it's all about the details

road trip - part three and a birthday boy!

My birthday promised to be an exciting day - starting with gifts, birthday text messages, and Starbucks, and continuing with a trip over the fabled Golden Gate Bridge. What a gloriously sunny day, and traveling in the happy little yellow Beetle with the moon roof open made it even more delightful. I even got a text message from my friend Wendy as we crossed the bridge, and I was actually with her the first time I was on the Golden Gate - cool!  Our first stop was Muir Woods to drink in the beauty of nature and to get some exercise at the same time. We chose a long-ish route through the woods, and by the time we were done, we were ready to shed our jackets. So gorgeous! And since we were so close to the mighty Pacific, I thought it would be only right for us to ride along the PCH for at least a little bit. Beth loved navigating a twisty, wind-y scenic route, and we enjoyed more majestic sites before finding the sparkling ocean spread out before us.

We felt that there was one significant iconic San Francisco site that we needed to see before we headed back East - Chinatown! I had once taught the novel Dragonwings by Lawrence Yep, so it was very intriguing to be exactly where the novel had been set. We walked up and down the street drinking in the colorful scene and stopped at Far East for authentic cuisine. Such beautiful colors and patterns everywhere! Our time in San Francisco was drawing to a close, but we had one last desire - SHOPPING! So we went back to the hotel, changed clothes, checked in on Facebook (where I was greeted with about a MILLION good wishes for my birthday), and headed to the mall. The evening was capped off with a birthday steak dinner and a yummy birthday dessert with 39 candles less than necessary. Even though we knew that the next day held an 10.5 hour car trip, we were pleased with such a wonderful trip!

 

An adorable little boy I know is having a tenth birthday on May 1st, and even though it is still April here in the States, the end of April is waning for him in Istanbul, Turkey! Happy birthday to David - our nephew who is reaching double digits. He is sweet and smart and funny and cute. He loves orcas and Family Feud and the most EXTREME things like pesky parasites. Wish we could hug him hard!

 

Thanks for coming along with us on our trip! And happy May to you!

Susan

road trip - part two

After a delightful trip across the Bay Bridge (where we made friends with a handsome man in a pick-up truck) we arrived at our destination - Hotel Intercontinental of San Francisco. Swanky lobby, flat screen TV in the room, and robes.  Yeah - I love a hotel with robes. After settling in our 21st floor room with amazing views, we headed out for a wonderful dinner at the eclectic oola restaurant & bar (within walking distance) and then drifted off to dreamland.

 

Saturday, April 18th 2009 - Our day began with a trip to the crookedest street in the world - Lombard Street. It was a good call on our part - no waiting whatsoever!  Beth made the trip twice while I shot photos from the bottom the second time. She sure gave that clutch of hers a workout.  One time during the day I told her to take a right, but when we got to the intersection and took a look at the CLIFF that would take us off, we decided against it. Next we giddily boarded one of those famous cable cars after waiting in line on a beautiful day sipping coffee and listening to authentic Chinese music being played by a street musician. It was our original intention to go to Chinatown, but we ended up at Fisherman's Wharf - so we went with it. I had been to Alcatraz in the mid-90's, and Beth had no interest (I thought it TOTALLY rocked - get it? ROCKed?), so we were content to check out the view and have some fresher than fresh seafood for lunch.

 

Next came our ascent from the wharf back to Union Square - what an amazing sight as we lifted high above the Bay and watched as we pulled away from the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. I would definitely recommend standing on the back of the car for this experience. Next we headed off by car to surprise our Facebook friend Suzy West who owns a cute little scrapbook store in Fremont, CA (and BOY was she surprised). We took a little side trip to Santana Row - a cool outdoor shopping center, and then headed back north for some more sights. First stop - the Painted Ladies from the Full House opener. Beth drove around the block a few times while I snapped a couple hundred pictures. Then we headed for the corner of Haight and Ashbury just to say we had been there. Our last stop was at AT&T Park (Home of the Giants - we had scoped out the 49ers stadium on the way to Fremont). While idling at an intersection, we met up with these two hilarious guys who had just come from the game (which was a loss for the Giants). After a full, full day, we stopped at Bar 888 in the hotel lobby and enjoyed some great drinks and conversation before heading to the 21st floor.

 

Yep, quite a day in San Francisco - and there's a whole other 24 hour period to talk about.  See you,Thursday!

Susan

 

road trip - part one!

First things first - Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of your sincere and wonderful birthday messages. My 40th birthday was truly outstanding, and your kind words were all a part of that! Mwuah!  Love you all!

