Playing Catch-up...

So...the inherent flaw in the concept of me having a blog is my seeming inability to post on a regular basis (this is not a new flaw...it has haunted me throughout ever diary, journal, blog, etc. I have ever tried to maintain).  There's some little voice (not the crazy kind, I promise) in the back of my mind that tries to tell me that if I don't post for a long time, I have to post like crazy to catch up, that somehow I need to document everything semi-momentous that happened since the last time I posted.  The very concept of that just makes me tired.

So I'm turning over a new leaf.  Or at least I'm going to attempt to silence this little voice and just let go and move on, rather than just give up on this blog all together.  But, since I can't completely silence this little voice, at least not all at once, I'm going to do one "catch-up" post to try to cover a few of the minor/major things that have gone on in the past 4 months...

And away we go...

June - 

I know, I did post in June, but I left out something very important:
the first annual Girl's Getaway Weekend with all the women on my dad's side of the family for my grandma's birthday (84th this year)!

My mom came up with the idea and it was a stroke of genius...and so much fun!  We rented a house in Pollock Pines for Friday and Saturday nights and all 10 women on that side of the family (including my cousins' four girls) had a fantastic time relaxing together.  It was wonderful to spend time with family that I don't see that often and get to know them better.  Plus, I'm pretty sure Grandma loved it!

On a sad note, we lost Kate as a roommate.  But really we couldn't blame her...paying rent at our place for baby Ava wasn't in the budget plan.

July - 

A last minute workshop came up for work...in Delaware!  So my coworker and I hopped on a plane to Philly and next thing I knew we were driving around the East Coast.  The workshop was only for 2.5 days, but my boss let me take Friday off, so I got to do quite a bit of sightseeing before heading home.

What did I do while I was over there?

-ate an authentic Philly cheese steak
-walked through the streets of historic Philadelphia
-accidentally ended up in New Jersey momentarily when I made a right turn at the wrong time
-saw the Liberty Bell, toured Independence Hall and got a little misty-eyed seeing a real draft of the Declaration of Independence
-drove through PA, DE, MD and VA (and saw license plates from 20+ states in less than three hours of driving)
-marveled at the Washington's inviting home in Mt. Vernon
-took a cruise on the Potomac
-solemnly witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery
-visited the DC Temple (gorgeous!)
-explored a living history museum in Amish country depicting life in PA in the 18th, and 19th centuries
-and waited for an Amish (or Mennonite?) horse and buggy to cross the rode on my way back to Philadelphia to head home
Yeah, I really crammed a lot into 2.5 days...it was fantastic
.

I finished up the month with a 1 night stay in Sacramento (also for work) at the historic Citizen hotel downtown.

August - 

One more trip for work to round out the summer...a week long project management training in Houston (my first time in Texas!).  The training was intense (8am to 6pm every day and busy every minute of that 10 hour day), but it was fantastic!  And I got to meet people from all different sectors within Siemens...in fact I was the only colleague representing Healthcare at all.

I didn't have as much time for sightseeing in Houston, but I did do the following:

-ate authentic Texas bbq brisket
-visited the Houston Temple (hands down prettiest temple exterior I've seen so far)
-drove through the "fancy" historic section of Houston
-got stuck in the airport for several hours due to a sudden, out of the blue...literally...thunder and hail storm...in August!

September - 

No big trips this month...but some great smaller activities:

-A's game on Labor Day with the East Bay Mid-Singles crowd (A's won!)
-kayaking for the first time at Elkhorn Slough just north of Monterey
-got a new roommate
-celebrated with Amy at her baby shower (can't wait to meet that little one!)
-Won first place in my fantasy baseball league...and got the trophy to prove it!

And October -

Again, mostly a lot of little stuff this month:

-was inspired by the messages during the General Conference broadcasts the first weekend of the month
-presented some of my experiences and impressions of Germany at family home evening
-watched a live performance of Carmina Burana, which one of the performers described as, a "space opera"
-took my mom and brother to Pacific Grove for two nights while the heating/cooling system was replaced at their house (and those two nights were quite the story...)
-and nearly got scared to death at Halloween Haunt at Great America...my first time visiting that establishment since Physics day senior year of high school.

