the SMITH chronicles

Dedicated to those who take the leap

2011-06-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

Everybody advances through their professional life the same general way... training, experiences, and taking advantage of opportunities. However, there are two different paths traveled. The first is the one I take and I think of it like a ladder. You can see where you are going, take small steps to get to the top and if you have the time, talent, and/or inclination, you will get there. The other pathway is very different. In stead of a straight line that is well defined, the people who take this other pathway use their training and experiences in preparation of a leap. It is those people whom I respect the most. My reasoning is this... on the ladder, you can always see what is in front of you but you are limited to your ladder. These other individuals have not only the endless possibilities that comes from being able to leap in any direction but also contain the fortitude to take a leap in their direction of choice having taken into account the potential for a fall. These people also find many detractors along the way who want to protect them from the fall and are quick to point out the safety of the ladder. Although people fall sometimes, their leaps can also find themselves beyond the furthest extent of the ladder the others cling to so desperately.

There are people such as my mom with her EC2 and other ventures, my brother with countless projects and a mind that is incapable of anything less than grandeur, Eric Paine who always seems to be two steps ahead of everyone else, as well as others. The person I thought about while writing this, however, was my wife. Joo has both an undergraduate degree in applied ecology, a masters degree, and a background in environmental work that could have provided a comfortable ladder to scale. She has shifted her focus to follow her passion around service and food and has already taken her first steps in getting a degree in restaurant management, working at Tommy Bahama's in Laguna while they opened their newest restaurant, and getting an offer to manage at another place. It is my 30th birthday today and there are many things I am proud of in my life. One of the things I am most proud of is that I have a partner in life who inspires me by showing me that you can take hold of your life and truly pursue your passion and take "the leap".

Recalibrating...

2011-04-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Over the last few months... probably more specifically over the last few years, I have changed my exercise routine. Some for the better but mostly for the worse. The positives are that I started running a little bit which is brand new to me. I also got into paddle boarding, basketball, racquetball and hiking which I didn't really do that much before. Some of the negatives are that I have paid less attention to my diet and commitment to regular exercise. I have been lulled into a slight decline in my commitment to my own health for many reasons. I have an amazing wife who cooks me great food so I have not cooked a lot so I have allowed myself to stop being proactive about my diet. I have only worked out in spurts and done not enough cardio. I have blamed work, scheduling conflicts, fatigue, and other things for this. I have let myself get away with this mind set because of how my life was changing compared to how it was.

Today... I am changing this mindset. Today, I will begin to compare my life today to how I anticipate it changing from today on... How my work schedule will become more and more demanding and stressful... How scheduling commitments will become more frequent and more important with more responsibilities and our family and friend's family growing everyday. How I am getting older and the concept of "mind over matter" will be increasingly relevant.

My plan... a diversified plan that is trackable. I will approach activities by frequency. For example, I plan on going to the gym 3-4 times a week but I plan on hiking once a month. My focus... the gym, running, basketball, hiking, paddle boarding, and racquetball. Below is my plan and I will try and address each one as I progress.

-Monday is the easiest day to be motivated so I will plan on going to the gym at lunch and running with Kona when I get home. My workout will focus on a major muscle group like chest or back
-Tuesday, I will plan on a light workout focusing on stomach/lower back and a short run with Kona when I get home.
-Wednesday, I will plan on being an off day but filling any gaps I have from Monday or Tuesday.
-Thursday is basketball day
-Friday will be workout only and will be focused on arms and legs
-On the weekend, I will plan on at least one outside activity (running, paddle board, basketball...) and one gym. It is important that I use my mornings to get this done
-At least once a month, I will want to get the dogs out for a hike or outside play time
-At lease once a week, I will be on or around water. This is swimming, paddle boarding, running, or walking.
-I will also plan on going grocery shopping at least once a month and cooking a HEALTHY meal once a week. I need to plan this ahead because it is easy to be lazy

This is important to me. This is about feeling good and living well. I am used to approaching these goals on my own and I will definitely be self-motived but I am also writing this so that others push me. To know that this is something important to me but that it is also easy to let go. Wish me luck

22. Paddleboard longer than I ever have before

2010-09-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

The edge of Crystal Cove. Half way through our paddle

Today, I paddled longer than I ever had before. I would have been happy enough with just that but it happened to be one of the nicest days of the year. We ended up paddling, swimming, and body surfing for almost 3 hours and crossing 10 miles of coastline. I went with Will Conk and Eric Paine. We started around 9:30 in the morning at South Crescent Bay and passed by Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove on our way to El Morro where we spent some time swimming, messing around on the boards (Videos below) and I actually did a little bit of paddle board surfing. The SUP surfing itself was cool but I learned my lesson that you should only ride waves that you can kick off before the shore because when you take any SUP into shore break... it might crack. I was really bummed when it cracked because it is such an awesome board and I cracked it on such a stupid mistake.

The crack goes right through the "U" in Rogue. SUPER bummed

We continued to paddle into Crystal Cove and hit the beginning of Corona Del Mar. It was a 5 mile paddle each way! I don't know the last time I walked 10 miles let alone paddle. We saw HUGE sting rays, sea lions, a sand shark, and countless fish. The visibility was awesome and there was absolutely no wind or strong current. It was a perfect day with great friends. ALSO... we came back to my house and Joo, Eric, Will, Porch, and I watched the UCLA v. TEXAS game which ended 34-12 UCLA!!!!! Who would have thought UCLA would play as well as they did. Great game. We spent the rest of the day going to the boat show in Newport which was really cool. If I ever have an extra 5.8 million dollars, I know what I will do with it. We also watched the sunset from Eric's office off Lido which is just about a perfect spot to watch the sun go down. Still looking for the elusive "Green Flash" when the sun goes down. Some Thai food to end the day and got home in just enough time to watch another college foozeball highlight and pass out. Wonderful day!!!!!

Passing by the rock with Sea Lions swimming around us

Me doing a 360... well, almost!

Will flipping off the board

Eric flipping

Lots of Sea Lions on the rock

Will checking out Emerald Cove

..."You Idiot" with his mellow hat

Will and I happy to be paddling

Eric in the super green water of El Morro

Look how glassy the water was... SO nice

Will and Eric paddling from El Morro

Relaxing in El Morro

Flyin' Hawaiian Zip Lines

2010-09-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Flyin' Hawaiian Zip Line was a scenic set of 8 zip lines through the West Maui Mountains. The longest of which was 3600 feet long. That takes 1 minute 10 seconds to get to the end getting up to 60 mph. The views were amazing as we were zipping down the line. On many of the lines we could see both the North Shore and South Shore at the same time. We went forwards, backwards, and sometimes even tried upside down. This was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend anyone try this if they head to Maui.

Great view... Great smile :)

After a zip

Ready to go!!!!!

Aloha!!!!!

Joo ready to go

Yes... I was that happy

Great View!!!!

Shark Dive at Maui Ocean Center

2010-09-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

The Shark Dive at the Maui Ocean Center was easily one of the most unique and amazing things I have done. 22 sharks swimming around us the whole time!!! 1 Tiger stretching to 9 feet and weighing close to 400 pounds, multiple Hammerheads (the biggest was 8 feet and over 300 pounds), Grey Reef sharks, White and Black Tip Reef Sharks, Many rays, and countless fish. There was an Eagle Ray that would eat out of our hands. It actually reminded me of my beagle Rusty because whenever we had food it would stalk us around the tank until we fed it. There was also a HUGE puffer that was so friendly. The sharks were fascinating but not invasive at all. They got a bit curious which was a bit scary but we never really felt in danger. An awesome part of this experience was that when we were in the tank, there were a bunch of children who were fascinated with us and would wave and follow us around.

Another really cool part of this experience was that we got to spend some time with new friends (Jody and Zach). They are SUCH nice people and we enjoyed all the time we got to spend with them.

View from the aquarium

Joo and a Grey Reef Shark

I once scored 4 td's in one game at Polk High

The A-Ok is a bit premature

What has two thumbs and looks terrified of sharks??? this guy!

From in the aquarium

Jody and Zach from in the aquarium

Why the face?

Hand-feeding the eagle ray

Lots of sharks

Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

Let us out... SHARKS everywhere!!!!

