Mammoth Mountain (Part 2)

Whew! I skied Mammoth today and lived to tell about it. I road my first ever ski lift and everything Jeff and Denise said about it was true. It wasn't a big deal at all. My worst fear was that I would fall flat on my face getting off the lift and it would hit me in the back of the head causing me to be transported down the mountain on the back of a snow mobile. I'm happy to report that didn't happen.

Today we went to Eagle Lodge and started on the easiest slopes. My first run went quite well and I didn't fall once. The first two trails we road down were gentile and I was feeling confident. The last trail, heading back to the lodge, was a little steep and caused me to move a little faster then I wanted too. Still, it was exhilarating and I was excited to go again.

On the second decent down the mountain I fell twice, but at very low speed. Actually, probably because of very slow speed. It shook my nerves a little and caused me to loose my confidence. I made it to the bottom without any major incidents but wasn't sure I was up for a third run. I also noticed the soreness starting in my legs from overusing the pizza wedge I am so dependent on to control my speed.

After lunch I agreed to go for a third run. The three of us headed up and Jeff split to scope a run that Denise said was easier than it actually is (she wanted me to try it.) Denise hung with me and we met up with Jeff half way down the mountain. The third run was tough on my muscles but I wasn't as scared so I took the opportunity to practice my parallel skiing, which went pretty well. I'm still overly dependent on my pizza wedge. I was pretty beat and there was still a couple of hours left before the slopes closed so I let Jeff and Denise go off without me and enjoy some more challenging trails while I listened to the guitar player at Eagle Lodge.

Tomorrow I'm going to try cross-country skiing here at the lodge. The guys who work the front desk said, "if you can walk you can cross-country ski." Which was all I needed to hear. Of course they also said there was a 90 minute lesson first thing tomorrow morning. Hmmm. Suspicious that I need a 90 minute lesson to learn something as simple as walking. Well, we'll see how that goes. If nothing else, I'm sure to enjoy the exquisite scenery and I can always utilize my Plan B; head to the lodge early and enjoy cocoa by the fire.

By the way, the internet connection here is really slow so we haven't been posting photos. We have been taking lots though and will post them when we return home.

-Christie

Mammoth Ski Trip (part 1)

So, here we are, Tamarack Logde in the wilderness outside of Mammoth Lakes, CA, in the dark shadow of Mammoth Mountain itself. The drive was, scenic, quick, quiet, and (conveniently enough) there were few others on there way up to the Mammoth Lakes area. Our guess is that anyone who wanted to party for New Year's does not go to the mountains, but it's just a guess.

So, we are here at 8100' above sea level for a night's worth of restful (alpine-air, altitude-sickness induced slumber, after eating a rather hearty meal of German food at the Austria-hof Lodge "around the corner."

The greatest thing about Mammoth is the roughly 3000' vertical of skiing. Christie is excited to start the new day and try on her first ski lift. We tell her it's nothing to worry about, but still she worries (we also tell her that flying down the side of a mountain at half the speed of light while dodging trees, rocks, and other persons with large, small, fat, and skinny planks attached to their feet is fun too, so there is merit to her worries.) Hopefully by the end of the day, we'll be able to drag her off the bunny slope and talk her out of using "The Wedge" to stop herself. Wish us luck!

-Jeff

Skiing Mammoth

For Purple Mountain Majesties, originally uploaded by Bill Wight CA.

Tomorrow morning Jeff and I leave with our friend Denise to ski Mammoth in the Sierra Nevadas. Well, Jeff will ski, Denise will snowboard and I will flail, screaming down the mountain as a giant frozen ball of snowy fear-filled chaos, dotting the mountain with equipment shedded as I take out experienced skiers, adults and children alike.

I've only been skiing once before. Last year at Mammoth Jeff and I went with Denise and her friend Kristen. The three of them spent the day on blue trails while I enrolled in the adults-who-have-never-skied-before class. I feared it would be me and class full of 6 year olds but fortunately they don't mix the children with the adults. Not because they want to spare the adults the embarrassment of learning with youngsters but because the children are so fast to pick up the techniques they didn't want us to hamper their quick and natural progress.

