We wanted to share with all of our friends a personalized holiday postcard from each of our team members at FPBA. Hover over each person’s postcard to read their highlight from 2022.
Allan
Earlier this year, Allan completed the Six Peak Challenge by hiking the highest mountains in San Diego County. After building up his stamina and confidence by hiking with a local Meet-Up Group, he decided to accept his wife's challenge of accompanying her up the local mountains. Allan's favorite climb was Corte Madera due to its diverse landscapes, breathtaking views and an abundance of wildlife.
Ann’s 2022 highlight was welcoming a new family member of the furry kind! 4-month old Ruby joined the Shelton family in November. Everyone is smitten with her, especially her human sisters!
Chad
Chad’s highlight of 2022 was becoming engaged to his now fiancée. He maintains that he’s: “eternally grateful for finding someone special to tolerate (him) forever.” Chad and his fiancée, Don, are looking forward to getting married in 2023
One of Dan's favorite moments of 2022 was visiting Santa Barbara with his wife Sheri and son Jacob, as well as his mom and sister who were visiting from out of town. They enjoyed wine and beautiful views at the vineyard, but getting to spend time with family was the real highlight of the trip.
Donna
Donna’s favorite moment of 2022 was finally getting her house remodeled.
Jeana and her family took a two-week whirlwind tour of Europe in October. The family of foodies ate their way through London, Paris, Rome, and Venice. Highlights of the family’s adventures included visiting the Tower of London in London, climbing up the stairs of the Eiffel tower in Paris, going to gladiator school in Rome, and touring the Doges Palace in Venice. Jeana and her family are still talking about the amazing food and friends they made on their vacation!
Karen's highlight of 2022 was finally getting to perform with her family and closest friends in the 28th Annual Pacific Islander Festival – San Diego. After endless hours of practice, sewing, cutting, and gluing, seeing the whole thing come together was extremely satisfying.
Kate’s favorite memory of the year was vacationing with her family in Los Cabos, an unexpected trip to La Paz, and an amazing day at Isla del Espíritu Santo.
Michael
Mike’s favorite moment this year was taking a vacation through Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Monterey Bay and Santa Cruz with his family and being able to connect at a deeper level. Road trips seem to offer the most bang for the buck, forcing one to see more than would be possible traveling by air to other locations.
Michael’s favorite moments were the times he was able to spend with his family enjoying all of the outdoor adventures Southern California has to offer. The highlight of those trips was the time he and his family spent at Big Bear Lake earlier in the year.
Stefanie’s favorite moment from 2022 was vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with extended family.
Ty’s highlight from 2022 was graduating from NewSchool, and giving the speech as valedictorian. Close behind is officially joining the workforce at FPBA!
Amanda
Amanda’s favorite moment of 2022 isn’t a single moment but rather a compilation of seeing her two-year-old son Austin grow into a full-blown toddler. Austin’s now a little chatterbox (mainly babbling with language only recognizable to her parents) and becoming more independent, inquisitive, and engaging each day. His favorite things are books, trees, trash trucks, penguins, elephants, Bluey, ice cream, and cake (go figure). It’s true what they say—the days are long but the years are short—and Amanda can’t wait to see the person Austin will become in 2023.
Axel
Axel’s favorite part of 2022 was the family’s trip to Denmark in which Axel and his siblings, along with their families (25 in total), laid to rest his step-dad and mother’s ashes in the family cemetery. Axel was also able to enjoy mini-reunions with aunts and uncles who still live there, as well as explore the beautiful country of Denmark. The Danes are truly are some of the happiest people Axel and his family have ever met. Initially flying into Germany, Axel also enjoyed driving on the autobahn, where there is no speed limit. He was so happy, his wife not so much at 139 mph!
Chelsea
Chelsea’s highlight of 2022 was vacationing in Maui for a week with her family and staying in Ka’anapali on the water.
Cheryl’s highlight of the year was jumping into the water to snorkel with sharks and rays in Moorea. At one point, I thought my girlfriend and I were going to be shark food because three of the sharks started circling us. Scary for a quick moment but it was a great, memorable time!
David had a vacation booked to Portugal in 2020 which sadly got canceled due to the pandemic. David’s highlight year was to finally being able to take that delayed trip to the exotic Canary Islands and Lisbon, Portugal. David found Lisbon to be historic, clean, friendly, and one of the most charming cities he has ever visited. The food there was also fantastic!