Giving back to the kids

I peed in my suit this many times!

Our guides

Road to Hana

2010-09-23T21:51:00.002-07:00

ROAD TO HANA

On a tip from Alan, we got a CD that we played on our road to Hana that described each place we would go to. Thank God we did b/c it was a HUGE help. The road to Hana provided us with waterfalls, multicolored beaches, and countless picturesque views of beautiful Hawaiian coastline.

The road to Hana was one of the MUST do's in Maui. It was lush, green (sometimes black and red), and beautiful. We left at 6:00 in the morning and didn't get back until 8:30 at night and never drove more than 10 miles at a time except for the very beginning and end. We started in Paia with breakfast at Charlie's and were off to our first stop at Twin Falls. When we got there, it was pouring rain but a tropical rain on a hike to a waterfall is pretty fun. We then drove to one of our favorite picture spots Ke'anae where we stopped by a plantation and hung out at a lava rock beach with a fresh fruit smoothie and freshly made banana bread. After stopping by a viewpoint at Wailua, we were on our way to Pua'a Ka'a State Park where we hiked up one waterfall only to get to a bridge with no rails. There are some times I dont do so well with heights and this is one of them but I powered through and it was SOOO worth it. We got to a beautiful waterfall and a pool that was extra refreshing after a hike on a hot day. The next spots were probably my favorite. We went by the lava tubes on the way to Wainapanapa State Park where there was a black sand beach where a dog that looked like Kona that would fetch through pretty heavy swell. We finally got into Hana and went to a red sand beach which I found out was a clothing optional beach. I found this out by taking numerous photos which unfortunately had a large nude man on a raft. After stopping at Oheo Gulch to view the "7 Sacred Pools" (Not an actual Hawaiian name) we had to figure out which way we were going to drive home. The nicely paved but curvy roads back or the shorter but partially unpaved roads back. We took the unpaved back way and were really glad we did. Not only was there a "Earth Dance" full of 100 hippies dancing together with no music, but the views were amazing.

Sugar Cane

Twin Falls

Honomanu Bay

Joo about to jump in at Honomanu Bay

A plantation on the way to Ke'anae

Ke'anae

Waves breaking at Ke'anae

Nice view on the road to Hana

Lava rock and crystal clear water

Who wants tickets to the "Gun Show"

Wailua Overlook. The clouds look awesome.

Pua'a Ka'a State Wayside Park

Nice waterfall. Super refreshing on a hot day.

Joo walking over a scary bridge

Waianapanapa State Park

The view above the red sand beach in Hana

If you look closely, there is a fat nude man on a raft and a naked women dancing with a baton. Pretty scene otherwise

Molokini and Turtle Town Dives

2010-09-23T21:50:00.001-07:00

Diving the backside of Molokini

We dove the back side of Molokini and Turtle Town with Scuba Shack Divers. The back side of Molokini is a shelf straight down ~300 feet. We dove down 75 feet which was deeper than we had ever gone before. A really unique part of the dive is that sometimes you get so focused on the life in the shelf that you forget it is open ocean behind you. It is truly amazing to look back and know that you have 125 feet visibility and see NOTHING but blue. Also, in open ocean like this, the swell would push you up and down 20 feet at a time as it hits the back of the crater.

Unfortunatly, the Molokini dive was a bit too turbulent for Joo who got sick on the way to the second spot. She spent the second dive recouping and trying not to throw up. She LOVES turtles so I was pretty bummed out but later in the trip, we saw a gigantic turtle while snorkeling which I was really stoked about. The Turtle Town dive had so much unique wild life that I had never seen before. I saw huge turtles which was probably to be expected by the name. I also saw an eel swim in open ocean which was really cool. There were also white tip reef sharks which have a unique quality in that they are the only shark that can rest at the ocean floor. I saw two of them in an underwater cave.

The Boat on the way to Molokini

Hangin' Loose 75" deep!!!!

Turtle in Turtle Town... what are the odds

I challenged this one to a fight... I did not challenge the shark

Another turtle

A couple eels

Close up of the eel. they are a majestic animal aren't they?

Maui (O'o Farms)

2010-09-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

O'o Farms:
"A truly unique island experience begins at O’o Farm in Upcountry Maui. Our 8.5 acre diversified natural farm is owned and operated by the Pacific’O and I’O restaurants at 505 Front Street in Lahaina."

I knew the two above restaurants were good (REALLY good in fact) but I had no idea they were this fresh!!! Not only is the fish they get straight from the local fishermen, sometimes within an hour, but O'o farms supplies much of the fresh veggies. It is a biodynamic farm (Biodynamic agriculture is a method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms). This is NOT a farm that the restaurants work with. This is a farm owned by the restaurants and they grow what the chefs request at the quantities they need. So, they are constantly trying new crops (failing sometimes because they try and grow anything regardless of climate needs) and sometimes come up with some neat creations (see lemon above).

We toured the facility and their on-site chef cooked us a super tasty lunch of seared Ono and fresh veggies. A really cool experience that I would not have been able to have if not for my ultra environmental wife. I looked for an "in-and-out" farm but sadly one does not exist.

Our guide showing us their new coffee trees. We ate some of the coffee berries. I didn't know they were berries.

This was the shipment to be used at the restaurants that night. Pretty neat!!!

Here is the salad we picked

Joo enjoying the meal she picked

Great meal with some wine we picked fresh from the grocery store.

Trip to Maui (Preamble)

2010-09-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

Joo and I just took a trip to Maui to celebrate her 30th birthday. It was an awesome trip and I will post about some of the hi-lights but I wanted to write a bit about what these trip are to us and why we take them. Some people decide to use their money to accumulate things (Fast cars, big houses, etc...). Although we like our toys, we consciously choose to make our large expenditures on travel. The reason is simple. We cherish our experiences more than anything and traveling gives us those unique moments that we seek. We are also extremely fortunate to have family that recognize this and help us seek our our adventures through watching our dogs, letting us use their time share, and/or more recently setting us up with their friends condos. We truly value our family's sacrifices and contributions to these adventures that give us a joy that sense of "life" that we both desire down to our cores.

15. Go to a UCLA sporting event

2010-09-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

The good:

-The Rose Bowl is beautiful

-Stoked to spend time with my wife and Will & Lina Conk

-A little boy stiff armed another boy to the ground on his touchdown run at halftime and then did the Ray Lewis dance

-We saw a midget cheerleader, they are little bundles of joy

The bad:

-EVERYTHING ELSE.

...thats all I want to say about that

6. Beat Alan at Golf

2010-09-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

I had never beat Alan at golf. I hit the ball further and if I play a hole right, it can be much easier for me to score better than him. Alan has always proven to be a better golfer than me and by a pretty wide margin. He plays consistent, he chips well, putts well, and avoids the big mistake (Not to mention his ultra competitive nature). I actually was pretty certain I would not be able to cross this one off my list. On friday, I shot my low round of golf (an 82) which I had no birdies but 10 pars. Alan shot a 88 and didn't play his best round but I like to think that even if he did play well, it would have been a close one. I didn't drive the ball well but I hit some great long iron shots and played the par 3's better than I have ever played them. I was very happy.

NOW... beating Alan seemed like an unreachable goal but I didn't even think to put "Beat my DAD at golf". I am the only one in my family not to hit a hole in one but I can now finally say that I can beat any of them on any given day. That being said, I will humbly take my "W" and move on because if history has been any indicator for the future, I won't find victory all than frequently.

Happy 30th to JOO!!!!!

2010-09-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 30th birthday to my beautiful wife Joo. We had a great dinner at Roy's and a fun pool day at my mom's community center in Newport Coast with the Gypsy Dolls playing. Thank you to every one who showed up and made it such a special day for Joo and myself. On to Maui to finish our celebration!!!!! Cant wait!

43. Get promoted at work

2010-09-12T15:05:00.000-07:00

I am very fortunate to work at Oakley. I am thankful for my old boss Todd Johnston who gave me the opportunity as a demand planner and provided an atmosphere that allowed me to try and make things better my way. I am thankful for many others who I wont name who have given me every opportunity to mold the next step in my career. I received a promotion to "Strategic Planning Manager" reporting to the vice president in charge of supply chain. I am in charge of high level strategic plans for the supply chain for all Oakley Optics and in charge of the creation, development, and management of the S&OP process which is a cross-funtional team comprising of the leaders of sales, finance, product, manufacturing, and operations. I will also be able to build my own department. This is a big opportunity for me and I am excited about what I feel like I can accomplish in this position.

