SF Half Marathon:

This past weekend, I completed my first half marathon!  I started my morning at 4:30am with a 1/4 bagel, 1/2 banana, and lemon-lime gatorade!  Then, we rushed off to find parking in SF and ran to the start line for a 6am start time!  It was FREEZING, but perfect weather conditions for a 13.1 mile trek.  Thanks to Tania and Kathy (and Kristy down south) for being SO helpful during the entire training process! 

Here are some pictures that Tania and I took before, during, and after the race...I know that we must have annoyed the people running around us, but I am SO glad that we were able to capture all the action - priceless! 

Taking a quick picture before heading to the startline. 

Kath, Kev, Emily, and Brian ran with us! 

Tania and I avoiding the sprinklers that were accidently left on! 

Unfortunately, for an early race, there were not too many spectators cheering us on!  Would you wake up at 6am to watch people run?  =)

Mile Marker #5...one of the many hills that I was unprepared for...training in Irvine doesn't help with the hills!

It was difficult to drink while running...most of the gatorade spilled all over my shirt! 

Running on the Golden Gate Bridge!

Tania's water bottles kept falling out during the race...we had to tie my sweater around her waist to keep the bottles from falling out! 

Tania surprised me with signs for our "cheerleaders" to hold up during the race!    Thanks Tania, Lolo and Jeff for making the experience a memorable one!

Indianapolis 500:  Over Memorial Day weekend, I was able to attend the Indy 500 - my first Indycar race event!!  It was a rainy day, but our company-sponsored athlete, Dario Franchitti was able to grab the win!  Here are some pictures from my time in Indiana!  

No, I wasn't able to get this close to him!  (it's a stock picture from the internet) 

My view from the hospitality suite, which was right next to the garage and Gasoline Alley.

Closeup view of Ed Carpenter's racecar, on it's way to the start line. 

Rolling out the tires for the pit stops!

Here's the scoreboard where the the stats are constantly changing.  The course is a 2.5 mile loop.

My first attempt to take a shot of the cars driving by....driving at 200+ miles/hour, you can imagine how difficult it was to get a clear shot!  There were approximately 300K fans in the grandstands.

My second attempt - a success!  This is actually Dario Franchitti's racecar!

One guy is balancing almost his entire weight on the other guy's HEAD.  Amazing!

Smashmouth was the entertainment - he can really get a crowd going!  Ludacris was also present at the event, but I wasn't able to fight through the crowds to snap a picture of him.

Good Riddance!

I am happy to say that the little BMW that I used to drive around is up for sale!  We recently traded it in for a newer car for my dad...my dad's old car was passed on to me!    The dealer is NOW selling it for $4K - potentially making a $1400 profit!  As Tania would say, the car "takes a licking and keeps on ticking!" 

http://www.fivestarautogroup.automart.com/vehicledetail/adid-51925351/1992/bmw/3-series/san-diego/ca/src-dealerads

Bahamas 

This was my very first international business trip and first time in the Caribbean!  It was absolutely gorgeous! Cynthia was able to join me for the trip, which made the experience that much more exciting! 

Atlantis Hotel

Cynthia and I were obsessed with these black miso cod lettuce wraps from Nobu. 

Sneaking into "The One & Only Hotel & Resort."  It's a private resort that we wanted to see before we left the island!

Congrats to Kathy & Kevin Chuck! 

They had a beautiful wedding in Hawaii!  It was a fun-filled weekend - the entire bridal party stayed in a beautiful house, overlooking the water. 

This was our view from the deck.

Trying to unwind with a glass of wine before the wedding. 

Practicing before Kathy's BIG day!

Kristy and I finding ourselves in unexpected rain!

Rehearsal dinner - homemade poki and other delicious hawaiian dishes!

Wedding centerpieces! 

I love this picture - they just took a bite of their wedding cake and both said in unison "wow, that's tasty!"

The happy couple waving goodbye to their bridal party! 

Las Vegas

After my trip to Hawaii, I had to rush off for a business trip in Las Vegas.  We planned a huge event with the House of Blues and participated in one of the biggest trade shows in our industry.  But of course, I was able to squeeze in a little fun!  Jenny and Cynthia flew in to hang out with me.  We were able to get free tickets (front and center) to see Mamma Mia!  The show was superb - too bad I wasn't able to capture any photos at the actual show!  After dinner, we went to Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay's restaurant to have dinner - yum!

Mesa Grill - we were each trying to spell out M-E-S-A!

Pictures from my event at House of Blues at the Mandalay Bay.  We hired Third Eye Blind to perform!

After the event, we were able to go to the House of Blues Foundation room at the top of the Mandalay Bay hotel - apparently a very exclusive venue.  The view was amazing! 

I just got back from a long business trip to Providence, RI!  It was very eventful - see below!

Magic Johnson was a guest speaker for the opening night reception!  The security people almost cut us off in line, so I walked straight up to him and said "Magic, can we take a picture with you?"  My persistence worked!   

You may not recognize this guy, but he's KC from KC and the Sunshine Band!  You know his songs!  "Shake Shake Shake (Shake your booty!)" and "That's the Way"!  They were BIG in the 70s!