Christmas 2007

This year for Christmas Aaron and I split our time between Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles. We flew up to Portland Thursday evening on a super small plane (I don't think we'll be booking Delta again anytime soon!) and Aaron said that the whole ride was pretty bumpy - though I wouldn't know it since I was asleep just a few minutes into the flight. I am so thankful for that talent!

After an afternoon of hauling dry-wall into my brother's basement, Aaron and I babysat our nephew Carson Friday night. Overnight! Saturday we headed back to my mom's for some chili and cookie decorating. This year we were a little competitive with who could decorate the best one. Sunday morning, Nate's fiance Amanda picked up my mom and me so us girls could head to Amanda's grandmother's home for a bridal brunch while the boys started hanging the dry-wall. Monday was pretty quiet, so Aaron and I braved the crowds for a some shopping. We were pretty surprised to see the stores as empty as they were - everyone else must have been waiting for the after Christmas sales.

And now finally, it was Christmas Eve! We went to church and were all pretty surprised that the 5:00 family service was finished by 5:30. I'm pretty sure we spent more time driving there and home, than actually in the church. My mom prepared a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner and then we exchanged gifts and watched little Carson play with his toys. Aaron and I flew back to LA on Christmas day in time to have dinner with his family. Aunt Linda hosted the group for an evening of food, family, and presents.

Extending the holiday for another few days... my dad, Julie, and Jenn came over to exchange gifts before going to visit my Grandma for a Christmas lunch.

All said and done, this was another good Christmas - we got to celebrate with so many people!

Some photos:

Julie and Carson watching Aaron count to 5 (borrowed from Amy's blog).

How handsome is this Jewish man standing next to the Christmas tree?!

Me and Grandma Fritzi

More photos from Christmas at Aunt Linda's are here.

My dad, Julie, and Jenn's visit.

More photos of celebrating with my dad, Julie and Jenn are here.

So long, farewell

This weekend we hosted a bon voyage party for our friend Alanna who is moving to Australia. We had about 75 of her closest friends over for a house party - tented the backyard and everything. Special thanks to Aaron's parents for letting us borrow several of their party supplies. It's amazing to think that in just a short time she will be living on the other side of the world!

Click here to see some photos from the party on Alanna's blog.

Babies, dreidels, and cookies

This past weekend Aaron and I had a *lot* going on. Friday night we played on our co-ed volleyball team - doing pretty well for a nice change of pace. Saturday we went to our friend's co-ed baby shower. This was only Aaron's second baby shower ever and I think he had a pretty good time. On our way home we stopped to pick up my good friend Alanna and most of her things. She is staying with us for her final week in Los Angeles before moving to Australia. But we just had time to drop things off at the house and quickly dash down to Aaron's parents for a rowdy Hannukah celebration. It was a full house with all three of Grandma Fritzi's children there (plus most of their families, of course). A couple of bonus people were Grandpa Shel, Alanna, and Uncle Robbie's newly 'adopted' daughter and grand-daughter. We played bingo for prizes just like year's past, ate way too much food like always, and really just enjoyed each others company.

Sunday Alanna and I spent a chunk of the morning shuttling back and forth between my place and hers to gather the rest of her things. Then while Aaron was still out playing basketball with his friends we cooked some soup and prepped for Kelley, Zach, and Rosemary to come over. We had our annual cookie decorating tradition, ate dinner, played Taboo and toasted Kelley and Zach's 6 month-iversary.

**Finally, some photos!**

From the shower:

Jonathan & Karen - the soon-to-be-parents

Me with Austin Chang. He's anxious to meet baby Fu, too!

Karen, Aaron, and Darren. Get it - it all rhymes. :)

Click here for more photos from the shower.

From Hanukkah:
Having a good time!

Cousin Wendy, Alanna, and me waiting for the next Bingo call.

Grandpa Shel calling Bingo with Auntie Sandye.

Click here for more photos from Hanukkah.

Thanksgiving

So much has been going on in the Schneider household since I last posted. Aaron and I spent Thanksgiving day at three different Aunties households. Appetizers at Aunt Kath's, dinner at Auntie Linda's, and a visit with Auntie Sandye after we were stuffed full. The main event for the weekend though was a visit from my brother's family... Jason, Amy, and Carson arrived Friday morning and stayed through Tuesday.

Immediately after picking them up from the airport we went to Fullerton for a 'Friday Feast' with my mom, Dave, and Aaron's parents. Saturday the boys went to the UCLA v. Oregon football game while my mom and I took Amy and Carson to their first visit at the La Brea Tar Pits. Sunday we 'hiked' on the Getty View Fire Road trail. It was an easy access hike so that Carson could join us in the stroller. He slept most of the way, if I remember correctly.

Monday we relaxed some more at home (I worked a half day in my PJs) and that evening Jason and Amy went out on date night while Aaron and I babysat little Carson. He's such a good kid - it was sooooooo easy! We played with blocks, read some books, and put him down for bed.