I actually did OK last year. While I never could figure out how to right myself after falling without taking off my skis completely, I was the first in my class to to be able to control my awkward decent down the bunny hill and thus was rewarded the prize of practicing on my own while our teacher helped the rest of the class. At the risk of sounding boastful, our teacher, after the first hour of class, pulled me aside and whispered, "if by the end of the day I can get the rest of the class to the point you're at right now, I will have done my job." Beaming with pride (after all these words have stayed with me a full year now) I took that as implied permission to cut class early, grab a hot cocoa and hang at the lodge for the remainder of the weekend. Shit, skiing is hard work and my knees were killing me. I was the prize pupal after-all and didn't want to make the rest of the class look bad by one-upping them all day.

Ok, while the above is all true don't let it mislead you. I suck at skiing. I mean, I could barely stand it for 2 hours and now I'm going for four days. Humph. The plan is to ski the first day utilizing the pizza wedge technique I mastered so well last time. If I am completely miserable after the first day I will try cross country skiing at the Tamarack Lodge, where we're staying in hopes that I will like it better. If that fails, there's always and endless supply of hot cocoa at the lodge.

Wish me luck,
Christie

Planning Our Trip to Queretaro, MX

Templo de la Congregación de Guadalupe. Querétaro, México, originally uploaded by praseodimio.

Jeff and I are busy planning our trip to Queretaro, Mexico for this May. Our friends Veronica and Paul are getting married there. Queretaro is where Vero is from. I've only been to Mexico once for a camping trip and even then we only made it as far as Northern Baja. This will be Jeff's first trip ever to Mexico.

We spent tonight looking at flights and deciding which hotels we want to stay at. This was made easier by Vero's meticulous planning. Basically she did all the leg work and we just need to figure out which of the several hotels she has researched and secured discounts at best suits us. They're all charming and beautiful.

Well, I'm tired and have been planning for hours. Jeff and I enjoyed several good laughs though as we read the rough website translations from Spanish to English. Funny how computerized translators never really quite get it right. One hotel website, when translated, roughly stated that 1% of the rooms were nice. Ha ha. I wonder what they actually meant to say.

Well, goodnight all.

C+J

New Christmas Corals for my Aquarium

Horay! For Christmas this year, Jeff brought me to the fish store to buy corals for my marine tank. I decided to go saltwater when I moved from DC to San Diego so I sold off or gave away all my freshwater fish and plants and set up the saltwater tank when I arrived in in California. I started with just live rock and some easy-to-care-for marine fish. After a year everyone was still alive so I decided to pick up a few zooanthids and some other invertebrates. They are much more difficult to keep alive then fish, and as it would be, more expensive too. That was about 4 or so months ago and all are still thriving. Jeff, who has been known to pass a comment a time or two regarding the amount of time I spend with my fish, was able to recognize the joy it brings me and has sponsored the latest and greatest additions to my now official reef tank. Corals can be extremely delicate, difficult to care for and pretty expensive to boot. It was great to go to the fish store and pick out a bunch a beautiful corals guilt free. Thanks Jeff!

Merry Christmas

What a nice Christmas we've been having. It's been so low key and relaxing. Even as I write this we're still in our PJs and it's 1:00 in the afternoon. Boo Ya. The downside to having a stay-home Christmas is we didn't get to see any friends and family this year and we miss out on a cold and snowy Christmas. I guess that's partially the up-side too.

Jeff and I opened our presents this morning. I got the iPod car adapter I really wanted, a yoga outfit from Prana, the Raving Rabbids video game from Jeff's parents (awesome!) and Jeff got me a trip to the fish store to buy more coral for my aquarium. I'm totally psyched about that. Coral is expensive and almost never splurge for it myself.

