Marianna Jane

Kyla's 30th B-day!

2009-06-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

The last weekend in May was spent in the OC visiting friends. It was Kyla's 30th birthday and when Sarah and I arrived Friday evening, she had exciting news for us! Kyla was pregnant!!! WOW! Very exciting and a perfect birthday gift. After getting settle in we went to a Vietnamese restaurant right across from Kyla's condo. After a delicious dinner we back to Kyla's and chilled. The next morning Kyla and I walked to a near by salon and got pedicures and while walking back home we ran into Kyla's sister, Kendall, her boyfriend, Scott and their new puppy! After we got all packed a big group of us went to a near by camping grounds and got setup for a afternoon of playing games, BBQ-ing, eat smores and fun!! It was a blast!! The next morning Lisa Fine graciously went to a near by cafe and picked up breakfast burritos for everyone. Once the tents were packed up we all went back to Kyla's and laid out by the pool for the rest of the afternoon. Nana heard about a house party, so we stopped by and hung out on the roof-top. Jenny and Nana got to meet up with old friends. Cindy, Sarah, Ryan, Jeff, Kyla and I decided to grab dinner was at an Italian Restaurant where the staff was ridiculously friendly. Both service and food were outstanding! The next morning we had more good food at our favorite breakfast joint, Wilma's Patio.

White Elephant Party

2008-12-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

White Elephant Attendees...

Last Friday (the 12th) I went to probably the most entertaining White Elephant party I can remember. Chris is a student, a lieutenant in the Navy, at NPS and his one of the nicest people I have ever met. He can make conversation with just about anyone. He and his wife had a Christmas party over at their house. I met lots of students and their wives’ and we all ate really good food. During the White Elephant game, there was lots of stealing and laughter; especially, when people started getting competitive over a remotely controlled skunk!!! I guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious!! I hope they have a party next year, too.

Saturday, I watched Anthony swim again. He’s doing great! The rest of the day was spent sending out Christmas gifts, buying gifts, writing Christmas cards, etc.

Sunday after church, Julie, Anthony, and I went to eat at one of our favorite breakfast restaurants, First Awakenings. Then they came over to make gingerbread houses! My sis’s friend, Mel, came over to help, too. Then, we all watched the Cowboys win and move into the Wild Card game!! Woo hoo!!

Your Three Words

2008-12-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

ABC and Good Morning America does a segment called "Your Three Words," that features all kinds of different videos people take of what is important to them. My nephew, Brady, was on ABC.com with his video and then on December 13th they aired his video on Good Morning America!! I'm bummed I missed it, but here's the link to it:

http://ugv.abcnews.go.com/Player.aspx?id=6453566

It's only ~2 minutes long, check it out. You'll probably have to cut and paste link into your browser for it to work. Brady is the last video in the set. Above are the screen shots I took of the video. Brady is living proof!! I love that little guy, he's sooo precious!! :)

fun filled weekend

2008-12-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

This Friday I went to the movie called Australia. It was an epic adventure filled with a little bit of everything: romance, action, suspense, etc. I loved it! It is 3 hours long, which I wasn't expecting, but it was worth it! Saturday I went to Anthony's swim class and he is swimming very well now. I'm very proud of him. Then, I went with a friend to what we thought was a Christmas party at a winery, but we were a day early! Opps!! So, we stayed and did some wine tasting. That night was the annual Ornament Party. This year it was held at the La Playa Hotel in Carmel. We had our own room and that even had a decorated Christmas tree. As usual, the girls who put it on did a great job! It was fun to see the girls, it had been too long...

Anthony's Birthday!

2008-12-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

Go Raiders!

After the game, we were still smiling!

Anthony and his Mama

Group shot

The shark cake, with a leg (aka a cracker) hanging out!

The car ride up Anthony was between Dre and Mel.

Anthony blowing out his candles.

