"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 :-).)