Cheesecake Lunch

Today Chelsie and I went to the Cheesecake factory for our Christmas present to each other. Chelsie had the spicy chicken, which I can vouch was delicious! I had the chicken marsala, which was good as always! Then we split the cheesecake special of the day, boy oh boy, what a delicious lunch, and great memory with my wonderful friend Chelsie.

Saturday After Christmas

Today I decided to stay in and enjoy my Christmas presents. One of my favorite gifts this year was from my good friend Jami. She got me an Espresso machine! Combined with Mandy's gift of fresh ground espresso coffee, I was able to make my first homemade latte this morning. I'm sitting at home watching Weeds, season 4 that Javier gave me and enjoying my latte. My brother got me a Starbucks gift certificate (I'm sensing a running theme here...) ;) My parents got me tickets to Toby Mac that I went to December 8th, and they also gave me a card for Christmas with a "Pay one bill" coupon. I'm really excited to use it, I'm still thinking about what I want to put it towards, but I'm thinking maybe getting my car detailed and a few things on it fixed up would be perfect!

Christmas Day

I had a great Christmas morning with my family; just like we normally do every year. With Dad feeling a little better each day, it was nice to see him out with us all morning opening presents. Dad sat in his recliner and opened presents and cards.

We get our presents from Mom whose always very eager to get the presents out to each of us from under the tree. Somehow she manages to get presents, pass them out, take pictures and even open her own all at the same time.

I think one of the best parts of Christmas is giving. It can sometimes be hard to find just the right gifts for people, but when you do, it really brings out the purpose of the season; giving to others.

A Traditional Farkle Christmas Eve

Every Christmas the "Farkle" family gets together and has a big Christmas eve get together. I say "Farkle" because it's our family nickname that includes all the family surnames. There's a story behind the name, but that's for another day. Our family traditions are passed from one generation to the next. For example, we always have a pinata that now my cousin's son, Cameron makes every year. It used to be made by his father, Guy (my cousin). Before that it was made by my Dad's uncle, Mont. This year Cameron made a large snowflake that all the children got a good whack at. Here's a picture of my cousin Kali holding her niece Sophie up for a good hit on the candy filled snowflake.



We're also blessed in that every year Santa comes and delivers presents to the children in the family. Every child gets a moment on Santas lap after he searches through his bag, finds a present, and calls out the name of the lucky child. It's always a fun time for everyone and for those of us who used to sit on Santas lap and get a present it's a little reminiscent of Christmas' past. Here's a picture of my cousin Matt's girls Madeline and Sophie opening their gifts from Santa.

Were The World Mine

Javier bought this movie and I was like, "Yeah, I'll watch that in my spare time." Then we watched it at Y.A.D. on Sunday and it's decidedly my favorite movie. This is kind of amazing because it's been a loooooong time since my favorite movie has changed.

The movie is based on a guy in his senior year and is kind of disconnected from his life. He is encouraged by his English teacher to audition for the senior play "A Midsummer Nights Dream" by William Shakespeare. I won't spoil it, in case you watch it, but it's setup almost exactly like the TV show GLEE. There are moments of song and dance that the main character enacts dreams or aspects of reality. It's masterfully tied to the Midsummer Nights' dream play in that everything that occurs in the play ends up translating into his life. I'm not a repeat movie watcher, normally; but I've already seen this one three times and I can't wait to watch it again.

YAD Christmas Cookies

Y.A.D. (Youth Alliance for Diversity) made Christmas cookies this year. It was fun... but mostly I'm just glad I didn't get any in my hair! The youth group has been an important part of my life, and giving back has been very meaningful to me. I'm glad Javier has given me this chance, and thankful for all the time and effort he puts into it himself. We also watched what is now my favorite movie - "Were the World Mine".

Christmas At The Cathedral

Every year (for as many years back as I can remember) I've been a part of or attended the CATC (Christmas at the Cathedral). I always enjoyed playing the bells in the bell choir. I haven't for the last couple of years... but perhaps I'll look for a church in California with a Bell Choir to join. :)

Regardless, this year was beautiful as always. The Church was decorated with giant wreaths and poinsettias adorned the sanctuary. It was wonderful to see friends I haven't seen in some time. The most wonderful part for me was listening to the Bell Choir. What a treat to reflect on this special time of year.

Toby Mac Concert

Tonight Maddy, Danielle, Charity and I went to see Toby Mac, Reliant K, Stephanie Smith and B. Reith in concert at the Idaho center. It was my parent's Christmas present to me as the four tickets were specially purchased to include VIP backstage passes to get pictures with the performers!


I've never had backstage passes and it was really neat to get to go behind the scenes and meet such amazing people. All of us had a great time and I can't believe how quickly it was over. Toby and the Diverse City crew brought an amazing performance! I'm looking forward to their next album due out early 2010. Listening to Toby's songs in person helped center me again. As of today, his songs are up on my MySpace. Check 'em out if you get a chance. They're stellar!

