Life of JOKO

Holy Crap

2008-11-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

This past week was the week from hell. It was the beginning of a normal work week. I was working hard all morning trying to make sales. Like clock work I went out to lunch with my good friend and boss Jerry. We spent our lunch break talking shop and how to make things better for the company. Everything was normal until 3:30 pm hit. The owner of the company walked into Jerry's office and fired him right on the spot. There was a lot of crying and screaming but it wasn't coming from Jerry, it was coming from the owner. About a half our later the owner walks into my office and tells me that he is reorganizing the company and wants me to be the person who oversees everything. I was blown away. I couldn't even udder a word. How can you fire Jerry? He is a really good man. Nothing made sense to me for the rest of the day. That night I didn't sleep a wink. I couldn't believe what just happened. I have always wanted the managers position, I've know that I could do a way better job than Jerry, but I never wanted to get the job if it meant hurting Jerry. After all he is my friend.

Tuesday came around and I met with the owner of the company for an early breakfast and he basically gave me my job description and told me to make good things happen. I was very tired, sad and excited all at the same time. I wasn't sure where to start or even what to do. I have only done sales for this company and now I have to manage it. Tuesday was a day that started with a meeting and ended with about six other meetings. I really didn't get anything done.

Wednesday through Friday I found myself only getting a few hours of sleep each night. Which made going into a new position even harder. Eventually I started to find my way around the company. Everyone welcomed me with open arms and they were all excited that I was managing. I put together a to-do list of about ten pages long and I am happy to say that after my first week as manager I got through my first half page. Holy crap there is so much to do.

I am very excited about the opportunity and I hope I am able to live up to the expectations of the owner of the company. He has set the bar very high for me. But, without a doubt I know I am up for the challenge.

Busy Little Bees

2008-11-17T10:36:00.001-08:00

Kristin and I are starting the whole process of getting ready for Olivia. This past week and weekend we started painting the walls, trim, and doors. I even added a chair rail around the room to make it more festive. We have been shopping all over town for nursery furniture and we finally decided on a set. We purchased everything last night and it should be delivered within a week. We also started our baby registry and let me tell you, we have no idea what we are doing. There is some much crap out there that you can buy. What do we need? What don't we need? Who knows? What happened to the good old days when you just had a baby and figured it out as you went. Now a days you have to have all this stuff. It blows my mind.

Halloween Party

2008-11-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

Well we put together our first Halloween party here in Phoenix. Halloween is not that big of a deal out here. We didn't get a lot of kids trick or treating and no one really throws parties. It is strange for us because in Ohio there were hundreds of kids out Halloween night and everyone has a party.

Anyways, we did the house up old school with all the lights and decorations. We invited everyone we knew and hoped for the best. We had a ton of food and even more beer. My friend brought over his Rock Band video game for everyone to rock out on. We had corn hole in the side yard and in big camp fire in the back. We even had a best costume contest for the best costume. Our turn out was pretty good and everyone had a great time. Kristin was a cute candy corn witch and I was Lt. Dangle from the show Reno 911. Being Kristin is pregnant she felt out of place not having any beer in hand all night so we bought her a six pack of Nonalcoholic St. Pauly's Girl. Rock and Roll.

Needless to say our house was a disaster the next morning. We hired two cleaning ladies to come out to get the house ready for the Mom and Dad Pallotta to come out for a visit the very next day.

It has been decided

2008-11-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Wasting no time at all, as if Kristin and I ever do, we have decided on a name for our soon to be little girl. It took careful consideration and many hours of research to come up with the perfect name... who are we kidding? It didn't take much thought at all. So without further delay our daughters name will be Olivia Maria Oravec. Kristin already has a nick name pick out. She will be calling her either Liv or Livy. Awesome.

It's a girl !!!!!

2008-10-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

It is official. We are having a little girl. If you want to see some amazing video please click the link below. This is only a small clip of the entire video but it's the part where my heart starts racing. The baby is healthy and everything is where it is supposed to be at this time. She weighs a little more than a half a pound and is about eight inches long. We are so excited. Kristin just knew she was having a girl. She is so smart. We will keep you posted as things move along.

http://vidego.multicastmedia.com/player.php?p=m5r7ax0w

18 weeks

2008-10-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Kristin has begun to show. 18 weeks in and looking as beautiful as ever. We will be finding out the sex of the baby this Thursday. We will keep everyone posted.

Cowboy Up'

2008-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Two of my friends and I were entered into a contest called "cowboy up" this past Sunday. It is kind of like a fear factor challenge. It was held at a local city festival and there were only ten contestants. The top three people get paid. I am thinking to myself that I can handle anything so why not. Free money! My friends and I agreed that we would split the money three ways no matter who wins. Now my chances are even better to win money. It's like stealing candy from a baby. So I thought...

There were three events to eliminate the contestants. The first round started with a race of some sorts. It was a timed event to see who can dress up in a stupid cowboy outfit and race back and forth inside this fenced in area. Only the top five went to the next round. I came in forth, my friend Justin came in second and Matt did not make it to the next round.

The second round was bull riding. Who can stay on the longest. We had to draw numbers to see who went first and guess who picked number one...? You guessed it. I have never ridden a mechanical bull before. I was really nervous. Anyways, I bet you'll never guess what place I finished on this event... If you said first place you are so smart. I lasted longer than anyone else. Justin came in third place. The top three moved on to the next round. Justin and I are really excited at this point because we are heading into the money round.

