Happy holidays from FPBA! 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 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 Ann 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 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 Dan Dan 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 Donna’s favorite moment of 2022 was finally getting her house remodeled. Jeana Jeana 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 Karen 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 Kate 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 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 Michael 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 Stefanie Stefanie’s favorite moment from 2022 was vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with extended family. Ty Ty 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 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 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 Chelsea’s highlight of 2022 was vacationing in Maui for a week with her family and staying in Ka’anapali on the water. Cheryl Cheryl 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 David 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 Fabiana 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 Jim 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… Read more »
