Carmelo

and his Family, his Friends, & his Interests.

2011 in a Nutshell

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Mello
Below is a list of all good things that happened this year.
  • Spent time with John Rivera and Family!
  • First time snowboarding
  • We got tattoos!
  • Jaime got a raise!
  • Made a shit ton of cakes!
  • Reunited with Corey Roque
  • Booked the Castle at Ashley Manor
  • Had a fancy Binkley’s 30 course meal
  • Attended a wedding
  • Bachelor & Bachelorette Party!
  • Carmelo got a new job, like a boss!
  • Had our own wedding!
  • Went to Jamaica!
  • Got an iPad2!
  • Had a house painted
  • Had a new A/C installed
  • New Dishwasher!
  • Bought a huge dining table
  • Had new carpet put in
  • Moved into said house in the middle of summer
  • Bought a huge bed
  • Bought new TVs
  • Bought Damien new furniture
  • Went Wakeboarding!
  • Got a Galaxy Tab
  • Went to Vegas!
  • Saw Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • Went to Rocky Point!
  • Got a new sink and faucet
  • Carmelo got ITIL certified, like a boss!
  • Got motorcycle up to par
  • Cleaned Garage!
  • Had Thanksgiving!
  • Had a house party for our birthdays!
  • Reunited with Steven Kennard (and Skip by accident)
  • Had Christmas with Family^2!
  • Identified noodles Carmelo loves! (Hong Kong Style!)
  • Bought a Jacuzzi!
  • Got tickets to Paris!

 
 
 
 
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Merry Christmas!!!!

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Mello

Last weekend we got to spend time with most of our family. My mom, uncle Dave and aunt Nervie was here and we cooked some Filipino food. Sinigang and Lumpia. Very tasty.

Yesterday for Christmas eve, my brother and soon to be sister-in-law come over and we ate and then did a video chat with mom and the rest of the family in Montreal.

For Jaime and I’s first Christmas together as a married couple did we ever spoil each other!

I got Jaime a Spa!
Jaime got us tickets to Paris!

Merry Christmas everybody, Merry Christmas!


 
 
 
 
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Happy Holidays 2011

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Mello

My mom, Uncle Dave and Aunt Nervie came to visit. It was a quick weekend! I cooked sinagang and it was delicious. We also made a bunch of lumpia. When everybody came over, Jaime invited her half of the family to come over as well.

Later that night, we migrated over to my Pat and Courtney’s place and spent the night there. The next day we went to church, then chilled for a bit before heading to C-Fu for some yummy chinese food (that is where the picture is taken). Then, as quick as everyone got here, they left. We dropped them off at the airport. It was a very good quality weekend of family fun. I really enjoyed it.


 
 
 
 
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Sgt. Kennard

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Mello


This is a picture of myself and Steven Kennard. 16 years before this picture, he was my Sergeant at VMA-311. Great guy, everybody loves him. He Facebooked me out of the blue with his number and lo’ and behold, we met up at the American Legion on 35th ave and Thunderbird.

It was very good to see him and meet his mom whom he was visiting for Thanksgiving. We hope it will be the start of many reunions.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Mello


Yesterday was pretty busy. We had cleaned the house and cooked for 14 people. Much fun!
It was also Jaime’s birthday, so it’s official, I’m no longer sleeping with a 20 something year old woman. LOL

I just finished my lunch today and it was just as good as it was for dinner yesterday. I’m very happy and thankful of my life right now.

In other awesome and exciting news. I’m also done with Christmas shopping! I’ve been buying things online for the last few weeks, like a boss!


Damien and William shooting dog poop with their airsoft guns from atop an RV thats still in my yard for some reason

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Buying Meat in Bulk and a Rolling Pin

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Mello

We buy in bulk and I eat red meat. So, we shop and Costco and I buy 6lbs of hamburger meat at a time. Some of you who don’t know how to seal meat up so that you can not only buy in bulk, but you can easily put into your freezer and get it unfrozen and ready to cook in minutes!

I have a hard core food sealer, check this baby out!

Now, since I get 6lbs of red meat, I divide the package into 6 even and equal parts and make giant 1lb meatballs out of them.