Welcome to the world CHARLOTTE GRACE

2010-09-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

The world just welcomed Charlotte Grace Smith into the world on 8/10/10 at 7 pounds 4 ounces. She is a beautiful baby girl who is just about perfect in every way. She is obviously loved by all her brand new family members and the only question that remains is who gets to hold her and for how long. SOOO happy we got to welcome a happy and healthy blessing into all our lives and so happy for Charlotte to have two such obviously caring and wonderful parents in Alan and Emma.

4. Visit my dad in Chicago

2010-09-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Each year, I go to a seminar for forecasting and this year, I had to travel to Chicago. They are almost always informative but never all that much fun. This year, however, it gave me the opportunity to visit my dad and Elizabeth in Chicago during Father's Day weekend. It is a rarity I get to see my dad and Elizabeth so getting to see them, at their house, that weekend was extra special. We had great food at CARMINES in downtown Chicago which is known not only for its food but also for its atmosphere. It is known as Tommy Lasorda's favorite restaurant in Chicago and we sat near Giuliana DePandi and Apprentice winner Bill Rancic and the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks bus. We also got to see a Cubs game at Wrigley against the Angels. Wrigley is one of the two baseball stadiums (the other is Fenway) that are must sees for any baseball fan. It is such a unique stadium, the atmosphere is awesome, and getting to see the Angel's win was the icing on the cake. We actually left a little early because it looked like the bright sunny day we were having was going to turn into a thunder storm. THANK GOD we left when we did because on our ride home the sky's opened up. It was so loud and powerful that windows were breaking and there was a power outage. It was so severe but the very next morning, it was a sunny and beautiful day for golf with my dad and Jim Mixon. It was a GREAT weekend!!!!

Back blogging...

2010-09-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have not blogged in a couple months but not because nothing has happened. Actually, it has been an incredibly eventful couple months and it looks to be a pretty eventful end of the year. In case anyone is reading this for the first time or just forgot, this blog is intended to be a journal of sorts for myself and my beautiful wife Joo. For me, I have outlined 50 things in 500 days I wanted to accomplish. Not a bucket list at all but more that I know I will be happy if I get to do these things in a year and a half. Instead of writing about everything, I will just jot some down now and some things I am looking forward to through the end of the year.

John and Lillian's wedding: Awesome day at the chapel we got married at. Reception was so fun with a lot of friends from UCLA

Ty and Jaclyn's wedding and Ty's bachelor party: I was honored to be in the wedding. It was beautiful. The bachelor party was like a high school reunion. We haven't grown up at all

Jana's bday: 2nd weekend in palm desert in a month. So much fun with old friends and new ones too

Mabelle's bday in Vegas: Penthouse at the Trump hotel. All Joo's best friends in the same place! I love all of them and always have a great time with them

THINGS TO COME:

Maui: Completing Joo's 30th bday celebration in Maui (9-15 to 9-22)

Pat's bachelor party: Back to some Palm Desert for more fun

Costa Rica: Pat and Molly's wedding and Joo's first time there (11-24 to 12-4)

UPDATE: 31. Spend an extended period of time with friends from UCLA

2010-06-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

I spent Memorial Day weekend with good friends at Lake Mead in celebration of John Carpenter and Lilian Seto's upcoming wedding in June. John is the rather large-pasty-freckled fellow in the center of the picture above. His brother, Daniel (aka 2.0), is the slightly less large, less pasty guy in the back. Also attending was Grant "Mongo", Brant, Dave "Wastere", Paine, Pat, Kirk, Mike & Estes. The weekend itself probably resembled "The Hangover" less and "Revenge of the Nerds" more but we had great weather, an awesome boat (sortof... see below), and an unbelievable time with friends. It was so nice to catch up with people who I have not seen for a long time and also reminisce about stupid things we have done, seen, and sometimes even caught on film. A really wonderful time and I can't wait to see everyone again at the wedding.

Now... a house boat is a large machine to park. As we found out, it is very difficult to keep it in the same place in one piece. On Saturday night, about 2:45 in the morning, a strong wind pulled the stakes holding our boat perpendicular to the shore out of the ground and flipped our boat around... smack into the beach. Believe it or not, we were not in the best of shape or mood when we found out what happened so we secured our boat, now parallel to the shore and tried to sleep a couple more hours. At about 7 in the morning we woke up, counted our blessings there wasn't a boat on that side of us, looked out in shame at the boats trying to dock on our beach, and were able to push our boat into open water. As we went to our next cove, we realized our boat could only turn left!!!! A couple odd-looking circles later, we found out that the bar that guides the props together when turning was completely broken. We did the only logical thing we could think of next... dock with one prop and lay on the beach with a couple drinks in hand. As we turned the boat in on Monday we were worried about how much they would charge us for our damages. Thankfully, the older female worker that we turned the boat over to was a bit smitten with one of our attendees. Not only did we not have to pay for anything extra, we got a refund for the time we lost from only having one prop working.

Best First Day Ever!

2010-05-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Today marks my first official day as an Ocean Institute volunteer. On most days, I expect to cheerily answers phones, sign guests up for one of the many exciting and educational programs, and just try to be all around helpful. Other days, like today, will be a little more exciting: halfway through my first shift, we were notified of a GRAY WHALE swimming the harbor! Secretly, I was bouncing off the walls with excitement (because I LOVE SEALIFE!!) and just itching to get out there for a look. The kind folks at the Ocean Institute did me one better and actually invited me on a small boat to help try to direct the whale out of the harbor and back to sea. So that's what I spent the last hour of my first ever shift at the Ocean Institute doing: whale herding using various noises to irritate the whale back out to sea. Definitely, the best first day I've ever experienced at a job!

Sadly, my excitement quickly lapsed as we caught our first glimpse of the whale. It seemed so lethargic, breaching every 2-3 minutes just to breathe before diving back down to the bottom of the harbor for some more R&R. There was heavy algae growth along its back, indicative of inactivity, and a cord or netting wrapped around the its fluke. Another sad tale of human waste recycled into hurtful animal traps. It seemed that the whale had entered the calm harbor waters to rest on its migration towards Alaska, or more likely, to pass in peace. I guess it's just further reinforcement for the importance of child and public education on marine conservation and motivation for me to continue my involvement with the Ocean Institute!

Weekend on the beach...26. Go surfing with Tony & 49. Try something I have never done before

2010-05-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Joo and I spent a long time this weekend at the beach house Jimmy rented on the strand of Capo Beach. It was an amazing house with an insane view of the water. Long days on the sand and nights with good friends around the fire-pit and playing a drinking game called "battleship" was exactly the weekend I needed. It was really great to see everyone. I also got to to try something I have never done before. I took a kayak into the surf. It was a bit hard to make it through the waves on the paddle out but it was so nice when I got passed the surf. I was a little nervous about trying to surf with the kayak but I caught a great wave and rode it all the way in... well almost, I flipped the kayak at the end. I surfed and swam around too which was really nice except that the water was in the 50's but I got used to it. It doesn't get much better than spending a weekend on the beach with my wonderful wife and great friends!!!!

Coffee, Pizza, & In-n-out = Perfect health!!! True Story

2010-04-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

I received my lab results today from my physical last week and apparently, all the pizza, double doubles, and garlic fries have paid off. My bad cholesterol which should be lower than 130 is 57 and my good cholesterol which should be above 40 is 47. All my bloodwork came back as good as can be. My triglycerides (fat found in the blood) came in at 72 when normal is less than 150. This just goes to show if you have good genes, you dont need a good regiment fruit, vegetables, and exercise... SWEET! Thanks mom and dad.

disclaimer: I swear I am cutting down on my double doubles and eating more veggies. I watch "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" and "Biggest Loser" and have a vegetarian sister-in-law. I am part of the movement (fist pump!)

