Pozadzides Chronicles

The Pozadzides

Airbags, Cell Phones & Second Chances

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4RunnerAccident-1This week has been a roller coaster; with literal ups and downs! On Monday, Jenny and I were involved in a completely avoidable, tragic accident that almost took our lives. Here’s what happened:

While in route to the gym, Jenny and I were crossing an intersection when our vehicle was struck in the right rear by a distracted driver on her phone. Our vehicle (the trusty Toyota 4Runner) flipped five times coming to rest upside down. Neither of the front doors would open, Jenny was unconscious, gas was everywhere, but we eventually made our way out the back. We were quickly taken to Memorial Hermann (downtown) Hospital; where we would stay for two days. A big thanks to Community Volunteer Fire Department Station 3. This team arrived minutes later as I was pulling Jenny out. They even broke the rules and transported us downtown instead of down the street.

We left the hospital with numerous cuts, fractured wrists, a broken nose (Kirk), a black eye, severe rib and pelvis bruising (Jenny) and several other non-life threatening issues. Six days later, life is starting to normalize and we’re moving… albeit slowly and painfully.

Here are a few pictures of the accident: [Read more…]

Airbags, Cell Phones & Second Chances

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This week has been a roller coaster; with literal ups and downs! On Monday, Jenny and I were involved in a completely avoidable, tragic accident that almost took our lives. Here’s what happened:

While in route to the gym, Jenny and I were crossing an intersection when our vehicle was struck in the right rear by a distracted driver on her phone. Our vehicle (the trusty Toyota 4Runner) flipped four times coming to rest upside down. Neither of the front doors would open, so we made our way out the back. We were quickly taken to Memorial Herman (downtown) Hospital; where we would stay for two days.

We left the hospital with severe bruises, cuts, a broken nose (Kirk), a black eye (Jenny) and several other non-life threatening issues. Six days later, life is starting to normalize and we’re moving… albeit slowly and painfully.

Here are a few pictures:

The Texas Hill Country

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Ever find yourself in need of a weekend getaway?

Jenny and I packed up the truck and headed to the Texas Hill Country for the Labor Day weekend. Our itinerary: Austin, Fredericksburg and anywhere in between. We stayed at the historic Driskill Hotel in their fantastic “Governors Suite!” A special thanks to my friends behind the front desk there!

Arriving in the early evening, we stopped at Jenny’s favorite Mexonesian (Mexican & Polynesian) restaurant, the Hula Hut on Lake Travis.

The next day, we headed west to the quaint town of Fredericksburg. Settled long ago by German immigrants, the area is home to numerous wineries (our favorite is the Becker Vineyard), the largest boulder in the USA (Enchanted Rock State Park), and a great little Main Street perfect for spending the day.

If you’re ever on Main Street in Rustlin’ Rob’s Texas Trail Supplies, stay far away from Satan’s Blood hot sauce (800,000 Scoville). Jenny and I like to jazz our foods up with some spice, but a drop of this sauce had us literally crying for 30+ minutes…

After returning to Austin, we met up with Jenny’s Aunt (thanks for the hospitality Tina & Chris) and ate dinner at Austin’s newest chic restaurant Imperia. A tribute to Asian fusion, Imperia has a contemporary decor, great wine selection and progressive take on Dim Sum.

We had a great time in the Texas Hill Country, loved the live music and cannot wait to return. Until then…

Wedding Bells!

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In a few short months, I’ll be at the end of the longest isle! I am sure of two things:

  1. She’ll say yes
  2. The rest of the day will go by fast

We’ve started the wedding planning early and will try to keep everyone up to date on the details.
PS: If you have suggestions on a honeymoon getaway, drop me a line (romantic, beach, unusual). If you have a suggestion, let us know…

Kirk and Jenny Head West to El Paso

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El Paso Wedding-46If you live in Texas and have Texan friends, one day you’ll end up in El Paso. We had the privilege of attending our good friend’s (congrats JR & Elsa) wedding in El Paso. This was a quick trip just days before our vacation. We arrived Saturday around noon and left Sunday afternoon. Here’s what I can say about El Paso!

The locals we met there love the city. Its rugged landscape and mountains (or speed bumps if you live in the Rockies) are picturesque during sunset. The city is overflowing with Mexican, American and Mexican-American culture and its surreal seeing border signs in an American city! The US is so large, it’s certainly not something you see often.

Well, our trip was short so we didn’t have time to explore much. The locals revere Chico’s Tacos as a must-eat small chain restaurant started by Joe Mora (boxing promoter). We ate there and I can say:

  1. Their taco are rolled, and bathed in a red sauce
  2. Their hot dogs are served on hamburger buns
  3. They only accept cash
  4. You’re lunch will cost less than $3
  5. Most importantly, don’t forget the antacids

We also ate at Carlos and Mickey’s. Their food was authentic, spicy and we really enjoyed it. Their margaritas are advertised as the “best in town!” Keep in mind, El Paso isn’t that big, but their 44 ounce ones might accurately be named the “Biggest margaritas in town!”

