Events of 2005
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Events of 2005

The major event of 2005 was the birth of our son Stefan. His arrival and his world is documented in a special section just for him. Take a look at Stefan Hoffmann by clicking here.

But we had a few other things happening in 2005 as well, and these events are all listed on this page.

 

Key West

In January we spent a long weekend in Key West, Florida. It was our last trip before Jana was advised not to fly anymore due to Stefan's arrival. The weekend was a lot of fun. We explored the town of Key West. It has a rich history, including many famous residents, such as Ernest Hemingway, President Harry Truman and the occasional shipwreck plunderer. Many of the houses reflected that history and provided a nice backdrop the the stories that Key West told.

We also took a sunset cruise on a catamaran and dined on fine food. A special spectacular is the daily festival in honor of the setting sun. Along the marina artists, jugglers and entertainers amuse the crowd while the sun is setting and when it disappears behind the horizon everyone toasts and waits for the green flash (which we did not see).

The highlight of our visit, though, was the dolphin watch excursion we took on the morning of our departure. The water was flat and we spent 45 minutes with a large pod of dolphins. They jumped, swam alongside the boat, slapped the water and eyed us curiously. It was a truly amazing encounter that makes us long to come back one day.

Photo Gallery from Key West


All aboard the Conch Train to take a tour of Key West

Flagler Hotel

One of the many historic houses in Key West

Ernest Hemingway's famous hangout

The continental US' southern most point

Another historic mansion

One of the many gay-centric shops and institutions

Ernest Hemingway House

Beautiful church

Key West Lighthouse

Twin houses a ship captain built for his twin daughters

Historic Spanish military house

End terminal of the Flagler railroad that connected Key West to the rest of Florida

Going for a cruise...

...with this boat

Key West Marina

Relaxing on a sunset cruise

Pregnant beauty and a sunset

Dinner

I am going to shake your rattle at the sunset festival

Entertainer that got himself strapped into a straight jacket...

...hung up and managed to get out within 2 minutes

Key West sunset

Going out for a dolphin excursion

The first sighting

First approaches

Checking us out

Slapping the water

Disney cruise ship
       

 

Fathers Day

On Father's Day, we spent the afternoon with our friends Troy, Eliza and Sara and their family. Troy had gotten a new smoker, where he slow-cooked some of the best ribs we had eaten in a long time. We had a great time - such that we completely forgot to take many pictures.

Photo Gallery from Father's Day


Happy Daddy No. 1

Happy Daddy No. 2

Happy Hoffmann Family
   

 

Shannon and KC Wedding

On June 26, 2005 our friends Shannon and KC got married at the house of KC's parents in Ogden, Utah. We were invited for a 4-day wedding weekend that included a welcome barbeque, lunch at a great restaurant, massages for the gilds, a visit to the Hills Air Force Base Museum for the boys, the wedding (obviously), sightseeing in Salt Lake City, and a short visit with our friends Eric and Charlotte.

We wish Shannon and KC all the best for their future together.

Photo Gallery from Shannon and KC Wedding


Taking a nap before the big day

Stefan is happy to be at Shan and KC's wedding event

What a cute outfit

A first set of gifts

Hill Air Force Base - Wright's first military flyer

WWII planes

The fastest, highest-flying airplane in the world

Eating in a pioneer wagon

Stefan is just sleeping through it

Dressing up for the occasion

Saying Hi to the bride

The beautiful bride

Mom and Daughter

Friends

The Vows

And they are husband and wife

Mr. and Mrs. Sanders

It was a tiring event

Josh finally gave in to holding Stefan

Photo shoot with Daddy...

...and Mommy

Shannon and KC on the trampoline

And they are off to Disney World

The Heart in the Sky is the sign of the day

Assembly Hall at Temple Square

Mormon Temple

Eric and Charlotte meet Stefan

Stefan does not want to leave this beautiful event
     

 

Pool Parties

To celebrate the completion of our pool, we hosted several pool parties. The first one was with our friends Troy, Eliza and Sara. Troy and Marc also used this opportunity to clean the pool and spa from the ground up - using the latest in snorkel gear technology.

