Photoshoot La Jolla

More San Diego Banter!

Living in downtown is great, we're walking distance to everything, bars, restaurants, shops, the harbor and the baseball stadium.

We went to our first San Diego Padres game last week to watch them play against the New York Mets.

Sarah's law school is less than 5 mins walk away. Here she is, all excited for her first day!!

This is Thomas Jefferson Law School, in its brand new building. Sarah is now one week into law school and so far really enjoying it.

Yesterday we went Kayaking in La Jolla, we were given a map and using this we paddled around the coast and in and out of the caves - some of the highlights were the underwater Kelp forest and the noisy sea lions!

A great workout and lovely way to spend the day!

San Diego, I still can't believe we live here!!

Immediately on arriving in San Diego I knew I would love this place, a hip downtown with lots of unique and original bars and restaurants, a climate which is considered the best in the world and lots of fun things to do.

 

We moved into a one bedroom apartment in downtown San Diego, on the top floor of this colorful building, directly above an Albertsons grocery store (like a Tesco) which is very convenient, and awesome on-site facilities, gym, pool, barbecue area with patio heaters and my favourite, the hot tub!!

Thanks to Craigslist and Thrift Stores, we got the place looking wonderful - This is our living room, looks nice and relaxing don't you think!

Knowing in advance about the move I was able to use my contacts to make some progress with the job search, and on just day 2 in San Diego I had my first interview with the newspaper here, the San Diego Union Tribune. 

A couple weeks later I was offered a position as Interactive Media Consultant, (selling advertising for it’s successful news site called Sign on San Diego, www.signonsandiego.com) Which I was delighted to accept, who said California was a difficult place to find a job?

I'm starting this week and very excited to be working for such a well known and respected company. Any sales advice would be appreciated...

Leaving Dallas

It has been a while since my last update and much has happened since then! Apologies for my lack of communication, but moving is a busy job. Now I’m going to catch up with lots of small blogs to get you up to speed with the last couple of months. And what an exciting and amazing few months it has been!!

I asked Sarah to marry me, she said yes! 

We had such a wonderful time together and with her move to law school and leaving of Dallas to start Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, I knew I couldn’t let her go without me! With the help of Sarahs’friends I was able to arrange a surprise leaving/engagement party and it was a great success.

After packing up, leaving my job and saying the final goodbyes we made the long drive west from Dallas to San Diego, passing through New Mexico and Arizona, some beautiful scenery, mountains, dessert – lots and lots of open space made for an enjoyable drive.

The Adventure Continues....

King Spa & Sauna

 

This is a wonderful place where you can relax and unwind in hot and cold pools, steam rooms and a range of different rooms. Admission is valid for 24 Hours! (We paid just $10!!) 

Open 24hrs, 7 days a week.  We arrived at 6pm and stayed till 2am. It would have been easy to stay all night there!!

To cleanse and Purify the body of toxins released in sauna treatments, King Spa has large private rooms for men and women to relax and soak. Each room features specially prepared soothing spa tubs and whirlpools containing natural herbs such as Jasmine. These pools soothe the body, while refreshing the skin following the detoxifying sauna treatment. The herbs also have an additional aromatic calming effect. King Spa's whirlpools and spa tubs for your preferences, ranging from hot, warm, to ice cold

-Bul Ga Ma

The Bul Ga Ma is built with elvan stones that release both far infrared rays and negative and positive ions. Blocks in the room are heated to 800°F 

-Ice Room

"Seo-Bing-Go" the ice room helps the body heal itself increasing blood circulation to flow to the cold areas of the body carrying away toxins. It also minimizes large skin pores. The King Ice Room feels as though you are in the North Pole. 

-Aroma room

The smell of the aroma calms and focuses one's mind, helps insomnia and migraine patients, and helps people with blood pressure problems. 

-Oxygen room

The Oxygen room is made from a special wood that releases a natural chemical called phytoncide. Phytoncide is actually an antimicrobial allelochemic volatile organic compound that prevents the growth of bacteria and fungus. 

-Yellow-Soil Crystal room

The Yellow Soil Crystal room is made with pure yellow soil and crystal. The wisdom of the East ancestors gives the room a deeper meaning. Using the yellow soil furnace, ancient ladies have discovered the heat from the furnace help prevent many illness. 

-Salt Room

This room is made of 350 million year old natural salt base rocks. Salt is a natural preservative and the heat and humidity from the sauna allows for the skin to be exposed the healing properties of the salt. These salt rocks contain minerals such as Natrium(Sodium), Calcium, Iron, and Zinc. 

Pyramid Room- The power of the pyramid has been discussed for thousands of years. According to history, the ancient Egyptians used the pyramid to channel energy to help prevent decay and purify the mind, body and soul. King has created a unique sauna that utilizes the channeling energy of the pyramid shape combined with gold, heat and other natural elements that according to users provide the ultimate in relaxation and healing energy. 

Fire Sudatorium

King Sauna's Fire Sudatorium is the world's largest and grandest sauna. The unique architectural shape intensifies the heat within the room. The sudatorium is made from rocks as described as living. The intense heat causes the body to secrete toxins and body waste so as to deeply purify the body. Aroma therapy is also used within the sudatorium. 
The aroma therapy enhances the additional healing effects of the sauna. 