Hare are some pictures of JR & Elsa’s wedding along with our time with friends: [Read more…]

Los Angeles, Santa Monica & Beverly Hills

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2007LA-3Wednesday through Saturday certainly isn’t enough time to learn a new city, but with the right tour guide [a.k.a., the future Maid of Honor] you can see some great sites. While traveling for another conference, we stayed at The Tower Beverly Hills (a quaint little hotel with nice rooms, the first Posturepedic bed I’ve slept in, a great pool and conveniently located between Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica).

For those living in the area, I discovered the best sushi (price/quality) restaurant named Yen Sushi just across the street. Yen is a trendy sushi bar with great prices, a decent wine selection and, most importantly, quality sushi chefs. Finally, a sushi restaurant that understands that Spicy Tuna is actually supposed to be spicy! If you’re not a sushi lover, move on to the next paragraph!

For dinner one night, we ate at Yamashiro. Every city has that restaurant that you must visit because of the atmosphere, not necessarily because of the food, this is the place in LA. For those who’ve seen the movie Memoirs of a Geisha, it was actually filmed at this restaurant. It is certainly a must visit romantic restaurant. It’s located on a secluded hill and easily missed if you’re unfamiliar with the area.

Yamashiro’s has a great view of the LA skyline and a beautiful outdoors Japanese garden inside. Be prepared to pay; our hot tea cost $8. Nevertheless, if you eat sushi and are want a scenic place to take your special someone this may be the place.

The next day, we hit the LA shopping scene and then were off to Santa Monica’s Viceroy. This hotel/bar was the perfect end to a great day. It is exactly what I expect the LA night life should be. Trendy, long lines, and a phenomenal outdoor area with pools, bars, and plenty of couches/cabanas to spend the evening people watching.

Here are some pictures of Jenny, Lisa and I at the beach: [Read more…]

Southwest Says “Thanks & Jenny Flies Free”

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I sometime wonder whether it’s a good thing that I fly so much that Southwest Airlines would offer me a Companion Pass. It certainly means I am away from home and on their planes quite a bit. However, it helps when we want to travel.

For those unaware, this pass allows Jenny to fly free every time I travel. I bet Southwest didn’t know traveling was our top hobby! Stay tuned to find out where we travel next!

She Said Yes!

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She Said Yes-1

On January 13th, 2007, I asked Jenny to marry me and Jenny said “yes!” In doing so, she started the first chapter in our life together. So, here’s how it happened:

We flew to Chicago for a weekend of fun! We stayed at The James (a trendy hotel just walking distance from everything fun in Chicago). On Saturday morning, Jenny attended her last session while I did the pre-work for “popping the question!”

When she returned, we headed off to The Art Institute of Chicago and, later, for a walk through Millennium Park. Note: It’s important to remember it’s really cold in January. We hailed a cab and headed straight for The Signature Room at the 95th (John Hancock Building).

She Said Yes-2For those unfamiliar with Chicago, the John Hancock Building is the city’s tallest building and the Signature Room overlooks the skyline. We ordered a snack (cheese and champagne) and, after some time, I popped the question. For anyone wanting more details, you can ask Jenny yourself!

Afterwards, we headed to the Blue Water Grill (now closed down — shame) where the manager was waiting for us with more champagne. We had a fantastic dinner which ended with a great congratulatory plate of all their desserts. There were a few dozen roses on the stem and the same amount in petals awaiting Jenny back in at the hotel. You can ask if she was truly surprised. She looked it and, most importantly, she said yes!

Fall 2006 Pictures of Jenny

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2006JennyPics-17It was a sunny and warm, beautiful day in Houston today… So, I grabbed my camera and Jenny and I went to enjoy the parks. Little did she know, but I wanted some pictures of her for my desk/phone/etc… We visited Hermann Park and Memorial Park. Here are some beautiful pictures of Jenny. Even bad photographers can look talented with their subject is so pretty! [Read more…]

The First Date

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I am not sure the idea of “love at first sight” works with selective people. I do know this – we closed the place down that night.

Jenny will tell you it’s because The Fish is one of her favorite restaurants, but I’d like to think it might have been chemistry. There were no gaps in the conversation and lots of talk about travel (past and present), friends and hobbies. Nevertheless, it must have gone well, because you’re reading this and she said yes!

Thoughts to ponder: Houston Police do not overlook speeding just because you’re running late for a first date. The Fish is located west bound on Gray Street, not on West Gray!