2007 Photos Banner

2007
What a year 2007 has been! Many wonderful moments and memories made. Thank you for being a part of our year and a part of our lives! We look forward to many more moments and memories in 2008 with each of you. Happy New Year!

   
December 31, 2007
New Year's Eve at Andy and Danielle's

A wonderful New Year's Eve spent with Kirk and Lindsey at Andy and Danielle's.

   
December 25-31, 2007
Christmas in Hawaii

Christmas in Hawaii.

   
December 22-25, 2007
Christmas in Huntington Beach

We spent Christmas in Huntington Beach with Roland and Daniel.  During our time there we got to see The Christmas Pagent at the Crystal Cathedral.

   
December 13, 2007
Disneyland with Keira 2007

Tara and Christian spent some time in Huntington Beach over Christmas break.  While we were there we had the wonderful opportunity of taking Keira to Disneyland.  We had a ton of fun!  It's always a joy to spend time with our niece.

   
December 13, 2007
Mil/Dil Day 2007-San Francisco, CA

Tara and Janet spend a day in San Francisco.  Christian joined them that evening for Handel's Messiah.

   
November 19-22, 2007
Thanksgiving, Quincy, IL

Thanksgiving at Tara's parents in Quincy.

   
November 15-16, 2007
Janet and Grandma Gails Birthday, San Francisco

Birthday celebration for Janet and Grandma Gail in San Francisco.

   
   
November 8-15, 2007
Oracle OpenWorld 2007, San Francisco

Another great week at Oracle OpenWorld. Lots of long hours spent working but we were rewarded with a chance to go to the OpenWorld Party and see Elton John.  It was an amazing show.

   
October 20-21, 2007
Christian's 29th Birthday,

To celebrate his special day, Janet, Gary, Kirk and Lindsey joined us in Capitola for the weekend.  We had a wonderful dinner at the Shadowbrook Restaurant, a favorite of ours. 

   
October 19, 2007
Kurt Visits

While in Iraq, Kurt communicated with students from Tara's kindergarten class and their third grade buddies.  They wrote many letters back and forth and Kurt even sent video messages to the kids.  Upon his return, those kindergartners were in first grade, the third graders now fourth graders and they all were estatic to meet him!  We were also estatic to have him home and have the opportunity to spend time together.

   
October 3-6, 2007
Kurt's Homecoming, Quincy, IL

Tara's brother, Kurt, had been serving in Baghdad, Iraq for a year and was finally home!  We were blessed to be able to be at Tara's parents house to celebrate his homecoming with family and friends. 

   
Sept 30-Oct 4, 2007
Adobe MAX 2007, Chicago
Christian goes to Chicago for Adobe MAX event.


   
September 6-13, 2007
VMware VMworld 2007, San Francisco

VMworld 2007

   
September 3, 2007
Tara's Half Marathon, Disneyland

One of Tara's lifelong goals has been to run a half marathon, maybe even more than one!  She was able to accomplish that goal thanks to sister-in-law, Kelly.  Kelly had been planning to participate in the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon but got sick the weekend of the race.  Tara was happy to fill in for her!  She got up early Monday morning and began the race with Christian's Uncle Danny and cousin Rick.  She had the best time running through Disneyland, California Disney, Anaheim and finally finishing back at the entrance to Disneyland.  She made pretty good time, finishing in just over two hours!

   
August 18-21, 2007
Skiing on The Delta in August

Once again we headed to Galt and spent some time skiing on the Delta.

   
August 8-16, 2007
Cisco Global Sales FY08, Las Vegas

After returning from Michigan and Shanghai, the two of us packed up again and headed to Las Vegas for eight days!  Christian was working at Cisco Global Sales and Tara was there to relax before school began.  The highlight of the week was the opportunity to attend the Aerosmith concert with several of Christian's co-workers.  We had the best time!!

   
July 30-Aug 3, 2007
The Farm, Calumet

Although Christian had to be in Shanghai, Tara was able to fly to Michigan to spend a week with her brothers, parents and grandparents at The Farm in Calumet.  Chad and Keira made a surprise visit which pleased us all to have them there.  It was a wonderful week!

   
July 22-29 , 2007
Oracle OpenWorld APAC, Shanghai

Christian visits Shanghai for Oracle OpenWorld event.

