Phoenix & San Diego Trip

This past weekend, we went on a quick trip to Phoenix and San Diego to cross a couple of more baseball games off of the list.

First stop - Phoenix!  Since I had a half day off (thanks Fujitsu!), we left on Friday afternoon and made it to town in time to see the Arizona Diamondbacks play at 7:00.  It was HOT in Phoenix (100+ degrees).  You would think that being from Texas, we would be used to it.  Nope - it's still HOT.  Much to my excitement, the stadium had its roof closed!  This was the first game I had been to with a closed roof.  What a JOY!  I told Colin this is the way ALL game should be played. :)  The air conditioning was just heavenly after our brief walk in the heat to the stadium.

The stadium was really cool too (metaphorically speaking) - with a pool out in the outfield and everything.

The Diamondbacks beat the Cincinnati Reds 11-5.  After the game, they opened the roof for a fireworks show!  It made for a fun evening!

The next morning, we got up early and headed to the airport for our flight to San Diego!  Once we got there, we checked in, and walked to the pier.  We saw the gaslamp district (lots of really cool restaurants and shops), and the pier area where we had some delicious seafood at The Fish Market right on the water.

{Gaslamp Quarter street post; 

Colin giving me a smooch in front of the famous navy kiss statue; 

boats out in the harbor; 

The Fist Market restaurant}

Our hotel used to be a bank, so it had a lot of really cool architecture and decor.  We even got to see the vault downstairs!

That afternoon, we went to the Padres game.  Their stadium was built in a formerly industrial part of town, with the Western Metal Supply Co. building incorporated right into the stands!  They were playing the Dodgers, and since they are so close, there were a LOT of Dodger fans in the stands.  The Padres ended up losing 1-6, but we had fun nonetheless.

 

The next day, we went to the San Diego Zoo!  This place was HUGE, but so much fun!  Here are just some of the beautiful creatures we saw that day.

{flamingos; peacock; fish; elephant; zebra; panda; giraffes; tigers; orangutang}

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to check out and head to the airport.  We were sad to leave the beautiful weather, but glad we got two more stadiums crossed off the list! 

(21 down, 9 to go!)

Fujitsu Day 2013

Every year, our company celebrates Fujitsu Day in honor of our founding.  This year, we celebrated our 78^th year.  Being in HR, I have been able to serve on several committees for the event to coordinate the t-shirts, giveaways, and fun for the day! 

T-shirts are always a touchy subject with our employees – you can never please everyone.  We caught a lot of grief last year over the shirts (that we did NOT pick out).  We just knew we had to do better this year.  And, we did.  Casual, comfortable, simple.

Fujitsu Day is such a big deal, they had a famous opera singer in Japan sing our Fujitsu Day song.  Some might say it is lacking in appeal for most Americans, so we had one of our employees and his band revamp it this year to a tune we all know and love.  It was a HIT!  What do you think?  {old version vs. new version}

The band also played before and after the ceremony, and we had some photo booths for employees to get group shots with their teams. Below are some of my favorite shots with my HR team.

It was a lot of fun.  (Can't you tell?)  Lucky for us, the feedback from the employees has been all positive saying it is the best Fujitsu Day yet!  While I am glad it was a success, I am already nervous about how we are going to top it next year!  Any suggestions are welcome!

Pedicures!

This summer, our small group is taking a break from a formal Bible Study since so many people travel.  To make it easier for those with kids, we planned some girl events, some guy events, and then some family events.  The girls kicked off the summer right – with pedicures!

We met at one of our favorite places, Tribute Nails.  Anna brought pizza (yum!), and Erin & Denise both invited their moms to join us for some quality girl time.  It was a great, relaxing way to spend the evening with some sweet friends, and now we all have pretty toes!

 

Father's Day Weekend

This Father's Day weekend, my parents flew into town so that we could see them.  We ended up having breakfast at the Original Pancake House on Saturday morning with Colin's parents and my parents, as well as our siblings.  It was a nice way for everyone to get to see each other and catch up.  Usually, when my parents come to town, my brother and I keep them busy so they do not have a lot of time to see the Hanks', so this was nice.

