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 :-).

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 :-)!