Third round comes and it was the eating portion. Again we draw numbers to see who goes first. Justin draws two and I draw three so we get to watch this other guy go first. The people running this thing should be shot. The blend together worms, pigs feet, pork and bean, hot peppers, marshmallows, crickets, olive oil, vinegar and hot salsa together into a shake. Then they placed a bull's testicle (sack included) on a plate and finally you had to finish with a shot of cod liver oil. The object was to consume the shake, the bull's balls and the shot in the fastest time. Justin and I sat back and watched this guy pound his way through this disgusting food. In the mean time we tried to come up with an attack plan to beat this guy. This crazy sicko guy finished in a little over three minutes. Next up was Justin. He sat down and started eating the bull's testicles and he started gaging. He took a sip of the sludge and began to gag even harder. In about one minute he had thrown up the nasty crap he had just consumed.

Now it was my turn. I sat down and looked at the giant bull testicle and smelled the sludge drink and said to myself "I can do this". I took the drink and decided I was just going to pound it down like a beer. The clock started and I took my first drink and I threw it up right away. I didn't even last five seconds. It was sooooo nasty. I have never tasted anything so chunky and so nasty in my life. Thank GOD I didn't put the bull's ball in my mouth. When it was all said and done Justin and I walked away with a cool $750 dollars. We split the money and went on our way.

Buddy turns 21

2008-10-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

What is more special then a 21st birthday party? How about throwing a 21st birthday party for your dog? Krisin sent out invitations to buddy's 3rd (21st) birthday party last weekend. We had all of Buddy's friends over for fun and treats. Kristin went as far as to dress Buddy up as Rambo and to make gift bags for all the dogs who attended. Who makes gift bags for dogs? I think to myself, if she is this crazy about Buddy's birthday party what is she going to be like when our kids have birthdays?

Ohio Bound

2008-10-14T10:20:00.001-07:00

For the past couple years my parents have been coming out west to spend Christmas. Both of my brothers live out this way and my parents love Sedona so this was the hot spot. Not this year. My brothers, Kristin, and I are all going home for some fun in the snow and cold and ice and wind and maybe hail or even some rain. Who knows, we could see it all. Merry Christmas to everyone.?! Why are we going home again?

We will be flying in on December 19th and flying home on December 27th. This will be the longest trip back home we have had together since we have moved out here. Oh yeah, we don't really own any cold weather clothes anymore. Let the good times roll.

Weekend in San Diego

2008-10-06T15:19:00.001-07:00

I went to go visit my brother Aaron in San Diego this weekend. He flew his buddy Mark in from Ohio for a couple weeks so I thought I would drop in to see how he's doing. We had a relaxing weekend just hanging out and hitting some of my local favorites. For breakfast on Saturday we ate at World famous, Sunday we ate at Kono's and Friday we ate at some Mexican joint in the gas lamp district. All good eats.

Saturday I introduced Aaron to my workout program called Crossfit. We went over to his really nice gym called "fit". I went through the program with him and after the first of three rounds of the program he had to run to the bathroom to throw up. No he says it was because he had some beers the night before but I don't know to much about that. That night Aaron's girlfriend Linda cooked us some mean Asian food. Everything she makes is hand made from scratch. Won ton soup, pork lo mien, and beef and broccoli oh my. That girl can cook.

Sunday Aaron and I went diving for Lobsters over at the La Jolla cove. We were out in the water doing our thing and all of a sudden we see a couple sting rays and some small tiger sharks. Kinda freaked us out a little bit so we got out of the water. We decided to ditch the lobster diving idea and just go check out the sea life. It was really cool but the water was so strong it kept trying to pull us away from where we wanted to be.

All and all if was a good time. Didn't do much drinking of the booze. Didn't do much raging or partying late at night. We were home early everyday and were kind of lame asses. Wow are we getting old.

Another really funny video

2008-10-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnDcNlHIxjo

This video is really funny but kinda mean at the same time. You can only appreciate this if you are from the southwest or have spent any significant amount of time here.

Our first Child

2008-10-02T13:32:00.001-07:00

With all of the baby stuff going on around our house we can't forget Kristin's first little one. As you can see, Buddy is a very happy dog who can't wait to have a new little brother or sister.

Very late Birthday Pics.

2008-10-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

I know that we are a month behind on posting this but oh well, here it goes. It was the not so important 32nd birthday party. We gathered a good group of friends and rented a big 15 passenger van so that everyone could party together and travel safe. We were all together in the van on our way for a night of fun when the entire van started shaking really bad on the highway. I pulled over to inspect the tires when to my dismay the rear tire needed to be changed. It took five guys to figure how to change a tire in this rental van. WOW! (really only two but the other three stood around and looked busy) After that was all said and done we were back on the road headed up to Scottsdale for the night. We started out having dinner and drinks at Saddle Ranch. It is a crazy country western restaurant/bar with a mechanical bull. We had a group of 14 or so for dinner and we sat outside on the patio. It was really cool until it started raining on our dinners. Yes you heard me right, rain in the desert! After a few drinks and several shots we headed over to watch Gilbert Godfried live on stage. It was a real funny show. We met Gilbert Godfried and got our picture with him. (see above photo) We headed back to the bars after the show for more drinks and fun. My friend Justin and I destroyed everyone in a beer pong tourney at this bar called Gilligan's. No one could stop us. The night gets blurry after that... Kristin drove everyone home safely. The car ride home was much quieter than the car ride out. Funny how that happens.

Here's to another year and another birthday passed.

We Have a strong Heart beat!

2008-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

We went to another doctors visit today and things are moving along ever so smoothly. We got to hear the heart beat again and it is stronger and slightly slower than the last time we heard it. We are both really excited. It almost seems unreal. Kristin is just ever so slightly starting to show and she is looking forward to not being sick anymore. Tomorrow will start our 14th week and they say any day now she will start to feel better.