#36 Update: The Dominance of Chris Porcelli

2010-04-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

I have completed two of my goals centering around racquetball... one of which was beating Chris Porcelli 3 times in a row. In that blog, I spoke of my streak being at 4 (it made it to 5) and I could not be happier. I know it might be difficult to believe, but I even gloated a little. Sadly, the tables have turned... and then some. Chris has now beat Alan, Gonzo, and me a grand total of 9 times in a row which leaves him only one away from achieving double digits in consecutive victories which has never happened. Our next game will have to end in his defeat!!! I have a sense of urgency and responsibility that only those storied sports franchises like the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Royals, or Los Angeles Clippers have felt before. I MUST BEAT CHRIS PORCELLI!!!!!

The 30 year Paine storm hits Orange County & 31. Spend an extended period of time with friends from UCLA

2010-04-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Every 30 years, a Paine event rocks Promontory Point in Newport Beach. This past weekend, it hosted Eric Paine's 30th birthday toga party. 30 years and 9 months ago (ya... I did the math too) Bill Paine held the same party. At his party, his buddy "Rabbit" climbed up on the rafters of the room which is neither safe nor smart... We definitely proved that progress over the last 30 years has been minimal (see picture above). We had traditional togas, camouflage togas, somehow we even had Mexican themed togas (a poncho is basically a toga right?). A pretty great byproduct of Eric's party was that I was able to see a group of friends from UCLA for an extended period of time. It was SOOO great to spend time with everyone. It was especially nice to have Pat and Molly (soon to be the Hendry's) stay at our place. A lot of us were able to spend our days at the beach house that Eric rented on the top of 1000 steps in Laguna. This house was SPECTACULAR. We had to take a "miner's cart" from PCH to the house and a private patio on the sand of one of my favorite beaches in the world. Add the delicious food cooked by Eric's mom Cheryl and great friends and it made for a pretty epic weekend!!! Congrats to Eric and thanks to everyone who put it together.

Congrats and Welcome to the family

2010-04-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

We are SOOOOO happy to welcome Emma and all the Wadsworths to our family this weekend. A quick but amazing and beautiful ceremony at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach was followed by a wonderful dinner at Mozambique. It was a little windy and some clouds were hanging around during the day but when sunset came around, everything calmed down to make for a great setting.

Some other big news... IT'S A GIRL!!!! We were notified at dinner of the wonderful news that the little one on the way will be a girl. The news was wonderful for all, surprising for some who were certain it was a boy, and will be extremely profitable for all local retailers holding any pink baby merchandise. My mom also appropriately pointed out that Uncle Bobby and Auntie Joo make us sound old. The over/under on Alan & Emma's little girl being taller than Alan is 10 years. I will start taking bets sometime around August 27th!!!!

Bad Religion at the House of Blues

2010-04-04T16:36:00.000-07:00

I was able to see a band that is one of my all time favorites (Bad Religion) at the House of Blues in Anaheim. They have been together for 30 years!!!! They were playing with the adolescents and the crowd which was really cool. It was pretty cool experience which was made even cooler because we got to hang out with Tony, Kit, Will and Xavier. Joo handled all the people like a champ. Her ribs and groin were pretty painful throughout the night and people bumping into her definitely didnt help but she was a trooper the entire night. All in all... it was a night to remember!

Man Cave Update: POOL TABLE NEEDED!

2010-04-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

The ping pong top is still there but sadly... the pool table is no longer. We were more than happy to hold on to my buddy Vince's family pool table until he found another home for it but totally underestimated the void that giving it back would leave. If anyone knows someone getting rid of a pool table, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!!!!

p.s. we are still super grateful to Vince and Heather for letting us use their table. We tried to take care of it as best we could!

39. Play a round of some drinking game I am too old to play (i.e. beer pong, quarters, anchor man, kings)

2010-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, we had some friends over and ate a wonderful meal. Joo cooked us corned beef and cabbage which was amazing!!!! We caught up with friends we haven't seen in too long... we spent more time with friends we are lucky to see on a regular basis... AND I crossed off one more off my list. I learned two very important lessons on this night. One, I learned that beer pong is still fun. Two, drinking heavily on a week day stays with me for FAR longer than ever before. I guess if I didn't believe the "...that I am too old to play..." part of this title before, it is crystal clear now!!!

16. See Vince play a gig, 40. Go out drinking with friends from Oakley, 42. Go to a concert or sporting event with X

2010-03-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Joo and I went down to Laguna Beach to see STRAIGHT 78 play at Ocean Ave. It was a special performance because the lead singer (Rob Gallas) lost his father recently and this gig was a tribute to him. It was great to be able to support Rob, who works at Oakley, with other co-workers. Also, Vince Portillo played with Rob's band for the evening which made it even better. AND, I went to Vince's gig with Xavier Limon which meant I could cross off another on my list!!!!

For those who don't know Vince, I will do my best to describe him. He is the type of guy that is always cracking jokes at work no matter the situation. Even in his interview, he was asked about the fact that he had "weight lifting" listed as a hobby to which he responded "...more like 'weight management' now!" and always adds his self-depricating descriptions of his "moobs" and how he frequents the "short and fat" store. In all seriousness, he is a great friend who has been wonderful to work with. He has twin boys and a beautiful wife and yet somehow finds time for his band/other gigs. He is a multi-instrumentalist (its a word... I swear) with his own band GYPSY DOLLS as well as offers casino services when he is not a DJ.

On Friday, Oakley said goodbye to Amy Ezell. To celebrate her time with us, we went to one of our favorite bars which is REALLY close to where I work. It is a small but friendly place where I was able to cross off #40 go out drinking with friends from Oakley. Although it was sad to say goodbye to Amy, it was nice to spend some time "outside of work" with Todd and other co-workers. We will miss you Amy!!!!

Even though I crossed these three off my list today, I definitely plan on repeating all three in the soon future.

36. Beat Chris or Alan 3 times in a row in racquetball

2010-02-27T18:00:00.001-08:00

Now I am not sure exactly how Chris felt as I won my third game in a row but I imagine it felt something like the red player in the graphic above trying to defend shots from all different angles. Truth be told, I have played Chris a lot and outside of the last couple games, it has been really even but I will still take my opportunity to gloat a little based on my current streak. It is currently at 4... I will keep you posted. Alan... YOU ARE NEXT!!!!!

8. Go snowboarding with friends in Mammoth, Happy Bday Katie D. & Fun with dogs

2010-02-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

We had our first trip to Mammoth this month which we got to celebrate Katie D's birthday and it gave us some firsts. We were really happy to spend time with Katie for her birthday! We got to hang out with her at their cabin and have a fun a delicious dinner at shogun. It was my first time snowboarding with Joo which was a lot of fun. The dogs also LOVED the snow. Rusty had been in the snow before but it was Kona's first time and he could not get enough. Speaking of not being able to get enough. Schat's bakery in Bishop has the BEST chili cheese bread. I miss it already. We didnt have our camera's with us so our phones had to suffice. Enjoy!!!

37. Cook Joo a nice dinner

2010-02-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

The combination of celebrating Valentine's Day and trying to save money gave me the perfect opportunity to cross #37 cook Joo a nice dinner off my list. For anyone who Joo has cooked dinner for, it is a tall task to try and match her culinary skills. For help, I reached out to the Food Network (Giada De Laurentis to be exact) to find recipes that were 1. simple enough for a culinary ruh-tard and 2. tasted good. What I found was flaming filet mignon with chive butter with baked mashed potatoes with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and asparagus and smoked salmon bundles. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Unfortunately, Joo is now expecting me to cook more... I did NOT think this through

11. Go mountain biking with Will & 12. Take pictures of friends taking part in activities they love

2010-01-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

Today we rode a trail called 3 "B"'s... well, the "B"'s stand for something but I wont divulge the true meaning. I will, however say that there are 3 very large steep hills which were a real "B" to ride up. I will also say that although I am short on gear, I did wear shorts which were padded in the seat but my "A" still hurts like hell. It was a lot of fun to go Mountain biking with Will and Todd today and to see Will do something he is so good at doing. Will goes so fast down the same runs I have to walk down and does it so effortlessly. Going WAY faster than anyone else out there and seems to be in more control too. Todd HATES the climbs but he definitely has skills left over from his '84-'86 heydays (we saw pics of some serious "donkey basketball" moves from his high school days last week). He really charges the downhills, drops, and jumps and does really well (pays for it too sometimes but not too much today). Hope you like the action shots

FEEDBACK NEEDED: Which photo to blow up

2010-01-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

On our trip to Australia and New Zealand, I was able to take a lot of pictures and I am planning on blowing up a couple. It would help me a lot to get feedback from people as to which ones you like or think would look the best blown up and framed. If you have read my blog, one of my "50 in 500" things to do was to blow up some pictures I take. Thanks for the help!!! Hope you like them

Image #1: Queenstown - Great lighting but with really dark clouds ahead. This one is very unique

Image #2: Mirror Lake: Nice mix of mountains and lake. The waters are so dark it doesn't seem like you should be able to see through it. It has a very cool effect

Image #3: Waterfall at Milford Sound - I love the lighting and green color in this photo. It is hard to tell just how massive this is but it is over 400 ft. One of my favorites for sure

Image #4: Mossy trees near Lake Makenzie on the Routeburn Track - So much of the track seemed almost like a fairytale land with the deep green moss on the trees and rock. Really hard to get a good photo because of it but this turned out pretty good.

