How Sweet It Is

I work from home on Fridays so it's no surprise that I get pages from my boss to call her or what's a number she can call me. So nonchalantly I replied and paged her with my cellphone number. I was assuming that she needed to talk to me regarding a project that I just got an email from five minutes ago. Thirty minutes after she called me back and asked me If I was sitting.I can sense excitement in her voice and It got me so curious...she joyfully told me that I got the promotion!!! Wow,wow and wow! We've had several discussions on this promotion but it still caught me off guard that it is finally here. The corporate world is weird and with our company going thru a merger(or acquisition), I wasn't expecting that much. I am really not one to focus on promotion, my mantra is to always be the best in what I do but it sure is nice to be recognized for your hard work. It's like putting cherry on top of a treat!

I'm looking forward to this opportunity. I'll still be doing some traveling but not as much. I'm looking forward to being in town and spending more time with everybody. Thank you all for being supportive of me in my career. Thank you Ed for being so patient and understanding of my gruelling travel schedules. You encourage me to stay motivated and to be focus on what I do. You never gave me a hard time for not being at home and I really appreciate it.

To my family and friends, I am thankful for your love and support. I appreciate all of your efforts to accommodate my schedule when planning get togethers.

Happy Birthday Heather!!!

Last Saturday we we went to Food 101 at Virginia Highland to celebrate Heather's birthday The food was delish and it was the perfect ambience for an intimate get together.
Heather is my "unexpected" gal friend. I discovered a gracious and kind, easy-going yet passionate, fun and devoted friend. She's just one cool chicka! Click HERE for more pictures.

Darren's "Striking" Birthday Party

For Darren's 30th Birthday, his lovely wife Heather planned a fun Bowling Bash. Here's Darren with 30 candles and his uber cool Hot Wheels Birthday cake. Happy Birthday Darren!!! Ed and I are looking forward to celebrating more birthdays with you guys.

In addition to bowling, there were some dancing too....

Here are the Holzapfel dancing to J Timberlake's "My Love"


Darren didn't want to share the limelight and had to show off his own moves:)

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Omayra's Birthday Bash

Last Friday, we went to Brio to celebrate Omayra's Bday. It was intented to be a surprise but the Birthday girl had her suspicion. As Ed explained to me...if you try to do a "surprise" birthday party every year, at one point it's not a surprise anymore. Oh well, we still had a blast and had a wonderful time celebrating a loyal friend and a great mother. I'm so honored to have a friend like you Omayra!

The next day Wynell, Luis and I gave the birthday gal company to a hike. Luis took a snapshot of the girls goofing around!

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Day 4:London Trip

It was raining the morning of our 4th day in London but that did not stop us to discover the Tower of London. The Tower of London is by far one of the most famous and well preserved historical buildings in the world. The Tower's primary function was as a fortress, a royal palace and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners (such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" meaning "imprisoned". It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, a mint, a public records office, an observatory, and—since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Photo op with a Yeoman Warders or commonly known as Beefeaters.Next to the Tower of London is the Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognisable bridges in the World.After a long walk, a bunch of stairs and bridges, we finally reached Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The Globe Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare worked and for which he wrote many of his greatest plays.We welcomed the New Years by having a nice New Years eve dinner at a charming Italian restaurant.

We had a couple more drinks at our hotel lobby where Mike had some photo op with Aidy Boothroyd, Team Manager of Watford FC.
Then at midnight, we joined over 150,000 people to watch the spectacular fireworks display fired from the British Airways London Eye to welcome 2007.

Click here for more pictures from Day 4. That's all folks. Hope you enjoy the summary of our trip!

Day 3:London Trip

We got up early to ensure a good spot for the famous Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. I highly recommed reading Fodor's Travel book. They give you tips on when and what spot would be the best for major events. Some pictures from changing of the guard.Here's a video of the changing of the guard.

We also had a great photo op with one of the guardsman at St. James Palace.