In honor of my birthday, Beth and I decided on a road trip to San Francisco - yes, I said ROAD trip. I had been to the City by the Bay only very briefly back in the mid-90's with my friend Wendy (who lived in Lodi, CA, at the time), and Beth had never been, so we thought that San Fran would be a fabulous destination. We studied a map and saw that I-80, which heads west out of Salt Lake City, would take us straight there, but there's a whole lot of Nevada in between. Our parents taught us that getting there is half the fun, and we totally agree, so on Thursday the 17th at about 3 pm MDT, we headed west toward Reno.

I-80 west took us along the southern portion of The Great Salt Lake, and as we neared the Nevada border, we flew through the Bonneville Salt Flats (so amazing - I can't even describe it!). With a speed limit of 75 mph, we were making great time. And away we went across northern NV!  With only stops for gas and a Subway supper, we rolled into Reno at about 9:30 PDT. The last leg of the trip as we approached Reno was so fantastic - stars set in the velvet sky to the soundtrack of Hair Nation on XM Radio. Ah, the memories!

 

In Reno we stayed at the Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino - not bad. The UABC (Bowling) convention was in full swing. More than anything, we just needed a good night's sleep. The next morning we were eager to wend our way to Napa Valley, so we continued our journey west though Truckee and the Sierra Nevadas, north of Lake Tahoe. We decided that we would like to "Become a Fan" of northern California. My history geek self was interested in a stop at the capitol in Sacramento, and we were really glad that we took the time.  The grounds were gorgeous and the weather was absolutely glorious. It was nice to stretch our legs as well. Too bad Arnold didn't make an appearance. :)

The real excitement for the day was our trip to Napa Valley.  We knew that we wanted to stop in at Trinchero, the vintner for our favorite wine, but we had also gotten some recommendations from one of my former students from Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas. The drive was magnificent, and we arrived to our first destination with the sun roof open and a sense of excitement. Jessica had suggested V. Sattui winery. It was abuzz with people enjoying the wine and the weather. Next we were off to Trinchero. Very intimate and worth the drive! And we loved it that Leann, our host, was impressed with our wine knowledge. We gotta give props to our brother Paul for that! We bought some souvenir wine to savor at home here. Next we headed off to Prager Ports (another suggestion from Jessica). It was very small and eclectic, and port is very different from what we are used to. All the while I was texting Jessica to keep her updated on our tour. And would you believe that we determined that I had actually SEEN her that morning when we were at a Starbucks in Reno near where she lives?  After one more stop at a winery, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Bottega in Yountville and enjoyed a chat with our wine snob brother who wished he could have been with us.

 

Stay tuned as our trip continues in the next blog post!  Way more fun to come! :)

Susan

it's susan's 40th!

Hi Friends!

Today's the day! If you comment regularly, if you typically just read, or if you're visiting for the first time, please respond to today's post! My little sister is 40 years old today, and I'd like to see at least 40 birthday wishes for her. Heck, let's double it--can we reach 80?

If you know Susan personally, you are aware of how crazy and confident and happy and awesome she is. If you only "know" her through our blog or Facebook--she's just as she seems! Sarcastic, smart, sassy, silly.

Here are 40 photos to honor the birthday girl (click on the collage for a larger view):

To me, she's the best sister ever! We're in San Francisco today living it up in celebration of her big milestone. The best is yet to come, Susie!

Beth

pottery painting at its finest

Since before Christmas, the Paper Crafts team has been anticipating our trip to Color Me Mine (a ceramic painting establishment) where we would all paint our "name plates" to display in our cubicles.  Each person chose a font and some sort of an icon that represented him/her. Our fabulous designer Matt was kind enough to do the sketches for most of us so that all we needed to do was outline and color in.  Stace and Brynn took matters into their own hands, with fabulous results, I might add.

 Stace intricately paints her plate; design intern Brynn and Jennifer share their handiwork; and Kelly is all set to paint!

My plate will not be shown because it would throw off this wonderful collage (and everybody knows that paint and I are NOT friends).  I will share that my plate has a retro font and a martini with two olives in it.  I hope it looks better the next time I see it! Below you can see the personality of my team members showing in their color choices and fonts and icons.  I think that they all look great!

In five days or so we should see the final results, but in the end, it was the time that we spent together kicking it together that made it so fun.

What would you put on YOUR name plate if you had to choose?

Susan

PS. Beth and I are off on a road trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley tonight after work. Be sure to check back here on Sunday!

