Tetris!

As previous entries have indicated, Halloween is a BIG deal at my work, complete with both a department and company-wide costume contest. Each year our teams begin brainstorming months in advance about costume ideas. Everything is kept hush-hush until the big day. I am on a new team this year (Fixed Income), and we decided to be Tetris! We constructed cardboard game pieces and even had Nintendo controllers. I dressed in all blue since that was the color of my piece, and my friend Laura even painted her face green! But to no avail...we were not victorious in either contest :-(. Better luck next year...the quest for greatness continues!

Gettin' My Country On!

Last Sunday I visited country heaven once again by attending GoFest 2010, a country music concert put on by a local radio station. It was originally scheduled for 10/9, a week earlier, but was rescheduled for 10/17 because one of the performerswas sick. Mom and I had a girls' night out planned, but of course she would be out of town on 10/17. Chris to the rescue! My friend Chris was nice enough to step up and go the the concert with me! We saw Rascall Flatts, Sara Evans, Jane Deer Girls, Stealing Angels, and Peter Brandon. What a night! All of the performers were fantastic! I can't get enough country music :-)!

Carrie Underwood and Billy Currington (swoon)!

Yesterday was incredibly busy but full of fun! After waking up I zoomed (word used only for effect - I was driving at a safe speed :-)) over to my sister's house to wash my old car and prepare it for sale. After that I headed to Servite High School for a benefit concert that I helped to organize. It was a great success and will primarily assist Catholic Relief Services with its continued work in Haiti. Before I was asked to join that committee as the 'money-keeper-tracker' I already had tickets to see Carrie Underwood at the Hollywood Bowl with Jessica and Manny. We had a wonderful time! Carrie Underwood is so talented and Billy Currington dazzled as her opening act. I love both of those artists, so I was in country heaven! I even wore my cowboy boots! Great idea Jessica, and thanks for the invite :-)!

A big purchase!

I bought a new car today! A new 2010 white Toyota Corolla now resides in my garage. I hate to bid farewell to my trusty green Camry, but the time had come. Many thanks to my wonderful family for helping me sort through the decision-making and buying process. It was a decision months in the making, and it's such a relief to have finally made the purchase :-).

Summer Happenings

This summer has been jam-packed with fun! My cousins from MA visited at the end of July and we enjoyed having time to catch up. On August 28, my family and I saw John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl. The venue was amazing, and of course hearing John Williams conduct is movie musical scores such as Indiana Jones and Star Wars was unbelievable! Labor day was also full of fun, as I had the opportunity to return to San Luis Obispo and attend my college roommate Christina's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and I'm sure they will have a lifetime of happiness.

Farewell summer, hello Fall! It's been fun, but I'm excited for colored leaves, holidays, and brisk mornings!

Weekend Visitors!

This weekend my mom's cousin Carol was in town, as was my friend Seth with his girlfriend Cheryl. It was a wonderful chance to catch up with old friends and family, and I really enjoyed meeting Cheryl! She is such a sweet girl and I loved having the opportunity to finally meet her in person :-). My mom's cousin is always fun to talk to, as she shares many fun stories from her life as a teacher and her childhood with my mom. Good luck with the rest of your travels everyone!

Meeting Patrick Otto

Last Saturday I was able to catch up with the DeMatteo family (en route to their new homestead in Minnesota) in Santa Barbara and meet new baby Patrick. What a cutie pie! It was such a treat to see Dominic and Margaret before their big move. Good luck on your journey :-)!

Memorial Day in The Windy City!

Memorial Day 2010 was full of adventure and so much fun! I visited my Cal Poly friend Emily in Chicago! She is just finishing up a year of service as an Amate House volunteer. She works full-time at a Catholic school where she shares her vast knowledge of science with the students. On Friday I was able to visit her school, volunteer in a kindergarten classroom, and watch her in action as she worked with the students. We spent Saturday with her Amate volunteer friends on the shore of Lake Michigan, at a barbecue, at a happy hour, and strolling along the waterfront. We began Sunday with Mass at a predominantly African American church. It was fantastic! I very much enjoyed the gospel-style music and enthusiastic "peace be with you" at the beginning of Mass. After that, we pounded the pavement in Downtown Chicago and soaked in the sights. Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, and a Chicago-style hot dog were only a few of the day's highlights. A thunderstorm set in on Sunday night, which we wandered around in on Monday while visiting Millennium Park, Grant Park, beautiful fountains, and enjoying deep-dish Chicago pizza. I bid farewell on Tuesday morning, boarded the El to Ohare, and flew back to CA with wonderful memories of Chicago and valuable time spent catching up with Emily. Enjoy the pics from this once-in-a-lifetime weekend :-)!

Tim "The Master" Bristol, and Beer

This weekend was full of excitement and an array of activities! Friday night I attended Santa Clara de Asis's 2nd annual Brewfest with my friends Dan and Erin. It was fun to see many members of the parish having a good time and I enjoyed tasting a variety of beers without having to order a full glass :-).

On Sunday, my brother-in-law graduated from Cal State Fullerton with his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. With the ceremony in the morning and a celebratory barbecue in the afternoon, the day proved to be full of excitement! Great job Tim!

Virginia Visit

What a wonderful week I've had! It all started back in February when plans to visit my Cal Poly friend Seth fell through thanks to the blizzard which buried the East Coast in record amounts of snow. Since then, I've had an airline credit full of potential but no travel plans in the works. About two weeks ago my mom called and mentioned that my dad was being sent to VA on a 3 week business trip! She planned to visit him for part of the trip and invited me to use my airline credit to tag along as well. Within 48 hours I had plane tickets, approved vacation from work, and plans to leave in a week-and-a-half. Yikes! That's a lot to take in for someone who's a planner by nature :-).

