Life in the Dondo

What I've Been Cookin'

2012-02-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Ashlie had put on her 30 for 30 list that she wanted to try 5 or 10 new recipes. I thought that that would be a great idea - so, here are about 10 things I have made since November. And they are all pinned on Pinterest except the Minestrone recipe

Creamy Chicken Artichoke Lasagna

http://tandriantastytidbits.blogspot.com/2011/11/creamy-white-chicken-and-artichoke.html?showComment=1320724777727#c2360032814037639630

Baked penne ziti

http://www.thecountrycook.net/search/label/dinner

Kale chips

http://steamykitchen.com/6926-crispy-kale-recipe.html

Baked apple pies

http://domesticdilettante.com/2012/01/11/applepie/

Skinny Chicken Parmesan

http://www.feedingmytemple.com/2011/10/skinny-chicken-parmesan-recipe.html

Buffalo chicken spring rolls

http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/01/31/buffalo-chicken-rolls/

Brussels sprouts with bacon and pears (I used green apples)

http://eisforeat.blogspot.com/2011/10/b-is-for-brussels-sprouts-roasted-with.html

Chicken caprese

http://dinnerwiththedonnells.blogspot.com/search/label/Chicken

Baked spaghetti

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/11/baked-cream-cheese-spaghetti-casserole.html

Delicious cookies

http://sorumblyinmytumbly.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-favorite-chewy-chocolate-chip.html

So good - Olive Garden Minestrone copy recipe

http://restaurantrecipesbook.com/olive-garden-minestrone-soup-recipe/

6 months ago I'd have said you were crazy if you told me I'd make all these things - but honestly, Pinterest has made it so easy and everything looks so good on there. Maybe cooking isn't as horrible as I used to think it was :)

Room

2012-02-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

I have seen this book everywhere. It's in every bookstore, airport, amazon list, etc and I would always read the back of the book and think, eh, don't really know if I'd like it.

My friend Carrie told me that her friend recommended it so I put it on my list of things to read from the Redondo library. I've had it sitting on my kitchen table for about three weeks and finally cracked it open two days ago and finished it last night. It was that good.

It did take me about fifty pages to finally get into the book because it's all from the perspective and language of a five year old. However, once you are able to understand his language and thought process, the book moves very quickly and there was even a part in the middle where I simply couldn't put it down and had to find out what was going to happen - even though I was dreading that I wouldn't like the outcome.

Yes this book is slightly depressing and sad - it's the story of a five year old who only knows the room he was born into and has lived his whole life with his mother. He doesn't know anything outside of that room and I think the author said the book was inspired by Jaycee Dugard and Elisabeth Fritzl.

I keep thinking about this book - and everyone should read it.

MOCA

2012-02-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to visit some L.A. museums because I've never been to any of them since we've lived here (almost 5 years!). Therefore, I put visiting MOCA - Museum of Contemporary Art on my list

Thursday evenings from 5-8pm are free, so Erik and I met halfway and went to the museum for the evening.

We had to park across the street at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, which was really cool

Art!

Erik appreciating the art

Me participating in art haha

A random guy looking at art

Then we walked down the street and there was another open art exhibit going on

And there was a super creepy bathtub with a guy in it and all you could see was his arm because there was a sheet on the rest of him - and stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling

Then, the best part of the evening was that we came across a trolly in downtown L.A!

It costs a quarter, and it was a super short ride called Angel's Flight - and it was so cool to just be walking down the street and come across this. And it led us right to where we needed to get

This is some info on Angel's Flight:

For just 25 cents you can board one of the two orange and black incline railway cars and ride "The Shortest Railway in the World." This funicular dates back to 1901, when Bunker Hill was one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in Los Angeles and the cars, Olivet and Sinai, ferried prominent citizens up and down the steep slope between Hill and Olive streets. The beloved landmark was dismantled for "urban renewal" of the area in 1969. In the early 1990s, the Railway was refurbished and relocated a half-block south, reopening adjacent to California Plaza in 1996. As short as it is (298 feet), Angels Flight is an essential Los Angeles experience.

The Angels Flight™ Railway connects 351 South Hill Street (ZIP Code 90013), near the Metro Red Line Pershing Square subway station at the corner of Fourth and Hill Streets, with the California Plaza Watercourt at 350 South Grand Avenue (ZIP Code 90071). Recorded telephone information: (213) MA 6-1901. The Railway is open every day, 365 days a year, from 6:45 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Super Bowl 10k

2012-02-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

Redondo Beach has an annual 5k/10k run on the Super Bowl every year. One of my things on my list is to run a 10k (I would love to eventually do a 1/2 marathon, but I'll start with a 10k)

Lindy decided to participate last minute and neither one of us trained for this lol

Me in front of the start line - I was just hoping to also make it through the finish line

Lindy and I

Jessie, Jules, Jillian, me and Lindy before the race

All the people getting ready to run

Lindy's super cool running face

After the race at the beer garden - naturally haha

Lindy, Keith, Jessie, Jules, me, Uly

They had photographers stationed around the race to take pictures - this is my intense face haha

After all the fun of the marathon, we went over to Sherri's boyfriend's, Jim Joe

Jared, Marisa, Lindy sleeping

The two TV situation

Stadium seating:

Lindy (sleeping), Jenny, Jenna, Mickey

Sherri, Keith, Kevin and me

hahaha

Friends & Going Away Party

2012-02-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

My friend, Christie, who I've known since we were five was doing a 5k marathon at Disneyland with some of her friends. Because she did this marathon, she had two free passes for anyone to use after 4pm. Lindy doesn't live too far from Disneyland so I convinced her to go with me and we were able to hang out at Disneyland with Christie, her friend and ended up meeting with our other friend Henry later at Downtown Disney.

Christie, Henry and me

Me, Lindy, Kelli, Christie, Henry and Kristine

It was really nice of Christie to give us the passes and it was also great that Henry and his girlfriend were able to meet up with us. Always great hanging out with high school buddies again

A few days later our manager from Kincaid's, Christian, had a going away party because him and his family are moving to Washington State. He is transferring from Kincaid's to another RUI restaurant in Seattle.

Christian's adorable daughter Lili

Me, Lili, Christian, Amanda, Jillian and Jessie

Our friend Anthony (a bartender at Kincaid's) was featured in a South Bay magazine. His mustache is ridiculous.

Tuesday nights are Taco Tuesday's at a really yummy Mexican food place by our friend's Keith and Shannon and they met us for some taco's. After that, we went back to their place and they taught us how to play a new card game called Hands & Feet.

Shannon, the perfect hostess, holding a blinking tray with drinks haha

Keith and Kevin were not fans of the lotion they took from our other friend Nick's room. Nick stayed with them for a few months last year and now he's traveling around Australia.

Going Down Under!