Once you get your bags made, and the meat sealed up, take a rolling pin to it. Look at this awesomeness!

Now they fit into the freezer in a stack the size of a pizza box and when you put hot water in the sink and throw one of these in to defrost, it will take literally 1 minute!!! How awesome is that?

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Marine Corps Birthday, Veterans Day, Birthday

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Carmelo Ricarde

I had a very good weekend in terms of relaxing and reflecting. I often like to do absolutely nothing but think about stuff. It helps define me.

For the Marine Corps birthday, Jaime had to work late, so Damien and I went to Outback steakhouse. It was the bomb. I stank of Bloomin’ Onion and horseradish. Yum!

The next day for Veterans Day, Jaime worked from home and we went to Applebee’s for the free food for Veterans. I just had a Bacon Cheeseburger. Later that night we could have had another free meal somewhere else, but we decided to just get pizza and wings.

For my birthday, Jaime made me breakfast when she got up. It was awesome and filling, I was so full I didn’t even want lunch. Then for dinner Jaime made ribs and corn on the grill. Yum yum!

I don’t even know where to begin with how many people called, texted, or facebooked me a happy birthday, but it was a lot! I’m so thankful to everybody.

For my gift from my family, I got a pretty sweet Keurig coffee maker for my desk at work.

For our birthday party next week, I’m going to build a cake like this.

This is pretty cool because its something Jaime sorta wanted long ago but as decorations on a cake, this whole cake will be like this.

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Halloween 2011!

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Mello

This year, Halloween for us spanned 2 1/2 weeks!
We went to Jeff and Teri’s Halloween party up in New River and then a week later, had a Halloween party to go to with Karie and our friends. Then just yesterday was finally Halloween and Jaime and I watched some Ghost hunting stuff on TV while answering the door and giving candy to little kids!


I really didn’t need a mask as I could make babies cry just by looking at them.

We were day of the dead peeps. Our front yard is still decorated with the ‘pet cemetery’.

I made a Halloween cake for work, though I didn’t dress up (I had to give new employee orientation and didn’t want to be parading around as a banana for that!)

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Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Mello

Friday, about noon, we took off for the weekend. Our voyage would normally be drive up to Lake Powell, with boats and camping gear. Not this time, this year we drove south to Rocky Point, in Mexico. We stayed at the Sonoran Sea, which was quite nice. Nice and quiet. A little too quiet.

Once night time fell, on our first day, we were a little disappointed. We were on our Patio laughing while playing a drinking game and were told to keep it down. The whole place was about 25% occupied… Our neighbors upstairs were told to turn their music down. That kinda sucked.

My nightstand was stamped with “Made in America” on the inside in the drawer. How funny is that? hahaha

We also found out that the hot water heater was on a different circuit. When it was finally found on Sunday, Jaime and I found out that the hot water didn’t reach our bathroom. Boooo!!!!!!

Really though, for the price that we paid, six of us, for $100 each, for four days, that’s a nice luxury condo for $25 a day. You can’t beat that!

One day, Jaime just wanted to go into town and buy massive amounts of fresh fish and shrimp, we all jumped into the car and Rob drove us through town and started haggling and giving the vendors a hard time. We got a great deal and vendors even peeled, deveined and butterflied.

We ate like kings that night and weren’t too full! Later we went over to the Boobar, the bar that Camille and Jaime went to for Jaime’s bachelorette party. It was actually pleasant. I thought it would be a shit hole. I don’t know when it happened, but there is no smoking allowed in bars in Mexico. I think cigarettes cost even more down there too. How funny is that?

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Las Vegas

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Mello

Jaime and I went to Las Vegas with little planning to watch Lynyrd Skynyrd poolside from the M Resort and Spa. Thanks to my mom. It was pretty awesome.

We spent the next day, stuffing my face at a buffet, then trying to score some tickets to see the Mr. Olympia. We went to the Orleans resort and asked for tickets, they cost $150 each. So needless to say, I didn’t want to pay that much to see some dudes in thongs.

On our way back, one of the shocks on the car got messed up and we had to stop in Boulder city and get it fixed. Those guys at Big O tires got us home for nothing. I recommend them!

P.s. Driving off into the sunset, not as cool as it sounds.

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