Merry Christmas 2008!

Brian and I were so lucky to spend time with our families in both Minnesota and Seattle. We had a blast in both places - although in MN, we really missed Ryan and Laura who were stranded in Portland because of weather.

During our Seattle Christmas, we had so much fun, we forgot to get out the camera. This year was particularly fun because Nick and Carolyn hung out with us all day! Here's a few takes from our time in the snowy mid-west:

Oh, the time we spend in the kitchen!

The Ruhwedel/Porter/Bosmas

Grandma and Grandpa are a hoot to spend time with!
We play a lot of cards, talk and laugh. They make us feel so special when we brave the mile walk across the lake to visit them (when it's really cold, we just drive).

This year, they were cracking us up with a particular story. They were out shopping in St. Cloud, and Grandpa commented how many nice people there were because everyone was holding the doors open for them. Grandma responded, "We are really old, because even the old people are even holding the doors for us." Ha! We should be so lucky!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Thanksgiving in NYC

We took the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in NYC this year - what a BLAST!

We stay with our good friend Anne, and on this visit, we spent a lot of time with Barb, too.

We watched the Macy's Day Parade with Morgan(my BFF), Sage and Lisa - friends from William & Mary that now live in NYC. Usually on Thanksgiving, we turn the TV on and have the parade on in the background. It was fun to actual be there!

It was our first year at the parade, and the same was true for Horton, Buzz Lightyear and Shrek.

But everyone knows, that Santa steals the show!


We had an AMAZING turkey dinner with some friends of Anne's (they're our friends now, too!) in Connecticut - the conversation was lively, wine delicious, and the laughs continuous.

We walked around NYC and enjoyed the Christmas sites and holiday windows.

Not shown: Fabulous dinners, cocktails, stories, hugs,
and all the memories of just living life.

Westward bound...

We are Seattle bound as we begin a new chapter in life. Details are still TBD so stay tuned or just give us a call.

Photo by J Garner

Before I sign off I just want to say thanks to all those that have been supportive and part of my cheering squad. I appreciate all the help each of you have given me along the way.

Release your inner rock star!

Rock Band 2 has augmented our home entertainment, thanks to the yearly raffle that Sarah won, and unleashed the inner rock star in both of us. So go on indulge yourself or come join us and rock out!

Halloween and a new baby - Lyla

Colleen and I have been friends since 5th grade - and it's a friendship that is still going strong!

On Halloween, Brian and I went down to visit the Ladd's. Gwen was a perfect
Raggedy Ann and Colleen let me play along. We went trick-or-treating with Gwen, and it was hysterical. She was more interested in the dogs living at each house than the candy.

We had to get back down to visit the following weekend because Lyla Jane was born on November 3. I have no doubt she'll be as cute as her older sister!

Classic Egypt - Pyramids and Sphinx

Pyramids of Giza, with our traveling group

Guard on a camel, with the pyramids in the background

Sarah, Brian and a Sphinx that has his nose

Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza

This is one of Sarah's favorite pictures...
A step pyramid (the oldest type of pyramid)
with cobras in the foreground to serve as protection.

This is one of Brian's favorites....

Hieroglyphics

Brian and I have really enjoyed all the travel that we have been able to do. But somehow traveling to Egypt was different. Really different. "Traveling" itself was easy. We traveled in the tourist areas and had Mohammad with us at all times. We always knew where and when we were going, and someone figured out the logistics.

Interesting (and total side note) by Egyptian law, because we were Americans, we were required to have an armed guard (to include semi-automatic weapons) with us at all times. It didn't feel necessary, but it's kind of like getting a free drink while out at the bar: thanks, and why not?!

ANYWAY - Hieroglyphics. They were AMAZING. And everywhere. Once the wall/column was constructed, they would cover it with a plaster, and either "stamp" or carve in the hieroglyphs.

This is documentation of what offerings were made to the god each day. A temple may have been to honor numerous gods, but it was all about keeping them happy.


This is a cartouche:

According to Wikipedia, "a cartouche is an oblong enclosure with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name." Because the figures inside are facing the left, you would know to read this from the left to the right. I don't remember exactly who this is for, but the circle represents the sun, pronounced "Ra" and I think it represents Ramses.


Now this one? Not a clue. Brian took the picture and then included it in the post, but it doesn't mean anything particular to me. I can tell you, the symbol in the center is the key of life representing eternity. The bugs? They look cool, though...


Now this one is from Karnak Temple. This is the first spread sheet. Okay, not really, but it looked like it to me. Back to documenting offerings. The symbols across the top were offerings, down the left are days, and where they intersect is how much. Now that's cool!

First Spread Sheet

Besides these pictures, we saw amazing hieroglyphics in the Valley of the Kings and we visited a tomb of a noble that was incredible. We couldn't take pictures inside though, so you'll have to take my word for it.

Cruising the Nile

We disembarked the live aboard to our next adventure of a floating hotel. We flew to Aswan and our new lodging was a boat on the Nile. Well, it's called a cruise, but it feels like a hotel from the 70's that floats down the Nile.

