There's a Hole in my Rock!

I find it much more fun to travel for business with someone than all alone. In the evenings, its fantastic to have a dinner companion, and exploring a new city is just that much more enjoyable.

On a recent week-long trip to Arizona, a colleague and I spent an afternoon exploring some of the rock formations in the area. We found this phenomenon at Papago Park - a naturally eroded rock formation of arkosic conglomerate sandstone called Hole-in-the-Rock.


We climbed to the top, and enjoyed some amazing late-afternoon views of Phoenix, including this one:

How cool is that?

Gimme a Break!

March Madness took on a new meaning for me this year. With only 1 day "in the office" during the entire month, I literally jumped at the opportunity to take last week off to enjoy a true Spring Break with Mark.

We slept in. We relaxed. We enjoyed doing absolutely nothing. And when we finally felt refreshed, we took a little road trip to Yosemite to rejuvenate a little more.

During the spring, a winter's worth of snowfall from Yosemite's higher elevations melts to form rushing waterfalls. This was our primary reason for visiting during this season, and we were not AT ALL disappointed!

A touch of color along Lake Merced

Bridalveil Fall

Snow-capped mountains in the distance




Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls



Lower Yosemite Fall


Horsetail Fall

El Capitan

Half Dome peaking out above the trees - the 17 mile hike to the top of this cliff has officially made its way onto The To Do list!

Yes, we were a few weeks too early to see the famous dogwood blossoms and other wildflowers in bloom. And yes, some of the roads throughout the park were still closed for the winter, limiting our ability to travel to the higher points. Nonetheless our time spent in Yosemite Valley turned out to be the perfect little getaway.

Another Year, Another List

According to my rough calculations, I traveled more than 100,000 miles in 2008! Not surprising when you take a look at my destinations for Year 2 On The Job:)

March '08
Chicago, IL
Newark, NJ

April '08
Tulsa, OK
Seattle, WA
Vancouver, BC

May '08
Chicago, IL
North Hollywood, CA
Ottawa, ON
Portland, OR
Chicago, IL

June '08
Seattle, WA
Van Nuys, CA
Columbus, OH
Chicago, IL

July '08
New York, NY
Santa Ana, CA
Vancouver, WA
Van Nuys, CA

August '08
Chicago, IL
Phoenix, AZ
Monterey, CA
Chicago, IL

September '08
San Diego, CA
Seattle, WA
Chicago, IL
Miami, FL

October '08
Los Angeles, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX

November '08
Burbank, CA
Chicago, IL
North Hollywood, CA
Beijing, China

December '08
New York, NY
Albuquerque, NM
Chicago, IL

January '09
Chicago, IL
Seattle, WA
Irvine, CA

February '09
Salinas, CA
Phoenix, AZ
Ft Lauderdale, FL
Seattle, WA

March '09
Van Nuys, CA
Seattle, WA

I was surprised to find that my most freqeuntly traveled-to city is Chicago with ELEVEN trips in twelve months! Just when I was about to complain about the travel increase as-of-late, I realized just how blessed am I to be able to be visit home THIS often in a year.

Bubbly, bubbly.

Its taken us over a year-and-a-half to FINALLY make it to the one vineyard that was highly recommended by multiple friends from around the country - Shramsberg, Napa Valley's claim to fame in sparkling wine. (And sadly, its taken me another month to share our photos with you. I do realize how inconsistent my blogging has been...and I'll work on doing better!)

At my 30th birthday request, Mark made the reservations for a private tour of the estate, the wine caves, and a delicious tasting. We learned a thing or two about the rich history of the winery which began in 1862 when Jacob Schram, a young German immigrant, became one of the first vineyard owners in the Vally.

We especially enjoyed the cool and musty caves, perfect for producing complex sparkling wines using the traditional méthode champenoise. Deep in the tunnels, we observed the riddling process at its various stages, the perfect technique used to clarify and remove sediment from Champagne or sparkling wine.

For trivia lovers out there, Who created the riddling technique, you ask? If you enjoy this famous yellow label, you'll be pleased to find that it was, in fact, Madame Nicole-Barbe Clicquot who developed the method in the early 1800's that is still used today.

Saving the best for last, we sampled four delicious wines at the end of our tour, and now know exactly why Schramsberg came so highly recommended. If you ever have an opportunity to enjoy a bottle - or even a glass - of the Reserve, I would encourage you to take it!

Cheers!

Goodbye, twenty-somethings....

....you've been good to me! I'll always look back on you fondly.

You ushered in the end of my college days, where I learned that I could take care of myself and truly support myself on my own.

In the early years, you brought me a wonderful, loving marriage to an amazing husband - one that has taught many lessons that has helped to mould me into the person I am today. Nearly eight years later, I can't thank you enough for this gift!

You showed me how blessed I am to have loving friendships, a closeness to my family that I would not trade for the world, and an ever-strengthening relationship with God.

You taught me the true meaning of loss as I said goodbye to my grandparents and to my new mother-in-law.

You taught me to work hard, think big, and try new things. I've learned to stretch myself beyond my comfort zone and to accept change, even embrace it.

You've brought me to new places. Who would have ever thought I'd move away from my beloved Chicago for an adventure in California? Or that I would travel across North America, and even to Morocco or China?

During your watch, I've discovered new interests that are sure to last me my lifetime. From crafting to baking to running - even a marathon or two! - I've found so many fulfilling ways to express myself.