Fabiana’s highlight of the year was to travel back to Brazil with her family, where they could spent a very happy time with their family and friends. They visit Ilha do Mel, where they could enjoy the nature, warm Atlantic Ocean water and a Luau Party.
Jim’s highlights of the year are many, but separating from the huge FPBA client/project successes, he took a few trips that stood out. Jim enjoyed two significant backpacking adventures—first on a four-day trip to the gorgeous North Cascades National Park, WA, and second to Rae Lakes in Kings Canyon National Park, CA. Jim also traveled to the UK in October and enjoyed Scotland's wonderful, medieval architecture!
One of Kevin’s favorite moments of 2022 was rowing in the San Diego Crew Classic regatta for the San Diego Rowing Club Men’s Masters Team. It was the culmination of a lot of early mornings out of the water and a ton of fun!
Poonam
Poonam’s highlight of the year was driving up to the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo with her family to keep up with her family’s tradition of spending time on the beautiful coast of Northern California every year, which they missed for the last two years due to the pandemic.
Trac
It took a lot of team practice, it took a lot of father-son practice at local parks, it took a lot driving all over Southern California to play in tournaments, and Trac is very happy his son was selected to play on his high school varsity basketball team.
Yamel
Yamel’s 2022 highlight of the year was a summer trip to Chicago for her best friend's wedding. While there, she enjoyed the lovely Chicago River and went to the famous Rosebud restaurant for their moist coconut cake.
Andy’s highlight to the year included cycling, as usual. While on a trip to France, he got to watch two stages of the Tour de France and then climbed the famous 21 switchbacks of the Alpe d’Huez himself. While in Paris, he and his wife used public city bikes to enjoy a treasure trove of new and old architecture. They definitely earned their right to a three-course meal of savory and sweet souffles!
Becky's highlight from 2022 was a trip to Japan with her boyfriend Mitch. The first stop was Osaka, where they hiked to a waterfall, saw a whale shark at the aquarium, and slurped up the best ramen ever. They took a day trip to Nara to see the Great Buddha Hall, feed crackers to bowing deer, and savor melt-in-your-mouth matcha-flavored mochi. Their final destination was Kyoto, where they saw temples and gardens peppered with autumn leaves, explored the Gion district, and watched baby monkeys wrestle.
Cody’s favorite moment of 2022 was camping up in Bridgeport, CA. He enjoyed hiking the nearby trails leading to high view points and beautiful lakes. It was great to relax with in the wilderness with family and friends, although, close encounters with bears sure did spice things up!
Derek’s favorite moment of 2022 was getting to spend a kid-free week with his wife Madi in Cabo San Lucas, where they enjoyed delicious food, plenty of tequila, beautiful sunsets, incredible whale watching and a Mexican villa all to themselves.
Scarlett and Ivan’s favorite moment from 2022 was welcoming their son Ezra Hunter Hu to their growing family, and looking forward to a lifetime of memories to be created together.
John’s highlight of 2022 was the purchase of a new boat! Well, new to him… Originally it was for his fishing escapades and catching himself the fish of a lifetime. However, within a few weeks, he learned that his boat was another means for making some of the best memories with his family and friends—from having to swim to it after letting it float away, to spotting pods of jumping dolphins and, surprisingly, watching a breaching whale pass by.
Masa’s best memory in 2022 was getting to finally see his family in Japan after two and a half years of the pandemic. He was especially surprised by how much his niece had grown up. He took her to Universal Studios in Osaka. Even though she looks a little tired in the picture after Harry Potter’s ride, she had a great time. Another highlight was a Yakiniku party complete with home fireworks with family and friends.
Sarah’s highlight of 2022 was welcoming her sweet baby girl, Ryan, making the Brooks’ a family of four. Watching Sawyer as a big sister has brought so much joy.
Veronica
Veronica’s 2022 highlight was backpacking through Peru over the summer. This trip was packed with delicious cuisine, sight-seeing, backpacking four days along the ancient Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and botanical expeditions through the Amazon rainforest. A decade in the making, the trip was one of mental and physical fortitude, and an amazing experience she’ll never forget.
Waylon
Waylon’s 2022 highlight of the year was a trip to Washington DC with his wife.