Weekend Wrap-up

Although we didn't do much shopping, we still had a pretty event filled weekend. On Friday we made our way up to the LBC to John and Joes Christmas cocktail party. It was a good time and we got to catch up with old friends.

Saturday we finished up with some Christmas errands and made our way to Irvine Lake for some fishing. Maria was finally able to break in the rod and reel that we bought about a month ago. Erick and Norma met us at the lake and we picked up some IN-N-OUT on our way there. After a delicious lunch we all set up our fishing gear and tried our luck. Unfortunately, the fish weren't biting and I wasn't even lucky enough to catch a boot. There were some reeds in the water which we all kept getting our hooks caught on. Overall it was lots of fun but it would have been nice if someone would have left with a delicious fish.

Sunday afternoon we met up with Heather who is down in SoCal visiting. We met up at Claim Jumpers and finally got to meet baby Thomas who is such a cute kid. Thomas let Maria and I carry him and he wasn't fussy one bit. It was nice to catch up with Heather and to see how much of a caring mother she has become. BTW, I ordered the chicken pot pie and it was delicious but very filling. We also shared a red velvet cupcake for desert with a delicious cream cheese frosting on top.

Random Find

Last Saturday Maria and I went to pick up our 5k racing packets at the Chicks sporting goods store in Tustin. We grabbed our packets and t-shirt and were leaving the store when I overheard a lady tell a family that there was an Olympian at the AT&T store next door. My ear hustling sparked my curiosity so I convinced Maria to go in the store to get a look. Olympic gold track star Sanya Richards (400 relay gold and 400 bronze) was signing autographs and taking photographs with the customers. Even better was that there was only a couple of people in line. We took a photo with her and she gave us a signed photograph. She was really nice and seemed very down to earth. Better yet Jack FM (93.1) had a table inside the store. Maria and I were able to walk away with stickers and t-shirts too. Sweet!

Make Room For Santa 5K

On December 12, we participated in a local 5k run. The run was in Irvine and the course was made up of public streets and bike trails. It was a very brisk morning with bright morning sunshine. I wasn't particularly in the running spirit both because of the temperature and I had a couple of beers the night before. I ran the course in 23:44 which wasn't necessarily an outstanding time. I grabbed my complimentary sports drink and snacks and headed to the side lines to wait for Maria to finish. This event encourages runners to dress up like santas, elves, and the like. I was surprised to see a group dressed up like the manger scene (see photo). Maria ran in at 33:22 which was a great time considering she hadn't been consistenly running. Later that night I decided to check the race results--little did I know that I actually placed 3rd in my age group (30-34). The top 3 finishers in each division were awarded a pint glass with the run emblem. Maria was nice enough to pick it up for me during the week. This is the first time that I've actually won anything.

Beware of Your Surroundings

On one of our last trips to Costco we were stopped at the intersection waiting for the light to change. I was driving the Suby and Maria was with me in the passenger seat. Since it was a decent day we were cruising with the windows down.
While waiting we begun to hear this strange music and stranger singing. Maria and I looked at each other perplexed and we quickly noticed the music was coming from the vehicle to our right. The girl/lady had her windows rolled down and was belting along with her favorite song (woman singer with heavy duty guitar rifts). I try not to be critical of people but it was truly some awful singing that sounded like a cross between opera with some Emo edginess mixed in. Maria, who was eating an apple at the time nearly choked and started coughing. I on the other hand started laughing out loud and had to cover my mouth so she wouldn't hear me. Maria and I were both trying hard not to laugh so we had to look straight ahead and ignore her.
The poor girl obviously had no clue we heard her terrible singing. The light finally turned green and I was sooo embarrassed for her that I had to switch lanes so we wouldn't have to drive next to her.
I am often guilty of rocking out to my favorite songs while driving. But when this happens I am usually alone with my windows rolled all the way up.

Running

A week ago I participated in a 10K Turkey Trot at Bonelli Park (San Dimas). This was probably the toughest 10K run that I’ve run. The course was probably 75 % paved walkways and 25% trails. It had rained a few days prior to the event so the trail portions were pretty muddy. The course started on a hill and that was the sign that this was going to be a hilly course. There were several hills along the course and they sucked the life out of me. I still ran a decent time but I definitely coasted in to the finish line. It was a fun event but I was disappointed that they ran out of event t-shirts. It was a long sleeve t-shirt with the picture of a turkey--- it would have become my new Thanksgiving shirt. So to make up for no t-shirt I made sure to drink plenty of water, Clif Bar snacks, and took some extra energy drinks home with me.

