Christmas Vacation (part 1)

I headed out to the east coast on Dec 22nd, with my first stop being Nashua, New Hampshire.
On the 23rd Dad & Marty took me to Boston, but not before making a stop at the Riverview Restaurant. It was a good little restaurant, it probably had the best breakfast sausage I've ever tasted.

On the way to Boston, we went along the trail that Paul Revere rode. This is the monument where William Dawes, Paul Revere, and Samuel Prescott were captured by the British. But Prescott got away and finished the ride.

A little taste of the east coast, Moxie. It tastes like a mix of Dr. Pepper & Rootbeer.

Heading into Boston, the Temple is right off the freeway. Looks very nice, doesn't it?

We went along the Freedom Trail, with the first stop being Faneuil Hall. Here is a statue of Samuel Adams in front.

This is the Massachusetts State House.

It was fun learning about all the history. This is artwork about the Boston Massacre.

The whole day was really cold. We went on one of those tour buses that went around the city, and the driver talked about all the sites. That night we ate at Cheers... you know... "Where everyone knows your name"?

I thought this looked nice. In Boston, we walked through a park that had an outdoor ice skating rink.

The next day, I had to leave that afternoon, but before that Dad & Marty took me for a drive along the country side. It was very nice to see different things. A covered walk bridge, and a frozen lake. I was a little skeptical.

Trying New Things

At work yesterday, we were deciding what to do for lunch - and someone suggested we go out for Sushi. I've never tried it. I have only smelt it, and thought it smelt gross enough not to try it, and I was totally content with that. But, lo and behold I went along with it. A group of us from work went to Sushi Teri - in downtown Lompoc. I tried the Philadelphia roll. It was made of Salmon, Avocado, and cream cheese(yeah, I know - sounds good, right?). So, I built it up in my mind, and then put one of those things in my mouth. It was pretty gross. But I wasn't spitting it out (It cost me $5.95!!). That was all I ate off THAT plate, and moved on to the rest of my food. The sushi was just to mushee for me. Later I found out that the Philadelphia Roll is something for the "more experienced" sushi eater would get. So, maybe in a few months, I will get the strength to try other kinds of sushi. So, I can neither recommend it, nor not recommend it. But on another happy note - Happy December!! I LOVE this time of year. Only 22 more days till I get to be with family!!

An Update to Thanksgiving 2009!

An update to the Jay Leno show I went to on Thanksgiving.

I even got to shake his hand!

Thanksgiving Day at the Jay Leno Show.

This year's Thanksgiving was definitely was a different experience. I got to go to the Jay Leno Show. It was a special Military show - where the whole audience was made of military member. Well, first thing was to meet, and take the bus to NBC Studios in Burbank(northern LA).

We got to the studio, and then had to wait for 2 hours before they let us in to our seats.

I was a little disappointed they wouldn't let us take inside the studio, so I didn't get any actual pictures of Jay Leno, but after the taping he go pictures with the military members, divided into which location we were from. Hopefully I will get a copy of that picture soon so I can post it.

A little more about the show - Megan Fox was his special guest. And for the rest of the show, it was a competition between the 5 branches of the military. And - oh yeah... AIR FORCE won!!

And then after the taping of the show, Jay Leno had a bunch of tables and stuff set up and fed us a Thanksgiving dinner. It was pretty good, considering they cooked for several hundred people(which doesn't usually turn out the best). Yes, I got to shake Jay's hand. No, not everyone got to shake his hand. No, I did not shake Megan Fox's hand. Did I get on TV?? Maybe. I couldn't tell. I thought it was interesting to see what was shown, and what was edited out of the show. Also, all the prep-ing he does, the makeup. I thought it was interesting to see all of the stuff that goes on in the background.

Good Stuff...

I just learned that I will be made another Uncle. My sister Becky is expecting. Congrats Becky & Troy!! I hope everything goes well over the next year!

Knott's Berry Farm Weekend.

This weekend I got to go to Knott's Berry Farm in LA. I met some nice people, and had lots of fun.

John, Me, Mike, and Allison.

Allison, Mike and Me takin' a look at a map of the place. Where to go first??

John, Stephanie, and Me. This was after we went on Bigfoot Rapids.

Oh man, what was I thinking?? Just about to ride Supreme Scream...

254 ft up, and fall up to 50 mph. I've never though of myself to have a fear of heights, but this ride was definately nerve-racking.

A quick photo as we waited for the Knott's Fools Gold Stunt Show to start. There was Stephanie, Mike, Allison, Heather, and John. John is pointing to where I have to sit..... which is located in......

The splash zone!! It wasn't too bad though. I only got a few drops on my face.

The reason for the splash zone... right in front is a water well, and anytime one of the stuntmen would fall in, it would shoot out water.

That night we ate at Wahoo's Fish Taco place. They make one of the best beef avocado sandwiches I've EVER tasted.

Then we went out on the Huntingtong Beach Pier. It was a little chilly.

Me, Stephanie, Mike, Allison, Heather and John.
After a fun day on Sunday with a nice breakfast, church, and lunch - it was time to return home.

It was a great weekend.

Vandenberg AFB POW/MIA Memorial

Yesterday on Vandenberg at the Veteran's Memorial - there was a name reading. All of the names of soldiers that have fallen in the World Wars, and perhaps even Vietnam. But, it was to go on for 24 hrs straight. I was in the 11:00pm group through midnight. Each person read names for 15 minutes. What a great experience to honor those POWs/MIAs.