Father’s Day on the USS Midway
July 17, 2009
I always knew we’d end up behind bars!
Since my sister and I were out of the country, we decided to celebrate Father’s Day a little late this year.
We wanted to take our dad to the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that has been turned into a museum in San Diego. Neither my father or sister had ever been on a naval ship, so I was pretty excited to take them aboard and show them a little bit about what ship life was like.
My mom joined us and we set out to not only spend a beautiful day together, but also to spend time just being ourselves. We saw all of the exhibits and walked on the flight deck to check out the restored aircraft.
After seeing and learning about the ship and naval history, my family enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner. We all had such a great time! I would consider Father’s Day a huge success this year.
Taking Tokyo by Storm
July 16, 2009
I recently had the opportunity to visit a good friend of mine who is stationed in Japan.
Previously most of my traveling had been in the European and Middle Eastern regions, so I was really looking forward to experiencing an entirely different culture. I found an awesome deal on a flight to Tokyo and began my adventure to the other side of the world!
The first day my friend Clay and I took a bus ride up to Mt. Fuji. We were lucky enough to be able to see it’s peak before being covered in a dense fog. What was unfortunate was that we were two weeks too early for the climbing season. So close!! I suppose I’ll just have to go back 
On the way back we took a boat ride on Lake Ashi. It was a short ride, but the scenery was absolutely beautiful. After that we took a cable car up Mt. Komagatake for a “view” of the valley and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, by the end of our cable ride we were completely surrounded by fog and could barely see 10 feet ahead of us! We had fun though, exploring the mists to find excitement before catching the bullet train back to the city.
The next day we set off to explore Shibuya and see the busiest intersection in the world. This area was basically what I imagined the flashy, bright lights of Tokyo would look like. We also checked out the Ueno Zoo and later Tokyo Tower, where we were able to get some great night photos of Roppongi.
On the final full day of my trip, Clay and I set out with the mission of finding the Great Buddha. Due to a series of navigation mishaps, we spent hours on trains going in a lot of wrong directions. But we didn’t give up! Eventually we did make it to the wonderful town of Hase. Hase was a very traditionally authentic-looking area. The houses were close together and the main street was lined with shops that contained items that weren’t just “souvenir” quality. We decided to ride through the town on a cart pulled by a very animated man named Yoshi. The lively gentleman would stop the cart to take a photo of us or to point out anti-ninja fencing and tell us a little about Japanese history. Soon he took us to the Great Buddha and our mission was accomplished!
As a bonus we were also able to investigate the Hase-Dera Temple on the way back to the train station. The temple was beautiful! The shrines and statues were very interesting and definitely made me want to learn more about their religious culture to fine out what everything represented.
All in all, my trip was fantastic. I had great company and there was so much that I was able to experience and see. The Japanese are a very kind and respectful people. I look forward to possibly traveling to other countries in that region in the future.
Stay Classy, San Diego!
June 18, 2009
The time has come for me to bid farewell to the Land of Fake Boobs and move on to cleaner skies.
A lot has happened during the two years that I’ve been living in Los Angeles. I’ve developed to many wonderful friendships and have had unforgettable experiences. This is the busy city that had always made me feel like I was “at home.” A place where I’d go on leave and feel like I never wanted to go back. I think that actually being there made “the dream” of living in L.A. a little bit hazy. After a while the traffic and smog seemed to make me feel very enclosed. But that’s also my nature…I start to feel trapped after living almost anywhere for very long. However, Los Angeles will always hold a place in my heart. I mean, this is where the Dodgers play!
I’m VERY excited to move to San Diego. I look forward to the fresh air and open skies. People always seem to be outside running and taking advantage of the beautiful weather. You can smell the ocean from anywhere in the city. I love the ocean so much. I can’t wait to see it everyday.
I found a decently priced condo space for rent in Point Loma. It’s a pretty centralized location to wherever I may end up working, and just a couple minutes from the beach.
The time has come to start anew, and I’m happy that this is the place for me to do it.
Destination Tokyo!
June 16, 2009
Ready to take Tokyo by storm!
For the sake of spontaneity, I decided to head to Japan in a couple days to visit a great friend that I haven’t seen in over four years.
This will be my first experience traveling to this region and I’m not exactly sure what to expect. For the last few weeks I have been researching the country’s culture and heritage…trying to figure out where to start once I get there. I think that not knowing all the details is the greatest part of the adventure.
Be sure to look for my Tokyo trip follow-up post and gallery.
Wish me luck! Hopefully I make it back in one piece.
U.S. Open of Surfing 2008
July 26, 2008
I just returned from the 2008 U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, CA. It was AWESOME!
I met my family and their two Japanese exchange students, Akira and Mako, down at the beach to see what was shakin’ at the annual surfing competitions. As a habitually early family, we arrived at the empty beach to stake claim on our viewing territory.