We will be doing our last race of the year on Sunday. We’ve been doing some moderate amount of running so I think we’ll be okay for the 5k. We did this event last year and it was pretty fun. This year they’re going to include a Christmas ornament in the goody bag-- pretty cool.

Holiday Transition

Is it me or did we just stuff our mouths with Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all the trimmings. It always amazes me just how quickly it goes from Thanksgiving to Christmas. So fast, that it feels as though there is not enough time to rest and recover before it’s time to take out the Christmas decorations and start the shopping. I finally hung Christmas lights this year and I have to say that they don’t look too bad. Now our house looks like we finally have some Christmas spirit.

So far I’ve been good at work and I’ve been able to fight off the urge to eat the Holiday junk food. I normally gain around 10 pounds during the holidays but so far I’m still the same weight. The season is still young so I’ll probably have to indulge in a few delicious holiday treats, especially once Maria starts her baking.

These last few days have been pretty cold (for Californians) and it now feels like winter.

Veterans Day

I have the day off while Maria is slaving away at the office. One perk of working for the City is that we get every holiday off (minus Columbus Day). It is strange to be sitting home on a Tuesday but someone has to do it.

I'm doing my part to help honor the memory of those who have served in our military. I have been watching The History Channel and The Military Channel since around 11 am. There have been some pretty good shows especially Shootout on The History Channel.

In all seriousness I do appreciate those who help keep our country safe. For 8 years my pops served in the Army and during those years we spent lots of time on military bases. It's a tough life with lots of hazards and challenges.

Trail Running

Since we moved a couple of years ago I've haven't bothered to look for some nearby off-road running trails. So on Friday I did a yahoo search to locate local trail runs and I came across the website for a local running club. Sunday mornings they have a standing run at one of the Irvine trails. So this morning I showed up to see what this group was about. Unfortunately there weren't too many members b/c the day before they had a longer trail run. So Tom and I did a few laps around the trail loop which lasted less than an hour. Little did I know that he was going to take a photo of me to add it to their website. Check it out: http://www.octrailrunners.org/news.html

I guess this means that I'm now a member.

1st Week Back

This is the end of my first week back after being out of town most of October. Although it was a short work week for me, it was a tough transition back to the working world. On my first morning back I even blanked out on my morning routine and what time I had to be at work. Here's a quick summary of our time away.

First, we were in Hotlanta for a professional conference. ATL is an interesting urban city with a southern hospitality twist. There wasn't too much to do within the downtown area but we did manage to see some of the sites: Coke World, CNN building, The Olympic Park, and the ATL Aquarium. Our hotel was within walking distance of these attractions and on the first day I toured the city by myself as Maria had some meetings she had to attend. It rained on me and unfortunately I didn't have an umbrella or rain jacket. So as I was walking back to the hotel from the CNN building I was escorted by a local homeless man who was so kind as to put his umbrella over me. With a little hesitation I let him escort me the four blocks to the hotel. As we walked he asked me questions about where I was from and if I was religious. Little did I know that he was a religious homeless person that walked around with a mini-bible in his back pocket. As we were within a few feet of the hotel I thought I heard him mutter, "will you pay me," with which I replied that I would give him a couple of dollars. He then corrected me and asked again, "will you pray for me?" At that point I was a little stunned and I told him that I would gladly say a couple of words for him the next time I prayed. Instead he insisted that I pray for him at that very second, standing on the sidewalk, and right in front of the hotel lobby. With some hesitation I finally agreed to pray for him and then he proceeded to bow his head. I said a few words for him as cars passed us along the street. Let's just say it was a very interesting moment of my life.

For our vacation we headed to the Motherland (Mexico) to visit our families. It had been several years that both Maria and I had gone to visit. We first arrived in Guadalajara and from there we were able to visit my side of the family that lives in Leon and Lagos De Moreno. Although, most of our time was spent catching up with our aunts, uncles and cousins, we did manage to do some tourist activities. We were able to make it to historic Guanajuato with it's colonial charm, visit some museums and government buildings in Guadalajara, watch a lucha libre show (Mexican wrestling) and some round pyramids outside of Guadalajara. I did manage to hog down on some delicious Mexican sweets, pastries and cuisine. As with most hospitable Mexican families, most relatives prepared special meals to welcome us to their homes. In addition, we were able to eat some delicious street food such as tacos, tortas, churros and potato chips with hot sauce. Luckily I didn't gain 20 pounds while I was away.