   
July 21-22 , 2007
Catalina Races, Long Beach

Another trip to Southern California.  This time to watch Christian's cousin's compete in the annual Long Beach to Catalina race.  We spent the morning and afternoon with the Anderson's at the Long Beach pier watching the race on the JumboTron.  We had a ton of fun playing with the little cousins, catching up with the newlyweds and celebrating Andy and Glen's accomplishments.  We were so glad that Chad and Keira were able to come spend the afternoon and evening with us as well.

   
July 14-15 , 2007
Kirk and Lindsey's Wedding, Riverside

We traveled to Southern California to celebrate the wedding of Christian's brother, Kirk, to Lindsey Johnston.  It was a beautiful weekend filled with family, friends, food and fun.  They were married in a quaint chapel at The Mission Inn.  The bride was stunning and the groom, completely smitten.  Congratulations Kirk and Lindsey!!  We love you!

   
July 7, 2007
Water Skiing on the Delta
Christian and Tara headed to Galt to spend a weekend with Gary and Janet.  We took advantage of the beautiful weather by taking the boat out on the Delta and spent one afternoon skiing!
   
June 20-25, 2007
Kauai Vacation- Summer 2007

The perfect kick-off to summer vacation!  We spent a week at the Marriott Resort in Kauai.  It was a beautiful, relaxing setting and we enjoyed every minute of it!  Surprisingly, Tara took the opportunity to brave SCUBA diving for the first time.  She took a four hour lesson in the hotel pool, then headed out the next day with Christian and the instructor.  It was quite the experience and although she's glad she tried it, she's not sure when she would ever do it again! 

   
May 19, 2007
Annual Woodside Auction 2007

The theme was to choose your favorite decade.  We were never able to fully appreciate the Disco Era but we love the clothes and the music!  We had a very fun night with staff and parents from Woodside Elementary.  Tara was offered $200 for the boots...but she still has them.

   
May 5-8, 2007
Tara's 28th Birthday at Disneyland

After having taken Keira to Disneyland numerous times, Tara decided it would be the ideal place to celebrate her 28th birthday.  Chad, Kelly and Keira joined us for the day as did Kirk, Lindsey, Roland, Daniel and even Janet who was there for a Dental Convention.  What a fun memory!

   
April 14, 2007
Christian's 10 Year High School Reunion
Hard to believe it's been 10 years already since the good ol' days of high school!  Christian was happy to be able to attend and reunite with classmates at his 10 year high school reunion at Lodi Academy.  We spent the afternoon at the academy then joined his classmates that evening for dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Stockton.
   
April 8-10, 2007
Weekend in Huntington Beach

We flew down to Southern California to spend time with Christian's dad, Roland who had recently returned from Africa.  We were able to spend time with the Anderson's as well as Chad and Keira, Tara's brother and niece. 

   
March 30-April 6, 2007
Cisco Partner Summit, Las Vegas

Christian worked the Cisco Partner Summit event in Las Vegas.  Tara flew down for the weekend to enjoy the hotel and visit with Kirk and Lindsey who drove over from Loma Linda. 

  Keira's First Birthday
February 22, 2007

Tara had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Southern California celebrating niece, Keira's, first birthday!  She was very excited to be there on the actual day and be able to take her out and show her a good time.  Where else would you take a one-year-old than....Rodeo Drive, baby!  They were joined by Daniel and all three had a wonderful time without doing too much damage.

   
February 14-16, 2007
Valentines Day and Brandon's Visit

Christian got Tara a Nintendo Wii for Valentine's Day this year.  We thought it would be fun to have our niece, Brandon, break it in with us.  She came over and had a sleepover at our place in Redwood City.

   
Jan 25-30, 2007
Citrix Summit 2007, Orlando

Christian flew to Orlando for a week to work at the Citrix event.

   
2006
What a year 2006 has been! Many wonderful moments and memories made. Thank you for being a part of our year and a part of our lives! We look forward to many more moments and memories in 2007 with each of you. Happy New Year!
   
   
December 26-30, 2006
Christmas and New Years in Galt

Christmas in Galt and a wonderful time skiing at Kirkwood. Also a big announcement by Kirk and Lindsey.  They are engaged.

