2001
Click here to find out what happened in 2001.

Jan 2002
January Birthdays I actually sent my niece Jesse her birthday card on time. Probably the first time in her 18 year life that I've done that. She was so shocked, she wrote me a thank you note! Also sent (on time) Happy Birthday wishes to my brother Matt and my great-nephew Tyric as well. How long can this streak last?
Dancing Started taking West Coast Swing lessons at a dance school in Encinitas. It's great fun and great exercise, but it's playing havoc with the recurring pain in my hip. I'm not getting old, am I? Unfortunately, the dance class conflicts with the night my Bunco group meets, so I've had to bail on them for a few months. Sorry ladies!
Classes Also started two classes at Palomar. I'm taking a ceramics (pottery) class and a woodworking class. The ceramics class could be fun if it weren't for the passive-aggressive psycho teacher. I'm trying to ignore him and just enjoy making pottery, but he makes it difficult. The woodworking class is still a little intimidating. The nightmares about the table saw have stopped :-). The semester project is a clock. I chose a shaker design which should go nicely with my house (assuming I finish it and it's structurally sound enough to hang on a wall).
Travel Robin and I had to get outta town for a few days, so we wandered up the coast and spent a few days in Cambria.
Friends Had a wonderful day with David and Lois.
Party Attended another Forte/Genesys gathering at Miles' house.

Feb 2002
February Birthdays Celebrated Robin's birthday at Nugent's Seafood Grill in Del Mar. We all tasted the Seared Ahi appetizer -- but decided that Robin was the only true yuppie among us! Mailed birthday cards to my sister Patti and my Aunt Pat ON TIME! Woo hoo! The streak continues.
Party Attended another Forte/Genesys gathering at George's house.
Exercise I started working with a personal trainer. So far, she hasn't whipped me into shape, but she's trying. We've been doing stretching and weights. Grasping the dumbbells was really aggravating my tendinitis, so we decided to use ankle weights and strap them onto my wrists for the upper body exercises. Works like a charm. I *had* been walking an hour every other day, but pain in my hip is making that less pleasant... and I've used it as a really good excuse to skip the walks. Yes, someday I will call a doctor. Really.

Mar 2002
March Birthdays Uncle Jim turned 79 on March 30th! Happy Birthday Uncle Jim! I guess my streak is over, because I never did mail a card to Uncle Jim. How about if I just concentrate on remembering the kid's birthdays with cards (and everyone else's with kind thoughts sent their way)? I missed Aunt Barbara's birthday on the 21st (well... I didn't know). Hope it was very happy.
Life So far March has been busy, busy, busy. Between my classes at Palomar, my dance class, my diet group and my exercise routine, there's hardly time in the day to watch TV and play computer games. I just don't know how I'm ever going to find time to work again. Anyone out there interested in supporting me? No donation too small :-).
Entertainment Visited the Getty Museum with Robin and her church group.

Apr 2002
April Birthdays My great-niece Ketra turned 3 on April 3. Happy Birthday sweetie! My cousin Linda also celebrated her birthday on the 3rd. And Pat Kent celebrated her birthday on the 11th. Happy Birthday ladies!
Life No huge surprise that life continues to be hectic. I'm really wondering where I find the leisure part of this "life of leisure" I'm supposedly living now?? Some days I can't wait to get back to work so that I can sit behind a desk and relax for a little while! Bathroom Remodel One of the big projects this month (and probably for May as well) is that I'm finally repairing and remodeling my two upstairs bathrooms. The schedule got pushed up dramatically when Sean suddenly (and unexpectedly) became available. The timing was good -- so that the bathrooms will be completed before mom, Pati, Jesse, Susan and Lizzy come to visit in July -- but it also means I need to make some BIG decisions in a BIG hurry. Building a clock The other big project this month (and next as well) is my clock! The clock I'm building in my woodworking class is dominating my life of late. I've spent most of my free hours in the last 2 weeks over at George's house using his workshop (and his expertise). The clock is due on May 23rd... and there is still LOTS to be done. Also, check out George's clock.
Entertainment I attended not one, but two, baby showers for Tammy. One was a big shower at Kathleen's house... which included lots of Tammy's friends and family. The other was a surprise shower at Barbara's house for the Bunco group. Tammy was most definately surprised as Barbara's shower was only one day after Kathleen's! I'm not entirely sure this qualifies as entertainment -- but George and I built a router table for his workshop. That took the better part of three (or was it four??) days! Attended another Genesys party at Patty's house. This is the last official party scheduled. Will we all lose touch now? or will someone step up and schedule the next party?

May 2002
May Birthdays There are so many birthdays this month... four friends (Brian, George, Chris, Andrea), four relatives (my cousin Daniel, my Uncle Ronnie, my brother Tom, my brother-in-law Richard) and me! Happy Birthday everyone!
Life Bathroom Remodel The bathroom remodel continues to dominate my life... but finally comes to completion. Building a clock And the great clock project also comes to a successful completion! Yay!
Friends I'm hoping I still have friends by the end of this month. I have been so consumed with my various projects that it's been weeks since I've returned a phone call or answered an email. Sorry! Since I've spent almost every spare moment with George this month (working on my clock), I at least know what he's up to! He built a beautiful clock and an absolutely awesome nightstand. Very impressive! So George -- when do I get my new, custom-made dining room set?
Entertainment George and I attended Cirque du Soleil's Dralion in Del Mar. We had planned to go with Robin, but I cleverly bought tickets for a weekend she was out of town. Geez! Then I invited David to go with us... but he stood us up in favor of a job interview. Come on man... get your priorities straight :-).

