Kenny and Cris giving toasts at the rehearsal dinner. 

Erik and I at the rehearsal dinner. 

Cris giving instructions to Christian and Alex on MC'ing the reception. 

Erik and I behind Kenny's massive Macintosh. 

My mom and Cindy at Kenny and Cris' wedding pre-party! 

Big Sur Relaxation

Erik and I relaxing in the middle of the Big Sur River during Labor Day weekend.

Erik's Graduation

Erik mingling after his graduation ceremony at Defense Language Institute on Sept. 1st. It's amazing that after just one year of school, he can read, write, and speak Persian Farsi at about the same level as an Iranian

Hookah!

Smoking a hookah at Indian Summer restaurant. No worries...modern hookahs do not contain opium like in the old days!

If Looks Could Kill

Erik dressed to kill...uh, literally.

Blue Moon Restaurant with Co-Workers

Erik and I at the Blue Moon restaurant during a retirement dinner for one of the lead forecasters.

Shawn and Erik...my best friend and my fiance. I am such a lucky girl! 

Wine Tasting for July 4th

For July 4th weekend, Erik and I went wine tasting in Paso Robles. Silly me, after our first winery out of four, Erik was already having to drive!

The Dolce Robles Winery is known for its "Cat in a Basket." I had to check out this place just to see what they meant. Sure enough...there he was, wrapped up in an apple basket completely oblivious to the tipsy wine taster snapping his picture. 

Drinking Wendy Under the Table

Ewa took this really cool picture of me after I had fallen out of my chair playing cards. Needless to say, that Pepsi One was not the only thing I was drinking that night.

Wendy's Birthday Dinner

My buddies and I at Bahama Billy's restaurant for my birthday!

Ewa presenting me with my birthday gift from her and Ryan. Of course, I had to sample some while we were still in the restaurant! 

Boy with a Beer

Erik at the Irish Bank pub in San Francisco. Kenny, Cris, Erik, and I had the most fabulous fish and chips at this place. Unfortunately, Kenny, Cris, and I couldn't finish our drinks...so Erik ended up drinking two beers and two Bloody Marys to help us out!

Bad Boys

Sorry Erik and Shawn...but I just thought this picture of you guys was too cute not to share. I'm so proud of my two tough guys.

Pictures From Our Trip to Maui!

Sunset over Napili Bay. It was moments like these that reminded me how wonderful it is to be alive. I cannot imagine having lived my whole life without seeing and feeling Maui. I decided after this trip that the world is my playground, and I want to see as much of it as possible.

I think the clouds helped make this sunset so brilliant. I just walked around the smooth lava rocks in the cove with my feet in the water and felt glad to be alive. 

The south end of Napili Bay after sunset.  

A view from "our" beach, Napili Bay. The island in front of us is Moloka'i. Napili Bay really is one of the best beaches on the island. The sand and water are perfect. On the south end, there is a rocky cove where sea turtles gather.

A view of the Hana Highway from above. This is one of the most infamous driving adventures in Maui. It was an absolutely beautiful drive, but a very long day. To make the entire loop, we had to drive 12 hours that day!  

Can you find Erik in this picture? Supposedly there was a beautiful waterfall up a river off the highway. The rocks were so slippery that I fell into the river three times and had to give up. I relaxed on a rock in the middle of the river, while Erik went the rest of the way. He was so hardcore...climbing across the slippery rocks wearing only flip-flops and smoking a cigarette at the same time. 

If you ever go to Maui, get the book Maui Revealed. It directed us to this hidden waterfall below the Hana Highway. The road was actually running above it, and everyone else was completing missing this spectacular site.