   
December 21-26, 2006
Christmas in Quincy, IL

A wonderful Christmas in with Tara's family in Quincy, IL.

   
December 17, 2006
The Nutcracker Ballet, San Francisco with Dad and Daniel

Roland and Daniel came to Redwood City to spend early Christmas with us.  We went to Nutcracker Ballet in the city courtesy of a white limo.

   
November 22-26, 2006
Thanksgiving at Zac and Bonnie's

Thanksgiving was spent at Zac and Bonnie's.  We also visited Chad, Kelly and Kiera.

   
November 3-11, 2006
VMware VMworld 2006, Los Angeles and Carley's Baptism

Many long nights at the Los Angeles Convention Center running network cable and setting up registration for the VMware VMworld 2006 event.  Christian stayed at the Wilshire Grand Hotel.  Tara drove down to visit the last few days. Kirk and Lindsey came over for a night to visit as well.  After the event was over we went to see Carley's baptism in Loma Linda.

   
October 18-27, 2006
Oracle OpenWorld 2006, San Francisco

Oracle OpenWorld was another big event this year with a concert by Elton John and Joan Jett.  We stayed at the Hotel Nikko near Union Square.  The last night of the event we took Gary, Janet and Grandma Gail to see Chicago with Huey Lewis.

   
October 13, 2006
Christian's 28th Birthday

Christian celebrates his 28th birthday in Burlingame at one of his favorite Italian restaurants.

   
October 7, 2006
Fleet Week, San Francisco

Janet and Gary came to visit us for a beautiful day in San Francisco to watch the Blue Angels for the annual Fleet Week.

   
Sep 29 - Oct 5, 2006
Intercontinental Hotel Group, Toronto

The IHG event in Toronto was more like a vacation for Christian than work.  Christian and Tara flew out together a day early so they could enjoy some of the sites in Toronto.  They stayed in the beautiful Fairmont Royal York Hotel and visited a few sites.  Tara ran a race one morning while Christian was working.  The last night of the event Christian went to see the season opener for ther Toronto Maple Leafs.

   
Sept 22-24, 2006
Intel Developer Forum Fall, San Francisco

Christian works IDF Fall event at Moscone Center.  Tara comes too and enjoy's a few days in San Franciso at the Grand Hyatt Union Square.

   
September 10-14, 2006
Sun Network Computing 06, New York

Christian in New York on Sept 11, 2006 for the Sun Network Computing event.  On September 11 Christian went to visit Ground Zero for the 5 year anniversary of the Terrorist Attacks.  It was an amazing site to see.  Tara wasn't able to fly out this trip.  Christian stayed at The Roosevelt Hotel.

   
September 5-8, 2006
Sun Tech Days, Seattle

Christian goes to Seattle for Sun Tech Days event.  The Inn at Queen Anne was a very interesting hotel to say the least.

   
August 26, 2006
Boating on the Delta

A day of skiing and boating out on the Delta.

   
August 12-19, 2006
Cisco Global Sales, Las Vegas

Cisco Global Sales was another huge event this year in Las Vegas. Tara visited for several days and was able to enjoy the room at THEhotel.  Bill Clinton spoke as well as Lance Armstrong.

   
August 2-3, 2006 Our Three Year Anniversary, Capitola

To celebrate our three-year anniversary, Christian kidnapped me and took me to the coast to the little town of Capitola. Capitola is a favorite beach down of ours that Christian has been visiting since he was very young. We stayed in a quaint little hotel that was right on the beach. For dinner, Christian made reservations at Shadowbrook, a wonderful restaurant near-by. We had a very tasty dinner and enjoyed an evening stroll around town before heading back to the hotel.

   
July 23-24, 2006 Danny and Diane's, Lake Tulloch

This summer we took a trip up to Lake Tulloch, near Sonora, to visit Uncle Danny, Aunt Diane and cousins Erik and Heather. We spent a fun couple of days out on the boat. During this time both of us learned how to surf behind a boat which helped a great deal in teaching Tara how to wakeboard! Heather was the perfect instructor when it came to wakeboarding. She’s a pro!

   
July 13-15, 2006 Weekend with Keira, Huntington Beach

Our weekend with Keira was truly that. It was Chad and Kelly’s one year anniversary weekend, so Christian and I volunteered go take care of Keira while they had some time to themselves to celebrate. We spent as much time with her as we could for the couple days we were in Southern California. Keira also came with us to the Anderson Family picnic and got to meet lots of Anderson relatives!