Lots of speculation of whether it's a boy or a girl or if we are having twins or not. Our doctor has not ruled out that we could be having twins just yet. We have them on both sides of our families and for some reason I have this funny feeling we could have twins. We will find out next month the sex and number of babies. Other than that I don't care if we have boys or girls as long as they are healthy and get their good looks from their mother.

We will keep you updated as the weeks come and go.

Funny video for the day

2008-09-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Veqz8W98iA

Every friday I am going to post a funny video. Today is a classic story of two brothers and the things they like. Enjoy.

YAHTZEE

2008-09-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally cooling off around here so people are slowly starting to hang outside again. This means it's time for Yahtzee. No, not the dice game. I am talking about team Yahtzee, the softball team. We are ready to start another fun filled season of co-ed softball. Unfortunately we are losing our star girl player (Kristin) because of her pregnancy. She will be sorely missed on the field but she will be at every game giving the team support.

Our league plays every friday night starting Oct 3rd. This league is different from our last season because now we play double headers ever friday night. Last season we only play one game per night. Double the games means double the winning. (if this is true we should win two games this time around) I think it's going to be a blast. Most of our core team returned but we have a couple new comers to help boost us to the championship. GOOOOOO YAHTZEE!!!!!!!!

NEW RIDE

2008-09-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

I am went down a path I never thought I would. I bought an SUV. Well, I had to rebel slightly by buying a crossover. (Mitsubishi Outlander) It is really awesome. I got rid of my old car and upgraded to a daddy mobile. I had to it make it as cool as possible by getting it with big tires and rims, a nine speaker Rockford Fosgate sound system including a 12 inch subwoffer built in, tinted windows and a sun roof. Now I have plenty of room for all the really cool stuff dads have to carry around when they have a baby.... I am so cool.

WE HAVE NEWS!

2008-09-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Yep - it's confirmed, we are having a baby!!! The due date is April 1, 2009. We found out a couple of months ago but are finally making it public now that Kristin is in her second trimester.

It has definitely been a rough 8 weeks with a lot of sickness, tiredness, and throwing up. Everyone says it gets better in the second trimester - HOPEFULLY SOON!!!!

A couple of weeks ago we went to the doctor and we were able to hear a heartbeat. According to our doctor, everything looks and sounds good. We are going to find out whether we are having a boy or a girl at the end of October!! Can't wait!

Fantasy Football Anyone?

2008-08-07T08:21:00.001-07:00

Finally football season has arrived. I have a group of guys that always get together to watch the games and have some food. This year I am getting the NFL package at home. I spend way to much money at the bars every Sunday to watch the Browns play. I am thinking basic economics now. $250 NFL package or $50-100 dollars at the bars every Sunday. It's a no brainer.

My football adventure begins next Wednesday when eleven of my friends will be joining me in the nerdry to start our Fantasy NFL draft. We are talking big time business here. Theme music and light shows... My personal belief is that Fantasy football takes watching football to a whole other level. It is not always about winning and losing for your favorite team, (the Browns) but it is how well your individual player does in each game. How fun!

There is a small entry fee to join the league and we have twelve guys participating so it will be a nice payday to whom ever wins at the end of the season. Hopefully it's me....

My first pair of Nike Shoes!

2008-07-21T21:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I broke down and bought my first pair of Nike running shoes. Typically I am a big fan of Saucony shoes because they are the most cushiony shoe. I have never like Nikes because they are always so narrow and just feel flimsy. But Jon, the 17 year old shoe salesman at Sport Chalet, told me that the Nike Zoom Vomero is by far the most cushiony running shoe on the market - and he is RIGHT!! I tried it on and it was literally like running on a rubber innertube. I know some people go for the stability but I am all about getting any extra bounce I can to help me when I run.

It set me back $119 +tax but I think it will be worth it. Jon, my new best friend, told me that I can try them out for a while and if I don't end up liking them, I can bring them back with the receipt. He said "we'll take anything back" - good to know! Thanks Jon!

More updates on the performance of the Nike Zoom Vomero to come......

Palm Valley Church

2008-07-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Since Kristin and I have been in Phoenix we have done a lot of crazy and fun things. We have met really fun people and traveled to many many different places. It seems we travel at least two weekends a month. But I think the biggest thing that has happened to us since we have been out here is we both found a home in a local church called Palm Valley Church. This church is like no other church we have ever attended. Palm Valley is a very progressive church with young members, the messages are presented in a way that is easy to understand and relate to, and the stories are amazing and easy to apply to our lives. The music being sung there is like being at a rock show. Live bands play Christian music in a very modern way. We both love it.

Kristin loves that I am taking an interest in going to Church because she was raised that way. I find myself in uncharted waters. I listen to a christian radio station every morning on the way to work to hear the different stories of the bible. Pretty cool stuff if you really pay attention to it.

WE'RE BAAACK!!!

2008-07-20T16:40:00.001-07:00

Kristin and Jer Wine Tasting - 11am!
Viansa Winery in Sonoma
Private Tasting in the Wine Cellar!
Amiksha, Jill, Kristin and Ginger on the way to the Luau
Sarj, Curtis and Jeremy at 3 a.m.!!

Dad and his girlsThe In-Laws (Pallottas & Oravecs)
Kristin and Beth
Kristin & Padge
Kristin and Amiksha at Cosentino Winery in Napa Valley

WE HAVE A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO!!
We have been VERY lazy about updating our blog but we are going to try to keep it up on a more regular basis. I refreshed the look as a new starting point for the blog :-)

So, what's the latest? Over the 4th of July weekend we went back to Cleveland, OH for a short visit with our friends and families. It was nice to see everyone again and spend time with our families. My brother, Matt, got engaged to his girlfriend so that was an exciting annoucement. It was also nice to see our college friends at Around the Corner.

