38 weeks! Baby P is almost here!

We have covered a lot of ground (and water) since our last post. We left 10 days later for a “babymoon” in Maui, went home for a wedding, baby shower, and bridal shower, enjoyed Independence Day festivities in Coronado, traveled home again for 2 weddings and a baby shower, and returned to Coronado for final Pre-Baby P preparations…needless to say, it has been a busy summer.

Sunset on our last night in Maui

The trip to Maui was a great experience. We packed as much as possible into our week long trip, yet managed to relax and slow down to the island’s pace. We stayed at the Hyatt Kaanapali on the West side of Maui. We rented a Jeep and did the Road to Hana. The road goes from the downtown area of Maui by the airport around the East side of the island. It takes you through rain forests along a rocky shoreline and eventually through a lava scarred cattle ranch on the Southeast side of the island where you watch the sunset during the last few hours of your drive. The drive and sightseeing kept us out until after 10pm, and we woke the next morning at 2am to drive 2 hours to the top of Haleakala volcano to watch the sunrise over the Pacific.
Sunrise over the Pacific.

It was a spectacular and cold experience. We layered up with multiple pairs of pants and windbreakers and rain coats. It was 80F when we left our hotel, and was 40F with 20+mph wind at the top. The majority of the sightseers were bundled with hotel blankets. After watching the sunrise, we took a helicopter tour of the East side of the island. Having driven the terrain the day before, it was neat to know exactly what we were looking at as we got the aerial tour. Ready for a relax day? We weren’t.

We rose with the sun the next morning to drive to the smaller airport close to our hotel to catch a flight to Oahu. We toured Naval Base Pearl Harbor to include the USS MISSOURI (BB-63), USS BOWFIN (SS-287), the Pacific Aviation Museum, and the USS ARIZONA Memorial. It was a long day, but we could not let ourselves travel half way across the largest ocean on the planet without visiting this important piece of American and world history.

The following day, Wednesday, we had another early morning. Bryson went on a SCUBA boat for the day and Muriel got a massage and took to the streets for a day of shopping. We spent the afternoon at the pool scoping out the scene for our last full day at our hotel. Wednesday night we went to a luau at our hotel. Thursday was spent at the pool relaxing and unwinding from the first part of our vacation. We traveled back to the mainland Friday to be home for Memorial Day weekend and kickoff the summer in sunny Coronado.

June was a busy month, too. We traveled home for Mitch and Jessica’s wedding, and Muriel stayed home for an extra week to visit and allow time for a baby shower. The baby shower (thrown by family and friends) was a wonderful time! Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day:) It was great to see family and friends that we had not seen in months. She returned to CA with best friend Kristin in tow. We are always ready to entertain guests (in small numbers...as space is limited) and introduce them to life on Coronado.

The next weekend was Independence Day weekend. Coronado does 4^th of July like no place I have ever been. The normally sleepy tourist/navy town sees a quadrupling of its population as it celebrates over the course of 4 days. There are road races, open water swims, parades, concerts, fireworks, and house parties up and down every block. Bicycles and golf carts on the road out number cars for most of the weekend because if you move your car, you probably won’t find a parking spot when you return.

Our backyard for the 4th!

We spent the last week of July on the road. With two weddings to get to in the bayou state, the doctors said that if we wanted to be in Louisiana, we were getting there by road, so we did. It wasn’t an exciting trip, so I won’t try to make it sound like one. Making overnight stops in Tucson, Fort Stockton, and The Woodlands (Thanks again Aunt Allister and Uncle John!), we took 4 days to cover the 1,750 miles with swollen feet on the dash and panting dog in the back seat. We made it to Baton Rouge Thursday afternoon to have dinner with family. The following day, Dr. Nasca was admitted to the hospital. We went to Flynn and Dana’s wedding in Hammond on Saturday, and spent the weekend around BR, visiting the hospital a couple of times per day. Dr. Nasca passed away after a courageous 5 year battle with prostate cancer on Tuesday, August 2^nd. We see it as nothing short of a blessing from God that we were able to come home, say goodbye, and be with family and friends during these times. The outpouring of love from friends and the community during this time has been humbling. He was a loving and generous husband, father, stepfather, surgeon and friend, and will be greatly missed by many loved ones and friends.
Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, CA March 2010

In the final years of his life, Dr. Nasca lived life to the fullest. Traveling the world with his best friend (my mom) and spending precious years with friends and family. He fought the battle to the very end, subjecting himself to the physical tortures of experimental medicine and studies. We can only pray that because of his bravery in the face of this killer disease others will benefit from these studies, and one day we can better understand and fight prostate cancer.

A few days later, we celebrated the wedding of Thomas (Muriel's brother) and Ashley in New Iberia. It was beautiful and a wonderful celebration for everyone. We couldn't be happier for the two of them and their little girl, Mali:)

Muriel and her mom before the ceremony.

Upon our return to Coronado, we received more heartbreaking news. Longtime family friend and best friend to my dad, Jim Huff, Jr passed away on Wednesday, August 10^th. Pilot, engineer, salesman, outdoorsman, father, brother, son, and husband, “Lil Jim” was larger than life and loved by many. From piers along the banks of Lake St. John to a little cabin in the mountains of New Mexico and points in between, he will be missed by many.
Angel Fire, NM November 2010. Jim (second from Left) came along on last November's elk hunt just for the ride. Last November was the last time I saw Jim, and that trip was the longest I had ever been around him. They don't make 'em like that any more folks.

After 2 weeks+ away from work Bryson had some catching up to do and we had a lot of final baby preparations to complete. Two days after our return, some friends threw us a couples baby shower at our house. A good friend of ours, Mike, took some "maternity" pics of us before the shower.

This weekend we enjoyed lots of good food (per the pregnant one's request). We attended a Food Truck festival at the Del Mar Fairgrounds where we sampled some eats and took in a horse race. Sunday, we went to the historic Hotel Del Coronado for their semi-famous brunch. Although some would say it is a little pricey and others would say it is way pricey, it is quite a dining experience.

Well, we have two weeks left until Baby P’s due date, nesting is in full swing. Baby P's room is finally ready for him or her. We eagerly await for little blessing to get here!

(Pictures of Bryson's mom and dad on left and Muriel's mom and dad on the right.)

We will keep you posted, so stay tuned.
Bryson and Muriel