¡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

Asian Cookout & Summer Stuff

There is so much going on such that it has been difficult to take the time to post stuff online lately. Here are a few things that have not made it onto the blog:

* Memorial Day Weekend in Pensacola Beach - with Sandra, Irene, Hung and David. This was an awesome weekend! I did my first keg stand. Sandra's cousins brought a large keg on the beach and we had a nice beach party with whoever was there. We met lots of people, ate good food, and enjoyed the sun and surf. I also enjoyed some quiet time by myself... waking up at dawn to watch the sunrise. I love these moments when I feel one with nature and experience the indescribable beauty of life.

* Kayaking down the Hiwassee River in East Tennessee - I went on this trip with Caleb, Beth and Sandra. This was a real whitewater kayaking trip. Sandra decided it was too difficult after a few minutes on the river (the currents were strong and her kayak hit a tree); Caleb lasted a few minutes more (when we hit some rapids his kayak flipped... he did try more than once). We all took a crash kayak rolling class the week before, but we probably needed more than a one hour lesson. I hurt myself during that class and was under lots of pain during the actual trip, bruised ribs take more than a month to heal! Thankfully Bath and I made it all the way. Since this was not easy, I do commend Sandra and Caleb for giving whitewater kayaking a good try. The trip was organized by Vanderbilt University's Outdoor Rec. Center and we met a few Vandy students and staff at the excursion. We also enjoyed some amazing Mexican food at a restaurant on the drive back home.

* Costa Rica...NOT - Well this has been the craziest part of my summer. I took a flight to Costa Rica where I was suppose to spend time with a few old friends in Tambor, but I was not allowed entry when I got there. I will spare you the boring details. Lets just say that after an overnight stay in the San Jose Airport I was on a flight to the USA.

In the last few weeks I have been to Chicago, Wabasha, MN, and Minneapolis. Tonight, I will be in New Orleans, next weekend will be in Orlando and I will spend the Second half of September in Spain. When I have time I will upload pictures from some of the events above. For now here are pic from our Asian themed cookout last July 22nd at my home:

Asian Cookout 2007