The following weekend we flew to Northern California to hit the wineries in Napa and Sonoma. We then headed down to Los Gatos and went to Kristin's bosses Summer Company Luau party. It was great!!

This weekend our good friends had a pool party on Friday night and then we floated down the Salt River all day yesterday. You either have to be in the water or in A/C when it is summertime in Phoenix, since we are in A/C all week at work, we try to get creative about staying cool on the weekends :-)

Bye Kate!!!! :-(

2008-03-05T16:42:00.000-08:00

Our good friend Kate took a job in San Fran and she moved this past weekend. Last Saturday we threw her a 'Good Bye, Good Luck and Happy Birthday' party at the Sandbar in Scottsdale. Ames, Angie, Brooke, me and Dee took Kate to a girls dinner and then we took her to Sandbar and surprised her when everyone was there! Fun times - I gotta book my trip to San Fran!!!

My new workout program

2008-02-24T19:54:00.001-08:00

Several months ago Kristin came up to me and said "you should really try this new workout program called Crossfit." We both belong to this small, crappy gym that has no frills or thrills of the bigger gyms. There are no running tracks, swimming pools, multi-media centers, or Starbucks/juice bars anywhere to be found. They just have fitness equipment and an aerobics room. We both love it. We can get in and out with out many distractions. Back to what I was saying. So she approached me with this program and I was very skeptical. Another body pump/kick boxing/yoga/ballet class... awesome, that is all I want to do. But, after a few weeks of Kristin doing this program I noticed that she was getting really ripped. Her stomach, arms, and shoulders were so defined that I then became curious about her workouts. So one day I went up to the trainer and asked all about it. He directed me to this website http://www.crossfit.com/ and told me to check it out and if I wanted he would give me some free sessions. So I said cool. I did the research and decided to give it a try.
Mind you-I have been working out almost my whole life. I consider myself to have good endurance and to be pretty strong. I was completely wrong. I was so humiliated my first session. It is amazing how different this workout program compares to what I have always done in the past. Just like most guys I did several different exercises for each muscle group. I would do a little cardio everyday and focus on two muscle groups per workout. This programs does not target any one muscle group. There is no such thing as a "chest day" or a "back day". There is only muscle endurance. How much can your body handle in a predetermined amount of time. For example, one exercise consists of three different movements pull-ups, push-ups and squats. (5 reps pull-ups, 10 reps push-ups and 15 reps of squats) How many times can you do all three movements in 20 minutes? Do you think that is easy? Try it! I beg of you. The first time I tried this workout was on my very first day ever doing crossfit. I would just like to say once again how humiliated I was. I could not even finish the whole workout. I stopped at ten minutes only completing seven sets. I though I was having a heart attack. I was rolling around on the floor breathing as if I had just run a marathon. I found a new appreciation for exercise. But after a while things got easier. I became stronger, faster and quicker then I was before. Now I can do this same exercise 18 times in 20 minutes.
Each day they post a new workout on the website. They show you how to properly do the exercise and everything. The great thing about this program is you only have to do the workout of the day. Your workout time can range anywhere from 10-45 minutes. In some cases even quicker. I encourage everyone to take a look at this website at give it a shot. Check out this link to learn more of what it crossfit is all about http://www.crossfit.com/cf-info/what-crossfit.html

House Hunting????

2008-02-24T19:36:00.001-08:00

Kristin and I are looking to buy another house for an investment. We are thinking of buying a bigger home and moving into that and renting out our current home. We like our home now but why not take advantage of the down market and upgrade into something bigger that will really pay off when the market turns around in a couple years.
So, for the past few weeks we have been checking out the foreclosed home market. You would not believe the deals that are out there. It's as if that are trying to give them away. Newer and larger family homes selling for $60-$90 dollars per sqare foot. That is unheard of.
Finally, after looking at about 20 homes or so we finally put a bid on a beautiful 3600 square foot home with five bedrooms and three full baths. It needs a little TLC (fresh paint and some minor repairs) but we might get it at a crazy price. We will keep you posted....

GLADIATOR TRYOUTS by Jeremy

2008-02-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

After weeks of exercise and dieting the tryouts finally came.
Saturday Feburary 9th was a brisk Arizona morning, my friend Jen Lampe and I woke up at 5:30am to drive to the American Gladiator tryouts in Chandler, Arizona. After a quick stop at Starbucks we arrived at the Pure Fitness location where the tryouts were to be held. Tryouts were to start at 10:00am but lining up was allowed two hours before. So we arrived around 7:30am thinking we would be early but we were wrong - dead wrong. There was a line almost around the building. We jumped into line a began our wait for our "big break". We met some really great people in line. We had an opportunity to really get to know them because we ended up waiting in line with them for almost seven hours. Yes, you read that right. We waited almost seven hours before we could even tryout. There were some many people there that it got crazy. I was number 181 and Jen was number 182.
Finally it was our turn to tryout......
The first thing they make you do was pull-ups. How many can you do in 30 seconds? It is amazing how many people can't do pull-ups. There were a lot of very in shape men there that couldn't do five pull-ups. Personally, I was able to do 22 but they only counted 19 because they said I didn't come all the way down on a couple. Liars!!!!!! Jen did two complete pull-ups. Which was good for girls.
The second thing they wanted us to do was up and downs. (up and downs are what you see football players do when they are standing up and they hit the ground, do a push up and jump back up to your feet) Here again was how many can you do in 30 seconds. Jen and I both scored really well on this.
Next was the shuttle run. This event is about speed, balance and fancy foot work. I started out a little rough on this one because I had never done this before. But after a few seconds think I did ok.
Finally we ended with suicides. A suicide is running from one end of a basketball court touch the floor and run back. (Back and forth equals one rep) We had to do ten reps as fast a we can. The lady who was judging me said that I was the fastest that she had seen all day - I wonder how many people she told that to.
They made us do all of the physical exercises back to back without a break to see how winded we would be for the interview process. So after the exercise portion we were rushed into an interview where they asked all sorts of questions. Why do we want to be on the show? What would I do if I won? What is special about you? blah blah blah... I have to be honest, I was winded. I was breathing heavy during my interview so I don't know how that looked to the judges.
They said we would receive a call if we made the cut. That call never came. There were hundreds of guys just like me so I didn't hold my breath. It was really a neat experience. I met a couple of the Gladiators "Wolf and Siren" and I can offically close the book on trying to get on a TV show!