Jeff got lots of video games, some clothes, 30th Anniversary of Garfield book and a speed light for his camera, among other things. The cats got a plethora of bows and ribbons to attack and chew on. They're on cloud 9.

Later I will make Christmas dinner; stuffed pork chops filled with walnut and cranberry stuffing and portabella mushrooms stuffed with vegetables, herbs and Italian sausage. Jeff made the most amazing chocolate, almond, cherry biscotti last night which we had with our coffee this morning. It was better then any I have had before. He should start a bakery.

Well, I guess I should consider getting dressed, you know, before 2:00 in the afternoon at least.

Happy Christmas to all!

Christie + Jeff




Dave under the tree

Home is Where Your Cats Are

Potential Rental in RB

This morning Jeff emailed me with a Craigslist ad for a condo for rent in Rancho Bernardo. It is a 3 Bed, 2 Bath with a fireplace and over 1200 s.f. of living for a fraction of what we’re paying now. We have been pretty spoiled at the Villas though, making it hard to move. The patio we have now is amazing and I love the landscaping around our building. The high ceilings and granite would be hard to part with, but the savings would mean we could have a modest down payment in a year if we wanted to buy. I’m torn between the excitement of new digs and premature nostalgia for what we already have. I supposed I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself. Jeff only has an appointment to see the place today. It’s possible that the place is a dump and we’ll stay right where we are. Who knows? After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve scoped the competition and decided we already have the better value.

Sea World Photos

Killer Moves!, originally uploaded by Matt McGee.

Oh my goodness. I haven't posted in so long and we've done so much I don't even know where to begin. I'm thinking that I will make regular blogging my New Years Resolution. With my new laptop I have absolutely no excuse not bang out a sentence or two each week.

Here are some of the things Jeff and I have done in the last couple of months...

Went to Lauren and Justin's Wedding in Rhode Island.
Had Thanksgiving with our friends Vero and Paul.
Went to Sea World.
Went to the OB Christmas Parade and pub crawl (not in the same evening).
Saw Twilight at the Movies.
Bought and decorated a Christmas Tree.
Planned and booked a ski trip to Mammoth Mtn after Christmas.

So we've been pretty busy to say the least.

Here are a few photos.

Long Beach, California

The Aquarium of the Pacific

Our trip to the LBC lead us first to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Jeff, Marleen, Terrance and I all headed up together. Marleen and Terrance dropped us off at the aquarium while they drove around visiting Marleen's old stomping ground. (She lived in Long Beach for several years.)


Aquarium of the Pacific


Lobby at the Aquarium

Coming from the public zoo and aquarium design industry I had wanted to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific for a long time. My old boss, Steve, from Lyons/Zaremba Inc. actually designed much of it before he was with LZI.


Black Tipped Shark

The aquarium if fairly small but was packed full of tourists celebrating "Southeast Asia Day" on Saturday. Though it was hard to navigate through the crowds, the exhibits themselves were beautiful and packed full of wildlife. I especially loved the baby shark exhibits. They had one still in it's egg sack but spliced open on the side and placed against the glass so you can see the baby shark growing inside. That was the coolest thing I saw. I also enjoyed the octopus, sea dragon and jelly fish exhibits.


Reef Aquarium


Mmmm King Crab


Mudskipper

Being a fish geek of sorts, I never get tired of visiting aquariums. Most of the photos came out badly, either too dark, blurry or with terrible glare but I will post a few that came out ok.


The Boat Show at the Harbor in Long Beach


The Light House in Long Beach


The Queen Mary

After a margarita, Jeff and I met back up with Terrance and Marleen for the real reason for our trip to Long Beach, the haunted Queen Mary. It's opening weekend for their annual month of terror at the Queen Mary Shipwreck and tickets were a steal.

Every year they convert parts of the ship into a series of mazes (six total), night clubs, food stands, live bands and entertainers. Ghouls run amok scaring visitors at every turn. For those that know me, I LOVE HALLOWEEN and all the haunted houses, scary stories and movies that go along with it. Last year I wrote about our trip to Knotts Scary Farm in the Blog.

