mikeandangela

Family BBQ

2010-08-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

me and dad

Uncle Tom, Honey and Mom

Me, Honey and Mike

After our fun filled beach day, we headed over to my Uncle Tom and Aunt Eniko's house for a BBQ. It was great to see everyone again since we don't see each other that much. We had some great Mexican food and just really enjoyed ourselves! Thanks again Voss Family!

Family Day at the Beach

2010-08-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we ventured to our favorite beach..Torrey Pines..Boy could we have not asked for a better day! It was nice and sunny and the water was freezing! What was once a low key beach was packed with people! But we had fun for a couple hours and even discussed renting a condo next summer for a week!

Night Out in Downtown SD

2010-08-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

Petco Park from the Top of Katie and James's place

Petco and Coronado Bridge

An intense game of Jenga...my first time playing mind you

Katie trying not to make it fall

Mike and I after Mike and Kathy's Party headed downtown with our good friends Katie and James. They live down there and their place is so cool. They are walking distance to everything..Petco Park, Gaslamp, and all the cool restaurants and bars. We went to a really cool bar and had some drinks and food and played a great game of Jenga. Thanks guys for a great time and hope to see you soon!

Mike and Kathy's Party

2010-08-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

me and Suzie before heading to Mike and Kathy's Party

The birthday kids with Karen and Jake

Sisters

James, Katie and Mike

Mom and Kathy...best surprise ever!

Typical Szoka!

Jake and Grandpa Mike

James, Kathy and Mike

Latte Ladies

with our second parents

best friends

Grandma Kathy and Jake

The main reason we all went to San Diego was to surprise Mike and Kathy at their 60th birthday shindig. Boy were they surprised! Karen did such a great job keeping the family that came in from Michigan and our family a surprise. Good job on mom's part for telling Kathy she was going to England with my dad..it really threw her off. Anyways they were more then happy to see us...tears included. We wouldn't have missed it for the world! It was a plus to finally meet Jake, Matt's son before they left for deployment in Japan. It was great to see all our good friends since it had been awhile. Happy Birthday Mike and Kathy!

Trip to San Diego Part One...

2010-07-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago, me and Mike traveled to Poway to celebrate the birthdays of our good family friends Mike and Kathy(more on that one later). Our trip was a surprise to many people, only a selected few knew we were going to be in town. Saturday morning me and Mike went to breakfast with my best friend Ali. It was so good to see him! I saw him when I was in town in December but we always have a fun time. Even though it was for an hour or so, we always talk about the old times(we go back all the way to 6th grade) and the current events of music, movies, tv and our families. After breakfast, Mike, my dad and I went down to the Point Loma area and stopped by the Kobey swap meet..that was an adventure on its own! We also made our way to two breweries, Stone and Lightening. Stone is in Escondido and the building was beautiful and the beer wasn't bad either. Lightening brewery is in Poway and has been opened for a couple years. The beer was pretty good and my favorite of the day.

Happy Fourth of July

2010-07-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

Robert with some sparklers

Robert and Rachel

Me and Rachel

Me, O'Hara, and nice face Mike

Me and Mike

Some sparkler action

The Yee Boys

The Girls

Joe and Gina threw an awesome party at their house in Maricopa for the fourth of July. There was tons of yummy food and drinks, a DJ that spun great tunes and fireworks practically in the backyard. Mike had some firecrackers and sparklers and brought those. We had such a fun time and it was great hanging out with the family!

Light Rail Pub Crawl

2010-07-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

at Sun Up Brewery...taste tasting

Jay and Falynn with their tastings

me and Mike

at Sidebar

At the Rose and Crown

Mike and Jay taking shots

Two weekends ago, we met up with your friends Jay and Falynn for a little Light Rail Pub Crawl. We started at Sun Up Brewery and made our way back to Tempe. Sun Up had great beer. Pretty impressed...they had an awesome Vanilla Porter! After that we hit up Sidebar in Phoenix. It was such a cool little lounge an they made some awesome specialty drinks. I got a White Russian drink made with Godiva White Chocolate and Mike got a drink that tasted like a root beer float. (Yummy). It was way past dinner time and we still hadn't eaten...mission find food at 10:00 at night! We made our way to Downtown Phoenix and boy was it dead down there(a total 180 from 2 months ago for our pub crawl with the gang) We made our way to the Historic District and stumbled upon The Rose and Crown bar. The only place serving food and throwing an 80's prom party. Boy did we feel under dressed ( I was still wearing my work clothes!) but it was cool to see everyone dressed up and get into the night with 80's music. It was a great little bar and can't wait to go back. We are already planning another pub crawl( a little more structured this time!)

Twilight!

2010-07-06T21:52:00.001-07:00

So when we drove from Portland to Seattle, we noticed a big sign on a side of a building saying...Kalama...official filming location for Twilight. I of course was like what...we are definitely stopping there on the way back. Suzie also saw it when Dad went to pick her up in Portland as well. So on the way back to Portland, the whole family stopped in this small town about 30 minutes outside Portland. its claim to fame in the Twilight movie is that it uses the high school parking lot as the parking lot in the film where Bella and the Cullans go to school. The famous scene where Edward saves Bella's life from the runaway van is in that parking lot. We sure did look like a bunch of losers taking pictures in the parking lot especially since school was still in session there. As Suize said..."I think I still smell Edward!"

Linzy's Graduation

2010-07-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Linzy walking in

about to graduate!

The class of 2010

you did it girl!

about to get her diploma

getting her diploma

She did it!

Linzy's graduation party

Central Washington University bound

her dream of being a firefighter...it coming true

My dad and my cousins Jimmy and Robert

My mom with my aunts Amanda and Ruthie

Cousins

with Aunt Amanda

with the graduate!

Janelle, Robert and Mom

Robert and Suzie

sisters

Mike and I

Suzie, Aunt Amanda and I

Nana

Mom and Gary

Cheers for Linzy

Laurie, Mom, Aunt Ruthie and Dad

Cousin Laurie and myself

Linzy with her favorite aunts

being goofy!

Linzy, Robert, and Suzie

Silly!

Nana with her grandkids and great grandkids

the whole Brown/Gunder/Crawford/Yee crew!

Cousin Nathan..such a cutie

Mom and Suzie

Mom, Suzie and Laurie

Dad and Suzie

Auntie Ruthie and myself

Suzie and Auntie Ruthie

Linzy opening up her present from her uncles and aunts..nice job guys!

Linzy with her grandma

Riley and Gary

Nathan and Finn playing

Mother and Daughter

Linzy with her parents

Nice bracelet Linz

Linzy and Aunt Amanda(what an awesome surprise)

Mom and Linzy

Nice that I was shooting hoops in a dress and flats!

Sister and Brother

Cousin shots!

get it done!

My outfit for the bonfire

by the fire...what a great night

Everyone trying to stay still...like that was going to happen!

cousins

Aunt Amanda, Linzy, and Suzie

One of the main reasons we went up to the Northwest was to see my cousin Linzy graduate high school. Her family threw a big party for her and it was such a fun time. It is very rare for most of us to be in the same room. We may go years without seeing each other but it always feels like it was yesterday. Linz we know you will do awesome at Central! Thanks again Auntie Ruth and Nana for letting us stay with you and thanks Laurie and Gary for throwing a great party!

