The Final Stretch

So what else do you do while you're waiting for your baby to arrive? Participate in a 5K Turkey Trot, of course! Right before Thanksgiving (and few weeks before her due date), Leah power-walked in the annual 5K Run and Walk on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. While actually running wouldn't be such a good idea, activities like this, as well as dance classes, have kept Leah pretty active throughout her pregnancy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
As for Alex, Christmas came early this year. Here's the other baby that he waited 9 months for:
This is a California-Compliant AR15, basically the legal version of the Marine Corps' M16 service rifle. After ordering this back in March, this amazing weapon finally arrived from Utah right after Thanksgiving.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally, Alex played in his last performance with Marine Band San Diego at the Annual MCRD Christmas Concert. (Alex will be furthering his career in the Marine Corps outside of the band field, but we'll save those exciting details for later in January!)

Outside and bundled up, this final concert will remain a bittersweet memory.
And note: the baby has not arrived yet! Although she is technically over a week past her Dec. 5th due date, she seems quite cozy where she is. Looking forward to meeting her any day now!

Baby Business and Birthday Ball

Six weeks before her December due date, Leah was given a baby shower by her mom and mother-in-law, Lorraine and Freida, and was truly showered with many wonderful gifts for the soon-to-arrive Baby Zoe. Taking place in Leah's childhood home in San Clemente, the party was decorated in pink and zebra print, also the theme for Zoe's own bedroom back in San Diego. (Notice the cute 'diaper cake' on the far right, actually made out of diapers, receiving blankets, and ribbon).
It was quite a full and joyful party, plus always entertaining with the Greek relatives!

And what an amazing treat: the family and friends were so generous!

Here's the backside of the adorable quilt that Leah's mom made for the baby, complete with 'Zoe Zebra.'

The proud parents-to-be (Alex made an appearance at the end of the shower).
---------------------------------------------------------------------
And just a few hours later, Alex and Leah dressed up and headed to the annual Marine Corps Birthday Ball to celebrate 234 years of the USMC! (Yes, this dress made it to a few functions this year :).

Happy Birthday, Marines, and remember to remain Semper Fidelis!

Fun Fall Flings

In October, Alex and the Brass Quintet of Marine Band San Diego got the opportunity to perform for the Commandant of the Marine Corps in Reno, Nevada. Instead of taking a commercial flight, the guys were personally flown out of MCAS Miramar in a C-130, a large, military transport aircraft. Because Marine pilots are not too concerned about the comfort of their passengers, this was a wild and bouncy ride! (The beast is shown below.)
During some free-time, Alex and another Marine decided to hike up Mt. Rose, about 10,000 feet up overlooking Lake Tahoe. Blazing their own trails through pine trees and even snow, it was quite an experience.
Alex and buddy Sgt. Ryan Jones satisfied after a good work-out to the top.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And a few weeks later, Alex and Leah attended San Diego State University's Homecoming football game at Qualcomm Stadium. Leah even dusted off her old bass trombone and played with other band alumni in the stands and on the field with the Marching Aztecs (not bad for being 8-months pregnant!).

Also this month, Alex and Leah attended the beautiful, formal wedding of Leah's close harp friend from college, Tasha. Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Godinez!

And of course, we had to get a photo on the lovely staircase of the Westgate Hotel, the wedding location.

The months seem to pass quickly as Alex and Leah keep quite busy, . In addition to keeping active in a jazz dance class, Leah continues to give harp lessons to young students and play at unique gigs. Here's a teacher's phone photo of Leah playing an educational program for teenagers at a juvenile probation center.

And as always, Alex continues working hard with the Marine Band, here at a Change of Command ceremony near the airstrip at Miramar (yes, they play often at other local bases).

And the fall isn't even over yet! Still more to come!

A Little East Coast/Midwest Trip

While Alex was gone on another recruiting tour with the Marine Brass Quintet, Leah decided to visit her close friends Jenny and Carlton Shippee in Newport, Rhode Island for a few days. The Shippee's were super hospitable showing Leah around parts of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and even a day-trip to New York City! (By the way, both Jenny and Leah are pregnant with little girls; Jenny in the 8th month and Leah at 7 1/2 months in these photos).
(Above, Leah on the rooftop of the Metropolitan Art Museum with Central Park and Manhattan in the background.)

Here are some other photos from the trip:

Jenny and Carlton in Central Park with those cute, little, remote-controlled sailboats in the water behind them.

The Brier Rabbit in a cool sculpture.

The famous Radio City Music Hall near Times Square.

And of course, Times Square itself.


And the lovely backdrop of Connecticut. Thanks, guys, for a wonderful time!


