Breakfast of Champions

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of staying at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley. Aside from its beautiful views of the bay and overall glamorous atmosphere, it had the BEST food we have had during a travel trip. Not your average hotel continental breakfast!

Eggs Benedict

Poached Eggs with Asparagus and Avocado Salsa on Brioche

Fresh Fruit with Vanilla Bean Yogurt

Complimentary Biscuits with Apricot Compote

And of course, a morning Latte!

Needless to say, we were just a little bit spoiled. Definitely a breakfast fit for champions!

Senior Day

This past weekend our team celebrated the class of 2013 with Senior Day. At our game against UCLA (which we won 8-1 whoop whoop) the seniors were introduced and everyone in the stands got to see how amazing they all are.

Later on everyone’s families met up at Buca d Beppo downtown for a dinner honoring the seniors. Everyone had so much fun and the food was delicious. However, my personal favorite part of the evening was the freshman rap. The freshman had some big shoes to fill because my class killed it last year, but the freshies definitely gave us a run for our money. They serenaded the crowd to the tune of the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and did an amazing job.

Senior day was a huge success and was a perfect way to honor the hard work of all of the seniors over the past 4 (or 5) years. Everyone in the senior class had an incredible final home game and Avery Aquatic Center will miss them!

Happy Easter!

The team got their Easter baskets early this year... big thanks to the Grossman family!

Gurpreet is Ready to Go!

Gurpreet was so excited to train and get ready for the UCI Tournament this weekend that she put her suit on inside out! We still think she looks ready to go (:

Hope to see you all down south for what promises to be a GREAT weekend of water polo.

East Coast Adventures // by Kate

Over Christmas break I spontaneously decided to book a trip to the east coast to visit some friends, including one I traveled to Italy with last summer. I took a red eye to Washington D.C. and landed at about 8:30 in the morning. After a long night of traveling, I was ready to tour the city! My friend, Taylor, picked me up from the airport and showed me all the tourist sites including the Lincoln Memorial and the White House. As a member of the Baldoni family, it was my honor to finally have a chance to meet Anna Mae Hayes, the first women general in the military. I called her up that morning and asked to meet since everyone else in my close family has had the chance to make it to D.C. to visit her. My relations to Anna Mae is through my grandfather, who worked under her while he was serving in the army. Anna Mae, who is currently 93 years old, agreed to have lunch with my friend Taylor and me the following day. We went to her condominium complex, which had a great view of the mall in Washington D.C (as you can see in the picture). Taylor ended up driving her car and took us to lunch at the officer’s club. We were lucky enough to have special parking because of Anna Mae’s rank. During lunch we learned all about her life, the different places she traveled in her 30 years in the military, the type of work she did, the Presidents she was able to build relationships with, etc. She has lived a very eventful life. She even gave us advice on our lives: work hard to get what you want! Anna Mae acted like she was 20 years younger than she was! Our conversation was great and I was so happy to finally have a chance to meet her. Although I was the last of the Baldoni’s to meet her, it was worth the wait and I hope I have the opportunity to see her again!

Defender Twins!

Great minds think alike!!

Sweet as a Rose // by Ashley

This year I had a really happy New Year!  Not only did our football team win the Rosebowl on New Year's Day, but I got to spend several days with my family and best friends from school at my house.  A few days before the Rosebowl, 5 of my friends drove down from school to come spend New Years and see the game with me.  After meeting them at the JW Mariott to pick up our gorgeous and shiny tickets, where the lobby was a complete sea of cardinal, we all went back to my house to hang out and go out to dinner.  On New Year's Eve, I planned a huge dinner with my best friends from home and my best friends from my other home, Stanford! I was in heaven having my friends from two sections of my life hang out with each other.  The next day, we were up early to drive to the Rosebowl.  At the alumni tailgate we were completely doted upon with food, games, and good company.  Of course, the game was awesome.  Oh, and did I mention that my cousin, who attends the University of Wisconsin, Madison came to the game too?! She was required to sit in the Stanford section.  Good thing red and cardinal are similar colors.  The next day my teammates and I got up early to road trip back to school to practice.  We are all so excited season is starting! Happy 2013!