SUPER Super Bowl Weekend!!! posted by Kristin

2008-02-09T10:18:00.001-08:00

(Click on pic to see full action)

If any of you have ever lived in a city where the Super Bowl has taken place, you know the madness that it creates. People pour into the city, traffic is crazy, cover charges sky rocket and there is a celebrity party at every bar, even the dives. Our little west valley of Phoenix was taken over by the madness last week. Here was my schedule of events:

Thursday Night: My friend Kate got us tickets to the Pepsi Smash SuperBowl concert featuring Maroon 5 and Mary J Blige with a special performance by Ne-Yo. It was hosted by Jerry O'Connell (how he still gets work is beyond me) and various NFL players. Maroon 5 was fabulous - Mary J. has an excellent voice but sang about her relationship drama for two hours - No more drama my ass!!! hahah

Friday Night: Kate came through in the clutch again by getting us on the VIP list to LLCoolJ's party in Scottsdale. We show up at the Venue and are greeted by Royce - a friend of Kate's client who apparently was running the show - dressed in a white suit. I know, that is a big take it easy. Anyway, he put $800 wrist bands on us and told us to go have fun. As if access to free alcohol, hanging with Joey Fatone and his entourage and listening to LL Cool J perform isn't enough - we got to see cousin Carlton from Fresh Price do his Carlton dance on stage with LL Cool J. What could be better?

Saturday: One huge sporting event isn't enough for the city, so let's throw in a PGA event too. The FBR Open was taking place in Scottsdale this same weekend and my realtor hooked us up with passes so Jeremy and I went with Angie for a nice day of golf....so we thought. Take spring break and mix it with Happy Gilmore and you have the FBR Open. Girls were wearing pretty much bathing suits and everyone was DRUNK. It was like being in Panama City but instead of a beach you have a golf course. Guys were getting in fights, a guy next to us was standing one second and then passed out the next. It was wild...

Sunday: Ok, by now I am completely drained and almost forgot that there was even a football game attached to the festivities. Our friends Jen and Andrew threw a nice Super Bowl party with a ton of food and drinks which was a great ending to a great week. I was in bed by 9pm to catch a 7am flight....

I am still recovering ;-)

My newest adventure in my crazy life

2008-01-22T10:25:00.000-08:00

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS JEREMY'S POSTING, NOT KRISTIN'S HAHAHAH

As many of you already know everytime you talk to me I have some crazy story or something outragious to tell. Well today is no different. I am going to try something so stupid and yet so awesome at the same time. I am going to try out for the American Gladiators. My tryout is Saturday February 9th in Scottsdale Arizona. The tryout consists of several test to challenge my speed, strength and endurance. To qualify I have to do as many pullups as I can in 30 seconds, (24 was the old guide line) I have to run a 40 yard dash in 5 seconds or less, I have do a complete set of suicides in under 15 seconds, plus standing long jump and vertical jump. This is a sample of what I have to do. I am working out extremely hard and think I will be ok.

I have a friend Jen and she is going to try out with me. She works out a the Worlds Gym in Phoenix. She has a world famous personal trainer who has trained all sorts of sports stars and celebraties. Well "wolfe" fromt he american gladiators works out at the same gym. She go the low down from him about the contestants. Wolfe said "there aren't many strong guys that have come through." He said "most people can't do more than ten pullups." I am pretty pumped by that information. At this point I can do 20 pullups in a row. I think with some hardcore training I can be up to 25-30 in 30 seconds no problem. I will keep all of you updated as the time get closer.

Here is a link to check out the show. http://www.nbc.com/American_Gladiators/

NEW YEARS EVE 2007

2008-01-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

WOW this year flew by so fast. It was filled with a lot of crazy events, some we would like to remember and others we can't wait to forget.

We spent part of our New Years Eve at the Insight Bowl in Tempe Arizona (Indiana University 6-5 and Oklahoma State University 6-5). The party started at 1:00pm with a pregame tailgate sponsored by my company, Insight. It was cool because it was all you can eat and free beer. So after pounding down our fair share of beer we headed off to the game. The game was not important to us so we left at halftime to make our way over to the Mill Block Party. We hired three petty cabs to take us there because no one wanted to walk. We offered the guys a couple extra bucks to see who can get us there faster (the picture shows my petty cab in the lead with everyone else hot on our heels). We arrived safely to Mill Ave. The streets we closed off and there were food, games, rides and booze. It was really fun walking in and out of all the bars and drinking along the way. It was a really long day. We started so early that no one had the energy to make it until midnight. (We are getting old)

We headed home before midnight and watched the ball drop from the comfort of our living room. Kristin and I are making 2008 our year. This is our year to buckle down and save more, spend less, and prepare for kids. Yes, I said prepare for kids...