2012-01-29T23:16:00.000-08:00

I added a new thing to my 30 under 30 list - going to Australia! I initially wanted to do a great big trip, like Europe or something to that effect. Kevin knew he was going to have to work a lot and wasn't sure how we were going to take a crazy trip like that, but then Sherri found an Australia trip on Groupon. I had seen it a few weeks earlier and thought it looked like a great idea and very fun and after some deliberation, decided that we should go. Kevin couldn't go because he didn't think he could get time off work, my other sister Lindy didn't think she could get time off, so Sherri and I decided that we were the only two who could sacrifice and make the trip :)

I am so excited - it's a 15 day trip and hits up Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney, I think. It includes two flights within the country as well as round-trip from LAX. Which works out well since we live very close to LAX :) I can't wait - we are going during the beginning of August and will be a great way to celebrate graduating and turning 30 :)

Books I'm Reading

2012-01-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

School just started back up this week and I'm working as a Supplemental Instructor again but still have some free time to get some reading done. I posted the link at the bottom of this page, but it's a really cool site that let's you check out book digitally for free. I'm able to read them on my phone or iPad and I hadn't been reading on the iPad a lot because usually you have to pay full price for the books.

This book was really good - even though at first I thought it would be a little too scientificy for me. However, it turned out to be really interesting about cell research and how these scientists took cells from her which ended up continuing to grow for decades and they used them to find vaccines for lots of different diseases.

Ever since seeing the movie I had wanted to read this but didn't really want to buy it - then I found it on this site and downloaded it and read it. It was very entertaining and interesting how Facebook all came to be and of course the debate over if Mark Zuckerberg stole the idea of Facebook.

I had also watched the TV show, True Blood, and found out that it originated from a book series. I decided that since I have some time to get into a series, I started reading these and I am on book 6 right now. I checked these all out from the Redondo library and am enjoying them.

scdl.lib.overdrive.com

Runyon Canyon and Hollywood Sign

2012-01-16T23:36:00.000-08:00

Another thing that I've always wanted to do in L.A. is hike Runyon Canyon. Lots of people go there on the weekends and I heard that it's super crowded, so luckily Erik was able to go with me during the week and there were still some people out and about but not too many.

I saw this snake sign and immediately thought that this was a bad sign. But I didn't knowingly see any snakes all day, so it was all okay.

View from the top

Proof that I was there

Action shot of running the hill

I love love love this chair. It's a giant chair and one of my new favorite photos.

Erik and his roommate Luke accompanied me on the hike

View of the Hollywood sign from where we were

Then we drove further to a place that had tons of signs that said not to go any further so we could see the Hollywood sign

Erik found a better trail and we walked around and got a great view

Gotta take advantage of a good shot :)

Afterwards we went to lunch at Umami Burger where my friend Kywan manages and the food was delicious.

I keep it cool and classy in L.A.

Lakers Game and Fun with Friends

2012-01-16T23:23:00.000-08:00

So, Martin's sister, Tyler, lives in L.A. now and works for Fox Sports - and she often gets tickets to sporting events. Luckily, two weeks ago Sherri and I were able to go with Tyler and her boyfriend Chris to a Lakers game. They were great seats - row 12 - and we had a great time.

In L.A. Live at Lucky Strike before the game

Tickets - face value is about $160

Great seats - thanks Tyler!

Chris, Tyler, me and Sherri

About a week ago Kevin and I had breakfast/lunch with our good friends Christian and Amanda and their daughter Lili. They are moving to Washington State in a few weeks so we wanted to spend some time with them before they left.

After breakfast Kevin and I had the day free so we ventured into Venice Beach and went to a few places that had the Strand beer to support Kevin's brewery.

Me in front of the Venice sign

Another thing I have been doing is making food from recipes on Pinterest. This one was baked spaghetti and Kevin loved it. It lasted for quite a few leftovers and Kevin was able to take it into work at the brewery and eat it at lunch.

http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/11/baked-cream-cheese-spaghetti-casserole.html

I highly recommend making it - I also used ground turkey instead of beef and added mushrooms and onions to it - it was delicious.

Kev cleaning up

Last Sunday Kevin got called into work at the brewery which left his baseball team down a player. It turns out that they were down quite a few players and needed help, so Kevin asked Sherri's boyfriend, Jim Joe, to help out and play on the team. Though the Pirates didn't win, I think they all had fun and Jim Joe did great - he caught a couple pop flies and even did a diving catch. This picture is of all of us afterwards at Bouzy - Jim Bo, Austin, me, Jules, Jim Joe, Sherri and Janna.

Then after that we played Just Dance 3 at our apartment and had a great time.

Made something crafty

2012-01-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

So, on my list of things to do before I turned 30 was to make something crafty or creative. I saw this braided scarf on Pinterest (my new favorite website) and decided that it would be my crafty thing and that I would make it for my sisters and mom for Christmas. This was my first attempt and I ended up keeping it for myself.

I think it turned out pretty cute - and definitely wasn't that hard. I even learned how to do a blind stitch in order to finish it haha - and that's something I never would have said before attempting this. I added the link at the bottom so anyone that wants to can make it too.

http://www.putapuredukes.com/2011/09/braided-scarf-tutorial.html

Visiting Lindy in Huntington Beach!

2012-01-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

Another thing on my list was to visit Lindy in Huntington Beach. She has lived there for quite awhile and the only time I visited her was when my parents and I helped her move in over a year ago. Since then she has moved into an apartment and I have never visited her new place, so on Jan 2nd, I crossed another thing off my list :)

Sitting on Lindy's bed - proof that I visited :)

Urban Outfitters had lots of fun stuff

We ate at the Gypsy Den - it was yummy and lots of fun

It was great to visit and I'm hoping to do this much more often - plus they have lots of great shopping

New Year's 2011

2012-01-11T19:50:00.000-08:00

For the first time in a loooong loooong time, Kevin and I both had New Year's Eve off.

Kevin, Keith and I started at Sophie's in the Redondo Village

Danny met up with us

Our good friend Jules was working that night and she ended up meeting up with us later

Walking to Dustin's house

Keith, Shannon, Jules, Kevin and I at Dustin's house to ring in the New Year

Jules, me and Shannon

It was really nice having the holidays off this year and I hope that it can turn into a tradition every year :)

Christmas with the Verissimo's

2012-01-11T19:41:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas a day before Christmas Eve so that that way Kevin could celebrate with us

aunt Sandy was also able to come by and hang out

Best friends - Matilda and Melinda

The next night - Christmas Eve - we celebrated at aunt Mary's

Cousins- Daniel, me, Victoria, Natalie, her baby Angelina, Melinda and Sherri

On Christmas we went over to my aunt Alberta's and dad played some cards with the family

It was a great Christmas and we were able to see lots of family and spend time together

Christmas with the Triplett's

2012-01-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Kevin had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Kincaid's so we did Christmas with the Triplett's a few days early.

Nori had just had knee replacement surgery and was relaxing on the chair

Kevin tried to get the 3D DVD player to work

Making dinner

Nori got a tablet for Christmas

Matilda opening Lucy's present

It was nice to spend a few days enjoying Christmas before Kevin had to go back to Redondo

The Freeberg's Visit

2012-01-11T18:47:00.000-08:00

In early December Martin, Ashlie and Emilie came to visit us for the weekend.

Emilie liked teething on the TV trays

Emilie is just so adorable - we all had so much fun with her

Ashlie as Santa and Emilie the Elf

Don't think she'll be able to take baths in the sink for too much longer

Sherri and Ashlie were sleepy

But the boys were dancing it up

This is a great photo of the Freeberg family - at the Santa Monica Pier

Martin and Danny

Lindy came to visit us one night so she could meet Emilie

Mexican train night

Dad Martin babysitting :)

Catalina Island -

2012-01-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

Two days after Thanksgiving we went to Catalina Island, which is on my list of things to do!