Image #5&6: Harris Lake - These were taken with my wide angle lens (10-22). I couldn't decide which one I liked better so I put them both. I really like the depth in these photos. We were standing on one mountain taking photos of another mountain and valley... impossible to grasp the scale from a photo but these do the best job.

Image #7: Routeburn Track - This is one of my favorites without a doubt. It is so unique with the dark snow-capped mountains in the background and the green in the foreground. The trail is really cool looking at this part of the trail too. Great color... not to mention my lovely wife Joo adding a sense of scale to the mountains and trail.

Image #8: Routeburn Valley - This was one of the most breathtaking views we saw and this photo captures it best. I really love how the valley looks between the very green mountains on both sides. These were the types of views that made New Zealand the kind of place I will never tire returning to.

Image #9: Huka Falls - This is one of the more unique photos I took. It is hard to take long exposures during the day let alone when the sun is so bright like it was on this day. I am really happy how the water turned out... you can really see each rapid.

Image #10: Wai-o-tapu geothermal wonderland - I am actually surprised I only chose one from this lake. There were so many that turned out great. This one is my favorite because of how vivid the reflection is and how great the sky looks. The color and steam were so neat to look at here.

Image #11: The forest in Wai-o-tapu - This one reminds me of Lord of the Rings. The ferns at the bottom and light through the trees made this one of my favorites while it was still in my viewfinder. I was really surprised with how good this one came out.

Image #12&13: Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House - I always love when long exposures come out well. They are difficult to get right and you really need the right site and conditions. We were pretty blessed in Sydney and these turned out very good. I really love these especially the bridge shot.

OZ UPDATE: HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM SYDNEY

2010-01-01T01:11:00.000-08:00

Sydney is such a cool city. The harbor itself makes Sydney worth visiting. It is hard to actually stop looking at the harbor bridge and opera house (or take pictures of them as you will see below). We had dinner one night on the harbor and it reminded me or a big reason of why I travel in the first place... to see and experience places that remind you of the truly unique locations out there. We also took some great long exposure pictures below that really turned out great. The ones of the harbor bridge with Joo in the picture are my favorite. The city itself was really unique too. Hong Kong harbor is one of our favorite cities and this reminded us of Hong Kong a lot. It also had some distinctly San Francisco and New York feels to it. As we travelled through New Zealand and North Eastern Australia avoiding large cities and loved every minute of it... it was a surprisingly refreshing end to our trip to spend time in Sydney. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

The Harbor

A well-deserved break from a VERY active trip

The Harbor Bridge and Opera House

I love this picture

Long exposure pictures of the bridge... I LOVE THESE

OZ UPDATE: Sidney Wildlife World & Aquarium

2010-01-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

The Wildlife World and Aquarium were a great way to see all of the animals in OZ. From Giant Crocs to Koalas to Kangaroos... From Sharks to 9 foot Rays to Dugongs to Turtles, we were able to see everything and even being so close to San Diego, this was a wonderful experience. My favorite was the Rays and I think Joo's was the Koalas

Koala

HUGE Croc

Joo taking photos of Joey's

Joey

Koala eating

Penguins

Dugong

Shark... or ray or some sort of SharkRay

Walkthrough Aquarium

3. Scuba dive the great barrier reef

2010-01-01T00:36:00.000-08:00

Scuba Diving is amazing... Scuba Diving on the Great Barrier Reef is even better. We swam with sharks (NOT from a cage like in Hawaii but right next to us). We swam with Sea Turtles, Giant Maori Wrasse (dont know the plural but multiple of them), and Sting Rays. The coral was beautiful and the fish were so amazing. EVERYTHING was amazing except getting stung on the neck by a jellysifh (NOT AMAZING). It was so much fun that we did 3 dives and 5 snorkel dives... each started with a boat ride out to the outer Barrier Reef (about 90 minutes from shore) to a different dive location. Equally great was Joo not getting sea sick at all. It was one of those experiences that you marveled what you were doing before, during, and after it!!!

Right before our dives

Great Maori Wrasse

Joo throwing up the "two fingers"... in jest of course

Sting Ray

Giant Clam

Star Fish!!!!!!

33. Stay injury free until I go to Australia/New Zealand & 48. Remain injury through New Zealand & Australia

2010-01-01T00:27:00.000-08:00

For anyone who has played a sport with me... travelled to places like Belize with me... or happens to be my brother or wife, you know I have seen a minor injury or two that has prevented me from something I wanted to do. TODAY, I have completely and totally overcome my injury prone tendencies... for the past month

NZ UPDATE: Sky Diving!!!

2009-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

There is not much that can describe what it is like to sit, feet dangling, on the edge of a plane at 12,000 feet knowing in a couple of seconds you will hurl yourself out. We could not have asked for a better morning. It was warm, sunny, and little wind over the Bay of Islands. As we climbed to our altitude, we got great views of the bay, its islands, and just about the rest of the north island (at least it felt that way!). The initial fall was thrilling, the remaining 45 seconds of freefall was both fast-paced and calming, and the couple minutes floating under the parachute were breathtaking. As we hit the ground, we were overcome with elation, relief, and residual adrenaline.

View from the plane above the Bay of Islands

In the plane

Bobby freefalling from the plane's perspective (I am at the bottom of the picture)

Joo in her freefall

Bobby safe on the ground

Joo safe on the ground

Joo and her instructor

Congrats!!!

NZ UPDATE: Paihia Bay of Islands

2009-12-24T23:55:00.000-08:00

The color of the water was a beautiful jade as we took a boat between the 100+ islands in the bay. There were islands in all directions covered in lush green foliage, caverns, and both black and white sand beaches. We took a jet boat from pier in town and speed in and around many of the neighboring islands. Our boat took us at high speeds over waves, splashing us with water, and into caverns and through arches. Our room was on the water with a great view and the food was great… especially the fish and chips and Joo’s oysters. It is really one of the places we would want to make a repeat visit to in the future.

The view from our room

Paihia town!!!

On the boat along the coast

On the boat... we went through that archway. Amazing!!!

So many islands

NZ UPDATE: Puketi Forest Kauri Forest

2009-12-24T23:45:00.000-08:00

The Kauri Tree is famous in New Zealand for the size, age and beauty of the trees. We took a day trip to the forest and saw some trees wider than 10ft and a couple hundred feet high. We actually met someone from Southern California working on Yogi Bear the movie staring Alex Baldwin and Justin Timberlake (I think I lost Joo’s attention a short while after our new friend uttered the word “Timberlake”). The wood from the Kauri Tree is used locally by Kiwi’s to make many of New Zealand’s crafts. It is really hard to capture the sheer size of the trees in the pictures so I hope they do it a little justice.

The "Honesty Box" where you pay what you think and take what you need

View from the bottom of a Kauri Tree

Bobby under a Kauri Tree

Joo loves nature

NZ UPDATE: Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Wonderland

2009-12-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

We trekked through trails flanked with sink holes, lakes, and great views. The volcanic activity made it one of the most unique places I have ever been. The sink holes were as large as 150 feet wide and were filled with molten mud and steam firing up from the bottom. The most picturesque site was a shallow reflection lake with awesome greens, yellows, and reds under boiling water spitting out large amounts of steam. Some of my favorite pictures were taken here!!!

