Category: Friends

Luge it or Lose it! The New Mexico Chili fest…

Posted on by vballphil in Chili's, Friends, Fun

So, this past weekend I was able to attend the infamous Redondo Beach Chili Fest, at Sarah Straton’s house :)! Greg, her fabulous hubby, is from New Mexico and has those fabulous chili’s shipped west every year for this event. CAN WE SAY YUMMO!! And not only did we get our grub on, but we got to partake in the Luge events. Freaking classic! Yes, I am newbie at the luge! And I must say, whoever invented the ice luge…PROPS TO THEM! And, for the highlight on the luge that night we had someone do the green chili, vodka, jello shot luge…YUCK, but funny!! And let’s just the company did not suck!! Hahaha…From my fabulous HS friend, Michelle to the AVP’ers Marcia, Fitz, & Dave, to the Players (Sarah, Barb, The Holdren’s, The Nygaard’s) and everyone else who rocked (who doesn’t adore the Wachtfogel’s)!!

The Kid’s Jumpy thing…yep we were in there!!




The Luge Action










Vegas, Drama, and the fear of falling from the sky

Posted on by vballphil in AVP, Caesar's Palace, Friends, Las Vegas, Pool, volleyball


So I am a bit behind on my posts….and am working on updating!! :)! First up…VEGAS!!!

So the 2nd to last tournament this season was held in Vegas. The infamous God & Goddess Tournament held at Caesar’s Palace. It was more annoying then fun….BUT the intern Olympics and impromtu pool party was AWESOME!!

Onsite






Pool Party














Vegas Nightlife








And, let’s just say….SCARIEST PLANE RIDE EVER HOME…I truely thought I was on “that plane”. BUT enough said about that!!

Some more fun in the Big Apple….

Posted on by vballphil in AVP, Friends, NYC. fun

So on Sat of the Brooklyn AVP I had my friends, Kristen & Danny AND Cheri & Alex join us for the Men’s finals. After the match I FINALLY had a Nathan’s hotdog (and for mini sidenote, Gray’s Papaya, Papaya King, & Nathan’s hotdogs ALL rocked…but Nathan’s is my personal fave)! It was a bacon & cheese dog…YUMMO!!





That we headed to the Meatpacking district for some amazing Cuban food at Son Cubano. From there we headed to Level V (which was below the resturant Vento. GOOD TIMES!














After the women’s final, I was lucky enough to go to dinner with the May-Treanor crew…which is ALWAYS a good time!

Then it was off to home…and a weekend off!! Nice right?!

Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple!

Posted on by vballphil in Big Apple, Central Park, Cheri, Food Network, Friends, Fun, NYC

So before I start on my adventure in the lovely city of New York, I want to thank marvelous friends for letting me say with them! It was a well needed 36 hours of relaxation and good comapny! D & K you both rock….and I heart your baby!! My doggie nephew rules! 🙂





Now, lets get back to the day at hand…good times in the city! :)! My day started off with a train ride back to Penn Station at 5:40A…of course (Kris you will love this), being tired I hopped on the Hoboken train first and had to do my first transfer (with suitcases mind you) on the NJ transit! Hahaha! One stop later I was on the Penn Station bound train :). And from Penn Station I hoped back on the LIRR to Jamaica and on to the HGI JFK. When I arrived there my sis, Cheri, was waiting for me in the lobby. She took a redeye in from LB because she has a conference in the city. We got our room and crashed for a couple hours 🙂

Now our hotel is by JFK and no where by a subway line…so let’s just say that it is an adventure (with a lot of patience) to get to the subway!! Haha. You have to take the Airport shuttle to Federal Circle and hop on the Airtrain…which will take you to Jamaica or Howard Beach where you can grab the subway. Me and Cheri choose the Howard Beach route so we could start our adventure on the lower West side of the island.

