Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Cali Adventures with Dave & Karen

Our Cali Adventures with Dave & Karen!
Click here for more Cali Pics with Dave & Karen!
Fantastic times with friends, gorgeous weather, beautiful trips - we went wine tasting in Napa, cozied up by fireplaces in Big Sur and thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend!


JC in Artesa!
Wine Country and the perfect day - purple teeth and perfect pino's. Ahhhh, it was a grand time! Quote 'o the Day, "This has got to be the classiest thing I've ever done!"

Opus One
Where the views were gorgeous and wines were outrageous...ly priced! Alas, we still enjoyed the spectacular valley and vineyards. So gorgeous!
Dave & Karen in Napa
This was Dave & Karen's first time to Cali. they didn't know what to expect for Napa...so it was a nice day full of surprises.

Enjoyin' the View
So many sights to take in! We spent all day Saturday up in Napa.

Mondavi Strolls
Robert Mondavi Vineyard - it was jammin' inside!

JC in Silverado
Our first stop was Silverado - Love this place!

Highway 1, Big Sur
The clearest day I think we've seen up there. It was truly a sight to see!

By Bixby Bridge, Big Sur
Across Rainbow Canyon...
Enjoyin' More Views
Driving up through the Monterrey Penninsula and through Carmel...right down to Highway 1...
All Together amoung the Redwoods
To note - bare feet, yes folks there is a story! We were talking a "light walk / hike"; turns out several of the bypass bridges were down so we had to take the sheer cliff mile high roads...and turns out the cutesy shoes I was wearing (of course) couldn't handle the sheer 90% cliffs & hills our tour guide took us on! Lol! Off came the shoes! No long term pain - just a few good laughs!

Secret Beach
This is the beach we accidentally stumbled across on one of our first trips to Big Sur...it is about a 2-3 mile drive down to the shore, over a low-rise riverbed and into the park...Sheer rocky cliffs, jagged plateaus, purple sands, miles and miles of secluded shoreline unlike no other. It is quite amazing.
The fellas with vino on Secret Beach Gorgeous sunset we enjoyed with a bottle of Napa.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

We miss our family

Sept-2005 Mom & Dade-o in Cali


"...for you have a very special place in my heart..." Philippians 1:7

We are thinking about you all the time! We really miss our family! We are so thankful to have you in our life and to be able to share such unforgettable times together.

Carly & Matt
A little note to my sista - Carly, I love you so much and miss you! I really admire all your hard work and the brilliant person you are! I love you!

Bates Family ~ 2006, New Year's Eve

Roger, Leanne, Cody & Cole ~ Get ready for another round of magic card tricks, Texas Hold 'em, long talks and warmer weather moments together. :-) Man, we miss you!!

Connor & Betty

Betty, we can't wait for you and Mike's visit in March! It sure makes goodbyes easier! We will have a fantastic time together! Can't wait! Miss you!

Cody & Cole
Love our brothaz! Stay cool! Steer clear of a full-bellied Tyko for me! :-O
Cody - congrats on the snow machine! Have fun! Good luck you 2 in Fargo!

Dade-o & me

Daddy, I miss you! You are so important to me, and I love you! Mom, I think about you all the time and always ponder on all the advice and bible verses you have given me. God has truly blessed me with you as my mother! I love you guys SO much!

Affiliate Summit, Vegas

Chocolate Party

Affiliate Summit, January 8-11, 2006, was a total blast and a huge success! My birthday brought good luck in roulette - at midnight on the 9th, we won $100 bucks on 26! It is sure to be a good year! :):)
A.S. was our second affiliate-specific tradeshow (previously, we have been geared toward merchant-centric shows). Our Network is rapidly growing and I am excited about ramping up our affiliate recruitment efforts.

We attended a fantastic party the last night we were there—a dazzling and decadent chocolate party! It was something to see! The event was super fancy with the finest display of to-die-for chocolates. There was a live band and bustling crowd. At the party, Choots, my boss, and I were again able to connect with a guy from a very large, well-established company - this would be a huge potential merchant for our company. This was a great way to end the show.

The show’s a wrap, but we feel confident that we made an impact with several important companies and have set ourselves up for strong follow-up and potential relationships. As with many of the shows, we also feel as though we’ve made a ripple in the industry. Now, it’s our hard work that will see this through. Go LinkConnector!

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Christmas in Canada 2005

More Christmas Photos


Blazing bonfires, long talks, ice fishing, ice hockey and curling, board games & poker, cocktails & chocolate! Thanks for a fantastic time! We love you!



Smokin'! Handsome brothaz!


Connor, Cody & Cole



Unforgettable moments! We love you all so much!


Connor and Mom


"Laughter is the closest distance between two people."-- Victor Borge


Sweet Leanne



"Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused."-- Unknown



"My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions, but in the fewness of my wants." – J. Brotherton


New Year's Eve Bonfire

Connor & Jackie in Manitoba



Us, all cozied up in Beausejour, Manitoba. Christmas 2005 - Good times!

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Frankie


Frankie's super secret attack!
More Frankster photos

Livin' it up in Cali

My parent's visit - September 2005 :-)

Big Sur

New Blog

We just got back from a fantastic Christmas in snowy Candada! It was SO wonderful! Photos soon and a full blog update...just trying the blog thing now. I think this will be a great way for us to keep in touch with our family and friends! So thankful for you all!