The Winter Break Bucket List // by Kelsey

It's finally here, Winter Break! I've been looking forward to this since I got a little taste of being off of Stanford Time at Thanksgiving. Now I am home at last, and this time without any projects, papers, or final exams looming over my head. My entire family is home, which is quite a rare occurrence these days -- usually, my younger brother is busy with his countless extra curriculars and my older brother is on the East Coast at the Coast Guard Academy. With everyone under one roof, the holidays have officially begun at the Suggs house! The tree, garland, and lights are all ready for the 25th. Bring it on, Christmas.

Now, as exciting as all this is to me, I know that in a few days I'm going to find myself sitting on the couch, wondering what to do with myself. I've been going a million miles per hour, 24/7 pretty much since I was 5 -- dance lessons, piano lessons, softball and soccer, girl scouts... you name it, I did it -- I just don't know how to NOT be busy anymore. So, in order to preemptively rid myself of any "break boredom" I am making a bucket list of all the things I am going to do before heading back for another quarter at Stanford.

1. Read a Book!  Now I know what you are thinking. Really, Kelsey? You want to read a book after you just spent the last 10 weeks thumbing through countless pages of HumBio? And the answer is yes! -- sort of. I can't remember the last time I read a book because I truly wanted to, because I enjoyed the story. It's always been motivated by my professors ensuring me that "This information will be on the final." I just want a read a book for me. I'm going to lay out in the sun (weather permitting) and get lost in some epic adventure.


2.  See The Hobbit  This movie isn't particularly something I am looking forward to for the reasons you might think. I'm not obsessed with The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I don't want to be a hobbit or an elf or any of the other strange characters in the book. No, this story has more of a sentimental value to me. When I was younger, the first time I got really really sick, my dad began to read this book to me to help me fall asleep. It was just something small that he did but it made me feel so much better. In fact, I even pretended to be sick longer than I was so that he wouldn't stop! (Eventually he caught on, but don't worry he kept reading to me anyway!) I think it is only fitting that I now go see the movie with my dad (:


3. Eat some REAL Mexican Food  I love you, NorCal, I do... but there's just no competition when it comes to selection of authentic Mexican food. SoCal wins EVERY time. The next chance I get, I am driving down to the coast, hitting up my favorite local spot and eating some delicious food down by the water. It's the best thing.


4. Go Sailing  When I was younger, there was a youth sailing program out of a local harbor. I haven't really sailed since, and I miss it so much! My younger brother has joined a sailing team, and he, my older brother, and my dad all went out on the water the other day. Needless to say, I was very envious that they were out in the ocean while I was sitting in the airport terminal, waiting for my plane to arrive. It's going to be great to get back out there, pictures definitely to follow.


5. Christmas!  Christmas morning at the Suggs house is one of my favorite things. We have a huge spread for breakfast: a fantastic casserole, cinnamon rolls, coffee and lattes, christmas cookies that we've baked, fruit salad... my mouth is watering just thinking about it! We put christmas music on in the background and sit around the tree, opening our gifts. After, my mom and I get started on the Christmas dinner. Get the oven ready for the turkey and the ham, make all the side dishes, and of course the desserts. Cheesecakes, pies, MORE Christmas cookies, hot cocoa and cider. YUM!


6. Watch our football team kick some bootay!  As you probably know, Stanford's football team is now one of the nation's powerhouses. The program has come so far in the past years, and now we are headed to our third consecutive BCS bowl game. The best part? It's right in my backyard! This year's Rose Bowl will be played on January 1st in LA and I could not be more excited. A couple of girls from my sorority and I are going to spend New Years Eve in the city and then head over to the stadium to watch our boys beat the Wisconsin Badgers. Cassie is going to come too, which means I am going to laugh harder than I have since she graduated and left for Spain. In a nutshell? I CAN'T WAIT!!

 So there it is. My winter break bucket list for 2012. If the world does end in a few days, at least I'll have spent my last few days having a blast!

Tis the Season // by Emily

I cannot wait for Christmas! Hands down my favorite holiday. It is not much of a competition because it is one of the few times a year where it is socially acceptable to eat your body weight in food, with Thanksgiving being a close second. I love it when my family is all together (which sadly is pretty rare nowadays) and with no school to be stressing about, the cold snuggle weather, and copious amounts of dessert that is on display around the house, it is not hard to understand why it is the most wonderful time of the year. I went home last week to help decorate our tree and it was UNREAL. Momma Dorst put on some apple cider; Elvis, Mariah Carey, and Frank Sinatra were singing Christmas carols in the background; Lindsay and I modeled around some itchy and festive sweaters; and slowly but surely our tree became cluttered and beautiful with dozens, if not hundreds, of ornaments. They ranged from janky homemade ornaments, to old school pictures, to pretty huge sparkly bulbs. Last night, some of the girls on our floor got together and had a nail polish party while watching Love Actually. Ashley painted my nails and it was the perfect study break. One more final to go and then Christmas vacation wahoooo ow ow yayayayay yeassss woot woot zomg yaaa budddyyy!!

