Day Trips, Movies and Friends...Oh My!

The past few weeks have been full of fun. Some of the highlights are depicted below...a drive-in movie with the family, a birthday dinner with Jessica and Manny (newly engaged!), and a day trip to San Diego with friends.

Not shown in pictures was my first venture into jury duty today. I actually very much enjoyed the experience! I was well-armed with books to enjoy all day, however I spent most of the time listening to jury selection on a case. I was questioned to be an alternate, but was appropriately dismissed. I would have enjoyed sitting on child molestation a case, but I found myself to be slightly less than objective given the disgusting allegations. Hopefully the defendant will get a fair trial from the jury that was selected! Back to work for me tomorrow!

P.S.-The next two weekends will be full of new adventures for me, so stay tuned :-)!

An Overdue Update

Greetings friends! These pictures, in no particular order, show a sampling of things I've been up to lately...2 weddings, Toby Keith concert with Mom, paddle boarding with Dad, Montgomery Gentry concert with my friend Maria, karaoke at Ma'May's bachelorette party, my sister's surprise 30th birthday party (displaying a custom made margarita glass by me). Enjoy :-)!

What have I been up to???

First things first...weddings! Jason and Emily, college friends from SLO, were married on April 30 in San Jose. Dan and Erin, post-college friends from So Cal, were married on May 21 in Long Beach. Both had beautiful ceremonies and receptions, and I am so grateful to have attended both occasions!

In between the weddings, life has been a cyclone of activities. I've taken up line dancing again, this time on Monday evenings near work, which I was very much missing after life in SLO. On Thursdays I help facilitate a book study with friends on Love and Responsibility by JPII. Friday brings the occasional softball game for the local church league. Throw in a few ad hoc activities each week such as dinner with friends, Bible studies, family bike rides, Mom's birthday celebration, and Brewfest at Santa Clara de Asis, and life becomes very busy.

Anyway, you can see how updating the blog can take a backseat to all of these events, but I'll try to post a bit more frequently :-). As for right now, I think I'll go take a nap...

March Madness: China and a Promotion

Greetings! Once again I find that it has been far too long since I've posted any updates, but I have been quite busy! The biggest recent event is that my long-in-the-works trip to China has actually come to pass. My friend (and co-worker) Laura and I travelled to Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin, Shanghai and Hong Kong and returned just this past Wednesday. We had a fantastic time visiting these amazing cities and particularly enjoyed hiking on the Great Wall, standing in the vastness of Tianamen Square and visiting the famed Terracotta Soldiers. We also had several memorable cultural experiences. The ham in me loved the many requests for pictures that the locals would make of Laura and I, both of whom are light-eyed westerners. The less-charming experiences I also secretly loved included the all-to-common pushiness, life-threatening driving and spitting of Chinese life. I definitely feel even more lucky to live in America after having visited this country. The government owns all of the land in China and many families share very tight quarters among many generations. One of our tour guides lived in 217 square feet, including a bathroom and kitchen, with 3 of his other family members. That's a very brief summary, but overall we had an incredible journey!

In other news, I was promoted to Senior Accountant! My role will remain the same, but my responsibilities will continue to grow as I join additional teams within the department. This is an exciting step for me, as I have been gunning for this promotion for quite some time.

Here's a picture of me at the Great Wall to get the photo-sharing started.

Walking for Life in San Francisco!

I spent this past weekend road tripping to San Francisco with friends to participate in the West Coast Walk for Life. What an amazing experience! I will keep my description short since the pictures speak for themselves. The pro-lifers, 40,000 in attendance, far outnumbered the protesters...hooray! I also got to meet up with the Ogles and the Stallmans and finally meet their little ones. My So Cal friends and I also enjoyed bumming around San Fran and counting Prius's along the way, with a grand total of 115 within the city limits! All-in-all we had a great time and I can't wait to go back next year, although it would be even better if there was no need for the walk at all in the future.

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 :-).