Who doesn't love a state fair?!

So, somehow, I missed blogging about the Minnesota State Fair. Held the last week in August, it was part of the last hurrah for my time with family. Even though it was almost a month ago, I think the pictures are worth a look.

Dad, this first one's for you. If only Maggie was a cut out also, we could have had the whole Dougherty Clan featured here.

Anne waits patiently for her first goodie of the day--fresh roasted corn!
Seamus was determined to milk this cow, I think her name was Ellie. But unfortunately, you can't get milk from plastic. Yet.
MJ wakes up for a spell. Might have been the smell of cow manure that woke her up.
The boys loved this cut out. I have a whole series of pictures of them in and around this stand up, but this is my favorite. They were having some much fun together!

By the end of the evening, the boys were starting to fade, but James was still going strong!

Seamus needed "some time alone," so this is as close as I could get for awhile.

Finn rests in his Dad's arms. Almost time to go home.

And one final view of the fair. It was a great time, with great food. Look forward to going again next year!

Seamus is 4 years old today!

Happy Birthday, Seamus! It's hard to believe its been four years since you came into our lives. It seems like just yesterday that we took this picture with you, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
But you are so grown up now, becoming your own person, and its been so much fun to get to know you.
I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I love you very much.

Why I love the Bay Area, Part 1

One of the best things about living in California is that there is always something new to discover. Margo and I spent the day hiking at Point Reyes, and while I am a huge fan of hiking in Marin County, and have done it often, this was a great hike that was new to me. We drove up Highway 1, which is the most widing road you have ever experienced, and guaranteed to encite Dougherty car sickness. Luckily, I held it together for the hour car ride, and was rewarded with a great day.

Margo on the trail with the Pacific Ocean in sight.

We took our lunch break by a nice waterfall. Margo was too much of a wimp to get her feet wet, but I dipped mine into the water while we enjoyed our lunch. I almost have feeling back in all of my toes, although I may have to give the little ones up. They aren't that useful anyway, and get in the way of my wearing the pointy toed shoes, so no problems there.
I'm used to relying on my handy guide book for Marin hikes, but for this one, Margo took us off-roading. Note the sign that says "Unmaintained trail: dangerous." That Margo, such a rebel.

Here she is, a la Sasquatch, looking for a robe swing to go into Bass Lake.
And here it is. Note: Margo is not swinging from it on her way into the icy-cold lake. Once again: wimp.
And the two of us together, finishing up our 10 mile hike. It was a beautiful day, spent with a very dear friend. Thanks, Margo!

Now, if only we could have ended the day with a shrimp boil, it would have been perfect!

Life to the Left

So, you might be wondering what I've been doing with myself since returning to the West Coast. I've been catching up with some really good friends, and reacquainting myself with this city that I love.

On day 2 in SF, I got to spend the day with Margo. She is heavy into her schooling right now, getting ready for a career as a world class vet, but she took the day to show me what I've been missing in SF. Here we are at Sutro Heights.

I also got to visit with my good friend, Erin. Here we are, getting ready to see the musical, "Mama Mia!"

Sorry, Tania and Nicole, I missed taking a picture of our reunion. And I haven't seen Lillian, Erik, Lila and Tanveer yet. Pictures for a later blog entry, I think.

Of course, in returning to SF, I also had to return to the world of full time employment. Luckily, the co-workers are a very fun crowd.

Here are Travis and Evans. I'm not sure what they are doing, but I'm sure it is funny.
And me, with the boys. To my left is Justin, a very sweet guy who was catching me up on all I missed at work. To my right is Chaz, who was hired while I was gone, so I don't really know anything about him. But the five of us made for a fun happy hour after work. I'm throwing these pictures in because I mentioned a number of times to people that there isn't much to blog about when there are no kids involved. I go to work, I go home, sometimes other stuff happens. That's all, folks. But I'm trying to find blog worthy activites, and I think this is one of them.

Back to California

No pictures for this post. Just a note that I'll be back in SF by this evening.

It's been an interesting summer. I've had lots of fun visiting with family in South Carolina, Minnesota and New Jersey. I've gotten the chance to know all of them so much better, and I am so grateful for their generosity in welcoming me into their homes and their lives, whether for 2 weeks or a month and a half.

Its also been a very poignant summer, and even as we all enjoyed our time together, we also all continue to miss Tom's presence in our lives. I started on this journey because I was trying to find a way to recover from his loss. What I have realized since is that I'll never really recover, because I will always miss him.

But I think he would have been happy that I spent this time with family. I think he would be proud that we continue to work on being happy, and that we are committed to each other, now more than ever.

I think it will be a difficult adjustment to get used to my old life in California again, but I am looking forward to living in my own space again. We can't say for sure what will happen next, but I am so grateful for the family I have been blessed with. I read a saying once that really meant something to me. "You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to each other." That seems pretty fitting to me.

MJ loves God and grandma

We recently celebrated the baptism of the newest Dougherty, Mary Jeanne, in New Jersey. It was a great day, full of love and laughter, and it was great to see some many of our family and friends there. We also celebrated my Mom's birthday a bit early, so we had much to celebrate.

James, holding his god-son, Connor, and Andie, holding her god-daughter, MJ.

My dad with his brothers, John and Mike. We missed you, Marion!
The girls cut their cake, which actually says, "MJ loves God and grandma." I'd love to take credit for this slogan, but it was actually contributed by my very clever youngest brother, James.
Cousin Kristine came all the way from LA, CA for the party. Cousin Lisa is holding Connor.

Cousin Jason came from Chapel Hill, NC. I don't think there a moment the whole time he was with us that he wasn't holding at least one of the kids. Here he is with a sleeping Finn, as well as 'Rexy' and 'Critter.'

No sleep for Seamus! He loved playing with his cousins. Here he is with Liam, who seemed to enjoy having some boys around!

The Cousins. Here are all the cousins on my mother's side, including spouses and children. Quite a group! We took one of the Dougherty cousins also, but somehow I didn't get that picture on my camera. But Megan and Katelynn, it was great to see you there! Thanks for all the help! And Liz, we missed you!

Finally, just for fun, the Dougherty boys, pre-party. My dad had picked up hats in Communist Russia and China, and here the older boys model them for us. I think they look a lot happier than most Communists, though, and much more snappily dressed. You can tell that Connor is wondering what his hat will be. Not to worry, Connor, Grandpa Tom still has a few leftover souvenirs from his travel to far off places. I'm sure he'll find something for you, when you're ready!