We are settling into our new cubicles at work…

Sunny and I joined Jason, Jennifer, and Stacee at Andy and Jennifer’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Andy and Jennifer are great hosts, we had a fun time, and the turkey was gorgeous. Although Thanksgiving isn’t for another two weeks, this was the only date that would work for our schedules. And the date is not as important as spending time together. I really miss all my friends and hope that we can do more of these dinners together over the next year. I am thankful for my wife Sunny, my family, and especially all my friends…

Sunny and I had a free facial from Gene Juarez Salon. We had a great time relaxing while we were pampered.

Sunny and I camped overnight at Money Creek Campground off Highway 2. Money Creek is a beautiful campground situated along a bend in the Skykomish River. Sunny and I had visited the campground last year on our way to Leavenworth, so I knew the best spot to reserve for our trip. The campground did not disappoint us, it was gorgeous! We pitched our tent right above the river and went for a walk around the campground. The only negative thing about Money Creek is that the railroad passes alongside the campground. We heard two trains pass within a short period of time. Later that evening we started a roaring campfire and cooked our dinner over a propane burner.

We slept under a clear night filled with stars until it was so cold I had to put the rainfly up to keep in some heat. The roar of the river accompanied us into sleep.

That morning as we were preparing to cook breakfast, Sunny volunteered to cut kindling for the fire. As she was chopping wood, she cut her finger on the hatchet! The cut seemed pretty bad so I packed up the site and we drove to a walk-in-clinic. The cut turned out to be nothing more than a scratch! Aside from the war wound, Money Creek proved to be a wonderful and relaxing night out under the stars.

Click here to see more great photos from Money Creek… including a photo of Sunny at the walk-in-clinic with her bandaged finger!

Sunny and I attended a course at the Edmonds Theater, which taught us about current politics and trends in Europe. The comparison between American and European politics is enjoyable to study… I can’t type anything else because I’m so excited about what happened after the seminar! As Sunny and I walked to the front of the theater to exit out the back door we we saw Rick Steves! Rick Steves and his wife had also attended the class, and it was a complete surprise that we ran into them. I had Sunny take our photo with my iPhone, but it was really dark so it didn’t turn out. Then, after we had exited the theater – and I was still excited by the meeting – we ran into them again! There, in broad daylight, Sunny took the great photo you see below.

Rick Steves is a travel writer, an author of over 70 travel guides to Europe, including the book I used to backpack through Europe my first time over nine years ago, Europe Through the Back Door. I also love his shows on PBS.

Sunny let me choose this restaurant, located on the fourth floor of Pacific Place. The ambiance was romantic, but we sat near the entrance so it was noisy. The food was outstanding, and Thai Ginger is now one of my favorite restaurants. We had a great time that evening, I took these goofy photos with my iPhone. Sunny should style her hair like that all the time!

This is a nice photo of Aunt Henny and Aunt Jeanette, taken at Applebee’s Restaurant in Everett. Aunt Henny has been visiting to attend Uncle Richard and Aunt Elsie’s 50th Anniversary.

Brook is married! We had a great time at Brook and Charlie’s wedding. Sunny and I walked onto the Mukilteo/Clinton ferry where we met Katie, Graham, and a few other party goers and traveled to Clinton. After debarking the ferry, we were met by a golf cart that drove us to the wedding. The wedding was right on the beach under a big white tent. We were met by Brook’s Mom who gave us each a big hug. We met John and Jessica and were later joined by Andre and Carrie. Later we would run into Eila and Mars and Alvin and Nora. The Frontier Bank crew took photos with Brook and Charlie on the beach before their first dance, which was to “At Last”. I’m sure Brook meant it when she picked that song!

Click here to view more great photos from Brook’s wedding…

Sunny and I found the perfect spot to spend our sunsets in Maui. Along the boardwalk that stretches the length of Ka’anapali beach there are a handful of hammocks strung between palm trees. I took quite a few lazy photos from those hammocks. We would rock ourselves to sleep above the beach. The waves lap methodically over the sand. Above us the sunset would bathe us in light. There is nothing like a sunset in Maui.

Read about our honeymoon and see more photos from Maui.

Maui is paradise! Sunny and I spent sunsets swinging in a hammock above the beach and sunrises far above the clouds on a volcano. What an experience! We stayed at the Westin Resort & Spa on Ka’anapali beach in West Maui.

I had so many great photos, I had to add another page…