   
July 2-7, 2006 4th of July, Quincy, IL

For the 4th of July I was able to be fly home to be with my family as we bid farewell to my brother, Kurt, who was heading to Iraq. It was a bittersweet time for all of us. Grandpa Russell and Granny Ann came as well as Uncle Randy and Aunt Linda. Kurt will be home for two weeks during Christmas, which we all are looking forward to!

   
June 26-June 30, 2006 Houseboat trip on the Delta

After the wedding weekend the fun continued when we loaded up the houseboat and headed out on the Delta. We were a group of six with Gary, Janet, Kirk, Brandon (Abby’s daughter), Tara and me. It was a relaxing and memorable time for all of us. We’re looking forward to doing it again next summer!

   
June 24-25, 2006 Brandi and Michael's Wedding, Fresno

On June 25th I had the pleasure of being a bridesmaid in my friend Brandi’s wedding to Michael Aiken. The wedding took place in Fresno, which gave me and another friend, Andrea, the chance to have a road trip together. It was a beautiful wedding and lots of fun!

   
June 15-23, 2006 Oracle Sales Conference, Las Vegas

Just as I finished with school for the year we headed off to the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for eight days for a conference Christian had. Roland, Daniel and Kirk came to visit for a few days over the weekend; which was very enjoyable for me to have some company. Christian stayed busy during the day, but was able to join us for dinner a couple nights. It was a wonderful way to bring on the summer!

   
May 21, 2006 Moving Day, Baldwin to Hudson

Yes, once again we packed our belongings and moved this time to a different city and zip code. We are now living in Redwood City, less than 10 minutes from work for both of us. It is a smaller but cozy apartment right across from a nice park and YMCA where we are now members. We are getting more and more settled, trying to make it as “homey” as possible.

   
April 23, 2006 Woodside Art Show

Every year for one weekend a Woodside estate is opened to the public to view local artists work as well as the collection of the owners. We were joined by Janet and Gary and had a lovely picnic in the parking lot of a local college before heading over for the afternoon.

   
April 8-16, 2006

Russell Family Reunion, Huntington Beach

The much-anticipated week of spring break brought mom and dad Russell along with Kurt and Bret out to southern California. We were blessed to be able to stay at Roland and Daniel’s house for the week as they were in Europe. This week was our opportunity to meet the newest addition to the Russell family, Keira Aisling. She is beautiful and we spent the whole week soaking up every minute we could with her. It was a wonderful time to be together as a family!

   
April 1-2, 2006 Commitment Celebration, San Francisco

In April we joined in celebrating Roland and Daniel’s commitment ceremony held in San Francisco. We spent a beautiful weekend in the city with family.

   
March 19, 2006 Skiing at Kirkwood

This turned out to be our last ski trip of the season. We were lucky to be joined by Kirk and Lindsey, and at the last moment Janet decided to come too! Tara was far more confident and continued to be even after she took a bad spill! It was a beautiful day in Kirkwood!

   
March 5-7, 2006 Intel Developer Forum, San Francisco

We stayed at the Hyatt at Union Square for this show. Lucky for both of us that the show was in San Francisco so that Tara could stay there and commute to school each day. While we were there we had a fun visit from Janet and Auntie Pam.

   
February 25-March 2, 2006 Texas Instruments Developer Conf., Dallas

Unfortunately, Christian had to leave right after the surgery took place. He headed to Dallas for the Texas Instruments Developer Conference. Although a little nervous, I made it through his absence, and I was incredibly grateful to have him home again!

   
February 24, 2006 Tara's Lasik Surgery

At the end of February Tara’s much anticipated LASIK surgery took place. All went well and she is very excited about her “new” eyes.

   
February 11-12, 2006 Aunt Shirley and Ted Utt Wedding

In February we were so happy to attend the wedding of Tara’s Aunt Shirley to Ted Utt. The wedding took place in the chapel at PUC and was attended by many friends and family members. It was a beautiful wedding and a fun time to catch up with everyone.

