January
Dad and I in the Harry Lemon Pub in Dublin when I went with him on one of his work layovers.
February
Hiking Mt. Cutler is Colorado Springs on my trip to visit My best friend, Lindsey and her husband, Brian.
Lindsey, Brian, and I having dinner and enjoying some Irish music at a pub downtown.
Out for a hike with their dog, Maggie. Lindsey and Brian LOVE to hike so I definitely got my exercise in that weekend!Can't wait to meet their first child, Megan, who is due to arrive in April!
I even managed to squeeze in lunch with my Godparents Tom and Roxanne who live right down the street from the Ismirles!
March
Drinking beer with some new friends on a client trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado for work. I was the youngest person there and one of the only women. I had an absolute blast snowboarding, drinking beer, eating great food, and talking business of course!
April
I spent Easter in Kingwood with the Mathews and one of my favorite kiddos, miss Addison Lee Womack. The little meatball spent brunch trying on my sunglasses, taking pictures with my camera, being scared of the Easter Bunny, and cracking everyone up through it all!
My Uncle (who is a Congressman from Illinois) came into town to speak at a fundraiser roasting his DC roommate Congressman Kevin Brady from the Woodlands and invited me to come.
After being out for school for 2 years and not visiting for 1, I FINALLY made it back to Tallahassee to hang out with Ben, an old roommate of mine. We are like brother and sister and had a blast reliving our "glory days", even though Ben can't hang!
May
A group of some of my favorite people and I attended a friend's wedding on Lake Travis in Austin. The weather was perfect and the whole weekend was a nice little mini vacation.
June
My good friend Jenny, who is responsible for my running addiction, came to Houston to visit. I had a blast showing her around town and laughing myself silly. I can't believe it's been 6 months sine we've seen each other already!
July
For the fourth, a group of us decided to take their boat up to Lake Austin for the weekend. The water was too cold for any of us girls to suck it up and wakeboard (although the guys did) but we still had fun relaxing in the coves and dancing it up on the boat. When we weren't on the water we were either grubbin' on some delicious food (most likely from Hula Hut) or out having drinks and being silly. That weekend still makes me laugh when I think about it and is definitely one of the best of the year!
I feel like I say this every year but this year I really had the best birthday ever! Earlier in the week my girlfriends and I went out for Dinner at The Glass Wall where we had a yummy dinner followed by even yummier cupcakes that they brought. Then that weekend some of my closest friends and I went out to a delicious dinner of various types of wild game at Rainbow Lodge and followed it up with drinks and dancing at Citizen Lounge. I felt so loved and special and I know I'm truly lucky to have such wonderful friends and family!
September
September was a very busy month for me, even before Hurricane Ike made everything a million times more hectic. At the beginning of the month I went on a Ladies' retreat to the Fabulous Parker resort in Palm Springs. It was my first trip out to Palm Springs and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous and entertaining it was (other than the fact that everything shuts down at about 8 PM every night). The other women were wonderful and I had a blast hanging around the resort pool, going to the spa, and eating some fabulous dinners all while getting to know them better. I really hope that there is another trip to the Parker and Palm Springs in my future!
After some creative rerouting due to Hurricane Ike, I flew from Palm Springs to Pittsburgh to celebrate my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. They renewed their vows in the same church they were married in 50 years ago to the day. It was such a touching and beautiful weekend that included a really fantastic party with all the people I love. It was great to see two people who have stuck together through a lot and are still so in love. They are truly an inspiration to me and I love them both so much!
After more rerouting, since the airport in Houston was still closed, combined with a lot of nail biting over whether or not the event should still go on (due to all the damage in Houston) the company decided to still hold its annual Napa retreat for our bankers. I had the absolute worst flying experience of my life (NEVER fly United Airlines, EVER) I made it out to Napa for another unforgettable trip!
My Best friend (and colleague) Lisa, my good friend Vero (a coworker's wife), and I at the Welcome Reception
Ballooning over Sonoma
Lisa and I enjoying a relaxing trail ride with our horses Houston and Diesel
The view from Stag's Leap Winery, where we had a delicious cooking class and wine of course!
The wine caves at Stag's Leap
Getting a tour of Bonny's Vineyard by her son who is now the winemaker at this property. Bonny and her husband Justin Meyer (now deceased) originally founded the famed Silver Oak Winery and some of the best rated vintages came out of this vineyard. We had a wonderful afternoon where we got to sample their private reserve collection and talk with Bonny and her son who now produce wine from the vineyard under the name "Bonny's Vineyard" about anything our heart desired. The Meyers are wonderful, down to earth people and this was probably my favorite event of the trip.
Me, My boss Todd, His wife Amy, and my good friend and one of our bankers Renee before dinner outside on a picturesque night at the Culinary Institute. This 7 course meal was definitely the perfect end to the perfect trip!
After the trip of a lifetime, my girlfriend Lisa and I decided to extend our trip and stay out in Napa and San Francisco over the weekend. Lisa has planned that event and knocked it out of the park 3 years in a row! The weekend was definitely a nice way to unwind from a fantastic but hectic event.