June 2002
June Birthdays My dad celebrated his birthday on June 12th. Tom and I took dad, Matt and dad's friend Marge out to dinner at Olive Garden.
Murphy's Law invades my space June was without doubt one of the most stressful months I've spent since I quit my job last year. Preparations for my family's arrival on June 30th did not progress smoothly, but in the end... hey - they're family! By months end I was starting to believe that everything that could go wrong either had or was going to. I encountered a number of plumbing problems, discovered some disappointing workmanship in my new construction, had a family of gophers take up residence in my front yard, and discovered I'm allergic to cantaloupe!
Projects Bathroom Remodel The bathroom remodel finally drew to a close... minutes before my family arrived for a month long visit on June 30th! Whole House Fan Installation Robin helped me finish the whole house fan installation that Sean started. Poor Robin spent a very hot afternoon up in my attic drilling holes so that she could run electrical wires down the wall to a switch in the hall. But now we can pull all that cool evening air into my very hot house and not have to constantly run the air conditioner. Building a shed I helped George construct a shed in his backyard.

July 2002
July Birthdays Lots and lots of birthdays this month. Happy birthday to my sister Rachael and my niece's Susan and Lizzy. Debbie - I miss you! Happy Birthday. Ron - hope it was happy. Congrats on the new job. David - yeah, I know... I suck. Happy Birthday anyway!
Family This month has been ALL family, ALL the time. Most of it has been great fun! It took the cats about a week to come out from under the bed -- and now they are being spoiled rotten by everyone petting them. They'll be going through withdrawal for a while when the gang clears out on July 29th.
Career I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up -- but unfortunately, it's time to go back to work anyway. I've been off work a year -- and it's been great. I can't wait to retire for real!

Aug 2002
August Birthdays (and other celebrations) Pati and Richard celebrated their wedding anniversary this month. Congrats kids! And, my cousin Jerry celebrated his birthday. Happy Birthday Jerry!
Entertainment After a solid month of family, I rested for a week or so -- and since then, I've been busier than ever! Robin and I visited Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. It was a beautiful day... not very crowded. I talked to one of the artists and got some information on marketing my own art. Now all I have to do is paint enough to have something to sell! I attended my sister Rachael's bridal shower on the 17th. It was a lot of fun, and Rachael got a lot of loot! (Pictures coming soon!). The wedding is Oct 12th at Rachael and Randy's home in Vegas. Geocaching George has gotten me into a new sport, er, activity, er, game. Well, whatever... it's fun and it gets me out walking. It is called GeoCaching... and it is basically a treasure hunt. The GPS coordinates of the treasure (or cache) are posted on the GeoCaching web site, and you get to go find it. It's not as easy as it might sound, as the treasures are in obscure locations and there is not always a direct route to the treasure. And then sometimes, even when you get to the location, it's difficult to find the cache as they can be hidden in very tricky places. In August, I logged two GeoCaches and many miles of hiking. Here's the view from the first one, in Daley Ranch in Escondido. Here's the view from the second one, along the north shore of the western part of Lake Hodges. For those interested, visit www.geocaching.com. Hiking George and I also did some hiking just for the fun of it. Here's a picture along the NE side of Lake Hodges.
Career Well, sooner or later, I had to pick one. After a couple of months with a career counselor, I concluded that I really don't want to work for a living. Big surprise! So, given that I really don't have a choice, I decided on a career which has interested me for quite some time... real estate. I know my ideas about it are somewhat romanticized, but I've always liked the idea of helping someone find their dream home. I love looking at houses... and my attention to detail should be a plus! Also, it at least has the potential for earning a decent living, which is more than I can say for most of the things that interest me. So, I'm working on my real estate license now. I expect to be licensed by November, and hopefully working shortly thereafter. And, as a potential side-career, I'm going to start taking my art a little more seriously and see if I can actually sell some of it! Any takers out there???

Sept 2002
September Birthdays Happy Birthday to my niece Jenny, and my close friend Julie. Hope it was great!!!
Health & Fitness GeoCaching George and I continued our GeoCaching expeditions (which perhaps should fall under the heading of Entertainment)... but since we our logging SO many miles walking, I decided to add a section on Health & Fitness! September's hikes included five new GeoCaches. Hiking We also hiked about 4 miles on the Piedras Pintadas Interpretive trail at Lake Hodges, 5.5 miles on the Santa Margarita River Trail in Fallbrook, and 3.8 miles at Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside. Our longest hike to date was on the Mule Hill Trail near Lake Hodges. We found the Ammunition Sgt. Cox GeoCache at the beginning of this trail, but then just kept walking. Six miles later we were back at the car. For the month I logged a total of over 43 miles! Check out my new hiking log which has pictures of lots of the places I've hiked.
Entertainment Sea World Robin and I spent a great day at Sea World where we watched the penguins and fed the dolphins. Sailing Robin made me an honorary Sailor Chick and took me out sailing on San Diego Bay with two women from her sailing class. It was a blast!
Friends Visit Debbie and Mike stopped in for a visit. Yay! Debbie organized a dinner with Ron and Donna. It was great to see everyone again! Someday a miracle may happen and Ron, Donna and myself may manage to get together without Debbie having to fly all the way down here from Northern California!

