Muir Woods

Above: (left to right) Me, Shayne, Ryan, Paul, Will & Turner.

This past weekend Paul and I went to Muir Woods in Matrin, just north of San Francisco. We had yet t go there since we have been living here and our friend Ryan lead the charge in getting us and our friends up and out of the city. It was a great time and the woods re truly amazing, I'd loike to go again and explore a bit more.

Above: (left to right) Paul, Turner, Will, Ryan and Shayne.

Above: The entrance to Muir Woods.

Above: Shayne, Paul & Ryan.

Above: (left to right) Me, Shayne, Ryan, Paul, Will & Turner.

Above: (left to right) Paul, Turner, Will, Ryan and Shayne.

Above: Clovers.

Happy 4th of July in Boston!

Above: Me on the Cape, photo taken by Zach's Nanny Lois aka Button.

It's the last day of our 10 day trip in Boston and I am ready to go back to San Fran! I do have to say I did have a blast in Boston, but I don't miss living here at all!!

Above: Boston

We arrived in Boston last week and we were at Paul's nephews wedding, pictures of the wedding can be found below. The we had a family gathering the day after the wedding which was nice and we also saw some old friends. It was great to see everyone, I miss our old Boston brood - but it seems like more and more of our Boston friends are leaving Boston as well.

Above: Me, Patrick and Paul - we had a great visit with our friends Patrick and Frank.

Above: Paul, me and Frank in Cambridge Mass.

Above: Boston Boys! (from left to right) Jim, Charlie, Me, Paul, Kevin & Jack.

Above: Me and Kevin.

Above: Kevin, Me, Jim, Charlie and Paul at Flashes in Boston.

We then headed to my cousin's house in Western Mass. My cousin and family had not yet met Zachary yet so I was excited for them to meet him. We had so much fun at my cousins house, I really enjoy being with my cousin, her family and my aunt and uncle. Great people!

Above: My cousin Nic and Me.

Above: Me and Zach taking a dip in my cousins pool.

Above: Chicken Fights!!!

Above: Zach having fun with my cousins children, Duffy and Cooper.

Above: My Aunt Laurie and my Uncle Bernie playing a game of golf.

We then headed to the cape with Zach and spent a few days there with Zach's mom Carrie and her family, again another great few days of rest and relaxation - truly a wonderful time.

Above: The beautiful Cape house we stayed at.

Above: The Cape Clan - Ciara, Me, Paul, Zach, Carrie, Button and Iggy.

Above: Beautiful Zachary!

Above: An inviting pool at the Cape House.

Above: Like father, like son...

Above: Me at the Cape.

We then ended our trip with an awesome 4th of July cookout at Paul's family's house. It was a great time in Boston and I am sure we will be back in a few months!! Enjoy the photos!

Above: The Johnsons and the Sarsfields.

Above: Me and Paul's niece Hailey enjoying our Friendly's ice cream!!

Above: Zach and Paul eating their sundaes!

Above: Zach waiting patiently for the duck boat tour to start.

Whitney Houston - I Didn't Know My Own Strength - New single

Whitney Houston is my favorite singer of all time. She is hands down one of the best singers ever. I have always been a fan of hers and really have been rooting for her to have a major comeback - well it is here. Her new single from is called "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" leaked on the web and I am pleasantly surprised. The song is an old school ballad that could have easily been on anyone of her albums from the 80s or 90s. The lyrics really are a great way for Whitney to express where she has been and where she is going. It's a very inspirational song and for a woman that has been in the industry a long time it's nice to see her not using cheap lyrics and a slutty image to sell record. for instance, Mariah Carey who is 40 has a new album and song coming out a week before Whitney and Mariah's album cover looks like she is on the street corner and the lyrics to her new song sound like it was written by Hannah Montana. Mariah has nothing on Whitney - Whitney is in a league of her own and Mariah will never be in the same class - ever.

Above: The trash bag that is Mariah Carey can be seen on her forthcoming album cover above - yikes! Bad photo shop job.

The big question has been can Whitney still sing? Yes, she can but the voice that made her a phenomenon is gone, forever. Her voice is deeper, raspier and not as crisp BUT Whitney is 45 years old (46 in August) and like any great singer (Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews) the voice does age as well. Even if Whitney had taken care of her voice as well as other divas it would have aged. For instance, Whitney's cousin Dionne Warwick had a very clean crisp voice when she came out in the early 1960s, when Dionne had a huge comeback in the 80s her voice was much deeper and raspier. Now, if you listen to Whitney's new song, her voice is still better than most female artists on the radio today, there are only a few that can sing better right now (Leona Lewis, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys & Celine Dion). Whitney can still sing and she sounds great, she just has a more mature voice.

Above: Whitney Houston recently in LA preparing for her long-awaited comeback!

Whitney's new album, I Look to You, drops on September 1st and I am looking forward to buying it. I am hoping it's a solid album and does well for Whit. I am praying for a major Whitney Houston comeback!! Take a listen to her new single below. It should be on iTunes in a few weeks.