   
January 29-Feb. 1, 2006 Sun SAS 2006, San Francisco

While Christian was busy at work, I got to enjoy the hotel room at the St. Regis in San Francisco. It was is in a great location, close to Moscone center (which is where Christian spent most of his time) as well as Union Square and Embaradero.

   
2005
   
Dec 26 - 28, 2005 Paris with Kirk and Lindsey

The day after Christmas we took a train to Paris with Kirk and Lindsey. It was a whirlwind two days but we had a wonderful time! We visited as many tourist sites as we could, ate as many crepes as our bodies could handle and the best part was that it SNOWED! It didn't just snow, we were right in the middle of a blizzard! It was so magical! It ended too quickly but the memories will last forever...

   
Dec 16 - 26, 2005 Christmas 2005, Switzerland

After a year of planning the day finally came when we, along with Roland, Daniel, Kirk, Lindsey, Jerry and Auntie Carol arrived in Switzerland. We spent a week in the mountain village of Champoussin and two days in Geneva. Champoussin was a very quaint place high up in the Alps. We spent the week snowshoeing, skiing down the mountains and eating...ALOT! We spent Christmas in Geneva and were able to attend a Christmas Eve service at the old cathedral, St. Pierre. It was a beautiful service and a perfect way to welcome Christmas. Auntie Carol hosted us in her hotel room for our Christmas party which was quite a treat! The next day we parted ways with Roland, Daniel, Auntie Carol and Jerry heading to Florence and we along with Kirk and Lindsey heading to Paris.

   
Dec 8 - 16, 2005 Cisco Networkers 2005, Cannes

December was a busy month. The week of Dec 8 - 16 I was in Cannes, France working at the Palais des Festivals et des Congres. This is the same place that the Cannes Film Festival takes place. I was very lucky this trip as my mom was able to come along. We didn't get too much time together but she had a wonderful time seeing Cannes.

   
Dec 3 - 7, 2005 Sun Tech Days, Toronto

I spent December 3 - 7 in Toronto working on the Tech Days event for Sun Microsystems. It was a very busy week as I was the only tech onsite from our company. I setup the network for registration, exhibitor floor, our show office, the Sun show office, as well as general session and breakout session rooms. It was a busy few days and not much sleep. I flew back Dec 7 to see Tara for a couple hours before I flew out on the 8th to Cannes for the Cisco Networkers event.

  • Toronto Photos - Coming Soon
   
Nov 23 - 27, 2005 Thanksgiving 2005, Quincy, IL

For Thanksgiving we headed to Quincy, IL being that we would be traveling over Christmas. We were thankful for the time we had to see Tara's parents, Kurt and Bret. On Thanksgiving day we were joined by dear friends of Gary and Diane's, Reggie and Amparo. Grandma Amparo, Nineta and her husband also joined us. It was a wonderful feast and always wonderful to be home with friends and family.

   
Oct 31, 2005 Halloween, San Mateo

We don't normally get dressed up but we were invited to a Halloween party at a co-worker of Tara's. We look a little spooooooky!.

   
Oct 12 - 20, 2005 Siebel CustomerWorld 2005, Boston

In October, Christian traveled to Boston for the Siebel CustomerWorld event. He was gone for 10 days but did manage to make it home in time to celebrate his birthday on the 20th.

   
Sep 17 - 20, 2005 Intercontinental Hotel Group, Las Vegas

Just a week after we went to New York, Tara and I flew to Las Vegas. We met up with my mom and Gary who had also flown in. We spent a long weekend at the Mandalay Bay with Tara and my mom soaking up the sun by the pool during the day and the four of us meeting up in the evening after work was done. We highly recommend the dualing pianos at the New York New York!

   
Sep 9 - 13, 2005 Sun Network Computing 05Q3, New York

In September I was scheduled to be in New York. Luckily Tara was able to take a couple days off work and come with me. Although I was there for work, we did manage to squeeze in some time to take in the sights of the city. We took the ferry out to Ellis Island, walked to ground zero, to the top of the Empire State Building and stood in the middle of Time Square. We stayed at the Millennium Broadway Hotel which was right in time Square. Being that it was Tara's first time there she did a pretty good job of packing her days with lots of sight seeing. On September 11, she and her friend Michele spent the day together beginning and ending it at Ground Zero.Truly memorable trip.