Now that we're back it's time to catch up with work and start looking forward to the Holidays. Our next focus is to focus on my favorite holiday of the year--- Thanksgiving.

Marc & Joo

This past Saturday we were fortunate to help celebrate Marc and Joo's wedding day. They had a long engagement and had several tentative wedding dates that were pushed back and the big day finally came to fruition. I'm glad they finally tied the knot and are now a complete family. Marc's father was the officiant of the ceremony and Marc and Joo were excited to be husband and wife. We followed up with drinks, food and dancing. Not only did we dance the typical wedding songs but we got down and dirty with some gangsta rap. Ryan also showed us his moves and why he's the king of crunk.

Run America

I am following an attempt by known ultramarathoners Charlie Engle and Marshall Ulrich as they try to run across the continental U.S. The plan is to complete this run accross the U.S. in 45 days. In order to make this timeline they will need to run 70 miles a day. The duo started running this past Saturday and their progress can be tracked at: http://www.runningamerica08.com/

Season Premieres

Only one more week until the season premieres of my favorite shows. Although there are several shows that I watch I am most excited about How I Met Your Mother, The Office, and 30 Rock.

Disneyland Half Marathon

Yesterday I ran in the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon. It was one of the more elaborate races we participated in this year. The race begun at 6 am so it meant waking up at 4 am and leaving the house by 4:45. The drive to get to Disneyland took 20 minutes but it took us even longer to park. By the time we parked and made our way to the starting line it was 10 minutes till the race start.

The starting gates were a mess and was packed with people like a cattle drive. I squeezed my way into the middle of my assigned starting corral which was the the first wave of runners. Once the MC announced race start lasers and flames erupted above the starting line. The first stretch of the race was on the street and quickly turned back towards Disneyland. The path then cut through a parking lot and into Disneyland. The park was closed but Disney cast members lined the course. Various Disney characters were strategically placed along the course and racers were able to stop and take photos with them. Some of their parade floats were stationed with characters such as Ariel. Also, the different employees such as concession vendors, firemen and cooks cheered all the racers along. Although I am not a big fan of the Disney, it was good to be inside the park outside of operating hours.

The next leg of the race took the runners back onto several miles of Anaheim City streets and over to Angels Stadium. This section of the race had high school marching bands, hula dancers, mariachis, and cheerleaders invigorating all the participants. My favorite section of the run was the Angels stadium leg of the race. Although the course did not go through the Stadium this part of the race was lined with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Brownies that were cheering at the top of their lungs. The kids put their hand out for high fives and looked offended when they went un-slapped. They cheered as though each person was an Olympic runner. Their energy was definately transfered onto the runners.

From the stadium leg of the race continued back onto the streets to Disneyland. The course went near the freeway and into Disneyland for the final stretch. The last leg was through Downtown Disney where it funneled into the finish line. My time: 1:51:31.

Afterwards I grabbed my free food and headed over the spectator area to wait for Maria. They had a big screen TV set up with a live feed of the finish line. While I was waiting and watching the screen I noticed a guy walk by. He was wearing a white running shirt and he had 2 blood streaks on his chest. The streaks were at lease 3 inches long and started from his nipples downwards. He had chaffed nipples-- ouch! Also, from on the big screen you could see people collapsing as they crossed the finish line and being carted away in wheel chairs. Not a fun sight. I'm not sure if I'll do it again because of the high entry fee and the large crowds. It was a fun race and a great way to see Disneyland up close.

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day and the sign that summer 08 is wrapping up. The days are getting shorter and soon it will be cooler. I look forward to the fall for the chance to do some camping and traveling. We normally avoid summer outings because of crowds, children and higher hotel prices.

This labor day we laying low at home. We've read, napped and watch movies and TV. This is the perfect way to wrap up a great summer and to recharge for the work week.

Bear Canister

My first backpacking trip taught me a great lesson. When traveling in bear country be sure to use a bear canister for food storage. In addition, be sure not to over pack food, keep food away from the campsite, and actually close the canisters after every use. After the trip, I read that hanging food from trees doesn't work in the Sierras because bears are so used to humans that it is no longer effective. If we had known this earlier we wouldn't of had two bears eat 2/3 of our food. Now I know.

http://www.backpackerscache.com/

Slacker!