Our Day in Seattle

2010-06-22T11:59:00.001-07:00

sissy and I on the ferry..it sure was windy!

The family...model hair!

me and mike on the ferry

very breezy!

great views

Mount Rainer

The city

with the city

Space Needle

Our trip to the Space Needle

Lake Victoria

Mom and Dad

Me and Mike

sisters

The view of the city and Mount Rainer

The sound

The whole family

The Brown ladies

Pikes place

such a busy place that day

After Portland, Mike and I made our way up to the Seattle area. My cousin Linzy was graduating from high school, so teh whole family came out for the festivities. On Saturday, the whole Brown/Yee clan ventured to downtown Seattle for some sightseeing. We first took the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle. It was such a gorgeous day out. We could see Mount Rainer crystal clear. The view of the city was remarkable too. After the ferry, we made our way to the Space Needle. I had never been to the top before and man it was amazing. The views were breathtaking. The family enjoyed a drink up there(its rare that we are together..so we fully take advantage). After the Space Needle, we went over to Pikes Place to take a look at the farmers market. We had a great lunch and beers at Pike Place Brewery. We got to see the fish guys...they threw a fish right by my sisters face! We also had to visit the first Starbucks...a major staple in Suzie and dad's life. That place was so busy! Anyways we all had such a fun day together and it will always be remembered!

Our visit to Portland!

2010-06-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

Me and Mike at the Lucky Labrador Brewery

Our visit to the Tillamook Cheese Factory

Cheese!

Processing plant

Mike taste tasting

On the Oregon coast

Such a pretty view

Downtown Portland..

More of Portland

Mike with some weird contraption

Mike and I at Deschutes Brewery with our new friends Frederick and Anna from Sweden

Mike at the Chinese Gardens

at the Chinese Gardens in Downtown Portland

Such a gorgeous site

Mike at the Tea House

Enjoying my tea

Mike enjoying his tea

At Brigdeport Brewery

For our first vacation this summer we headed up to the Northwest to visit Portland and the Seattle area. We were in Portland for 4 days. We went up there to see if we liked the area and to see if its a possible place to live. Both of us had never been there and we had so much fun. We spent 2 days looking at places that may be nice to live. One day we drove to the Oregon coast and hit up the Tillamook factory (amazing cheese and such yummy ice cream!). We also hit up all the breweries in the Portland area(good beer there!). Our favorite was Rogue which we went to our last day in Portland with my parents before we went back to Phoenix. Hopefully we will be there next year at this time....!

Robert's Birthday

2010-06-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

The Family...

Happy Birthday Robert..now take that shot

Joe and Gina

Brothers

The day before we left for Portland, the Yee's celebrated Robert's birthday. We had a nice barbecue at our house with all the Yee boys, significant others and Andy. After dinner, we all headed over to Native New Yorker and watched some good karaoke!

Jamie's Birthday

2010-06-16T10:15:00.001-07:00

Mike and I

Mike and some of his co-workers

me and Dana

Mike and the Birthday girl

Shots for everyone

Mike actually dancing

The same night of Amber's shower was also Jamie's birthday. We all went over to the new club Phase 54 in Chandler. It was a huge club with a big dance floor! We had tons of fun and Jamie had a great birthday!

Amber's Baby Shower

2010-06-15T23:42:00.000-07:00

The cake that Karen made

guessing how big Amber is.. I was a tad off..

opening up presents

One of my good friends Amber is having a baby. She and her husband are not finding out the sex of the baby. We have been friends since my Tempe Costco days and I couldn't be more excited for her adventure. She got such cute stuff and can't wait to meet the newest Spirlong!

Brigitte's Graduation!

2010-06-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

Roomies with the graduate!

me and Heath

Congrats Briggie! Big ASU grad

Girl Shots!

Me and Heath took it upon ourselves to start taking more shots!

Scooby Doo Shots...but they weren't and they tasted like Egg Nog..this isn't Christmas!

The start of the pub crawl....sprite and tequila..bad idea!

As you can tell by my face

The pub crawl crew!

Since they ran out of beads...we took the free jose cuervo cups instead

Seanie and Heather..too cute!

Me and the Grad....

Best Roomies ever!

Hugs for Mikey

I know its been a long time since I have blogged....and since we leave for Portland/Seattle area tomorrow I thought I better post some of the happenings of the last month. The Yee's have been busy! This post is dedicated to my former roomie and little "sister" Brigitte! She is a proud graduate of ASU. She got her degree in Parks and Recreation with a minor in Dance. We couldn't be more proud! I met up with The Venisse family after the ceremony at a cute restaurant in downtown Phoenix called Hanny's. We usually don't hang out downtown so this was new for me. After we headed out to a place called the Boulders. Its a bar that has like 50 plus beers on tap. Not a very good place for shots or mixed drinks ladies! We did have fun as always. Mike and I both had that Saturday off which was nice cause we hung out with Sean and Heather the whole day. It was like old times...Later that evening we saw there was going to be a pub crawl through downtown Phoenix. We had a blast and was in major detox mode after this weekend. So happy for Brig and so happy we got to hang out with old friends! Fun Times!

"Surprise" Trip to South Carolina

2010-04-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

I went and surprised my mom in South Carolina this past week. Even though it wasn't technically a surprise, sure she was happy to see me. We ventured over to Wilmington, which is on the North Carolina coast for an overnight trip. I have always wanted to go visit this cute little town since high school days. It was the shooting locale for Dawson's Creek and now One Tree Hill is filmed there. Lots of movies have been shot there too. They had such cute shops and great food...seafood was a must and we found some yummy cupcake shops! We stayed at such a cute bed and breakfast right by the historic downtown and I would recommend to anyone. We traveled back to Rock Hill for the weekend. We celebrated my dad's birthday with the neighbors and had amazing Mexican food complete with Ron's special margaritas! All in all it was a great trip and had a great time with the family. Can't wait til June in Seattle!

Sunset in Wilmington

Appetizers and drinks on the river!

Horse drawn carriage ride we took through the town

On Cape Fear

Me and Mom

The b&b we stayed at!

me and Suzie

Mom and Suzie

The Brown girls

The Family..Happy Birthday Dad

Arick and Christy's Wedding!!!

2010-04-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we ventured to North Phoenix to celebrate the wedding of Arick and Christy. Arick is Mike O'Hara's younger brother and he married such an awesome girl. We got to hang out with all of Mike and Arick 's family...which we knew would be a blast. We got to meet cool new people like Hayden and Jill who are getting married later in the year. All in all it was a fun night and a wedding we will never forget...Congrats Arick and Christy!

Mike and I

Me and Dana(she was a bridesmaid)

Mike and his new BFF Hayden

Everyone doing Firemen Shots..don't ask but it messed Mike up!

me and Arick

The Boys...pre shots

Friends...me, Mike, Hayden, Jill, Mike and Dana

Get down with the shots

Uncle Ray's toast

Got to love our boys

Chirsty with Mike and Hayden

me, Arick and Uncle Ray

Don't ask!