Tuesday we met Aaron near his office for lunch and then I rushed the Oregonians back to LAX. It was really nice to have them here - and we'll get to see everyone again at Christmas in just a few weeks!

Since Thanksgiving, it's been pretty much back to the usual for Aaron and I. Though this past weekend we had a little bit of a strange rec sports weekend. Thursday's kickball game was moved to 9:00, but no one told us so our whole team arrived at 8:00. Friday we were literally just out of our garage to go to volleyball when we got a call from a team member telling us that it had been cancelled. Again - no one told us! And then Sunday morning we were both up and out of the house early to get to Aaron's basketball game only to realize that it too had been cancelled. This time Aaron recalled (a little too late) that he had actually gotten an email about it. But weeks get busy and sometimes these details get lost. :)

(something is up with our memory card, so I'll have to post photos later)

Two weekends at home

Aaron and I have spent the last two weekends at home in Los Angeles... but did we rest? Not quite. Last weekend were up early to get to the Rose Bowl stadium in time to tailgate and then cheer on the UCLA football team. That evening we rallied to head out to a favorite local bar, The Arsenal, to celebrate our friend Vince's thirtieth birthday. Sunday morning I took a bike ride with Alanna while Aaron played in his basketball league. We then headed down to Orange County and kicked off the holiday season with Kelley, Zach and Rosemary by ice skating at the Irvine Spectrum. I have to brag just a little that I was a bit more of a natural than Aaron.

This weekend we watched the LA Lakers beat the Pistons (thank you to Aaron's grandfather for the tickets!). We boogied out of downtown to get to Hollywood in time to watch our friend Minh's band's show. It was a pretty big deal since they were in town from Austin, Texas. Finally we had a chance to sleep in on Saturday morning - felt like the first time in months. That afternoon we went to a couple of house parties/BBQ's in the South Bay. Having made a stop at Lowes yesterday for some supplies, Aaron and I were able to work some more on our backyard this afternoon. Just as the sun went down it was time for me to head out for my book club. This time we read In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson to commemorate that one of our members is leaving to live in Australia.

Weekend in the Bay Area

This past weekend Aaron and I were in the San Francisco bay area visiting a couple of good friends. We started our visit with two nights with Rafunzel and Lisa in the city. They have an awesome place right in the heart of things and we spent most of our time together walking around the city shopping, eating and laughing.

Lunch was a 'must' at Hooters near Fisherman's Wharf. Yes, we passed up the traditional clam chowder in a bread bowl, but it was in an effort to take a small trip down memory lane. In Aaron's first glimpse of me on my Friendster.com profile (it's a pre-MySpace social networking site) I was eating a chicken wing at Hooters with Funzel. We figured that it was about time for us to all officially commemorate the role that Hooters has in our relationship. Now we don't ever actually have to go there again. :)

Saturday morning we headed down the peninsula to attend a friend's father's memorial and then to see Aaron's best man Jason, his wife Andrea, and their son Eric. Saturday evening we checked out Main Street in Los Gatos with a very important stop at the local candy store. Sunday morning after grabbing bagels we all went to the San Jose Tech Museum. Aaron and Jason may have had even more fun playin with all of the gadgets and displays than little Eric!

Two long weekends away in a row (whew) is exhausting, but very much worth it.

Aloha!

Aaron and I just returned to Los Angeles after a long weekend in Hawaii. Some friends were getting married in their home town Honolulu, so of course we were excited when we got the invitation to help them celebrate! We arrived on Thursday afternoon and spent some time walking the beaches and window shopping in Waikiki. Friday we hiked up Diamondhead and enjoyed some Hawaiian Shaved Ice once we made it back to sea level. The wedding was Saturday morning and later that evening a huge group went to a club to continue the party. Sunday was a water day - we went boogie boarding in the morning and then spent the afternoon snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. I was surprised by how *huge* the fish were and very tame. They barely swam away when we approached them for a closer look! We spent our last evening on the island with our friends Karen and Jonathan driving through the countryside to check out Northshore. It was a nice extended weekend away!

Aunt Sue in Santa Monica

This weekend my Aunt Sue came to visit from Colorado. Technically she came to see my mom who lives part time in southland, but this exemplifies another bonus to having my mom here: Aaron and I reap the benefits of visitors coming through town. Aaron finished watching the UCLA football team beat Cal - Go Bruins! - and then we headed out for some Santa Monica culture in the form of a walk along the cliffs and the homeless, then back through the shopping and the street performers on the Third Street Promenade. The weather was perfect and we covered a little more than 2 1/2 miles. Worked up an appetite for dinner at Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese BBQ favorite where you cook your own food at your table. We introduced the 'older generation' with us to Pinkberry for dessert and then headed back to our place so my mom could open her birthday present from us (a couple of Newberry Award winning books to add to her collection).