Going For It!! // by Annika

Exciting week here for Stanford Athletics. Last month, we received the Director’s Cup for the 18th straight year. You might wonder how we do it year after year.

This week might just give you an indication why we deserve such an award. We have Women’s Volleyball starting up their NCAA tournament as the number 2 seed. Women’s Soccer is going down to San Diego to go for their second straight championship. And football will be playing here at home for the PAC 12 Championship. Pretty amazing. Not to mention that everyone on campus is buckling down and preparing for finals just a couple weeks away.

I know a lot of us are close with the soccer team, and it is always inspiring to see another Stanford team go for a championship. I remember when I was away last year training for the Olympics, I still felt a great connection to not only our water polo team, but also to the other teams at Stanford. This great sense of athletic community is what brings the best out of Stanford athletes. Not only are you striving for your best for your team and your teammates, but also for what it means wear that Stanford jersey, or in our case swimsuit.

Win or lose, you always bleed cardinal red. Playing for each other. Playing for Stanford. Can’t wait to see our teams go for it!


Get Pumped for the weekend -- click here!

The First Day // by Skylar

My first day at Stanford was full of starting cool classes, meeting interesting people, and dodging bikers pedaling frantically to a lecture. I tried my hardest not to get lost, but given my directionally challenged tendencies, I found myself lost in the main quad. It was an adventure trying to navigate through the hallways in search of my class...but another fun opportunity to explore our beautiful campus!

The First Day // by Maggie

On the first day of school, I was super excited and woke up way too early for a class that is literally 45 sec bike ride away. A little over anxious, I think so. I was going to my PWR class which is on Gender Politics, and I locked my bike next to Melena's and we went into the building. We spent a good 2 hours talking about how girls are awesome, but treated poorly through media, pretty much a feminist class. Anyway, Melena and I walked to our bikes, all excited that we are real Stanford students and I go to unlock my bike, and Melena and I just start laughing instantly. I had locked my bike lock around nothing, I basically just slipped it over my bike and it was just sitting there. It was a kind of in the moment type thing, but I think it really shows how much we, I, was looking forward to our FIRST DAY! WOO!

The First Day // by Gabby

My first day at Stanford was both very exciting and stressful. I was very excited to meet my professors and other people in my classes- I had been looking forward to this day for a while! Yet, I got lost quite a few times, and the fact that I had ten minutes between two classes didn't help my situation. My PWR 1 (writing) class and PoliSci lecture were both very interesting, but my Italian class didn't go so well... Since the Intro to Italian Language class was full, I signed up for an accelerated course as I took six years of Latin in high school. I thought I could manage, but when the instructor told the class to converse with each other in Italian I knew things were not going to go well. The other students spoke the language in a near perfect accent in a fast pace while I struggled to say even the simplest of words without awkward pauses. Apparently this class was not the one for me, but the great thing about Stanford is that the quarter system allows students to take a lot of different courses throughout the year. So, I'll just take the normal Italian next quarter! After a full day of classes and an eligibility meeting, my friend and I went to the Welcome Home Carnival where there were free carnival games, food trucks, and four hot air balloons! I had a good time :). My first day was great and I'm sure that it's just a minor reflection on how amazing these next four years will be.

The First Day // by Anna

For most people, their first day at Stanford is a very memorable moment for a variety of reasons. Some might remember their very first class and their first impression of a certain  faculty member or a funny conversation they had in the dining hall that day. But for me, my memorable moment is locking myself out of my room in nothing but a towel. After my run that night, I hopped in the shower and had the misfortune of letting the door click behind me. My roommate was out with most of our dorm at some organized freshmen event so I had no way of getting in my room. I ended up spending about an hour in a neighboring room discussing Canadian politics with some newly acquired friends.