VIDEOS: CANYONING in Queenstown

2009-12-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

We went canyoning just outside of Queenstown. Canyoning consists of trekking through, over, and down a canyon with a river flowing through it. We traveled on a zip line over the canyon and then rapelled down towards the river. When we got to the river itself, we swam down the rapids and slid through and jumped over a sequence of waterfalls down the river.

Joo on a ZIP LINE over the canyon

Bobby&Joo WATERFALL SLIDING into the river

Bobby&Joo CLIFF JUMPING into the river

47. Complete a multi-day hike

2009-12-17T22:34:00.001-08:00

Welp… we made it to Queenstown and after a daytrip to Milford Sound (AMAZING!!!) we were able to go on a multiday hike on the Routeburn track on the south island of New Zealand. Accomplishing something like this was something Joo and I can be REALLY proud of. We were extremely nervous about the potential for harsh weather, rough terrain, and strenuous hikes with 30lbs of gear on our backs for 6-8 hours a day for 3 days straight. The forecast was for rain, heavy at times, and we spoke with a couple who has just finished a day before we got there and said how strenuous it was with the rain & snow they received. As it turns out, we got about the best weather you could ask for and had one of the most amazing experiences full of some of the most breathtaking views I will ever come across.

As the first day passed, we saw some spectacular vistas, waterfalls, and “Lord of the Rings”-type terrain and got great weather. We were beat up a little physically but were pretty happy with our day. We were pleasantly surprised that our second day was also pretty good weather… and the views actually got even better. We hiked along side a mountain range covered in beautiful snow patches, lush green foliage, all while looking down on expansive lakes and fast flowing rivers through never-ending valleys. The sheer size and scope of the landscape is impossible to grasp by any single photo but we tried. The third day was not quite as strenuous but beautiful nonetheless. We walked alongside teal green rivers filled with water from the glaciers above, tramping over swing bridges and through beech trees to our finish line. I hope you like some of the pictures from our journey thus far and know there is more to come!!!!!

The view from the waterfalls above The Routeburn Falls hut (where we stayed on night #2)

Harris Lake and Routeburn Valley

The view down the Routeburn Valley from snow capped mountains behind us

This is at the top of Harris Saddle on Day 2 of our hike. BeautifulTry and Find Joo in the middle of this photo... I love this picture

Joo Day 2 on the Routeburn Track

Bobby under a waterfall on the Routeburn Track

Joo Day 1 on the Routeburn track

Milford Sound Waterfall

Queenstown from the waters edge

41. Beat Eric Paine at Racquetball

2009-11-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

Finally!!! I get to cross something off my list. The reason I put this on my list is because I have NEVER beat him before... and we have played more than a couple times. We played many times at UCLA and if I ever got to double digits, I would have called family just to let them know my triumphs. Last night, I played racquetball with Eric, Chris, and Gonzo. It was nice to have Gonzo out with us for the first time. It is easy to see him getting better fast with some of the shots he made last night. He did however almost decapitate his doubles teammate everytime he served. We switched off playing 1 on 1 after the the first game and so I took my first crack at beating Eric. Sadly, I did not. The second game, I finally got him. There was only two other people watching... but I am pretty sure, a capacity crowd would have stormed the court. It was, in a word, AWESOME. 49 more to go!!!!

Work in progress "41. Beat Eric Paine at racquetball"

2009-11-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

I had my first attempt at crossing something off my list. I played racquetbal with Alan, Eric, and Sean. While Eric and Sean were on their way, Alan and I played a couple practice games... or so I thought. Alan won the first in a close battle and the second not so much. Alan decided to ask me, "Do I get anything for beating YOU three times in a row?" 13 points later (in a game to 15) Alan finally scored his first point. The game mercifully ended 15-1. We then played doubles. A racquetball court is a room.... a small room... made for only a few competitors. Racquetball doubles pits two teams of two players against each other in a battle royal that can REALLY only be won by avoiding serious injury from rouge racquets and screaming racquet balls moving off Eric's racquet at speeds only Usain Bolt and Superman can relate to. The Smith Brothers started fast to a 10-0 lead. One point away from a "skunk," Eric and Sean came back with an 8-1 run to close it to 11-8. In a clutch performance resembling the days of Jordan and the Tim Donaghy refereed Laker playoff games from the early 2000's, we closed the match late with a furious run to victory. It would have been even sweeter if I could cross off "41. Beat Eric Paine at racquetball" but sadly, the intent was to beat him 1 on 1. Maybe next time...

Italian Night: The Difference 7 Minutes Makes

2009-11-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I thought pasta with marinara was a little simple (aka boring) for my tastes. Then we went to Italy. Now I can not stop drooling over my memories of steaming hot, perfectly al dente spaghetti tossed in a simply delectable pomodoro.

So tonight, I denied my dependence on food network recipes and improvised, sans recipe and armed with only a handful of tomatoes, a bunch of basil, some garlic, onion, red wine, and e.v.o.o. It was cooking in its most basic form - purely to taste with a little of this and some more of that. Taking a cue from a fantastic plate of pasta I had in Verona, I pulsed each of the ingredients through a food processor, separately to prevent emulsion. Not only did it provide great texture, it made prep a breeze! The end result? Well... the first photo was taken at 7:44PM ... the second photo was snapped at 7:51PM...

Craving a sweet treat after our quick weeknight dinner, we headed out to our favorite gelateria in Laguna: Tutto Amore. This place makes me feel like I'm heading through the streets of Venice all over again, with the two Itals who run the joint and converse in Italian non-stop. I could listen to that beautiful language all day long!! And the gelato? It is no joke - tastes just like the real thing! I am tempted to head out there every night in hopes that this place doesn't go under in this terrible economy. If that's not sacrifice, I don't know what is!

Weekend in Palm Desert

2009-11-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't get to cross anything off of my list. However, Joo and I did get to go to my Mom and Ron's house in Palm Desert, spend time with Crystal Chessher (and watch her nightly news spot on Desert channel 6) and play Indian Wells. It was a gorgeous golf course in great condition with perfect weather. I ended up shooting a 92 which is neither good nor bad. I will definitely need to play better to cross off "6. Beat Alan at golf" I did have a birdie today and some nice pars. All in all, it was just about a perfect weekend. Thanks guys!

Happy 30th Jimmy!!!

2009-11-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Erik and help from other friends (namely Bethany, Nicole, Darren and more) who put together a fun night celebrating Jimmy turning 30 in Santa Monica. It was a night full with great friends, many drinks, and kung fu kicks. Happy Birthday Jimmy and it was awesome to see everyone together. Next time, we will have to play a drinking game so I can cross something off my list

THE SMITH CHRONICLES

2009-11-13T13:00:00.000-08:00

I initially thought of using the other blog site to track my 50 goals but I have now simply added it to THE SMITH CHRONICLES (http://jooandbobby.blogspot.com/)

In addition to following my 50 things, Joo and I will also be keeping you up to date (whether you like it or not) with our adventures.

Hope you like it

50 in 500

2009-11-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

I have identified 50 goals. Some big... most small. They are things that I want to accomplish, have not done in a while, or have been putting off. As I cross things off my list, I will share them with you as well as some random musings I decide to waste your time with.

I initially got this idea from friends of mine (Martin Schatz http://marsense.blogspot.com/ and Will Conkhttp://willconk.blogspot.com/) who decided to set some short-term attainable goals in order to better their lives. This... is my version.

Often times, we aim to spend time with friends and family, take part in activities, or simply complete the tasks of everyday life but we push those things aside. I want to use this site to make sure i look back 500 days from now and have done what would make me most happy (... and yes, beating close friends and family at the sports they love does it for me!!!).

I have left a couple spaces open to add some goals I am sure I left off. I hope you all enjoy these posts and let me know your thoughts.

TYSON!

2009-09-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

A big warm "WELCOME!!" to the newest, cutest addition to the Smith clan! This is Tyson - warm, cuddly, and happy to take any leftover food off your hands... or plate. I can not believe how adorable this guy is - as you can clearly see. I hear he is a bulldog-shepherd mix and I know he is a smart guy - it took all of 3 minutes and a handful of treats for him to learn how to sit - and then lay down - and then shake - and then sit back up from laying down! Can't wait to see how big Tyson grows up to be... can't wait for the fun time play dates with Rusty and Kona... and definitely can't wait to hear the next funny story about what Tyson just did!

