The Never-Ending Projects...

Well, it's not even been a month since I moved back to Boston, and it's already starting to feel like home again. Moving back into the house I grew up in is surreal, but it's been fun being back in Methuen. I'm trying to get alot done around the house and fix things up before my Dad leaves for Japan. That way at least I can get some approval on the construction and, for the most, part, get my dad to pay for it!

Some of the projects that have been keeping me very busy in my free time over the last few weeks.

I moved into the Master Bedroom and redid the closet. I wish I had a "before" pictures but the old closet was essentially one shelve and one pole for clothes - definitely not a good use of space, never-mind the sagging shelve and 25 year old paint job. I tore out the old shelving, put a few coats of paint on and installe dnew multi-level tier shelving. Much better!



In the bathroom we had a small leak coming from the faucet. It had been like this for a long time (well over a year!) and come to find out, it had slowly been detroying the counter and the countertop behind the sink. Needless to say, it needed to be fixed before further damage was done to the walls and interior stuff. We have a new cabinet and granite coutertop waiting on the sidelines to be installed. Stay tuned!

Pit Stop #2 in Washington DC

The cross-country final leg was coming close with a trip to Washington DC. I was excited to see my older sister, Elaine, her hubby Mike, and their 9-month old baby, Mayumi. I had only had one other chance to see Mayumi (Maya for short) last Christmas in Salt Lake City. She has grown quite a bit since I had seen her last! One of Maya's favorite things to do is look in the mirror - a trait that undoubtedly comes from Elaine!

I also spend some time with an old college friend, Dave Adams, but afterwards realized I didn't take any pictures with him. We, did, however, get a picture of the Homeless World Cup of Soccer. That's right - the HOMELESS World Cup. I was baffled that an international homeless sporting event was even in existance, but I guess anything to help the homeless is a good thing. Very interesting sporting event, to say the least!


The Homeless World Cup of Soccer. Definitely not the most thrilling sporting even I have ever been to.


PNC Ballpark after the sun went down.

PNC Ballpark


Mike Qualter and I at PNC ballpark soaking in a National vs. Orioles baseball game. One more stadium checked off my list! We got great seats for free from one of Mike's lawyer friends. I should've went to Law School.


Dad roaming around the Air and Space Museum


Mike holding Maya as Elaine enjoys the Air and Space Museum


Mike, Elaine and Maya, and Dad walking the Mall

Mike and Maya at the Food Court at the Air and Space Museum

I know my face is cut off, but Maya is so cute!

Maya exploring my suitcase


Maya and I at the National Gallery.

Not the best picture ever taken.

Kea and Troy come to Arizona!!!

Right before I left for Boston, Kea, a dear friend from my BYU days, came to visit from Oregon with her hubby, Troy. At BYU, Kea was practically a next door neighbor for a few years. She was always a great friend and shoulder to lean on. It had been about 4 or 5 years since I had seen Kea last! It was also my first time meeting Troy. It was good to see that Kea choose a great guy whom she is equally yoked with. I wish I had more time to play tour guide, but between baseball, work, packing, and wrapping things up, we didn't have too much time together. Kea and Troy are thinking about moving to Arizona so Troy can pursue a graduate degree in Criminal Justice at ASU.

Kea and me at one of my last baseball games.

Troy, Kea, and me right after dinner at Tempe Marketplace.

Pit stop in Wichita to see an old friend

What better time to drop in and see old friends than on a cross-country trip! Mike Asoian and I grew up together on the same street in Methuen, MA and has been a friend as long as I can remember. I couldn't even begin to attempt to remember all the times we spend together over the years (mostly before I graduated high school). Mike has been married for the past 7 or 8 years and currently resides in Wichita with his wife Sarah and newborn son, Brady. Even though I had been to Kansas once before to see him (and he came and visited me in AZ once!) it was good catching up with him and his family again.



Mike Asoian and I in his new(er) home in Wichita.


Once a Red Sox fan, always a Red Sox fan. This is the baby's room! I was completely envious of the wall, but not the four months it took him to do it.



Mike and Sarah's baby, Brady. Just 3 weeks old!

Moving back East!

Well, it became official a few weeks ago -moving back to Boston. It had been roughly 11 years since I had lived in the Boston area, but many things transpired that I couldn't turn down a golden opportunity to move back to my roots.


It was tough leaving good friends on such short notice. I didn't even get a chance to say bye to some friends and apologize for the super quick move, but I only had a short window of time for the drive back east.


I miss AZ tremendously - mostly the friends ( I don't miss the heat!). I was, however, able to play in one last baseball game with my team before heading off for the cross-country trek. It still hasn't sunk in the I actually made the move back east.

I'm not sure how long I'll be in New England. It seems as though nothing turns out the way I had planned, but I think it usually works out for the best in my case. It's a bit tough getting started all over. Even though I grew up here, so much has changed, and, unfortunately, I haven't kept in touch with many friends since I originally left the area back in 1997. But here's to new friends and semi-new life!


So far I've been busy unpacking and getting settled into my new surroundings and just started a new job today. So far, so good!


Monday, June 23. My truck with Uhaul trailer in tow, ready for the cross-country trip! The truck handled very well cross-country and had no problems on the road (thank goodness!).


Dad doing what he does best! The plan was to take turns driving, but it turns out that I really didn't get tired much and ended up driving 100% of the time while Dad played navigator (and dreamer!).


Saying bye to one of my best friends, Hannah, before the drive to Boston.