November 30th was my nephew Anthony's 7th birthday!! My friend Caitlin, hooked us up with free tickets to the Raider's game that day. When Anthony found out that we were going to the game on his birthday, he was in the shower, and he started jumping up and down and dancing, saying "oh yeah, alright, woo hoo!!" So, Julie, Anthony, Melissa, Andrea (Dre), and I went up to the game on Sunday. Alberto was sick and couldn't go, which was really sad because he's the only real Raider's fan out all of us! We had a good time eating hot dogs and watching the game. Unfortunately, the Raider's lost the Chief's and it made Anthony really upset! :( That night, once we got back home we had cake for Anthony. He wanted a ocean cake with a shark in it and he also asked the Baker to put red in the cake...like blood!! He's such a boy!! Julie didn't allow any "blood" in the cake, so we eat pieces of a more peaceful (less violent) looking cake. :)

Thanksgiving weekend

2008-12-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night Sarah and Ryan came into town and we went to Island's for dinner. Thanksgiving morning, Sarah, Julie, Melissa, her friend Vinnie, and I did the Turkey Trot/Run at Lover's Point. It started at 8am and no one was allowed to wear watches. Everyone had to run or walk towards Asilomar and then we had to turn around and try to make it back to Lover's Point exactly one hour later. We actually were only a minute or so off! But, we didn't win the prize. That's OK, it was a lot of fun. Then my sis and I went to her in-laws for a tasty feast. We watched the Cowboy's destroy the Seahawks! And, then Mel came over and we watched movies the rest of the day/evening. Friday evening, we met up with some Class of '97 people downtown and that was great! It has been a long time since I've seen some of those people!!

Zarin's Wedding

2008-11-25T20:24:00.000-08:00

On October 26th, one of my best friends from high school got married in Berkeley. Zarin and J.P. (now he goes by just Patrick) dated back in high school and kept in touch over the years. They got back together almost 2 years ago and they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony. They were dressed in traditional Afghan dress and then for the reception they were in traditional American dress. It was a blend of both cultures and absolutely amazing!! I'm waiting for friends to email me pictures and I hope to be able to put up pictures by next week.

Raider's Game

2008-11-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

Isaac and Anthony

Little Raider's fans...

Alberto and the boys

I just want to preface this post - Most people who know me and where my family is from, know that I am a die-hard Dallas Cowboy's fan. Always will be. Doesn't matter if they have a terrible season or if they are going to the Super Bowl, I'll always be a fan. Anyways, my sister's husband is a HUGE Raider's fan. The foundation office at NPS was giving away free Raider's tickets and I was able to get 6 of them. My sister, her husband, his sister, my nephew, his cousin, and I all got to go to McAfee Stadium on October 19th to watch the Raider's play the New York Jets. I was sooo excited to see Brett Farve - he's a living legend!! I assumed the Raider's were going to lose. This game ended up being what will probably be the most exciting game of the Raider's season. Not only did the Raider's beat the Jets, they won in OT!! We had such a great time!! :)

Vacation! part 3 - back in VA

2008-11-03T20:37:00.000-08:00

Ships docked at Norfolk.

Mom, Montie, and Me windblown after the boat ride.

Monday, October 6th, my parents and I went back to colonial Williamsburg and it was much more pleasant weather than the beginning of September. We went to the house that the Rockefeller’s lived in. It was interesting to find out that it was actually John Rockefeller and his wife who invested over 60 million dollars (during the Depression) to restore that part Williamsburg to colonial times. That night I slept over at Matt & Montie’s. It was fun to spend some quality time with them The next day Montie, Mom, Dad, and I took a boating trip all through the James River. We saw Fort Monroe, Norfolk, and other locations on the Chesapeake Bay. Wednesday I flew back home, ending my vacation. I was sad to leave my family. :(

Vacation! part 2 - DC

2008-11-03T19:37:00.000-08:00

Two of the guys Dad fought in the war with.

Dad in front of the Vietnam War Memorial

Women singing in Korean in front of the Korean War Memorial

Cody, Mike, Dad, Matt, and I after the race. Dad even wore the a shirt to match Matt and I.

Dad, Matt, me, and Mom after running by the Pentagon.

