37 hours later, 25 of which were spent flying on a plane, and we are home again safe and sound. I kept a journal during the trip to try to make the blogging easy. The hard job will be going through all the pictures and limiting how many I post on here.
The trip was amazing and there are tons of stories to tell and I can't wait to share them with you. For now, I need a shower and then sleep...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
All my bags are packed...
...and I'm definitely ready to go! I have successfully fit everything into my bag, and am well under our 44 pound weight limit. My batteries are charged, and my finger is ready to keep pushing the button on my camera. I am feeling excited, nervous, stressed, and exhausted all at once. I think I'll feel less stressed once we get on the plane tomorrow. At least I hope so...maybe 5 hours in first class will do the trick! I'm sure I'll have plenty to blog about when we get back, and be sure to e-mail me if you want me to send you the pictures too.
I've had these stuck in my head the past couple days, so I will leave you with a taste of where we're headed...kinda...I'll probably be singing them the whole trip!
Okay, really it's just the beginning of this one, although it'd be pretty cool to see a baboon lifting up a lion cub in front of all these animals. If I see it, I'll be sure to video it and sing this song for effect.
Be back in 3 weeks! Have a great August!
I've had these stuck in my head the past couple days, so I will leave you with a taste of where we're headed...kinda...I'll probably be singing them the whole trip!
Okay, really it's just the beginning of this one, although it'd be pretty cool to see a baboon lifting up a lion cub in front of all these animals. If I see it, I'll be sure to video it and sing this song for effect.
Be back in 3 weeks! Have a great August!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
July's Happenings...
Alright, alright...I know it's been a while but that's mostly because I haven't been in one place for too long. Here's what's been going on in my busy life...
There's been a lot of bouncing back and forth between T.O. and SLO. Melissa, Derek and Grady stopped by on their way up to Napa. We had dinner with Jeff's aunt Linda, and his cousins Adrian and Dawn and their daughter Hanna who were also out visiting from Colorado. The next day I took them to the Avila Valley Barn, and Grady loved all the animals. Then Jeff joined us for lunch before we wished them well along their way. It was great seeing them, and hopefully one of these years we'll have a place for them to stay!
Jeff and I went house/apartment/condo hunting since we'll be moving at the end of August. Well, more like he'll be moving since I won't be in the country. Convenient, huh? We'll be moving into a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo in Atascadero that's only 3 years old. A major bonus: it comes with all the appliances which is very difficult to find. Are we excited about moving to Atascadero? Not exactly. But the rent is more affordable. So we'll be adjusting to a new city on the other side of the grade.
So while trying to tie things up in SLO, I also needed to get stuff ready for Africa back in T.O. I can't believe we're leaving in a little over a week! Which has meant trips to REI, Eddie Bauer, Target, and other miscellaneous stores in search of everything we need. I'm pretty sure I have what I need, but we'll find out when I pack everything up next week.
While down in T.O., I helped my friend Jocelyn for a couple days. She is still recovering from her c-section and isn't supposed to lift her older daughter Abby. So I came down to help out around nap time, and also got in some cuddle time with Ellie. Always fun hanging out with the Wharton girls.
Last weekend, Jeff and I headed up to the Bay Area to attend our friends' (and Jeff's former roommate) house-warming party. David and Jeanette have been gutting, re-wiring, re-piping, re-flooring, and pretty much every other re- you can think of on their house for almost 8 months. And now that it's finally finished, we got to help warm it up! They did some amazing work, and it was really great to see them.
Jeff's parents are arriving today for the weekend. On the schedule...well, not much besides showing them the wedding site. And perhaps a trip to farmer's market. It'll be fun having them up here no matter what we end up doing.
Hopefully I'll get in another post before we leave for Africa. Enjoy the warm sunshine of July!