Whew...and now that I'm all caught up...I think I need a nap!

Super Saturday (of the non-sewing variety)

As most who know me may have noticed, I tend to always have some activity planned for each Saturday, whether it be one of our local sightseeing trips, or a trip up to see my grandparents.  This recent Saturday I had not only planned not just one major event...but two:  a birthday lunch for one roommate and a baby shower for the other.

A few months ago, I mentioned to Lisa that, being the baseball fan she is, I thought she'd like to have lunch at McCovey's.  After explaining that McCovey's is a restaurant owned by Willie McCovey, filled with baseball (and particularly Giants) memorabilia we decided it would be the perfect place to celebrate her birthday this year.  And to watch the Giants game, of course.

So come Saturday morning on the anniversary of Lisa's birth, we dressed in our Giants gear and made the trek up I-680 to McCovey's, where we had a fabulous lunch and watched the game to the bitter end (they lost in the ninth), and where I took far too many pictures.

Who doesn't love Bieber?

Free birthday Sundae...no spoon included.

After the game we headed back to our place to celebrate the pending arrival of Kate's baby girl Ava (due in just 7 short weeks).

The spread...

Hard at work coming up with baby names...

Guess how big mama's baby bump is...

Presents!

Adorable!!

Lisa's wrapping paper baby bump isn't quite as impressive...

 All in all, it was a long day...but a great one!

ADDoodles...

A few years back my dad was diagnosed with ADD (which explains a lot of things...).  Now, I've taken some online tests and Kaiser pre-tests, and I don't think I'd be diagnosable with ADD.  But...I definitely have some ADD tendencies.  Or as I like to refer to it, ADOS (Attention Deficit...oooh shiny!).

Characteristics I've noticed in myself:  

• inability to stay still (I've always got a jiggling foot or a taping finger)
• my inability NOT to pay attention to conversations going on in my vicinity
• the way I consistently have at least 2 things going on at once (TV while I'm online, music while I'm working, etc.)

One thing I've noticed recently is that I seem to be unable to pay attention in meetings at work in which I'm not actively participating, unless I'm doing something with my hands.  As a result I now have an impressive collection of sketches in my work notebook.  Which is not always easy to explain to my coworkers...

As you can see...there's not too much of a common theme, but hey, at least it keeps me paying attention.

My Mama

My very favorite picture with my mom

I've been blessed throughout my life we several constants amid the challenges and changes I've faced.  And one of those constants has been my relationship with my mom.  She has been my mentor, comforter, counselor, and friend among many other titles I could name.

I have a host of favorite memories of my mom and with my mom.  Here are just a few(cause you know I love making lists...):

• watching her sew and mimicking her by dressing up my dolls in the scraps
• her endless patience and enthusiasm when I wanted to play bank (or hotel..or restaurant..or shopkeeper..) with her, even when she had a million other things she needed to do
• spending hours pouring over Barbie magazines together 
• her relentless creativity when there was a problem to be solved (my rain cloak for Prom...slipcovers for my blow up furniture in college...)
• her unfailing kindness and the way she's always seen and treated everyone she meets as an individual worthy of interest and care
• staying up late watching Nick@Nite and crazy infomercials
• her selflessness and love towards her family
• wonderful vacations where we always had everything we needed because mom made sure to be prepared
• singing (all the time, in all ways)
• her comforting hugs and patience whenever I needed it

I could go on..and on..and on.  But mostly I just want to say a giant THANK YOU! to my mom for all she's done for me and with me and for the example she's been.

Thank you for always listening...even when I fought and didn't want to to talk.
Thank you for teaching me how to admit it when I'm wrong and that it's okay to be wrong if you learn from it and make amends.
Thank you for sharing your creativity with me and for always encouraging me to develop my own.
Thank you for everything you gave up so that I could have something better.
Thank you for reminding me again and again of my potential and that you're proud of me (I hope you know how proud I am of you too).
Thank you for holding me close but letting me go when you knew I needed to grow.
Thank you for welcoming me back with open arms every time.
Thank you for laughing with me.
Thank you for letting me take care of you sometimes.
Thank you for being the best friend I've ever had.
And thank you for being the best mom I could imagine.

