Day 3: Danville

Today was our day to fix any bike glitches in the love and care of Auntie Christine. But since we didn't have any we got to live "a day in the life of Christine." She excels and is famous in everything she does. The best part of staying at her gorgeous home are her puppies, Coral and Carly. Coral is the beloved Roxy's daughter, and she is Carly's mom, and Carly is pregnant with 6+ puppies! Carly will cuddle with you at night if you leave your door open.

Chris gets coffee first thing in the morning, a 6-shot Americano, so by the time we got up at 8am she had already been to the Starbucks and back, and walked the dogs 15,000 steps. She is a data person and wears 3 devices to track steps, points, heart rate, etc. She can even plot this data in multidimensional matrices, which is her expertise. Nevertheless, she wanted to join us on a ride to the local Starbucks 2 miles away. She has a folding bike she used to train Carly, her award winning champion golden retriever, when she was showing her. So off we went.

We needed food too, and Chris was unabashed to join in on the complicated ordering Jay and I do on the regular. Jay is gluten free, dairy free, nut free and I am vegetarian. Chris makes the special request of 4 eggs but only 1 egg yolk. It is a lot of fun to get exactly what you want. The puppies get gourmet breakfast too (secret recipe!)

In between grooming the dogs and monitoring the baby puppies, Chris does multidimensional data analysis for an international law firm. She negotiated the terms of her work to fit her lifestyle -- a great example of how women can have open communication, vocalize what they need, work hard, and achieve work-life balance. I'm sure she's the coolest data expert and dog handler around, surely contributing to her popularity. Pool party gets in the mix too.

After a day of relaxing, Jay cooks dinner on the grill and we pick peppers, herbs, tomatoes, and cucumbers from Mike's garden for a healthy feast. The girls get some of the meat, and Jay saves an extra piece for the road.

For me, it's fun to hear about Chris's work, the complexities of dog showing, of being a contractor, of being a fit mother of 2 babies. I see my mom in her (exp. getting in maximum number of steps in daily activities) and my sister (enjoying peace and quiet but always ready for fun). Also, I make sense of some of my memories.

I ask "What's the name Aria's Sunrise Celebration Coral mean?" It's a tribute to her mom, Claire Regan. Uncle John wrote a speech for her at her funeral, titled Sunrise Celebration. I was a teenager and I don't remember the words, but I can image Grandma celebrating every sunrise and waking the whole house to celebrate too. She also loved the beach, and we see her and grandpa in rainbows and pelicans. She was that kind of woman, moving people, bringing people together, and getting loud. I'm so touched Chris shared this with me, and it makes a little more sense the type of women us Regan-Crenshaws are.