Phoenix Zoo Film Shoot

An old BYU friend was producing a film "short" and asked if I could give him a hand this past weekend. I had worked on numberous shoots at BYU and missed the production atmosphere. I recruited the help of my good friend, Kelly, who was curious to see what goes on behind the scenes of a film shoot. We didn't really have a title responsibility, but helped in random assignments like setting up craft services, running to the store for random stuff, and general art direction (moving pots and park benches!). As with all shoots I've ever worked on, this one went overtime finishing at 1:30am! I'm eager to see the finished product.

Setting up a dolly shot at the carousel.


A 4K light.


Chris and Kelly being the gophers.

Minneapolis and an old friend

Last weekend I had a last minute trip to Boston for the weekend and on Monday I flew back to Phoenix. I tried to catch an earlier flight back to Phoenix, but found myself with a 6 hour layover in Minneapolis. Since I used to live in Minneapolis, I decided to call an old friend that I hadn't seen in over 6 years. As luck would have it, when I called, she had just gotten off of work and, coincidentally, lives about 5 minutes from the airport. Long story short...went out to eat at a great little Vietnamese restaurant in Minneapolis and caught up on old times. Rayna, lets make sure the next time we meet up is sooner than 6 years!

Rayna dropping me off at the Minneapolis Airport for my flight back to Phoenix.

Just About Finished!

Last weekend I decided to order 10 tons of Sedona Red rock and finish the backyard. I thought 10 tons would be plenty, but we layed it out fairly thick and ended up being about 3 or 4 tons short. The flagstone looks great with the rock around it, and instead of making stairs going up to the deck, I sloped the underlying dirt and the rock to acend to the deck, which ended up being a good call.


The sheperds hooks with the planters and solar lights are cemented into the ground and will never come out! Might as well do it the right way the first time. You can't really tell from the picture, but the flagstone actually rises up to the deck, so its not such a big step up. I think the flowers on my planters are dead. I still need to get something for the big, blue planters on the bottom, but I'm waiting until the fall - the Phoenix sun will kill anything before then.


The Flagstone leading to the grill.


The northeast corner of the yard - pardon the wood pallet and garden tools still laying out. My little orange tree is doing well, but the taller lemon tree is struggling. The cobblestone patio still looks great, and hasn't fallen apart yet - not bad for my first patio.


I hate the hard water in Arizona. No matter how many times I wash off the deck with the garden hose, it always leaves a whitish residue behind.


I still need to order a few more tons of rock for the sides of the house and by the air conditioner.

Another Senseless Video

I laughed pretty hard when I first saw this. I didn't expect what I saw.

Backyard Progress

Although this weekend included a night out and a baseball game, I still had time to do some work on what has been seeming like an endless project. I decided to do flagstone for the walkways in the backyard after seeing it a friend's house (I'm completely unoriginal and steal all my ideas!) The flagstone was only about $7 at Home Depot, but extremely heavy. After laying it all in place, I seem to be short a few pavers. I also got 8 bags of cement and poured a slab for my grill. (I wanted to move the grill out from under the patio, so my friggin smoke alarm won't go off everytime I opened my sliding glass door when I was grilling.) I also cemented some sheperds hooks into the ground as well and hope to buy some hanging plants in the next week or so. I also swept some special cement-sand into the cracks beteeen the patio pavers and watered it, locking it in place. Hopefully my patio will stay in place.

Go Fish!

I finally got around getting some fish for the fish tank. And, yes, that is Tom Brady keeping the fish company.

Long Lost Family Picture

Recently, Dad discovered a picture that none of us had seen before. Christmas 1989. Nice glasses Elaine!

Maya is .5 years old!

That's right, there is a . (point) there! Little Mayumi just celebrated 6 months! Already a frequent traveller to exotic places like Utah and New England, Maya hopes to make a trip out to Arizona to see Uncle Chris soon! (Right, Elaine!) Well, maybe not, but I'm sure Uncle Chris will either see her again sometime this year in DC or Boston. Happy half birthday Maya!

A Night in Scottsdale with Friends

Pictures from last weekend’s escapade in Scottsdale and Axis Club. I got way too much sun and stayed out way too late on Friday and Saturday. Thank goodness for couches and Sundays.

Dad visits AZ

Well, this is totally out of sequence, since my dad was in town before Emily's graduation from U of U, but I thought I should still post some pictures.

After the tax season Dad had some free time so he decided to take a two (three?) week long trip to various places and his first stop was AZ. Here are the pics...


Hiking South Mountain





Dad talking with Uncle John in Sedona, AZ.


Uncle John, Dad, and Aunt Barbara at the Petroglifs



My future retirement home in near Sedona. "The Palace" as Aunt Barbara calls it.


The Petroglifs


Montezuma's Well


Dad enjoying the fresh water from Montezuma's well.

The Empire Strikes Barack

Ok, so I'm a republican at heart and gringe at most things democratic, but this video about Hillary and Barack is good! Although I'm a McCain supporter by default (since good 'ol Mitt Romney dropped out) I'm also a member of the "Anyone But Hillary" campaign. Watch and enjoy.

Emily gets her MBA from University of Utah

Well, it was a bit hard to swallow knowing that my younger sister would be going back to school at the University of Utah (BYU's arch rival) but I think she will always have her loyalties to the Cougs! Congratulations Emily!


Emily showing off her robe, pretty flowers, and promotion leverage!


Emily and the proud hubby, Jared.


Annie, Emily, and Dad.


Annie and Em - official stray cat lovers