Merry Christmas to All!

Our family had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas together! It began Christmas Eve when we all walked around Balboa Island looking at Christmas lights (taken very seriously by some of the residents). On Christmas day we met for Mass in the morning, then return to my condo for brunch, presents, and games. I'm so lucky to have such a loving family :-)!

Keep on swimming, keep on swimming!

Yesterday, Dad and I visited the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific because he had a Boeing employee coupon to get in free with a friend. I'm so glad he picked me to be his guest! We saw so many amazing creatures including jellyfish, otters, seals, urchins, lobsters, etc. Thanks for a great day, Dad :-)!

Lessons Learned Today...

...don't lose your car in the Target parking lot during a rain storm. Enough said.

...when testing quiche recipes, make sure someone else is there to help you taste them. I'm so sick of eggs!

Deck the Halls!

Well yesterday's outing certainly put me in the mood for the holidays! Thanks to help from Mom and Dad, I was able to put up my Christmas tree and lights yesterday, and today I pretty much finished up by adding the embellishments. The warm fuzzies have definitely kicked in, and so far the first Christmas in my condo is off to a fantastic start!

Autum Fruit, Winter Weather

Today our family went on another adventure, this time in search of warm fuzzies to kick-start the holiday season. Visiting Oak Glen, CA, specifically the Apple Butter Festival at Los Rios Rancho, we sure found what we were looking for. In fact, we got more winter than we bargained for when we found snow on the ground and hail falling from the sky! As you can see from the pictures below, we frolicked in the winter weather, toured an apple packing house, testing our archery skills, and soaked up the beautiful scenery in which Autumn delicately passed the torch to Jack Frost. Overall, we had a fantastic day!

Up Up and Away!

What an adventure our family experienced this weekend! We went to the Great Park in Irvine and floated up in its featured hot air balloon! I really wanted to wear a pair of ruby red slippers, but I don't think my family would have agreed to come along in that case :-). We also explored a wonderful exhibit detailing how to grow herbs at home. I was inspired, and there is now a baby bell pepper plant and a baby rosemary plant on my plant stand outside. The park is still in production, but it looks like it's going to be a gem of the area. In January they are going to have ice skating and my sister and I can't wait! Anyway...if you have the chance, be sure to check out the Great Park and all it has to offer. Enjoy!

"So nice to meet you, Caleb!"

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting Caleb Lincoln Giles, son of my good friends Dave and Kimmy Giles, for the first time. What a treat! We went for a walk and he slept while I was wearing the sling for over 2 hours! So cute and warm -- it was like having a huggable little heater strapped to my chest :-). I am so excited to watch you grow Caleb...see you again soon!

Halloween 2009

Halloween is a BIG deal at my work, and today was the day we dressed up after months of brainstorming and preparation. My group (Centralized Tasks Group) came as an 80's rock band, complete with groupies, security, a band manager, and a gold record. Check out our killer costumes!

Dancing with the Stars - Literally!

Last Thursday I was very excited to receive an email from Atomic Ballroom (a swing dancing venue in Irvine) announcing that professional dancer Lacey Schwimmer and celebrity Marc Dacascos (Iron Chef, etc.) from Dancing with the Stars would be filming a segment for the show on Friday at the ballroom! They would be checking out the local lindy hop scene, and being the true celebrity hunters and faithful Dancing with the Stars fans that we are, my mom and I checked it out. It was fantastic! We both danced, watched the taping, and I even got pictures with Marc and Lacey (thanks to Mom - the amazing photographer)! I was dancing behind them while they were being filmed, so watch for me on this week's episode! Who knows what footage they'll use :-)???

Recent Entertainment

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
I finished reading this book just yesterday. I am a mystery lover and the story was interesting, but what amazed me most was the difference in the book's pacing as compared to novels written today. Murder on the Orient Express was written in 1933, is very methodical in its organization, and would be considered slow by today's standards. Unlike a book written by Dan Brown, for example, which races around from scene to scene at each chapter change, Christie walks readers step-by-step through the detective's analysis of the crime. Anyway, it's worth a read simply to realize how fast-paced our society has become, as even the plots of our entertainment has quickened in order to keep our attention.

"As Good As It Gets" with Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson, and Greg Kinnear
I saw this movie maybe five years ago and just recently watched it again today, as it was available at the library (for free :-), thank you Benjamin Franklin for public libraries!). Anyway, what a delightful tale. If you haven't recently seen it, I recommend that you check it out again. It's a unique story of love and an excellent reminder that the person we end up with should make us the best version of ourselves and that taking a genuine interest in others is a gift that we can aim to give every day. Enjoy!

Looking Back on Summer Fun and Recent Adventures

Summer has come and gone, but what a fun summer it was! Here are some noteworthy events of the past few months:





STRIVE young adult group takes a day trip to Joshua Tree...you can't beat a day of friends and rock scrambling!










St. John Neuman young adult dance - My friend Erin and I enjoying the party













Oktoberfest with work friends













Long Beach Bike Marathon - It was early, but we did it! What a treat it was to ride on the closed streets of Long Beach admiring the beautiful views.

Hanging out with Jessica and Manny

Steve Azar performed at the Boot Barn in Lake Forest..."I don't have to be me 'til Monday". And I finally bought cowboy boots!

Baby shower in Northridge for Kimmy - We can't wait to meet Lil G. and we can't get enough of Kimmy's belly!

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert at the L.A. Fair - It was truly a fantastic summer for amazing country music concerts!

John Williams conducted at the Hollywood Bowl with Chris, Dan, and Evan. What an evening! I can't imagine being able to compose so many beautiful pieces of music. He did at least 3 encores of Star Wars!

Baby shower in San Luis Obispo for Kimmy - Can you how big the belly is???

A day at the Getty with Dan and Chris

Welcome Dylan Bristol...my sister's nephew!

My mom and I saw Alan Jackson perform at the Orange County Fair. He played one hit song after another!

A weekend visit to Gilroy...Kimmy, Dave, Jason, and Jennifer enjoy the Garlic Festival. Yum!

A post-wedding tour of San Francisco. Thanks for hosting Scott!

Michael and Megan's wedding! June 27, 2009

Thanks to Dave...

...I started this blog as a way to keep up-to-date with friends both near and far. Enjoy :-)!