 

 

daily commute

It's something we have begun to take a little bit for granted, but our daily commute is really quite interesting. We've always been ones to seek out the shortcuts and most direct ways, especially avoiding heavily congested areas, so once we got here, we pulled out a map and started plotting. It took some experimentation, but we think we've found a winner! It definitely wasn't easy... Utah isn't like the Midwest with lots of road options. Our eleven or so mile trek takes us through some rather remote terrain, but one thing that makes this commute so interesting and beautiful is the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains to our east.  Join us on our ride to work! 

As we head out of our townhome community, our first obstacle is to get over what we call, "The Road of Death." You can see mini vans and semis hurtling along this busy street, and it takes team work of looking both ways to be able to dart across this road. Once we are safely across, we are on a remote paved road with enormous potholes. We dodge them as best we can! This neck of the woods runs along the west bank of the Jordan River - and includes rundown looking residences and a stinky mink farm. There's been a dead cat in the driveway of one shack for over a week! There was another week where we saw four dead skunks within a mile. I'm thinking if there are four dead how many are there ALIVE?

 

The fields and barns that continue to dot the landscape don't look terribly prosperous, but once we cross the Jordan River (see middle photograph) we begin to see signs of suburbia - larger and newer homes, kids and school buses. How cute is this group of eager school children?

 

Our commute is the perfect time to talk about upcoming plans, to concept ideas for our respective magazines, and for a little time with God. We read a daily devotion each day to get started on the right foot. There are plenty of cattle along the way, but through this section we pass a brand new school that will probably open its doors next year, and a very steep railroad crossing. As you can tell, I am having a blast capturing this all on film!

These steer are about one of our favorite sights each morning! They look very strong and remind us that we are not in Indiana anymore. Of course LDS church buildings dot the landscape throughout Utah. Valley Turf Farms is right off I-15 and if you look closely, you can see the word SOD atop the building behind the truck. One time someone who was trying to get to our house got lost and said, "I'm at a place called SOD."  We knew just how to direct him from there! Now we merge onto the frontage road and head toward northern Utah County's pride - Thanksgiving Point. 

  

Thanksgiving Point has a movie theater, a dinosaur museum (that we took our nephews to last summer), and luscious gardens and a golf course. At the light we see a lot for carpoolers and commuters to catch a ride and to the right a freeway entrance. In the last picture you can catch a glimpse of I-15 as well as a sign for "Latter Day Bride & Prom." Only in Utah!

  

The frontage road continues its way north toward Point of the Mountain, where driving is always dicey in poor weather. Cars often turn off at the Utah Flash Factory, a very large sports facility for boys and girls. Point of the Mountain takes us up and over into Salt Lake County (see the sign in the fourth picture), and we see paragliders daily atop the mountain whenever the weather is good. It's quite a soothing sight! And as we reach the summit of our climb and look to the west, we behold this lovely vista on the right.

And finally we are about to our destination as SL County opens up in front of us! We turn into the parking lot and head into work ready for another day at CK Media.

Thanks for joining us on our trip. What makes your commute special or interesting?

Susan

this holy week

Palm Sunday:

"So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!' "

Maundy Thursday:

"And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, 'Take; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.' "

"And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, 'Sit here while I pray.' "

"Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, 'The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.' And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, 'Rabbi!' And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him."

"After a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, ' Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.' But he began to invoke a curse on himself and swear, 'I do not know this man of whom you speak.' And immediately the rooster crowed a second time."

Good Friday:

"And Pilate again said to them, 'Then what should I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?' And they cried out again, 'Crucify him!' And Pilate said to them, 'Why, what evil has he done?' but they shouted all the more, 'Crucify him!' "

"And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take."

"And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, 'Truly this man was the Son of God!' "

"And Joseph brought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb."

Easter Sunday

"Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?' But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away."

"He appeared first to Mary Magdalene...she went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping."

  

Note: Passion story taken from the gospel of Mark.

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May you have a blessed week as we celebrate the victory of our Savior!

Beth

 

ten things i'm lovin' right now

Every once in a while I just have to be random. So today's blog post has no real theme other than stuff I dig at the current moment. Ready?

1. This song. It's beautiful, touching, and it has a great groove.

2. Holy Week. Palm Sunday through Easter. The most important and reverent week of the church year.

 

3.  Great sports. It's an awesome time for fans, with the NCAA tournament finals and baseball's opening day occurring in the same week!

