Happy Holidays

Hope everyone had a good Christmas. We did the usual. Hosted dinner on Christmas Eve for all our immediate family, then trekked up to Danville on Christmas day to spend the day with Sonya’s aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. The kids made out like bandits once again. They are the most spoiled children on the planet, and I am grateful for that. I know there are a ton of people that love them, and that’s all I could hope for each year.

I got spend four consecutive days with the family, which is always nice. Having made our trip to Disneyland earlier this month, and then having another four day weekend meant I got to spend more time with the kids and Sonya. She’s the greatest mom on the planet, and I got to experience more why this is true first hand.


Christmas is getting more and more fun each year, now that the kids are starting to understand more about Santa Claus and the whole deal. Karsyn left Santa a note this year, asking how many elves helped him out up in the North Pole. Santa was happy to answer her question with a written response on Christmas Eve. There are 1,063 elves apparently. Sounds like the job market is good in just about ever place these days.

The Sharks hosted a holiday skate at the HP Pavilion tonight, so we took Karsyn ice skating for the very first time. She, like all little girls, loved it. I’m sure we’ll be getting a request for new skates any day now. She’s pretty athletic for a 6-year-old, so she was able to pick it up pretty quickly. I shot some video with my digital camera. Checkout this not so elegant [clip of her flopping down the ice].


We’re headed up to Tahoe on Thursday to spend New Years Eve with our friends Roger, Joanne, Robert & Sherri (and all their kids). I’m worried that the snowfall has been too light to produce anything worth playing in up there. Hopefully the storms we’re supposed to get the remainder of this week will drop a few inches before we get up there.


We were spoiled last year with record snowfall. Our trip last New Year’s eve was a blast for the kids. Cross your fingers for us.

And have a Happy New Year.

Winter Trip to Disneyland

Sonya and I made a bet with Karsyn last summer that if she read 100 books by December, we would take her back to Disneyland. She held up her part of the bargain, so we trekked down the Anaheim last weekend for a four day stay at the Magic Kingdom. This was also Ryan’s second trip (we went last May to checkout Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary).

The weather was fantastic, but the park was a little crowded on Sunday (our first day there) so it was good that we booked three additional days during the week. I spent the days in shorts and a t-shirt, and threw on a sweatshirt in the evenings.


Ryan was excited to see “Mouse” (Mickey Mouse), “Mouse” (Minnie Mouse), “Buzz” (Buzz Lightyear), “Pooh” (Winning the Pooh” and “Poot” (Pluto). We spent half the trip waiting to meet Disney characters and watch parades. The park was decked out in holiday décor, which you should experience if you’ve never been there during the holidays. Very festive.

We also got to see the personalized paver that Sonya got me for my birthday last year. This is a stone embedded in the walkway between Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. It has all of our names engraved along with a golden medallion signifying Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. I’m impossible to shop for, so this was a very cool present. Our whole family loves Disneyland, so it was a great way for us to commemorate all of the wonderful trips we’ve taken there over the years.


Karsyn has become the roller coaster queen. She is a real daredevil and loves the speed and thrills of coasters and the like. She hit every one in the park at least twice. If you don’t think Disneyland has roller coasters, then think again. She rode: The Matterhorn (her favorite), Big Thunder Mountain, Gadget’s Go Coaster, California Screamin, Mulholland Madness and the recently reopened Space Mountain. The Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones Adventure aren’t technically roller coasters, but Karsyn can also call those her thrill ride conquests.

I took lots of pictures to add to another blog I run called Disneyscapes. This is a photo blog that showcases images that I have captured with a camera over the past few years. I’ve always been intrigued by the park’s architecture, so this is a way for me to share some of the nuances that you usually miss when visiting the Magic Kingdom.


It was a great trip, but after four days of Disney, I was ready to head back home. I think Sonya felt the same way, so we called it a trip at about 5pm on Wednesday. There’s a Starbucks on Interstate 5 just north of the Grapevine, so the late Winter drive was a little more pleasant (mainly for Sonya, since she did all the driving from that point on).

Checkout more trip photos in my [Disneyland Photo Album]

Karsyn at the SF Nutcracker

Yahoo Year End Party

Sonya and I got to party a little away from teh kids last weekend at the annual Yahoo Year End Party. Yahoo knows how to throw one heck of a party and this year was no exception. This year's theme was "Yahoo Bayou", a salute to the golf coast and the great city of New Orleans. Yahoo co-founder David Filo is from Metairie.

What made this year so great was the main musical guest, the incomparable Earth Wind & Fire. I'm a huge fan, have always loved their music, so getting to see them up close and personal made the event extra special. They played all their hits including Fantasy, Let's Groove, September, After the Love is Gone, and my favorite, Reasons (ask me to belt out the high notes on that one some time).


Me, Sonya & Phillip Bailey
The event was complete with Cajun cuisine, and a bar every 20 feet. Yes, YAhoo knows how to throw a party. The event also had a casino, where guests could play for chips that were redeemable for raffle tickets.

The Yahoo Emplyee Foundation also held its annual fundraising auction. This employee foundation gives away millions of dollars each year to a variety of charities, and the auction is one way money is raised. Some of the items included tickets to any Hollywood premiere (courtesy of our CEO and former Warner Bros head Terry Semel), a round of golf with Larry David (the creator of the Seinfeld show) & Lloyd Braun (current media head at Yahoo and former ABC television executive), and a tour of the Pixar Studios. All very cool items for a very worthy cause.


All in all, another great way to close out another fantastic year at Yahoo.


When did Horatio Sanz start playing with EW&F???

Checkout more of my [2005 Yahoo YEP photos here]

Checkout some of the video I shot of the concert:


After the Love is Gone II


Reasons