All work and no play.... makes for a boring blog!

So, it's been a little while since I've blogged. I have been sooooooo busy with work that I haven't really wanted to sit at the computer for any longer than I already have on any given day. I have been to Miami and Phoenix (both for work) since I last wrote. Sadly, I don't have a hot Miami night life story to write since I spent my entire time there busy at a conference. And well, Phoenix... is Phoenix. I am still searching for 'the scene' there.

For those of you who haven't heard, little Alex is officially ours. We adopted him (or did he adopt us?). In the process he had to stay at the animal shelter for 5 days where he ate very little and caught a kitty cold. After nearly two weeks of really crappy days and us forcing anti-biotics down his throat, the little guy has made a full recovery and is as cute as ever. He still needs to gain some weight back, but he's nearly there.

Aaron and I have kickball tonight - to which I plan on bringing my new fancy camera. If I get a good shot, I'll post it so you can see us in action.

Sooooooo hungry!

This past weekend was Yom Kippur, which for those who might not know is one of the high holy days in Judaism. Aaron traditionally observes the holiday like many Jews by fasting. I hadn't ever fasted before, but wanted to support Aaron. The idea is that you fast in order to improve your ability to focus on repentance and ask for forgiveness - it's a day of atonement. My main outstanding question for Aaron was that if this was indeed a holy day, how does watching football fit into the plan? Why were we starving ourselves only to entertain ourselves with tv rather than doing something more spiritual or observant? So, the tv was turned off and we spent some quality time together. We made it through the day with only the expected and tolerated amount of grumpiness.

Phoenix

Today I took my first of many trips to Phoenix for work. It was a quick flight, though very early in the morning, and I returned the same evening. I've weighed out the plus and minuses about this new role that I have at work - I'm the lead marketer for our Arizona practice - and all in all I think it's going to be a good gig. One of the obvious bonuses is going to be watching my Rapid Rewards program membership from Southwest Airlines grow. SWA and I are going to be good friends!

Lenny Schneider

Aaron's grandfather passed away Thursday morning. I got to know Lenny during the past 4 of his amazing 83 years of life and knew him as a strong willed and generous person. He will be missed, but he leaves a legacy of a very tight-knit family who will remember the love he shared and carry that forward.

Wake-boarding weekend

Aaron's cousin, Mike, invited us on a wake-boarding trip for this past weekend and of *course* our answer was yes! After just about an hour's drive from our place we were at Lake Pyramid and all set for a fantastic weekend.

Mike's girlfriend Alyssa made it look easy - she's been riding since she can remember - so Aaron and I were a little bummed that we weren't catching on immediately. But with my water skiing background (I use that term lightly - I went once over 10 years ago) I caught on in the afternoon of the first day. And by the end of the weekend I had stood up 10 times. Aaron didn't have such good luck, but we'll get him up next time.

We camped overnight in a nearby campground that had running water but no showers. Not to worry though since we were just going to jump in the lake in the morning anyway. We set up camp, ate untill we were stuffed, played some cards, crashed out for the night and then went back on the lake all day Sunday.

We had an amazing time!

Introducing Alex

Alex came into our backyard for the first time a couple of weeks ago. He must know a sucker when he sees one because he hasn't left since. Within a day or two we were feeding, brushing, and playing with him regularly. Alex has warmed up nicely to being around us and others, so we're pretty sure that he has had a family already. We have a couple of theories on his back story... but I wont go into those.

People have said that it's only a matter of time before we let him in the house, but so far I think that keeping him outside has worked out pretty well. Aaron and I have are enjoying giving Alex a home, which is a little surprising considering we have always been "dog people." Our plan is to take him to a vet to see if he's microchipped, get him neutered, and then officially call him ours. I've caught him during his afternoon nap in these photos. I never would have thought that I would find a cat so adorable!

Front Page News

Okay, so it's not THE front page, but it's the front page of the California section of the Los Angeles Times Sunday edition. And who's photo is on it?! Denny Schneider!

Most people who know him know that the LAX expansion is a topic near and dear to his heart. For those of you who want to know more about it, here's a link to the whole article (I think this link will only work for about a week):
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-westchester26aug26,1,7347153.story

In the beginning...

I like the concept of MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, etc (of course I do - that's how Aaron and I met!)... but when it comes to posting pictures, stories, and snip-its of the life and times of Aaron and me, those sites fall short. So, I've decided to start a blog!

No, we're not preggers. Maybe someday, just not now. But, sometimes our family and friends are interested in the things Aaron and I do. I plan to virtually introduce you to our stray cat Alex, give you a sneak peak at our newly landscaped back yard (once it's complete), and show a photo or two of what we get up to on our weekends.

So, here it is. A blog about the Schneider family. Der Familie Schneider. The title of our blog is a little shout out to our German heritage.