Friday morning, October 3rd, Mom, Dad, Matt, and I left for DC. After checking into the hotel, Matt and I had to pick up our bibs for the race. We walked around the Expo a little and then decided it was time to see the sights. We walked around the Mall – almost all of it!! We took a few pics in front of the Capitol and walked by the Washington Monument and reflecting pond. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the White House, it was a little too far away and we didn’t make reservations to go inside. The Vietnam Memorial was very special for us. Dad was a Chinook pilot during that war. He was able to find the names of two guys he worked with. V One died in helicopter while talking on the radio with Dad. Dad said the guy was talking and the radio suddenly went silent. Dad flew over and saw smoke and the wreckage. It was a pretty emotional for me; I can only imagine what my dad was feeling deep inside. But, I guess he’s had many years to work through those emotions. I’m just thankful God blessed my dad and he made it home. I’m glad we went to the Vietnam Memorial, it is beautiful tribute to those who didn’t make it home. The Korean Memorial was unexpectedly emotional, too, even though I don’t think I know anyone who was in that war. As we walked up to the memorial, a group of Korean women were singing a sad Korean song in front of the site and they were surrounded by wreaths of flowers. Their song was haunting and even though most of us watching didn’t understand their words, you could feel their sorrow. The last stop for the day was Lincoln Memorial, which is quite impressive; picture really doesn’t do it justice. Saturday was spent going through various Smithsonians’. Mom, Dad, and I went into the Science and Space Smithsonian for the first half of the day and then to the Natural History Smithsonian the second half. It was overwhelming. Really one needs to spend all day in just one and really take everything in. My favorite parts were space exhibits and the rock, gem, and precious stone exhibit. Matt spent most of that day with his old co-worker, Mike and his son, Cody. After a long day of information overload, we went to a California Pizza Kitchen and loaded up on carbs - yummy!! Matt and I shared a pizza and pasta dishes…talk about carb overload!!! That night we drank a lot of water and went to bed early. Sunday morning, October 5th, we were up bright and early for the race. The Army 10-Miler starts at the Pentagon which was just 2 blocks away from our hotel. So we got there about an hour early and somehow we ended up at the very back! But, me and my bro ran ~11 minute miles so we ended up passing a lot of people. We didn’t break any records, but we finished!! :) I was sooo happy, I was pretty nervous about this run and I was relieved when it was over. I felt really good until the end. I had only trained running 8 miles, so around the 9th mile all my joints started to tighten and tense up. Other than the last mile, it was actually a very enjoyable run. My bro entertained me the whole time. I don’t think he was hurting at all, then again, he’s used to running 9 minute miles. I’m very proud of us for finishing together!! After the run we cleaned up and drove back to Williamsburg, VA. I took it real easy the rest of the day and watched movies.

Vacation! part 1 - VA

2008-11-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

My bro at work. He looks good in his uniform! :)

A replica of the fort at Jamestowne in the 1600's.

I got in really late on Tuesday, September 30th. Wednesday morning, my parents and I went historic Jamestowne. We went to a well done museum and it was very informative. I stopped by Matt's work and we went for a practice run. We had dinner over at Matt and Montie’s. As usual, Brady was very entertaining. Matt and I stayed up watching one of his crazy sci-fi movies, it was very silly. Thursday we went to Yorktown and had lunch along the James River. Then we went to the Yorktown Visitor’s Center and learned a little more about colonial history. An important point I had forgotten about, if it wasn’t for the French, we would not have been able to fight off the British and become our own Country. That night, Brady, Matt, and Montie came over and had dinner at Mom’s and Dad’s.

Tampa....again

2008-10-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Starting September 22nd, I spent another couple of days in Tampa going to a conference. It was fun to hang out with co-workers, but the conference/expo was disappointing.

Tahoe

2008-10-18T11:27:00.001-07:00

Boats on the lake

The beach on Lake Tahoe

The girls after one of our yummy meals

I picked Amy up on Thursday, September 18th, night from SJC and we drove up to Sarah’s house in Petaluma. We spent the night there and then drove up to Tahoe on Friday morning. We picked our Sacramento, Jane, friend up along the way. We ate delicious dinners both Friday and Saturday nights. We all went for a long walk on Saturday, it was beautiful. Sarah won money at Black Jack at the casinos!