Taking a leisure walk at St. James Park We came to London to visit the Queen:) at Buckingham PalaceWe strolled to the streets of London and the Royal Academy of Arts was hosting an exhibit for Rodin---sculptor famous for The Thinker and The Gates of Hell.
The group split up to explore individual interests and a breather from each other:) Denny & Kara went to Kings Cross Station-This rail station is home to the magical "Platform 9 3/4," where the young wizards and witches from Harry Potter board the Hogwarts Express.
Ed and I went to see the Marble Arch.Mike had the opportunity to score some tickets to the soldout Chelsea Fulham game. What a treat for him. Here are some pics and video from the game.

London is famous for it's plays. We head to Leicester Square for dinner and play.
Ed enjoying his Bailey's milkshake at Ed's Easy Diner. We saw The Mousetrap at St. Martin's Theatre. The Mousetrap is the longest running play in the history of Britain.

Click here for more pics from the day. For Day 4 click here.

Day 2: London Trip

After some some much needed rest and a wonderful "free" hot breakfast at our hotel, we were ready to embark on day 2 of our journey. So off we took the tube to Westminster and we were greeted by a big clock at the exit(or "way out" according to the Britts).

Big Ben/Parliament

Across the bridge and on the banks Thames River, you'll catch a glimpse of the London Eye-the world's tallest observation wheel.To avoid the crowds, we arrived at the Westminster Abbey early. We were first in line and were able to enjoy parts of the abbey in relative calm before the mad rush of tourists. A monument to the rich and often bloody and scandalous history of Great Britain, Westminster Abbey rises as one of the most iconic sites in London. Kings to composers to wordsmiths, are buried in the abbey. It has been the scene of 14 royal weddings and no less than 38 coronations.
Downing Street. Looking like an assuming street but barred in iron gates and armed guards it is the location of No. 10. House of the Prime Minister, London's modest version of the White House.
Time for lunch...but of course we had fish and chips at a Pub.

Across the street from the pub was Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.

We hop back to the tube and headed to Piccadilly Circus----the Times Square of London.After the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly, we opted to go to St. Paul---the spiritual heart of London where people and events are celebrated,mourned and honoured.
We hiked to the top of the dome---530 steps.

And we were rewarded with this spectacular view of the city.

It gets dark early(around 4:30 PM) during winter at London so we saved indoor activities such as musuems for the end of the days. If there's one place where the history of London is sorted out, right from 450,000 BC to the present day, it's the Musuem of London.

To conclude the night, we hang out at an Irish pub called O'nealls. The food was delish and the guys enjoyed their shots of carbombs.

As you can see, we've had quite a busy day. Click here for more pictures and stay tune for our day 3 and day 4 journey.

Back from London & Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's finally 2007 and we were so fortunate enough to ring in the New Year at the beautiful city of London. I am not one for "resolutions" per say, because they never seem to stick, but I do like setting and accomplishing goals. I wish everyone all the best in 2007 and I hope you won't let anyone stand in the way to accomplishing your goals. Cheers!

Back to our trip, It was a first to London for both Ed & I. We were joined by our good friends Denny, Kara & Mike. They are all fun people and are always in a great mood and ready to go---which makes a group trip manageable and absolutely fun. Denny, Kara & Mike---thanks for sharing a wonderful trip with us. We will always remember the good times we had on this trip.

Day 1:

Here we are at ATL Hartsfield airport all ready for London.

We finally made it to London. We quickly adapted to the subway system...or the "tube" as it's called.All freshen up and enjoying our room at Marriott Kensington.Kara & I at Sherlock Holmes Museum. 221B Baker St. London England---the world's most famous address.Harrods ---the world's most famous department store. They were having their annual big sale so it was madness inside the store. Inspite of the 50% off offers, I still can't justify shelling out pounds (or quids) to their overpriced items. I'm sticking to my everbeloved Nordstroms:)

Click here for more pictures from Day 1. For Day 2 click here.