a long overdue update

from the time i started this blog, i've noticed a recurring trend. i write a nice long post for everyone to enjoy and then it takes me at least a month before i post something else. i think it's because when i write, i usually write a lot so when i sit down to post something new it's always a bit time consuming.

i really have to get out of that habit.

anyway here are some things that have happened in the past month or so starting with my birthday.

kirstin's 24th birthday

as you all saw, i got my beautiful new camera from mike and have been trying to use it as much as i can. i still have plans to take a class to learn more of the features and hopefully get my hands on a student-priced version of adobe photoshop to learn how to use that too. my photography talent is still a work in progress.

anyway...for my actual birthday, i worked during the day and all my coworkers signed a nice card for me. when i got home from work, mike and i went to my favorite restaurant. if you know me well enough, you'll know that restaurant is p.f.changs. we had such a nice dinner and the food was amazing. then my birthday continued into the weekend when my parents came up to san clemente and we went out to dinner at salt creek grille. to further extend my birthday celebrations, i had a coffee date with aimee, brunch with julie, and dinner with sabrina in the weeks following my actual birthday.

it's going to be a good year!

grandpa norm. 1924 - 2009. r.i.p.

my grandpa norm, my dad's dad, passed away back at the beginning of september. as part of his last wishes, he didn't want us to have any sort of service for him so we had a family gathering to remember him instead.

his passing came so quickly and started with a fall down the steps in their backyard. as a result of the fall, he ran into some other complications while in the hospital--he had a heart attack which caused his heart to race and he wasn't eating too much. after a certain point, we knew there would be no recovery so the doctors had him on some medication to keep him comfortable and he died in the evening. i'm glad to know that he is no longer suffering or in pain, but it's a weird feeling to know that had he not fallen, he'd probably still be here with us.

we got the family together on the morning of october 9th and drove out to gorman (off the grapevine on i-5) which is one of the places he used to ride his motorcycle--his favorite pastime. we had some remembrances from his life and set off some balloons with messages we had all written. i've included some pictures of the day below.

i'll miss you grandpa!

surfrider foundation's 25th anniversary gala

since 1984, surfrider foundation has been working to protect the world's oceans, waves, and beaches. on october 9th, we celebrated our achievements in los angeles with a great party.

mike was able to join me which was fun bonus. due to some budget cuts, the officers are encourage to take more furlough days off. so after my grandpa's family gathering, mike and i headed to los angeles for the big event. we were staying at the omni hotel, so mike hung out at the hotel for a bit while i went to the event early to work my post. i worked the registration table selling tickets at the door and was still working by the time mike showed up. he went inside to join the party while i finished my duties.

finally around 9pm, i was ready to have some fun about the time the program for the event started. mark hoppus of blink 182 was the host and surfrider gave away the keepers of the coast award (an award given to celebrities who have helped us further our mission--this award is only given away every five years). the awards went to pearl jam, incubus, and david chokachi. i actually got to hand an award to david chokachi and brandon boyd of incubus!! then, mike and i got to enjoy the musical performance together. a group called camp freddy played which is a "super group" of sorts consisting of various people from other well-known rock bands (billy morrison, dave navarro, matt sorem, scott weiland, donovan leitch, and chris chaney). their performance was awesome and they brought up several guest performers including mark mcgrath, deryck whibley, and perry farrell! so fun.

by the time everyone was leaving the event, mike and i headed over the after party which took place at a place called the independent. it looked like an independent movie theater by day that they convert into a venue at night. we hung out for another hour or so there and after a very long day, we finally took a cab to the hotel and went to sleep.

congrats to surfrider!

...

i'll finish up these updates in another post with the following topics so stay tuned:

1. 2 year anniversary

2. scott bradley turns 50

3. family dog megin

4. halloween