Sonoma State University, CA

This Thursday and Friday (December 3rd & 4th) were momentous for me. SSU (Sonoma State University) flew me down to interview, tour, and have a meet and greet at their campus. Flying down to San Fransisco International airport, renting a car, and driving an hour north to Sonoma Valley was surreal. The area and campus are absolutely beautiful. Everyone was friendly and personable and seemed excited to meet me.

Regardless of the outcome, I'm so very glad to have had the experience. It's hard to wrap my mind around not living in Boise, or working at Boise State. For now I'm going to enjoy the trip home (back over the Golden Gate) and see where things go.

Today Mom and I put up the Christmas lights at my parents house. The neighbor boy, Wiley, helped out too. Many hands make light work.

This was my first year carving the turkey. Dad rested this year. I spent the day with my family and it was nice.

Welcome, Clara

Today my Aunt Erni hosted a "Welcome Clara" party for my cousin's new baby. It was so nice to see her for the first time! She was born October 24th, 2009. Clara's older sisters Sophie and Madeline were also present. I'm really looking forward to seeing her grow up with her sisters.

Texas Bound Road Trip - Post 4

Arizona Meteor Crater


Yesterday, on our way to Flagstaff we stopped off at the Arizona meteor crater. I'd seen it so many times on television or in classes growing up. It was really awe inspiring to see it up close, and to think it happened roughly 50,000 years ago. That's not that long ago...

Texas Bound Road Trip - Post 3

Hoover Dam

On our way out of Las Vegas heading towards Flagstaff, we drove across Hoover Dam. I don't think I've ever seen it before. It was really awesome to see. They were also in the middle of a major bridge construction project so in the future cars won't drive over the dam, they'll fly high above it on a major freeway connection.

Texas Bound Road Trip - Post 2

This is a picture of Chris and I at club Krave in Las Vegas. It worked out perfectly that Friday night we were in Las Vegas for Chris' 28th birthday. We had such a great time and surprisingly enough managed to stay out of trouble. One of my favorite moments of the evening is when the DJ was playing Lady Gaga poker face and he mixed in the Southpark version of Eric Cartman singing the song. It was really fun!

Texas Bound Road Trop - Post 1

Our first stop was in Salt Lake City. It's always been tradition for my family to stop off and eat at the Maddox on they way to visit family in the state of Utah. So when Chris and I found ourselves looking for a good dinner, I just couldn't pass up my old favorite! We both had the Seafood cocktail, chicken fried steak and homemade rolls and corn bread. It was absolutely delicious, just as I expected.

Halloween

This year I flew up to Seattle to spend Halloween with my friend Micheal. We had such a great time! We got dressed up and went out that night to "The Cuff". The next day we walked around downtown and got some shopping done and after walking through one of the parks there we grabbed an ice cream. It was definitely a weekend I'll never forget. And for me, that's saying something!

Enchiladas & Salsa

Tonight Andrej came over to make enchiladas with Chelsie and me. We also made Salsa and I helped Chelsie make it. It was super good, as always. I think we only had one bottle of our favorite white wine amongst the three of us.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

(Andrej, Ross, Ashley, John, Adrian, Ashley)

I had so much fun on my second trip to Mexico. I went with my good friend Andrej, his brother Adrian, his friend Ashley and her roommate Ashley two! Ashley two also brought along her brother, John. The six of us had a great time. We started the trip off great the first night with a "booze cruise" around the bay. Yes, there was group line dancing and even a tequila tango line.


Adrian and I went para sailing and Jet skiing around the bay as did Ashley and Andrej.














I think I made happy hour at Cilantros every day. We ended the trip great with going out on the town (like we did most nights) and really raising a storm! We all miss Cabo and have been talking about going back to Mexico as soon as we can! Enjoy the short video, it helps give you an idea of what it was like for TEN wonderful days!!

Dad's Birthday

Tonight several of my Dad's good friends threw him a birthday party at Sliders go-cart racing track. The picture is of a group of us getting ready to race around the track. That is my Mom's friend Karen behind me. I ended up winning, I think, but I didn't have the fastest time! Go figure. ^_^ My aunt Carrie and Sally were so cute just putting around the track. My Mom really got competitive - It was a lot of fun.

Four More Days!

Only four more days until I fly from Boise to Phoenix to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico! I had a wonderful time in San Pancho (N. of Puerta Vallarta) two years ago. Here's a picture of me in Mexico that time.

This time I'm going with my friend Andrej, his brother Adrian and three other people I've recently met through Andrej. Friday cannot come soon enough! YES!!!!

F I N A L L Y ! ! !

For the first time in my life I ran SEVEN miles. I've never ran more than four miles straight through. I don't know where it came from, but I guess the obvious answer is the most likely; the constant persistence and continuous training for the last few months is paying off! Not only was I able to run seven consecutive miles, but I did it in exactly one hour. My natural running pace is at a speed of 45 second laps around the Rec center track which lands me at 8 minute, 15 second miles. I slowed down a bit after five miles, and ran about 9 or 10 minute miles. I'm so happy about it. Here's a pic of my jogging shoes and my shuffle which helped power me through those last 3 miles.