Celebrating a successful trip and enjoying a tasty lunch at one of Napa's best restaurants, Mustard's.
Showing off our purple teeth after tasting some wine at Plumpjack, my favorite vineyard.
Lisa and I walking around Quintessa at their "Harvest Party" where we got to sample reserve vintages, eat tasty food, and listen to some great latin music!
Our traditional Golden Gate picture
The gorgeous redwoods in Muir Woods
Goofing around in Muir Woods
Lisa and I enjoying the view from the Muir Beach Lookout
Having Sake with our Sushi dinner on our last night in San Fran
October
Back in June Renee, a girlfriend of mine, told me that I had to go with her to Machu Picchu since I was her only friend who wasn't married and thus had nothing stopping me from making the trip. She is a travel maven and loves planning trips so she planned every aspect of our trip. When she finally declared she was finished and everything was set I simply wrote her a check and asked what I needed to pack. Although I wasn't planning on taking this trip before Renee asked me, I am so, so, SO glad I went. It was literally the trip of a lifetime and I couldn't have asked for a better travel partner and friend!
Having dinner and our first Pisco Sours (the traditional peruvian drink) at Inka Grill in Cusco. We also tasted llama that night and actually, it's not half bad!
The square in Cusco at night
Riding the Train to Aguas Calientes (the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu where we spent the night)
Machu Picchu
A typical "lawn mower" at Machu Picchu
Renee and I at Macchu Picchu
Machu Picchu through the fog
"Changing the energy of the world" at the Machu Picchu sundial
Catching our breath before heading back up
Posing with some traditional Peruvian girls and their lamb. There are kids all over like this that will pose with you for money, some even have llamas.
Enjoying another delicious dinner in Cusco
Visiting a Llama farm
Another cute kid by the entrance of the Pisac ruins
Enjoying some fresh corn in the sacred valley market
Cusco. Viva Peru!
If you would like to see more pictures of Peru please let me know. I have another 330 pictures that didn't make the post and I can send you the link to the album if you are really interested and have an extra half hour to kill or are looking for a good sleep aid!
Lisa and I dressed up for Halloween at the office. I was "Office Gossip" girl and she was Slash.
My cute little pumpkin
My friend Alexa and I at a halloween party. I was Willy Wonka (The Gene Wilder version of course) and she was a gold digger.
My girlfriends and I out at a very crowded bar on Halloween.
November
Neil and I went to Baton Rouge for a weekend to watch the LSU v. Alabama game and were hoping to see an upset by LSU. Although we had a ton of fun seeing old friends, eating some amazing cajun tailgate food, and yelling out "tiger bait" every time we saw someone in Alabama get up, the Tigers just couldn't pull it off. Anyone who knows me knows I LIVE for college football. It was really nice to get to see one really great game up close and personal.
Also in November one of my big bosses got hitched in one of the most gorgeous places in the world, Belize. I went not as an invitee but as a guest of my very close friend and coworker Andrew since we were both single. I had never been to Belize before but it really is Heaven on Earth. The weather was perfect and I was with some of my closest friends without a care in the world. Although I had many fantastic trips this year, I think this one takes the cake as the best trip of the year and possibly the best trip ever!
The view from our resort, The Mata Rocks
The resort where the wedding was held, Victoria House.
Andrew and I hanging out by the pool.
The gorgeous night sky.
Andrew and I with Lisa and her husband Andrew before dinner on the beach with a steel drum band.
Lisa and I on our sunset party boat ride to the rehearsal dinner at the fabulous Rojo Lounge
Andrew and I hanging out with Andrew and Lisa at a table IN the pool at Rojo Lounge.
The view from my very first post certification open water Scuba dive.
Before the Ceremony
Beachside ceremony
The bride and groom who were practically glowing.
The beautiful poolside reception
All of us enjoying the reception
The puddle jumper we had to take to get back to the mainland from Ambergris Caye
The view from the puddle jumper on the ride back home. I have never been so sad to leave a place in my life!
December
My friend Renee's husband Skip and I had a french fry eating contest after Renee commented on how fast I ate while we were in Peru. The trophy was a pig and was engraved with the popular trading mantra "Pigs get fat, Hogs Get Slaughtered". We were about dead even halfway through until I started laughing and Skip ran away with the lead. Rest assured, there will be a rematch!
I stood in line at Borders for an hour to get Steve Doocy from Fox and Friends (my parents' favorite morning show) to autograph a copy of his book about fatherhood "Tales From the Dad Side". He was unbelieveably witty (and really short) in person.
It snowed in Houston! Of course it didn't stick on the roads, but there was quite a lot of the white stuff that could be found on cars and lawns. There was even enough for a few good snowballs and snowmen!
Our holiday party was held at the Petroleum Club in Houston and was amazing, as always. I ate and drank to my heart's content and then danced the night away with my lovely coworkers! What a great way to spend the holidays!
As you can see 2008 was an extremely busy and wonderful year for me. This year isn't looking near as packed (or exciting) but it will be nice to slow down and enjoy the little things for a while. I hope you all had a very blessed and wonderful holiday season and that the New Year is everything you are hoping for. Stay tuned for more frequent updates(knock on wood).
Cheers!
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