A Smugmug Outlook

Smugmug! Mike and Steph have been busy organizing their photos (for good) on the Smugmug system. Feel free to check out our handy work: http://landofpens.smugmug.com/

Why Smugmug? It's a feature filled and fully customizable photo management, storage, and sharing solution.

-Unlimited high-res photo storage

-Amazing management system including support for keywords, geotagging, and more.

-Fully customizable (we've only scratched the surface of this)

-Seamless integration into other websites (such as one that we'll build some day. Example: http://photos.barackobama.com/

This system is actually so good that we are actually deleting the photos from our home computers once they're uploaded and organized. There is no need to manage two databases!!!

If you'd like to try it out please use K4utN42PBUalI as a discount code which also helps us out.

Additionally, the Penland's continue to experiment with their culinary pizza endeavors and have been enjoying some amazing games of Monopoly. Stephanie just started another quarter at the Academy of Art and Mike has been embracing the chaos of the Motorola/Good merger.

Shooting at the Range

Wow! We had a "blast"! If you've never spent a day at the range, we highly suggest it. Thanks to Ryan Ritchie and Walter Eidman we learned a lot about firearms and had loads of fun. Mike did exceptionally well with the SKS and Magnum, and Stephanie and Brian Cain were very good with the 9mm. Anita also did very well with the .22 target guns and our new friend Joseph was amazed at all of the firepower and variety. Wow! We can't wait to go again. Thanks!

Hello Moto!

Mike and a group of managers spent the last two days at Motorola in a management training workshop. Danny Shader (our prior CEO) along with his staff collaborated with Fitch Associates to deliver us a first rate session. The workshop consisted of management fundamentals paired with tons of role playing and practical examples on complex topics like delegation and feedback.

It was really amazing to have Motorola invest in us so much. It really shows that they want us to succeed and have this merger go well. Mike's already putting what he's learned into practice and is excited to start this new phase of his career. Now where are those new business cards? Ha!

Super Sunday

Sunday was great.

Mike made some amazing homemade pizza at Penland Tower to serve our guests Kandice and Rachel. Then later that evening we had a special Retrofit planning meeting where we accomplished a lot. We're very happy to see some of our friendships and visions come to fruition!

*pics coming soon as Smugmug is down right now*

Lemon Night

The Penland's discovered Meyer lemons at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market today and had fun applying them to every dish imaginable. These delectable lemons have a light floral flavor and delicate texture. We enjoyed these lemons in flavored beverages, custards, dressings, and more. We can't wait to try out the blood oranges next!

Dough, Jenga, and Friends

Mike has been on the quest for the ultimate pizza dough. His last batch took multiple days to create and the second batch is underway right now. We're talking about big fresh fluffy crust here - yum! Thanks to this book from Mom and Grandma, his baking skills are on the "rise".

whose ladies in attendance. Pizza 1.0 was thoroughly enjoyed by the guys and we attempted to eclipse a 30 story Just last night, there was a ladies night out to Half Moon Bay to celebrate LaNiesha's engagement. Stephanie attended and freed up Mike for an evening with Tim Gavigan and Michael PedrozaJenga tower, only reaching 29 each time. Stephanie said the Half Moon Bay outing was lovely; including a nice dinner, fellowship, and letter reading.

Stephanie's Birthday - Retrofit Offsite

We had an awesome time last night with 20+ friends showing up for the Retrofit offsite and Stephanie's birthday. Our guests enjoyed a lot of good company, yummy foods, and cold beverages. Much fun was had in an 18 player Apples to Apples game followed the cutting of Stephanie's giant purple princess cake and a couch comedy parlor.

There were also a few oddities including an octopus attack and Tim's Nokia getting ticketed and towed for parking in a Treo zone. Here are the quotes of the night.

"Well, I've been to some pretty dirty churches." - Michael disqualifying a red card.

"My wife is a plant; she needs sun and dirt." - Tim justifying their need for yard.

"Panda Bear: Eats shoots and leaves." - Arthur telling the panda bear joke.
For more photos click here.

Ringing in the Near Year

The Penland’s rang in the new year at Glad Tidings with a bunch of good folks, a thought-provoking message, vibrant music, and some delicious deserts. This was a much safer alternative to roaming the streets of North Beach where many disrespectful suburbanites ran amok. On New Year's Day after sleeping in until almost noon, pumpkin spiced pancakes fueled a splendid biking trip from the Ferry Building to Crissy Field (pictured above). We had perfect weather and all of the locals were out enjoying the day.