   

   
Aug 15 - Sep 1, 2005 Cisco Global Sale FY06, San Francisco

In August for the third year in a row Tara and I camped out at the Palomar Hotel while I had to be onsite in San Francisco. During the last week we were there we had the opportunity to go to a Giants game. No star sightings this time, but we had a lot of fun and the Giants won!

   
August 7, 2005 Zac and Bonnie's Wedding

We were all very excited to travel to Camarillo for the wedding of Christian's cousin, Zac to Bonnie Nelson. They were married on August 7 at Camarillo Seventh Day Adventist Church. A lovely reception was held at the church and a dinner at the Sterling Hills Country Club. It was a beautiful day and an added bonus to watch these two become husband and wife. Congratulations Zac and Bonnie!

   
Jul 27 - Aug 2, 2005 Two Year Anniversary - Kihei, Maui

To celebrate our two year anniversary we headed to Kihei, Maui for a little fun in the sun. The weather was perfect and we were able to see and do quite a bit! We stayed at the Maui Vista Resort in Kihei right across from Kamaole Beach III. During our time we surfed, snorkeled, layed in the sun, played in the water and went to a Hawaiian luau. Christian got 2 dives in, Molokini Crater and Turtle Town. Tara came out on the boat and snorkeled. We saw lots of fish, a few turtles, and even a small reef shark. Christian tried to get up close and personal with a black viper moray eel, but luckily was held back by the guide who later explained that these are very dangerous and actually attack unprovoked. One of the biggest highlights was seeing dolphins about 100 feet off shore during our lunch on Sabbath. It all happened way to fast, and we are very anxious to return!

   
July 9 - 15, 2005 BMC Remedy User Group 2005, San Jose

Stayed in San Jose and the San Jose Marriott Hotel.

   
June 11 - 17, 2005 Oracle NAS FY06, Las Vegas

Stayed at the MGM Grand Hotel. Tara flew down for the weekend and we went out to the Dueling Piano Bar inside New York, New York.

   
June 1 - 5 , 2005 Bret's Graduation and Grandpa Rendel's 80th - Quincy, IL

In early June we traveled to Quincy to celebrate Bret's graduation and Grandpa Rendel's 80th birthday. It was so wonderful to see so many friends and family members gathered to celebrate these two milestones. Bret is now a Freshman at Andrews University and Grandpa continues to be very active tromping around the farm in Northern Michigan.

   
May 15, 2005 Bay to Breakers 2005, San Francisco

Every year in May San Francisco hosts the world renowned Bay to Breakers. It's a huge 7.5 mile run packed with people and bands and celebrating! Last year Tara ran it with her friend Andrea and they enjoyed it so much that they decided to run again and talked me in to it as well. It is quite the experience and well worth it!

   
May 1 - 4 , 2005 Sun Network Computing 05Q2 - Washington DC

In early May I was sent to Washington D.C. once again. Unfortunately, Tara was unable to go with me this time. Thankfully it was a short trip. I stayed at the Metro Marriott Hotel just blocks away from the White House.

   
April 15 - 20, 2005 Barcelona, Siebel User Week 2005

Here are some photos from my trip to Barcelona working at an event for Siebel. There were about 1700 attendees and I was Onsite DB Admin and also a zone leader for session scanning. Event went very well. I was only onsite for 3 full days so it was a quick trip. As always it was very fun seeing the London office crew and working with them.

 

   
March 30 - April 4, 2005 Grandpa and Grandma Rendel's Farm - April 2005

We were so lucky this year to be able to visit "The Farm" in the U.P. Michigan. It was quite a treat to be there during the winter season and enjoy some of the snow. We loved watching the deer come up to the house every evening to collect their meal that Grandpa would put out for them. It was a wonderful trip and we're hoping to do it again soon!

 

   
Feb 21 - 26, 2005 Oahu, Hawaii - February 2005

The day after moving into our new apartment we forgot about the boxes and headed to the island of Oahu. We were lucky to be able to enjoy our week of vacation with my mom and Gary. We spent most of our time by the pool or walking around all the little shops in Waikiki. I was fortunate to be able to scuba dive and finish up my certification. We took a day and toured Pearl Harbor which is a place Tara had always wanted to visit. It was a great trip and we're hoping to go back the same time next year!