Yes, I am a slacker. I will be adding some posts soon (like this weeekend). I will do a better job to add new info regularly.

Mammoth Lakes Adventures Day Three and Four

Day 3

On Saturday morning we packed up our gear for the trek out of the park. We started early and passed through some gorgeous scenery with clear blue skies. The route was somewhere around 6 to 7 miles to the shuttle pick-up site and included a barefoot river crossing. During our trek back to civilization we kept talking about what our first meal would be. We finally made it to the shuttle stop and after waiting a long 20 minutes, the a near capacity bus arrived. By far we were the dirtiest and smelliest bus riders. We definately got a lot stares with the hidden message of please don't sit by me. After a short ride we made it back to the CR-V, loaded our packs and motored in search of a good meal. After several indecisivie minutes we finally made it to a sports bar for the best hamburger and fries (hunger makes everything taste great). After munching we headed over to the nearby campsite to find a place to set up camp for the night. After spending 2 nights backpacking a campsite with running water and flushing toilets was luxurious. We made camp and made our way to the local brewery for some delicious beer, appetizers, pool and darts. Dave is quite the pool player and managed to win the majority of games. After the brewery we made our way to Vons for some food and more beer for the evening. Camp fires were allowed at this site and we were able to make some smores and play some cards.

Day 4

The last day of the trip was pretty much driving back to LA and the OC. We did stop at Bishop to pick up some delicious pastries at Schats Bakery. I was amazed by this bakery and the large variety and high quality of their pastries. The apple turnovers and chocolate dipped macarroons were delicious.

Our last stop was at Red Rock near Mojave. Although it was at least 100+ degrees, we were able to play some wiffle ball (Dave's backpacking luxury item) in the desert. Afterwards we loaded up again into the CR-V and made the last leg of the journey to LA. Alas our trip was finished.

Mammoth Lakes Adventures Day Two

We woke up at sunrise and quickly began to undo our camp. We repacked our gear and got ourselves ready for the next stretch of the adventure. Before we began our hiking, we spent about an hour fishing the lake again. Once again I had no luck with the fish.

We started our treking and circled around the lake to find a pass over the mounain to take us to our next destination at Garnet Lake. There was still snow along a section of the mountain and Jimmy was able to make a snowman. The hike was no where near as long as the first day and we finally reached our destination sometime before 3 pm. We made camp and assembled our rods and reels for some fishing. Erick, Dave and Ryan were able to hook some good looking trout. Dave was nice enough cook the fish up for dinner and it was delicious. Afterwards we finally had the chance to hang out, relax and unwind. I hooked one brown trout but it came off the line as I tried to get it out of the lake. Fishing isn't fishing when you don't catch fish.

Mammoth Lakes Adventures Day One

The trip began early Thursday morning with Ryan, Jimmy, Dave and me meeting at Erick's house in Los Angeles. We all arrived around 2 am and quickly loaded our gear into the CR-V. Erick drove most of the way there and we got a couple of hours of sleep on the road. We arrived in Mammoth shortly before sunrise, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed over to the ranger station for the bear canisters (essential in bear country). Next we headed to Mammoth Mountain ski area to park and catch the shuttle to the trial head. Our starting point was Agnew Meadows and at 10 am we started the 10 mile hike to 1,000 Island Lake. The scenery was stunning and the weather couldn't have been better. Lunch was awesome as Erick had bought sandwiches at Panera Bakery and we ate on an overlook to the valley.

We finally arrived at the site around 4pm and my shoulders were killing me. We set up camp and unpacked all of our gear. The rest of the daylight was spent fishing and Ryan and Erick managed to hook some rainbow trout.

It was great to finally get to bed even though we had some uninvited guests throughout the night. We slept as much as we could considering the wild animals and the cold night kept us from sleeping like logs.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ryan recently celebrated another birthday. We had the chance to get together with him and Christina the Saturday before his actual birthday. We met up in Ryan's old stompin' ground --- Pasadena. We ate some delicious food at Barneys and had a chance to catch up with old friends.

Ryan started riding motorcycles and has recently upgraded to a faster bike. This was the first time that I actually saw him riding a motorcycle. Here's a picture of him and Christina with his new motorcycle.

