Utah, Nevada and Disney's California Adventure!

Red rock scenery has been central to my existence these past few weeks, as the states to our east have beckoned me on multiple occasions.  It all started with a teaser with some very authentic-looking scenery at the new Cars Land inside California Adventure!  It was so fun to experience Disney's latest creation with my mom, and we had a blast noticing all of the Route 66 icons which we recognized from our many road trips together.

Labor Day weekend took my parents and John and I to Utah where we enjoyed hiking in scenery that was the real deal.  We got a bit of rain on the Queens Garden/Navajo Loop trails in Bryce, but it only added to the fun (because it wasn't cold).  Zion was breathtaking in more ways than one, since the sights are unbeatable and we made it all the way to the top of Angels' Landing.  What a sense of accomplishment!  Another highlight for me was revisiting the Narrows river hike that we enjoyed as kids, and I can't wait to go back again.

John and I planned to be spontaneous the following weekend and I really think we outdid ourselves.  After visiting with a few of his friends in San Diego we were driving to Julian for strolling and pie.  While passing a billboard for an Indian casino, John said, "that's what I want to do...I want to go to a casino with you."  So I reply that we'll have to go to Vegas sometime as we had previously discussed (because really, if we're going to go to a casino, let's do it right).  So John says, "do you want to go?"  And the rest is history.  Contrary to either of our completely planning-oriented personalities we headed to Vegas right from there with only the clothes on our back.  We had a blast, but needless to say we planned to be "normal" the next weekend :-).

Cars Land!

Dad and John (also a pilot) flying us to Utah

Bryce Canyon

Hiking in the hoodoos!

First glimpses of Zion!

Made it to the top of Angels' Landing! 1700 feet of elevation gain in 2.5 miles!

Yeah, this was unexpected.

Family Time!

 These past few weekends have been awash with family activities!  Laura, one of my cousins from Massachusetts, was out visiting with her boyfriend James.  We had tons of fun hearing about her veterinary experiences as she enters her last year of vet school (which will be several internship rotations).  A few of the highlights of her visit are below.

I also had the pleasure of attending the 1st birthday party of my college friends' (Dave and Kimmy) second son, Lucas.  It's always fun to visit with old friends and watch a child eat cake for the first time :-).

Celebrating Dad's birthday with cousin Laura

Lisa, Tim, Uncle Frank, Mom and James enjoying family BBQ

Laura and James

The Giles Family - Happy Birthday Lucas!

Viva Vancouver, Sacramento and all points in between!

Life has taken me a bit farther from home these days, for both love of travel and love of friends.  My friend Elizabeth and I enjoyed exploring British Colombia on a long weekend to Vancouver earlier this month.  What a beautiful place!  In addition to hoofing it to every corner of mainland Vancouver, we ventured north to the Capilano Suspension Bridge and defeated any fear of heights we had by traversing the bridge and taking in all the park had to offer in the heart of the Temperate Rain Forest.  We also made it out to Victoria where the Butchart Gardens took our breath away!  

This past weekend I road-tripped it to Sacramento for the wedding of two dear Cal Poly friends, Manny and Jessica!  Fortunately my sister joined me for the long ride and spent the weekend in San Ramon with friends.  The couple was married at the Sacramento Cathedral, which turned out to be one of the most beautiful churches I've ever seen.  The ceremony was stunning and perfectly reflective of the couple, and the wedding festivities doubled as a SLO Newman Center reunion, which is always a special treat.  For even more fun, I caught my first bridal bouquet ever!  I must give Jessica due accolades, as I've never seen anyone toss a bouquet with such force...I was really just protecting my face :-).

The ride home was sprinkled with other visits, including breakfast with Laura, Derek and Jason, and a final visit with John before he heads off to field exercises for three weeks.  All-in-all, it was a spectacular weekend!  Many congrats to Jessica and Manny, and many thanks to Lisa for tagging along!

Capilano Suspension Bridge

Jennifer and Elizabeth at Butchart Gardens

Newman Crew and the Happy Couple

Sacramento Cathedral

Jennifer and John in Ventura 

Sometimes the best dates also include your sister :-)

Events of Late

In recent news, my parents are finally home!  As you can see in the photo below, meeting Dad at LAX was truly a family affair!  Mom arrived back a few days later after spending additional time with her cousin Carol in Richmond, VA.  I fully support grand adventures, but am very glad that everyone is back in CA.

We also had a a fantastic time celebrating the 4th of July, despite its awkward position in the middle of the week.  Lisa and Tim hosted a relaxing family BBQ where we enjoyed beer, swimming and Tim and Lisa's little nephews.  Tim and Lisa, Mike and Sarah, and John and I also took in a very patriotic display at a nearby park.  Take my word for it...4th of July is simply better with a serviceman by your side ;-).

