¡Viva España!

Today, I am leaving Nashville for Spain with Sandra. Doug is flying from Denver and will be getting into the Costa del Sol around the same time. A few hours later we will be joined by Tita Malu (with a friend who is visiting her from the Philippines) who will be coming from Germany and our party will be complete when Emily arrives a couple of days later. Our plans while we are there are open ended, but I know it will involve good food, the beach, and amazing company with some of the best people to travel with! I will let you all know how it turns out.

Meanwhile, in reverse chronological order, the following are pics from my last few excursions:


I did a quick trip to Orlando, Florida to see my mother who was visiting. I also got to spend some quality time with my brother and his family. It was also nice to see Aunt Shirley and Manang Jean. Love you guys!

Orlando, FL - September 2007

Labor Day weekend was spent in New Orleans' famous French Quarter with Gerry, Hung, Anthony, Selena and Dee. It was my first time back in New Orleans since it was devastated. You could tell that the city was still in recovery, but none-the-less we had lots of fun!

New Orleans - September 2007

I got to enjoy a little piece of heaven, visiting Anthony's vacation home in Wabasha, MN. We got to explore a sand dune island on the Mississippi River, play Frisbee at night (the Frisbee glowed), be lazy and lay on the dock and boat around the river.

Wabasha, MN - August 2007

This was the most fun I have had in Chicago! I got to see Bibs, who I have not seen in years (Bib's, thanks for that amazing meal in Greek town - that was the best octopus I have ever tasted). Gerry took us to Chinatown for some good Chinese food and shopping. We also ate at Cafe Iberico, Anthony's favorite restaurant, which has the most Amazing tapas ever. The night life was also lots of fun - We had a crazy subway ride to the clubs, I have not laughed so hard in a long time!

Chicago - August 2007

Pensacola Beach Craziness!!

They say that 30 is the new 20, but during this trip to Pensacola Beach you would think that we were a bunch of kids on spring break! David, Hung, Sandra, Irene and myself loaded up into the van and drove down for what turn out to be an insanely fun memorial day weekend. Sandra's cousins, who drove from South Florida brought a keg and next thing you know we were all doing keg stands and then belly shots on the beach. We met all kinds of people who joined in the merriment. The beach had a nice party atmosphere that weekend that fit in well with the group's mood. To keep my sanity and enjoy the peace of nature, I did wake up at the crack of dawn almost every morning to watch the sunrise and enjoy the quietness of the beach at that time. We will be doing this again, the group already has hotel rooms booked for the same time next year!

Pensacola, FL - May 2007

Wedding in Dallas

Last Friday, Emily and I hopped on a plane to Dallas for Aaron and Barbara's wedding. Aaron is a good friend but neither of us had met Barbara before. Having met her, it was very easy to see why Aaron was so taken with her. I really don't know who wouldn't be, she is an exquisite person and I believe they will have a blessed live together.

In Dallas, we also had the opportunity to do some catching up with Dan. He flew in from Japan to be the best man for this event. We all had lots of fun. Emily and I had a little time to explore downtown Atlanta and hang out by the pool at the hotel. The rest of the time was spent helping out with the wedding preparations and having a total blast at the main event. They didn't waste any time, the ceremony took 5 minutes and the remainder of the evening was one big party. Great, planning guys!!

Aaron & Barbara, I wish you the very, very best! May you grow happy and old together and have lots of cute babies!

Aaron & Barbara's Wedding

Zurich

My dear friend Joan and my goddaughter Pascale

I arrived in Zurich, Switzerland today after a 3 hour delay in Dallas due to a technical problem with the airplane. It is so good to see everyone after many years. It has been a quiet day. I have been fighting jetlag, but I think I should fine tomorrow. I will be meeting Atum and his daughter at the central train station and we will head for Olivone for the Sufi gathering. This evening Bovi prepared a delicious dinner. We had the most amazing pasta from Italy. Bovi and Joan just got back from Margaret and Franz's home there. Bovi also prepared salmon trout, it was so good I had a whole fish all to myself. We also had cheese, salad and red wine. The night is not over and hanging out with everyone is giving me the energy to stay awake so I can reset my biological clock to Swiss time.