We stayed at a super cute nice hotel.

However, we only had two Queen beds and 5 people - and we forgot to bring the pump for the blow up mattress.

Sherri's makeshift tent haha

Mom and Dad on the patio of our hotel

Kevin, the big Cubs fan, got to see the place where the Cubs used to do training

Dad with hair!

The buffalo's on the island

Funny pic :)

It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that we were able to go visit the island.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was super fun - we had it at our apartment (but Kevin had to work)

Dad peeling potatoes

Marisa, Sherri and Mom

Danny helping peel

Jared with the turkey they're going to fry

The frier

The fried turkey

Wishbone

Sherri so happy

Mom, Dad, Erik, Sherri, Marisa and Jared

Jules, Danny, me, Mom

Very fun year - the fried turkey is definitely one to remember :)

The group - Danny, Jules, Mom, Dad, Sherri, Marisa, me, Jared and Erik

The epic pyramid - everyone should do a Thanksgiving pyramid!

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - #4

2011-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. I heard so many great things about it so I decided to give it a chance about two years ago. I got about 30-40 pages in and couldn't continue. For my birthday, my good friend Carrie bought it for me and sent it to me (she lives in N.Y.) I attempted to read it again and got to about page 100. However, it's been a thorn in my side because I really wanted to know what everyone was talking about and Carrie bought it for me, so I put it on my list.

I finished it on December 1st (instead of working on a big paper) and I have to say, it took awhile but I did manage to get into it. I still wasn't obsessed with it but then I started reading the sequel:

I really really liked the sequel - it read much quicker and you already knew the characters (something I felt took the first book forever to establish) and now I'm reading the 3rd one.

30 for 30 Item #3 - the crock pot

2011-12-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

One of the things on my list was to finally use the crock pot we got for our wedding about 2 1/2 years ago. It has been nicely collecting dust in it's nice box on the shelf that is above our sink and runs along the ceiling. Along with the crock pot sits a box full of champagne glasses, a quesadilla maker and a box of bowls.

I decided that Thanksgiving was the perfect day to bust it out.

Kevin opening the box - tearing through the tape.

Pretty, shiny new crock pot :)

I'm attempting to make a spinach artichoke dip for my first go.

Nervous! Putting it in.

Yum! 2 hours later - delicious dip.

And Sherri, the Queen of dips, gave it a thumbs up

Disneyland with Carrie and her Family

2011-12-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

One of my very dear friends, Carrie, left me for New York last year, but she came back to visit for Thanksgiving. Luckily I was able to meet up with her family and meet her boyfriend at Disneyland (the happiest place on Earth) the day before Thanksgiving.

Justin and Carrie

Carrie's crazy/fun family - Sam, Rachel, Carrie, Justin and Lily

In line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The boys had their hoods on

Love it at this time of year

Justin, Sam, Rachel, Lily, Briana and Carrie

Carrie's two cousins were hilarious and so much fun. It was also great to get to know Carrie's siblings, Sam and Lily, and I was so happy to meet Justin after hearing so much about him.

It's always so hard to make time for friends when visiting from out of town (or state) so I was really happy that I got almost 8 hours at Disneyland with Carrie - and spent most of that time in line for all the fun rides. This gave us lots of time to chat and catch up - and I hope I can visit her in N.Y. soon.

B-I-N-G-O! #2

2011-11-29T20:07:00.001-08:00

So, for the past six months to a year, I have heard about Bingo night at the Catholic Church in Redondo Beach called St. James Catholic Church. I always have school on Thursday nights but our teachers went on strike two weeks ago (the night after my big test) and lo-and-behold it was Bingo night!

Sherri and Jim Joe (expert Bingo player)

Me and Sherri with our Bingo cards and blotters

Me, Susie (with Seger in the carseat) and Dalia

Serious business - Danny, Sherri and Jim Joe

I don't think I have ever really played Bingo before (Jim Joe was pretty much the only expert) and let me tell you - it is intense! These people take it very seriously and even bring lucky charms like Troll dolls and rubber duckies. We all had a blast and plan on going back soon - with lucky charms!

30 for 30 - Item #1 - Thai food

2011-11-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

The first thing I managed to cross off my 30 for 30 list is to try Thai food.

We asked around (Kevin had never tried it either) and this restaurant was given a thumbs up

We ordered a spicy seafood soup - it was really good except I bit into one of those red things in the bowl and oh my gosh - I have never tried anything so spicy! I was literally crying, coughing and felt like I could hardly breathe. I almost wish I had a picture of my face lol

This was really good - I forget what it was called

Overall, big thumbs up minus those red things - do not ever eat them!

I also liked that this was my fortune: especially considering that my big comprehensive test was coming up in 2 or 3 weeks at this point

1 thing done - 29 to go

30 by 30 - in progress

2011-11-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is my list [in progress] - I have already done a few things so I need to start blogging about it.
Bring it on!
Play Bingo at St. James w/friends
Visit Carrie and Jamie in NY - and Somer in Boston
Make Something in my CrockPot
Hike the Waterfall in Malibu
Read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Eat at the Stinking Rose
Try Thai food
Finish our Wedding Album - and Order It
Actually visit Erik in Pasadena
Trapeze again at Santa Monica Pier
Snowboard Mammoth
Hike to the Hollywood Sign
Visit La Brea Tarpits/Museum of Tolerance
Visit Lindy's apartment in Huntington Beach
Score a perfect score on Just Dance
Fix my headlight
Visit Catalina Island
Meet my nephew Lincoln Triplett
Do a 1/2 Marathon
Run Runyan Canyon in L.A.
Drive Highway 1 in the Porsche
Get a Real Job aka A Job as an Adjunct
Pass the Comps/Graduate Grad School

p.s. Any suggestions would be appreciated :)

Comps are OVER!

2011-11-17T14:44:00.000-08:00

Monday, November 14th and Wednesday, November 16th were the two days of my comprehensive exams. There were 3 parts total - one part Monday, two parts yesterday, and today I feel like I got run over by a truck. My head hurts, I'm exhausted, but I definitely feel the relief and weight lifted off my shoulders that the test has been taken and, for the moment, I don't have to worry about it. I find out my results in about 3 weeks - so, until then, I only have to write two short papers, have a midterm and write a 10-15 page paper. No sweat haha. I should be posting things more regularly now that the stress of the test is over - but for now here are a few funny slides to show you guys all the rhetoric I have been learning:

Plato is the theorist I wrote my last essay for the exams on - I hope I was right in what I wrote about him

This one cracks me up

And this is great too

Thank you, Steve Jobs.

2011-10-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today Steve Jobs died. Steve Jobs was . . . amazing. I would hope that I would have learned about the amazingness of Apple on my own, but it took one of my best friend's now-husband Martin to see how cool Apple was and how easy it was to use. I had just graduated from UC Santa Barbara, my Gateway laptop had crashed and burned and I needed something to use (hey, all those years of being an English major and all those tons of papers on it just destroyed it). I was planning on getting another PC but Martin asked/begged me to just check out an Apple laptop. Martin has loved Macs since he was little and his whole family has used Macintosh products for forever. Whenever I think of Apple, I think of Martin because he loves it so much. Somehow, he convinced me to buy a white MacBook and I have been hooked ever since.