We hit all six mazes, some were better than others but overall were quite impressive. They convert the ship's boiler room into a haunted house, which is cool because the amount of detail (twisted metal, steel and rivets)could never be duplicated in a conventional haunted house. The shear vastness is impressive. The best haunted maze went through a series of storage rooms (it was very Freddy Kruger). They staggered the groups as you entered so you get the impression of being completely alone and lost. Very scary and worth the entry fee alone. Cameras weren't allowed so I don't have any photos inside but I managed a few photos of the ship. The Queen Mary is also a hotel. I'd love to go back after Halloween to get a real tour of the ship and its history and maybe spend the night. Random fact: The Queen Mary is longer than the Titanic by 137 feet. Yikes.


The Queen Mary

We Won 1st Place - IIDA Intergalactic Glam Fashion Show

Well we did it. The Jain Malkin team put in hours of hard work and planning, which ultimately paid off as we won 1st place on Thursday at the Haute Couture IIDA Fashion Show. The show, whose theme was Intergalactic Glam, was a fund raiser for Dress for Success. It was an amazing opportunity. Only 14 teams could participate (many were turned away) and each team could only have 5 core members able to compete on game day. Our competition included some of the biggest architecture firms in the country.


Cosmic Girl Team with Sponsor, Arcadia


We had 45 minutes to grab fabric (provided) and put together an outfit. We were allowed to bring accessories as long as they fit in a 5 gallon bucket. We had to provide our own music and write a script for the MC to read. Hundreds of people attended.


The Winning Design

We were the last team to walk the runway, with Kelly as our model (Dr. Ella Fitzpatrick). Marleen was her faithful sidekick Zalonia and I participated as a prop, an extraterrestrial representing "Menacing Alien Territory". Other members of the core team included Kristen (our fabric grabber) and Jamie (the gal with the creative vision).


Kelly and Marleen after the show.

After 3rd and 2nd place were awarded I was nervous but tried to remember it was for a good cause and the competition was fierce. To my delight, however, we were awarded the honor of 1st place. I have to admit, it felt so good to be recognized. The team worked so hard, meeting at least once per week and often several times each week to plan the outfit, tweak the music and amend the script. You go girls!


First Place Trophy


Jeff and I after the show.


Kelly and Jamie


Casscia and Marleen


Marleen and Kristen

Ninja Cat

Hi family/friends! I don't have much to talk about today but I did just watch a hilarious cat video on YouTube. I have to post it because it's really worth the view. I'm going to New Jersey this weekend so I should have lots to post about next week. Hope everyone is doing well. Jeff will have photos too, from his trip to Mt. Rainier.

-Christie

An Incomplete but Unforgettable Show

In Memory Of LeRoi Moore, 1961-2008, DMB, originally uploaded by phlyersphan.

I can't believe it's been a year already since my last DMB post but here I am again writing about my most favorite day of the year... I believe this to be my 15th show, though admittedly I have only been able to log 13 because a couple of the shows were so long ago I can't remember the dates and the ticket stubs have been long missing.

Attending this year's show held greater importance for me as founding member and saxiphonest, LeRoi Moore passed away unexpected on Tuesday from complications stemming from an ATV accident. I didn't see it coming as I had heard he was on the mend and found out early Wednesday when I logged into my email at work finding several emails from friends who figured I hadn't heard the news. Personally, I didn't think the show would go on but am sure I'm not alone when I say it was a communal healing experience for the band and all the old time fans.

Speaking of old timers, I have to admit this years crowed was better then it has been in years. Maybe because I had just been complaining to Denise at work about how the crowed just doesn't "get it" like they used to. Well they got it this year as everyone around me was feeling the vibe, singing and dancing in unison.

This years show, though incomplete without Roi, ranks in my top 3 of all time for its mix of somber notes, heart stopping classics, out-of-control covers and sheer goofy Dave moments. The seats we had were phenomenal too, probably the best in the last 5 or 6 years. (Shout out to Lauren for the ticket hook-up!)