The Final Grape

2008-10-18T11:16:00.001-07:00

At dinner at parents’ house, my 5 year old nephew, Brady, was entertaining us. My dad, who loves to tease, was pretending to steal Brady’s grapes. Brady was getting annoyed. He gave everyone else at the dinner table a grape except for me and my dad. Then, he pulls a grape from the vine and holds it up and says, “This is the final grape. Whoever doesn’t get it will go to the dark of shame!” He dramatically hands me the grape (to teach his Papa not to take his grapes). We cracked up laughing! Where do kids get this stuff from?! :)

Virginia

2008-10-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Oh no! Brrady and I are experiencing the guillotine, like in Colonial times...

William and Mary had a 200 person band!!

The Christmas section of Yankee Candle, where it snows!

We arrived in Richmond, VA, September 10th, and I decided to ride with Mike into Newport News. Well, unfortunately, I miss read the directions and we took the long way. Instead of an hour, it took us 3 hours!!! Luckily for me, Mike was in no hurry and didn’t get mad at me at all! What a good friend! Finally, we found the way to our hotel and it was lunch time so we ate and then I took a nap because we didn’t have to meet up with group until 7pm. I got to hang out with my parents for a couple of hours that afternoon and that was a nice “bonus” visit. The next two days were spent at Ft. Eustis and the experiments went perfectly. My brother even stopped by for a visit and met some of my co-workers. They were surprised to meet another Verett! :) Friday night, instead of flying home I went over to my parents’ house in Williamsburg and my mom made some home cooked food (yea!). Saturday we walked around old colonial Williamsburg. It was very hot and humid so it made it quite uncomfortable. We ended up leaving and I went for a short 2 mile run that afternoon. Saturday night we went to a William and Mary vs. VMI football game and it was a blow out. We left after the 3rd quarter because William and Mary’s team was up more than 30 points. While walking home (and making a stop at the WaWa for some ice cream) my sister-in-law got stopped twice by people who thought she looked like Sarah Palin!! We thought it was funny, but true! Montie had her hair up and glasses on and she does resemble Governor Palin. They are both pretty women. The next day, we went to Church and then to the biggest Yankee Candle store I have ever seen!!! It even snowed (real snow) in the Christmas section!!! After lunch at Olive Garden my weekend get-away was over and I had to go to Tampa for a meeting on Monday.

New York/New Jersey

2008-10-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

I "heart" NYC!

Me and Kyla :)

Dinner in Little Italy with friends!

Times Square

Grand Central Terminal is beautiful!

My traveling buddy, Mike, along withnAlex, Dave, and Herb looking at the view of NYC.

I arrived in Newark Airport on Saturday, September 6th, in the evening and it was raining like crazy. Tropical storm, Gustave was moving through the area and there were reported 2-4 hour delays at all the airports. Somehow my flight was only 20 minutes late! This was a nice surprise; I thought we would not be able to land so quickly or at all. A nice, but very nervous taxi driver took me to my hotel in Jersey City and I was happy to get there safe and sound. Sunday was sunny and warm and I didn’t have to meet up with co-workers until 2pm. A co-worker whom I seem to travel with a lot named Mike, and I took the PATH train over to Manhattan and did fun tourist things. We saw Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Grand Central Terminal. We walked everywhere and had a great time. The only store I allowed myself to go into was Sephora. Monterey doesn’t have any of those stores, so I walked in and was encircled by beauty products. Even though I don’t wear a lot of makeup I was in awe of my surroundings. I bought a few things and decided to leave while my total was still under $100. Mike and I hopped back on the PATH train to Jersey to meet up with some co-workers. As it turns out Alex (the head of these experiments) only needed a few of us to help him setup antennas on the ship, so he let the rest of us go. Mike was tired and I needed to get a run in, so we went back to the hotel after a stop at Starbucks. That night, a group of us hopped on the train just after one stop we got off in a cute little town called Hoboken. We ended up at a restaurant a long the water and that was recommended to us. On Monday, we found our way over to the shipyard docks and spent the day boarding a huge container ship that was the length of at least 2 football fields. That experiment could have gone better and it was exhausting. Walking on hard steel all day is really painful for feet! That night we went back over to Hoboken and went to another restaurant, where we sat upstairs and dined on more delicious food. Tuesday, it rained in the morning for two hours and it put a damper on the experiment. We eventually got some tests done and then called it quits early. This was nice because I got to go back to the hotel and relax before heading back into the city. That night I was escorted into New York by Mike and two other Coast Guard guys that were participating in the experiments. We met up with my friends from the OC, Kyla and Jeff. They were vacationing in Little Italy randomly at the same time I was there. We went to the little apartment where Kyla and Jeff were staying and got to check out an authentic New York-style apartment….very small!!! But, they were able to rent it way cheaper then they could a hotel for 7 days. Afterwards, we walked around Little Italy until we found several restaurants that looked good. We were trying to decide between 2 across the street from each other, when both hosts walked out and tried to convince us that we really wanted to go to their particular restaurant. They were battling for our business. When we were still unsure, they started offering us “extras.” One offered us a free bottle of wine and the other finally offered us a table outside, which is what we really wanted. We had a wonderful Italian dinner on a sidewalk in New York with great conversation. I was really happy to spend time with my friends in New York!!! The next morning we had an early morning flight to Richmond, VA to continue the experiments.

