For Future Posts...
I will be referring photos to my Flickr page.
Here are some photos of us and friends in Seattle at the NYE party!

www.flickr.com/photos/fruitbat820/sets/72157612123531202/detail/


It was a great party and a fun time was had by all. We even had a "funeral" for 2008 where everyone wrote down something bad that happened during the year and we put it in a coffin. Once the clock struck midnight, we flung the coffin in the fireplace and set it on fire! It was a nice way to end all the bad things that have happened to friends and family in the great CF that was 2008. Here's hoping 2009 will really be fine!

We have not been back to the East Coast since October 2004 so we took a trip back to Virginia this March to see family and my best friend get married. It was quite a trip. The second we got back to Virginia I came down with a raging sinus infection and lost my voice. Thankfully I wasn't feverish for most of the time and got to enjoy quite a lot of the trip. We arrived on Easter Sunday and since the flight was long and hard, Jesse's mom Maryland decided we would do Easter on Monday. I was happy we could be there to share the time with them. After resting and wakng up Monday morning/afternoon, we got to hang out in the kitchen while moms cooked and Jesse and I colored eggs. Here is Jesse and mom:
 

Coloring Eggs:


and the obligatory self portrait I am known for:



Monday night the rest of the family came over for dinner and to spend some time together. It was great seeing Allison and her husband Richie, as well as Stasz but unfortunately Nick was working in New York so we didn't get to see him.  We had quite a time figuring out the timer on my digital camera but Stasz helped to decipher it and we were all able to be in this shot:


Mom made Turkey and Lamb for dinner seen here:


Then German chocolate cake and Lemon Meringue Pie for dessert:


We had more time for photos while dinner was cleaned up and we goofed around a bit in the kitchen as seen by Jesse with his sis and mom:


Stasz and Jesse:


Allison and Jesse:


Dad, Stasz, Richie, and Jesse in the kitchen:


Allison and Richie:


Jesse getting a head rub from dad:


Since Jesse's mom was off work Tuesday, we decided to take a jaunt down to the oceanfront since we have not been there in several years and I had caught wind of a new piece of art I was dying to see. A 34 foot bronze statue of King Neptune had been commissioned and sculpted for Virginia Beach in honor of the annual Neptune Festival so OF COURSE I had to see it and take lots of pictures. I also wanted to capture some local scenery and whatnot so we set out to the Beach and wandered around for a couple hours. 
Here's the King (tm):


This statue is massive and you can see it almost all the way down the boardwalk. I was totally enchanted with it and took several photos. It was pretty massive so here's one of us next to it for the scale:








Neptune has his buddy Sheldon the Sea Turtle, Leggy the Octopus, and Snappy the Lobster around him with two dolphins discreetly hiding his bronze gluts on the back side of the statue. Virginia is very conservative so there will be no nekkid statue ass on the oceanfront, no matter how artsy it is. Heh. 
Along the way down The Strip (tm) as it's called, we came across some "no profanity" signs. Jesse lovingly referred to them as the "no shit" signs. Virginia Beach wants to be very family friendly so you will get a ticket if you get caught dropping an "F Bomb" or some other colorful profanity. Hilarious, indeed.


Now here's the sign to explain the symbols for those not-so-informed tourists:


Ahem. So anyway, we continued to walk around the beach and I caught snapshots of the resort and then we returned back home. We got to see a couple good friends like Laura seen here with me:


and her daughter Layton who is now 12 going on 40:


I remember when Layton was born. Talk about making me feel old. 
We also got to see Jesse's best friend Brian and his wife Lauren. It was great catching up on old times.


Tuesday night Mom, Jesse, and I picked up Stasz in Ghent where he lives and went to dinner at Fellini's on Colley Ave. I had forgotten how great that place was. Damn I miss it!

Mom and the boys:


Since Wednesday was a bit of a free day I had a chance to get my "hurr did" and got a cut and color at the mall. By this time the sinus infection was in full swing, but the weather was nice. Here again is the obligatory self portrait:


I got the back dyed dark brown and had high-contrast platinum bangs on the front. It's a throwback skater/surf cut and I love it. 


We finally got to see my girl Debi and she's the one who was getting married so we went to see her and meet her children; Andy and Naomi:


Here's me and Deb:


The next day was the wedding rehearsal at the Fred Heutte Center in Botetourt Gardens in Ghent. From left to right it's Jeff the Best Man, Jesse, Debi's mom Linda, Deb's husband Jorge, Deb, and her dad Jim. The weather was nice but the trees were spewing yellow pollen which did nothing for my sinuses.



Friday arrived much sooner than we expected and Debi and I had an appointment for a massage in the morning. We drove to Downtown Norfolk, got massaged and scrubbed, and then went back to Va Beach to prepare for the wedding. We then drove back to Norfolk to the Fred Heutte Center and started getting dressed for the wedding. This is the end of update for the first post. I will continue with the second post soon. Hope you have enjoyed so far!

Welcome to the first edition of Northwest Noga! This is a public blog for the family and friends of the Nortwesterners Jesse and Julie. Since moving to Washington from Virginia in late 2001, we have always wanted to show our friends and families what life is like in the Pacific Northwest. We love it and think you should too...so here's the place to see it! I will update photos and stories of our adventures and welcome you to join. Thanks and we hope you like it!