This year I brought my friend Vero with me as she has never seen DMB before and actually told me this was her first American concert. She said she had a really good time as was impressed with the band's instrumentals. (Basically my reason for bringing newbies every year is to show off their talents in a live setting... the way it's meant to be enjoyed.) I always find it interesting to know which songs people like when they have never heard the band before. I've listened to each song a thosand times so I hear them differently then someone listening for the first time. Vero was especially fond of Dreaming Tree and Don't Drink the Water... Vero happens to have very good taste.

My favorite part of the show was... well there were two. No 1. When Dave broke into Burning Down the House. Words can not explain how cool and totally unexpected that was. Bob Lefsetz described the band performing Burning Down the House better than I can...

And just like a modern jet, everything was working. It has to in order to move. And boy was the band moving. Musically. There were no dance steps, everybody was almost rigid in his place. But Carter's arms were churning, Dave was spitting into the mic like he was seventeen, and he needed to show the bullies, who he was, where he was coming from.

(That link is to a candid article about Roi's last day. Very touching if you're a fan reading this.) I can't find a video from last night so I'm grabbing one from the performance at Alpine Valley.



The No. 2 favorite moment was Dave's silly dance onstage to Danny Barnes playing the banjo during Corn Bread. I'll post a YouTube video but I can't guarantee how long it will be up on this site before it's removed from YT.



Here's the set list from last night

Friday Aug 22 2008
Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre


Bartender *
Old Dirt Hill *
Eh Hee *
Water Into Wine *
Sledgehammer *
So Damn Lucky *
Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd
Crush *
Sugar Will *
Everyday *
Ants Marching *
Dreaming Tree *
Burning Down The House *
Lover Lay Down *
Corn Bread *+
Two Step *
__________________

Louisiana Bayou *
Don’t Drink the Water *


Show Notes:
Send good thoughts for LeRoi
* Jeff Coffin
+ Danny Barnes

Here's a short tribute video to LeRoi.

Warning: Drunken Shopping May Be Hazardous to Your Wallet

i D o l a t r y, originally uploaded by js wright.

Ok, I admit it. I’ve been terrible about keeping up my blog but I’m starting anew! So for those few of you who are interested in the goings on of Jeff and myself here in San Diego you can once again get your fix. :P Yesterday I got a call from my friend (and coworker) Vero who in a sad sad voice pleaded with me not to be mad at her. I couldn’t imagine what she might do to upset me. She’s not one to be intentionally hurtful and I’m not one who allows things to bother me. Then she told me that she bought me a new Macintosh laptop (I’ll call it a “MacTop” for short.) Well, didn’t buy it FOR me so much as bought it while establishing a new no-interest line of credit though the International Bank of Veronica. Otherwise, she bought it for me with the caveat that I could pay her back as I can afford it. You may wonder what may provoke someone to do this sort of thing.

Well, I have been using a hand-me-down desktop Mac that I bought off my old company in what was probably 2001. It’s old and slow and I, evidently, had been singing the praises of the MacBook Pro so-much lately that Vero had offered to buy it for me a few weeks ago on her no-interest credit card so I could have it and not have to worry about paying it back right away. It was very thoughtful but with several trips coming up for me in the next year I knew I really needed to focus on saving. Even so, I guess I talked about this MacTop quite a bit and maybe even had a certain sparkle in my eye as I envisioned myself at Starbucks sipping my Iced-grande non-fat soy latte and updating my numerous weekly blogs. I politely declined her offer and then thought about just buying it for myself. Online, I selected the computer, the free iPod that it comes with and all the software that I needed and then totally choked at the payment screen. I decided to leave the page open and to go eat lunch. If I still wanted the computer after lunch I would buy it. This was about 3 or 4 weeks ago.