Mike and Christy

me and the beautiful bride

Mr and Mrs. O'Hara

A New Found Hobby....

2010-04-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

O'Hara modeling my clutch...the first thing I sewed

The skirt I wore to Christy and Arick's wedding(post coming!) Second skirt I made...pockets and a zipper!

Skirt I made in class

I (heart) this wristlet....made with left over fabric from the purse I made below

Purse I made for a co-worker...

Purse I made in class...I have since made 3 and orders still keep coming in

Wristlets for my mom (ASU one) and sister for Valentine's Day

So before my good friend Heather left Phoenix for Denver, she taught me how to sew on a sewing machine. So for my birthday, I asked for a machine and I have been making some super cute stuff. I have taken a couple classes at the Scrapbook store on how to sew that super cute bag and the skirt I am wearing with Heather and Brig. I just started how to make clothes...I can't wait to make more (I have a couple of patterns for dresses and skirts!)

Easter Weekend

2010-04-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

me and my boys...seanie and mikey

best buds!

The girls...(aka roomies)

girls again..(i'm wearing the skirt I made :)

all the girls..heather, me, brig and dana

Easter Weekend was a busy one for us. Friday night started off with a nice dinner at Olive Garden with Mike and Dana. We then made our way to Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe to meet up with Sean and Heather who were in town for Easter. It was so great to see them and spend some time with them. Four Peaks is a pretty awesome brewery too. Had only been there one other time and forgotten how good it was.

Dana getting sung happy birthday to.

me and the birthday girl

the ladies...me, dana and janet

Saturday night we celebrated Dana's 30th birthday with dinner at Outback and going out to Mill Ave to Suite 301 for some drinks and good people watching! Happy Birthday Dana!

Rachel, Robert, Me, Mike, Gina and Joe

Jaime and I

Gina and Joe

Rachel and Robert

Sunday was Easter and we had Mike's brothers and their families over. We also had our good friend Jaime come over which was so much fun. We barbecued tri-tip, made some delicious cowboy potatoes, fresh fruit salad and lots of yummy desserts. It was nice to have everyone together for the holiday. We even experienced some of the earthquake from California..who would have thought Arizona would feel an earthquake!

Fun on Mill Ave

2010-03-31T08:41:00.001-07:00

A couple of Fridays ago, we all traveled to Mill Ave. in Tempe to go club hoppin. I hadn't been to Mill to go dancing in a long time. There were new bars and clubs to enjoy. It was still busy for being Spring Break and of course the freaks were out in full force. Thanks to everyone that came out we had such a fun time!

I (Heart) the Padres!

2010-03-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Spring Training is in full force here in Arizona. I was fortunate enough to travel to the westside to go see my boys (the Padres) play some ball against the Giants and the Angels. Of all my years here in AZ, I had never been to a Spring Training game. It was also a bonus cause the Szokas and both Sorensen families came out from San Diego to watch as well. It was so great to see everyone. We had such a great time and miss these people dearly(they are like 2nd families to me!) The games were great and I also got to see my boy Tony play a really great game! Thanks again Mike and Kathy for inviting us...hope to see you guys next year!

Beer Fest!

2010-03-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

.

I know its been awhile....Me and Mike got a chance to go to AZ Beerfest at Tempe Town Lake at the beginning of March. We invited Mike and Dana to join us. 4 hours of tasting yummy beer was so much fun. We tried a lot new beers and got see some of our favs (New Beligum, O'Dell's, New Moon) It was a gorgeous day and could have had a better time!

Happy Birthday to O'Hara

2010-01-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

me and Mike

The Girls at Toby Keith's

Me and Dana

Christy, Dana and I

This past weekend was Mike O'Hara's birthday, so all of us went to Toby Keith's Bar and Grill. We had such a great time seeing everyone and hanging out. Happy Birthday Mike!

Last Day in Denver...

2010-01-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

After a fun filled weekend with Sean and Heather, it sure was hard saying goodbye. We had so much fun and made so many new memories. Our last day we hung around the house, went on an excursion to find an Asian market. Mike made his famous pork and bean sauce dish while me and Heather did some quick sewing. We made it over the river to check out a super cute neighborhood with this cute little creamery called Little Man Ice Cream. Loved the decor and the milk bottle shaped building. We just had to get some yummy ice cream (in 20 degree weather!). We hope to visit them soon hopefully in the summer! Love you guys and miss you!

Snowboarding!!!

2010-01-15T20:43:00.001-08:00

Wait for the bus...with the boys

me and Heather

crazy snowfall

ready to roll

mike boarding it up

Jeff helping me...by the end of the day I wasn't doing half bad!

One of the main reasons we went to Colorado (during the winter!!) was to take advantage of the awesome resorts they have. Heather and Sean go snowboarding every week(before Sean shattered his wrist) and so they took us to their favorite mountain Breckinridge for a fun day of boarding. This was my second time snowboarding so I was a little rusty..Jeff was sure a good teacher. Breckinridge was such a huge mountain..it made Snowbowl look like a kiddie park. It was also my first time in snow that was falling. It was so cool. Can't wait to go back next winter!

Exploring Downtown Denver

2010-01-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

After having a great New Years Eve night, the next day we kinda bummed around. The boys played X-Box while me and Heath slept. That afternoon we decided to go sightseeing. We went for a walk back to the 16th St. Mall. Cute little shops and a Starbucks on every corner. We also made our way over to the biggest REI ever. Holy moly 3 stories of outdoor stuff! The picture above is taken on the bridge with Denver in the background.

Happy New Years!

2010-01-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

mike and seanie

seanie and heather...our great tour guides

best friends

waiting for the fireworks..super cold!

at the 16th Street Mall ringing in the New Year!

Everyone and Scotty our bartender

After taking a nap from our adventures to the breweries...we got ready for a fun filled night out in Downtown Denver. Keep in mind it was 20 degrees outside( I had 5 layers on!) Sean and Heather have a favorite bar they like to go to.... Lizards. That's were we started the night and that's were we ended the night! One of the bartenders there Scotty hooked us up with free drinks all night. Around 11:30 we made our way to the 16th St Mall for the firework display which was so pretty. When we returned to Lizards...they were giving out free champagne....needless to say we had a flow of champagne coming our way the rest of the night. We had tons of fun dancing to the live band and just having a good time with great friends...Happy New Year!

Denver: The Breweries

2010-01-12T07:37:00.001-08:00

at o'dell's brewery

all of us with our samples

at new belguim tap room

with our tour guide seth

To celebrate the New Year, me and Mike went to Denver to visit Sean and Heather. It felt like forever since we had seen them (only been since October) but we were super psyched to go. They had a jam packed 4 days for us and we were super excited. First stop after picking us up from the airport...some breweries. We went to O'dell's first which is an hour ourtside of Denver in Fort Collins. It was a cool local brewery but we didn't make it in time for the tour but we enjoy some yummy samples they had. After that we traveled to New Belguim...home of the Fat Tire Beer. This brewery was so cool and our tour guide was super awesome. Who could beat getting 6 beers during the actual tour and a free one in the tap room....what a way to start off the evening of craziness!

