The Manick Family News and Photos

"Trying to make our lives sound interesting since 1996"

Welcome to Steve's Cafe
This is the premier place on the Internet for the latest news and gossip regarding the Manick family: Adam, Julia, Darlene and Steve Manick.

Here you can read all about one of our country's most stable families. . . or is that one of the the families that most belongs in a stable?
Ahem, sorry. . . I guess I'm a little horse.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy your visit.

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UPDATE: Check out Steve's NEW photo gallery. Updated 9/17/2010

The Latest News (Updated 10/8/2011)

Hello to all our friends!
Check out the new photos below.

RIP Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011. You were a hero and inspiration, and improved our lives immensely.

It's hard to believe summer is over! Adam and Julia are back in school and the end of the year is quickly approaching. We had an interesting summer...

We recently got back from eleven days in Hawaii (see the slideshow). We started the vacation in Kauai, staying at the Grand Hyatt Resort in Poipu Beach and ending in Maui at our usual spot in the Hyatt Regency in Ka'anapali Beach. This was the third time in five years that we traveled to Hawaii and it may have been our best trip. Although we love the Hyatt Regency resort in Maui, the Grand Hyatt on Kauai is the most elaborate resort we have ever stayed at. Our top-floor, end room was adjacent to the "Royal Suite" and offered a fantastic ocean view. By coincidence, we had the same room in Maui. We ended the trip with an exciting catamaran cruise to the island of Lana'i, where Adam and I snorkeled and free dove in the reefs just off shore. Unfortunately, Julia and Darlene got very sick on the boat each way and didn't take advantage of the great views. Julia spent her birthday traveling back from Maui to L.A., but I boasted that she got to start her birthday in Maui and go to sleep in her own bed.

As usual, we started out the summer with our annual camping trip in Kings Canyon. We got our favorite campsite for the third consecutive year and had a wonderful time. A thunderstorm cleared up on the first day (making for some good photos) and the river was very full due to a large snow pack, and Adam and I did some very nice hikes. We usually spend most of the summer lounging around the pool, however our pool heater died in May and, thanks to the inept pool contractor used by our warranty company, it wasn't replaced until the end of summer.

Adam had his 15th birthday in July, and spent most of the summer at his new job teaching robotics. He now has a way to fund his technology habit. He just started 10th grade and still has an hour commute each way in a taxi each day. He loves electronics and has invented several electronic devices and even designed electrical circuits. As of right now, he wants to become an engineer like his dad. He also loves digital photography, and spends a lot of time surfing scientific and "don't try this at home" websites. The problem is that he does try them at home.

Princess Julia turned 9 years old in August (on the plane traveling from Maui to L.A.) and is in 4th grade. She has become a very talented artist, specializing in fashion design. She has also become quite a talented actress, recently performing Fiddler on the Roof with her performing arts center. She is now rehearsing for Bye, Bye Birdie, to be performed in January. She has grown quite independent, is very particular about what she wears and has developed a great sense of humor. She is also pretty stubborn and prone

Darlene is enmeshed in her private therapy practice specializing in eating disorders and family counseling. She is now operating under the new business name of Safe Harbor Programs (she rejected my suggestion of "Bambi's Escorts") and moved her practice to a new location in Woodland Hills. Please check out her new website. Most amazing is that she recently abandoned her PC (the only one in the house, versus five Macs) for an iPad 2 (I looooove mine!).

I (pronounced "eye") am still working as a "Senior IT Planner" and Enterprise Architect at the airport. What does that mean? Enterprise Architecture is the practice of trying to align the organization's future state of Information Technology with the organization's strategic goals and objectives. Ooooh, very sexy!. When I'm not working, I'm commuting almost three hours per day, caring for the kids, or trying to maintain several websites. My own passions include my long-time hobbies of photography, wine, and maintaining a challenging house.

Even More Family: My parents are still doing well in spite of their numerous aches and pains (with a little forgetfulness thrown in for good measure). They celebrated their 60th anniversary in February and my mom just turned (sounds like an odometer!) 80 in September.

Feline Family: At one time in my life I thought it would be fun to live in a cathouse. Well, now we do and I can say that it's not always fun. Five cats roaming the house, plus numbers six and seven at the back door. The latest is Ex-LAX (affectionately known as "Lexie"), a beautiful purebread female that was living in a parking lot at LAX. Ironically, she is the only cat to sit on our laps every night after dinner. Our first two rescued kittens, Tigger and Luna, were adopted in late 2007. I later caught two 8-week old kittens, Linus and Lucy, on our patio in mid-2008 (trapped them like animals). They've learned how to control their humans and are willing accomplices as they systematically shred all the furniture in our house.

Remember, if you're interested in wine, please visit...

Steve's Attempts at Humor Among Other Things

Steve and Darlene's Wedding Poem

Adam's Birth Announcement
Funny but True: When Adam was born, we notified our family of his name with business cards (see "resume" above), except that the first card I I handed out to each had the name "Waldo Duncan Manick" printed on it. There were varied reactions.

Julia's Birth Announcement
Funny but True: Moments after Julia was born, the midwife asked me what our new baby's name is. I replied "Eve, because our first child is a son named Adam. " Ten seconds later, a nurse ran in from the nurse's station and asked me to verify the name before she broadcasted it throughout the hospital.

The "Year in Review" Newsletters