On a full stomach I had a reality check and bailed on the computer. I told Vero about my moment of weakness and I suppose it stuck in her head because over the weekend, in a shopping haze brought on by one too many tequilas Vero went online and bought one… A really REALLY nice one. A day or so later, in her version of buyer’s remorse, I got the call from her. She sounded sick and even a little fearful. But honestly, how could I ever be mad? I get the computer I’ve been coveting for months and without all the guilt associated with making a large purchase for myself. It’s great!

So, the bottom line is, if anyone wants to buy me something that I really really want without my knowing about it, I won’t be mad, I promise. Just give me another 6 to 8 months so I have time to pay off my MacTop.

Christie's Walking for the Animals - May 3rd

HumaneWalk07_13.jpg, originally uploaded by fuzzles.

Hi,

I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support the San Diego Humane Society in their 14th Annual Walk for Animals, which will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Crown Point Shores. So, please consider supporting me as I walk to raise funds for the many wonderful programs offered by the Humane Society.

I'm sure the next animal that comes through their doors won't know it is because of your generosity that the Humane Society was able to help them, but I will know.

Your contribution will not only help me reach my fundraising goal, but the money will go to feed and care for animals looking for loving homes, rescue animals in need, and educate individuals about responsible pet ownership.

I know you are busy, but supporting my efforts is faster and easier than ever. You can make a tax-deductible donation online by visiting my personal walk page, or if you prefer, you can send your contribution to the address listed below.

Whatever you can give will help - it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Thanks so much,
Christie
_______
If you would like to make a donation via mail, please print out this page, and inclose it with your gift. That way the Humane Society will know its to support my efforts. Their address is: San Diego Humane Society and SPCA, 5500 Gaines Street, San Diego, CA, 92110

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.sdhumane.org/site/TR/Events/2008WalkForAnimals?px=1103762&pg=personal&fr_id=1050&s_tafId=4540

Click here to view the team page for Jain Malkin Inc.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.sdhumane.org/site/TR/Events/2008WalkForAnimals?team_id=3570&pg=team&fr_id=1050&s_tafId=4540

Justin Visits San Diego

Justin came to San Diego for a visit last weekend. It was so great to see him and hang out. Hopefully he'll be back again with Lauren in tow. He was only in town for three full days so the trip was jam packed with adventure. On Friday we walked around PB, though the weather wasn't great we saw the beach, checked out a surf store or two and did a little shopping. We also hit La Jolla where I showed Howie the sites, including the beaches and harbor seals that were back for their pupping season.

On Saturday morning Justin, being the proactive guy that he is, had arranged to meet the UC Cyclery bike club folks for a 50 mile a.m. ride all along the north county. I, of course, slept in and sipped coffee until his return. Then we hit the road again for some fish tacos at Fins and a day of exploring Balboa Park.

Saturday night was an adventure in and of itself. Jeff, Justin and I tried to get dinner at Cafe Sevilla in the Gaslamp Quarter but after an hour and fifteen minutes of the hostess telling us, "just a few more minutes", we decided to bail and find foodage elsewhere. We ended up popping into Ole Madrid and had an amazing dinner with live entertainment. It goes to show you that sometimes it's better to play things by ear then to plan them in advance.

Since dinner went so late we headed straight to the Ivy Hotel for some cocktails and good conversation. We got in line for Envy, the hotel bar and after waiting in line for an hour we realized why they call it Envy. (You envy your friends who decided to stay home for the night.) Jeff couldn't take the wait anymore and bailed so Justin and I ventured in together to see what all the hype was about. We finally made it in, skipped straight through the club and headed up to the roof deck, known as Eden, where spent the evening sipping mojitos and catching up next to San Diego's trendiest bonfire. While I wouldn't wait in line on a regular basis to get into Eden, I do think it's worth the wait when you are looking to show out-of-towners a good time. It could be especially fun on a warm summer evening.