We had a fantastic time, as evidenced by this sprinkling of pictures from our trip. We saw a variety of sights around D.C., both new to us and ones we had seen before. While Dad was at work (boo hoo), Mom and I pounded the pavement and used the area's slick transportation systems to our advantage. Among many other sights and activities, we strolled through Georgetown, visited breathtaking monuments, paid a visit to George and Martha's estate, delighted in the tulips blooming throughout the city, and of course made our traditional pilgrimage to Dorothy's ruby red slippers. Fortunately we were able to share our adventures with Dad over dinner most nights :-).

On the weekend, the three of us drove south to visit Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg. It was truly fascinating and I could feel the magic of history pulsing through me as I stood at the site of the first permanent English settlement in America (think John Smith, Pocahontas, etc.), the most decisive battlefield of the Revolutionary War, and a charming early-American town.

To top all of this fun off, I got to see Seth! A reunion long in the making finally came together despite the weather's frigid attempt to spoil our plans. Attending Theology on Tap with Seth and his friend Dave at a pub in Old Town Alexandria was definitely a highlight of the trip for me.

Enjoy the pics!

The Most Important Room in the House

I'd like to introduce everyone to the Guest Room! It is the most important room in my condo because it is here to welcome anyone who wishes to visit :-). Consider yourselves invited...there's even room for a Pack-N-Play!

"There's no business like show business..."

Yesterday I had the unique treat of going to Universal Studios with Jessica! The theme park is currently hosting a special promotion in which teachers (Jessica) get in free and family/friends (me) get in for 1/2 price. Woo Hoo! What a deal! We had a great time exploring the park, riding rides, and attending shows. We learned so much about special effects that by the time I was home I was really ready for a simple, "old-fashioned", 2D movie :-). This is a picture of Jessica and I posing with the heroic heart-throbs from Apollo 13 and the actual space capsule used in the movie. Thanks for a fantastic day Jessica!

How does my garden grow?

I asked Dave when I should plant tomatoes and he said, "after the last frost". Since my response was, "what frost?", I figured that now was as good a time as any to begin my tomato garden, which has been a goal of mine since last year. The plant was fairly large when I bought it, so hopefully it will fair better than my other gardening endeavors :-). Stay tuned to see how it's growing, and feel free to visit anytime for a yummy salad with home-grown tomatoes!

Hiking in Hollywood!

I went hiking today in Runyon Canyon in Hollywood Hills with my work friends Vanessa, Cindy, and Laura . After enjoying spectacular views of Hollywood and LA from the trail, we headed into Hollywood to stroll along the boulevard. These pictures show the four of us at the top of the trail (Hollywood sign in the background), a view of Hollywood and LA, and Laura and I star-struck by a wax depiction of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Hopefully next time he'll be real!

Hollister Happenings

Here are some pictures from my amazing weekend in Hollister, CA! I had a lovely time visiting my Cal Poly friends Dave and Kimmy Giles, along with their 5-month-old son Caleb. Thanks to their hospitality, I also got to see many friends from the Bay Area at a St. Patrick's Day potluck. What a wonderful and memorable weekend :-).


Scott and Caleb












The Giles family in their beautiful new home

















Cal Poly Newman reunion!





















Megan and Michael are having twins!

















Caleb and I :-)

A Visit to Casa Grande, AZ!

This weekend I had a wonderful visit with Dominic and Margaret DeMatteo (+1), my dear friends from Cal Poly! My parents and I had plans to fly to Casa Grande, AZ where I would stay with Dominic and Margaret and Mom and Dad would continue on to Sedona, AZ for their own weekend away. Due to weather, however, the possibility of flying evaporated at the last minute. So we hopped in the car and drove! Mom and Dad are such sports...they decided to come along for the road trip :-). We really enjoyed chatting on the drive and taking in the beautiful scenery. They explored Casa Grande and had a relaxing weekend while I caught up with the DeMatteos. Margaret (+1), Dominic, and I hiked in Casa Grande, attended Mass, and conducted knitting lessons during which Margaret shared her knitting expertise with me. I now have some cheerful yellow pot holders in progress :-)! On Sunday, Dominic gave all of us a fascinating tour of his Cargill animal feed plant where he is helping to engineer and oversee the building of a new plant. The entire weekend was so much fun and I can't wait to see them again soon...with a baby in tow :-)!

Fun with Jessica!

My dear friend Jessica from Cal Poly came to visit this weekend! She is doing a combined teaching/masters degree program in Compton, CA through Loyola Marymount, so we have the terrific opportunity to see each other more often than when she was still in SLO. What fun we had! We went for walks, had a Roman Holiday movie night, and explored San Juan Capistrano. I still associate San Juan Capistrano with my 4th grade field trip on which we rode the train to the Mission, so I have this idea that it's very far away. Not anymore...it's only about 20 minutes from my Trabuco Canyon homestead. I can't wait to discover other South Orange County sights that aren't as far away as they used to be. I think San Clemente will be next :-)!

Christopher West in Person!

Thursday was an amazing evening, as I had the pleasure of seeing Christopher West speak about John Paul II's revolutionary writings on Theology of the Body. He even signed two of my books! It was so uplifting to see the 800-seat church packed to the brim! Everyone should read at least one book on this captivating topic. I truly believe that these teachings have the power to change the world.

(The evening was also fantastic because I ran into tons of people I knew! It was so fun to see my effort at attending various young adult groups and church activities pay off in terms of meeting new people :-).)

Snow!

This is a picture of the hills behind my condo...with snow on top! Now this measly dusting may seem insignificant, but it's a big deal in Southern California :-).