Ski Jumping in San Francisco?

Jonny Moseley celebrated his 30th birthday earlier in the year with a very unique event. Read about it here.

Auf Wiedersehen

I bought my Volkswagen Jetta in 2001. It has been a fantastic car and I will miss driving it so much. However, it is staying in the family since my parents bought it from me. I get to visit it whenever I return to the States. Now we will see how long I can hold out without having to buy a new car in Australia.

The Restaurant Tour

Today I had lunch with Angie and baby Katie at Chevys. I'm not going to be getting much Mexican food in Australia, so I have to eat it while I can. After lunch we went to Old Navy and Target for a bit of shopping. I then left them and headed to Macy*s to buy another suitcase for the trip. I also got some Australian currency and an International Driving Permit today.

This evening the family and I had dinner at Pier 6, my favorite Chinese restaurant. My fortune cookie read, "Among the lucky, you are the chosen one." Tomorrow is packing day- here's hoping everything fits in the suitcases!

The Long Goodbye

Sunday was the big farewell party thrown in my honor by my parents. The theme was Australia, so we had Aussie beer and wine, lamb for dinner, and various bits of Australiana decorating the house. Guests were family and friends of both my parents and myself. It was a fun evening and nice to see my aunts, uncles and cousins. I would like to give thanks to everyone for coming and for all the kind wishes.



Monday was my last day of work. I have been substitute teaching at my old school since August. Various students of mine have come up to me over these past few weeks telling me that I can't leave and that they want to come in my suitcase. They have been very sweet- running up to me whenever they spotted me on campus. My favorite reaction was from Jonathan. He asked me if I was really moving to Australia, and when I said yes, his response was, "YIKES!" My co-workers, who I will miss terribly, gave me a beautiful clock engraved with my name on it. I'm going to do my best to keep in touch with the school, and maybe I can get a pen pal program going once I am employed.

Tonight I had dinner at the Glisson's house. I have known them forever since Lynne and I went to St. Raphael's Grammar School and my brother and Mikey played on soccer teams together. We had a yummy dinner and I helped Lynne and Mikey set up their iPods, which have sat in boxes since Christmas. At last they will get some use. The Glissons gave me a great photo book on San Francisco by Morton Beebe, who is the uncle of someone Lynne and I went to high school with. I will miss my evenings at the Glisson house watching reality tv and basically trashing the contestants. We always had a good laugh at their expense.

Moving

Thomas Wolfe said that you can't go home again... but I have! The past weeks have been spent packing up my belongings, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, and putting things into boxes. Yesterday the movers came to put my stuff into a container that will be taking the "slow boat" to Australia. The good news is that everything fit (and there was extra room)! Unfortunately, I was not able to bring any furniture, but everything else will be coming with me to Melbourne. This gives me a good excuse to have fun buying furniture and decorating my new place- when I find it.

Now I am back in my old room at my parents' house. It's not that bad being home again. My dad and I did some cleaning at the apartment today, and took care of financial stuff. Trying to tie up all those loose ends before I leave. I only have one week left in the USA. It's all a bit scary.

Meet the Yusters

Lynne and Jeremy's wedding on August 27th went off without a hitch. It was a beautiful day in Saratoga, and although it was hot, the temperature was perfect for the evening festivities. The wedding party arrived at Villa Montalvo at 2:00 p.m. to get dressed and start taking pictures. There was also a videographer to capture the event. Lynne looked gorgeous in her Amy Kuschel bridal dress.

Before the wedding, the wedding party and bride and groom's families met in the library for the Ketubah (marriage contract) signing. This was the first time that Lynne and Jeremy saw each other. When the signing was finished, we headed outside to line up for the procession. I was the first of the wedding party to head down the aisle. The ceremony was officiated by both a Catholic priest and rabbi. It was a mixture of traditions from both faiths. Lynne and Jeremy's vows to each other were heartfelt and beautiful.

After the ceremony was cocktail hour for the guests and photographs for the wedding party. By the time we were finished it was time for the sit down dinner outside on the veranda of the estate. The food was amazing and there were many wonderful toasts from family and friends. Lynne's dad brought small dixie cups and gave many of us shots of slivovitz (plum brandy). That stuff is deadly.

Dancing commenced around 8:45 p.m. Lynne's 4 year-old cousin and Jeremy's 8 year-old nephew were the stars of the dance floor. Unfortunately I did not catch the bouquet- that honor went to Lynne's aunt! For desert we had the wedding cake (strawberry shortcake) as well as a gelato stand. The whole evening was so much fun. It was nice to catch up with everyone and chat with friends from high school. The party ended around 11:00 p.m. I helped to clean up as much as I could. We got the cars loaded up, and I took Lynne and Jeremy back to their hotel.

The next day Jeremy's parents had brunch at the house they are renting in Redwood City. It was a fully catered affair with omelets, crepes, and all sorts of other delicious food. The bride and groom arrived fashionably late. I said my goodbyes around 12:30 p.m. and headed home. The Yusters are currently honeymooning in Italy, along the Amalfi Coast. I'm sure they're having a fantastic time.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mom's ____ birthday. We are having dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I've never eaten there before, but I'm sure it will be yummy. And yes, they do serve other food besides cheesecake.