Briana's Baby Shower

2008-09-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Briana and Enza due within the next 6 weeks!

We ate a delicious meal in Josie's beautiful home!!

Marisa with one of the twins!

Happy Shower, Bree!

Saturday, August 30th, was Briana's Baby Shower. It was a beautiful!! Her mother-in-law's house is gorgeous and she cooked amazing food!! I think everyone had a great time. I cannot wait to meet the newest addition to the Tringali Household!

12 mos and 3 wks apart...

2008-09-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Me and the birthday girl!!

The party at Gianni's

My sister and I are only 12 months and 3 week apart. Her birthday was August 29th and we had a party at Gianni's . I made my mom's Texas Sheath Cake and we had yummy pizza!! I hope she had a good day! Love you, Sissy!!

Summer sickness

2008-08-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm just now finally feeling better after being sick for almost 3 weeks!!! I started feeling bad in Tampa at the beginning of August and it only got worse. I couldn't take off time because I had to be in Camp Roberts all last week. It was 100 degrees and dry and dusty, which didn't help my cough that already sounded like a smoker. I went to the doctor on Saturday and he finally gave me drugs. I slept all weekend - I literally took 3 hour naps and slept 10-11 hours at night. Between drugs and sleep I feel human again and went to work today. I haven't been cold/flu sick in almost 3 years, so I hope my next bout of sickness will be in another 3 years because being sick bites!!

8-8-08 = My 30th Birthday!!!

2008-08-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

Jeff's home-made mac and cheese - delicious!

Sarah at Club Bud in Angel's Stadium

The girls being silly after breakfast at Wilma's Patio

Jessica, Jenny, Colleen, Nana, Sarah, Me, and Kyla

I showed up to Jenny's where she and Collen had made a poster of all of "my men" ;)

Blowing out my candles...

My birthday happened to be on 8-8-08 this year!!! I shared it with the opening of the Summer Olympics and with good friends. I was in Tampa for work and flew straight to Orange County to celebrate with some of my favorite people! Sarah and Kyla planned an awesome 30th b-day weekend for me. Kyla picked Sarah and I up at the airport and we went to Jenny's house for appetizers and cupcakes and then went out to the bars. The next morning we went to my favorite breakfast place on Balboa Island, Wilma's Patio. After that we rallied for an Angel's game and hung out at Club Bud. Angel's destroyed New York, so that made for a fun afternoon. That evening we had a gourmet BBQ at Kyla's. What more could a girl ask for? :)

Summer in Seattle!

2008-08-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Ryan standing in front of fish-throwing, Pike's Market!

Jo, Me, Ry, and Sar eating yummy hotdogs.

Amy, Sarah, Joanne, and I.

While waiting for SuperBad to start we played cards. :)

I have been to Seattle 3 times, but always during fall or winter. This year Sarah, Ryan, and I planned for a summer visit to the usually rainy city and it was a blast!! The weather was gorgeous ~70-80 degrees!! Unfortunately, my flight out on Thursday night was delayed due to really bad smoke caused from all the Forest fires. Luckily, Joanne was trooper and willing to pick me at the airport at 1:30 in the morning! Joanne and Amy planned a weekend of sight seeing and fun. Friday (both Jo and Ames took off work) and Saturday was action packed with activities: we all went to Pike's Market (where they throw fish), stopped by the first Starbucks, we drove by one of the Deadliest Catch boats (Ryan loved that), we took the Underground Tour of Seattle (very interesting, actually), and went to an outdoor movie. It was an awesome weekend with good friends and it was bummer to leave on Sunday. Thanks Jo and Amy for an wonderful time!!!

