Italy (92 images)
Daniel and I spent 10 days in Italy in January 2007 despite everyone telling us how miserable it would be in the winter. We were blessed with unseasonably warm weather and no crowds - I think we went at the right time. We spent 4 days in Rome, then took the train to Bologna area so that Daniel could visit Ferrari and Ducati. Then, we were off to Florence for 2 days where we actually braved driving - foolish but we lived to tell! After Florence, we drove to a small town in the Chianti region of Tuscany called Panzano where we stayed at a charming B&B with a wonderful hostess named Giulletta who taught us to make pasta. We explored the surrounding hill towns of Cortona, San Gimignano, and Sienna before driving back to Rome. These pictures are in reverse order. Daniel has started a retrospective travel diary of our trip if you want to know more about our adventures.
Kim's Shower and Wedding (47 images)
November 2006. Yay - my close friend Kimberly got hitched to the wonderful, and oh so patient Phil, who then snatched her away to the east coast :( Before she left, I threw her a bridal shower with a Japanese theme (Sushi cake!). Then she had a gorgeous wedding at the Saratoga Foothill club, a fabulous arts and crafts building that I wish I'd known about when I got married. Somehow I turned into wedding coordinator for the day, and all was quite hectic. It all turned out well though, and I'm glad she got the wedding she dreamed of rather than a chintzy bbq in a park (what she originally said she wanted - her friends knew better).
Browse Kim's Shower/Wedding Photos
UK Trip (87 images)
In April 2006, Daniel and I went to England so that I could meet all the extended family and friends at a belated wedding reception hosted by Daniel's mom. We spent 3 days in London and 2 in Cambridge, before arriving in Daniel's hometown of Chapel Allerton (in Somerset). Also visited the nearby towns of Glastonbury and Wells.
Weekend Getaway (13 images)
In August 2006, Daniel and I treked up the North Coast for a few days. Inspired by the TV show Eureka, Daniel wanted to head there (even though I told him that the show was actually filmed in Canada). After stopping in Mendocino for dinner, we drove to Eureka and explored the town and coast the following day. Then we headed inland to the Trinity National Forest which had been largely on fire for the past week. It was mostly out, but the skies were still a bit smoky and visiting fireman were still scattered about. We took a half-day rafting trip on the river there where I decided that rafting wasn't really my thing. The fact that the boat in front of us capsized didn't help my confidence. Daniel loved it though, and found a small nugget of gold during a riverside snack break. On the way home, one of my new tires got a nail in it. We managed to make it to Redding and find a shop that could fix it. We made it to the Napa Valley by sunset, and had a leisurely dinner in St. Helena before heading home.
Colorado - UPA Conference (23 images)
In June 2006, I headed to Colorado for the UPA conference near Boulder. When not learning about best practices for conducting user research, I explored the area and the Rocky mountains. I LOVED Boulder - how can you not love a town whose street musicians play bluegrass and there are hammock stores on every corner? I also discovered that South Park is the name of one the lower mountain peaks in the Rockies (only ~ 9,000 feet). I drove up a scary narrow windy road to 14,000+ feet. Apparently the highest paved road in the US. I felt light-headed at the top, but got to see an observatory that looks like a certain body part (apparently the highest observatory as well - unfortunately closed for the day) and view of South Park peak in the distance. In other treks I got to see the Stanley Hotel (location for The Shining), and Red Rocks Amphitheatre (beautiful concert venue favored by PBS specials). Alas, no Yanni or John Tesh there. Phew!
Camping - Hume Lake(13 images)
Memorial Day weekend 2006. We joined some friends for camping at a lake in Sequoia National Park. It was bitterly cold for the 2nd year in a row - think its time for a new venue! Trip was fun though, and Daniel got to burn stuff with his giant magnifying lens.
Honeymoon in Bermuda(86 images)
December 2005 - Our honeymoon started out with a warm welcome from a live band in a most scenic airport, but quickly turned sour as our luggage was lost. Turns out we arrived on a bank holiday too, so no restaurants were open and our first meal consisted of greasy gas station food. I was still nursing my cold too. Our luggage showed up the next day, and the trip got much better. We had a beautiful cottage near the water front with an awesome view from the back patio. We explored the small island by ferry and foot, then rented a scooter to travel like the locals (visitors are not allowed to operate cars either. We spent New Year's in the port town of St. George where we watched fireworks and drank from blinky glasses. The beaches were amazing, but it was too cold for swimming/snorkeling. When it was time to fly home, it turns out we couldn't. A long flight delay combined with airline incompetence resulted in us being put up for the night at a nearby hotel. It turned out well though because the hotel had a cool cave, a hot-tub with olympic athletes, and a nearby restaurant called the Swizzle Inn that made a mean steak and guiness pie and yummy rum drinks.
My Wedding (236 images)
Daniel and I were married on December 23, 2005 at Testarossa Vineyards in Los Gatos. The ceremony was held in "the cave", with an evening reception in the adjacent wine-tasting rooms. What can I say ... I married the right guy who looked oh so handsome and British in his morning suit. A few friends provided holiday choral music prior to the ceremony and sang the Bridal Chorus as I walked down the aisle. Daniel and I blended our favorite chocolates as an alternative to the typical unity ceremony while a soloist sang the highly appropriate "I Swear". At the reception, my maid of honor sang our first dance song, then everyone else danced to standards and holiday tunes provided by a jazz combo. Our cake was the BOMB and I even liked the champagne (either it was really good, or I was just high on love). We had a good time, and somehow I managed to forget that I had spent the eve of my wedding battling a fever and had woken up with a rotten cold. Overall though, a dream wedding and an excellent start to my new life.
Disneyland - Oingo Boingo Reunion (30 images)
In October 2005, Daniel and I took a much needed break from wedding planning and drove to Anaheim for a fun weekend. We drove down Friday night, went to Disneyland during the day Saturday, and then went to an extra special concert in the evening. My favorite band of all time ( Oingo Boingo) was having a semi-10 year Halloween reunion show - minus Danny Elfman who is apparently too happy and dignified in his new life as a film score composer to jump around on stage singing about reptiles and samurai. Fortunately his presence was still felt strongly in the Nightmare Before Christmas themed haunted mansion at Disneyland. The concert was fun, and we got to go to a meet and greet after where I met bassist John Avila, drummer Johnny Vatos, and saxophonist Sam Phipps.