Rainbows

Seems like I don't see them enough. I was walking downtown having a nice talk with my friend Jordan and when we looked up, there they were. Two rainbows over the city of Boise. Only one was so vibrant that it shows well in the photo, but if you look close, you may be able to see the second one slightly farther out. It was really beautiful to see.

Tubing

My cousin Matt got a tube to pull behind the boat and we've been having a lot of fun with it. Below is a picture of my friend Jordan just before Matt tossed him off the tube and then all that was left were legs in the air and an empty tube.



I also got a super cute picture of (L to R) Kari holding Madeline and Sophie being held by Artesia up in the front of the boat.

Fourth Of July

This year I was lucky to spend my fourth with the Stivison's and their two daughters. It was a really nice night full of good Kabobs, breaking chairs, and of course the first time the girls played with fireworks. I thought the best picture of the entire time was this one of my cousin Matt with his oldest daughter. It's really special.

Lucky Peak

Lucky peak has always been a special place for me. I have many memories as a child going boating with Grandma and Grandpa on my Uncle Tom's (family) boat. We'd spend a lot of good times up at the lake water skiing. Like the rest of my family, I learned at an early age and I've always enjoyed it. This last year the family went in on a new 2008 water ski boat and I've had some great times up there this year with my cousins. Here's Casey, Matt and me tying away the boat after a fun day on the lake with Artesia and Kari.

Best Friends

It isn't often enough that my best friends get together; mostly because we're so dispersed. When Katie visited this summer Jenn had us over for dinner and as always, we had a great time together. We never did get a picture of the three of us without laughing. Nice.

Esthetic Evolution IV

EE Main Stage

Every year the Esthetic Evolution event is held near the town of Twin Springs, Idaho. It's a great "burning man" like event that I enjoy. I was so lucky this year that my best friend Katie and her boyfriend Tim could attend all the way from the midwest. I headed up with Heather, whom I got to know much better on this trip and we became good friends.


Heather and Me


Some People Dancing (Heather in her Queen of Hearts Costume)

The real topper of the weekend for me, was that Tim asked my best friend Katie for her hand in marriage!!! And the very minute I found out, Heather took this picture of Katie and me reveling in the excitement of the moment.


I'm so very happy for you both. I miss you so much, and I look forward to when you return to the Northwest. <3

Balcony Drag Show Night

Went out for a drag show and had a great night. Lot's of new friends, lot's of old friends, and of course Lots Of Fun! ^_^ After the show, got busy dancing and as you can see, we really danced hard that night! I always say, dancing a night at the club is worth TWO cardio workouts for the week.

Garden Valley

This weekend, after commencement Gess, Song and me hopped on our motorcycles and rode up to Garden Valley. We met up with Ed and Adam and spent the night at Cole's place up there with his boyfriend Tim. It was a fun night... I was the first person to turn in!

Spring 2009 Commencement

One of the really enjoyable "giving back" opportunities of my job at the University is helping with the Commencement event. Ever since I joined the Registrar's Office I've helped pull name cards for the Graduates. One of the most awesome things is all of the people I see graduating! Everytime I see a handful of people that I either know as close friends or haven't seen in years. Here are a few pictures from this year's Spring Commencement.

Kris Collins, Registrar:


Lynette Peterson, Albertsons Co-worker and long time friend.


Kathy Hurley, I used to babysit her children! ^_^


Regan Walker, I worked with Regan in Payroll for years. She's my lottery winning luck charm!

Nights Out

Some of the most fun I've had in Boise has been out with friends dancing the night away. I almost always have fun, but rarely do I have as much fun as when my brother is there too. He's always having a great time and as you can see, he makes it a real party!


Kristin, Chuck, Jess

4/20 Number 30

IT finally happened... I actually DID make it to 30. :) I had a great night with Joe and his friends at the community center. We played some board games and guitar hero and had a good night. Can you tell I was excited about my presents? ;)

The night before, my brother, Kristine, Casey and Kari surprised me with a wonderful dinner at Red Feather. Then they took me out on the town and fed me drinks until I didn't know which way was up. It ended with me blazed, but that was kind of the intent.

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!

CIRCUS - Britney Spears Concert

Joe, Brandon and I packed up Joe's car and we drove down to SLC. We had just enough time to do some shopping (and ice cream eating at the Ben and Jerry's) before heading to get in line for the Circus concert. There was much anticipation waiting in line with a few arguments. All in all it was good. We even met some friends in line from Idaho. The concert was amazing, and if she comes back, I'd even go again. It was that good. This was definitely a great album and she did a great job performing. I'm pretty sure she performed "Everytime" live and it was beautiful. Lots of gay boys everywhere, I think I got rubber necked.

The Pussycat Dolls did an amazing job opening.



Then Britney took my breath away.



And kept doing it with every song, spanning all her albums.



I couldn't believe the intricacies of the scene changes. It was intense. I suppose Britney may have heard Cher's challenge from her Fairwell tour "Follow this Bitches!" Britney definitely stepped up.



The three of us had a great time.