We decided to head to Chelsea Market so that I could see where the Food network studios were. But before we went there Cheri had to make an appointment at Blow, a hairblow blowout place. Cheri SWEARS by it! CLASSIC RIGHT? After that the market was 2 blocks away. So we walked over and as we were walking (and I was talking on the phone at this time) we walked by Kristen Johnson (3rd Rock from the Sun) walked by us…Cheri totally nudged me and I only saw her back, but just started laughing! Classic right? So we entered Chelsea Market, a upscale market in the meatpaking district. So cute in there! Apparently, MLB, Oxygen network, & the Food Network have places in that building. So we walked around and grabbed something to eat. YUMMO!



From there we hopped back on the subway so we could check out the hotel/convention that Cheri was attending. It was in Times Square (which is one of the 2 places I need to visit everytime I am in NYC) at the Marriott Marquis. Such a beautiful hotel AND next to MTV…classic! We had to have fun in the elevator system…hehehee!

After we walked around there we headed to Rockefeller (the other place I need to see everytime I am in town). SO BEAUTIFUL! Winter or Summer! We kept moving towards 5th Ave..oh the shopping and money loss that can occur on that street! Hehehe! We kept walking north on 5th ave towards the marvelous Central Park. I had wanted to take a rowboat on one of the lakes (next to the Bethedsda Fountain…but it was misting….so it was a no go…:(. BUT we at least had a drink along the lake at the Boathouse Central Park.






We then met up with my Co-worker, Fitz, and Jobe (a Crocs employee) in the park and headed to dinner in the Upper East Side at Piu Piu (a Peruvian joint). YUMMO! After that we headed downtown to Union Square and hit the other Grey Dog for a drink and a cookie…hehehe!








After that we headed home on our long ride…wow…it was long too!! But a great day was had FOR SURE! Cheers to NYC!!

Meet Auggie Doggie!

Posted on by vballphil in Auggie, Deer, Friends, New York City

Let my mini vacation begin!! When I arrived at Kristen’s & Danny’s cottage I turned on the TV (food network baby) and rashed with my nephew doggie (Auggie)! So adorable. Then it was off to Thai for dinner with K & D…who knew Thai was in MADISON, NEW JERSEY!! Did I mention it was GOOD! 🙂






Then today I was able to head into the city today to grab some amazing coffee (my fave coffee shop in the US actually) at Grey Dog Coffee and then hoped back in the subway to the Westside….the Buttercup Bakery….YUMMO!! I was told in Boston from one of the girls helping me that this place was better then the Magnolia Bakery. When I walked out of the subway station I saw a Gray Papaya’s!! Another YUMMO!!

Last but not least today, as I walking home I literally was intersected by 4 (yes 4) deer!! Talk about shocked!! Of course it was raining and my camera was way hidden in my purse…so I was only able to get one deer in the pic…mind you this was in a neighborhood too!! AMAZING!!

And let me mention the burger bar that we had tonight….GOURMET!!

Now it is off to Manhattan for the day tomorrow with Cheri….gotta be CRAZY!

Beantown Baby!!!

Posted on by vballphil in AVP, Boston, Friends, volleyball

So this past weekend I was FINALLY able to head to Boston! This is one of the few cities in America that I have not been able to travel too…but THAT IS NO MORE! And beantown did not disappoint! Of course we did have a job to do…but this might have been the best tournament of the year! SCARY!!

The night we arrived we headed to downtown on the T (there was a stop outside our hotel) to grab some dinner at the infamous CHEERS! Now, because of the sucess there are 2 cheers…the real and the set restaurant. Well, I made it to the set Cheers…but it is the thought that counts right!!! Hehehe!


The second night there was a major downer (which I really don’t want to talk about)….but Al & Denise saved the day by taking me & Carly out to eat and siteseeing! First of all, we ate at Legal’s (known for the Clam Chowder served at the last 7 inaugurations). Then it was off to site see! We drove through MIT’s campus (IT WAS HUGE….WHO KNEW?), then Harvard’s many campus’, Northeastern, Boston University, Fenway Park, etc….so amazing.