Photo Gallery from Pool Party with Troy, Eliza and Sara


Stefan is taking the plunge with Marc

...while Jana is hanging out in the float

Great fun at the pool

Troy

Sara

Troy, Sara and Eliza

There are new pool cleaners in town...

....going deep

Looking for buried treasures

The spa offers some exceptional snorkeling

One tired boy
   

For our next party, we invited our friends out to our new house and pool. For some of our friends it was the first time to meet Stefan. We were glad to reconnect with several of them after the past few months of hectic activities, such as birth of Stefan, moving and getting the house completed.

Photo Gallery from Pool Party with Friends


Mommy and Daddy are hanging out with Stefan in the pool

Stefan likes the pool

Nicky and Stefan

James is chatting with Nicky while Stephanie and Daniel are hanging out in the background

Vicky, Emily and Patrice

Troy and Sara are chilling

Jim is relaxing in another way

Laurie gets first-hand experience with Stefan

Mark is laughing it up with Stefan

Stefan is the first baby that Eric is holding...we are honored

Stephanie and Daniel are having a chat with Stefan

Jim and Laura are socializing with Stefan
   

 

 

Seattle

In September we visited Seattle. It is one of our favorite places to go and September usually has good weather. This time we decided to take the Underground Tour, which shows the former building ground of the city that was eventually raised to conquer the original swamp land. The tour took us past many remains of old Western building and artifacts. After having spent a couple of hours underground, we had reverse our views and rode the elevator to the top of Smith Tower to enjoy some great scenery of Seattle.

Another reason for coming was to introduce Stefan to our friends. We had a great dinner at Palisade Restaurant where Kathy and Bonnie, and their husbands Marty and Tom had a chance to meet our little boy. Kathy also offered to baby-sit Stefan the next day, while we enjoyed a night out for our wedding anniversary.

While Jana was having lunch with her girlfriends, Marc and Stefan toured the Museum of Flight, which showed the early years of the Boeing Aircraft Company and highlighted other elements of the adventures into air and space.

On our last day, we took a Harbor Cruise around Elliott Bay and saw the Seattle skyline, shipping wharfs and the local sea lions. This was another great visit to the Emerald City.

Photo Gallery from Seattle


Pioneer Square, where Seattle started

Heading into the Underground

Stefan is observing the nap patterns of the Old West

Bar from a former hotel

Ice chest used by the bar

Couch used by the "seamstresses" frequenting the bar

Original "crapper" (Crapper was the last name of the person who invented the toilet in England)

Old tub

Chairs and cash register

Smith Tower

Lobby in the Smith Tower

Elliott Bay

View over Qwest Field and Safeco Field

Tallest building in Seattle

Bonnie, Kathy and Jana

Bonnie, Stefan and Kathy

Stefan is excited by a night stroll along the water

Original Boeing manufacturing building at the Museum of Flight

Inside the first Boeing aircraft plant

Replica of Wright flyer (the first aircraft)

Mercury space capsule

Apollo command module

Various Jets

View over Boeing Field

Early United Airlines plane

Concorde on exhibit

It looks very small...and it was...quite disappointing

Cockpit of the Concorde

Air Force One (Boeing 707)

Aboard Air Force One

Communications Deck

Cockpit of Air Force One

F-14

A night out with a beautiful girl

Getting ready to go on the Harbor Cruise

Space Needle

Palisade Restaurant at Elliott Bay Marina

Seattle skyline

Local sea lions

Dry docks (this one actually holds 2 big fishing ships)

Starbucks Headquarter

Smith Tower

Inventive ways for feeding the child

Hey mommy, I want your attention
       

 

New York

During 8 weeks in September, October and November, Marc had to work on a project in Weehawken, New Jersey. Weehawken is right across the Hudson River from New York City. So, Jana and Stefan decided to join Marc for a couple of weeks. Although the weather was quite bad, we had the opportunity to sightsee quite a bit.