To keep with tradition, I initially resisted the iPhone. I (foolishly) bought a Blackberry Pearl instead of an iPhone, but less than year later bought the new iPhone 3GS when it came out. I even got Kevin, the anti-technology guy, to also get an iPhone and he has been in love with it ever since.

I now have a MacBook Pro and I can't ever see myself switching to another computer company. Although I'm not sure I am going to get the new iPhone 4S, I plan on getting the iPhone 5 if they ever come out with it. I remember that when I got my Volkswagen Beetle, a free iPod came with it as a kind of special deal they were running at the time. Having an iPod at that time (in 2003) was a big deal and I felt pretty cool and special to have one. It's amazing to see how far iPod's, iPhone's, iPad's, Apple computers, everything has evolved. To me, that's what Steve Jobs was - innovation and creativity. It seemed like anything was possible for him and he could make it all happen.

I thank Steve Jobs for what he has done, for what he has created and I hope that other people in the company can also keep his creativity going. He will never be forgotten and he has left way too soon.

This is an article from the Washington Post:

Steve Jobs dies; Apple co-founder was 56

View Photo Gallery — Steve Jobs has died at 56.

By Patricia Sullivan, Updated: Wednesday, October 5, 5:35 PM

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Inc., who introduced simple, well-designed computers for people who were more interested in what technology could do rather than how it was done, died Wednesday at age 56.

In a brief statement, Apple announced the death but did not say where he died. Mr. Jobs suffered from a rare form of pancreatic cancer and had a liver transplant in 2009, and he stepped down as Apple’s chief executive on Aug. 24.

391

Comments

Video

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and mind behind the company's visionary products, passed away at the age of 56. (Oct. 5)

Gallery

Apple is known for having many successful product launches. But it had some unsuccessful ones too.

An original thinker who helped create the Macintosh, one of the most influential computers in the world, Mr. Jobs also reinvented the portable music player with the iPod, launched the first successful legal method of selling music online with the creation of iTunes, and reordered the cellphone market with the iPhone. The introduction of the iPad also jump-started the electronic-tablet market, and it now dominates the field.

He also started a chain of retail stores and pushed consumers away from their dependence on floppy disks and CDs.

Calculating that people would be willing to pay a premium price for products that signal creativity, Mr. Jobs had a genius for understanding the needs of consumersbefore they did.

He knew best of all how to market. “Mac or PC?” became one of the defining questions of the late 20th century, and although Apple sold a mere 5 percent of all computers in that era, Mac users became rabid partisans.

Mr. Jobs was the first crossover technology star, turning Silicon Valley renown into Main Street recognition and paving the way for the rise of the nerds, such as Yahoo founders Jerry Yang and David Filo, and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

As a 21-year-old college-dropout entrepreneur, Mr. Jobs led Apple to multimillion-dollar success in five years. Forced out of his own company by the time he was 30, he started another computer firm, Next, whose technology was used to create the World Wide Web. Mr. Jobs also took over a foundering computer animation company and turned it into the Academy Award-winning Pixar, maker of “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo.” He returned to Apple in his 40s, restoring the company to profitability by paring down the product line and being a leader in innovation.

Known within the technology community for his complex and combative temperament, Mr. Jobs was a private man. But in a June 2005 commencement addressat Stanford University, he talked about his pancreatic cancer, diagnosed in 2004, in a video that became an Internet sensation. He later became furious at speculation over his health in mid-2008, when he appeared in public looking gaunt. In late 2008, he took a medical leave from the company, and he had a liver transplant the following year.

In January, he took another medical leave. On Aug. 24 he stepped down as Apple’s chief executive but became chairman of board. Apple’s share price immediately dropped 5 percent on the news because Jobs was so connected to the company, but it rebounded the next day. “Steve Jobs running the company from jail would be better for the stock price than Steve Jobs not being CEO,” one stock analyst told Fortune magazine in early 2011.

His innovations led Business 2.0 to call him “easily the greatest marketer since P.T. Barnum.” One of his employees, noting that Mr. Jobs is able to persuade people to believe almost anything, coined the phrase “reality distortion field” to describe his ability to warp an audience’s sense of proportion. Mr. Jobs described the Macintosh computer, for example, as “insanely great.”

Maybe it was. It was designed for the home and creative professional user, not the computer-science nerd or the bottom-line-oriented businessman. During a famous 1979 visit to Xerox Parc, the hotbed of innovation where the computer mouse, networking and graphical user interface were invented, he and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak learned that computer users did not have to type in a series of arcane commands to get the computer to perform; they could simply point their mouse at a picture of a file and click the mouse to get the file to open.

Video

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and mind behind the company's visionary products, passed away at the age of 56. (Oct. 5)

Gallery

Apple is known for having many successful product launches. But it had some unsuccessful ones too.

That recognition sparked a flurry of innovations, unmatched in technology until designers of Microsoft’s operating software copied the look and feel of their California competitors in Windows 95.

Years later, discussing computer design in another context, Mr. Jobs said: “Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer, that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

He could control how it works because Apple “makes the whole widget,” as Mr. Jobs repeatedly said — software and hardware. The company introduced monitors with color screens long before others. Locked out of many retail chains because of its small market share, Apple responded with its own distinctively branded stores, to which users flock like pilgrims. The Mac, Mr. Jobs saw, could become the hub of a digital lifestyle.

Not everything has worked out. A 1983 computer, Lisa, failed miserably. Even the “insanely great” Macintosh, sold without a letter-quality printer and incompatible with other computers, had a difficult start, although it nevertheless launched the desktop publishing revolution. But that wasn’t the first rough start in Mr. Jobs’s life.

Steven Paul Jobs was born Feb. 24, 1955, in San Francisco to unwed parents, University of Wisconsin graduate student Joanne Carole Schieble and a Syrian exchange student, Abdulfattah Jandali. He was adopted shortly after birth by Paul and Clara Jobs.

He grew up in the Northern California suburbs that would later be dubbed “Silicon Valley,” and he showed an early interest in electronics and gadgetry. As a high school student, he boldly asked William Hewlett, co-founder and president of the Hewlett-Packard computer firm, for some parts he needed to complete a class project. Hewlett was impressed enough to give Mr. Jobs the parts and offer him a summer internship at Hewlett-Packard.

Mr. Jobs attended Reed College in Portland, Ore., for six months before dropping out, although Mr. Jobs continued to drop in on classes for 18 months. He worked part time at Atari Computers to raise money for a trip to India in the summer of 1974, studying meditation and shaving his head. But within months, he became ill with dysentery and was forced to return to the United States.

For a short time, Mr. Jobs lived in a California commune, but he soon became disenchanted. In 1975, he began associating with a group of computer aficionados known as the Homebrew Computer Club. Wozniak, a technical whiz, was trying to build a small computer and Mr. Jobs became fascinated with its potential. In 1976, he and Wozniak formed their own company.

The Apple I was sold as an all-in-one device, unlike other computers that required customers to separately buy a screen, a hard drive and a keyboard. It carried a price tag of $666, and about 200 were sold.

Video

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and mind behind the company's visionary products, passed away at the age of 56. (Oct. 5)

Gallery

Apple is known for having many successful product launches. But it had some unsuccessful ones too.

