thirty-something...

MI 2010

2010-07-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

Updated map of my travels...

2009-09-03T22:04:00.001-07:00

Countries added:

Germany
Czech Republic
Austria
Hungary
Slovakia
Poland

Berlin...

2009-08-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Though we visited Munich on our own, we met up with our tour (Contiki) that will take us through all of Eastern Europe. The group is about 50 people, mostly in their mid 20's to early 30's...and they're from all over--US, Canada, Australia, UK, etc. We'll be guided by our tour manager, Stu, on a bus as we go all over Eastern Europe.

Berlin is a fairly modern city--as much of it was destroyed during WW2. Below are a couple of shots of a church near our hotel that was heavily damaged during the war...with some modern touches.

One of best places so far has been visiting/photographing the Berlin Wall. It's been great to learn the history firsthand...especially about Hitler's Facist Reign, followed by the Communist Regime after the war. What was interesting to learn was that the Berlin Wall was actually built all around West Berlin--as this half of the city belonged to the Allies (US, UK, France), though the city itself was in the middle of East Germany.

A couple of other sights we visited while in Berlin: Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Parliament, and the Jewish Memorial.

Checking out Munich...

2009-08-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today (as weary as we were), we made our way through the major tourist spots, including the Glockenspiel in Marienplatz. Having our DSLR cameras--and Alan with his camcorder--it was easy to tell that we were tourists.

This trip wouldn't have been complete without an afternoon visit to the Hofbrauhaus (and then a quick nap). Can you believe how big these are? Two of these were plenty...and I was about to call it a day because of the jet lag--but I kept at it.

We then made our way to the largest beer garden in Munich (after a LONG walk and a couple of wrong turns). This place was authentic--you could tell that this was where the locals came. After a couple of beers and pretzels, we made our way back to catch up on rest and to prepare for our last day in Munich.

Eastern Road...

2009-08-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today I began a trip with two of my closest friends... Alan Mikkelson (Spokane, WA) and Lisa Alexander (Phoenix, AZ). We're heading to Munich, Germany to embark a journey that will take us through all parts of Eastern Europe, including: Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, & Poland. After traveling for about a day via plane from LAX, we made our way to our hotel in Central Munich and an outdoor cafe that served sauerkraut, beer, bratwurst, etc...

A snapshot of my travels...

2009-08-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've decided to use my blog as a way to document my overseas travels. There's no way to capture every single moment, but pictures often tell a great story too.

Though I wish I would have the time (okay, patience) to sit down and recall each trip that I've taken, I'll update you on my most recent trip, Germany & Eastern Europe.

My new prescription...

2008-05-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

Too bad this doesn't work...and it's not like I really need it. Click it to see a bigger image of it...

So I got an iPhone...

2008-04-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

After having my last cell phone for quite some time, I found it was necessary to upgrade to another phone. The iPhone's pretty cool...has an built-in iPod, internet, email, photo gallery, etc. For those who have my phone number, it's remained the same as before.

I've recently become a member on Facebook...for those of you on Facebook, you can view my profile. I've got a few more pictures on there that I don't have here on my blog...

To celebrate Mom's birthday...

2008-03-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

So...it's been a while since my last post, but thought I'd share with you what's been going on in my life. We had a mini-family reunion over the past week, celebrating Mom's birthday. We spent the week together (Mom, Dad, sisters and their husbands, and grandchildren)...a couple of days at a resort in Indio and also here in Orange County. Was great to get to see them and I know that each of us were blessed by each other's presence. (In picture at upper left: Aaron, Kara, Liese & Mom)
We also got to check out the beach and enjoyed a great birthday dinner at The Cannery in Newport Beach.
(In these pictures: Me and my niece, Faith; Kara, Sam & Julianna; Mom and Dad)

New Year's Pics...

2008-01-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics from New Year's Eve...Cara Heffner hosted us all at her new place in Arizona. I went over for the day to catch up with friends that I hadn't seen in months. Apparently Josh and Cara had too much fun...or are really good at posing for the camera!

So, I've gotten into wine...

2008-01-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

Since coming back from a summer trip to the Tuscan countryside in Italy (and the fact the I live in CA now), I've really developed a taste for wine--especially reds. Here's a picture from my recent visit to Idaho, visiting the Koenig Vineyard (with Missy, Josh, Sam, Kara, Liese, Aaron, Mom, and myself). If you come to visit sometime, chances are we'll be headed to the Temecula wine country which is about 45 minutes from my place. I ended up treating myself to a wine club membership which inlcudes free wine tastings! Here are some other pictures from some recent "wine tasting" outings...

I'm online...

2008-01-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Hello... Thanks for visiting my new blog! This is a picture from my visit to Idaho during Christmas; I'm holding my newest niece, Julianna (4 months), daughter of sister Kara and her husband Sam. It was a great to see family and also get to catch up with friends from NNU at the wedding of a close friend Kristy Heffner.

For those who don't know, I'm now living in Orange County, CA as of May 2007. I moved here from Arizona, accepting a position as branch manager with the bank here in Anaheim Hills. It's been great being so close to everything, most importantly my family: sister Missy, her husband Josh, and their three kids.

Aaron, sister Liese and their kids (Daisy & Fletcher)

Dad's crazy 18 ft Christmas Tree

...a game of Blockus (check this game out, it's addicting)