Happy Holidays!

Una semana en España

N&J Take Spain. Jerry and I recently took a trip to Spain. We can't speak or understand the language, but we survived. We split our time between Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo.

BARCELONA - the capital city of Catalunya
La Ramblas - street/pedestrian thoroughfare that runs through the Old City
La Boqueria - large public market off La Ramblas
The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc - lively water show
Picasso Museum - Extensive collection of Pablo Ruiz Picasso. We got in free because Ngan is savvy.
Arc de Trompe - celebrates the removal of the citadel
Citadel Park - houses green space for city dwellers, a zoo, and museums of geology and zoology
Sagrada Familia - Antoni Guadi's most famous and unfinished work.
Parc Güell - Antoni Gaudi's failed 60-residence high-income housing project; now a public park. Cool place.
La Pedrera aka Casa Milà - Antoni Guadi's last major work (1906-1910); Barcelona's quintessential Modernista building.
Passeig de Gràcia - One of the major avenues in Barcelona and is also the most expensive street in Barcelona (real estate and shopping)
Casa Batlló - Another one of Antoni Guadi's Modernista projects (a remodel). Jerry's favorite.
Palau Güell - completed in 1890, is Antoni Guadi's early work and shows his first steps toward what would become his trademark curvy architectural style.
The Cathedral of Santa Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral) - in the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter); built in the 13th-15th century. Absolutely beautiful.
Montjuïc - "Mount of Jews"

MADRID - the capital city of Spain
Google Madrid office
Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace) - it was closed the day we tried to visit ;( We couldn't go inside, but we went to the gift store and bought stuff
Plaza Mayor - Madrid's city square (public space)
Puerta del Sol - Madrid's town center
Prado Museum - Art gallery housing the world's greatest art collection. We got in free because Ngan is savvy.
Buen Retiro Park - large park
Gran Via - upscale shopping street in Madrid. One of our hotels was on this street.
Casa Botín - the oldest restaurant in the world according to Guinness Book of Records. We had dinner here and ordered the roasted suckling pig.

TOLEDO - the former capital city of Spain before it was moved to Madrid; World Heritage Site
The Alcázar - a former imperial palace at the highest point in Toledo
Plaza de Zocodover - Toledo's main square
Cathedral of Toledo - built between 1226-1493; one of the best cathedrals in the world
Santa Cruz Museum - was once an orphanage and hospital, the building now houses artwork, including 15 El Grecos.

Barcelona Highlights

Jerry at La Boqueria Market (off La Ramblas):


N&J at Parc Güell:






At La Pedrera/Casa Milà:













Adventures at the grocery store (hipermercat):





At Casa Batlló:









Madrid Highlights

Plaza Mayor:


Royal Palace:


Toledo Highlights











Click here for more pics.

Note: By more pics, I mean a LOT more pics. We have 2 cameras and 2 camera phones and ended up with a over a thousand photos. I edited it down to nearly 500 photos.

Hog Island Oyster Farm

Tomales Bay





The freshest oysters you can get - straight from the source.

N&J Goes Disco

I'm not sure why he spent his time with this, but it's funny.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

H&A's Wedding 8.01.09

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Google Latitude. Watch This

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G's Holiday Party 2008

Location: The Galleria, San Francisco, CA
Date: December 12, 2008

1980's Prom

Celebrating Ten in Maui

Maui Mini-vacay

Anjelah Johnson

Ngan&Jerry with Anjelah Johnson (one of our favorite comedians)

G's Holiday Party 2007

Prom Picture 2007
Ngan&Jerry
Location: Outer Space
December 7, 2007

Kwik-E-Mart Springfield, USA

N&J at R&H's Wedding - June 30, 2007

9 Years of N&J

Here are a few of the hundreds of pictures we've taken throughout the years...

Jan. 13, 2007

N&J - January Trip Home

Ngan & Jerry
Bethesda, MD
01.12.07

Prom Picture

Ngan & Jerry
December 01, 2006
Pier 48
San Francisco, CA

the greatest thing

is just to love, and be loved in return.

go to http://worldfirefoxday.com and enter jerry esteban or ngan nguyen

:) :)

Loft Pics

Here are some really old photos of our loft. These were taken about 9 months ago. It's all furnished now! Our place is small, but it's unique and suites us!

Jerry, playing air guitar (he's happy):



The dining area (we use as an office) with loft above:


Galley Kitchen:

Home is a loft

We're homeowners! So the fiance and I are moved-in (mostly) to our loft downtown. Ours is a historical building where they used to fix machinery back in the day.

What is a loft, you ask?

A working definition of the true urban loft. Essential features:
1. An open floor plan, with only the bathrooms being walled in. If there are partitions, they do not reach the ceiling.
2. In size, they ranged from 400 to 4000 square feet.
3. Designed to feature a warehouse/industrial style with high ceilings, open electrical wiring and plumbing, and finishes that include poured concrete and granite.
4. Typically, urban lofts are conversions of older industrial space, but there are some that are newly built to catch the loft trend.
5. Located in the central city within walking distance of restaurants and shops. The most appealing amenity of an urban loft unit is the urban surrounding. Frequently, urban loft complexes lack garage space, swimming pools and other suburban style common amenities.

True urban lofts are rare because of the circumstances that create them - - - an old central city with an unused stock of industrial and warehouse buildings - - - are rare. But even though the number of urban lofts in the housing stock is small, the impact of the urban loft on design and usage trends have been significant.

We still need to unpack (living out of boxes right now) and clean out the old apartment for the walk-through. Which, I'm told we are to leave the place spotless - urgh.

Kobe had a real hard time with the move, but he started to venture out and is becoming more comfortable. I think he's scared of the big windows or the high ceiling. Our first night in the new place, he hid under the chair all night, wouldn't eat, probably didn't sleep either. We pulled him out and brought him upstairs, but he crawled under our bed - which we can't get under because it's low. Causing me to have to lift the bed as Jerry pulled him out. I guess because I'm stronger - - haha ;p Ivan, the psycho cat that he is, had no problem at all. Poor Kobe - such a nervous boy... Feliway must have helped ease him a bit.

N&J were such proud parents on Monday night when Kobe decided to creep out of his comfort zone to explore the rest of the place. He even went upstairs and slept with us on the bed. It was a big step and we were oh-so-proud of him. It took Kobe 2 days to do what Ivan did within 20 minutes. Oh well, they are as different as brown and gray.



N&J accompished our first home improvement project although the place is new (or newly converted). We took down the master closet and put in a super advanced shelving system. Yup! We are quite proud of ourselves. How many trips back and forth to Home Depot did it take? I'd say about 7. Drill, sand paper, paint and supplies, etc.


Voila!

Jerry prepares to pop the question?

N&J are getting married!

Around 2:30 pm on May 15th at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Fran's Golden Gate Park, we sat on a cement bench and that's when it happened. The day had already been perfect and I could not have asked for anything more. And from that moment on, we will spend the rest of our lives together. I am the happiest girl right now.

After 7 years, we are still good together.

Ngan jumping for joy??

For every ending there is a new beginning...

Today is me and Ngan's seven year anniversary. It also happens to be the day that I proposed to her and asked her to marry me (she said yes). So as we end what has been a memorable and defining part of our lives, we embark upon what I am sure will be even more so..

By the way, in spite of what you may hear, I was very romantic and ultra smooth.

Jerry