I love you!!

First trip to Disneyland with Mom

Most recent trip to Disneyland with Mom

 Before Google or Pinterest...she made the best dress up costumes ever!

 Who else had a mom that not only let them plant a garden on the refrigerator, but still brags about it?!

 I got the best care pacakges EVER in college!

I love you, Mom!!!

P.S.  I'm pretty sure this video will make you tear up, just like it did me.  I'd rather have you than any manual.

Lady Antebellum

What's a girl to do on a Friday night?  When Lady Antebellum is in town the answer is apparently:  decide on a whim to hop in the car with 3 friends and pick up lawn seats for their concert.

I haven't been to a concert for a while (probably over two years?) so when Katy mentioned that she and our friend Michelle were going to see Lady Antebellum and I should come, I couldn't resist.  And neither could my local adventure friends...

The concert was great!  The band was awesome (especially impressive given the female lead singer was over 6 months pregnant!) and the crowd was lively.  I think one of the best parts about lawn seats is that you can totally sing and dance along with the music and no one cares.  In fact, it's almost expected.

All in all it was a fantastic night.  Made even better because it was so spontaneous!

 We might have been far away...but the music was great and we had a blast!

 

So...nobody holds up lighters anymore...now it's all about the smart phones.

Malvern...

So I've officially been working for Siemens for 7 1/2 years.  One of the fun things about working for such a large, multinational company is how many different Siemens locations there are worldwide.  They have a presence in pretty much every country, state, and region.  As expected, some locations are bigger and more "famous" than others in the Siemens world. 

In the time I've been working for this giant octopus of a company, I've been privileged to visit some of their bigger (and smaller locations):

Concord, CA (home base for 7 years)

Berkeley, CA (home base for the past 6 months)

Mountain View, CA

West Sacramento, CA

Sacramento, CA

Hoffman Estates, IL

Cary, NC

Erlangen, Germany

Forchheim, Germany

Kemnath, Germany

Heidelberg, Germany

Nürnberg, Germany

And my most recent, and long-awaited Siemens destination?  Malvern, PA.

Ever since I started at Siemens Healthcare I've wanted to visit the corporate headquarters location in Malvern.  I've worked with a lot of different colleagues located in Malvern, received company-wide emails about Malvern, and heard about the huge complex there.

I can now officially say I've been to the offices in Malvern.  I traveled to the infamous office with my manager for a two day workshop related to the huge project we're currently working on.  

I had hoped that I'd have the opportunity to see something of the area while I was there, since it was my first time in Pennsylvania, but unfortunately our days were packed and I didn't get to see much outside of the office and hotel area.  Although I did try to grab a few pictures on the road while we were sitting in traffic heading back to the airport.

My thoughts on the location:

-the area is beautiful!  So quaint and green.  And as my manager said, there are churches on every corner!

-the office complex is HUGE...at least 3 corporate buildings with 5 floors full of Siemens employees.

-it is a terrible place to try and navigate...there are no maps (that I could find) and people are listed in the corporate directory by their cube number (which includes no indication of what building or floor they are in/on)

-security is a little bit crazy...you not only have to badge through the front door, but there are doors in many of the main hallways that also require you to pass your badge over to get through

All in all it was great to finally see this mysterious location I've heard so much about and I hope I'll have the opportunity to visit again...and hopefully take some time to see the surrounding area too!

Pretty lake we drove by (please excuse the reflection through the window)

 "The Classic Diner" where we had lunch on our way out of town.

The Dome

I have a lot of wonderful memories of special one-on-one experiences with important people during my childhood:
-story time at the library and lunch at McDonald's with Grandma Harris
-playing Barbies with Mom
-swimming with Grandpa Purcell and chicken soup with Grandma Purcell
and many more...

Among those memories, some of my favorites were Daddy-Daughter dates to the movies.  We saw a lot of movies together.  And it was always a special treat (big thanks to my mom for being so sweet holding down the fort while we were out having fun).  But you always knew it was an extra special occasion when you went to see a movie at "The Dome".