Lakers vs. Suns Game

2010-01-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

starting lineup

tip off

kobe at the line

me, jojo and twb

One of my birthday gifts was tickets to the Lakers vs. Suns game on the on the 28th. My husband the good sport sacrificed his birthday to take me to see my favorite team. We also invited my parents and sister to go with us since they weren't leaving til the next day. We sat in the last row of the arena but I was just happy to see my team play live. Yes the Lakers lost which sucked but we all had fun..and I got to see Kobe play!

My Birthday and Christmas

2010-01-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

Our Tree

Well this year I turned the big 27 on the 24th. I was so happy my parents were here for my birthday and Christmas. My birthday was like any other.....went to church, had a fabulous meal of shrimp and tri tip, opened up my b-day presents...(which included a sewing machine yay!) and got to send the evening with the ones I love. Christmas morning we opened up presents...Mike got his blu-ray player...Mom loved her ASU nutcrakers and ASU sweatshirt...Dad got a new Lakers hat for the Suns vs Lakers game..and Suzie got an Ipod. Then all of Mike's family came over...Joe cooked an amazing prime rib and everyone fully enjoyed themselves (all 14 of us!) . We then made our way to Mike's grandmas house to visit with her and Mike's mom and had some yummy dessert. All in all it was a great two days!

The Voss Family

2010-01-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Cousins....Nick, me, Elissa and Suzie

with G'ma Honey

The Voss Clan

The last day in San Diego we spent with my mom's side of the family. We saw Grandma Honey's apartment(and watched the Chargers pull off an amazing victory!) and then went over to my Uncle Tom's house for dinner. Seeing everyone was so nice...we had alot of fun telling stories and remembering the old times. My cousins are becoming such adults now and love their personalities. Its sad that we don't see them often like when we lived by them but we visit often. Thanks again Uncle Tom and Aunt Eniko....it was a blast!

Hotel Del Coronado

2010-01-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

The Big Tree

cute snowmen decor

the del all lit up

It has been a family tradition for years to go see the big tree at the Hotel Del Coronado every year. The theme changes year after year so it never looks the same. This year the theme was snowmen. They had stuffed snowmen, antique snowmen and all different kinds. The Del has a special place in my parents heart and me and Mike's heart. This hotel is where my parents honeymooned after they got married and this is where Mike proposed to me 3 years ago on December 23rd.

SuRpRisEEEE!!!!!

2010-01-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

The Browns and the Szokas....Matt, Suzie, Kathy, Karen and I

with our second mom Kathy

sisters...suzie, me and karen

The weekend before Christmas, my mom, sister and I traveled to San Diego for a little R&R and to see family and friends before the holiday. One of the highlights was showing up at the Sorensen's annual holiday party the Saturday before Christmas. Everyone was so surprised to see us and it was great to see all of our great family friends. Me and Suzie were happy to see Matt before he leaves for Japan...and hadn't taken a "siblings at heart" picture since Karen and Suzie's first communion.

Mike's Holiday Party

2010-01-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

me and dana

Mike's holiday party was at the beginning of December. It was at Dave and Buster's like last year. We had a lot of fun. I hadn't seen some of these Costco employees for a couple years so it was great to catch up and see how everyone is.

Final Day in South Carolina!

2009-11-20T16:11:00.000-08:00

My parents front door

the front of the house

So this is the last post of our trip to the East Coast. We had so much fun and got to do and see some really great things. D.C was a blast and so rich with history. We went at such a great time with the weather and how not crowded it was. We met some really great people that have been great friends to my parents over the year. I'm glad they are enjoying their life over there(such a 180 from Poway) and we miss them everyday. We got to see old friends with is always great and it had been a long time! (thanks again Neal and Gab for your hospitality. We can't wait to go back and visit again and see more that we didn't get to see this time around...I'm hoping for a trip to Wilmington! Here are some pictures of Shandin's Place (as my good friend Ali calls it) or TWB and JoJo's southern home! Thanks Mom for having us and we love you guys!

The Last D.C post...

2009-11-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

me and suzie in front of washington monument

at the World War II monument

abe lincoln monument

sister

One of the things I really wanted to do was go and take pictures around D.C at night..it was a must on the list. The little all the monuments up at night so you can still take a venture to see them. We had a lot of fun and it was kinda of cold out....some of my favorites are from that night! Also none of these are photoshoped or altered(all natural!)

Arlington National Cemetery

2009-11-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

JFK and Jackie O's graves

tomb of the unknown soldier

the soldier watching the tomb

some handy footwork

After our 3 hour tour of DC on the segways, metroed it to the Arlington National Cemetery. We got to see John F Kennedy and Jackie O's grave sites. As well as Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy. We even made it to see the changing of the guard at the Unknown Soldier's tomb. What a sight to see especially with all the veterans there watching as well.

Segways Part 2

2009-11-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

the family in front of the White House

Suzie and Mike

on Capital Hill

TWB and Jojo in front of the Supreme Court

The cool thing for the most part we were traveling in the street with the traffic of DC. The whole time me and my dad where concerned about where my mom was how she was doing....she did great (white knuckled the whole time but didn't get injured) There were two accidents...one my dad and my sister bumped wheels and my dad went down like a tree on the sidewalk then no joke 2 minutes later right in front of the White House I swear I saw my sister coming right for me...so I did the only thing I could think of jump off the segway (that didn't work) and jump off the curb...well I did that but still on the segway. So there I went down right in front of security. They thought it was the funniest thing. No one was seriously injured which is the good thing. We got to cruise up Capital Hill...thank god we didn't have to walk up that...that would have sucked. Up there we saw the Library of Congress and The Supreme Court. All in all it was a super fun experience and everyone still talks about....as my mom said "its the most fun with pants on!" that's JoJo for you.

Cruisin Through DC on Segways... part 1

2009-11-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

my dad...everyone says he looks like the guy from Son of Anarchy(this picture totally looks like he's going to ride a Harley!)

me and my mom (pre-video)

sister and I

i loved my pink helmet!

(ok this is the best picture...its my mom about to run into the wall...me trying to help her and after she told my sister.."I can do it myself and leave me alone! me and sister laughed at this picture for days! we love you mom!)

So this post is getting divided up into numerous parts because it did take up our whole Thursday morning and its so fun to talk about. So our good friends Neal and Gab told us about the cool segway tours we could do through the city. Me and Mike thought it sounded pretty cool and we had never been on one. The first words out of my mom's mouth are..."Well you guys have fun then.." basically you two can do it yourselves but i'm not doing it with you. After getting to the hotel and seeing a flyer for it...Mike and I totally talked my parents into doing it..plus we knew my sister would be so down on riding one of those. So we booked the 3 hour tour online for Thursday(thank god for no rain!). It was pretty funny getting the training. The video showed every scenario on how you can get injured on the segway (totally freaking out my mom in the process!) We then got to go test drive the segways and ride around an alley before we hit the streets of D.C.....more to come on the actual tour!

Dinner at the Charthouse

2009-11-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

the best molten lava chocolate cake!

After a long day of sightseeing we had an awesome dinner at the Charthouse. One of my favorite restaurants...who can say no to seafood and the best dessert ever! Its rare that all 5 of us are together and enjoying each others company. Love the fam bam and had a great time together. Can't wait to share our experiences through the city on.....SEGWAYS!!!!