My parents come for a visit...

2008-08-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

Me and my "NeNe"(short for Anthony) :)

Anthony looks like he is super-imposed into this picture! ;)

We got REALLY close to a very active bear!!

Anthony and his grandparents at the SF Zoo

Anthony, Sis, and my Bro-in-law being silly at SF Zoo

My nephew and my dad

Nana and Papa at the Memorial Day Concert on the Lawn at NPS.

Anthony and Papa playing horsey! :)

My mom (Nana) and dad (Papa) came out for a 3 week visit at the end of May through the middle of June. It was great to spend quality time with them! They stayed at the Del Monte Hotel on NPS, which has been renovated and it was a great deal...$40 bucks a night for one bedroom apartment-style suite!!! Working 2 buildings away and living across the street from NPS made this arrangement very convenient for me and them. We all took long walks on the bike path, ate at their favorite restaurants, went to the Aquarium, and even visited the San Francisco Zoo. I was sad to see them leave. :(

Big Sur Marathon, April 27, 2008

2008-05-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

We stopped off at Pebble Beach to check out the view...

Yea! We're finished!!!

My sis and I crossing the finish line.

Amber finished with a smile! :)

Saturday, Amber and Brian (friends from OCU), flew into Monterey. 4 am on Sunday morning, I dropped Amber off at a location where she could get bussed down to Big Sur. She finished the marathon in 5 hrs and 7 minutes! She's never done a marathon before and she does one of the hardest marathons ever! And, she's from Abilene, TX where it's as flat as it can be...how do you train for Hurricane Point??? She did a awesome job!! My sister and I did the 9-mile walk and Brian, Amber's husband, ran the 5K. We all were able to cheer Amber on as she ran across the finish line. We walked around the mall to keep the blood from pooling in her legs and then watched 88 Minutes (an Al Pacino movie). The next day, they went whale watching. Unfortunately, Amber was sea-sick and didn't get to see much. Then, for dinner we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Hula's. Tuesday, they went to the Aquarium and then I took them to REI, the Gilroy Outlets, and for the first time they tried In-and-Out Burger. I had a great time with my old friends!! I can't wait for them to come and visit Monterey again! :)

Indiana

2008-04-20T17:40:00.000-07:00

Matt, Me, and Montie

Aunt Pauletta and Princess (not shown Uncle Rob and BG)

My sis-in-law, my nephew, and my Grandma

Brady next to a famous statue at Purdue

Matt and Brady on a jumpy pillow at the Dairy Farm, where we saw a new born calf.

I spent time with my Grandma and pa last weekend. It was a bonus to see my aunt, uncle, bro, sis-in-law, and my nephew Brady. It was good quality time with everyone.

Weekend at Sarah and Ryan’s with Hank!

2008-04-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Look at his little face!
Hank's favorite ball!

Hank sleeping in the sun (like a cat!).

It was a fun weekend of watching the latest season of 24 and playing with the cutest dog ever - Hank!

Easter

2008-04-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

Let’s find some eggs! After Church, I went over to my sister's in-laws for a yummy lunch and we watched Anthony and his cousin Isaac go on a traditional Easter egg hunt.

Karlskrona, Sweden

2008-04-20T17:19:00.000-07:00

City lights in Copenhagen.

The famous Mermaid statue in Copenhagen.

My traveling buddies.

The cute downtown of Karlskrona, Sweden.

I flew with the Livermore folks on Wednesday 5th to Copenhagen, Denmark. Then we rented a car a drove through Denmark into Sweden. It was a beautiful drive; Sweden is a really very pretty country even during winter. I would love to go back during summer. We arrived in Karlskrona ~ 5pm and met up with one of my co-workers, Mike and his girlfriend. We all had dinner and enjoyed the small town. The next day we went to the navy base and started to work on one of the ships. It was a good day of testing. Karlskrona has coble stoned streets, great, architecture and is located right on the ocean. We left after a two days work to Copenhagen. We spent one night driving and wondering the city. After Munich and Karlskrona, this city seemed a little dirty to me. But, I’m glad I went. We flew out of Europe on Saturday, it was a whirlwind of a trip!!!