The First Day // by Rachel

My first classes went pretty well. I got lost to my first class and walked in a few minutes late. I am really excited for my Psych 1 class. The prof was funny. What I'm excited about for that class is a requirement to participate in psychological studies. I have no idea what that will include. Psych is my biggest class, so walking into a 300 person class on the first day was a little unnerving.

My first few days have gone pretty well over all. Probably the most difficult thing has been finding classes. And getting lunch around classes. But overall, everything has been great so far!

The First Day // by Gurpreet

On the first day of school at Stanford, my roommate and I eagerly woke up in anticipation to start classes. We packed our bags (even took a picture for the scrapbooks) and headed off to class. I attended an introductory seminar with only eight students on the ‘Neurobiology of Pain’ as well as intro level chemistry with hundreds of other students. My first few days at Stanford have been an awesome adventure, besides already biking into a pole and getting lost numerous times; but that comes with being a freshman

Picture (left to right): Kate (roommate), Kierstyn (dorm mate), me!

A Summer to Remember // by Kaley

I had the opportunity to spend the summer in Ecuador and the experience was one that I will never forget. I spent two months working in Quito (the capital) with a group of Stanford students who are now some of my closest friends. We worked with a couple of organizations, helping street-working kids and their families. I also had the chance to work at the Ecuadorian ministry of education as an intern in the science curriculum department. We had very full workdays between the ministry and the kids but found time to travel on the weekends. I got to see all parts of the country: the mountains, the jungles, the beaches, and the cities. Some highlights included climbing a mountain above the city at 15,000 ft, going swimming in the amazon, jumping into a 12-meter waterfall, exploring volcanic caves, and hiking into a volcanic crater-lake. I had some unforgettable adventures and learned so much about myself and about the country and all the people I met. I hope I get to go back to Ecuador and see all of South America when I’m finished with school. But for now I can’t wait to get started with the second half of my time at Stanford!

Back to my Roots // by Jillian

This summer I have had the privilege and joy of spending an entire month in one of my most favorite places in the country…Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. My dad grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and his family spent their summers at their lake house in Elkhart. This lake means so much to me because it has so much rich family heritage and truly is beautiful. It all started in 1940 when my grandpa and grandma got married and grandma’s sister and grandpa’s brother got married. They all met on this lake and decided that they would keep the tradition going. So those two families plus my grandpa’s sister and her husband bought a plot of land on the lake and split it into three lots. This area is now called “Toyland” because my grandpa, his brother, and brother-in-law all worked at a toy company started by my great-great-grandfather in 1879. The toy company was sold and subsequently went out of business in the mid-70’s but now the toys are collected as antique items and any time my mom passes an antique store we HAVE to go in to see if there are any Garton toys.

The three houses share a pier so there are little kids and family members there 24/7. After the three families started reproducing, our family got larger and larger and eventually spilled over into additional houses. My family basically takes over this town because it is so small. So chances are, when I meet someone, I am most likely related to them in some way or another! Here's a view of the pier from the house.

I love hearing all of the stories that my dad tells me when he is here. He tells me about the history and memories that he has in this special place. His accent gets a little thicker, his smile gets a little bigger, and his laugh a little louder (I know, that’s hard to imagine). Even when he has told me a story about 20 times before…I sit and listen because I know that he is enjoying every minute of it, and so am I.

On top of the fact that I get to just be here, I am also doing an internship in the marketing department at Allen Edmonds, an American shoe company. I have learned so many things here; like, did you know that there are 212 steps in making one of their shoes? That’s crazy! I got to tour the factory and when they say made by hand, they actually mean made by hand. Currently, I am working on their 90th anniversary book and collecting 90 stories from customers. I get goose bumps every time I read one of their stories because these shoes aren’t just shoes; they represent family tradition, confidence, loyalty, and dedication. Everyone has a personal connection to these shoes and it is so cool reading about their loyalty to the company and seeing how a company that can make that kind of impact on customers operates from the inside. They truly do care about their customers. Oh, and their accents are PRETTY cool too. I try to replicate it, but it’s just not the same. BTW Howard Wolf, ’80 was instrumental in helping me secure this internship. He is the President of the Stanford Alumni Association and is just the best! You should all be members of SAA! The Alumni Association does good things for us even as undergraduates!

