Cocoa Stand - Welcome Declan

Today is the first day of rain Cam, Sam and I have experienced in Northern California. We did have a misty day one day and rain one night after dark. But today, we woke up to the sound of it; got wet walking in it and it is still coming down.

It is a nice, steady rain. There is nearly no wind so you can see it coming down gently. It reminds me of snow. And if it were below freezing, we'd have lots.

Some other day, I'll share sledding pictures with you but today, I wanted to talk about the day we had a cocoa stand. Our friend, Eileen had met us at Chipotle. We were going to go sledding after lunch but the people we were planning to meet went at a different time and it was so cold we decided to skip it.

Sam had the idea of having a cocoa stand. Eileen and I embraced it. Most people walked past us without making eye contact. But some people were really nice. I love this picture of Sam with Eileen.

Eileen worked with Cam and me. She and her husband, Matt are so thoughtful and fun. One time, on my birthday, after bringing the perfect present (a cherry picker) and celebrating with us during dinner, they insisted on staying with Sam so Cam & I could go out with the rest of the group to one of Melissa's shows.

While they kept him, they decided to speak in French accents just for fun. Sam was right there with them. They also had races up and down the hall and taught him a new card game. Another time, they invited us to a Scary Movie party at their place. They made sure the first movie was Sam-friendly so he could come. He was the only kid there but everyone went out of there way to include him in the fun. We all had a ball. They also joined us in surprising Cam with a small party on his 30th birthday. Even though we didn't see them often, they are dear to us.

Recently, we received word that their first child, Declan James Tibble was born. I wanted to congratulate them, share some memories and express how much they mean to us.

Welcome, Declan. You are a lucky boy to have been born to such wonderful people. I'm sure they will be amazing parents.