The next morning we drove to Del Mar for brunch at the Cafe Del Mar. This was another unplanned excursion that turned out to be a lucky choice. We all loved the cafe and can't wait to go back. We all wished Lauren was there with us and pledged to take her back there when she comes to visit next. The Cafe Del Mar definitely gets rave reviews from us. After brunch we walked Torrey Pines beach. The day, which was supposed to be cold and rainy, turned out to be quite nice and we enjoyed some photos and site seeing there before we had to drop Justin off at the airport. Here are a few photos from our last day with Howie, chillin in Del Mar.



Jeff and I at Torrey Pines



Howie on the beach.



Torrey Pines Beach



Justin and I at the beach.



Howie at Cafe Del Mar



Del Mar hang glider.



Me at the beach in Torrey Pines.

New England Christmas

Freckles eats bows.

Ok, I know. I've been Slacky McSlacks-a-lot when it comes to keeping up with the blog. It's not that we haven't been up to much, really. It's that we've been up to so much I haven't had the chance to download all the photos and get up online. For the sake of catching up, I will post a bunch of threads with photos and start fresh next time with our newest of adventures.

I will go back to Christmas and start there. For the holidays, Jeff and I went back to Oxford to spend the Christmas with his family. It had been three years since we had been there last for the holidays. It was always eventful with family visiting and squeezing in time with friends.


Jeff's cousin Jonathan provides the entertainment.



Jeff cleverly disguises his Dad's gift in a Victoria's Secret box, causing gasps and fainting all around.



Donna and Vanessa check out their news gifts while Jamie's laser beam eyes glow red as she uses her powers of X-ray vision.



Brenda and Jonathan discuss what to name their band.


The highlight of Christmas day was definitely Joe and Kristin's announcement. Guess who's getting married? You can't miss the twinkle of passion in their eyes. Planning has already begun and we can expect a big Italian wedding next year.


Note the big fatty ring on her finger.


Halfway through our trip back east, Jeff and I split ways and I headed to the island to visit with friends and catch up with old classmates. I met up with with Kristina and Solan in Boston to take the kid's out to the Children's Museum before we sent them off with their Dad's so Kris and I could have a girls night on the town.


Kris and Sammy getting messy at the Children's Museum in Boston.



Solan, Kristina, MacKennah and Samantha experience a little healthy family competition.



Camden gets commissioned to work on the Big Dig.


After we dropped the kids off, Kris and I hopped on a plane to Nantucket. We had a nice dinner at Pi, which was a bagel place when I lived on the island. For a pizza joint, it has the ultimate in ambiance and was a warm and cozy get-away as I worked to adjust to the cold New England weather.

The next day was a usual day on the island. We had breakfast at the Downey Flake and ran around town chatting it up with people we haven't seen in ages and managed to make enough time for shucking scallops and feeding chickens. You know, the usual. That afternoon we stopped at the Cisco Brewery for a wine tasting. Their sweet Pinot Grigio is to die for.


Chris and Kris killin' time at the Cisco Brewery.

Later that evening we met up with some of Kristina's friends at the Muse, or whatever they're calling it these days. We chatted it up with lots of folks we haven't seen in years and then headed over to Kitty Murtagh's where we intended to stay a short time but ended up closing the place. It was a really fun time but I could have used an extra week to catch up with everyone.

After returning to the mainland, Jeff and I met up at my Uncle's house in Providence where we had another Christmas. We had some of David's amazing chili and watched football with the neighbors, Mike and Danielle. The visit was way too short but I'm so glad we were able to make it over as we haven't seen them in too long. Mike and Danielle got us a surf lesson in Mission Beach not far from our home in San Diego. We can't wait to use it this summer and will post the photos of us making complete idiots of ourselves.

On our last morning in Massachusetts we met up with Lauren and Justin at their favorite little breakfast joint, SoundBites, in Somerville. I have three words... "Stuffed... French... Toast!" Yum! We so miss them and was thrilled we could get together.

Well the next thing we knew we were on our plane and heading back to sunny San Diego. The trip was great fun but it was nice to be back in the warmer climate. Next year, we'll have Christmas at our house.