Is it Thursday already? I've been meaning to update my blog for a few days now, but had work dinners, met up with friends, and have been working late all week, so this is the first chance I've found the time. My Thanksgiving was perfect! This year more than any, I had a very thankful Thanksgiving with my family. So much has happened this year (as you'll see from my prior blog posts). I finally feel...truly happy! It's funny how you appreciate and love the craziness in your family the older you get (scary I know). Nothing is more important to me than family and this Thanksgiving, I spent true quality family time with mine :)Some family members missing, but I've also become closer with everyone in my family this last year...more than any. Dave and I hung out on Thanksgiving Day and walked over to the local park (Vasona Lake Park), then on Friday we drove up to Redding to spend time with my Mom, Dad, Brother, Niece and Grandma for the traditional Thanksgiving. Here are some pics:
I've also been updating my blog layout to include a few more links on the left hand side bar. Updated my Christmas list and have received a few comments about it...is it that funny? It's more of my own personal wishlist, so please don't feel inspired to purchase any of the items (except mom and dad). I added my friend, Sanjana's blog and Gina's brother's MySpace (John LaRocca) page under Community websites and I also updated my Celebrity News widget and added a widget with The Office episodes. on the bottom of the page. I love that show!
And last but not least, a couple of links that have peaked my interest this week:
Somewhat slow week, but a good slow week and we did take some time to catch up around the house and visit with family members over the weekend :) This week I thought I'd start a Christmas Wishlist on my blog (left hand side of page), which is actually more of my personal wishlist and is not meant to push anyone to give me a gift. More of a list I can refer to when I'm ready to make a purchase or for my immediate family looking for ideas.
Also, I thought I would add a few of my Social Networking sites, in case you want to add me as a friend, but you'll always find most of my updates on this blog. Check out these links:
As mentioned in a previous blog, I'm working to make a few positive choices in my life, since we moved back home and some of these changes are now in full swing. I joined Toastmasters International this week. Check out their website at: ToastMasters International for more information. I've also made a really big change in my life, which I would love to shout out to the world I've accomplished one of the biggest goals in my life, but some people didn't know about it...so for now I'm keeping it quiet. Let's just say I'm handling a health concern and I feel on top of the world!!!
Last Friday night, Dave and I went to see Martian Child with John Cusack. I highly recommend this movie! Go see it if you are in the mood to warm your heart and smile :)
One last story and a short video. When I was unemployed and living in LA last year, I started fishing around online for people in the local area, who had similar interests as mine to meet new people in the area and for possible employment opportunities and ran into a blog that sparked my interest. After reading there was a DVD Release Party for a new online Podcast site called AskaNinja.com, I joined the party with my friend, Trisha, and briefly met Micki. I guess you could say...I kind of "stalked" her, but it was only to meet someone who I truly admire. She was really nice and it made for a funny story. Her website is listed to the left under the caption, Community Websites and listed as Mickipedia, if you want to check it out. Here's a cool video she posted recently, that I found quite thought provoking (I also thought it would be helpful for some of my friends):
Tune in next week for more exciting stuff and Thanksgiving pics with the family.
Monday, November 12, 2007
In case you haven't figured it out yet...you can scroll over and click on any of the underlined links to pull up more information in a separate window.
To begin, I hung out with Gina, a longtime childhood friend, who I haven't seen in over a year, last Thursday night and we had a great time catching up! And Denise, another longtime friend, flew in from Minnesota on Friday for a funeral on Saturday.
Unfortunately, I do not always have good news to report. My good friends, Tanya and Denise,used to work for Dr. Arnold back in our early 20's and we have all remained in contact with him on and off over the years. He passed away last Saturday, November 3rd after a motorcycle accident, so we attended his funeral and were amazed at how much he accomplished and did over his 66 years of life. Here is his obituary: Dr. James Edward "Ouzel" Arnold
You will be missed by many, Dr. Arnold.
On Sunday, Dave and I drove up to San Francisco for the....Green Festival
Here are some pics of our day: I call this one, "Little Boy Playing at the Green Festival".
Closing Ceremonies
Then we drove over to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner and found this restaurant along the pier: Castagnola’s - Fisherman’s Wharf The food was wonderful, but somewhat pricey. The view of the pier was exquisite and very romantic. A+ on ambience and food! I'd give Castagnola's a 9 1/2 out of 10, on the Cheri scale, overall. Be sure and check it out if you are up for a trip to Pier 39 in San Francisco.
One last note...here's a cool trailer for a movie I'm looking forward to seeing by Morgan Spurlock (the same guy who produced Super Size Me) when it opens on November 16th:
We were welcomed back to the Bay Area on October 30th by a little 5.6 Earthquake...and they said there were no injuries ;) Look what happened to my knee, when I dove under Dave's table: On Halloween (still recovering from the earthquake), we hung around and handed out candy to the Trick or Treaters. We only had a couple of knocks on the the door, so Dave and I will have to devour the rest of the candy... Also, this week I began making some improvements in my life. I cut out a few bad habits (for good this time) and am trying to make better personal and physical changes, as well. More to come on this subject. Yesterday, Dave and I decided to venture over the Santa Cruz Mountains for a hike and get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and fresh, clean air of Northern California. Our first stop was one of the best hiking trails, I've ever been on and it was very scenic. Here's the website for Waddell Creek - Rancho Del Oso hiking trail, if you want to check it out sometime. It's worth the drive along the Northern Pacific Coast. Check out these pics: I call this one "Colors of Fall" ! Gotta love the change of seasons. After our 3 hour hike, we drove up the coast about 10 miles to a little beach town, called Pescadero and noticed this striking lighthouse down the coast line. So, we pulled over and snapped a few pics of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse. After our pit stop at the lighthouse, we drove back down the coast to another little town, called Davenport for dinner at Davenport Roadhouse. We liked the atmosphere there, but the food could've been better and the menu was very limted in selection with many foods, we had not heard of before. Anyway, just being a food critic. We topped off the evening with a movie (Dan in Real Life), came home reset our clocks for Daylight Savings and went to bed.