Merry Christmas from Sedona

2008-01-03T12:17:00.000-08:00

For the second year now we have had an unusual Christmas. It was really strange putting up the Christmas tree in shorts and a t-shirt with the windows open. It is even stranger not having to bundle up and brave the elements to do our day-to-day activities. We love the warm weather. Anyway, we were excited that the whole Oravec family was coming to Phoenix to celebrate with us this year. My mom and dad flew in from Cleveland (temp 32 degrees and snow) Tommy, Tonnette and Haley drove down from Vegas and Aaron drove from San Diego to spend a couple days in Sedona, Arizona. We all got rooms at the Hampton Inn (thanks Dad) where we exchanged gifts and played games all night. Everyone was feeling pretty good from all of the great wine we were drinking, especially Aaron...

Kristin flew back to Cleveland to visit with her family and friends on Christmas Eve. Aaron and my parents stayed for a few days more. We went climbing up Camelback mountain, hiking through Cave Creek park and watched movies. It was great. The best part about this visit with my family was all the wonderful food that my mom made for me while she was here.

Merry Christmas.

Christmas Sweater Party

2007-12-13T13:51:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to be jolly...

Too much time had passed since our last party (one week) so Kristin and I decided to throw an ugly Christmas sweater party. The idea is to find the craziest or ugliest Christmas sweater you can. I couldn't find a cool enough mens sweater so I had to go into the big girls section at walmart to find a crazy sweater. Kristin, as always, looked really cute. We had a nice group of people come out for the occasion. We had good friends, fun drinks, tasty appetizers and games. It was a gloomy night in Phoenix so I built a fire in the pit outside. Kristin had so much fun that she doesn't remember anything.

Tailgating for the Browns

2007-12-13T13:33:00.000-08:00

Aaron and I in at the stadium

The Dog Pound from Phoenix....

On brisk Sunday morning in December the sun rises over the mountains to welcome the Cleveland Browns to Phoenix, Arizona. This was the game I have been waiting for all year. The only Browns game that I get to see in person this year. (Unless the Browns make it to the Superbowl. Ha Ha Ha) It was tailgating time. Kristin and I gathered a group of friends to help celebrate this glorious event. Aaron and two of his friends drove in from San Diego for the weekend. The game started at 2:15pm so we started the festivities around 9:30am. We were playing flip cup and corn hole, grilling brats and drinking beer. Can you think of a better football Sunday? We had a blast all day long. Unfortunately, the Browns ended up losing at the last second of the game with a bad call in the end zone.

Thanksgiving fun...

2007-11-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

It was a great surprise to Kristin and I that Tommy, Tonnette and Haley all wanted to come down from Las Vegas for Thanksgiving this year. We haven't seen them for almost an entire year so we were definately looking forward to their visit. Being Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family; Kristin and I also invited a few friends to our house whom were not fortunate enough to see their families for the holiday. What does all this mean? As you all know I love to cook, so I was pretty pumped to have to cook my very first Thanksgiving dinner for eight people. (At this point I would like to give props to my mom because she made cooking for large numbers easy.) I spent SIX hours cooking in the kitchen cooking for a meal that lasted an entire 17 minutes. All in all everything turned out great. Everyone loved the food and we didn't many leftovers.

After dinner we all played cornhole for hours. Adam and Rich (team six feet and over) could not be beat. Later that night we sat around the firepit and drank the night away. It got so bad that we ran out of firewood and we started burning whatever we could find. GOOD TIMES>

First Hosting Thanksgiving in the books...

More Birthday Celebrations in San Diego

2007-11-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night Jeremy, Buddy and I packed up and drove to San Diego. We stayed with Jeremy's brother Aaron who lives in Mission Valley. Friday night we went to Hartnett's surprise birthday party at the Strip Club downtown. It is a Steak place where you order your dinner but you have to cook the meat yourself. Interesting concept - but I wasn't a big fan considering I don't like to cook. So of course, Jeremy cooked my steak kabobs for me!! After dinner we all headed to another bar in the gaslamp district - Fleetwood. Then after that I really don't remember much ;-)

The rest of the weekend was filled with a lot of eating, relaxing and socializing. It was a great weekend that we are still recovering from.

It is nice to be back in AZ though, the weather here now is PERFECT!!!

Kristin is 30!!!

2007-11-12T14:56:00.000-08:00

Jeremy did good!! He managed to coordinate all of our AZ friends to be at the same place, at the same time - without me finding out!! Not an easy job!!! ;-)

Jeremy and Aaron took me to Sandbar - which is this really cool bar in Scottsdale. There is a pool at the front entrance and the front patio bar has a sand floor with cabanas. It is as close as we get to a beach in Arizona ;-)

We walked in and "SURPRISE" - everyone was there. We had soo much fun!! Amy brought my favorite - a cookie cake - and Kate and Jeremy made me a birthday banner for everyone to sign. It was a fabulous party and I have to say that after that night I realized that we are definitely getting older, but not growing up ;-)

60 MILES, 3 DAYS - WE SURVIVED!!!

2007-11-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for your support!!! I could not have done this without you!! The Phoenix 3-Day had 2,200 walkers (a lot of them being Breast Cancer survivors) and we raised over $5.1 million. It was pretty amazing. It was also cool because all along the route there were people cheering you on, passing out water, popcicles, gum, ice cubes, anything really to keep you going. It was really cool to see the community come together to support everyone. It was definitely an amazing experience!!!

The first day was rough but I was well rested so I made it but feeling sore. The 2nd day was almost unbearable. The tempurate dropped really low Friday night and all we had were sleeping bags and thin tents. We all froze and got maybe 4 hours of sleep. We got up on Saturday and walked 21 miles - we had an almost record high for November of 96 degrees!!!! The last 5 miles I really didn't think I could finish but luckily my teammates pushed me through it. They would not let me get on a sweep van - and I am so glad they didn't because I would have been really upset making it that far and not finishing. Sunday, the last day, my body was pretty much numb so the last 16 miles didn't even phase me!! Jeremy met me at the finish line with a much appreciated massage gift certificate!!

