A Monday Morning Chat Over Coffee

Abi of Creating Paper Dreams is inviting people to link up with a chatty post over a cup of tea.  Although I enjoy a nice cup of tea (English Breakfast with lots of milk), here in California we're much more likely to enjoy a good cup of coffee (Peets being my favorite brand). So, come on in, sit down and let's chat over a cup of coffee.
I hope you won't mind the dogs - Gypsy will bark for a while and Aria might climb on you a bit, but they'll both calm down in a minute.  Once they quieted down and we could talk, I would tell you that I'm looking forward to a quick trip up to Oregon at the end of the week with Henry. We're going to visit University of Oregon and Oregon State, even though he hasn't expressed much interest in the latter. I'd tell you that I'm not sure where he will end up going to University, although it will probably be Oregon or Sonoma State.  Gonzaga might still be in this mix, and he hasn't even heard from the University of San Francisco or University of Washington yet.   
When you ask about how Paul is doing, I would tell you that he's doing pretty well. He's officially in remission and just started "maintenance chemo" which means he goes to the infusion clinic for an hour once a month and takes a bunch of pills.  His hair is starting to grow back, and he's starting to walk for exercise and drum up some business for his consulting firm. It's really nice to think about his life being defined by something other than his illness. I'm trying to be optimistic and take life as it comes, but I wish we had a more solid prognosis about what his future holds.

I would tell you that Saturday was my birthday, and I had some yummy German Chocolate cake from Mazzetti's Bakery.  Paul bought me a new ipad and took me out to dinner. Earlier, Clara and I completed a six mile run with our Team-in-Training. I would tell you that training and raising money sometimes feels like a full time job, but it's worth it to be funding such an important cause and that I am grateful for the time spent with Clara in such a fun and productive past time. 
I would tell you that I have the week off from teaching, but I'll be busy. This afternoon I'm going to watch Henry play baseball at the High School and tomorrow night I'm going to my book group to discuss The 19th Wife, which I haven't finished yet! I'd tell you that Henry is having trouble juggling high school baseball and club soccer because both of his coaches want a full time commitment but he really doesn't want to choose. 
Before our chat ended, we might discuss creative pursuits. I'd tell you that I'm really enjoying photography these days and it's taking up most of my time. But that I still want to sketch and paint and art journal. Even scrapbooking and card making continue their siren call. If only there was more time in the day!
Do you want to join in the conversation? Head over to Abi's blog and link up! Or just leave me a comment telling me what you would like to share.