Lake Tahoe

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Man, I meant to post Lake Tahoe pictures within a few hours after the last post. As you can see, that didn’t happen. So here’s the brief recap (a month late).

Once I finally made it to Lake Tahoe, our family had a great time. There was a lot of hot tubbing and swimming with the nieces and nephews, good food, and just enjoying family. On Monday, we went out to Emerald Bay where we hiked to a few waterfalls and an old vacation home on the beach called Vikingsholm. It was a really nice hike and gorgeous scenery.

On day two, we took everyone on a biking trip. Lake Tahoe has a biking trail around practically the whole lake, so we took the kids on about a 20 mile stretch of it. The older ones actually rode bikes, while the younger ones rode in bike trailers. They were troopers and it was actually kind of fun to pull a bike trailer.

The morning of day three was filled with golfing with my brothers. It was a great time, but let’s just say the course was really narrow with pine trees and a ball or two ricocheted off a couple of those pine trees. It’s been almost two years since I have golfed because there’s not really anywhere in NYC that’s convenient. I need to get back on my game.

On Thursday, we went on an adults-only biking adventure. We drove our SUVs up the mountain with bikes in tow and then rode the bikes down the mountain (thus, averting having to ride up the steep mountainside). The trail was great. It had rocks, logs, and switchbacks, everything a mountain biker could ever ask for. My brother-in-law even ran into a tree trying to land a jump. It was quite the adventure. We rode the trail a few different times before we had to head back for the evening.

On Friday, our trip to Tahoe came to an end, but my parents suggested we stop in Yosemite on the way home. At first, I wasn’t too keen on the idea of sitting in the car for 10 hours that day, but at the end of the day I was glad I went. Yosemite is one of the most beautiful yet rustic places that I have been to. Just see the accompanying pictures. It is breathtaking when you first drive into Yosemite Valley. While we were there, we stopped several times, saw a bear, hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls and Yosemite Falls, and just enjoyed our time in nature.
I couldn’t have had a more relaxing vacation.

Travel Adventures

Sunday, June 21, 2009

So I just got back from a fun filled week in Lake Tahoe with my family. It was quite crazy getting there. I left work early Friday afternoon to head out to Newark airport, the train was running really slow because of the rain, but I finally got to the airport. I noticed a huge line at Delta's check-in, but luckily I am medallion, so I got in my own line. As I was waiting, I heard the word delayed and I though, shoot, I hope that's not my flight. When I got up to the counter, I heard the same exact words. Delayed. Because of the rain delay, I would miss my connection in Salt Lake City to Reno. They had already rebooked me on the first flight out on Saturday, but I figured I would rather spend the night in Salt Lake and take the first flight to Reno than pay to take the train back into the city, wake up super early and pay to take the train back out to Newark only to get to Tahoe 3 or 4 hours later.

Anyway, the man behind the counter was kind enough to rebook me back on my original flight and then the first flight out to Reno Sat. morning. Then came the fun part. I was talking to my mom, telling her I wouldn't be showing up that night, when I realized my battery on my blackberry was low. I wasn't planning on the delay, so I had packed my blackberry charger in the luggage I had just checked. So with minimal battery life, I quickly called everyone I knew in the Salt Lake area. I felt it was too far of a drive for my friends in Provo. I figured worse come to worse I could spend the night in the airport (until my mom reminded me it was ten hour layover, not four or five) or I could rent a car and go to my brother's house (who was already in Tahoe). In the end, I finally was able to arrange something ten minutes before I boarded the plane. A big thanks goes out to my friend Liz (from NY, but just happened to be visiting her family for the weekend)! The only consolation is that the airline upgraded me to 1st class which made the long flight a lot nicer.

I finally made it to Tahoe the next morning, only 12 hours later than I had originally planned.

Jersey Shore Relay

Sunday, April 19, 2009

So a few months back, a couple of friends asked me if I wanted to run the Jersey Shore Relay Race. I blew it off, but then they asked again and I agreed. Due to busy season, I haven't been able to run, so I planned on running a couple of times the week leading up to the race. After a busy week, that never happened. Thus, I was a little nervous how I was going to do. In the end, I had plenty of energy and sprinted at the end to beat another team. It was such a fun day. Here's a recap.