Jana's sister Liane joined us one weekend to take a tour bus through some of the famous parts of Manhattan. We got to see famous landmarks, such as the Chrysler and Empire Sate buildings, the Flatiron Building, Trump Tower, UN Headquarters, and many more. Luckily Liane was also there when Jana unexpectedly got a kidney stone the following Monday and we all had to spend some time in the emergency room at the local hospital.

Another weekend we went back to Manhattan to meet Tiffany, one of Jana's friends from her time at Boeing. We walked through Central Park and had lunch at a local deli. After we said goodbye to Tiffany we spent some more time in FAO Schwartz (a famous toy store - watch Tom Hanks in "Big" and you will see). We also went up to the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Stefan took all of this in with his natural curiosity and enjoyed being carried around by Marc, even when it was cold and rainy.

Photo Gallery from New York


Stefan piloting the plane to New York

Chillin' in his stroller

Yeah Baby - It's New York

Liane and Jana

Let's go. I want to see something.

ABC Studios on Times Square

Manhattan Street

Flatiron Building

One of the old churches in Manhattan

Old building fronts

Entrance to China Town

Site of the former World Trade Center (destroyed on 9/11/2001)

Buddhist temple

Chrysler Building

Radio City Music Hall

Manhattan traffic on Times Square

Stefan has seen enough sights for one day

But then we are ready to go again - Stefan is deciding what we are going to do

Central Park - Strawberry Fields

Carousel ride in Central Park

Conservatory Water

Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park

Tiffany and Stefan

Ice Skating Rink

Tiffany and Jana

Plaza Hotel (although it is no longer a hotel)

Tiffany is making Stefan giggle

FAO Schwartz

Inside the best toy store

Stefan (actually Jana) really wanted this

Let's go for a horse-drawn carriage ride...

...around Central Park

Stefan cheers the horse on

Daddy gets some loving

Empire State Building

The Lobby

Stefan is exhausted

Lower Manhattan

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the background

Brooklyn Bridge

New York Life and Flatiron Buildings

Stefan is enjoying the view

Chrysler Building and UN Headquarters in the background

Midtown and Central Park

Weehawken (Marc worked in the two blue buildings and our hotel was on the left of it)

 

Jacksonville

In between spending time in New York, Marc had another assignment for client in Jacksonville, Florida. Jana's brother Tracy and his family live there and so we took the opportunity to visit for a week. It also allowed us to participate in Dylan's 4th birthday celebrations. This visit was also Stefan's first dip into the sea. We went to Jacksonville Beach and Stefan stuck his toes in the water. We also made a quick visit to St. Augustine, but it was so hot that day, that we decided to head back to the air-conditioned environment at the Shelton house.

Photo Gallery from Jacksonville


Stefan and the Shelton's (Alishia, Tracy and Dylan)

The cousins get to know each other

Dylan helps feeding Stefan

Dylan and Stefan take a bath together

Dylan's birthday dinner

Tracy is saying Happy Birthday

Dylan gets his first bike (it is a Batman bike)...

...and tries it out right away

At Jacksonville Beach

Stefan with Tracy...

...in the ocean

Playing with Dylan's toys

St. Augustine
     

 

MOMS Club Parade

A few months after Stefan is born, Jana joined the MOMS Club of Rancho Cucamonga East, which is a support group for moms. She has participated in various events and playgroups and is getting engaged more and more. It has been very beneficial to be able to share experiences with other moms and get out of the house.

In November, the MOMS Club participated in Rancho Cucamonga's Founder's Day Parade, and Jana and Stefan proudly walked the streets of the Victoria Gardens shopping mall.

Photo Gallery from MOMS Club Parade

     
         

 

Utah Visit

In November, Marc had to go to Utah for business. So, we took the opportunity to visit our friends Shannon and KC again. They took us to Park City and showed us around. It is a quaint little ski town. Some snow was already on the ground and Stefan got his first taste (literally) of snow. This should hopefully be a good preparation for our Christmas trip to Germany.

