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February 21, 2008
Hmm, haven't done a lot of updating in the past year. Well, for starters, I got married on July 7th, 2007 to Dan. The wedding was beautiful, the weather was perfect (if maybe a little hot), the food delicious, entertainment pumping (that phrase looks silly in writing), and friends and family all around. To see photos, check out our wedding website. It has everything: www.kamalandaniel.com.

We have enjoyed two honeymoons since then. The first was to Oahu, Hawaii (to complete Dan's goal of seeing all 50 states before travelling overseas). The second was to New Zealand for Valentine's Day (and the week surrounding it). The photos are on my picasa page, but here is a video of one of my adventures in Queenstown (the Adventure Capital of the World).

I LOVED New Zealand, and think it might be tied with Egypt for Top Destination. (The two places are so different it is really hard to compare them.) If you're into ancient history (that is facinating even if you don't like history), Egypt wins, as long as you take a Nile cruise. New Zealand has minimal history, but is the most beautiful, geographically diverse country in the world, with easily the nicest people. Speaking of which, here are two we ran into in Wellington.

From Left: Brett McKenzie, Dan, Kamala, Jermaine Clement.

For those who don't get HBO, Brett and Jermaine are the Grammy-winning duo, Flight of the Conchords, who have a hit comedy show by the same name. Funny that in the States, I've met famous people, but it has always been at public events. We saw Brett and Jermaine walking down the street. How random! They were very nice, genuine, and the highlight of our day in Wellington.

One last note, while I haven't posted Halloween photos on the Halloween page (those are also on my Picasa page), I have added the 2007 costumes to the Compare Costumes page so you can see how awesome the Blades of Glory costumes turned out. (Not pictured, but the icing on the costume cake: Heelys©.)

May 15, 2007
Life has been so busy since last October. Any web work I have done has been on the Virginia Job's Daughters website, www.jdiva.org or our wedding website, www.kamalandaniel.com. I thought I should at least check in and let you know to check those websites if you'd like to see what I've been up to.

About Me: It was time to update some of my favorites and my photo.

Pictures: I've finally posted a link to where all my pictures from the past year have been hosted.

Résumé: I've update this somewhat. My latest résumé is available for viewing, and I've added a couple portfolio pieces.

Links: No one needs to see my links, but it was time to scrap 95% of the page, since most of the links don't work anymore.

October 18, 2006
More updates in my life (not necessarily to the website). I got back from my Oktoberfest and Egypt adventures a week and a half ago, and wish I were still there. Oktoberfest was loads of fun, but Egypt is now at the top of my "You must go there" recommendation list of places to see (#2 is Austria). I hope to start posting my travelogue of my adventures soon, much like I did for my European Discovery adventure.

Here are a few pictures from my trip. Clockwise from upper left: Oktoberfest at night; Schloss Neuschwanstein; cheesy tourist photo in front of the Step Pyramid in Memphis, Egypt; Abu Simbel, the coolest, most awesome Egyptian landmark I saw.

Perhaps the bigger news is that on July 7th, Dan proposed, and we are planning to be married next July (7/7/07). The wedding will be loads of fun hopefully, and when we finally put our wedding info website up (which should happen in the next month), I'll put the URL here as well. Here's a picture of Dan and myself aboard the Odyssey (the site of our upcoming nuptials).

Due to the wedding planning and my desire to work on the Oktoberfest/Egypt travelogue and scrapbook, I have decided not to go all out with Halloween this year. It was a tough decision, but Dan reminded me that the reason I go all out for Halloween is because of all the fun I have. If it isn't fun anymore, I shouldn't do it. He is a wise man. I'm sure it would be fun on Halloween, but staying up night after night to work on the costumes would not be fun. Additionally, Dan will be having surgery next week, so he won't be able to join us (when a costume requires three people and only two show up, it doesn't work that well).

June 7, 2006
I know, I know, it's been ages. Quick updates since people are complaining that I never update this anymore. It's amazing since I didn't think anyone else actually read this page, but since they do, I should try and keep it updated.

Update #1
The Contiki European Discovery section is done. Finally. It took ages, and I took a few months off, but I finished it, and that's what counts. If you've got eons to waste and want to read about my adventures across Europe, check out the section.

Update #2
The kitchen is 98% done, and has remained that way since December. Our next project is the deck and backyard, but we cannot start that until the kitchen is finished. Maybe that will motivate Dan to put down the baseboards and trim. I should probably post the 98% done photos...

Update #3
I started a new job in March working as a graphic artist for Northrop Grumman. IDSI (my former employer) was going through major cutbacks, and even though I had avoided the axe for over a year, I ran out of work (so did about six other people). For a company that had no more than 100 employees at it peak, these were pretty major cuts. But not to worry, I took some time off before making my next move. I went to visit Lecia (college roommate) in Boulder, Colorado spontaneously. I worked for Dan's company for a few weeks helping with some of their graphic needs on proposals. Then I went back to Colorado with Dan, and we met up with Lecia, Mikki and Peter (Peter is originally from Colorado Springs) to go skiing at Keystone. Sadly east coast skiing can't compare with Rocky Mountain skiing. I guess I'll either have to move out there, or visit more frequently. We even looked at real estate. It's a very pretty affordable area. We shall see..
When I got back I started my new permanent job at Northrop Grumman, and am very happy with the new younger atmosphere, and the people are awesome. I forgot what it was like to work with people my age while I was at IDSI. Almost everyone there either had kids or was at least 50, so things like happy hours were nonexistant.

Update #4
I am taking another big trip this fall. The plan is to go to Munich with my friend Christi for a few days during Oktoberfest, then fly down to Cairo for Contiki's "Egypt and the Nile" tour. I'll be gone for 13 days total, and am very excited about the whole thing. I even put together a silly Munich collage for you to laugh at. Clockwise from top left: map of Germany with the "secret" capital of Munich marked, Neuschwanstein Castle (which is on my must-see itenerary), a picture of me at the Hopfbrauhaus in Munich last spring after drinking two ginormous steins of beer, and a photo of Oktoberfest at night, compliments of Munich's Tourism website. (continued below pictures)

Update #5
I got a new car! OK, I traded in my 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R for a slightly older Mercedes Benz SLK 230 Kompressor hardtop convertible. The Sentra had 45K miles, and the SLK had 33K, and since it was used, it was actually a very reasonably priced car. And boy is it fun to drive!
I even survived my first accident (two weeks after I got the car!). A Chevy Avalanche backed up and *CRUNCH*, I had to replace the hood, grill, and bumper. All's good, but the moral of the story is Geico (his insurance) is cheap and will only pay for the crappiest of cars for your rental. Did you know that Pontiac still makes cars that lack ALL standard creature comforts (no power locks or windows on a 2005 Sunfire)? If you're eligible, go with USAA. They rock!

Update #6
"Death by MySpace," as Zeeni says. I will admit that MySpace is partly to blame for my lack of updates here. It's a good tool to catch up with people, but it has its limitations. There is no limit to how many pictures I post on my (this) website or what I want to say about myself (why does anyone care who my heroes are anyway?). And there's a decent amount of history here (dating all the way back to 2001), whereas MySpace is limited.

OK, I think that is enough major updates for now. Ciao!

To read past Welcome page entries, click here.

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