Buddy's 2nd Birthday

2007-10-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yes - that is right. We had a birthday party for our dog. Buddy loves nothing more than to be surrounded by other dogs, humans and toys - so we made sure he had his favorite things at his birthday party. His friends Gus, Boston and Mac came over and played in our backyard while we sat and had frozen drinks with our neighbors Misty and Matt.

Bocce Tournament

2007-09-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

We had a Bocce Tournament on Saturday - the theme was "Surrender the Booty" and everyone dressed up like pirates (or at least they were supposed to). It was a day of bocce, drinking games and BBQ - is there anything better?

The night ended at Oasis - the neighborhood cowboy bar - with shuffle board playing and karaoke. Who knew you could have so much fun in Goodyear, AZ ;-)

LOST PUPPY

2007-09-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

On Monday Jeremy went for a jog and noticed a lost pug puppy wandering around in our neighborhood. Jeremy came home, grabbed some hotdogs and we went to catch the little guy. He was really skinny and scared and blind in his left eye, but we managed to catch him and bring him home. We gave him a bath and water and food. We named him Sam since he didn't have a name tag on. Buddy tried to play with Sam but Sam kept nipping at Bud so they pretty much stayed away from each other. It took no time for Sam to warm to up to us and he wrestled with Jeremy all night.

The next morning I called my vet to see if anyone had posted a Lost Dog flyer and sure enough, his owner posted it up there the day before. So his mom came and picked him up that evening. Turns out he escaped under the back gate three days before we found him. Poor little guy had been without food and water in the 105 degree heat for three days. I wouldn't have minded having him around a little longer but I think Buddy was happy to have his house back ;-)

Vegas Baby!!

2007-09-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tuan-our chef

The Crew

Over Labor Day weekend, Jeremy and I went to Las Vegas to celebrate our 4 year anniversary!! Our friends Jen & Andrew and Angie & Jason joined us as well because their anniversaries are right around the same time too. We stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton - in the newly renovated side. The MOST comfortable beds EVER!!! They ruined me, I will never sleep that good again!!!
We got there on Saturday and I hung by the pool while Jeremy took a nap. I pretty much slept the whole drive to Vegas ;-) Then the six of us went to Benihana's for dinner - see Tuan our chef above!! Then we went to the posh Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay for the rest of the night - so much fun!!! Let's just say we had to put Jeremy in a cab at midnight to go back to the hotel b/c he drank a bottle of saki at dinner!!
Sunday night Jen and I went to the Justin Timberlake concert - which was AMAZING!! Then we went out to the new club at Luxor 'LAX' and Angie and I got in the VIP lounge of Stavros Niarchos and Brody Jenner!!
Very fun weekend with friends and celebrities!!!

Florida Vaca

2007-08-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

Me and Waller at the Piano Bar
The inside of the resort, it was very much like a Vegas hotel
Waller and I surfing at Universal's City Walk

I arrived in Jacksonville Thurday night to visit my friend Jennifer Waller who I used to be roommates with in San Diego. She won a sales contest at her job which was a weekend in Orlando at the Gaylord Palms resort. And, she took me as her date! Thursday night we went out in Neptune Beach for dinner and drinks at the Lemon Bar right on the water. Friday we got pedicures and headed over to Orlando. Friday night her company had a cocktail hour and awards dinner at a very cool steak restaurant at the resort. We then went to a piano bar and closed that down. Saturday we went to the Mall Millenia which had the largest Macy's I had ever seen!!! Saturday night we had a great dinner (again paid for by Jen's company :-) at an Italian Bistro and then we were treated to a night out at Universal to see the Blue Man Group. It was a very strange show, but entertaining, I think. (I was confused as to what was going on the whole time).

I got to visit Emily, my sister, while I was there. We had lunch and then Em took me to the airport. My flight was delayed so I didn't get home until after midnight - but it was worth it. It was a fabulous weekend!! Thanks Waller!!!

60 miles - are you crazy?

2007-08-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

I know it sounds crazy, but I have signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. Me and my team (which includes Angie, Amy, Kate and Rachel) are going to walk 20 MILES A DAY FOR 3 DAYS and sleep in tents for two nights. The walk is the first weekend in November. I have to raise $2,200 and so far I have $400. If you have any spare change, you can go to my fundraising website and donate to the cause at: http://www.the3day.org/Arizona07/koravec
Wish me luck during the next three months of training and fundraising!!

Mysterious Rash

2007-08-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

Jeremy had a high fever last Saturday and Sunday. While we were at our layover on Sunday in Chicago, Jeremy noticed a few red splotches on his wrist. When he woke up on Monday he had a rash all over his body. On Monday the doctor said that it was an allergic reaction to something. He went back to the doctor on Tuesday when it got worse. They took x-rays, consulted doctors at other hospitals and came up with a diagnoses that a virus was causing his previous fever and his immune system is overworking to fight it which is causing a chemical imbalance which is creating a full-body rash. We are still unsure of what is going on exactly but poor Jeremy started his new job this week so he can't call in sick!! More updates to come on the mysterious skin condition.

Zub's Wedding/Padge's B-Day

2007-07-31T15:38:00.001-07:00

Last Friday Zub and Jim finally tied the knot!! The wedding was in Boardman, OH and the majority of the attendance was University of Toledo alumni which was fun - it was like being back in the Greek village - except for the fact that the majority are married and quite a few have kids. Zub turned 30 at midnight so we continued the party at the lounge in the Holiday Inn (hotel, motel, Holiday Innnn).

Saturday night the Pi Delts went to dinner for Padge's 30th birthday!! We went to Delmonico's in Independence and then went to the Bone Yard in Broadview Heights for the after party.