These four weeks have truly been a match made in heaven! The only problem is that I haven’t been able to fully enjoy the lake…as I can’t water ski, tube, canoe, swim, golf, or play tennis. I am 2 months out of my shoulder surgery and although I am progressing nicely, those activities are just too hard on my shoulder I haven’t been able to participate in any of the activities but that’s okay, because it doesn’t even matter. Just being here is worth it. I did go bowling though! Maybe I will just become a 190 bowler. I would totally love that.

Well I’m off to jump in the lake! Take care, everyone!

Summer Haven // by Victoria

As a passionate bibliophile, appreciator of fine art, and admirer of expansive gardens, working at the Huntington Library this summer has been like spending a summer at Disneyland. From the acres of sunny gardens to the cool halls filled with some of the rarest artwork and manuscripts, the Huntington has provided an invaluable and enjoyable summer experience. For the past five weeks, I have had the wonderful opportunity of working at one of the four leading independent research libraries in the United States, and one of the most prestigious museums in the world. Beginning as a summer home for Henry E. Huntington, (one of the great 19th c railroad tycoons, like Leland Stanford!), the Huntington grew as a house for their growing collection of French furniture, rare books, and English portraits, it only became open to the public in 1928.

 Since then, upon its acres have been developed the only authentic Chinese garden in California, right next door to a uniquely beautiful Japanese garden. Within the original Huntington house stands Thomas Gainsborough's world-famous "Blue Boy" painting, one of forty-eight Gutenberg Bibles, a Chaucer manuscript, and some of the first printed folios of Shakespeare's plays. Within the building where I am working, the Munger Research Center, there some 5.6 million rare books, and over a million manuscripts.

 No big deal.

I'm like a kid in a candy store. Just downstairs from where I am working, scholars pour over priceless pages for academic research. Some of the greatest names in contemporary medieval studies have offices just down the hall. On my first day, I was taken to lunch with the leading expert on Thomas Gainsborough (an 18th century British artist) and had coffee with PhD students and some of the leading academic scholars. As an intern, I have been able to get a behind-the-scenes look at the museum. This past week, along with the other five interns, I was able to sit down and have a conversation with the President of the Huntington himself, Steve Koblick. Also, an art curator took us on a private tour of the Huntington house and art gallery. The Director of the Library himself also took us into the conservation room where we saw how the curators prepared and repaired the precious artifacts.

 For the next several weeks I will finish my job to helping the Director of Research (also an expert in early modern rural British history), Steve Hindle, organize his massive amounts of journals and books. The job isn't glamorous, but the environment is world-class and definitely worth it.

If you're interested to learn more or want to come visit me in this paradise, click here and see below!

(In Steve Hindle's office surrounded by his piles of journals!)

(A view of the back patio of the original Huntington house -- just gorgeous!)

 (... And the view from the patio is even better. The gardens stretch for miles!)

(One of the most well-known spots is the Shakespeare Rose Garden, just right outside, one of my favorite places, the tea room!)

 (A view of the Japanese garden)

 (A view of the Chinese garden. For both the Chinese and Japanese gardens, the Huntington hired actual Chinese and Japanese architects and designers to recreate an authentic experience. The result is unparalleled!)

The End of an Era // by Monica

Big Splash has historically been one of the more fun games of our season. It’s a big rivalry game, but what made it even more special this year was that is was the same night as our Senior Night! Before the game started, Cassie, Pallavi, Alyssa and I were introduced to the crowd as the four members of the SWWP senior class and each of us had a short bio read about what we’ve done at Stanford and what we plan to do next year. The coolest statistic announced was my class’s game record, 99-9 (which is now 101-9). I have to admit that I completely forgot about Senior Night while I was playing the game until the last few minutes of the game when JT subbed all four of us in to finish together our last home game.

After the game was over, our team and families went down to the Old Pro for dinner. At dinner we continued the tradition (that started my freshman year) of the freshmen class performance in honor of the seniors. The five freshman sang personalized lyrics about us to the tune of ‘Boyfriend,’ and Call Me Maybe.’ To make the night even better, Melissa, the fifth member of our class, was able to make it up here for the day!

Unlike other Senior Nights in the past, Cassie, Pallavi, Alyssa, and I are lucky because we didn’t have to say goodbye to playing games in Avery quite yet… because our MPSF tournament is this weekend at none other than our very own Avery Aquatic Center!! ((*Hint… You should be there*)) I’m looking forward to our real Senior Night, April 29th, the final day of MPSFs!