Mr. Jobs saw a huge gap in the existing computer market, with no product targeted for home use. While Wozniak improved the technology, Mr. Jobs lined up investors and bank financing. The redesigned computer — christened the “Apple II” — came out in 1977, with impressive first-year sales of $2.7 million. In one of the most phenomenal cases of corporate growth in U.S. history, the company’s sales grew to $200 million within three years and almost single-handedly created a market of home users.

The Macintosh was introduced in 1984 with a third-quarter commercial during the Super Bowl. The advertisement, designed by ad agency Chiat/Day and directed by Ridley Scott, fresh off his classic science-fiction film “Blade Runner,” ran just once, but it was named by Advertising Age as the commercial of the decade.

As controversial as he was creative, Mr. Jobs enforced a culture of secrecy at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Mr. Jobs, who grew up idolizing the Hewlett-Packard ideal of an egalitarian workplace where employees were highly valued, was known in his younger years for playing mean pranks on underlings, reversing direction without ever acknowledging he changed his mind and yelling at even company directors.

In his private life, he refused to acknowledge paternity or pay child support for his first daughter for years. He threatened to sue teens who published Apple gossip on their Web sites. He refused to put license plates on his Mercedes-Benz and parked in handicapped parking spots at the company until the public ridicule became too great.

Decades later, he attempted to stop the publication of two unauthorized biographies; he persuaded Vanity Fair to cancel the serialization of one, and after the publisher of the second book refused to stop publication, Mr. Jobs yanked all that publisher’s books from Apple’s retail stores.

In 1985, after tangling with John Sculley, the Pepsi executive he brought in to run the company, Mr. Jobs sold $20 million worth of stock and resigned from Apple. He and Wozniak had just received the National Medal of Technology from President Ronald Reagan, and he was 30 years old. “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” he told Stanford University graduates in the 2005 commencement address. “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

After several months of discontent, Mr. Jobs hired some of his former employees to begin a new computer company, called Next.

During that period, Mr. Jobs paid filmmaker George Lucas $10 million for a small computer animation firm, and over the next six years Mr. Jobs poured another $40 million of his own money into the company as it set out to make the first computer-animated feature film, “Toy Story.” It was a huge box-office hit, and Pixar's initial public stock offering was an enormous success.

Video

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and mind behind the company's visionary products, passed away at the age of 56. (Oct. 5)

Gallery

Apple is known for having many successful product launches. But it had some unsuccessful ones too.

In late 1996, Apple bought Next for more than $400 million. Within months, he was back in charge of Apple.

Greeted by the Mac faithful as the second coming, Mr. Jobs soon stunned them with two decisions. He revoked agreements with “clone makers,” companies that licensed and built their own Apple-compatible hardware. That cost bargain-seeking consumers many hundreds of dollars and put several successful clone makers out of business, but it returned much lost revenue to Apple.

Then, at a Macworld conference in August 1997, he announced a partnership with arch rival Microsoft, accepting a $150 million investment in exchange for preloading Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser on Apple’s computers. An unprecedented alliance between rivals, the deal ultimately saved the company by reassuring customers that they could use Microsoft’s ubiquitous Office software on Macs. “We want to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose,” Mr. Jobs said, to shouts of dismay from his normally adoring audience. “Madman at the wheel, eh?” he added, laughing, as he walked off the stage.

That was just the start of his revival of the company. The “Think Different” advertising campaign got the world’s attention again, followed by the 1998 introduction of the colorful iMac desktop computer, which sold a million in a year. In 1999, the iBook appeared, a brightly colored, clam-shaped laptop that enabled wireless Web surfing.

Consumer releases came out in a rush. An overlooked technology called FireWire, a tool for quickly moving large amounts of data between digital devices, allowed the creation of iMovie, software that encouraged non-experts to make their own home videos. The iPod, an MP3-like player with room for thousands of songs, was introduced in October 2001 and has sold hundreds of millions of units, dominating the field. The iTunes application, which allowed consumers to legally buy and download music, started in April 2003 and revolutionized the digital music industry — more than 6 billion songs have been sold.

Mr. Jobs and Apple were suddenly cool again. The iPhone’s debut in 2007 generated a huge buzz, and it soon rolled over the competition from Palm Computing and BlackBerry, despite its higher cost. The iPad, a tablet-based computer introduced in January 2010, sold more than 10 million units its first year.

Although Mr. Jobs’s salary was $1 per year, his stock options made him rich. His fortune was estimated to be $5.4 billion by Forbes magazine in its 2008 survey of the richest people in the world.

But nothing came without controversy. Even as Apple’s stock was booming and its business thriving, Mr. Jobs faced scrutiny in a scandal about Apple’s backdating of stock options. Like many companies, Apple had given out stock options with effective dates chosen later, after it was known that the price was low on those dates, making the stock more valuable once it was sold. Mr. Jobs wasn’t the only employee who benefited, but the company said his options were approved at a special board meeting that never took place. The company was forced to restate its earnings, but a special company investigation concluded that Mr. Jobs had done nothing wrong. Survivors include his wife since 1991, Laurene Powell; a daughter from a previous relationship, Lisa Brennan-Jobs; three children from his marriage, Eve Jobs, Erin Sienna Jobs and Reed Paul Jobs; and two sisters, Mona Simpson and Patti Jobs.

Thank you, Steve! Rest in Peace.

Friends

2011-09-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

As of today I am very stressed out with school and studying for the comps I have to take in November. However, I am taking a break to post a new blog - priorities haha.

Erik had a wedding to shoot in Long Beach on Saturday so he stopped by afterwards to spend the night and hang out.

Sunday was spent watching football - and I made an awesome breakfast for the guys (Danny was over at our place too). That night we decided to watch the sunset and of course the guys were throwing the football around and getting all crazy on the beach.

Danny and Erik have a strange competitive streak with each other and each guy thinks he is better than the other at anything from running, jumping, etc.

They keep thinking that they want to race each other and see who is the fastest, so they finally got their chance when we were at the beach.

Danny scrapped his knee right off the bat haha.

Then Danny and Erik raced twice in the sand. Kevin of course wanted to participate, but because of his shoulder he couldn't.

I think Danny won the first race, though it was kinda dark and Erik like threw his entire body across the finish line to try to win.

The next race Erik won and Danny seemed pretty tired. Now they are tied 1-1.

They look a little on the feminine side in this photo haha

Danny is a monkey and likes to climb on everything - even up our hallway walls

The next night I met up with Rani (Nick's girlfriend) and Keith at Kincaid's. Danny stopped by as well to have some happy hour food. Rani was getting ready to head back to Australia on Wednesday.

Me, Danny, Keith and Rani

Kev working hard

1st Annual Verissimo BBQ Bash!

2011-09-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

September 17th, 2011 was our 1st Annual Verissimo BBQ Bash! We have been having parties at my parents' house for many years - mostly for a birthday, a graduation or a going-away party. However, this year, after the loss of a great friend, I realized that we simply don't have these parties anymore because everyone is so busy. Therefore, it was time to have a get-together where everyone could relax, chat, enjoy each others company and have fun together because you never know how long each of us has on this Earth.