Magic Shoe 5000

This past Sunday we participated in a local 5k run. It in Irvine which is close enough so we didn't have to wake up too early to participate. The morning was nice and cool and lots of different runners participated. Two OC Sheriff Academy cadets ran in formation for the entire race. Also, Flagman (he's like 60 years old) ran the course carrying two American flags. I have a picture on my cell phone that I'll try and post. This was the fastest 5k that I've run so far and I finished in 23:22.
At the event they had a live band that was playing a mix of reggae, blues and rock. The name of the band is Roman Alexander and the Robbery. They were giving away demo CD's and I've actually listened to it a few times. They have a myspace page in case you're interested.

Peter's Canyon 5 Mile Trail Run

This past Thursday I participated in a local race event after work. The start time was @ 6:15 and the weather was perfect. It had been a warm summer day but the air had started to cool. In total there were around 300 participants that varied in age and size. The race started on time and the first leg was a mild ascent into Peter's Canyon. Once in Peter's Canyon the course changed over to hill climbing. This was the toughest portion of the race and I had to walk up a couple of the hills. It was to my advantage that Maria and I used to hike this canyon during the summer so I was pretty familiar with the course. After the hill portion the trail descended to a flatter course and it was time to run towards the finish line. Overall this was one of the funnest races I've done and there is one more race scheduled in early August. My final time was 42:14 which averages out to 8:27 per mile.

Fourth of July Wrap UP!

This year the 4th was celebrated with a little more excitement then the last couple of years. Our morning started at 5:30 am in preparation for the Lake Forest Fourth of July 5K race. We got ready and made our way to Jorge and Melissa's house (a few blocks from the race) and walked towards the start line. Because the race was a fundraiser for El Toro High School there were lots of kids and teenagers running the race. I almost took out a few of them once the race started. It took some maneuvering to finally get around the kids and get on pace.

It was a fun race a great way to start out the 4th. Final Time: 25:15 which works out to an 8:09 pace.

Later in the after noon we headed to HB for a bbq with Jess and Howie. There was a ton of great food and a keg full of delicious Strawberry Blond from BJ's pizzeria. I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate the 4th!!

Back in Training

Summer is just about here. Time to start running again to get ready for some upcoming races. Although we are no where near being competitive, we've found the joy of training and participating in race events. We fell off the wagon during our trip to Sedona and now it's time to get back on track. My wife will be participating in the Iron Girl 5K this weekend in Del Mar. I wish her luck!!!

P.S. Her participation gets us into the San Diego Fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. We will have a victory celebration with some good ol' deep fried corn dogs!

Sidenote!!!!

The Lakers were slaughtered in the final game of the championship series. I don't follow basketball as much as I used to but it was good to have the local team in the finals.

Maybe one day we'll have a team that can recreate the good old Laker glory days. Until then, I'll have to hang on to the this image.

AZ Trip

Just got back from my first trip to Sedona & the Grand Canyon. It's a gorgeous place so it's no wonder that tourists fall in love and never leave. The trip was an excellent opportunity to sight see, relax and hike. Sedona is the perfect blend of retirement community, desert oasis, new age spiritual center and tourist trap all rolled into one. The mountains surrounding the city are superb and their red glow make this a unique spot. We even had a chance to hike to one of the vortexes located in town. Strangely enough the vortex didn't provide me with any sense of relaxation or enlightenment; instead the 90 degree plus weather and steep incline was the only thing on my mind.

The Grand Canyon was even better than I expected. The majestic gash in the earth is so enormous and reminded me of how small we humans really are. The separation between the canyon walls give way to the mighty Colorado River which looks like a small stream from so high above. During different hours of the day the sunlight reflects from the canyon walls and creates a kaleidoscope of colors. If you haven't been I suggest you make plans to stop by for a visit.

Carlsbad 5000

This past month my wife and I participated in the Carlsbad 5K along with several friends. After the race we were relaxing at the Imperial Beer Garden putting down some delicious beer. We were taking a group photograph when a wandering photographer took a picture of us. Little did we know that he was with the race event and that the photo would be posted on the event web site. I've included a copy of the pic.

Finally Unlocked!!!!!

Welcome to my blog! I signed up for this blog quite some time ago but for some reason Blogger decided to lock it. So it is finally unlocked and I have some free time to type out a quick post. The main focus of this blog is to summarize my outdoor activities and adventures. I am not the most die hard outdoor enthusiast but I do like to spend as much free time outside as possible. Hopefully my posts will provide some insight to these activities and helps all my friends stay updated on what's going on in my life. I hope you enjoy to this blog and that you check in every little bit for new posts. Lastly, please feel free to leave me comments as I welcome all your feedback.