 

4. Rain. April showers bring May flowers, you know. Rain is sexy, soothing, pleasant. Don't be a hater. Rain gives sunshine its glory.

 

5. Working out. I would like to tell you that the chick in the photo is me, but no. At least not yet. But it feels so good to push my body and see and feel results.

 

6. Upcoming trips. We're headed to San Francisco to celebrate Susan's 40th birthday in a week, and I'm off to Jacksonville in May to visit a guy I haven't seen in more than 15 years. Any tips for fun things to do in either destination?

7.  Tax refund. Thanks, Uncle Sam. I know this money could have been in my pocket all along, but I sure do love seeing that big deposit on my bank statement.

 

8. Feminine florals. I'm all about girly dresses right now. If only the weather would cooperate, so I could flutter around in something like this!

 

9. Trinchero cabernet sauvignon. My favorite wine, hands down. Just has this mellow afterglow that is so fantastic!

10. Must-see TV. Several of my shows are getting sooooo good! Thank God for the DVR!

So what's striking your fancy these days?

Beth

 

 

 

anatomy of a long trip home

March 29

5:59 am - Sound asleep in  hotel room in Louisville, KY.

6:00 am - Phone rings. 800 number - do not answer.

6:01 am - Voicemail from United Airlines - my 10:54 am flight from Louisville to Chicago has been cancelled. Directed to "go online" (no computer with me) or talk to a United agent to take care of this. Slight panic.

6:03 am - Roll over and go back to sleep.

6:15 am - Finally decide to face the dilemma. Rise. Get ready. Vacate room.

6:50 am - Breakfast in hotel lobby begins at 7. Sip coffee and wait.

7:00 am - Eat breakfast.

7:20 am - Call for a shuttle to airport.

7:30 am - Arrive at airport and approach United desk.

7:32 am - Monica from United Airlines states, "I'm gonna be honest with you. You will probably not get out of here today." I remain calm and ask about a hotel.

7:33 am - Monica is on the phone working her magic.

7:36 am - Monica informs me that indeed I will be getting out of here on a Delta flight that leaves in the afternoon.

7:40 am - Eager to unleash my big pink suitcase, I approach the Delta check-in area.

7:41 am - Am told that one cannot check in more than six hours before one's flight.  Who knew?

7:42 am - Check Facebook while waiting until 8:05 am.

8:05 am - Check in with Delta.

8:06 am - Fly through security - absolutely no line. 

8:10 am - Order a venti Cafe Americano and settle into a comfy chair with a view.

 

8:29 am - Talk to friend, check Facebook, read book.

8:40 am - Still sipping beverage 30 minutes later and cooking up what a great blogpost this will be.

9:00 am - Read. Facebook. Sip. Potty.

10:16 am - Talk to Beth, check Facebook, people watch.

11:00 am - Time for lunch. Head to Home Team Sports for a midday salad.

11:20 am - Read book while waiting for salad to arrive.

12:19 pm - Talk to Mom and Dad.

12:35 pm - Wander around airport taking pictures and killing time.

12:58 pm - Bar opens at one - find seat.

1:00 pm - Order a Maker's Mark Kentucky Bourbon, cuz I'm in Kentucky.

1:06 pm - Call brother Paul and leave a message.

1:40 pm - Board plane to Atlanta!

1:42 pm - Take my seat in lucky #13A - all the way to the back.

2:15 pm - Read book. Ignore large man next to me.

3:30 pm - Touchdown in Atlanta.

3:45 pm - Last one off the plane - make a mad dash to my connection!

4:00 pm - Check on MSU game while trotting by sports bar. Spartans are ahead by 10!

4:05 pm - Board the biggest plane I have EVER been on. Second to last seat.

 

4:25 pm EDT - Plane takes off headed for SLC, and I have an EMPTY seat next to me! Woot!

5:00 pm - Finish book. Wait for beverage service. Ignore Twilight which they are showing. Why are everyone's lips so freakishly red in that movie?

5:30 pm - Order fruit and cheese plate for dinner. Yum!

6:00 pm - Do insanely easy crossword puzzles to kill time. Snooze a little. Miss Facebook a little.

Cross into Central Time/Cross into Mountain Time - Gain two hours and sit on the plane for an eternity!

6:25 pm MDT - Hear the news that we are beginning our final descent!

 

6:35 pm - Fly over Utah Lake...

 

6:40 pm - Touch down in SLC at LAST!

Baggage claim, tram to parking, 30 mile ride home...

8:00 pm - There's no place like home! 

Susan