Aunt Mary, Rich and Nori Triplett watching the softball game

Holding baby Emilie

Kev and I holding Emilie

Ian (Ashlie's nephew) playing softball with us

Kev (injured but still playing)

Yea Sherri!

Bryan hitting the ball

Maddie and Ian (Ashlie's niece and nephew - and Maddie was our flower girl)

Amy - prepped and ready for the game :)

Picking teams - Kevin, Martin, Amy, Fredy

Maddie and aunt Ashlie

Sandy and Amy watching the volleyball game

Jim Joe, Sherri and Bryan

Kev batting one-handed with Bryan as pitcher

Marty

Kyler (Sandy's son)

Steve, Morgan, Sandy, Kyler, Bryan, Martin, Ash, Kev, me, Fredy, Amy, Danny, Jim Joe and Sherri

Steve playing ball

I didn't hit much - but I put in effort :)

Danny and Fredy

Maddie - what a cutie

I think Jim Joe hit it up and someone caught it? (I think that was me haha)

Mom holding Emilie (so happy)

Ash, Emilie and mom

Aunt Mary, Nori, Rich, dad and Kev

Derek, Tiff, Fredy, Amy and Carol

Jim Joe, Chad (aka shoes), Sherri and Anne

Bryan, Sandy and Martin

Mom and aunt Sandy

Daniel, Vicky, aunt Rose, aunt Alberta and Victoria

Baby Emilie

Tiff and I

Kev, me, Nori and Rich

Bryan and Sandy with all the desserts

sleeping Emilie

Martin, Danny and Kev taking after Emilie

Fredy, Amy, me, Kev, Ash and Martin

Amy, me, Ash

It was an amazing party - thank you to my parents for letting us have it at their ranch and to Syl for BBQing everything! Can't wait for next year!

Bryan Triplett's visit

2011-09-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

The weekend after Labor Day Bryan Triplett (Kev's brother) had a conference in San Diego and we were able to go there on a Saturday to pick him up once he was done. It was nice to meet some of his friends (most notably a past Navy buddy that he was in Afghanistan with) and to hear all their old crazy stories and what they went through. The next day was Sunday (which is the day Kevin plays baseball) and Kevin really wanted his brother to see him play (it's like he's 8 years old again haha) but once Bryan and I finally got to the game at about the 3rd or 4th inning, Kevin wasn't playing, which was weird. It turns out that he had done a weird slide/bellyflop onto 2nd base and dislocated his shoulder.

This picture is from a game a few weeks earlier where it was super hot and Jules was cooling Danny off.

Kev was in pain but Bryan really wanted to go Stand-Up Paddleboarding so he supported me and Bryan when we went out for an hour in Hermosa once the baseball game was over

Me, acting like a pro surfer and Bryan already on his board

Bryan

Bryan and Danny running the boards back to the rental shop

Kev, sad that he missed out on the fun but still smiling

It was great to meet up with Bryan and spend some time with him before he had to head back to Washington (and to his wife and 2 little boys). Good times!

Last Day of Kincaid's

2011-09-23T23:56:00.000-07:00

After almost 4 1/2 years - and a crazy summer - I decided to put in my notice and quit Kincaids. The idea was to take a semester off so I could focus on the comprehensive exam I have to take in November in order to get my Master's degree, but I hope to get a job after graduation so I don't necessarily have to come back to Kincaid's lol

It's crazy to think that over 4 years ago we had moved to Redondo Beach without jobs or knowing what we were going to do and happened to walk around the Redondo pier and saw Kincaids. We thought, hmm, that might be a good place to work haha. And a week later we were both hired (along with my friend, Carrie) and the rest is history. We have made all of our closest South Bay friends because we worked at Kincaid's and had some great times and memories. Plus, it was the only time Kevin and I actually saw each other the last few months since we worked together at night :)

Pancho and Alec (pantry guys)

Ramon - our head chef since our last chef left

Tomas - the guy who helped me out many a times whenever I forgot to ring something in, needed something ASAP or just all-around helped me whenever I needed it. Thanks Tomas!

My last meal - my famous veggie plate with a lobster tail haha

Jules, front and center, Philip, me, Shanna, Damon, Philip, Nick

Tony's after work (after my last day of work) - a must, especially when we first started working at Kincaid's - Tony's was the place to go after a hard night at work.

Jules, Vanessa, Nick, me, Vanessa's boyfriend, Dave, and Danny

Nick, Keith, Danny and me

Danny, Kev, Nick and Keith

me and Shanna

Bartenders - Katie and Kev

My (ex) manager - Christian

Austin, Jules, Rowan and Lev riding the bikes home

Danny sleeping on Nick haha

I really hope that everything pans out and I can successfully retire from restaurants - but for the moment, I'm going to enjoy having the semester off from it and see what happens :)

Baby Seger Walsh

2011-09-23T23:34:00.000-07:00

One of my friends from Kincaid's, Susie, had her baby shower and needless to say, she's a huge Dodger fan and her shower definitely reflected that!

They had a whole baseball theme from the decorations all the way to the food - it was all baseball park food like nachos, hotdogs, etc

Marisa and Susie

Me and the mama-to-be

Kincaids grew - me, Marisa, Susie and Jillian

They even planned the shower so the Dodger's would be playing - see them in the background? haha

Marisa ready to catch Seger

Since it has taken me so long to post this, Seger was actually born yesterday (September 22nd) at about 3:17pm - 7.8 pounds and 19 inches. Happy Birthday, Seger!

Aloha, Maui!

2011-09-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

August 13th, we headed to the LAX airport and headed to Maui!

Me, Kev and Brooks

The next day, the 14th, was Brooks' birthday and he wanted to hit up the Grand Wailea brunch. The Grand Wailea is a beautiful resort, very similar to the one we worked at in Santa Barbara.

Brunch consisted of an array of seafood, omelette station, pastries and lots lots more.

We had an awesome view of the ocean and the pools from where we were sitting.

After brunch we ended up exploring the resort a little bit more and then we saw they had one of those big blow-up trampolines in the ocean and of course, we decided to venture out there.

Apparently, you were supposed to check-in in order to use the trampoline, but we didn't realize that until we had jumped off of it twice and were done having fun haha.

Yummy food!

After the Grand Wailea, we hung out at the pool/spa at our condo and then took naps and tried to catch the sunset, but were about 10 minutes too late. We did make it out for dinner at a place called Fat Daddy's and Kevin and Brooks loved it.

The next day was one of my favorites because we ended up having access to two stand-up paddleboards and this is one of my new favorite hobbies.

Using our new underwater camera - love being on the surfboard!

My favorite photo! I feel like a surfer girl

Coming in from some snorkeling

The boys being bathing beauties haha and getting their tan on

At a restaurant in Lahaina having some mai tai's

View from dinner

Brooks, me and Kev

The next day we headed off for the journey of the Road to Hana - which turned into a 12-hour day but it was awesome and gorgeous

We would stop along the way to see various waterfalls and then finally reached the end and hiked about two miles to a really big waterfall that was amazing

This was in the bamboo forest, along the way to the final waterfall. It was amazing

The final waterfall - over 200 ft. - we went right under it and stood under the waterfall.

The next day was my birthday and we started it bright and early waking up at 2:30am to head to Haleakala (a spot up on a volcano where you are sitting above the clouds and can see the sunrise coming up over the clouds). Martin and Ashlie had done this when they went to Maui a few years ago and it sounded like such a cool experience that I decided it was how I wanted to start my 29th birthday :)

A birthday never to be forgotten!