After visiting Park City, we stopped at an Outlet Mall. While Jana was shopping, Stefan got to take his first ride by himself on a swing set.

Photo Gallery from Utah Visit


All bundled up for the cold

Stroller in the snow

Main Street Park City

Happy Family

Stefan in the snow

Mommy and Stefan

Getting a taste of snow

Stefan's first swing

Yeah, watch me.

Stefan loves the swing

The family that swings together, stays together

Rick and Stefan

Pam and Stefan

 

Christmas in Germany

Our last trip in 2005 took us to visit family and friends in Germany for Christmas and to celebrate the New Year. It was a long flight to Frankfurt, but Stefan immediately took charge when he got into the flight deck. Since he had to take some rest time, a comfortable bassinet was provided for him, which he did not utilize entirely.

Upon landing in Frankfurt, Marc's family greeted us at the airport. Uncle Lars was eager to meet his nephew. After our arrival he immediately hit the Christmas Market in Bonn to shop for some unique ornaments.

For Christmas, Anke and Leoni joined the celebrations. Stefan and Leoni were immediately best friends, and Leoni helped a lot when it came time to feed Stefan or entertain him. As always, Christmas Eve was packed with gift giving and family time. It was very enjoyable. We also got the chance to visit with Kaisser Opa, who at 97 is still physically in good shape. With Stefan, Marc, Marc's dad and Kaisser Opa, four generations came together under one roof.

After Christmas, our friends Cecile and Roland visited us, and Stefan was delighted to meet some new people. We enjoyed their company very much and were sad that it had to end after only a few hours.

In between Christmas and New Years, we had planned to travel to various cities in Germany, but a powerful snow storm destroyed most of our plans. We still managed to go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This was the holy grail for Jana, as the Kaethe Wohlfahrt Christmas stores were located there. We shopped for several hours, but also had a chance to see a little bit of this beautiful medieval town.

For New Years Eve, our friends Caroline and Martin invited us over to their place, where we celebrated with them and their son Sebastiaan. Caroline was pregnant with their second child, Maurits, and at the time of writing this, Maurits had been born. Congratulations to the Huellen family for their newborn.

After 12 days of time with family and friends, not to forget the snow and cold weather, we made our way back home to California.

Photo Gallery from Christmas in Germany


Stefan is excited about going to Germany

He is wondering what is going to happen when he gets there

But basically he is just excited to go

I can fly this plane

But better take a nap in mommy's arms

The Welcome Committee at Frankfurt airport

Christmas Market in Bonn

Hanging with Opi

Wood carving shop where we purchased a toy for Stefan

The small town of Altenahr...we were in search of another Christmas Market

Ruins of the castle in Altenahr

Omi baked name plates for everyone

Omi takes Stefan for a stroll

This is a new way to bathe for Stefan

...and it tires him out

That's a big present under the tree

Stefan meets Leoni...

...and the immediately become friends

Marc's family
 

The Hoffmann family

Ready for a stroll...

...all bundled up

The innovative bottle holder

4 generations of Hoffmanns (with emphasis on the "man" part of Hoffmann)

Visiting with Kaisser Opa

Cecile and Roland stop by for a visit

And then the snow started falling...

...and it didn't stop

Winter impression

Jana nearly got stuck in Germany

Chillin' out (literally)

Jana is pulling "a Shannon" (sorry, little inside joke)

Winter Wonderland

An outfit for all degrees of cold

Stefan the red-nosed reindeer...ah baby

Am I cute or what

Hey Omi, you are cheating

The Holy Grail of Christmas Shoppers

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Caroline is explaining the Christmas tree

Sharing a secret

Sometimes Stefan actually gets to feel like a king on a throne (or pillows)

New Years Eve with Caroline and Martin (Sebastiaan was unfortunately already in bed, when we remembered to take pictures)

Paul and Almuth Wolff stop by to meet Stefan

Stefan is ready to go home

Goodbye Germany

I am so tired, I am not sure I'll make it.