Family Fun!

     June was full of family fun as we celebrated Mom's birthday with a round of tennis and Dad's retirement with a trip up the Palm Springs tram. Lisa and Tim actually got engaged in the San Jacinto mountains back in 2006 so it was fun to make the trip together and get some good hiking in. Mom is still the tennis queen, but it was exciting to all hit the court together.

I've also included some pictures of John for good measure. We are both very excited for his upcoming homecoming, but he is indeed enjoying his time in Timor. He's spent many hours taking salsa, tango and kisomba lessons, both for fun and to get some added groove for our wedding :-). He's also coordinated a few camping trips and enjoyed meeting tons of interesting people through his liaison work.  Needless to say, we've all missed him!

Adventures Behind and Changes Ahead

Well it seems these days that no matter how frequently I update this blog, it is not soon enough to capture everything that is happening and changing this year.  Rewinding back to March, I must first mention a few amazing outings with Jessica and Manny.  First, we ventured to Nor Cal for a visit with Cal Poly friends. It's always a wonderful treat to reconnect with people who shared the CPSLO college experience and helped to shape you into the person you are. A couple of weeks after that our travelling trio ventured north once again for the Newman Center Spring Fundraiser, which again allowed us the unforgettable opportunity to visit with old friends and support the Newman Center.

The same day that I returned home from SLO, I headed to LAX to catch my flight to visit John in the South Pacific. After a brief layover in Taiwan, John and I excitedly rendezvoused in the Bali airport. Success!  By the time our two week journey was done, we visited Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Timor Leste. John was the master mind behind all of our plans, and he did a fabulous job!  Highlights included bike tours in Bali and Sydney, hiking and road tripping in New Zealand and a sunrise hike in remote East Timor.  After parting ways with John (again, sad face) I spent about a week in Bali on my own where I went horseback riding, white water rafting, took a cooking class and indulged in $6 massages (if you're ever in the South East Asia and are looking for bang-for-your-buck, try Bali).  Overall it was an unforgettable trip and we are looking forward to John's homecoming in August!

On the home front, my sister and her husband bought a house and are currently working their way through the  escrow process. Concurrently, Dad decided to retire. If that weren't enough, John received his (anticipated and sought out) written orders to work in Atsugi, Japan beginning in January. Wedding planning and work keep me on my toes, but we are also preparing for a big move shortly after the wedding (yes, we are both moving to Japan). I finally notified my work that I'd be leaving at the end of the year, so Dad and I like to joke that we retired on the same day :-).

I hit the road once again for Memorial Day weekend on a camping trip with my friend, Abbea. Although camping is not my forte, she was an awesome planner and we enjoyed the opportunity to experience the beautiful scenery of the Inyo National Forest.

I suppose that's all for now, but as you can see there's lots to stay tuned for in the months to come!

Biking in Bali

Sightseeing in Sydney

Hiking in Timor

Rafting, Again in Bali

Dad's Retirement

Hiking and Camping for Memorial Day

Distance makes the heart grow...

...fonder, of course, but what the saying leaves out is impatient. Sometimes it feels like November can't come soon enough, however this year is proving to be full of fun and excitement even before the wedding. I'm proud to say I think I'm thriving while John is away on deployment, which is a huge victory considering the incredible "meltdown potential" this situation has. Naturally he deserves most of the credit since he often calls more than once a day and we're able to communicate quite a bit via email and instant messaging as well. I was thinking that John's distance, while unfortunate, would give me the chance to catch up on sleep considering I've slept about 6 hours a night for the past few years, but true to form I'm keeping rather busy with work, wedding planning, preparing for all of the changes that our upcoming nuptials will bring about (more info to come as the year progresses), trip planning, preparing my condo for rental, etc. The pictures below highlight a few recent happenings, although I realize that I really haven't been putting my camera to much use so far this year.

Valentine's Day surprise from John at work!

Friend's brewery opening with Manny and Jessica!

Baby sprinkle for family friend with the ladies of the family!

Watching Mom play tennis in her Monday night league!

All while John lives here...

Georgia!

This holiday season I had the pleasure of spending over a week in Georgia with John and my future in-laws.  What a wonderful family and beautiful state!  Aside from spending time with John's immediate family in John's Creek, north of Atlanta, the two of us ventured down to Sarasota, FL to see his grandma and aunt. After a wonderful visit, delicious food and a few intense games of Rummikub, we headed back north. John made a dream of mine come true when we veered east and visited Savannah on our way back to Atlanta.  The city is full of history, literary association, Spanish moss and of course charm.  Since we were in "America's most beautiful city" we decided to take some engagement photos!  Below are a sampling of the few we've received so far.  Overall we had a fabulous time and I am very excited for my next visit to the South East!

We're Engaged!

     December 9, 2012 turned out to be a very momentous day in both the Massoth and Ruggiero families...John proposed! He took me hiking at Rose Valley Falls where we had hiked before even being a couple and asked me to marry him under a tree canopy that I love so much (it's very "Beauty and the Beast").  Before taking one knee he presented me with a travel Bible (suitable for our many adventures) in which he had written a heartfelt note. What a sweet and thoughtful guy (not to mention patient, but that story is for another day)!  Anyway, after confirming that he had indeed asked my dad's permission (while I was in Peru - so sneaky), I said "yes" and the rest is history!  The evening concluded with a trip to my parents' house where we celebrated with my family, even though we didn't arrive until 11pm.  Needless to say, this week has been both exciting and exhausting, and I am going to bed.  I'll have to fill in the details in another post, but here are some pictures to mark the occasion.

Technically a reenactment, but it still captures the scene :-).

Peruvian Perspective

From 10/19-11/10 I had the pleasure of exploring the colorful country of Peru!  What an experience!  I joined a tour group of young adults from around the world for the first half of my journey and we visited Lima, Arequipa, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Cuzco, Machu Picchu and all points in between.  The sanitation differences between the USA and South America were a bit challenging to get used to (the first thing I did after arriving at LAX was flush a piece of toilet paper down the toilet), but the scenery and culture were breathtaking.  I have never seen more beautiful valleys and clouds, and the mix of Catholic and Andean traditions in some areas was both puzzling and sensible considering the nation's colonial history.  I spent the second half of my journey in Piura, a city in the northern dessert, as a volunteer at Santisimo Sacramento parish.  Since the church's pastor, Fr. Joe, is from Oklahoma, the parish has strong ties to US supporters and has countless outreach programs for the area's poor.  I had the privilege of delivering food packages, building houses, visiting the orphanage, helping at the parish school and hospice, and more.  Although the trip had its challenges, I don't think I'll ever see the world in the same light.  I took approximately 1600 pictures, but here are two for starters :-).

Living Fairy Tale

This past weekend was especially memorable, as I got to feel like a princess for the day while accompanying John to the Navy Ball in honor of the Navy's birthday and the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.  We had a dazzling time enjoying dinner, various presentations and of course dancing!  In fact, we were the last couple to leave!  Psst...doesn't he look handsome in his uniform :-)???

On Sunday, we joined Lisa and Tim for some clay pigeon shooting at a shot gun range.  What fun we had!  As soon as the bruise on my shoulder goes away, I would definitely like to go again :-).

We're off to the ball!  These pictures were taken outside John's house in Oxnard, CA.

Ahem...I think the wine had kicked in for this picture.

Swishy dress compliments of my walking partner Sissy...twirling was a requirement!

Look out Annie Oakley!