The Dome was the biggest screen in the area, in a huge wrought iron, dome-shaped theater, complete with curtains over the screen that opened when the show was about to begin.  There was something old and majestic about that theater that just made you feel like you were back in some bygone era of glamorous Hollywood.  Just walking in and finding your seat, you knew you were in for something special.

All the biggest and most anticipated films were shown in the Dome.  I'm pretty sure I saw at least one Indiana Jones movie in the Dome.

With the rise of newer, stadium seating and IMAX theaters, the Dome has slowly declined over the last decade.  And I heard the sad news 2 weeks ago, that the beloved theater would be showing one last weekend of classics before closing permanently and being demo'd.

So it was that on Friday April 18th I made one last trek to the Dome, to see, arguably one of the most famous classics in movie history, Jaws, on the big curved screen of that massive theater.

The movie, which I've seen before, frankly freaked me out.  I'd forgotten how jumpy I get in the movies and I think I ended up watching half the movie from behind the sweatshirt I was cuddling up under as a blanket.  Nonetheless, it was a magical experience.  I felt that same anticipation as I sat in the darkened theater, looking up at the wrought iron canopy above me.  And I think one of my favorite parts was listening to all the other movie-goers reminisce about their history with that special place.

The Dome theater may be gone, but the memories it inspired will live on in my mind and in the minds of all those who ever participated in the grand experience of seeing a movie in "The Dome."

FiLoLi

Fight.  Love.  Live.

One of my very favorite places I've discovered in the Bay Area is Filoli.  It's a National Historic Site in Woodside, which consists of an elaborate (and huge!) mansion built in the early 1900's.  Eclipsing this lovely home are acres of spectacular gardens.  I discovered Filoli last year and have been back 3 times since then (most recently on April 13th).

After visits in April, June and August I've decided I most enjoy the spring flowers...bluebells, wisteria, tulips, poppies, irises. The colors are spectacular!

John Muir House and Miscellaneous Shennanigans

Our ongoing quest: to visit (in some cases) little-known tourists attractions in the area.  The stop this weekend?  John Muir House in Martinez.

First we met up in Pleasant Hill for some tasty Greek food at Daphne's.  Then we headed up to the house.  The house and surrounding orchards are beautifully preserved and I felt like we were stepping back in time.  However, the surrounding city creates something of a jarring backdrop to the pastoral beauty of the land.  Nevertheless, it was lovely (I carefully avoided the jarring angles in my pictures to preserve the fantasy).

It was something of a confused day - at one point it was simultaneously sunny and raining big fat drops on our heads as we explored the grounds.  But the temperature was warm and the showers were brief, so it didn't cause us much discomfort.  And the skies were lovely.

We did get a little goofy about halfway through and had an impromptu photo shoot along the way.  The subject?  Awkward (and/or stereotypical) high school portraits - including prom and senior pics.  We might look pretty ridiculous, but we had a great time!

Oh...and I pretty much loved this palm tree.  I really think I need one of these...

Local Travels?

A couple of dear friends and I have decided that while we're currently unable to plan extravagant trips to exotic, distant venues, we will explore the interesting, kitschy, and/or lovely sights in our own Bay Area backyard.

Here's a short list we came up with of some of the places we'd like to go:
-Golden Gate Park
-Monterey/Pacific Grove
-Hearst Castle
-Sacramento Old Town
-Sacramento Capital area
-49 mile scenic drive through SF
-90 minute walk through the Marin headlands
-Filoli
-Winchester Mystery House
-Coastal drive
-Colma (who doesn't love a city with more dead people than living?)

We already crossed one item off our list since brainstorming - the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose.

As a fan of all things Egyptian since a young age I can't believe it's taken me this long to visit a museum, dedicated to Egypt, which is so close to home.

It was a lovely day and we spent over 2 hours wandering through the 4 exhibit halls.  I found it fascinating and  was only a little creeped out by the cat mummies (somehow I found them more disturbing than the people mummies?!?).

Sarah...in a window (she's there...you just have to look really hard)

 Two Lisas in two windows...

What's next?