Jeremy and I are back in Arizona recovering from the whirlwind trip to Ohio!

BJ's wedding and Mom's B-Day

2007-07-24T11:35:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and KristinTrish, Sarah and Kristin

Mom's Birthday

Jeremy and I flew into Cleveland Friday night around midnight and immediately had to put on a sweatshirts - the 70 degree weather was too chilly for us as we are used to temps in the 100's. We drove down to Columbus on Saturday where our good friend BJ (apparently we now call him Jay) was married. We had a great time hanging out with the Columbus crew and I finally got to meet the offspring - Avery and the twins, Duncan and Jackson. They are all adorable!!!

Sunday morning we woke up and had a nice breakfast at the Arthur's and we headed off to Cuyahoga Falls for my Mom's B-day party at my parent's house. The whole family was there including Grandmothers, cousins, aunts and uncles. We played bocci and cornhole until 10pm!!
More Ohio updates to come!

Pirate Master

2007-07-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen this show? Jeremy was flipping through channels last night and started watching this reality TV show "Pirate Master". It is like Survivor but everything has to do with pirates. They live on a ship and they search for treasures and they even dress like pirates. I think it is a little hokey but Jeremy was obsessed and stayed up until 3am watching every episode online until he was caught up on the season. His new mission in life is to get on the next season of "Pirate Master". So if any of you know where auditions are, let him know! Ahoy!

Bye Eric!!

2007-07-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

Our friend Eric, a.k.a. REI camping guru, got a promotion with Richmond Homes and moved to Denver. Here are some pics from his going away night out last Friday. We will miss you, Eric!!!

Sweet Victory

2007-07-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce that our sand volleyball team "Chuck Norris All Stars" won the league tournament last night - we went undefeated through the bracket in four matches. We play in a co-ed fours league and our team consists of me and Jeremy and our friends Nick, Kendall and Jen.

In the middle of the tournament, a sandstorm picked up and it downpoured for a good 20 minutes. Luckily it cleared up and we were able to play the final game! We won a trophy and $30 to the clubhouse!!!

Back in Action

2007-07-14T18:03:00.001-07:00

So we sucked it up and bought the exact same camera that we lost last week. This has not been a lucky month for me with the cameras. Our first camera (which we had since our wedding) fell victim to a spilled beverage at our last bocci tournament a few weeks ago. So then we had to buy a new one to replace that. Then, as mentioned in a previous blog, the new camera was stolen in San Diego last weekend. So - we had to buy the same camera and memory stick all over again. Hopefully this camera decides to stick around for awhile!

SJP's "Bitten"

2007-07-11T10:53:00.001-07:00

So I found the one store in all of metro Phoenix that carries the new Sarah Jessica Parker's clothing line and it was in the most ghetto mall ever!! Anyway, I was expecting her clothes to be a little more funky but they were all something you would get at the GAP. Mostly t-shirts, jeans and button-down shirts. Cute stuff but just very casual. The only store that carries her line "Bitten" is Steve & Barry's. Just a little FYI for you 'Carrie' fans.

Buddy's Buddies

2007-07-10T16:04:00.001-07:00

Buddy, Boston & Gus

Buddy's best friends in AZ are Gus (pug/chihauhau) and Boston (jack russell). They live a street over from us and Buddy LOVES them. They can play all day together. Well, they have been out of town in Montana for the past four weeks with their mom, Misty. Today they came over to play for the first time in a month and Bud was so excited he couldn't contain himself. They just left a few minutes ago and Buddy is passed out!

Some 4th of July pics

2007-07-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Boys taking a break from Cornhole
Me and Hartnett
The Bay full of patriotic people

I was able to get some pics from Hartnett from the 4th of July. Check out the picture of the bay - there were SOO many people there all day!!

Lost Camera

2007-07-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

So the fourth of July was a ton of fun at Mission Bay. Jeremy brought our cornhole set which we played pretty much the whole day. It is an addicting game - I must say. Then we headed back to the tent to chill and I discovered that our new digital camera was gone!!! Either we droppped it, somebody misplaced it, or it was stolen. Which ever it was it is GONE!! And such a bummer because we just bought it two weeks ago!!

So needlesss to say - I have to wait until Hartnett sends me some of her 4th pics to post on here.

P.S. it is super hot here right now - it has been around 110 degrees here lately. In this kind of heat we have been doing things indoors or in a pool!!

San Diego Vaca

2007-07-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

Me and Jer at the top of La Crosse looking over all of San Diego
Hanging out in the lawn at the Fall Out Boy concert

Jeremy and I have been in San Diego since Friday on a little vaca. The weather here has been absolutely perfect - 78 degrees and sunny everyday. We are staying with Jeremy's brother, Aaron, at his apartment in Mission Valley. We have been hanging out at the beach, playing corn hole, we went to the Fall Out Boy concert on Sunday night and Pasta night in Pacific Beach last night. Today we took kayaks out into the ocean around the La Jolla Cove. We saw seals sunning themselves on the rocks and while we were rowing around in the ocean we came VERY close to a sealion and leopard sharks!

Tonight we are just hanging out and getting ready for the Main Event on the Bay tomorrow - 4th of July celebration!!!

First Blog

2007-06-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone - Jeremy and I are starting a blog page so that our friends and family around the country can check up on us to see what we are up to.

Brief history - We moved to Arizona a little over a year ago from Berea, OH. It has definitely been an adventure. Moving to the heat, getting jobs, meeting 'interesting' people, hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, climbing to the top of Sedona - we have been having a blast.

So, we'll try to keep this blog as updated as possible so check in every so often if you are interested as to what the Oravec's are up to :-)