It didn’t take long before the empty beach became a furry of activity, with thousands of competitors and excited onlookers. There were not only surfing competitions, but also volleyball tournaments, skateboarding competitions and motocross. Hundreds of tents created a little city on the beach and offered shopping and varied sponsored activities.
The gorgeous day offered perfect waves and inspired many to play in the water and lounge on the beach. With so much to do and see, I am thoroughly exhausted and can’t wait to go back to the beach again. I will most definitely be making the U.S. Open of Surfing 2009!
Click to see photos from the U.S. Open of Surfing 2008!
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Camping at the Kelso Dunes
July 23, 2008
I recently made a trip with a couple of my friends to go camping in the Kelso Dunes, located in the Mojave National Preserve. It was a spur of the moment trip with the intention of some relaxation…even if it was only for a day!
This isolated dune system, rising 600 feet from the dessert floor, is very unique. Not only is it a beautiful sight at dawn and dusk, the sand makes a curious booming sound when there is a flow of movement. There are very few dunes in the world where this can be heard. If you get a chance to visit one of these dunes, climb to the very top and run down. You’ll hear a very low rumble rise from the sand.
Click below to listen to the “booming dunes” (turn your volume up!):
Aside from the dunes themselves, this was a fantastic location for a getaway. We set up camp at the base of the dunes, with no one around for MILES. That night, the three of us literally spent hours lying on our backs just staring at the thousands of stars that loomed above us. There is no substitute for moments like that.
Click to see a photo gallery of the Kelso Dunes!
Hiking in Zion National Park
June 28, 2008
Last weekend, my family took the first vacation we’ve had together in ages. The first part of my trip consisted of visiting my grandparents. After that we shot right up to southern Utah to check out Zion National Park.
Zion is full of gorgeous landscape, miles upon miles of hiking trails, and extreme rock climbing. Since this was a family trip, we stuck to the trails.
It was so fantastic to have a breath of fresh air. A getaway from work and school. A time to enjoy my family and a natural atmosphere. The cliffs where amazing and enormous. I would absolutely LOVE to climb them one day.
I definitely plan to go back. There are a ton of trails that I have yet to explore.
Click to see photos from Zion National Park!
Calico Ghost Town
June 15, 2008
For Father’s Day, we decided to explore our local ghost town and see what we could discover. We may not have found any spirits exactly, but we had a lot of fun exploring Calico Ghost Town.
Nearly 127 years ago, was the richest silver mining district in California. In the early 1900’s the price of silver plummeted, leaving Calico a desolate ghost town.
What make Calico interesting was that most of the buildings are original, while the others have been reconstructed as it was many years ago. It has a bustling atmosphere with activities that include exploring old-time shops, sifting for gold, and investigating old mine shafts.
A note about the gun fight shows that they put on for the crowd. The first one that we saw had my sister and I in tears because of how ridiculous the dialog was. However, it was thoroughly entertaining and the children that were there were enthralled by the site of two cowboys interacting with them. Still, we had a fantastic laugh.
Click to see photos from Calico Ghost Town!
And the winner is…Schwerin, Germany!
June 6, 2008
In August, my sister Michaela is going on a foreign exchange for her senior year of high school. She could have opted to go the easy route and only be in Europe for 3 months. But instead she chose to go for the full year, to fully experience the culture and all the other knowledge and opportunity that comes with it. I am so proud of her for that.
Rotary International is a fantastic organization that is assisting her with her trip, taking care of all the organizing and providing a host family. So my family has impatiently very patiently waited for news to come of where exactly in Germany that she was going, and who her host family would be. A couple days ago, the news finally came!
Schwerin is a city in northern Germany, with a population of approximately 100,000. It seems like a beautiful place with many lakes several historical buildings that would be lovely to see. Michaela will be staying with a family with several children, one of which will go to the same school as her.
I’m so excited for her. This experience will change her life and open her up to so many new things.
Let the countdown begin! 
Afternoon at the Tar Pits
June 3, 2008
Last Sunday, my mother came down to Los Angeles to visit me for the day. Discovering that I lived less than a mile from the La Brea Tar Pits, we set out to see what it was all about. The tar pit itself was basically what we could expect: oozy, sticky, smelly But what makes the location really stand out is the Page Museum, which holds skeletons from the thousands of animals that have been pulled out of the tar pit (basically a giant fly trap) over the last century.
Yes, the photo above is of a full woolly mammoth skeleton that has been excavated at the location. Awesome! Tar covers skeletons from animals that have been extinct for tens of thousands of years are on display, giving some insight into creatures that had never seemed real to me before. Saber tooth tigers, a variety of lot birds…there’s even a room where you can observe new fossils pulled from the tar being investigated and cleaned.
So although it was a small display compared to the larger museums, it was still very insightful and a pleasure to explore!
Click to see pictures of the La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum.
