) We had a birthday BBQ for him last Sunday and had a few friends for kabobs and to play ladder golf. We even went over to a big park to play kickball for a while. It was a really hot day and was about 90 degrees so it was perfect weather for a BBQ. The day before, Derek happened to mention that our old BBQ only lit a fire on one side so it might be a good idea to "upgrade". Needless to say, Derek got a new BBQ as a side birthday present. I am also very excited about the upgrade because the weather has been so very nice :)

We are getting ready for our big trip to Florida/Alabama/Atlanta next week. So far we plan to spend a couple days in Pensacola visiting friends - they have even planned a pool party in our honor. We can't wait to see our dearly missed friends that are still there. After Pensacola, we are heading to Atlanta for a little getaway with our friends Ben and Chrissy and Derek's parents Clay and Saxon. We are going to see the Coca Cola Museum and the Georgia Aquarium and possibly Stone Mountain while we are there. The remainder of the time will be spent in Florala relaxing and spending time with Derek's parents and grandparents. It should be a nice break from work and our regular routine.

Here in Grass Valley, we are settling in nicely. This past Saturday, Derek and another SF agent had a booth at the local downtown car show. There were probably over 100 really neat old cars there which were great to see. Heather and I helped hand out SF lollipops and brochures on auto insurance and other goodies. Overall it was a great success. If you look at the picture of Heather and I in our pink shirts, we are standing in front of a 1911 Cadillac. The owner of it told us some history on the car and how it works. He is only the third owner which is amazing and he said the majority of the paint is original and the leather and wheels are original which is amazing. He also said that he still drives it about 5,000 miles per year.

We have started a young couples small group through our church - so far it is our second week and we haven't had much attendance but we are planning on doing a promotional kick off BBQ to get some interest. We are also helping out with a 5K "Run for the Community" that our church is sponsoring. We have been runing about 2-3 miles a day lately so hopefully we'll be in good shape for this run in late May. I have tried a new yoga class called Bikram Yoga. It is done in a room kept at 105 degrees so you sweat a TON!!! Supposedly it is supposed to be very clarifying and a great way to expand your endurance and lung capacity. I almost passed out on my first day since I did not eat anything before going (it was an early morning class) but the second time went well.

We have been getting more and more flowers blooming in our yard. We have some irises and roses that are beautiful in our front yard and some of our trees are blooming in the back. The first picture above is of a fushcia hanging basket. It is great moving to a warmer, wetter climate because the plant and flower options expand! In my garden so far I have planted some lettuce and strawberries. I have sugar snap pea and spinach seeds... just haven't had the time to get them in the ground yet. From what I have been reading lately, gardening has been booming this year as people are trying to save money on food! I think it is a great idea but we'll see how it goes. So far I have lost 3 lettuce plants.... I'll keep you posted on my progress. It looks like Louis and Henry have started a garden of their own also so we'll have to keep an eye on theirs too!. Hope everyone is having a happy spring!

Love,

Sharon