2011 Yearly Update HaHa

Season’s Greetings





Winter (January-March) – The New Year brought in a new adventure for Naomi and Erik, as they were off to the wonderful Land of Oz. Naomi had the pleasure of gracing the Woodland Opera House stage for the first time as the adorable Sleepy-head Munchkin and Erik as the Cowardly Lion. Both had a grand ol’ time and the two were mentioned in the Davis Enterprise Newspaper as a father-daughter combination.

 

In February, Erik also sought adventure in the two-wheeled form. He purchased his first Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which has made his ride to and from work much more enjoyable. He also enjoys the gas mileage.  Naomi, as you can see, really enjoyed the new adventure as well!

Spring (March – June) – Spring brought the opportunity for Gaylene to reach the end of a voyage that she began in the fall of 2010, the chance to complete a half-marathon. Waking up during the wee hours of the morning to get her miles in, Gaylene’s race preparations equaled the distance traveled from Long Beach to San Francisco along HWY 1. She capped off this incredible journey with her Pacific Coasters team by crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. We were so proud of her, and her persistence even inspired Erik to start running. Since her training began the two have racked up over 900 miles!

Summer (June – August) – Summer brought swimming lessons and Kaori’s chance to finally test the waters without the assistance of floaties. We were so proud of our little fish and she never wanted to leave the pool. Her skills greatly improved from last year, and so did Naomi’s. With nothing on the calendar and the girls out of school, we enjoyed one another’s company and took a family day trip to Bodega Bay.

At the end of the summer it was time to celebrate! Gaylene and Erik celebrated their 10-year anniversary, and spent the weekend in San Francisco. They enjoyed some of the sites that they visited during their honeymoon and reflected on the wonderful life and family they have built in the past decade.

 

Fall (August – December) – Leave it to the Catalans to try and cram as much into one season as they possibly can! In August, Naomi and Kaori were back to school. For Kaori, it marked her first day of Kindergarten. The first day nearly sucked her dry of what Mom and Dad would have described as an endless supply of energy; however, when day two rolled around she was ready to go. Our “baby girl” turned five on September 6th, and we can’t believe how far she has come!

After being in school for a little over a month, the family headed south for their first trip to the Happiest Place on Earth, DISNEYLAND! We spent four days and three nights jumping from Disneyland to California Adventure with Papa and Grandma, and were able to do everything we had hoped to do. It was a very magical time and when it was time to leave we were all exhausted.

With Halloween right around the corner and Disney on the brain, Gaylene took on the challenge of creating the girls’ Halloween costumes. It was her first attempt, but with a great imagination, and a real talent with the needle and thread, she conjured up some impressive costumes that were the envy of the neighborhood!

October found Erik back into the swing of things, returning to rehearsals for the first time since February. The break found him invigorated! He recently finished a very successful run of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. The show brought the opportunity for the cast to be on a local TV morning show, and also perform at the California State Captial’s 80th Annual Christmas tree lighting. Trying to take in as much theater as he can, Erik has as also accepted roles for two more shows (The Wedding Singer and South Pacific) that open in January and March of next year.

Overall, we have enjoyed our year 2011, and the many memories we created and the people we were able to visit and to see. We hope that 2012 will bring an equal share of memories and joy! Happy Holidays!