 

   
Feb 20, 2005 Condo Move Out

In January we put our condo up for sale and were shocked when it sold in three days! The new buyers were relocating from the East Coast and it worked out so that we could stay until the end of February. We loaded up a truck and drove 12 blocks north and unloaded into our new home. We now live on the third floor at Hillsborough Plaza. It's in a great location right in downtown, close to everything. We love it and especially enjoy the balcony where we can sit and watch the planes on their final approach into San Francisco International.Our new address is: 250 Baldwin Avenue #318, San Mateo, CA 94401

 

   
Feb 13 - 17, 2005 San Francisco for Sun ERC Conference

 

   
Jan 28-30, 2005 Skiing in Lake Tahoe

In January we were excited to spend a weekend at Lake Tahoe with Uncle Danny. My dad and Daniel and Heather joined us and we spent two days enjoying the views from the tops of the mountains. It was Tara's first time downhill skiing but she was trooper and did very well.

   
   
2004
   
Dec 27, 2004 Christmas 2004, San Mateo and Lodi

 

   
Dec 21-26, 2004 Christmas 2004 at Tara's Parents, Illinois

We headed to Illinois for Christmas this year hoping for some snow. There wasn't any while we were there, but it sure got cold! We had a wonderful time with Tara's family and the friends from Quincy church that joined us for our Christmas Day celebration.

 

   
Dec 9 - 17, 2004 Cannes, France - Cisco Networkers 2004

One of the London office's biggest shows every year is Cisco Networkers. I was asked to work at the show and manage the lead retrieval and be the backup onsite database administrator. The event took place in Cannes, France and the Palais de Festivals which is the same convention center that the Cannes Film Festival is at. There were many long hours but I enjoyed working at the show. Sadly it was Tara's last week teaching before the Christmas break so she was unable to come over. Next year we're hoping she can come too.

 

   
Dec 5, 2004 Picking Out and Setting Up Christmas Tree

 

   
Nov 11 - 15, 2004 Chad and Kelly's, Mom's Birthday at Mike and Susie's, San Jose

We drove down on Thursday to Chad and Kelly's to have an early Thanksgiving dinner with them. We spent the night at their place then went to Mike and Susie's in Camarillo to celebrate my mom's and grandma's birthday. Saturday we had wonderful lunch with everyone. Chad and Kelly even drove over for the afternoon. Sunday night I had to setup for a 1 day Sun Network Computing event in San Jose at the Tech Museum. Tara and I stayed at the Marriott there in downtown San Jose.

   
Oct 20, 2004 Christian's 26th Birthday

Christian's Birthday

   
Oct 5 - 15, 2004 Bangalore, India - Intel Developer Forum

Here's some photos of my trip to India. Still traveling and I will try to update every day with new photos.

   
Sep 23 - Oct 5, 2004 Condo - Guest Bedroom Work, Bathroom Work

Here are some photos of our work in the Guest Bedroom. Now that the 2 bedrooms are looking good, we get to start on the bathroom.

   
Sep 9 - 17, 2004 Novell BrainShare 2004, Barcelona

Novell BrainShare was held in Barcelona.

   
Sep 2 - 9, 2004 Oracle OpenWorld 2004, London

Just as Tara was beginning school, I was scheduled to work back to back shows, first in London then on to Barcelona. My dad and Daniel were able to go with me, but it was still way too long to be away from home.

   
Sep 2 - 9, 2004 Rendel Reunion, Michigan

On Labor Day weekend Tara was able to fly to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to be at a family reunion. It was so fun to see Grandpa and Grandma Rendel, mom and dad, and all three of her brothers (two of them even brought their girlfriends!). They enjoyed hiking around the farm, going to the Porcupine Mountains, and visiting Calumet and Copper Harbor. An enjoyable time for all!

   
Aug 16 - 30, 2004 Cisco Global Sales Conference - FY05

Cisco Global Sales Conference was held at Moscone Center this year. I stayed and the Palomar Hotel on 6th and market. Tara came with me to the attendee party at SBC Park. There was a Cisco Idol concert that was great. There are several videos of the singers that participated. All food and drinks were free and the entire park was open for us to roam around and play games. Very fun.