This room was very hot!!! Very Sweaty

There's also a movie room with theatre style lazy boy chairs, and they play American movies and Korean movies. We watched the Goonies!! 

They had a Restaurant where we enjoyed some nice Korean food - a really unique and enjoyable experience.

4th of July & Wedding

On Saturday I went to a wedding, where Sarah was one of the maids of honor (and looked so beautiful!!) It was such a nice occasion, the ceremony was nice and the reception was outside and lots of fun!! Will upload more pictures when I get some.

The happy couple - Tyler & Daron, two amazing people who I have been lucky enough to get to know well during my time here, don't they just look great together!!

On the 3rd of July we went to Kaboom Town in Addision - Ranked #3 Fireworks Show in the US by AOL. The dazzling 30-minute fireworks show was choreographed to music. The Americans sure know how to celebrate!! 

On the 4th of July we went to watch the Texas Rangers for some Baseball, which was entertaining, to give you an example of how close our seats were - the person two rows in front of us actually got hit in the face with one of the players bats - it was crazy!! Then there was another awesome fireworks display after the game. 

A Fun Packed Weekend in Texas!!

Last week Sarah & I went on a road trip from Dallas to San Antonio.

We made a stop in Austin to see my friend Jorge, who went to school with me for 1 year while I was at Mount St Mary's. 

We caught up over a few beers outside, before being taken to an awesome taco truck called Turf N Surf Po’ Boy. Just look at this crazy place!!!

Who would have thought such an interesting and unique place could create such fantastic food, I honestly had the best Shrimp Tacos of my life here!

 

It was great to be back in Austin after a fun trip with the Blokes back home a couple of summers ago, Austin really is an amazing place, I'd recommend it to anyone!!

Then we went to Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort - Voted the World's Best Waterpark 10 Years in a Row! The main slide you can see here is called the Master Blaster - An Uphill Water Coaster

After a fun day in the water, we carried on South to San Antonio. I had be recommended to visit a Bar called La Tuna. 

This place had a great atmosphere. Live Music. Beer caps instead of rock pebbles on the ground. Cheap beers. A Diverse crowd. Beautiful oak trees. Great Burgers. Hot weather.

Then we went for an evening stroll at the Riverwalk. Wonderfully described here:

 'Millions of people visit the River Walk each year to enjoy this unusual urban sanctuary that winds along the San Antonio river in central San Antonio, one story below the bustling street level. The lush landscapes, quaint pathways, tinkling waterfalls, quiet pools, outdoor art and relaxing outdoor patios evoke the renowned public spaces of Europe.

And the final stop was at Six Flags Fiesta Texas!!  Doing all the roller-coasters was great fun, it had been years since my last visit to a theme park, so I really enjoyed the day.

Then back on the road for the drive home

Our Route - 300 Miles each way. Quite a Distance, but well worth it!!!

The English Elvis!

Shortly, the company I work for will be celebrating it’s 70^th year anniversary, so the advertising campaign that they will be doing will show the well-known yellow cup, in the hands of many of the famous characters the defined each of the decades of their existence.

And as you will see below – I played a very important role!!

I have been talking with the producers of a TV show called Troubador Texas for Sponsorship opportunities. Following the lives of Texas country musicians.

You can Visit the link here http://troubadourtx.com/

They have invited me to the last two events, the first was a small concert to around 50 guests in the studio to hear some of the shows performers, plus Michael Martin Murphey, a prominent musical voice for the Western horseman, rancher, and cowboy – known for the song ‘Wildfire’  and  in the Texas Country Music Hall Of Fame.

Last night the event was a live concert by 3 of Nashville’s most prolific songwriters, Bob DiPiero, Brett James & Tim Nichols. 

They told stories about the songs they wrote, what inspired them, and stories of working with some of the biggest stars of country music.

You should listen to some of my favorite songs they wrote:

She Only Smokes When She Drinks - Joe Nichols

Live Like You Were Dying – Tim McGraw

 Southern Voice - Tim McGraw

Blue Clear Sky-George Strait

Daddy's Money-Ricochet

Cowboy's Like Us-George Strait

Jesus, Take the Wheel - Carrie Underwood

"When the Sun Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker

Out Last Night - Kenny Chesney

Cowboy Casanova - Carrie Underwood

 If You Ever Stop Loving Me - Montgomery Gentry

The event was Catered by Lisa Garza - A reality TV Chef, with a southern theme. Including Fried Chicken, Black eyed peas, Jalapeno Cornbread and Grits. But somehow this simple southern food all had a gourmet touch to it. It was lovely, served with Mint Juleps & Arnold Palmer’s.

Here are just some of the desserts.

And Finally….

On Friday we went to a comedy club to see Screech from Saved by the Bell doing stand-up (Picture below to remind those not born in the 80’s/90’s) He was terrible, very crude and definatley trying to prove a point that he wasn’t the same geeky guy that we all knew him as on Saved by the Bell.

Lad on Tour!