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 :-).

Entertainment Review

I recently finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, which I was looking forward to because I very much enjoyed his other books. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. The featured antagonist is uncomfortably malicious and the entire plot lacked the appeal of his earlier novels. It wasn't terrible, but overall I'd say check it out from the library...don't buy it!

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I saw Invictus yesterday with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. It was great! Unlike most movies out these days it had no violence, minimal language, and an engaging plot which was centered on Nelson Mandela and how he used South Africa's rugby team to unify the country after the apartheid. See it if you haven't already!

January Fun!

The big 24! On January 10, I celebrated my 24th birthday! Thanks so much to Mom for hosting such a wonderful celebration :-).








Mom and I treated ourselves to a night on the town on Friday, January 15 when we saw Mary Poppins on stage. It's one of my favorite movies, so of course we jumped at the chance to see the Broadway adaptation. It's not exactly like the movie, but overall it was fantastic! I think it had the most beautiful sets I've ever seen, and the singing and dancing was captivating. We got turned around in Los Angeles a couple of times (yes, more than once), but it was an enchanting evening out!

New Years Weekend: Avatar and a Baby Shower!

Mom, Dad and I saw Avatar in IMAX 3D on New Years Day. Even though the alien plot line isn't necessarily my cup of tea, the story came full circle and the special effects were amazing!

On January, 2, I had the pleasure of attending my friend Margaret's baby shower in Santa Barbara. What a treat! Her husband Dominic (also my college friend) was able to stop by at the end for a visit :-).

The beaming parents-to-be

Margaret and I

What a profile!