Spending Time with Christa

Brian's cousin, Christa, came to visit us last week.


Having a guest come and stay the night with us is a rare, but welcome, treat.


While I was whipping up Grami's meatballs for dinner, Christa and Brian played a few Wii games.


After dinner, Christa and Lucy (our 7-year-old yellow Lab) played with a toy Brian received from his parents this Christmas.


Lucy chased this remote-controlled Thunder Tumbler all over the family room, living room and dining room while Christa, Brian and I looked on...and laughed.


Lucy couldn't figure out why this little truck was whizzing around the room.

She was quite interested, but perplexed.

She was not amused by its antics, but determined to catch it.

In fact, Lucy tried to bite the truck, first by its wheels and then by its antenna.

A couple of times, Christa put the truck in reverse and ran over Lucy's paws before she had a chance to back away from it.

It was highly entertaining.


Fifteen minutes later, the toy truck had clearly sustained some damage, but it was still running and in one piece. Lucy, on the other hand, was out of breath from chasing the truck, so we picked up the vehicle and placed it on the kitchen counter. That way, Lucy couldn't gnaw on it or chew it into itty-bitty pieces.


Lucy and Rudy headed downstairs with us, so we could watch Shrek 3 (which Brian and I had never seen before) in 3D. I never thought I'd say this, but ogre babies are adorable.

The following day, after filling our bellies with french toast, sausage and fruit, we drove to Nevada City to explore the shops.

I bought two stuffed Christmas elves and a Life is Good knitted cap, all of which were 50% off.

I was eager to show Christa my favorite Nevada City store for home decor, Country Collectibles, but when we arrived at the shop, we learned that it has closed its doors and will only be selling merchandise online. Bummer!


After working up quite an appetite browsing the shops, Brian, Christa and I enjoyed burritos at Las Katarinas, a Mexican restaurant on Broad street.

Thanks for coming to see us, Christa. It was a delight spending time with you.

J