Inked... Again

2009-09-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Bobby couldn't help himself and got another tattoo and I love it! The graphic is a negative of a floral motif from Grampa-Gramma's headstone on Oahu, which is now placed on the outside of Bobby's right calf. Bobby knew he wanted his next tattoo as soon as he saw the headstone on our last visit to Hawaii in May, which must have prompted the close up shot that eventually made it onto this leg.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into as I headed to Raygun in Dana Point with Bobby, already hungry for dinner at the late hour of 6:30 PM, because we didn't walk out Raygun until 2 and 1/2 hours later. Needless to say, I was starving and also bouncing off the walls because watching someone else get a tattoo is a lot like watching grass grow or water boil - although Bobby's various facial expressions were entertaining... but it was all worth it in the end because it came out so well!

A Dog's LIfe

2009-08-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

Our lovable pups. They fill our hearts with joy and our home with hair. Most of their days are spent protecting our home (with loud barks) from friendly puppies, walking their own humans across the sidewalk in front of our house, napping and sunbathing on our studio sofa in the front room, and relentlessly begging for food (Rusty) or toys (Kona).

Due to the excessive heat, we've given up on walks and have been taking the boys to the park for a good round of frisbee - where Kona leaps to astounding heights as he catches the frisbee that we've thrown from shady comfort under the trees and where Rusty happily sniffs his heart out among the bushes. Nothing expresses their joy and sheer exhaustion better than the picture below, taken immediately upon returning from the park. Both are obviously panting and drooling EVERYWHERE. Once again, I am thankful for moisture resistant bamboo flooring.

This happy state lasts for about 15 minutes if you're Kona, upon which he is back up and ready for the next game of fetch. Rusty, on the other hand, remains perfectly happy for hours on end snuggled up in a soft throw next to one of his humans. Is it just me, or are our dogs super cute???

Little Mike ... AKA Cousin Mike ... AKA Smitty

2009-08-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

We love family! Needless to say, we were super duper excited to welcome our Cousin Mike to sunny, beachy, southern California - where its possible to spend the morning snowboarding at Bear Mountain before heading back for beachside cocktails at sunset (Next time Mike! We're doing it!) - where it's possible to attend ball games at any of three MLB parks on any given day - where delicious Mexican burritos are simultaneously authentic AND sanitary (most of the time) - where you're equally likely to enjoy a balmy summer day in August, December, or February - where 70 degree is considered cold and worthy of breaking out a North Face jacket (worn with rainbow sandals on your feet, of course).

Wanting to show Mike a good time, we helped him experience as many southern Californian joys as possible, beginning with burrito after burrito, a night out at Laguna (refer to below birthday post), two ball games at Petco Park and Angels Stadium, beaches galore, tour of Oakley HQ and peddle kayaking in Newport Harbor. As a result, I am now about 8.5 shades darker than I was five days ago, a huge fan of the 5 for $5 deal at Petco, and an even huger fan of Cousin Mike! Come back soon cousin! You are always welcome here!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. PORCELLI!

2009-08-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Words can not express the joy that this lovely couple has injected into our lives. First of all, they are a great couple AND they like to hang out with us AND we like to hang out with them - a surprisingly difficult combination to find in friends nowadays. Second of all, Jana loves many of the same things I do: corepower yoga, food, all things French or Franco, spirituality, ambition, travel, champagne... the list goes on and on. Third of all, this couple includes Porch, who is both wildly entertaining and good-hearted, whether he means to be or not. This is why we were ecstatic to join in on Jana's celebration of HER first 29th birthday. Time will only tell how many more times the two of us will turn 29 again (and again... and again).

The birthday intended on a super-fun, super laid-back bonfire at Aliso (the beach, not the city) - except for one minor detail = bonfire nazis. Groups of tourists and anti-tourist-locals who troll the local beaches for open bonfire sites from the unreasonable hour of 6AM and stake their holdings until dusk via tag-team guarding. So, a bonfire was absolutely out of the question. Not to worry! A simple circle of chairs, sans bonfire in the center, is still fun when in good company. So we ended up with a fun beach day, pow-wows around a ledge packed with food and champagne in a can (thank you Mr. Coppola) and confetti cupcakes. yum!

Mrs. Porch - I hope you had a fantastic birthday. You are loved - not just by us either! By everyone who strolled through to wish you the best year of your life!

My Very First 29th Birthday... Part Deux

2009-08-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

You know me... I'll use any excuse to spend some more time with my lovely friends. And few excuses are better than birthdays! Hence, a delightful dinner at the Zinc Cafe in Laguna Beach (perfectly refreshing gazpacho + potato arugula pizza + swanky white ... just in case you were wondering) followed by fun times at Ocean Ave, a "brewery," in quotes because I've never actually consumed a pint of their brew, nor do I ever remember anyone ordering one during our numerous visits over the years. Weird, right?

Speaking of weird, I once believed that I had a rather unfortunate super power to magnetically attract every weird-o within a 10 mile radius. This night was no exception. The evening began with some fantastic jazz by a trio who must have been playing together for the at LEAST 60 years... seemingly weird but actually delightful and relaxing in the best way. The weird part began a passer-by found the trio equally delightful and relaxing but did not want to come in for a glass of wine or a delicious bite to eat. So she just enjoyed the music from the other side of the hedge about 1.5 feet away from the keyboardist, swaying to the melody to the very last drop, when the trio announced their last song. It was funny for the first five minutes, amusing for the two songs that followed, and definitely creepy for the remaining 20 songs.

It doesn't end there. We finally get to Ocean Ave and the only other people there are 40-50-somethings. It seems that one of these little princesses were out past her bedtime. P.S. If in 25 years, you find me even slightly resembling this pretty gem, PLEASE INTERVENE!

I don't mean to be a jerk. I promise. But some things just beg to be shared. I'm happy to say that I had a wonderful night in the company of fantastic friends. Birthday mission accomplished!

The Dirty Thirty... feat. Chad Dains

2009-08-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's happening more and more... our friends are beginning the long descent over and down "the hill" towards experience and maturity, if you can call it that! Of course, exiting your 20s entitles you to a big bash, which our friend Chad executed in style, thanks to his loving and extremely organized wife. We made it out for one day and one night of this precisely planned weekend, but keeping partying in Vegas short and sweet is just that, short and sweet. We first enjoyed a warm day by the pool at the Red Rock Resort and Casino. Cherry Pool - extreme drunken debauchery fenced in to protect the kids and families outside at the main pool. A quick shower and we were back out for a delicious, home-cooked dinner at the Boyers. Roasted beef tenderloin accompanied by a plethora of fixings - yum. Followed by a plethora of desserts - fresh carrot cake, cheesecake, strawberries and cream - triple yum.

Then, the second night of partying began, complete with party bus chauffeuring us to Las Vegas' finest: Frankie's Tiki Room (think Royal Hawaiian, pre-renovation and in all its ghetto-fabulous glory), Caramel, and The Bank. The amazing thing was that all of this went smoothly - Blake left nothing to chance. So we returned, safely, back at our hotel in Summerlin at the not-so-wee hour of 4:30AM and planning to wake up again at 5:20AM to pack and ready ourselves for a 6AM airport shuttle for our morning flight back home. Yeah right. Bobby drank enough to think he could actually do this with a smile on his face. Yeah right. I knew better, so after watching Bobby gracefully lay his handsome head to rest, I hightailed it back down to the casino floor for some good, old-fashioned single deck blackjack. It was fun. Waking Bobby up an hour later was not, but that's neither here nor there, so I'll end with this:

Happy Birthday Chad! It was too much fun!

my very first (of many, I'm sure) 29th birthday

2009-08-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day: quiet, relaxing, and full of good food. In case you didn't already know, I spend most of my time dreaming of and planning the next delicious bite of food I will consume. And when I'm not eating, I make every effort to be sleeping. So it made complete sense to spend my birthday participating in my two favorite pastimes - eating and sleeping.

