Stanford vs Arizona

The Stanford game last weekend was exciting for several reasons. Stanford, ranked #13 was playing #15 Arizona, the tailgate was sponsored by the chemistry department, and Kevin's brother's James and Joe were in town visiting and helping us make the tailgate a blast.

I tried to take a lot of pictures while the guys were in town, but I had some difficulty getting them to smile for pictures.

I wanted to decorate treats again, but since I didn't have time to bake I cheated a little bit. I bought brownie bites from Costco and decorated them. Nobody complained about my laziness.
Me and Moria.
James and Kevin beat me and Joe at cornhole pretty badly.
I always feel really short whenever I hang out with Kevin's brothers.
We managed to get a few games of Lance Armstrong in this tailgate. We had different people at this tailgate and it was fun getting other people involved in the games.

Kevin still had the field pass that he acquired at the previous home game. Sarah was able to wander around for a little bit down there. I went down for a minute but I had my red zone shirt on so I stuck out like a sore thumb and was promptly shown the gate back to the stands.
James, Joe, and Kevin.
A bunch of the band dressed up like characters from Mario. I was impressed and tried to get a few pictures.
Me, Brian, and Moria. Brian has let me borrow his camera for a few weeks since mine broke and I hadn't gotten around to getting a new one. (Buying a new camera is such an ordeal. There as so many decisions to make...blahhh!) He doesn't use his very much and I was so grateful to have one since I am always taking pictures. Thanks Brian!!!
Dennis was able to spend most of the first half on the field.
This picture makes us laugh every time.

It was a fantastic game and Stanford dominated Arizona! That win put them at #6 in the BCS rankings! Go Stanford!

Halloween

Over Halloween weekend, Moria's department held a social hour costume event. I was off that day since I was working over the weekend so I decided to head over.

I had to throw together a costume quickly so I pulled out a mask and a cape from our collection of costume stuff. People kept asking me if I was a phantom so I guess I was a phantom. Moria was part of a 'Royal Flush'. They were all dressed as cards with bathroom themed items. They had plungers and little crowns. Their group costume actually won the department costume contest...congrats!

Kevin stopped by a little late and was not in costume. Brian finally got to wear his entire gorilla costume (He'd had the suit part for awhile but just recently bought a mask...entire costume $20...awesome)

We had a Halloween party to go to the next night but since I had to work we couldn't go until later. Here is Kevin and our friend Dennis dressed up as Gumby. There was actually another Gumby there and they had a Gumby fight (a fake fight).

It was also very entertaining watching Gumby get his groove on on the dance floor. In case it wasn't clear....Kevin in Indiana Jones.
I decided to go for a fire woman this year. It was something easy and I was able to change quickly at work.
Although a somewhat uneventful weekend we still managed to have a good time. My next post will be better. Kevin's brothers came into town for the Stanford vs Arizona game and while they have difficulty smiling for pictures I have a few good shots to include.

Stanford vs Washington State

The last Stanford football game was an early game (2pm) so we had to start our tailgate early. It was tough waking up early on a Saturday, but we managed to get everything together and were out on the lot by 9am. It was strange eating a hamburger before noon, but I didn't really mind. It took awhile for people to show up, but eventually the lazy folks made their way over and were able to have a great time.
I did manage to make treats for this game (I was a little bummed about skipping the USC game, but I just couldn't find the time). Moria helped me decorate again and I think the Rice Krispie Treats turned out pretty well. We played a couple rounds of Lance Armstrong again this week and once again had a blast. Dennis' girlfriend Rachel was in town for the game and she was looking forward to getting to play.

Here we are with our Stanford tattoos.


Due to the rainy overcast weather the stadium was pretty empty. Probably half of the people there were alumni back for Homecoming and a good portion of them were on the field so the stands looked bare.

Kevin and Ethan somehow managed to get down on the field without being noticed. Ethan was discovered shortly afterward, but Kevin was able to stay down there for quite sometime by telling everyone that he was alumni. He even got someone to give him a pass.
Needless to say we were cracking up. He was there for almost the entire first half of the game before someone got suspicious. They wanted him to give the field pass back but he just ran away and sat with us.


I don't know how well this video is going to work, but it was so hilarious that I wanted to at least try and include it.



