Friday Night at the Seling House

On Friday night we gathered at Rob and Kristin's for our weekly Friday night fun.  This particular night there was cause for a celebration-Tom's promotion. Yes, this week Tom found out that he was selected for Major-yay!!!  We celebrated with yummy cake and ice cream. 

Congratulations Major-Select Brannan!!!!

Lou plays the fiddle while Tom strums the banjo.

Tom pickin' away on his tenor banjo.

Musical talent runs in this family. Andrew plays violin while Rob plays the guitar.

Andrew strums the guitar.

The Beach

Kelly and I spent a little time at the beach on Saturday morning.  The weather was so beautiful, about 70, but the water was cold.  We went in as far as our ankles, that was enough!

Kelly made this "OCEAN" sculpture from the myriad of smooth stones that were on the sand.

The cold water didn't keep surfers away.

It was a nice time to lounge in the sun.

The two of us had a lot of fun!

An Afternoon at the Oceanside Pier

Monday was gorgeous and it was the perfect day to take a walk on the pier.  We met my friend, Lisa, who was visiting from Virginia.

There were a few pelicans hanging out waiting for someone to give them food.

As you can see, these pelicans could not be frightened easily.  These 2 guys were hangin' out at the end of the pier.

We didn't see any dolphins, but this cute seal was waiting for food too.

We ate lunch at Ruby's Diner, which sits at the end of the pier.  It's a great place for burgers and shakes.  You can enjoy the view while you eat your food. Lisa's youngest, Clay, plays with the helicopter that Kelly gave him.

I had such a great time catching up with you, Lisa!

Today we visited some museums at Balboa Park in San Diego.  Every Tuesday a few of them are free.  Today we saw The Museum of Man, The San Diego Museum of Art and the Botanical Gardens.  Our main reason for our trip was The Museum of Man.  The kids are studying Egypt this packet and the museum had Egyptian exhibits.  There were even real mummies.  It was a fun day.  The weather was beautiful and we had a great time.

The architecture in Balboa Park is amazing.

View of El Prado from the balcony of The Museum of Man

Entrance to the San Diego Museum of Art

There was a Children's Discovery Center at the Museum of Man.  In this photo are Andrew, Kelly, Annie and Emma sitting in Pharoah's throne.

This is all I could get Kelly to wear in the "dress up" area.

Kelly sitting on her throne.

This is only one of the many mummies from the exhibit.

Nice Day for a Ride

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day.  Actually, it was hot, but the day did cool off as evening approached.  While Tom helped the neighbor with his car Kelly rode her bike around the cul de sac.  Here are a few pics of her riding. Notice the UGGs with shorts...she's definitely a California girl!

Sushi, anyone?

Tonight for our friend, Jameson's birthday, we went out for sushi with friends from church. We went to Harney Sushi in downtown Oceanside. It's fairly new, opened about 6 months ago. The place was packed for a Sunday night. The food was delicious.

Here is Tom, Jameson and Mike.

Some more of our friends.

Here's some of the yummy sushi we ate.

I had albacore roll and it was delicious!

Even Kelly tried the albacore roll.

The birthday boy and his wife, Jill.  That yummy dish in front of them is the special surf-n-turf roll.

Our Family

Fun at the Park

On Wednesday we rode our bikes to the park to meet friends from church. We were blessed with some beautiful sunny weather. The kids enjoyed playing and riding their bikes.


Kelly climbed this cool rope jungle gym. She was pretty high up.


Jenna spins Kelly around and around. Jenna doesn't seem to mind, but Kelly was getting dizzy.


Jenna, Kelly and Jaden take time out to rest on a rock.

Tom's Project

Tom and Kelly's violin teacher had a baby and Tom wanted to make her a special gift. He designed this beautiful baby cradle and made it from scratch. As you can see, it turned out perfect.

We sewed this mattress and put the "C" on it for the baby's name, Chloe.

The wood he used is curly maple.  The small piece is mahogany.

The sides are shaped like a violin.

The ends are shaped like a violin bridge.  The rocker was made from old wood Tom had purchased from a violin maker's estate.

The base was pieced together from slats of wood.

Merry Christmas!!!

It was an early Christmas morning for us since Tom had to go into work. We had a yummy breakfast and then opened presents. Later in the day Kelly and I drove down to Coronado to see Tom and enjoy our Christmas meal together.  We also spent the evening with our friends. Although we didn't make it back to PA this year, we're thinking of our family and friends and we miss you all!


We had yummy belgian waffles for breakfast.




Kelly got some great presents.  Thanks to everyone!

Here are a few of the presents we opened.  

Despite the fact that Tom had to work, I am thankful he's here.  Let's keep our military who are separated from family in our thoughts and prayers during this holiday.

Kelly's New Haircut

After 8 years and only a few trims, Kelly took the plunge and had her hair cut quite short.


Here is her "BEFORE" picture. Look how long it was!


Initially, the hairstylist had to cut the hair with the buzzers just to get through it.  She finished with the scissors.


Kelly holding up her long braid.  We are going to send this into Locks of Love.

This is the finished look.  Don't you love it?!?!

Here is what it looks like from the back.  Kelly now has layers!

Calvary Chapel Kids

This morning the kids at our church sang Christmas songs for the congregation.