The tournament, like I said, ran pretty smooth, which rocked. But the coolest parts of the tournament were the boardwalk behind the site (so beautiful) and Dani coming with her new college team (she is a freshman at BC). I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT SHE IS A COLLEGE FRESHMAN! Sary that I coached her 3 years ago!!






After the tournament I headed back downtown and walked around. And I finally got to see the Boston Harbor! SO BEAUTIFUL! And I must say, I totally get the Nautica lifestyle! After 3 hours of wondering and sitting in the harbor I met up with my co-worker, Fitz for dinner…good times :)!










Now, I am in relaxing in Madison, New Jersey. Kristen (my HS bestie) and her hubby, Danny, live here with their adorable dog, Auggie (Doggie)…then it is off to the city…the best city in the world! NYC!

The Grand Slam of Beach Vball

Posted on by vballphil in AVP, Friends, Manhattan Beach, volleyball

So the Manhattan Beach AVP stop came and went this past weekend. This tournament is ultimately the biggest and most profiled beach tournament in the country…and the hardest tournament to get volunteers too!! So, Thurs night, I was a little bit nervous about numbers!! But, like my clinic on Thurs night, I was pleasantly surprised! Numbers were AWESOME!!

One highlight of the weekend was the Hilton party on Friday night at Shade. I came straight from the beach, but still made it this year!! Love my Hilton/PR peeps!! This weekend was also Misty’s surprise 30th bday bbq. I was glad that I was able to make it with all of her extended family! But one of my fave memories (and one of the top throughout the season…maybe right behind eating dinner in charleston) was sitting at the table with the 2 best setters of all time (MMT & Debbie Green-Vargas, who is one of the sweetest people I know) and Troy Tanner! :).

Off to Boston this weekend…followed by NYC baby!! CAN’T WAIT!

The Windy City….2007

Posted on by vballphil in AVP, Chicago, Duffy's, Friends, North Ave Beach

So the AVP traveled to Chitown this past weekend for the annual stop on North Ave Beach. And the Windy city was AWESOME! From the weather (for the most part), to the fans (with out the big stars in town), to the volunteer crew (over 300 people), to the Hilton Clinic (with 3 out of the 4 players who played in the women’s match on Sunday), and to the nightlife…things were pretty darn good!! Here are some photos from the weekend….

Our site on North Ave Beach







Nightlife (Duffy’s Sat night)












Galaxy vs. Chivas….

Posted on by vballphil in Chivas, Friends, Galaxy, Soccer

So I was lucky enough to be in town the weekend Chivas was playing the Galaxy for the Superliga match up! Chivas is an amazing futbol club out of Mexico and is always a blast to see! The game was held at the LA Coliseum (which by the way is no Home Depot Center) this past Saturday. Meg, Austin, and me were even luckier to sit in the VIP area in the stadium :)!

Despite the Chivas win (2-1), it was a good game to watch overall…not a blowout and there was no clearcut domination, which is always a plus! Of course most people could care less about which teams were playing, but rather if Beckham was playing. Of course he didn’t due to an injury, but I did see him from a distance! Hahaha! Believe me, I think he is good looking BUT I REALLY wanted to see him in action out there with Landon!! Looks like I will have to go to another Galaxy game in the future…hehehe!







LBC ya

Posted on by vballphil in AVP, Family, Friends, Long Beach, volleyball

So last week’s AVP stop in Long Beach was actually pretty decent. One, staying at home rocked and two, IT IS MY HOME TOWN!! The site where we were located ROCKED too! Every view was amazing and the weather was amazing! What more could you ask for? Oh…the vball rocked too!! Here are some pics from the weekend….











Here are two shots off of Ken Delgado’s site…hehehe


My friend Julie. who came into town with her friend Brittany, ended up staying with me through this past Wed. So, I ended taking her to BNB, South Coast Plaza, and to a bonfire with my sister’s youth group! Hehehe!