I'm full...

and it's all their fault --->

I've mentioned these boys a few times but never really explained what makes them such a common topic.

Starting off with nothing but a desire to bring good deli sandwiches to Truckee, Eric & Tom have quickly developed a loyal fan base. Their fresh baked breads, creative sandwiches and daily specials continue to impress and excite even the every day visitor. The guys have taken their talents and great personalities outside of their deli space too by participating in local events such as Truckee Thursdays and the Autumn Food and Wine Festival (where they earned a silver medal for pairing, a feat that some local fine dining restaurants have been trying to do for years). And, as if running the deli and cooking out in the community weren't enough, they also offer a full catering menu (which has been the source of some stellar Clear Capital lunches).

Now, it's true that when they opened Christine & I cursed them and said they wouldn't last a year. But that is only because we wanted their space to operate our own food haven. After one or two sandwiches we caved. Now we're die hard fans. Whether we're dragging ourselves (and our tired faces) in for veggie bagels and Americanos before work, or for sandos and DCs midday, we are never disappointed. (It doesn't help that they boys are a bit charming to boot hence our nicknaming it Cute Boy Deli).

Today, we decided to introduce Robyn and Keelan to the tastiness of FBD and were treated to an extra special lunch. Knowing how much I loved the almond-cheese goodness from Red Bicycle, Tom surprised me with a re-recreation of it.

Smooth as heaven goat cheese surrounded by toasty almond crunchiness then drizzled with honey so sweet the bees all came to check it out. Sliding in next to the cheese treats were some crunchy fried wontons kissed with a finger licking good sauce.

We had to shoo away the curious FBD diners and brush off the requests to "just have a sample" 'cause these goodies were all ours!

After clearing away our rich, toasty and all around lovely treats, we dove into our sandwiches. I'm a fan of the new turkey wrap which seemed especially yummy today, C ordered up their thai chicken wrap (which had a perfectly spicy peanut sauce) and Robyn hit up the tried & true & tasty roast beef.

While Keelan enjoyed the sandos, he was really all about the cookies. Using his baby sign language, he told us over and over again "more, More, MORE!"

As I sit here now on a Friday afternoon, I am kind of bummed that tomorrow I will have to find another place to get my lunch. There's not much in the area that I can say actually competes with these boys (especially after our lunch today) . With their hearty breakfast burritos, soon-to-be legendary sandwiches and housemade soups, to big-as-your face cookies and down-to-earth personalities, the FBD boys are definitely a new gem in Truckee.

Check 'em out: Full Belly Deli

Food, Friends, Four-Letter Words and Five Cent Blinds

We ended the work week in a perfect way. The San Rafael Hyams clan was up visiting the Truckee Hyams clan and they extended an invite to us for a BBQ on the West Shore. Knowing what a fantastic cook Mary is and the fact that Mike was visiting from NY, Christine and I knew we had to go. And what a treat it was...not only was the whole group there, but the food was fantastic! Flank steak, corn on the cob with chipotle butter, vermicelli salad, black bean, tomato & avocado salad, followed by cookies....oi vey!

We worked off dinner with a little swing time and then sat by the shore watching the sun drift into sleep.

Along with the sun, we bid the grandparents and Keelan goodnight...

After a run home to change up, we hit the Pastime for an evening feeding endless quarters into the shuffleboard table.

Twas a night of plenty of laughs and memories to add to our "Why We Love the Hyams Family" list

Saturday was all about packing for my trip and then babysitting Keelan with Christine. Thanks to Elliot and Emma, he can now officially meow perfectly! (This is the the 4-letter word to which the title refers)

Sunday, C, Taude, Karlberger and I hit the surface of Tahoe for some paddleboarding, chowed some Izzy burgers and then went home to clean, read, sleep, pack, etc.

I reunited with Christine at her house and Danny & Reno arrived for some Peluso's & Poker.

Christine won but only because she bullied us around (and it was her change).

This was my last weekend before my trip and I must say, it was perfect. Time with family, friends...Fun in the sun...Endless hours watching Keelan in all his toddler greatness and kicking back on C's porch. I'm gonna miss it all.

We Are The Champions!

Well, at least of last night's game.

Our Thursday night work softball team has had a rough yet rowdy season. While our A league team held first place and was undefeated at the start of the second half of the season, our B team (D league) was holding strong with zero wins. (0-9 going into yesterday's game). We've seen our fair share of mercy innings and double digit run differences, but we always managed to play with high spirits and keep fun as our focus (helped by lots of beer and a fantastic group of players and fans).

In keeping with our tradition of "just having fun", we took to the field yesterday...in costume!

And our usually empty bleachers were full of supportive (aka laughing) fans...



(This is Erika, the cup/cake gal with Veronica, Diego & Lexus)

Well, whaddya know! Costumes seem to either really improve our playing or really throw-off our opponents because we WON! With Bob's 3 home runs in a row, a slew of double and triples, amazing plays both in the infield and outfield and most of all, the ability to laugh at ourselves, we were victorious.

The final score was 18-14 (and I think 18 is higher than all our past runs combined)!

Great playing team!