Kevin is so creative - all his idea haha

It's really cold up above the clouds, but then once you get back to the beach, it's warm as usual.

After Haleakala we headed to "Big Beach" aka Makena Beach and it was gorgeous, though the waves were huge and too much for me.

Happy Birthday to me :)

That evening we went to the Grand Lahaina Luau, which is supposed to be the best, and I really did think it was fabulous. Kevin's only complaint was that there wasn't any fire stuff that happened - however, the location, food, sunset, everything was perfect.

The next few days we just relaxed and enjoyed being in Hawaii.

Brooks getting his sun on

Enjoying the beach

We had a fabulous time and I can't imagine a better birthday in the future.

I hope we can go back to Maui, many many more times! Can't wait to re-visit our favorite places and see new ones.

Sorry the post is so long but there were so many pictures to share :)

Reading for Fun

2011-08-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

I had some books checked out from the library that I wanted to take to Hawaii with me, but of course they were due during the middle of our trip and for some reason I felt like I didn't want to have them be overdue (in hindsight, it would have been cheaper to be charge .25 for a few days than buy 3 brand-new books, but oh well) so I returned them and headed to Target to see what they had.

I read the Twilight series awhile ago and actually enjoyed it, though I don't usually like sci-fi or vampire books. However, there has been a lot of talk about the series, Hunger Games, and I decided that a trip to Hawaii, where I'd have a lot of time to read on the plane and the beach, would be the perfect place to start in on this series.

Before we left, Danny was reading the back cover of this book and I was suddenly worried that it would be too sci-fi for me. It's about the future and how North America doesn't exist anymore except for 13 districts. It had a slight feel of that book, The Giver, where everything is super controlled by the government or people in charge.

However, a few pages in and I was hooked. It's about these games where these kids are selected and have to fight to the death - with only one winner. Pretty intense for kids who are at danger of being chosen - I think anyone between 12-18 can be picked to participate.

I was really glad that there were sequels to the book because there was so much read and so many stories to keep up with.

Finished the last book yesterday - definitely a must-read if anyone has the time to give 3 books. They go really quickly and are very entertaining. I give these a thumbs up :)

Gearing Up

2011-08-12T23:08:00.000-07:00

Today is my first day off in 6 weeks. (I did have one day off to go home for Brandon's funeral, but I don't feel like that counts as a fun day off) - I have worked 8 days straight at Kincaids between the last week and this week, and if I'm not at Kincaids, I've been doing the Summer Bridge program at Dominguez. Since it has been such a crazy 6 weeks without any real time off for myself, I have seriously been so looking forward to Hawaii.

Finally, the day has come! Tomorrow we leave for Maui and I can NOT wait. But, before I can go to Maui, I have to tie up some loose ends and run some errands.

This morning I did my final weigh-in at weight watchers and was happy to discover that I met my goal - I lost 22.6 pounds since I started in January (though the last three months I haven't been going to meetings or really participating), then I met up with my friend Somer and her boyfriend Jason for breakfast in Marina del Rey.

Somer, Jason and me

They are moving next weekend to Boston for the year so Somer can go to graduate school there. I am so excited for them so they can experience a new city, a new state and lots of new adventures.

Som Som and Jason

Pi Love forever!

Somer and I have been friends since I moved into the dorms at UCSB and joined the same sorority, Alpha Delta Pi. She is the reason we even moved to Redondo because she was already living here and showed us around and then we fell in love with it.

I can't wait to visit them - I'm hoping to visit Carrie and Jamie in NY and then make a side trip over to Boston.

After that I raced over and got my hair done near my friend Jessie's house, visiting her briefly after my appointment.

Jessie and Ayden :)

After that I raced over to the chiropractor and had a massage then adjustment. By that point Brooks had arrived in Redondo and him and Kev were waiting for me so we could start packing and get excited about tomorrow.

1 day until Hawaii!!!!

Summer Bridge, etc.

2011-08-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Let me just preface all of this by saying that this has been an extremely long summer. I knew it was going to turn crazy if I got this Summer Bridge program, but I had no idea how crazy it would get.

Throughout all of this 6-week program, I also somehow got a job this Fall semester at the local community college, El Camino, as an in-class tutor. This is my parking pass:

Then during the Summer Bridge we went to our new art gallery on campus and saw some art:

It was actually a great experience and a really neat place. I hope to come here more often when I'm a student.

Kevin has this plan that he's going to buy a ukulele in Hawaii and learn to play. In the meantime he bought an app for it on the iPad lol and he's practicing.

Last week was a little rough and I actually threw three students out because they didn't bring the reading. These are photos of the rest of the students behaving beautifully after I threw the other three out :)

Final class, today. Some of my students that I have grown attached to. I will miss them, even though I wasn't so sure in the beginning :)

And this is the mess Danny left in our spare room the morning he left for more training in San Luis.

2 days until Hawaii!!!!!!!!!!

JJ's birthday!

2011-08-07T23:41:00.000-07:00

Sherri's boyfriend, Jim Joe, had his birthday this past Thursday on August 4th (same day Lincoln Triplett was just born) but Kev and I both had to work until tonight, Sunday, so we met up with Sherri and her friends and had a little mini-celebration for JJ.

When we got there, Jim Joe was taking a nap

But, he woke up and played UNO with us

Mickey, Jared and Marisa

Kev and me playing

Danny with his 1 card - UNO!

Celebrating - Sherri, Marisa, Jim Joe, Danny, Mickey, Kevin, Jared and me

We had a good time (though it wasn't for that long since we all have to work tomorrow morning) but it was nice to celebrate with Jim Joe for a little.

It was also my friend Kristie's birthday today and I met up with her shortly at the beach right after work so I could say hi and happy birthday. Lots of birthday's this month :)

Happy Birthday Jim Joe and Kristie - and my friend Jessie tomorrow . . . and then to my cousin Matt and to myself later this month.

New toys

2011-08-06T00:46:00.000-07:00

So, we are heading to Hawaii in one week and of what happens? Of course, my video camera dies. Brooks had just been visiting us two weeks ago and we were using it to look back at our Europe videos and reminiscing on how much fun we had. Then I had it with me to take into the camera shop because it had been making a lot of error messages on it - like when I would try to record something it would say cassette error and make me re-insert the cassette and then it would work until I paused it or stopped recording and then tried to record again. This was especially annoying when I was trying to film my friend Bryan's wedding and that message kept popping up.

But, when I took it in to the shop to be looked at, for the first time ever the part where the cassette goes into wouldn't close back into the camera. It was stuck open and wouldn't budge at all. And then when I told the guy at the store that it as the first time it had done this but I also explained the message that was popping up and he was just like, um, that's not a good message. Basically it would have cost over $200 for them to look at it and attempt to fix it.

Soo . . . we of course decided to just buy a new one because it isn't worth it anymore to fix anything (the camera is 6 years old - we bought it to go to Europe in 2005). This also "counts" as part of my birthday present haha.

