Week of September 10: Another blog about Leslie and Todd

I may as well change the name of our blog to "All About Leslie and Todd". But I guess I will let them have their moment in the sun. I suppose if Andrea and I could deal with Leslie and Todd feverishly making out (for the first time) at OUR engagement party, we can deal with them having back-to-back-week honors on our blog.

Andrea and I have watch the growth of Leslie and Todd's relationship from day one... from the time they met each other on the softball field, to the aforementioned shameless make-out-poluza, to their recent engagement. Excuse me while I reach for a tissue. Andrea and I were delighted to hear the good news. We really can't think of any other couple that are so perfect for each other (besides us and of course the rest of our married friends) then Leslie for Todd and vice versa. So this week, just like Leslie did for Andrea and I when we got engaged, Andrea co-hosted with Kathi, Todd and Leslie's engagement party. Kathi and Andrea were able to reserve the Magnet Lounge in San Francisco for the party.

Andrea and Kathi did a great job putting the party together. Not only were they able to reserve a cool bar for the event, they even decorated the bar with some personal touches.


They also catered delicious fancy food from Oakville Grocery and Frito Lay.


What goes better with Craker Jacks and Cheese Puffs than a cold can of Oly? Magnet Lounge is one of the only bars in San Francisco that serves Olympia in a can. By the end of the night, I got everyone drinking Olys!


The party really got sizzling... especially these lovely ladies!

As Leslie and Todd begin a new chapter in their relationship, they have a lot to look forward to. They are truly blessed at the fact that they only have to look to Andrea and I for a roadmap to a picture perfect relationship built on unyielding respect for one another (that's my hand in the back... and yes, they are bunny ears and not devil horns). Rock on Todd and Leslie!!!

Week of September 3: Shoot First, Celebrate Later

This week we celebrated Leslie's birthday. Her fiance, Todd, who is from the wild west (Arizona), threw Leslie a surprise by celebrating her birthday with a bang. He rented three lanes at the Jackson Arms shooting range in South San Francisco.

There was a big turnout for this birthday party. Most of us work in the software industry. Shooting a gun is like clicking a mouse... except you can really hurt your finger if you click the mouse too many times.

There were a few in our group that have never shot before. Jason, who is from the UK, kept asking for a powder horn and where he was suppose to line up in the formation.

We rented a .22 revolver and a .22 semi automatic pistol to start with. Then when we were warmed up, we stepped up to a Glock 9 mm, HK USP .40, and the big boy Smith & Wesson .45. As you can tell, no one had any fun.

I discovered that Andrea was a deadly shot. She peppered the center mass of the target and made Swiss cheese with the "head shots". This was a valuable lesson for me... Keep Andrea happy!

After the excitement at the shooting range, we headed down the street to Houlihan's for a drink or two. As we celebrate the birthdays, we are quickly realizing that we are all becoming older, more responsible and of course, mature.

With Andrea's smoking gun fresh on my mind, I have successfully managed to keep Andrea happy for the night... enduring lots of abuse as you can see.

Week of August 27: Dog days of Summer

With the summer approaching it's end, the Kims have kicked it into high gear and started to make some serious progress on our summer project... the garden shed. With Kodi supervising our every move, we've made some real headway.

Last year

June 2006

Now

We still have a ways to go. We're waiting for the shed windows to arrive. We're installing three 2x1 windows above the door which allow ample light into the shed.

One good thing about home improvement project is that you get to buy some power tools. We picked up this Milwaukee circular saw. Real simple to use... just measure the cut line and have your wife cut the lumber!

We kept the two interior corner walls of the shed as it doubles as the fence. It probably would have made things easier to have torn them down as well. It was tough measuring and building the new walls to fit the old. The foundation and floor was rebuilt as well. We decided to make the door wider and taller and also install a window on the side.

This is where the old meets the new. All in all, we have somehow managed to put it all together without any major problems. Knock on wood! We should get this thing completed before first rain.

Week of August 20: The Boys of Summer

Here are the mugshots of the clowns I used to get in trouble with at school in Davis. Don't let their semi-respectable innocent looks fool you... that's how I got sucked into befriending them!

Greg (The Good...)

Ken (The Bad...)

Greg Garcia (The Ugly)

Ken Luis (The Beaver)

Steve (Pony Boy)

Tom (The Capt'n)

Although it has been over 10 years since all we graduated from UC Davis, we've managed to all live within a few hours drive of one another. Be that as it may, we still have a hard time coordinating our lives to get together on a regular basis... and it seems to be getting harder every year. Each year, we head up to Greg's cabin in South Lake Tahoe for a boys weekend. Each year, the turnout has been incomplete and somewhat unpredictable. And this year was no exception. Although we had a very good turnout, we were still missing a few members of our motley crew (namely Pender and Erik).

So what do seven college-buddies-now-all-grown-up men do when they are away from their wives and family responsibilities for a weekend? You guessed it. We spent hours having sincere heart-to-heart conversations catching up on each other's lives, took an ecological nature boat ride around the lake, had sophisticated spirits at a distinguished cocktail lounge while discussing current world affairs, and played a few hands of baccarat. Really we did... ask anyone of us! Well, at least no one was arrested.

As you can see, we're hanging out at Greg's cabin having one of our many heart-to-heart conversations. Greg's friend, Roger (with hat), who lives up in Tahoe and works for Heavenly, joined us for most of the weekend as well.

On Saturday, we took Greg's Boston Whaler out on the lake for the ecological nature boat tour. Thumbs up on mother nature!

We took a slight detour on our nature boat ride and somehow ended up at Chamber's Landing where we drank lots of Chamber's Rum Punch. It was a perfect way to enjoy a warm Sierra afternoon.

After our short two hour break at Chamber's Landing, we cruised to Emerald Bay to do some swimming and exploring. We anchored near Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe's only island. We swam ashore and hiked up the hill to the Scandinavian Tea House.

On the left, Roger is doing a 15 foot dive off a rock on Fannette Island. On the right, Greg Garcia is doing a 3 foot dive off the Boston Whaler.

What is Roger doing?
A) Pulling up the boat anchor.
B) Hauling in the crawfish.
C) Helping to tie up to the dock.
D) "Bulling Riding" the stern of the boat while Greg is "gunning it" at 30 knots across the choppy wakes.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Yes, the correct answer is D. Did I mention that Roger is Australian?

And finally, sophisticated spirits at HQ in Mont Bleu Resort. As you can see, Tom is deep in thought while contemplating Greg Garcia's theory on achieving sustainable peace in the Middle East.

This is the story of our boys weekend and we're sticking with it!