Capital Hill

2009-11-11T09:18:00.001-08:00

After all the sightseeing around the memorials, we decided to hop back on the bus so it could take us to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing(its where the moneys made folks). Mike really wanted to go there and see how moneys made. On the bus I got some really good pictures of the Capital building. We didn't get off to explore cause that was going to be the next day(different post...can't wait to share that one!) but got some really good shots with the trees. We did get to the Money Factory and learned lots. Mike bought a sheet of ones uncut which he thought was so cool. We then met up with Dad and Suzie and went to the Holocaust Museum. That was so unbelievable. It took us 2/ 3 hours to get through it and we didn't even see all of it. All the information was crazy...definitely mind blowing.

World War 2 Memorial

2009-11-10T07:01:00.001-08:00

The group of veterans there

what started the war

arizona

After looking at the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, we walked right over to the World War 2 memorial which is on the other side of the reflecting pool. The thing that was so awesome was there were a bunch of school kids there lined up at one of the entrances and a bus full of World War 2 vets were coming to see the memorial the kids would clap when they walked in. I thought it was very touching and the vets loved it. The memorial is set up two sides...the Pacific and the Atlantic with different quotes all around from that time.

Vietnam Memorial and Korean War Memorial

2009-11-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

The start of the wall at the Korean War Memorial

The soldiers

POW bracelet

me and mike

After visiting Abraham Lincoln monument we went to see the Vietnam War Memorial. It was so surreal seeing all those names of all the people that lost their lives over there. My mom ended up finding 2 people's names she knew that died over there. After that we made our way to the Korean War memorial. The statues of the soldiers are so amazing to see. The wall was hard to see the faces cause it just rained that morning.

Abraham Lincoln Monument

2009-11-06T18:42:00.001-08:00

The Reflecting Pool

Big Abe

Wednesday was a very busy day...while my dad went to Baltimore to pick my sister up from the airport..Mike, mom and I went to all the monuments/memorials on the National Mall. First stop Lincoln Memorial. Man is Abe a big guy holy smokes. It was such a beautiful monument and such a great day to see it. Me and Mom were quoting the famous scene from Forrest Gump when Forrest is speaking to the Vietnam protesters and Jennie jumps in the Reflecting Pool and screams FORREST!!! all the way through the memorial!

Rain Rain Go Away!

2009-11-04T10:00:00.001-08:00

Mom and Dad at the monument with Washington in the bachground

me and mike

the statue of Jefferson

the monument

cool flag banner outside the star spangled banner

Day two in D.C it rained all day which was kinda of a bummer. So we decided to hit up some museums. We went to the Natural History museum and saw some dinosaurs. The American history museum and saw the first lady dresses and pop culture artifacts like Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. Also in the American History museum we saw the star spangle banner. We then headed over to the Artifacts museum which is where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are located. Fun fact is that they are going to be taking these items off of display pretty soon cause they are deteriorating so I'm glad we got to see them well they are still available to look at. We then braved the weather and jumped on a hop on hop off bus that took us to the Thomas Jefferson monument. It was so cool cause its a little further away then the other monuments but got pictures of the Washington monument with all the autumn colors.

Day One in D.C

2009-11-03T12:27:00.000-08:00

washington monument

.
me and mike in front of the white house

loved the pink ribbon!

So after leaving Neal and Gabrielle's house it was now on to our nation's capital Washington D.C. The weather was so nice and cool...leaves were turning colors..it was just so awesome. Our first stop was seeing the White House. It was so cool that they had a pink ribbon put up for breast cancer (big points there Obamas!) In fact they just put it up that day we arrived which was even better. We worked around a bit seeing Washington's monument as well. We were so beat from our drive we headed back to Alexandria for a great dinner!

Hittin Up C-Ville

2009-11-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

the family with gabrielle

love the fall colors!

To start off on our D.C. adventure we made a little stop in Charlottesville (aka C-Ville) to visitsome good family friends Neal and Gabrielle Harris. Neal and my dad TW were college roommates and he actually set up my parents up. It was so fun catching up with them(I hadn't seen them since I moved to AZ) and we got to take a tour of the University of Virginia campus which was so beautiful right now with all the fall colors. Thank you so much Gab and Neal for letting us stay at your wonderful home...you guys are the best!

Happy Birthday Sister

2009-11-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

suzie's first birthday

the day that suzie was born

birthday shots!

Everyone singing happy birthday

Hey everyone me and Mike just got back from our trip to the East Coast to see the family in Rock Hill South Carolina. Our trip was also during the same time my sister's birthday was. She is the big 23! We had a small gathering of friends at my parents house complete with bbq, bonka cupcakes and beer bong. Hope you had a great birthday little sister. We love you!

Janet and Nick's Wedding

2009-10-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

me and mike

me and dana

money dance with nick

money dance with janet

This past Sunday was the wedding of Janet and Nick at the Windmill in Florence. It was a great wedding and we had such a fun time with all of our friends there sharing in this great event. We wish them nothing but happiness and welcome to the club guys!

Janet's Bachelorette Party

2009-10-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Janet, Dana and I

the bride to be and I

So my good friend Miss Janet gets married in one week to the lovely Nicholas... So we had to throw her a bachelorette party. We went to Toby Keith's Bar(we seem to love that place) and had such a fun time dancing, drinking and celebrating Janet's last days as a single lady. As you can see the Miss Bachelorette sash got passed on to her(first to Dana then to me and now Janet has it). Can't wait for a the super fun wedding of theirs.

Happy One Year Anniversary

2009-10-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

mike with his prime rib dnner

my prime rib dinner with that huge baked potato

This past weekend we celebrated our one year anniversary. Sunday was our actual anniversary day. Its crazy that its been a year already...time sure did fly by! We spent the day together just hanging out at home with the dogs, saw the movie Whip It! and had an incredible dinner at Fleming's Steakhouse. Happy Anniversary babe...here's to many more!

ASU vs Oregon State Football Game

2009-10-05T12:32:00.001-07:00

view from our seats in the endzone

SPARKY!

Rootin for the Sundevils!

To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to head to Tempe for a football game at Sundevil Stadium. ASU was playing Oregon State. We really liked our seats from the last game and ended up seating a little closer and right by the goal post. Too bad ASU last (pretty bad too) but we had a lot of fun. We also headed down to Tempe Beach Park for a little Oktoberfest action...the place was packed. We met up with Mike and Dana and stood in line for a half and hour just to get a beer...Note to self don't go to Oktoberfest on a Saturday!

ASU vs. Louisana Monroe

2009-09-21T20:27:00.001-07:00

s

We had the pleasure this past weekend of getting invited to the ASU vs Louisiana Monroe football game at Sundevil Stadium. The O' Hara boys have season tickets and had two extra pair...being a die hard ASU fan who could say no to going (NOT ME!) We tailgated before the game in Sparky's Den enjoying some brats and beers. The game was so much fun and can't wait to go in two weeks for ASU vs Oregon State for our anniversary!

