Quarter of a Century!

January 10 marked my 25th birthday! The hooplah began with a family celebration on the 8th, which was complete with a delicious made-to-order dinner of stuffed cabbage by Chef Mom. My coworkers decorated my cubicle in a tropical theme in honor of my fruit-eating reputation, and brought in bagels to enjoy during our morning daily work...I found it very difficult to focus on that day :-). My friends and I kicked up our heels and our glasses at a happy hour/line dancing extravaganza on the night of my birthday. About 15 people came out to help me celebrate and we had a great time! Overall, I'm optimistic about my 25th year :-).

Holiday Happenings

Many apologies for not posting anything since Halloween! Time does indeed fly when you're having fun. Below are some pictures from various events this holiday season...

I caught up with Dave, Kimmy, Dan and Caleb at a birthday bash in Santa Clarita. We had a great time watching Caleb take exploratory (but still wobbly) steps!

The staff of Servite High School, a local Catholic men's high school (my dad's alma mater and that of many of my friends), put on a wonderful production of A Christmas Carol to benefit local charities. My friends Chris and Jackie both did a wonderful job and it was fun to see the show and support them.

I hosted Christmas Eve for my extended family. We enjoyed catching up while sipping spiced cider and devouring a smorgasbord of yummy appetizers.

Lisa and Tim hosted Christmas Day for our immediate family. Everyone was a great sport when I asked them to pose with a look of anticipation before opening my gifts :-).

New Years came so quickly! After my original party plans changed, I hosted a small and last-minute gathering at my place. My friends Evan and Derrick and I rang in 2011 with enthusiasm and many attempts at a timed group picture :-).

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!