The boat was nothing special, but the views of Egypt from the decks were beautiful. Peaceful, and definitely showed how water means life. We passed all sorts of little villages and farms.
For three days we cruised down the Nile. We would stop periodically (one to two times a day) to explore temples of the ancient Egyptians. It was very cool to hear the stories of the hieroglyphics, how and why the temples were created, and how they changed over the years.

This was the first temple that we visited. It was in Aswan, and was one built after the Romans invaded Egypt. In general, temples were built by the Pharaohs to show the people that they were favored by the gods. Mohammad (our guide) was an Egyptologist - and he traveled with us, so we learned as we went and he was able to build on the things that he taught us.

Underwater Video - Red Sea

Turtle

Wrassi

SCUBA Diving the Red Sea

We were looking for a SCUBA vacation, and Sarah and our friend Seon, got to scheming...the end result: 2 weeks in Egypt, one week of SCUBA diving and one week exploring pyramids, temples, the Nile and Cairo. Between Sarah and I, Ki and Seon, we were a troop of four. But Seon had seven other Seattle-ites who were also interested, so we ended up with a group of 11. Totally fun! And now we have new friends!

The first half of our trip was on a live aboard boat on the Red Sea, which was chartered by Emperor. This was my (Brian's) first live aboard so I wasn't sure what to expect, exactly, other than a plethora of diving. Long story short, I was pleasantly surprised. The food was fabulous! Simple, but definitely tasty. The accommodations were good. We've been married now for over a year and a half, so Bert & Ernie beds for a few days was okay. We would wake up early to make use of the sunlight. The cycle of activities went like this: Sit through a dive briefing, gear up, dive, take off the gear, relax, eat, repeat. A great way to spend a week!

We did have a few crazy crossings of the Red Sea. However, the bumpy crossings (moments when the crew tells you to just go to sleep...doesn't matter that you slept all night, just go to bed again otherwise one might get seasick) would have happened no matter who we decided to dive with. Red Sea in September, apparently the chance of waves is high. It didn't dampen our fun!

The boat

Before arriving in Egypt we were expecting to see large life while we were diving. A good example would be schooling hammerhead sharks and manta rays. When we got there the conditions had changed, bumpy instead of nice and calm, so most of the big life was at depth or had moved to different areas of the Red Sea. Bummer, but we were excited to see how beautiful the coral reefs were.

Despite the wild conditions, this is how we would start the day.

We spent our time with some large life, gray reef sharks, and a bunch of fun and interesting smaller life like anemone fish (below), octopus, lion fish, cuddle fish, and more. Some of the coral reefs that we encountered were amazing! 20-30 feet of cascading tabletop corals, fan corals, and hundreds of types of soft corals. Having been there, now, and diving for a week, I can understand why the Red Sea is some people's favorite spot to dive in the world.

Anemone Fish

Anemone Fish

To Egypt and back again

Over the past few weeks we've been traveling throughout Egypt. We spent the first week SCUBA diving the Red Sea and the second week in Cairo, Aswan, Hurgada, and Luxor. This was an amazing trip for us and over the next few days we'll share some of our memories and pictures.

For now we'll share a picture that we took in Cairo.

A little experiment...

We got the opportunity to get a discounted season pass to Busch Gardens this year, which means that we get ample opportunity to ride roller coasters and enjoy some interesting shows too. One of the side benefits is that one can go taste beer at the park for free too.

While we were at the park recently we went in for a tasting with some friends when our taste/brew master made an interesting recommendation. We were tasting the Michelob Porter when he recommended making an ice cream float with it. The beer by itself is pretty nice. It is kind of heavy, but has some coffee and chocolate flavors and aromas. So after our tasting we grabbed a six pack and gave the Porter float a shot...we made it with 1/2 a beer each and a couple scoops of chocolate ice cream.

B: I thought it was interesting, but it benefited from an extra scoop or two of ice cream. End of the day I think I would rather have a rootbeer float, but I might have to give it another chance.

S: Eh, just ok...but would give it another shot with an ice cream that had some fudge in it or was more chocolaty than the one we had.

Old Friends in a New Town

Colleen and I (Sarah) have been friends forever! We met in 5th grade. We use to pass hours just walking around our neighborhood in Anchorage. Skipped school together (only once!). Played pepper in the street (just volleyball back and forth), swapped stories during college, attended each other's weddings. And now, here we are.

Colleen, Brad (her husband) and Gwen (the 3-year old) moved to Virginia two months ago. They are about an hour away from us, but we are happy to see them when we can. So far - we've been able to hang out quite a bit!

Here we all are enjoying lunch at the Cheese Shop in Williamsburg:

Busch Garden pictures to come soon...

Have you ever been to Berryville?

Berryville? Probably not - but we'll get there in a second...

It was back to Washington DC for Labor Day weekend. Brian and I drove up Saturday morning, and it was great. An easy 2 1/2 hour drive, and we met up with Phil. Yeah for Phil!


Phil lives within walking distance of the Mall, so the three of us wondered through and into the Air and Space Museum. The last time Brian and I were in DC, we saw everything from the outside, so it was fun to check out the inside - and the AC was welcomed because it was HOT!