Janet's Bridal Shower

2009-09-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

the set up...notice the nice cupcake display..

me and the bride to be

opening up me and jen's present

me and dana

This past weekend, Dana threw Janet a bridal shower at her house in Maricopa. It was fun to get all the girls together and play make the best toilet paper dress and how well do you know Janet. I volunteered to make the cupcakes..which were a hit and very delicious. Her big day is fast approaching!

Gregie's Birthday

2009-09-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

Our good friend Greg Stone was in town from El Paso to celebrate his birthday with all of his awesome friends. It was great seeing him and always has me in stitches. Got to see some old managers that I worked for at Costco and its great to be in such a relaxed setting(aka not work). Happy birthday Greg! If you are wondering why Mikey is wearing a yamaka its because it was jewish themed (Greg is Jewish) and he insisted on wearing all night long.

Sean and Heather's Farewell Party

2009-09-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

roomies

heather, sean and Me

best buds

bff

Our best friends Sean and Heather are leaving Arizona and moving to Denver for a change in life. We were really bummed when they told us they were leaving but we are so happy for them. This past Friday all of us got together at Toby Keith's Bar(yes we were just there) to bid our farewell to Sean and Heather(they technically don't leave til the first of Ocober but they are going to Europe for 3 weeks) Heather and I have been great friends since we lived together oh so many years ago. We lived together for about 2 1/2 years. We had such a fun time together and she will always be my craft buddy(we did many craft projects together) They will always be good friends to us and can't wait to visit them in Denver(I've never been) and go snowboarding!

August

2009-08-30T20:18:00.001-07:00

me and mike...notice the cute clutch next to me...I made that! Heather and I have been pretty crafty lately making purses and flower headbands

jamie, janet and me

me and the birthday girl

me and dana at toby keith's bar

Well sorry I have been a bad blogger. August has come to an end and I didn't blog this whole month. I didn't mean to...nothing really happened in August. My sister Suzanne came out for a couple days to visit. It was so great seeing her and I sure have missed her. This past weekend was our friend Janet's 30th birthday. Everyone got together and threw her a surprise party at Nello's and then we made our way to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill. I was actually pretty fun there even though I don't dance to country. Anyways here are a few pictures from that night. The next couple months are going to be eventful. We have Janet Bridal Shower and Bachelorette party, Heather and Sean moving to Denver, Janet and Nick's wedding and FINALLY the trip to South Carolina/DC to see JoJo and TWB....can not wait!

Post #100

2009-07-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

t

So it being my 100th post on this here blog I decided to take some new pictures of Maddie and Sawyer in the backyard. I have not taken pics of them since last Christmas time. They certainly love the attention especially if it involves the ball! Love them much...happy 100th post and thanks for reading it...I really do like to update everyone about our lives here in good old AZ!

Skateland

2009-07-07T08:42:00.001-07:00

me with my sweet skates

us girls

Heather, Brigitte, Sean, Mark and I went to Skateland for a night of roller skating. I personally had not been skating since I was a kid. Not alot of people were there but we had fun together. Mike missed out since he was at work late and boy did he miss out.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say a happy father's day to the best dads in the world. TWB and Andy are the best dads to have around. We were fortunate enough to take Mike's dad out for pizza for Father's Day. Sure do miss my dad but October is just around the corner....Love you guys and thanks for all your love and support

Dancing with the Girls!

2009-06-14T09:22:00.001-07:00

Friday nite we went dancing at Gram's Central Station....we had so much fun!

Happy Birthday Robert

2009-06-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

Mike's brother Robert turned 30 this past week. We went to Texas Roadhouse for a great family dinner. Hope you had a great day Robert...we love you

Mark's Graduation

2009-06-09T07:54:00.000-07:00

We got the chance to go up to Chino Valley and see Heather and Brigitte's brother Mark graduate from High School. Only 100 kids graduated in his class(850 graduated in my class alone) It was great to support him and see him become such a great young man...CONGRATS Markie!

Diamondbacks/Braves Game

2009-06-07T18:14:00.000-07:00

a yummy corona at the game...

our view from our seats(outfield)

We were fortunate enough to get free tickets from Mike's brother Joe to go to the Diamondbacks/Braves game. since living in Phoenix I had never been to Chase Field. Even though the home team lost we had a fun time. I'm now trying to get Mike to go to the D-backs/Padres match up!

Disneyland Part Two

2009-05-21T08:19:00.000-07:00

Enjoying Pinapple Whips at the Tiki Room

on the Safari Cruise

Standing in line at Splash Mountain

Big Thunder Mountain

Day Two we went to Disneyland. We had such a fun time and didn't have long lines really. We went on all the rides including the Haunted Mansion (which we didn't go on the two previous times b/c it was closed), Splash Mountain, and Mike's favorite..the Tiki Room(which Heather had never been to). All in all it was a great day and had tons of fun! P.S I had to rep the Lakers shirt all thru Disneyland...and everyone was yelling at me GO LAKERS!!!! love it

Disneyland Part One

2009-05-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for California Adventure

On the Tram

After the earthquake

In front of Tower of Terror not able to get on

So we made a little detour on our way home on Sunday to the happiest place on earth..Disneyland. We got a 2fer pass which meant we got to go to one park one day and the other park the next day.We went to California Adventure first since it doesn't have many rides and we only had 3 hours. After only one ride (soarin California...great ride) the earthquake happened. I love that being from California..I didn't even feel it. Well they closed all the rides down but we got to go on Soarin California again.

Photo Booth the Wedding

2009-05-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Me and Josh

Jess and Me

Me and Mike

Jess's brother Erwin got a photo booth for the wedding which was so fun! Here are the photos we took in the booth

Jess and Josh's Wedding Part Two

2009-05-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

During the ceremony

Jess and Josh

Me and Mike

Jess and her dad

The 4 of us!

Jess and Josh's Wedding Part One

2009-05-19T09:59:00.001-07:00

Me and Jess pre getting ready

Jess looking gorgeous

best friends

me and Jess's brother Erwin

This past weekend we went to San Diego for my good friend Jessica's wedding. We have known each other since freshman year of high school and we also played basketball for Poway all 4 years. She is a great friend and I was so happy to be apart of her wedding day. Josh is a great guy and we love him to death. The wedding was at the Marina Village by Sea World. They had great weather all day and it was a great day for a wedding. Jess's parents walked her down and her brother Erwin(who was like a big brother to me) was ordained as a minister online and presided over the ceremony.

Japanese Tea Gardens

2009-05-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

me and mike

the buddha

the tea house

love this bridge..the shape is awesome

Our last stop on our San Francisco trip was the Japanese Tea Gardens. I was really glad we got a chance to go there because I ended up using the pictures I took for my final photography class project. Andy had never been and he really enjoyed himself. Such cool stuff to see everywhere. Okay that's all of our San Francisco trip...this weekend its off to San Diego for my good friend Jessica's wedding. Will post pictures when I get back...can't wait it should be a blast.

Go Carts Part Two

2009-05-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

corner of haight/ashbury

getting stuck on the hill by the presidio

So here are the last photos of our 3 hour tour of San Francisco in the go carts. We did get stuck since they only go 30 miles per hour at the hill by the Presidio. We went down Lombard which was fun since its so curvy. Other highlights Haight and Ashbury (hippie movement), the Victorian Sisters(there identical houses), and going through Golden Gate Park(that was huge) All in all it was so much fun and can't wait to do it again. One last post of San Francisco to come!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

We just want to wish our wonderful mothers a very happy mother's day. We love you guys so much and we don't know what we would do without you.