Memorial Day Matrimony and Other Recent Happenings

Greetings!  The last month has been full of activity, including some (ahem) relational developments.  Resorting once again to bullet format, here goes...

• Chris and Ashley Pagel, family friends, were married in Anaheim Hills on May 25.  Congratulations to the happy couple!

• Bridal shower for college friend Jessica in Indio, CA.

• Saw "Chicago" with my friend Debbie at the Pantages. Christie Brinkley and John O'Hurley were in the cast, so it was an extra special treat!

• Started officially dating John about a month ago!  We met at Daughters of the King in February (see previous post :-)) and so far have had tons of fun adventures ranging from Ventura (where he is currently stationed as a Naval officer with the Seabees) to San Diego (his former station).  Our outings have included (but are not limited to) bowling, the San Diego Zoo, hiking, Ojai, hot springs, the shooting range, beaches, movies, a tour of the naval base in Oxnard, rock climbing wall, church softball game, paddleboarding, gun show and a Relay for Life.  Whew!  More fun to come, I'm quite sure :-).

• Visited Laura and her boyfriend in the bay area, and also had the treat of seeing Emily and Jason!

• Many tours of duty as weekend house sitter at Mom and Dad's.  I've enjoyed having the big house to myself, however being away from my own home for the past six weekends has had its challenges as well.  Most importantly, I am so excited to have them back home within the next two weeks! 

Chris and Ashley Pagel, 5/25/2012

Happy bridal shower, Jessica!

"...and all that jazz..."

John is an excellent San Diego tour guide!

Paddleboarding!  (Yes, we're supposed to be standing, but I had just fallen in :-)).

Gun show with Tim and Lisa!  John and Tim salivated over the weapons (Jennifer and Lisa liked the pink ones).

What would an outing with Laura be without a jumping picture (Golden Gate Bridge)?

Jennifer and John walking late-night laps at the Relay for Life at Port Hueneme High School.

Life Ride 2012 Begins!

Today our family celebrated a very unconventional Mothers' Day, as we spent most of the day chasing my dad around.  Mom didn't mind, and I don't think that she or anyone else would have traded the day's activities for anything in the world.  Joining the Crossroads cycling adventure group, Dad pedaled his first day on a cross-country journey that will take him from Los Angeles to Boston over the course of seven weeks.  Proving once again that she is most often thinking of others before herself, Mom is embracing the adventure and driving along as dad's faithful cheerleader and daily blogger.

The day began bright and early with a Pacific Ocean "wheel dip" at Manhattan Beach, where very few of the hard-core riders actually let any of the corrosive salt water touch their bikes.  Next followed the buzzing of group photos and fond farewells as the group prepared to embark on what will no doubt be a life-changing journey.  Appropriately, the readings at Mass yesterday were about love, and Fr. Dave delivered a poignant homily in which he asserted that real love is "showing up" (it was far more eloquent when he said it).  His point truly hit home as two of Dad's co-workers came all the way to Manhattan Beach to see him off, even delivering a stack of cards and notes from others at his office.  Following a similar theme, after years of Dad being at ALL of our events (color guard shows, etc. for me and cross country races, etc. for Lisa) it was fun to cheer him on as he follows his dream of a trans-USA bike ride for the pro-life cause.  So, full of love and excitement, off we were to follow his route!  Coincidentally the riders traveled within 5 miles of my parents' house, so we were able to use our inside knowledge of the area to see him riding at several spots throughout the day.

After an 80-mile haul of riding through heat and smog (it is LA, right?), Dad and the group reached the first overnight stopping point in Riverside, CA.  Sadly this is where Tim, Lisa and I had to say our "goodbyes" and head home to our new house sitting responsibilities.  Although our farewell was bittersweet, the day was absolutely incredible and inspiring!

Bon voyage, Mom and Dad!  Talk to you soon, and we'll be following you on the blog!

The Whirlwind Continues...

I think I may have to resort to bullet format since there's been so much going on these days...

• More bike rides with the family on which I've logged over 200 miles so far for 2012 
• Big Bear weekend with a local young adult group where I met a great new friend, Abbea
• Vegas weekend with my sister where we celebrated both of our belated birthdays, saw La Reve and one of us rode a mechanical bull ;-)
• Lady Antebellum concert with my mom, opened by Darius Rucker and Thompson Square
• 10-mile Bridge to Nowhere hike with a friend where I faced my fear by swimming in cold water and jumping off a rock into the river
• Saw abortion survivor Gianna Jessen speak on Good Friday
• Easter
• Reading Hunger Games, saw movie with my friend Maria
• Best friend Laura moved to San Francisco (deep sadness, random crying continues)
• Planned visit to San Francisco for June :-) (see bullet above)
• Work responsibilities changed again, now working on a bigger and more complex bond fund

Whew! Clearly such a schedule doesn't leave much time for blogging, but I'll try to be better going forward :-)!!!