Potpourri

Happy Christmas week. I for one have the next 2 weeks off from work and after the crazy week I had last week, it is more than welcome.

Last Sunday was Siena's winter dance recital. She did wonderfully! It's amazing the change and improvement over just 6 months. She knew all of the steps by heart and has good coordination and balance now. She is so unlike her mother...

Luis took a video of the dance but he's at work at the moment and I'm not sure where he uploaded it so video is pending.

Here's Siena's fan club!
The dancing snow princess!
Immediately after Siena's recital, I hopped a plane to San Francisco for 2 days of CPE. That isn't much time to see and appreciate a city so I can't say as I did much. The Ritz Carlton minibar prices still never cease to amaze me. I don't know that I could ever bring myself to pay $5 for a Snickers bar...

I find this sign that I knew a certain someone would like. When I showed him, his response was "I'm a street!"

Yesterday I drove up to Bellevue, WA to attend my grade school friend Jill's memorial service. Sad occasion, yes, but that doesn't mean I don't notice the occasional quirky things around me.

This is my view while sipping a coffee in a Starbucks.

Yes, that is another Starbucks in the same strip mall. Only in the Seattle area.

There were a few of my childhood friends and their families at the service yesterday. It was a little strange - bittersweet I suppose. It was good to see them but not exactly a reunion-like occasion. I am glad I went though. My friends from back then make up a lot of who I am today and I very much appreciate them and the fun we had back then. It also made me realize how much I appreciate the friends and family I have today. Yup, I had a lot of driving time to ponder.