It was great getting to see Rachel again so soon since Oregon only a few weeks ago.

Later on in the game Dennis used Kevin's pass to go back down on the field. Here he is with a few of the trees from over the years.
We somehow ended up with this Indian hat (Before Stanford was Cardinal they were the Indians but it was changed to be more politically correct. Why they chose a color instead of a real mascot I'm not really sure.)
After the game we were completely exhausted so we went home and took a nap. I haven't taken a weekend nap in forever so it was pretty amazing. They only problem came when we tried to go to bed that night and couldn't fall asleep. Still worth it though.

A Wedding!

Our friends Josh and Lauren were just married at Memorial Church on Stanford Campus. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and are so happy for both of them.
It was nice getting to see all of the guys dressed up in their finest. They clean up alright.

Dennis, Jeff, James, Pete, Arun, Kevin, Jonathan, Jay, Mark, Brian and Scott in the front.

Sarah and I had to do a little last minute shopping in the morning for accessories, but we managed to pull things together in time for the ceremony.
Kevin really can't help himself.
They managed to get their wedding in the day before the first rain of the season. The day was perfect!
After the ceremony we headed over to the Sheraton in Palo Alto for appetizers and cocktails while we waited for dinner.

This guy across the pool was looking at us all for a really long time and we found it pretty funny so I had to get a picture.

The seating arrangement provided us with an awesome table.
We got a good laugh when then seated James between Mrs. Cara Kent and Mr. Kevin Kent.
Our friend Chris was back in town for the wedding and it was great to get to see him again since he moved back to New York.
During the dance this adorable little girl became my friend and she danced with our group. I had to introduce myself to her parents so they wouldn't think their daughter was hanging out with a weirdo. After that we had a blast until they had to go home.
The whole day was wonderful and we are so happy for Josh and Lauren. We hope they enjoyed Hawaii for their honeymoon!

Weekend with Chuck

Since my Dad hadn't been to Napa in about 30 years, we thought it would be good to head up and do a little wine tasting and enjoy some of the gorgeous scenery. First we stopped at Mumm to try a few sparkling wines.
It was a little warm outside, but with the misters and shade we were able to enjoy our tasting outdoors.
Dad and Kevin tried a few grapes on the vine and I caught them in the act.
We quickly stopped by a small winery before heading over to Rutherford Hill Winery. Kevin and I have been here several times and we were excited to take Dad and do a tour. Rutherford Hill was one of the first wineries in Napa to utilize caves to age the wine in and they make the tour a little more interesting...not to mention a little cooler.

After our tour we ate our picnic lunch at one of the tables overlooking the valley. It was a beautiful afternoon and we had a wonderful time.
We were happy to get home after a long day and were able to hang out and watch a movie. It is fun going to do stuff, but it is also nice just relaxing with people you love.

The next day Kevin had to go into work for a little bit so Dad and I headed over to Avery Aquatic Center on campus to get in a workout. Stanford's pool is one of the largest facilities in the nation and I thought it would be fun to go. Kevin had been in the facility a few times, but I had never been there in our 4 years out here. I quickly realized I'm not in swimmers shape, but I ended up getting a decent workout in and I know Dad did too.

I forgot to bring the camera with us, but later on we had Kevin take a picture of us outside.

Dad and I went home for a little while before heading back into campus to tour the place a little more. Kevin met up with us at one point and we wandered over to Hoover tower to get a better view. I liked this picture of the guys heading towards the tower.
Pictures from up top never turn out that great, but I had to include one anyway.

Kevin and Dad in part of the Main Quad.
We were a little thirsty from the heat and we managed to find a water fountain in an open building.Then we found a much fancier water fountain (the water wasn't nearly as cold though.)
Praying outside of Memorial Church in the Quad.

I had to take Chuck to see Lake Lagunita. It is so beautiful this time of year don't you think?

For Dad's last night in town we thought we'd go out for sushi. We ordered a few different things...some without the raw fish, but Dad seemed to enjoy all of it. We left with full bellies and had a great evening. I was so proud of him for trying something new (I didn't even have to convince him to try it...he was willing and excited!)
The time was too short and I knew it would be, but I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. It is always great having people visit and having Dad here was especially exciting since he hadn't been out here yet.