Oct 2002
October Birthdays Happy Birthday to my mom, and my Uncle Frank. And congrats to Rachael and Randy on their Oct 12th wedding!
Health & Fitness Hiking and GeoCaching Continued my hiking and geocaching. The frequency slowed a little this month because Pati was visiting for two weeks and we were busy celebrating Rachael's wedding. Check out my hiking page.
Family Rachael and Randy get married Rachael and Randy tied the knot on October 12th in the backyard of their home in Las Vegas. It was a wonderful ceremony full of light-hearted fun and romance. Check out the wedding photos. Pati's visit Pati came back out for another visit in October. We really had time to get caught up this time. We drove to Las Vegas together for Rachael's wedding... and had just a wonderful time. While Pati was here, Robin took us sailing on San Diego bay.

Nov 2002
November Birthdays Well... obviously I've completely failed on my goal to acknowledge birthday's on time (although I think I've still managed to get cards sent to all the kids!). Happy birthday to Aunt Priscilla and my good friend Tammy. Happy Anniversary to Cheryl & Carl, and Aunt Bobbi & Uncle Frank.
Health & Fitness Hiking and GeoCaching Hiking, hiking and more hiking. Highlights this month included the Torrey Pines Reserve (with awesome views of the Pacific) and climbing Double Peak... the second highest peak (1644') in the Cerro de las Posas Mountains of San Marcos. It offers awesome views in every direction. Click here for more information on this location.
Thanksgiving Tom, Robin and George all joined me for Thanksgiving. I brined the turkey this year, according to the recipe from Food TV's Good Eats. Ummmm mmmmm. Best turkey I've ever had!

Dec 2002
December Birthdays Happy Birthday to my niece Jenny's husband Mark (my nephew-in-law??) and to my great-nephew Ashton. Also to my cousin Cheryl (who I haven't seen in ages!). Happy Anniversary to Jenny and Mark.
Love is in the air... Santa brought me an early Christmas present this year... he brought me Dave. We met online, exchanged a few emails, met in person for coffee... and that was that. We clicked immediately and have been seeing each other ever since. For our second "date", he invited me to spend Christmas eve with his family. After an initial moment of panic (I mean... we'd only known each other a day or so), I thought what better way to get to know someone than to see them interacting with their kids and grandkids -- so I accepted! I had a great time... although I think we spent a little too much time talking to each other and not quite enough time talking to his family... but they seemed to understand. Check out pictures of Dave's beautiful grandkids at Dave's Place. I knew the fates were in our favor on the day after Christmas when Robin and I went to dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen in Solana Beach. Who do we run into but Dave and his entire family. How weird is that... Dave lives in Escondido, his daughter lives in Oceanside, I live in San Marcos... and we run into each other in a restaurant in Solana Beach! Our first real official date was the Friday after Christmas. He brought me flowers -- gotta love that! That night we did dinner and a movie (of course, we talked so much at dinner we were late for the movie!). In the few days after that, we went to a party at Joyce's house (my diet buddy), went to the Wild Animal Park to see a Balkan Music group (we met up with Robin and George there), spent New Year's Eve together at his daughter's house, attended an art demonstation by Claire-Lise Matthey Anderegg at the Escondido Municipal Gallery, and have generally just hung out together. We have so much in common it's scary. More pictures coming soon, but for now... here's Dave and I at the Wild Animal Park, and at Tammy's party.
Health & Fitness I didn't get as much hiking in as I would have liked in December. I spent too much time doing Christmas stuff and attending holiday parties! But, I did get a few hikes in, including one with Robin and Carrie to the Ranch House at Daley Ranch where we had a picnic. These's girls know how to pack food!
Entertainment Attended a holiday party at Joel's house. It was so great to see most of the old gang again. Shared Christmas Eve dinner with Carrie & Bill (and then bailed early to meet Dave at his daughter's house).
Christmas Christmas was just awesome this year. Tom, George & Robin all spent the day at my house. We spent about 2 hours opening presents. It was supposed to be a frugal Christmas, but I think I was the only one who followed that rule -- so needless to say, I ended up with the most loot! We all cooked dinner together... and ended up with one of the best meals I've had in ages. George provided the country ham, Tom made deeelicious mac and cheese (with 4 kinds of cheese), I made garlic mashed potatoes (with help from George & Robin) and green bean casserole, Robin brought home-made bread and ice cream, and Costco provided a yummy pecan pie. Add a couple of glasses of wine... and it was heaven. Pictures coming soon!