Munich, Germany

2008-04-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm in the Alps!!!!!

Finger printing the "red team."

The check point crew.

Typical Bavarian mural on a side of a business.

Beautiful mountains...

On our way to the Bavarian Alps!

We, two professors named, Alex and Eugene, arrived at ~1pm on Sunday March 3rd. We checked into the hotel but we had to rush over to a 4:30 meeting at the University of Bundisberg. I was so tired, as I hadn’t slept on the airplane the night before. I tried to pay attention but I kept feeling my head bob up and down – I was afraid I was going to fully fall asleep and my head would hit the table! Finally around 8pm, our UofB partners took us out to dinner at a traditional Bavarian restaurant. I tired the Weiner Schnitzel, it was actually really good! The next day we caravanned out about 70 kms to the Bavarian Alps. We stopped at adorable Bavarian town. I LOVED it!! We conducted our check point operation, I took some fingerprints and then we headed back into Munich. Alex and Eugene left and I stayed in the city with two other folks from Livermore. We walked round the city that night and I went to the Dallmayer and to a brewery, I had a beer because I was in Germany, but can’t say that I liked it! :) I can say that the German white wine is delicious!

February in Camp Roberts

2008-03-02T01:26:00.000-08:00

I was in Camp Roberts for 8 days, the first of back-to-back-to-back trips. Considering the weather was rainy and uncooperative for the first two days, the rest of the week was surprisingly gorgeous, with 70 degree weather! Obviously, the first couple of days was a bit frustrating as not a whole lot was accomplished due to the weather. Monday through Friday was packed with experiments that weren't completed on the weekend, including was what already scheduled for that day. It was a bit hectic, but amazingly we had a very successful week. I was very happy because the main component I was in charge of went well. It was a new responsibility for me. In summary: There were 4 different contractors plus two different groups within NPS, all who wanted to fly their wireless devices/radios on our manned airplane called the Pelican. The advantage of flying on manned versus unmanned vehicles is that you don't have to worry about the weight of the payload. But, what I had to worry about was deconflicting 6 frequencies and the placements of the antennas. The pilot was not willing to put new wholes in his plane for the antennas, so we had to make do with the existing wholes. It made for quite an logistical problem! But, we flew everyone's payload/radios and almost everyone walked away with losts of data. My boss and I were surprised (and pleased) with how many requests to have the Pelican fly again in the May experiments. It's pretty expensive, so I think it might be awhile before I work on this type of project again. We'll see... After a week of experimentation in Camp Roberts, I'm getting ready for a week in Europe! I'll try to keep posting blogs, but am unsure of my internet availability. After Europe, I'll be in San Francisco for a 4 days. Whew...it's going to be a whirlwind!!

Me and Anthony

2008-02-15T09:42:00.001-08:00

AT&T weekend

2008-02-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a lot of fun. AT&T Pro Am was going on at Pebble Beach, which means Monterey was packed with people. Including lots of my friends from out of town! It was great to hang out with them Friday and Saturday nights at Lallapollooza. Saturday night was also Michelle's baby shower at her sister's beautiful new home. Sunday morning, I went to First Awakenings (one of my favorites) to eat breakfast with Sarah, Ryan, Rebecca (Sar's adorable co-worker), and Sarah's parents. Overall, it was an eventful and joyful weekend! It made me feel blessed...

Because I'm a girl...

2008-02-07T21:53:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe what happened to me today...I saved money from my tax returns because I was told that I need a car part replaced that was leaking. This is from the shop I normally get my oil changes from. Well, I took my car into a shop that a co-worker recommended and they couldn't find anything leaking. My old shop wanted $1,000 to "fix" my car!! Needless, to say they have lost my business and my co-workers shop won me as a new customer! I can't believe this shop that I have been going to for years tried to take advantage of me!! Grrrhhh...

Sarah's birthday weekend...

2008-02-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

Tahoe is a winter wonderland

Hank has his sweater on, ready for snow!