We had to leave the city at 5:30 in the morning to head down to the Jersey Shore. The race started at 8 and our team members would be racing for the next 4 hours. Some parts of the race were along the roadway, so we would stop, cheer our team members on, and take pictures. Our group of friends had 4 teams running the race, so there were plenty of people to cheer for. We would then travel to the next leg of the race. It couldn't have been more fun.

After the race, they had a little expo with food and products for the runners. We didn't stay long because we were on the Jersey Shore and we were experiencing the best weather we had seen since the year started! We went and laid out on the beach. We put our feet in the water, but April is a little too cold to be getting in the water.

When you are a New Yorker visiting Jersey, you do two things: 1) Go to Costco and/or Target and 2) hit up the chain restaurants and places that aren't in the city. So after enjoying the beach for a few hours, we found a 7-Eleven for some slurpees and headed to Costco. After Costco, we headed to one of my all-time favorite restaurants: PF Changs. The lettuce wraps, Mongolian Beef, and Great Wall of Chocolate were just as good as I remembered them.

It really couldn't have been a better Saturday. A good race, good food, and great friends!

All my friends who ran the race.

Stretching it out

Just about to start my leg.

And we were done. We finished!

Surviving

Sunday, February 22, 2009

So it has been almost three months since I have last posted. This is not due to a lack of desire. It is due to a lack of something called time. I'm right in the middle of "busy season" at work, which means I get off at 10 or 11 every night of the week and work all day Saturday. That leaves very little time for everything else that needs to get done in my life. It also means I don't see any of my friends anymore.

I've learned to cope with the whole situation and I even wonder what I used to do when I had a bunch of time after I got off work. Hopefully I'll find out soon as I'm counting down the weeks until it will slow down a little bit.

Anyway, there is so much I've wanted to blog about, but here is something to tide you over until I get more time.

EAST meets WEST

So it was a cold January day amidst all the splendor and enormity of New York City, when my friends and I decided to step out of our little New York world and step into a place called Madison Square Garden where they were hosting the Professional Bullriders Rodeo. We had a great time dressing up in the most western gear we had (belt buckle and all). Unfortunately, I don't own any cowboy boots, but maybe next time.

The rodeo was great and we didn't want it to end. It's always fun to see the riders and feel the anxiety of wondering whether they'll get hurt. Even though it is quite a different feeling than the outdoor rodeos I've been to, it reminded me a little bit of my earlier years. I've always said, you can experience anything in New York.

Thanksgiving Day Parade

Monday, December 1, 2008

One of my major "to-do's" while living in New York was to attend the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year I decided to stay in the city for Thanksgiving, so it was the perfect opportunity to attend the parade. Luckily I had a good friend who invited me to watch the parade at her office. We woke up early (but not as early as we would have if we had watched the parade on the street). At the office, we had a nice breakfast as we waited for the parade to arrive. It was really fun to see the parade in real life, having a great view from the 6th floor of the office building. The parade was a little disappointing, but still a blast. I was used to watching all of the performances on TV and was expecting that as I watched the parade live. Apparently, the performances only occur in Herald Square near Macy's, and you have to be a VIP to get tickets to watch the parade down there. Luckily, we turned on the TV so we were able to watch the performances and the parade.

Here are some pictures from the parade.

This last one is the float with Santa on it, signifying the end of the parade.

Also, they fill up all of the balloons the night before and they invite you to come see them beforehand. A bunch of friends got together to see the balloons. After waiting in line to see them, we finally got up to the balloons. It was fun and impressive to see the giant balloons up close.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I've been truly blessed and couldn't ask for anything else in life. I have realized that the last couple of months, but I'm still glad we have a day to celebrate that fact. I wish I could be home, but I will be making the best of my time away from home. We have a bunch of friends getting together for dinner and earlier in the day a good friend of mine and I will be attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. What better way to spend a Thanksgiving in New York! Don't worry, I'll take lots of pictures.

My Run In With the Rich and Famous

As I was coming home from church the other day, I was in a very focused conversation with a friend of mine. A few moments later, some other friends said, "Did you notice who was standing right in front of you?" Needless to say, I didn't. I was too entrenched in my conversation. Apparently, I was sitting right behind Kevin Bacon. His identity was confirmed when he spoke a word or two. Apparently some of the stars are not so high maintenance that they refuse to take the bus.
Thanks Monica for the picture!