I spent the morning nursing a tall cup of perfect hubby-made coffee while attending to non-birthday related matters (property management - yuck! and bills - double yuck!). This was promptly followed by a leisurely drive up PCH to Zinc Cafe in Corona Del Mar, where I obsess over the menu upon each visit by walking between the deli counter of prepared salads and entrees and scrutinizing each item on the printed menu overhead. (The servers love that I do this because they have about a million better things to do than watch me make up my mind.) I finally decided on the daily special: summer salad of hardboiled eggs, steamed fingerling potatoes and haricot verde, Kalamata olives, heirloom tomatoes layered with slices of goat cheese, and herbed cottage cheese over a bed of fresh butter lettuce and dressed in a shallot vinagrette. I also helped myself to a cup of the chili, which comes with delectable knot of garlic bread, and a Zinclini - my new favorite cocktail of fresh raspberry puree, peach-orange juice, and sparkling wine. Mouth-watering? Yes please!

Our delightful lunch was followed by a trip to Sprinkles for a red velvet cupcake for now and a raspberry cupcake for tomorrow's breakfast. What? Cake for breakfast is normal... The best part was running into Evie at the plaza. Cupcakes and family - a perfect combination.

Dinner followed a long, long nap. We opted for an intimate family dinner on the patio at Sol, except this place is BUSY! I don't think it's even been open for two months and it's popping off! It's easy to see why - the interior is simultaneously cozy and stylish, with many rustic accents and crafty furniture. The cuisine is fresh, inventive, and sourced with sustainability in mind, playing off traditional Baja fare. Fantastic guacamole sol, with mangoes and goat cheese... sweet and crispy fried calamari... super flavorful baked shrimp scampi... and uber-fresh fish tacos with all the fixings. The cocktails are fancy too! They offer refreshing beeritas (the equivalent to three margaritas topped off and a bottle of inverted beer) and various martinis. All delicious. It was definitely a wonderful meal! Check it out and spread the word. I'm hoping this place sticks around, it's that good.

All of this was courtesy of my perfect husband, who took the day off of work, just to do all the little things we haven't been able to recently. Thank you husband, you are lovely.

Camping Trails

2009-08-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Another fantastic weekend with friends! We ended up at Campsite 106 at Trails (aka San Onofre State Beach Park), right next to Trail 4. The weekend raised a few realizations:

Our friends are awesome. Even in a cramped campsite, half of which was ON TOP of a parking space and placed about 60 feet from the freeway, we had way too much fun.
S'mores around a campfire = heaven. They're pretty good all the time, but around a campfire?? Utterly delicious.
Living in southern California is fantastic. FANTASTIC. I officially subscribe to the belief that people come here to vacation from all around the world with good reason.
We do not appreciate living here enough! More time at the beach and in the ocean please!!!!

p.s. that's my handsome hubby on the far right in the water and Kolby in the center. by the way, "where's Kolby?"

On Vacation From The Comfort Of Home

2009-08-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever pretended to be on vacation in your own hometown? No?!? Well, you SHOULD because it is fantastic! How did this magical weekend occur? Well... it began with a long overdue visit from our fantastic friends, Pat and Molly, newly engaged and glowing white hot, from both loving bliss and a severe lack of sun at their digs in SF. We had the pleasure of spending every single waking moment with this adorable couple, as happy in love as we are. So we filled our time with a fantastic show at the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters, beach time on the Peninsula (meaning that everyone swam and basked in the sun while I hid under my towel from over-carmelizing into an extra dark chunk of coal), multiple ping-pong tournaments to the heavenly sounds of a JT concert on DVD, sunset cocktails at Las Brisas and shopping at boutiques throughout Laguna. But I digress, what did we fill our stomachs with? Mouthwatering sandwiches from Champagne's Deli, where meats are over-roasted and breads baked from their own kitchen... Refreshing ice-cold whitefish ceviche and creamy guacamole at Las Brisas... Satisfying tuna melts from Big Belly Deli (where'd I'd ALWAYS rather be).... Eggs Benedict and Belgian Waffles at the Beach House in Laguna... various mediterranean delicacies at the Panini Cafe... and a classic diner breakfast from the Galley Cafe. At the end of the weekend, we felt like we had just returned from a relaxing weekend spent somewhere else in the company of great friends. Can't wait to do it again soon... (that means, COME BACK PAT AND MOLLY!!!)

Happy Birthday Ron!

2009-07-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RON! Take my word for it, it's all uphill from here! As always, we arrived to an enormous feast of exceedingly delicious food that seemed to replenish itself. No matter how much you eat in this home, it is never enough to make it disappear. Best in-laws ever!

Dear Ron, we wish you the best in this coming year. How does it feel to be 72 years young? You certainly deserve a fantastic pat on the back for your many accomplishments and successes and look forward to many more. Thank you for being you, a deep well of calm in our increasing busy family. You make everything look so easy!

Pat's "Birthday"

2009-07-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Pat and Molly are making it official! CONGRATS!!! CONGRATS!!! CONGRATS!!! Sounds like a perfect proposal on top of Mount Tam, one of the most beautiful places in the Bay Area! This guy tricked us all into flying up to SF for his big, gigantic 29th "birthday party"- fishy for a guy who never even mentioned his birthday when he was living down the street from us. But really, who cares??? There is nothing better than celebrating engagements except, maybe, for the way these two did it!!! Surrounded by fantastic friends (you're welcome) and a never-ending stream of wine, beer, and cocktails. Carting between wineries in Napa, pre-party champagne, and a fantastic party at a private corner of the Starlight Room overlooking Union Square. The type of celebration I can get on board with! The best part is that these two are CLEARLY fantastic for each other. We are so happy for them and definitely eager for the upcoming wedding! Oh yeah, "happy birthday Pat."

starting 'em young

2009-07-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Introducing Attie - our friend Joy's beautiful baby girl! Bobby also happens to think she is the smartest baby we have ever met and really, REALLY likes her. It's easy to see why!!

4th of July

2009-07-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic 4th of July up in northern California, beginning with a delicious southern breakfast of biscuits and gravy at the Southern Kitchen in Los Gatos, followed by a peaceful hike along the hills (thanks to Gentle Leader head collars!!), and ending with a spectacular fireworks show choreographed to live music by the San Francisco symphony. It was even better because we spent the entire day with my mom and our two doggies - so everyone was happy. I think the only thing I would change is probably walking to the amphitheatre for the fireworks - we were stuck in the parking lot for over an hour after the show! Poorest planning I've ever experienced in my life on the part of the City of Mountain View!

Gentle Leader

2009-07-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

THE MOST AMAZING PRODUCT EVER!! This thing actually makes our dogs act like they are well-behaved! Never, EVER in our lives together have either of them just walked alongside us - they are always pulling, or lunging at other dogs, or running circles around us. But no more, this thing acts in the same way a bit would act on a horse, allowing you to turn your dog's head if he gets too far ahead or walks in the wrong direction. It is very gentle and requires very little pressure to correct your dog. Our last couple walks have been then most peaceful I've ever experienced - I feel like we've wasted 7 years of dreading walks with Rusty and/or Kona!!!

Sylvia + Phil

2009-07-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

How sweet are these two? We were thrilled and honored to celebrate with Sylvia and Phil as they officially tied the knot during a beautiful ceremony and fun reception at the Garden Court Hotel in Palo-Alto. The wedding was full of joy and smiling faces - it was so touching to see two people grow their relationship with all the blessings of their family and friends. I loved seeing Sylvia beaming as she walked down the aisle and it was good to hear all the wonderful things said about the couple - they clearly complement each other in the best way and I can not wait to see what the future holds for these two. p.s. the food was fantastic.

a new beginning...

2009-06-15T00:00:00.001-07:00

We're officially done with school and have big, bad MBA degrees to boot as we embark on a new chapter of our everchanging lives as the SMITHs. It's a new opportunity to get back to the things we really love in life, like our family and friends, traveling and other hobbies, like actually reading books because we want to, not because we have to take a test on it in an hour! At same time, it's a little daunting to have a blank slate in front of us in every way - from something so simple as a week without a single set evening plan, to how we will shape our professional careers in light of our new degrees. I guess only time will tell! Right now, we're just cherishing this time with our friends and family who were so supportive throughout our continued education and have come by to celebrate! Thanks everyone! You guys are the best!