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

My Kappa Phi Girls

As you may or may not know, I'm extremely involved with Zeta Tau Alpha. I enjoy all of the time that I dedicate to it - and this past year has been especially special. I was asked to be the General Advisor for Kappa Phi, the Zeta chapter at Christopher Newport University. I threw the girls for a loop with my energetic style, but they soon got use to it and we accomplished a lot together.

I know I was suppose to be their advisor, but week after week leaving the chapter meetings, I knew I was getting just as much advise on life from them; whether they knew it or not.

I never tried to be cool or in the know, and I'm sure not either of those things now...but I'm a little closer. =) Late night phone calls, a retreat in North Carolina, LOTS of email, "mash the potato", Facebook, LOTS of hugs, smiles and thank yous. It was a year that I will always cherish.

Visitor from Seattle

AND then we had MORE company! Karissa came to town! We walked around Colonial Williamsburg, enjoyed a bottle of wine in the garden of the Cheese Shop, played Mario Kart (be careful, boys, she holds her own!), and time catching up.

It's wonderful to make new friends, but it's heart-warming to be re-united with old ones. We have been through some adventures together and it's always fun to get together and talk through all that is ahead of us.

We love entertaining! Good thing, huh?!

Visitor from Anchorage

One of my (Sarah) friends from FOREVER came to town this weekend. Carrie had class in Norfolk, but we convinced her to come in a day early and hang out with us. It was so good to see her! We drug her to a graduation party. Worth noting: the party was sponsored by an official taster at Budweiser. So don't feel TOO bad for her. PLUS we spent time at Virginia Beach - darn good weekend if you ask me!

Graduation is/was here!

We can't believe two years have gone by so fast! On May 11, 2008, we heard my name announced as I was awarded my MBA. We had a great day - an MBA brunch, class picture, Mike Tomlin (Steeler's head coach) gave the main commencement speech, and we went out for a fabulous dinner.

My folks joined us in Williamsburg for a few days and it was great to see them. We talked and laughed a lot and were definitely sad to see them head home.

Graduation is here...well almost

Only a few days left until graduation! Yippee!

Kentucky Derby Time!

All dressed up to watch the races! We (right) joined Sage and Morgan (left) and Carter and Lisa (below) for homemade mint juleps during the Kentucky Derby. I am starting to understand this sport, but all of this for a TV viewing of one of the fastest sporting events? Either way we found a way to make it fun!

Austin or bust

Special thanks to our tour guide for taking this picture for me!

I got a chance to go to Austin for a few days. I was there primarily to interview for a job, but we'll see how that pans out here in the next week or so. All in all I feel pretty good about how the interview went and will continue to be hopeful until I hear otherwise.

Now my visit wasn't all work or an attempt to get work. I got a little bit of time to explore the fun city of Austin and one of the days I was there I spent on a Segway (the idea of me taking a Segway tour prompted my sister to call me either a mega or super nerd). I thought it was a blast. It was also a great way to see a new area, since we were traveling at about 10MPH. I think that the tour could have been better if we had a little ear piece so that we could hear our guide a little better, but all in all it was pretty good. We heard about deep musical history of the city and toured many of the "important" buildings in the city like a few hotels, the capital, and a couple of cultural sites. Did I mention that this was a great way to see the city? Being on the Segway lifts you up a few extra feet off the ground which gave an interesting perspective and removed the need to try and look around the rest of the people on the sidewalks. I wonder if this is how someone like Kevin Garnet feels as he is walking around regularly, but I digress...

I think that after being in Austin for a few days that this really is a place that the we would enjoy. The culture is laid back and unassuming much like I feel Seattle is. They also have tons of great food and some good local breweries in Texas. For now, cross your fingers while we wait and hear if I get the job that I want and I will update once we know more =)




Cruising through a neighborhood on the way back to the car!

Sports update...

The 2nd year and 1st year MBA students went to Charlottesville to play softball in UVA's annual MBA softball tournament. Our team went last year and got to the semifinals, but couldn't beat the 2008 team from UVA. This year much like last year we had a great time up in Charlottesville for the weekend with registration at a local Irish Pub and the second night at a great bar with food, drinks, and an opportunity to mingle with MBA's from around the country.

Once it got to game time the 2nd year team was poised to win. We had been practicing off an on to help get back in the swing of things and help people like me remember how to catch a ball. Day one during pool play we played four games and ended 2-2. We beat Harvard and Boston College, but lost to the 2008 UVA team and Kellogg. At this point it was 6 or 7pm and we were in the quarter finals for the playoffs. We had an interesting and fun opponent in Babson college, but we played well and made a clean sweep of all the schools from the Boston area...unfortunately in the morning we had drawn the 2008 team from UVA again for the semi-finals...we played well on defense except for one inning and that inning killed us. Not that it makes it any better, but the conditions weren't great (it had rained for most of the night so we were playing on all grass) and all of a sudden I couldn't catch the ball anymore. Oh well we played great, I had fun playing, and spending time with the team and some of the other teams.

After we got back from the tournament, a few days later, we had the intermural playoffs for volleyball. We were more successful in this en devour since we won and got some new t-shirts =) But, I wish we could have won one more match...we were one game away from beating the men's club volleyball team for a second t-shirt. Unfortunately, they rebounded after we played the best game we had all season to come back and beat us. It was fun playing volleyball again, but it would have been sweet to beat the club team.