What a decade! You're hard to leave, but I feel well prepared me for the journey ahead. I can only imagine what the next one will bring:)

Going Coastal

This weekend's weather beckoned us out to Bodega Bay - a small town on the Pacific Coast that is becoming a favorite spot of ours.

We arrived in the late afternoon, and were surprised to find only a slight breeze - quite different from the strong winds encountered during our past visits.

It allowed us to spend the perfect amount of time reveling in the wondrous views, enveloped in the scent of the ocean that filled the air, reflecting on God and the grandeur of His creation, and enjoying an amazing sunset.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Our annual Christmas photo. Christmas Eve Eve 2008 - Santa Rosa, CA

Beijing Day 4: Hutongs, Tea House and the Beijing Opera

In case you were worried, no, we didn't leave China after only a three day visit! Although the photos from Day 4 have been uploaded for over a week now, work has kept me busy, and I haven't had a chance to give you any details until now...

This was the last day we would spend with Jane and Hong - a day exploring and experiencing some of the older neighborhoods of Beijing.

We began with a tour of one of Beijing's hutongs - the old traditional alleyways and courtyard homes which once covered all Beijing. This cycle rickshaw proved to be a great way to navigate through the old narrow streets.

Along the way, we stopped at a traditional family courtyard home - a building complex formed by four houses around a quadrangular courtyard. We were welcomed in by a lovely woman who gave us a tour of the layout of her home, and invited us into her art studio, where she and her husband do papercutting.

In the courtyard, there was a caged bird, who called out "Ni hao!" - hello, in Chinese!

Peppers drying.

With our hostess and the rice-paper cutting, affixed to a silk scroll, that we purchased. This dragon and a phoenix design - created by she and her husband - has exquisite detail!

We walked along some of these narrow streets and enjoyed the variety of doorways that we encountered - both old and new, simple and intricate.


Bicycles are, by far, the most common form of transportation. We were amazed by some of the things we saw - a parent with 3 children riding along with them - the variety of materials pulled on carts behind - and even someone peddling down the highway, with cars flying by alongside them.

And after a chilly morning of walking around - which included stopping at a Prince's palace and museum - we stopped at a Courtyard Tea House to experience a Chinese tea ceremony. Having personal tour guides was wonderful. This tea house stop was not on our original itinerary, but they were so willing to accommodate us in any way!)

After lunch, we were officially exhausted. Three days of waking up at 4am, with no hopes of adjusting our internal clocks, had taken its toll. We decided that an afternoon nap was in order before our evening at the Beijing Opera.

(Funny story here. There was construction going on just above our hotel room. We requested a move, and the only option was a room with 2 twin beds. I was absolutely NOT going for it, but Mark insisted that we needed the rest. Still, sleeping in separate beds for the remainder of the trip? Admittedly, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that these twin beds were extra wide. We managed to comfortably sleep together in one of them for the remaining few nights;)

The Beijing Opera was quite different from its western counterpart. The various scenes contained a mixture of heavily costumed performers, mime, acrobatics and stages martial arts, and singing in higher pitched tones accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments. Take a moment to share our experience.

More Beijing Day 3: Ming Tombs and Sacred Way

Before arriving at the The Great Wall on our second full day in Beijing, we stopped at a jade factory, where we watched artisans carve and polish jade before admiring the many pieces displayed in their showroom.

Amazingly, this is carved out of just one piece of rock.

Just afterward, we stopped for lunch at the Friendship Store, which contained a cloisonne art factory. Cloisonne is a technique used to create metal objects with enamel decorations - pieces of metal are soldered to a metal object such as a vase, where the metal rods form outlines of images. The spaces are filled with enamel paste, then placed in a kiln. Finally, empty areas are gilded.

Adding colored enamel to a vase.

Tuesday afternoon was spent touring the Ming Dynasty Imperial Tombs, in the foothills of the JunDu mountains. The site was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui principles - to ward off bad spirits and chilling winds from the north, this quiet valley full of dark earth and tranquil water was chosen as the resting spot for 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Red Gate

The Sacred Way - a 7km path lined with willows and carved animals and figures. This is one of the few areas where the Emperor had to travel on foot when paying respect to his ancestors. No animals were allowed to carry him along this path.

The animals include pairs of lions, camels, elephants and the mythical qilin.

Generals and civil officials also stand guard.

We visited one of the two of the tombs open to the public - ChangLing - located about 2 1/2 miles from the entrance way. We drove, rather than walk the entire distance:)

This sacred silk burner was filled with money, reminding us of a wishing well.


ChangLing Mausoleum

And another beautiful sunset.

Beijing Day 3: The Great Wall of China

With Jane, our wonderful tour guide.

Seeing The Great Wall was by far my favorite part of our trip to Beijing. The structure itself was absolutely amazing, and its history, equally so.

Built, rebuilt and maintained between the 6th century BC and the 16th century, the series of walls was intended to protect China from attacks from the north.

Constructed primarily along mountaintops to make it even more difficult to overtake, during the Ming dynasty, it was guarded by more than 1 million men.
In total, the Great Wall spans over 6,700 km, or 4,160 miles!
The section of the Wall that we visited is known as the North Pass, Badaling, the primary entrance point to China's capital, Beijing.

The views from the wall its watchtowers were breathtaking! Thankfully we visited on a clear and sunny day, with fantastic visibility.

A number of the sections were incredibly steep - we were definitely winded as we climbed and couldn't help but marvel that men had actually scaled the difficult terrain while building.

Standing atop one of the world's Seven Wonders - what an amazing and unforgettable experience.