Great Friday!

After a rough week at work I really needed a "great day" and today was great!


My day started out with me going to work (this was not the "great" part, don't get me wrong, it was not horrible but it was work).


Then, around 10:45 a.m. my day started becoming great! First, before leaving work, someone asked me to help them troubleshoot a problem with one of our systems. Although I was not able to assist them that exact moment, I did give them a tip and said that I'd be more than willing to assist them on Monday morning. This definitely gives me something to look forward to when I go in to work on Monday because troubleshooting system problems is the part of my job I absolutely love the most. I think I love this part because I get to analyze a problem and try to solve it; it reminds me of when we used to be given challenge problem in math or science. I just love the sense of accomplishment I achieve when I solve one of these issues. Unfortunately, my everyday routine work usually falls short of challenging me in this sort of way, which might be why I often wonder if I'm doing what I'm meant to do.


So back to my great day...after leaving work I met up with my friends Aurora, Lynn, Amanda, and Annabelle for lunch at Pompeii's. It was so nice to catch up with them and hear everything that's going on in their lives. Unfortunately, due to all of our busy schedules, we don't get to meet up often but it's wonderful when we do because they are such great people all of whom I admire (yep, Annabelle, even as young as you are I even admire you).


After our lunch I headed home for a quick nap before my tire appointment. Naps are one of the great, relaxing pleasures of life that I look forward to when I have afternoons off.

After my nap I headed to Discount Tire to have my tires rotated and valve stems replaced due to the recent recall. When I first arrived at Discount Tire, it was crowded and based on other customers' grumblings, it sounded as though there was a long wait. I asked the service rep how long the wait was and he explained that since I had made an appointment I should be out of there within 45 min - 1hr. Then after only waiting about 30 min my car was done and I was out of there--yay for appointments that are actually taken seriously!

To wind down the evening, Jacob made a delicious dinner with butterflied pork chops, seasoned potatoes, and brussel sprouts. We caught up on CSI (Las Vegas) and by 7:30 pm I fell asleep on the couch. I think I was exhausted from the stressful work week and my allergy/sinus problems that had gotten worse over the week.

All-in-all Friday was a wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating day and feel completely refreshed and ready to begin the weekend!

Sea World with Mom

On Sunday (10/11/08), Jacob and I took my mom to Sea World. We had a blast! We saw all of the shows (or at least all of the shows we wanted to see) and we visited the sharks, penguins, sea lions, and otters.





We enjoyed lunch at the park. Jacob and my mom ordered burgers and yes, I ordered a huge chili cheese dog!





We even convinced my mom to ride Atlantis. I was so proud of her for getting on the ride. After all, she's not quite as young as she used to be and rides make her a little more nauseous than she used to feel several years ago. All in all, we enjoyed riding the ride with her. She even made us laugh with her facial expressions! But I must confess that I did feel a little guilty about not telling her about the part where you go backwards!





After the Atlantis, we had planned to dry off by riding the Steel Eel (mom had enough rides by then so she agreed to watch our stuff). Sadly, the ride was stuck on the lower part of the incline (we were thankful it got stuck before we got on). As an alternative, we relocated my mom and our stuff to the Great White, but the line was so long that we decided we weren't meant to ride a coaster after all.





Later we enjoyed an afternoon snack. Jacob had a candy apple and I had cotton candy. My mom didn't want a snack but thankfully she helped me with my cotton candy.



Zombie (can you see the worms crawling out of him?)


Next, we headed off to wait in line for the haunted forest. I noticed that waiting in line flies by when you're with 2 other people because the conversation never seems to die. It was great. Not to mention that we enjoyed watching the warewolves and zombies spook people. Then as we approached the entrance, Jacob commented about how he hated haunted houses because he always ended up at the end of the line...and sure enough that's where we ended up. As soon as Jacob realized this, he frantically pushed my mom and me aside so that we would be last instead of him...it felt like we were part of a Seinfeld episode. So, hand in hand, Jacob led me and I led my mom into the forest. It was spooky and fun! The beginning definitely address my slight claustrophobia...and then the rest was suspensefully frightening. I'm so glad we went through it and again I was proud of both Jacob and my mom for coping with their fears and enjoying the experience with me.
Making friends with a zombie




We ended the day with the Shamu show and then headed to Subway for a light dinner that included some much needed veggies!
Mom & me waiting to see Shamu

Cesar & Kara's Wedding

Cesar & Kara's 1st dance

On Saturday (10/11/08), we attended my cousin Cesar's wedding. It was beautiful! The ceremony was held in the Gazebo area at the SW School of Art & Craft. After the ceremony, they encouraged us to mingle and enjoy refreshing drinks and delicious appetizers, while they took picures. Then, we headed to the chapel for the reception. The reception area was gorgeous! The dimmed lighting and magnificent interior design created an elegant dinner setting, not to mention that the food was spectacular!

Aunt Rose & Cesar (Mother/Son Dance)

Brittany (sister) & Niki (Cousin) Grandma

After dinner the dancing began. It was a lot of fun to watch Cesar and his friends "challenge" each other on the dance floor. The DJ was great and played a lot of good hits (Daniel, they even played "Ice Ice Baby"!)


Mom & Britt Us

Cesar & Kara: Thank you for sharing your day with us! We wish you the best as you venture into the new chapter of your lives together!

ACTS-travaganza HIV Ministry

On Saturday we attended the ACTS-travaganza HIV Ministry Casino Night event. We've attended this event for the last few years and we always have a good time. It's a great fundraiser for the HIV ministry and it allows us to enjoy a good dinner, sample several types of Sangria, hang out with a few friends, get our gambling fix, and most of all, donate to a great cause, all in one night.

My brother donated 2 pictures this year which helped raise $50 in the silent auction (thank you, Manuel!).

Our friends Scott and Tiffany introduced us to this event a few years ago and it has become something we look forward to every year. Tiffany was even the event chairman this year and she plans to chair it again next year (great job, Tiffany!).


Jessica & John

Us

Scott (Tiffany was busy coordinating stuff all night)