Go Carts Part One

2009-05-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

Robert and Andy with the View of the Golden Gate

Golden Gate Bridge in all of her glory

Robert and Andy

Me and Mike

Tuesday was our last full day in S.F. and we did alot. We rented these really cool go carts called Go Cars that sit 2 people. They are GPS navigated and they tell us where to go and turn plus give a little back story on what we are seeing. We went around the whole city in them and learned a ton. Totally recommend doing it. We had so much fun and hope to do it again in another city.

The Buena Vista

2009-05-05T22:52:00.001-07:00

Me and Mike enjoying our Irish Coffees

So Monday night after freezing to death at Pier 39, Mike really wanted an Irish Coffee. I told him we should go the the Buena Vista...home of the Irish Coffee. It was right down the street from our hotel. He did not know that it was also famous for a little scene in the best movie ever...Yours, Mine, and Ours featuring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda circa 1968. But they were very tasty and I actually liked the Irish Hot Chocolate better..yummy!

P.S: You are a tiger!!!!

Chinatown and Pier 39

2009-05-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Chinatown

Bundled up in Chinatown

The sea lions at pier 39

Me and Mike at Pier 39

On Monday afternoon we went to Chinatown and had some delicious food at Imperial Palace...some stuff I had never tried before that was really good. (Plus some great tea). After a little rest at the hotel we went to Pier 39. I think this was the coldest afternoon/evening of the whole trip it was freezing. But we got to see the sea lions and the carousal plus got some yummy donuts and hot chocolate for the walk home.

Submarine and Cable Car Ride

2009-05-03T09:09:00.001-07:00

Andy on the Pampanito

Me, Mike and Robert on the Cable Car

Great Views from the Cable Car

Powell Mason Line

On Monday we did alot so its going to be broken up into two posts!! We first went to the USS Pampanito. Andy goes on this every year and enjoys it fully. After that we walked over to the cable car line and took it from start to finish. It was pretty cold that day but we had tons of fun on the cable car. We even went to the cable car museum and got to see how the cars run...everything is underneath the city..be back with pics from Chinatown and Fishermen's Whalf

Moth Ball Fleet and Muir Woods

2009-05-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

Some of the Fleet

The USS Iowa...she was a battleship!

At the Muirwoods

With Andy...

Sunday we ventured to Martinez to go take a charter boat to see the Moth Ball Fleet. Its where they take old navy ships that are not used anymore and house them in one place. One of the ships there was the USS Iowa which is actually getting moved(when they raise enough money) to a bay a little closer to San Fran and going to be made into a museum. After that we went to the Muir Woods. We had so much fun taking alots of pictures and having fun with the lighting and such. After that we went to the best restaurant...its called the Stinking Rose...everything is made with garlic....lots of it! I had garlic breath for like 2 days from that place but it was so good!

San Francisco Trip-Saturday

2009-04-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

On the bay cruise...cold and windy!

View of the Golden Gate from the boat

Dinner at Fishermen's Grotto

Coit Tower

Ghirardelli's...yummy!

Hey everyone...just got back from my 5 day adventure to San Francisco with Mike, his dad Andy, his brother Robert and myself. We did a lot in those 4 days we were in the city and plenty of pictures to share. We got there Saturday morning after driving all night from Phoenix. We stayed at the lovely Wharf Inn which is right on the Fisherman's Wharf which was very cool. We first found the guy that took Mike and Andy a couple years ago on a tour of the bay in his fisherman's boat. We paid such a cheap price and got a great view of everything....went around Alcatraz Island all the way to under the Golden Gate bridge and back. He told us great stories and facts that only locals or someone that has lived in the city for awhile would know. It sure was cold on that boat and very windy and lots of swells. Next up was some lunch/dinner at Fishermen's Grotto No. 9 which was very delish and you know me and seafood....love it! (I had it like everyday we were there!) We also visited Coit Tower , which I had never been too(or don't remember if I did or not) great views of the city....wish it didn't have pixy glass all around the top though..could have gotten some great shots Then to Ghirardelli's Chocolate factory for some hot chocolate and brownies...it was a little too cold for a sundae(you can tell by all the layers I'm wearing how cold I really was!)...more to come!

Easter

2009-04-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

So after a crazy night out the night before, Easter was a very relaxing day. We met up with Mike's Dad, Brother's and Joe's GF Lindsay for a good old rootin tootin fresh and fruity breakfast at IHOP. We stayed home for most of the day after we were done but had a great BBQ with Sean, Heather and Brigitte. Hope everyone had a great Easter. Miss the parentals and sister on this day...love you guys wish you were here.

The Big Bang

2009-04-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

The gang

up on stage...ladies only

All the ladies

Me and Mike

So the night before Easter we all went out for a fun night at the Big Bang, which is a dueling piano bar. Everytime is so much fun singing and dancing. This time we got up on stage twice. Once I was reppin ASU (there was a wildcat up there) and danced to Shout and the second song was Hey Ya with just the ladies. We had alot of fun. I especially like my thrown together outfit I walked into the Venisse house with a gray shirt, jeans and Old Navy 2 dollar flip flops...I walked out with a shirt/dress(Brig wears it as a dress), a fedora(Mike was calling me Justin Timberlake all night) and a necklace. Thanks girls for the new look of the night.

Sprinkles Cupcakes...

2009-04-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

red velvet and vanilla milk chocolate

they look so yummy!

So I have a little obsession for cupcakes at the moment. All I have been hearing is how Sprinkles cupcakes are the best. I mean Katie Holmes gets them shipped to her movie sets that must mean they are delicious. So I ventured out to Scottsdale Fashion Square to see for myself if they were as bomb as everyone thinks...well they were pretty darn good. They use all organic ingredients and add alot of frosting. They have a ton of flavors and I only picked a few to take home...vanilla, red velvet, vanilla milk chocolate and butter praline...vanilla was really good my fav for sure!

Dana's Birthday

2009-04-07T09:29:00.001-07:00

me and mike

dana, me and janet

It was Dana's Birthday this past Saturday and we went to Dave and Buster. We had a great time playing all the games and feeling like a kid again. We got enough tickets to get a huge cherry ball for the dogs. They were scared at first but Maddie loved it and ended up popping it the next morning...so much for that great idea. Well happy birthday Dana hope you had a fun time cause we did!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

2009-03-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to the best parents a girl could have. I love my parents so much and they have done so much for me and my sister. We love you guys and miss you very much! Hope you had a great day and don't be mad at the pictures I posted ;)

Photo Project: Time

2009-03-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

So for this project we had to freeze motion and blur motion. So I took the dogs and Mike to the dog park and took pictures of the dogs jumping off the dock. I also took pictures of some water fountains at a home development here in Gilbert. I made a trip to Tempe to take pictures of the new Light Rail(which I rode for the first time!). This was my favorite part of the project by far

Photography Class Project #2a

2009-03-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

For the second project it was all about Time and Space. Space being shallow depth of field and great depth of field and for Time we had to freeze motion and blur motion. Here is what I did for space shallow depth of field...