Afterwards, we went shopping with my family and to Chick-Fil-A for lunch (a family favorite!).  That evening, we took them to Kelly's at Fairview so that Ryan and Micah could try it.  As always - it was a hit!  (If you have never been, try the brisket tacos.  You can't beat a dish that is served with chips and queso!)

Sunday morning, we went to church with my family, and then to The Cheesecake Factory for brunch/lunch.  (It is one of Dad's favorites, so I knew we would make a stop at some point!)

{Dad with all of his "kids" - Micah, Ryan, myself & Colin}

After we said our goodbyes to my parents, we headed over to Colin's family's celebration.

Glenda grilled some steaks, shrimp and chicken breasts (yum!).  Jill made a fantabulous macaroni and cheese.  We had food galore (as always), but it was delicious.  Gary B. and Darla could not make it, but Nonnie, Darrell, Jennifer, and Valerie did.  Valerie lives in Oklahoma with her Mom, and she was right by the tornadoes that hit just weeks ago.  It was so interesting to hear her stories of what they did until the storm passed, how the town all came together, etc.  Makes you realize just how blessed we are to have the "basics" (electricity, clothes, a HOME!). 

{Darrell & Valerie}

{Gary & his "kids" - Jill, Colin & I}

It was a great weekend, and we were blessed to see both of our dads.  How did you spend yours?

Trip to Atlanta

On June 1, Colin and I went on a quick weekend trip to Atlanta.  We got started early - with a 7:00am flight!   

Once we arrived, we drove around the Piedmont Park area, and stopped at a cute little café type restaurant that specialized in locally grown food.  I had some delicious chicken strips with cheese grits (a first for me), and Colin had a roast beef sandwich and coleslaw.  I loved all of the cute houses in the area.

{House in Buckhead; Home Grown restaurant; Martin Luther King National Historic site}

We headed towards our hotel, checked in, and then walked a couple of blocks to the Coca Cola factory for our tour.  There were a TON of Coca-Cola keepsakes and decorated bottles from all over the world.  We saw commercials that are played in various countries, and went through a bottling tour to see how the process works.  At the end of the tour, we got our sugar high as we tried all different kinds of Coca Cola products that are showcased all over the world.  I must admit, they had some delicious flavors!

{Coca Cola paraphernalia; the "secret" ingredients; the vault; the tasting room with flavors from various continents; the polar bear} 

To wear off the sugar rush, we walked to Olympic Park across the street and checked out the cool monuments, fountains, etc.

Once we got back to our hotel, we enjoyed our welcome gift – wine and cheese!   We had a great view of downtown.

For dinner, we went to Fat Matt’s – known as the best BBQ in town.  They gave Texas BBQ a run for its money!  We shared some ribs, chicken, baked beans and macaroni and cheese.  DELISH!  Top it off with a live band, and you have got yourself a great night.

Sunday morning, we headed to Stone Mountain Park.  Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome with a carving of three of the figures in the Confederate States of America - Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis .  We got there early, so we did not have to fight the crowds.  We drove around the park and explored, and then headed out to the game.

We got caught in Atlanta traffic heading to the game, so we were a few minutes late.  Luckily, we had our parking permit, so we walked right up.  Turner Field is very nice – lots of concourse room to walk around and get food, etc., their team shop right up front, and Chick-Fil-A at the game!   (Atlanta is where Chick-Fil-A is headquartered.)  Since it was Sunday, Chick-Fil-A was a no-go, even at the game.  A friend of Colin's had recommended that we try H&F Burger at the game.  They specialize in the double meat, double cheese.  It was pretty darn good, and filling! 

The sky was getting pretty cloudy throughout the game, and in the bottom of the fifth inning, it started raining.  (For those that do not know, you have to play a full 5 innings for it to be a full game.)  The Braves were winning, so they were not about to let a little rain stop them.  We moved from our seats on the upper deck to the lower deck behind the 1^st base foul line since a lot of people left when it started raining.  Not much later, it had stopped completely and the sun was back out.  We enjoyed a Braves Victory against the Nationals (6-3), and headed to the airport.

Apparently the weather had things backed up at the airport, and we faced a two-hour delay that would have caused us to miss our connecting flight.  Gotta love Southwest though – they held the plane for us in Houston, and we made it home that night.

{Souvenir Coca Cola Cheers}

It was a busy, quick weekend, but I am glad we got to see another city and cross off another stadium from our list!