So, now this camera uses flash drives instead of tapes and Martin and Ash got almost the same kind for Christmas so they could video Emilie. I can't wait to use it in Hawaii, for our September Verissimo party and when we visit Bryan, Erika and the boys. Can't wait :)

Lincoln Triplett :)

2011-08-06T00:37:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, August 4th, Bryan and Erika welcomed Lincoln Triplett into the world.

Erika and Lincoln

Proud father - Bryan and Lincoln

So cute :)

Carter, Erika, Bryan and Lincoln

We are so excited for their new addition to their family and can't wait to make the trip to Washington to go visit them. Hopefully we will be able to go see them in either September or October.

Welcome to the family, Lincoln! :)

Family and Snorkeling

2011-07-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

My aunt Mary and uncle Archie came by last night on their way back from a baptism in San Diego and it was great to see them. We haven't really had any extended family visit us down here so it was nice to have some aunts and uncles visiting :)

Of course we took a picture - Sherri, me, aunt Mary and uncle Archie

and yes, Archie looks 6 feet tall :)

We had a nice breakfast with them this morning and then they headed back to Modesto. Later today we decided to get some snorkel gear for Hawaii. We had some gift cards to the dive/surf shop by us so we decided to buy some gear so we will have snorkel stuff at our fingertips whenever we need it in Maui.

my little flippers

Masks, fins, etc

Can't wait for Hawaii! 2 weeks and 4 days - the countdown has begun :)

Volleyball and Tosh

2011-07-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

People at work play volleyball in Hermosa most Wednesday afternoons so I decided to make an effort to attend this past Wednesday's volleyball session. Kevin also had the night off so I made him and Danny go with me to have some fun.

I am cheering because I did something good :)

Serving

Me and Jim Joe - action shot

More action shots (thanks Susie for manning the camera!)

Nice effort, Sherri!

this was epic - Kevin and Jim Joe are piled up on the right and I dove but with no ability to make the ball over the net

The girls: Sherri, Kiara, Kristie, me, Susie

That morning Kevin had texted me asking if I wanted to see Daniel Tosh that night at 8pm at the Hermosa Beach Comedy and Magic Club because Jules and her boyfriend had two extra tickets. Of course I said yes and figured that we would just do volleyball and bring a change of clothes and then make the stand-up.

We had actually been talking about going to this club for a long time to see some comedy but had never actually done it. However, seeing Tosh was a great first experience for the Comedy & Magic Club. We all think he's hilarious and it was really fun. Great day!

Melinda's 23rd!

2011-07-25T23:29:00.000-07:00

It was a tough week for me, dealing with Brandon's death and the uncertainty of if I would be able to attend his funeral, plus I was starting my second week of the Summer Bridge program I was teaching for. However, it was Lindy's birthday and she is not usually someone excited for birthdays, so the fact that she wanted to come visit Sherri and I and celebrate her birthday was a rare occasion and one we had to take her up on.

Lindy really wanted to go to sushi so we found a place in Hermosa and had some sushi plus Lindy's favorite: sake bombs!

Danny, Sherri, Jim Joe, me, Lindy and Anthony

Lindy and I

Sherri and Jim Joe

Danny Son

Anthony, Lindy and me

Lindy, so happy

Even happier

Lindy gearing up for more sake bombs

You say sake I say bomb: Sake, bomb!

Birthday girl!

Chopsticks down

Anthony and Lindy with her cappuccino ice cream or something

So pretty

Lindy and JJ - BFF's

Sisters!

Sherri and JJ - what a big smile!

Party group - Danny, Sherri, Anthony, Lindy, JJ and me

Danny so pretty

Soulmates!

Lindy's birthday, overall, was very fun (at least for me!) and I think she had a great time too. Looks like 23 is going to be a good year for her :)

See you later, Brandon

2011-07-25T23:02:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 8th, at about 2am, one of my very dear friends, Brandon Edwards, passed away in a car accident on highway 99 in my hometown of Modesto.

Brandon was one of those people who got along with anybody he met and was just a source of laughter and joy. Some of my best memories of high school include him in it.

At Shannon and Stephen's wedding:

Amy, Brandon and Ash

Brandon holding his goddaughter, Ainsley

At Big Bryan's 30th birthday

Brandon in true Brandon fashion

Nic, Anthony, Brandon, me and Cherish (1998)

I met Brandon my junior year of high school during theater class. Of course, I don't believe Brandon was ever actually enrolled in our drama class, but I think he would just pop in and hang out with us because Nic was his best friend and in the theater class with me. The first play we did was from the picture above, Horror High, and Brandon was able to be in the play because he was in the Drama Club with us. He played a security guard and during his scene he would always run onto the stage, fumbling with his gun, then the gun would go sliding off the stage and Brandon would follow closely behind. Then he would pop up from the ground and say, "I'm alright!"

That year cemented our friendship and me, Nic, Amy and Brandon would hang out pretty much everyday and every weekend. Nic and Brandon introduced us to the movie Tommy Boy.

Amy and I had never seen this movie but it was one of Nic and Brandon's favorites so they had us sit down and watch it and they would say all the lines before the actors would and they would laugh so hard at every part. Amy and I couldn't help but laugh along with them because their laughter was so infectious. There's one distinct part in the movie where Chris Farley is driving and the hood of the car flies up and there's a shot of his face looking around the hood to see a huge truck coming directly at him and his face changes from laughing to horror. Brandon re-wound and watched those five seconds over and over and Amy and I were laughing so hard because of him.

My parents would host a lot of BBQ's at our house those last few years of high school and beginning of college and Brandon was at a lot of them. We all remember one time that him and Big Bryan were jumping on the trampoline and after like the third bounce Brandon went flying and Bryan just stayed in place. I know we have it on video somewhere and I need to find it.

Brandon also came to Vegas with us the year we all turned 21 and after re-watching that tape after Brandon's funeral it appears that he was the star of the trip. He was making everyone laugh, he lost all his money less than halfway into the trip and spent the last $30 he had on cigars for himself and Kevin, lol.

The funeral was a week later, July 15th, and it was up until the last minute that I didn't know if I was going to be able to make it or not, but luckily a friend at work picked up my shift so I could attend. However, in order to make it work I had to leave at 4am on Friday, got into Modesto just in time and then had to face the infamous carmaggedon the next morning to make it back to Redondo. However, it was more than worth it that I was able to pay my respects and say good-bye.

The service was very nice, though it was heartbreaking to see Brandon's brothers carrying his casket and seeing his poor mother. At the cemetery Ashlie put a copy of Tommy Boy on his casket. It is still hard for me to comprehend that he is truly gone.

There was a very nice reception afterwards and then we had some people come over to our house where we relived memories of Brandon and found some videos of him from past parties at our house.

The infamous trampoline

Baby Emilie and Ash

Sandy, Bryan, Harjit, Martin, Kyler, me and Ash

It was nice to have a chance to remember Brandon and see the past videos of him and hear his voice and his laugh. Also, since Sandy (Bryan's wife) hadn't met him she was able to sort of see the guy we had been talking about for so long through the videos.

After watching the tapes and reminiscing, we realized that it is important for everyone to get together more often and we're planning on having a get-together in September at my parents house to make sure everyone stays connected and has fun together. Unfortunately it took something as horrific as Brandon's death to make us wake up and realize that we can't take each other for granted and need to appreciate our friendships.

I miss you Brandon. But this isn't good-bye, it's see you later.