I made the boys practice looking animated in the pictures - and they got pretty good! The museum was cool - but definitely was cooler in the 80's.

Darn. The museums closed, so we worked our way to dinner via margaritas... Sushi for dinner, which was a totally treat for us! Given all the conversation, our throats were dry, so we had to stop for another beer or two...good times!

Then Sunday morning, it was time for BERRYVILLE! An hour west of DC, Mary's (Phil's lovely girlfriend) family has a house they call the "farm." It is a beautiful restored farmhouse, with a very modern pool area. Mary joined us after work - and Sunday we enjoyed the sun and the laid back feel of the country. Brian and I treated Mary & Phil to herbaltinis - YUM!
We (okay, Mary) made dinner, played games and laughed like crazy.

Then we (okay, I) STILL had Monday off of work, so we enjoyed a good ol' fashioned BBQ with friends, food and fun. And what's a pool party without red keg cups! I guess you are really only as old as you act!

Happy Labor Day!

Colonial Williamsburg - FINALLY!

For two years now, we have lived in Williamsburg, VA. The home of the second oldest university in the country, William & Mary AND Colonial Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg (or "CW" as the locals call it) is the historic area of town where every day is sometime between 1774 and 1781. Everyone is dressed in period costumes and you'll get invited to listen to the reading of the Declaration of Independence because most likely, you can't read.

We have been taking advantage of some free time on the weekends to explore CW. We have sat in on conversations between slaves as they debate whether to leave and fight the British, listened to Benedict Arnold announce the British occupation of Williamsburg, and cheered a general by the name of Washington, who went off to battle.

It's been a trip to hear things like "the house of Burgess" and other things that remind you of your US History classes. Plus, it's just fun!

This is Sarah showing you how those held in the Public Gaol used the facilities.


And here's Brian in the gardens behind the Governor's Mansion:

It seems that a few hours is all we can handle, so we take in a few things and then head home to relax and enjoy the modern amenities.

Happy 30th Birthday, Brian!

Today's the day - Brian is 30 years old.

You can see his reaction:

He's actually handling it with style. We will celebrate at the Fat Canary, our favorite restaurant in Williamsburg, and talk about what a 30rd year-old does that a 29 year-old can't.

Don't worry, Brian is still young at heart -
my husband is asking for Rock Band II, Pixar movies and board games.

See...he's quite a few adventures to go before he's over the hill...

photo from Digital Quixote

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIAN!

A little trip that went up, up and more up...

I went climbing a few weeks ago now and my body still remembers the point of defeat at 1.8 peaks. I had a great time with Nick and my sister that day. On a less important note, I am almost all healed up from my one tired moment on the mountain where the mountain won. Still not sure what happened exactly since I remember standing still and the next moment I was on the ground going for a little ride that ended in a bloody hand. I must have been day dreaming or something, but it reminded me of the times when I used to ski a bunch. My best friend and I would have no problem zipping down the mountain, but once we stopped at the bottom the odds of us (or at least me) falling over greatly increased…

For pictures and another perspective of the great hike of 2008 check out her blog

The next day I went with my Dad for a hike around Mt. Rainier. My body was thankful that this was a much more relaxed hike instead of another crazy climb like the day before. In fact I would be willing to bet that my body might have down right revolted at the thought of doing another crazy climb the next day...

It was great to spend some time with my Dad up on one of the mountains that we used to go to often when I was younger. I had forgotten how pretty it can be hiking around on the trails at Mt. Rainier. But, then again being on the East Coast I had kind of forgotten what a real mountain looks like too. Thankfully I got two solid lessons while I was in town.

For pictures and other details check out his blog

Phil & Mary Vacation in Williamsburg

So, if you didn't believe it yet, you really should come and visit Brian and I in Williamsburg - everyone else does!

This weekend Phil and Mary came down from DC to hang out with us, or maybe just use us for the pool. Phil and I have been friends since grade school and Mary's a "friend" of his - we liked her! We made the most of the sun and heat - mimosas by the pool, some played tennis, Brian made curry and we played lots of Mario Kart. We had dinner at the Fat Canary (our favorite) and then beers at Chowning's Tavern, a colonial tavern, so we watching a magician, listened to musicians, and played "Shut the Box" - a dice game.

The four of us had a lot of good conversations - and talked about all sorts of things...food, friends, jobs, politics, the media, and George. Hopefully, we'll get to visit them soon in D.C.

A little trip to TJ's house...

The drive behind our trip was to come and checkout Thomas Jefferson's house at Monticello. Pretty nice place if you ask me, but back his day I bet it was pretty darn warm inside.

I really enjoyed the gardens at Monticello. Jefferson was absolutely crazy and scientific about his plants. In fact he kept a journal about each and every plant that was on the grounds and had a preference for useable plants...

Without my navigator I'm not sure we would have made it to the house. However, if I had known the place was retrofitted with AC I would have had no problems finding this place.

May as well make a quick stop at the university that TJ designed (UVA) too.

While we were at the university that he designed we felt that spending a moment with him in the shade would be a nice little break. Thankfully not to long since the shade was scarce and it was hot that day.

And we finished the weekend at lunch with friends