   
Aug 18, 2004 S.F. Giants Game

Tara and I stayed in SF while I was working the Cisco Global Sales FY05 conference at Moscone Center. On Tuesday night one of the hotels gave our company 4 tickets to the Giants game. Great seats, row 6 right behind 1st base. Then about 30 minutes into the game, Owen Wilson came and sat in the 1st row, directly in front of us. Tara went down to get a picture with him. A few minutes after that, Owen's brother Luke showed up too.

   
  Tara's Kindergarten Classroom

Tara took some photos of her kindergarten classroom to show me what she's been working on. She's not done yet but here are some of the photos.

   
Aug 29, 2004 One Year Anniversary Breakfast at Grand Island Mansion

For our one year anniversary we had the privilege of returning to the Grand Island Mansion for a complimentary breakfast. It was so much fun to make the drive back. We both laughed at how we had butterflies in our stomachers even a year later and really enjoyed the time we spent remembering our special day.

   
Jul - Aug, 2004 Condo Photos

Here are some photos of our new condo. These are photos before we moved in.

Here are some photos of the work we have been doing on the master bedroom. Took us a week to finish. Now we are going to start on the guest bedroom.

   
Jul 24 - 30, 2004 Washington D.C. - Remedy User Group Conference

At the end of July I had to work a conference in Washington D.C. at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel the week before we were scheduled to move. Originally, Tara was planning to fly out the day my conference was over so we could travel the D.C. area and then go to New York for a few days to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. This all was cancelled because we were to move into our condo that same week. Instead Tara flew the same day I left and spent 3 days in D.C.. I didn't get to see her much except in the evenings but at least she had a chance to see Washington D.C. Her cousin, Devin, lives close by with girlfriend Raven and the three of them had a great time catching up and touring the city. Here are some of her pictures.

 

   
Jul 17 - 18, 2004 Anderson Reunion, Breakfast with Chad and Kelly

In the middle of July, we once again headed down to Southern California. We spent some time at Kirk's apartment in Loma Linda and got to visit Auntie Pam and see the tigers. On Saturday we headed to a park where we met up with the rest of the Anderson family for a reunion. It was a very fun day seeing those we hadn't seen for many months and meeting the newest Anderson, Jillian Claire. The next day we were lucky to squeeze in brunch with Chad and Kelly and happy that Wesley and his girlfriend Nicole were able to join us as well.

 

   
Jul 2 - 5, 2004 4th Of July at Mike & Susie's

What a great 4th of July. It was so fun having all of us together. Mike and Susie's house is gorgeous.

 

   
Jun 12 - 13, 2004 Kirk's PUC Graduation June 11-13, 2004

It was with great pride that we headed up to PUC on June 11 to celebrate Kirk's graduation from PUC. Celebrations began with Friday evening Consecration, continued with Sabbath morning Baccalaureate, and ended with Sundays Graduation ceremonies. It was a fun filled weekend with lots of family and friends. Kirk is now at Loma Linda Medical School.

 

   
May 29 - 31, 2004 Tahoe Trip

It was Memorial Day weekend when we headed up to Tahoe with my dad and Daniel. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in South Lake. We had perfect weather the whole weekend and spent a lot of time outside walking around as well as taking a bike ride. Tara really enjoys the swing band "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy" and lucky for us, they were playing that weekend. She was so excited to see the show and even got to meet and take pictures with them after the show.

 

   
Apr 15 - 22, 2004 Intel Developer Forum, Barcelona
Barcellona, Spain, Catalonia Barcelona Plaza, Intel Developer Forum EMEA - April 15 - 22, 2004

 

   
Apr 2 - 11, 2004 Trip to London/Scotland with Andy and Danielle to Visit Kirk

In April, Tara and I took a trip to London and met up with my cousins and brother, Kirk, who was studying there. We stayed the week in a great 3 bedroom 2 bath flat which we shared with Andy, Danielle, Jake, and Ally. We spent our time sightseeing and reminiscing of the time when Andy, Danielle, and I were studying there as well. On the 8th of April, Tara and I took the train up to Edinburgh, Scotland and spent the rest our time there in another spacious flat. We met up with Kirk, almost by chance, as he was there with a group from his school. While in Scotland we were able to do alot of sightseeing, went to a musical, and really enjoyed the beauty that Scotland had to offer. One of the best parts was being able to celebrate the Easter holiday with the people of Edinburgh. They really go all out!