Photography Class-Project #1

2009-03-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

Hey I thought I would post what I have been doing in photo class since some people have been asking about it. Our first project was a seeing project about exposure and using the "normal" focal length on my lens and getting distance shots and close up shots. I shot a playground in our neighborhood which had alot of little details and tons of color which I love!

The Snow!

2009-02-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

me and mikey

the girls on the mountain

The gang..robert, mikey, me, heather, sean and brig

So this weekend we went up to Snowbowl to go snowboarding for Heather's birthday. Me and Mike bought snowboarding stuff a month ago and this was my first time ever seeing snow and going boarding. It was a ton of fun...It took me a while to get the hang of it (Mike's teaching wasn't very good so Heather and Brig helped me out) so hopefully we can go again before the season is over so I can get more practice and stay off my butt!

Meet Riley

2009-02-16T19:13:00.000-08:00

Meet Riley....he is our nephew and we got to meet him this weekend for the first time which was so cool. He's 6 months old and looks like Mike's brother all the way. He sure did love his Uncle Mike!

Valentines Day 2009

2009-02-16T18:56:00.001-08:00

Valentines Day was a pretty normal day for us. We both worked then I came home and we exchanged gifts...i got a very nice bouquet of roses and a beanie for snowboarding(first time on the 21st!!!) and mike got 2 dvd sets and a long sleeve shirt for snowboarding. We went to dinner with Mike and Dana at Nello's which is always delicious ( plus they have my favorite dessert tiramsu). We also watched He's Just Not That Into You which was pretty good and funny...we all laughed quite a bit. Hope everyone had a great valentines day with their loved ones!

Back to School!

2009-01-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

me and the dogs

First day of School pic...keepin with tradition mom!

So today was the first day of classes for all the universities here in AZ. I signed up for a photo class that I'm really excited to take. I'll learn more about the camera we have and hopefully take some awesome pictures to share with you.
Also you can see that I chopped my hair! Yeah I am really happy with it and I went back to brown which I love(mike wanted the blonde) but it costs me less to go brown. Hope everyone is having an awesome January

Fiesta Bowl

2009-01-06T08:53:00.001-08:00

me and mike

we were on the Ohio State side

during the game...

me and heather

So on Monday, Sean got us tickets to see the Fiesta Bowl! We were so excited I had never been to a BCS bowl game before. The place was packed and filled with both Ohio State fans and Texas fans. We were way up there but it didn't matter we got to see the whole field. Sean was on the field taking pictures and guess who he met...Matthew McConaughey. He's a huge Texas fan and was there for the whole game. Anyways we weren't really rooting for anyone but had a great time and the last quarter was so much fun to watch. Hopefully ASU can get there someday ;)

Auburn's Baby Shower

2009-01-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

On Saturday was my former co-worker Auburn's baby shower. She's having a little girl named Olive in about 2 weeks! Her shower was so cute with cute girl decorations and yummy treats that her mom and sisters made. Her mom makes the bomb cupcakes(she made the ones at my shower!) Can't wait to meet little O.J!

Bowling Fun!

2009-01-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

dancing the cha-cha slide!

mike attempting to bowl in between his legs

me, brig, and heath

So the gang went bowling this past weekend. We had tons of fun. Brunswick Lanes in Gilbert is the happenin spot on a Friday night. We got a lane with a couch which was cool no hard chairs to sit in. Then at 10 Cosmic bowling started and they had a DJ that played cool songs while bowling in the black light.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

The ladies...

Mike and Brig going drink for drink..lets say Mike won

The whole group! VIP status

Happy New Year!

Roomies!

So New Years Eve this year was soooo much fun. Our good friend Sean for the past 7 months has been working for the Fiesta Bowl/Insight Bowl doing graphic design projects for the bowl games and the block party that is on Mill Ave. He hooked us up with free tixs to the party, vip entry which means free food and free drinks(6 total...i only had 4!) It was catered by Macayos (yummy). We had great entertainment by Styx and the area was heated which was very nice. we had a great time with our good friends Sean, Heather, Brig, Dana, Mike and Rigo. Thanks again Seany you rock!

Christmas/Holiday Party/Happy Birthday to Us!

2008-12-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

at my holiday party

mike's mom maria, mike and I

the boys and me with grandma

So this Birthday/Christmas was an interesting one. It was the first year not spending it with my parents and sister. It was weird not doing the traditions that our family(the brown's) did every year. We did web cam on my birthday and on Christmas which was great. Christmas day we went to Mike's grandmas and saw his mom and brothers. After that we cooked a delicious ham and made cowboy potatoes(soooo yummy). Also made my first pumpkin pie for my birthday(which is christmas eve). My work's holiday party was saturday the 27th. It was fun (but not as fun as Mike's). Sunday was Mike's birthday and we just laid low all day. We saw Marley and Me which was very good(i cried twice) and went to Texas Roadhouse with his brothers and Dad. Next up New Years Eve!!!

Brigitte's 21st B-Day

2008-12-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

The gang

Roomies

Me and Mike

December birthdays rock!

washington apples = yummy!

So this weekend we celebrated with the Venisses' Brigitte's 21st Birthday. We did the 2 power hours at Dos Gringos in Chandler and had an awesome fun time. Our bartender rocked and really gave Brig a great power hour. We each did a shot with her and many more. Happy Birthday Brig..hope you had a fun time

Suns Game #2

2008-12-10T17:40:00.000-08:00

me and mike

sean, heather, mike and me

with our neighbors shawnee and claire

So this week we went to the Suns game with Sean and Heather and our neighbors Shawnee and Claire. They live in Canada for most of the year and only come out 2 times a year. They are girls basketball coaches at the University of Calgary. They had such a fun time and it was great to talk to someone that knows basketball. We got our tickets for like 7 bucks..what a deal... and the Suns won! Now if I could see a Laker game ;)

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-07T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here is this years Christmas card that I made to send out to our family and friends(of the addresses I have) enjoy and hope everyone has a great holiday and love each and everyone of you and thanks for making this year a memorable one for me and Mike!

Tempe Costco Holiday Party

2008-12-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

me and dana

desperate housewifes crew amber, me and diane

me and heather

me and mike

We had Mike's holiday party this past weekend at Dave and Busters. If no one has been there its like an adult Chucky Cheese (minus the animatronic animals singing). They have skee ball, basketball(which I won at!), and tons of token games. We had alot of fun and it sure beat the last Christmas Parties we have attended for Costco!

Thanksgiving!

2008-11-29T20:48:00.001-08:00

Mike and I with the turkey

The dogs... life's so hard for them

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving..our family had a great one! We had it our house this year with everyone coming over. My parents came over from SC, Mike's dad Andy and his two brothers Robert and Joe and plus Suzie. We had lots of food, took the family picture for the card, and just spent time with each other. This was also Suzie's last couple of days with us. She is moving to South Carolina to live with the parentals. I will miss her very much but she will have a blast out there. The dogs miss her already :) and no Suzie I am not shipping Sawyer to Charlotte!