This last weekend was my best friend, Sarah's, birthday!! Sarah, Ryan, and I (oh yeah, and little Hank) all went to Tahoe to celebrate the weekend. It was such a fun weekend and very relaxing. We got up there late on Friday and crashed. Saturday we got up and went to their favorite breakfast place to eat and came back to the condo and read for a little bit. Then we went bowling and played air hockey! Two of my favorite things to do (even though I'm terrible at bowling)! Then later that night we grabbed dinner and Sar and Ry did a little gambling. Sunday morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. Ryan had to dig his truck out of the snow and luckily a snow plow came to clear the parking lot so we could leave. We made it back to Petaluma to watch the Super Bowl. I was VERY happy when the Giants won! Woo hoo! It was a great time...

She's famous!

2008-01-31T11:57:00.000-08:00

My sister's picture has been posted everywhere in Monterey County. Today she opens the Herald Newspaper and she sees herself again! Comunnity Hosiptial took pictures of her one time while donnating blood and now she their official poster child! Even Ryan saw her up on his poster board at Seaside Police station!! :) Above are the pics and below is the link if you want to check it out for yourself...

Here's CHOMPs website:

http://www.chomp.org/blood/blood_drives.aspx?msg=6

Cousins

2008-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend my sister and I drove up to Oakland to see our cousin, Vanessa, who is from Texas. She was there for a 3 day intensive course to prepare for the nurse practitioner boards. We went out to dinner and hung out until about 9:30 pm. It was great to catch up with her. Good luck on your boards this week, Vanessa!!

Two movies and a baby

2008-01-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I saw TWO movies! I watched Juno and 27 Dresses. Juno was hysterical and 27 Dresses was really cute. I have two new friends who love to go the movies...yah! I also went to my good friend Sommer's house to meet her new baby, Nicholas. What a doll!

25th Anniversary

2008-01-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

Princess Sophia

Sophia and Joseph, best of friends

Bree's bro, Ian, playing the bag pipes (very Scottish!)

Happy 25th Anniversary, Betty and Rod!

Me, Briana, and Marisa (who's pregnant with twins!)

The happy couple!

My good friend Briana's parents had their 25th Anniversary on Saturday, January 12th. It was a good time! I love Bree's mom, Betty. She's such a good person. It's funny, Betty and my mom used to attend the same aerobics class together a long time ago. I was like 5 years old and I can remember looking out from the little day care center and watching all these women dance around! :)

Bucket List

2008-01-14T14:52:00.000-08:00

My friend from work and I went to PF Chang's on Friday, January 11th. It was delicious! I highly recommend the moo shu chicken with brown rice...yum! Then we went to see the Bucket List it was sooo cute!! I would have never put Jack Nickolson and Morgan Freeman together, but they had great chemistry in front of the camera. Morgan Freeman has such a soothing voice, he could read the phone book to me and I would be happy. :)

Craigslist...I'm a fan

2008-01-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

Well, the weather has calmed down and it no longer feels like a hurricane when I walk outside. It is supposed to rain on and off the rest of this week. I wanted to say that I LOVE Craigslist! I was thinking that really needed to get rid of a bunch of stuff before my new roommate moved in and was annoyed at the thought of going to the dump. So I decided to try posting my "junk" on the Craigslist and I have already sold a bed and a desk! People paid me to take my junk away...what a deal! (I should also note it's not all junk, that there are some very nice items on Craigslist. I bought my two very nice black leather couches on the same website.)

Unusally Stormy Weather

2008-01-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

I opened my front this morning to go to work and it blew wide open! I had to use both hands to push close the door. That's how strong the wind was. The rain was pouring down and I made an executive decision not to go to work this morning. I'm working from home and trying to keep my freaked out kitty calm. The winds are at hurricane force...yikes! Below are predictions from
www.noaa.gov

Hazardous weather condition(s):
Coastal Flood Watch
Flash Flood Watch
Flood Statement
Hazardous Weather Outlook
High Surf Warning
High Wind Warning
This Afternoon: Periods of rain. High near 52. Windy, with a south southwest wind between 29 and 39 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

My first blog...

2008-01-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

My New Year's resolution was to start a blog so that my distant family can keep updated on my life. The rest of my family is really good about sending out informative emails every week. Unfortunately, I have not participated in this ritual. Hopefully, this will be my way of keeping in touch!