On Leah's return-trip home, she stopped off in Chicago, Illinois for a few days to visit her sister and brother-in-law, Monica and Brian. Not only did Leah get to see their new, lovely house in Glen Ellyn, but most importantly, she got to meet her brand-new nephew, Parker! This little cutie is about one month old, though he's not so sure about his aunt.

Thanks, Brian and Monica, for opening up your home!

Life Landmarks

Remember these guys? On August 6th 2004, Alex and Leah became Mr. and Mrs. Panos.

Now 2009, we are happily celebrating 5 amazing years of marriage! A lot has changed over the years (especially Alex's hair, courtesy of the USMC), but we couldn't be happier! Here we are about to head out to downtown San Diego for a steak dinner.

And because only a handful of family/friends read this blog, we know most of you have already heard the news that we are expecting our first baby, who should arrive before mid-December. (Can you tell Leah's hiding an over 5 1/2 month baby bump under that dress?)
Last month, we got to see the baby through an ultrasound and found out it's a girl!
Here she is kicking her leg up high, already demonstrating martial arts techniques like her parents.

No more ultrasounds are expected, so we are looking forward to meeting her in December!

Summer Highlights... So Far

In random order, here are a bunch of photos from this summer's busy fun.
First off, Leah had the privilege of being a Matron of Honor in Jenny's wedding, her closest friend from college. Jenny married Carlton, a fellow trombonist from the Navy band in Newport, Rhode Island where they are stationed. Congrats to the Shippee's!

Monica, Leah's sister, visited from Illinois and was the honored guest at a baby shower held for her. Monica and her husband Brian are expecting a baby boy in September! Below, the Meadows sisters are spending time with their MawMaw.

As usual, Alex has been kept busy by the Marines, not only playing in dozens of weekly performances, but carrying out many other responsibilities within the unit. In addition to his job as a Martial Arts Instructor, Alex also serves as a Fire Team Leader, Section Leader, Police Sergeant, and the Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) of the Music Library. Here he is playing with the brass quintet at a Change Of Command ceremony at MCRD.

Along with the Marine Band, Leah got to participate in the annual Independence Day Parade in Coronado with the cast of "The Fantasticks." Most of the cast and musicians from a couple of Lamb's Players Theater productions joined in the patriotic parade, either riding in cars, on bikes, Segways, or walking. Here are some ensemble members riding in a pickup truck to the parade route (Leah is holding a "baby harp" prop to represent that she was the harpist for the show, of course).

And of course, summer wouldn't be complete without a BBQ at the beach (San Onofre with the Meadows).

And some amusement park fun (thanks to military discounts)! Photos from our overdue trip to Disneyland.

Alex really likes Mr. Toad.

And Universal Studios in Hollywood (Alex hadn't been here since 1986 when the "Knight Rider" car and "A-Team" van were the big feature)!
...But we really don't like this freeway.

Still can't beat summertime in Southern California!

"The Fantasticks"

This summer, Leah is excited to be a part of another excellent musical theater production with Lamb's Players Theater in Coronado, this show being "The Fantasticks!" Leah will be kept quite busy as the show runs from June 5th - July 26th, with 7 performances a week. While this show has been around for decades, Lamb's Players has done an excellent job with modernizing the look and even updating the music with a more edgy feel. The cast is excellent, and Leah is having a blast being a part of the band. As there are only 4 musicians for this show (piano, harp, guitar/bass, percussion), the band is quite visible, playing from the backside of the stage.

Below, Leah actually made it in the background of a promo photo for the show!

Here's more info from the LPT website:
One of the Most Beautiful Musicals Ever Written

THE FANTASTICKS started out a crowd-pleaser and ended up the longest-running musical of all time, with an astonishing 42-year New York run. A girl and boy who live in neighboring houses fall in love despite their parents' feud, until they find that the feud was a trick to bring about their romance. Summer is the perfect season for this sweetly beautiful, broadly theatrical fable about falling in love, growing up, losing childlike innocence, and coming home again wiser. With a gorgeous score filled with beloved songs like "Soon It's Gonna Rain," "I Can See It," and the international chart-topper "Try to Remember," THE FANTASTICKS is a delicious musical confection, a treat for the whole family.

“Lamb's Players Theatre and director Deborah Gilmour Smyth deserve endless credit for turning this fluffball into something more like a fine souffle. It all comes together with imagination and loopy passion!"
-James Hebert, Union-Tribune

“Delightful! Fluid and lively direction with a more edgy, contemporary sound. It’s easy to see why this musical lasted so long!”
-Jennifer Chung Klam, SanDiego.com
For more information, check out:
http://www.lambsplayers.org/lpt06/pages/whats_playing/fantasticks/fantasticks.html

P.S. Leah can get discounted tickets for anyone interested. :)