There's been a lot of bouncing back and forth between T.O. and SLO. Melissa, Derek and Grady stopped by on their way up to Napa. We had dinner with Jeff's aunt Linda, and his cousins Adrian and Dawn and their daughter Hanna who were also out visiting from Colorado. The next day I took them to the Avila Valley Barn, and Grady loved all the animals. Then Jeff joined us for lunch before we wished them well along their way. It was great seeing them, and hopefully one of these years we'll have a place for them to stay!
Jeff and I went house/apartment/condo hunting since we'll be moving at the end of August. Well, more like he'll be moving since I won't be in the country. Convenient, huh? We'll be moving into a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo in Atascadero that's only 3 years old. A major bonus: it comes with all the appliances which is very difficult to find. Are we excited about moving to Atascadero? Not exactly. But the rent is more affordable. So we'll be adjusting to a new city on the other side of the grade.
So while trying to tie things up in SLO, I also needed to get stuff ready for Africa back in T.O. I can't believe we're leaving in a little over a week! Which has meant trips to REI, Eddie Bauer, Target, and other miscellaneous stores in search of everything we need. I'm pretty sure I have what I need, but we'll find out when I pack everything up next week.
While down in T.O., I helped my friend Jocelyn for a couple days. She is still recovering from her c-section and isn't supposed to lift her older daughter Abby. So I came down to help out around nap time, and also got in some cuddle time with Ellie. Always fun hanging out with the Wharton girls.
Last weekend, Jeff and I headed up to the Bay Area to attend our friends' (and Jeff's former roommate) house-warming party. David and Jeanette have been gutting, re-wiring, re-piping, re-flooring, and pretty much every other re- you can think of on their house for almost 8 months. And now that it's finally finished, we got to help warm it up! They did some amazing work, and it was really great to see them.
Jeff's parents are arriving today for the weekend. On the schedule...well, not much besides showing them the wedding site. And perhaps a trip to farmer's market. It'll be fun having them up here no matter what we end up doing.
Hopefully I'll get in another post before we leave for Africa. Enjoy the warm sunshine of July!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Getting my baby fix...
I'd like to welcome to the world Eleanor "Ellie" Sidney Wharton. She was born on July 1st to my dear friend, and proud mama, Jocelyn and her equally proud husband Shaun. And we can't leave out big sister Abby, who isn't quite sure what to think about the whole thing.
Sorry the pictures are so dark, but she wasn't too fond of bright lights yet so I didn't use my flash. I went to visit on the night of the 1st, and let me tell you...there's nothing quite like holding a few hours-old baby. I was in heaven. I also went back on Saturday to bring some home-cooked food for everyone to eat. I ended up staying for quite a few hours, just mesmerized by Ellie. I already love her so much...I can't imagine how her parents feel. And hopefully now that school has calmed down, I'll be able to spend more time with the Wharton girls. Being an Auntie is fun! :)
Congrats again Wharton family! I'm so excited to be a part of your beautiful family...thanks for letting me spoil your little girls!
Sorry the pictures are so dark, but she wasn't too fond of bright lights yet so I didn't use my flash. I went to visit on the night of the 1st, and let me tell you...there's nothing quite like holding a few hours-old baby. I was in heaven. I also went back on Saturday to bring some home-cooked food for everyone to eat. I ended up staying for quite a few hours, just mesmerized by Ellie. I already love her so much...I can't imagine how her parents feel. And hopefully now that school has calmed down, I'll be able to spend more time with the Wharton girls. Being an Auntie is fun! :)
Congrats again Wharton family! I'm so excited to be a part of your beautiful family...thanks for letting me spoil your little girls!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Our Trip to Hawaii...
...and some other stuff too! Warning...this will contain a fair amount of pictures and could get quite lengthy so you might want to grab a snack, or at least get comfy.
So before we left for Hawaii I had mentioned about a little project we were going to be working on. We Masons don't believe in packing days ahead of time, because where's the challenge in that?! Starting on Thursday, my mom and I laid down new flooring in the dining room and living room. We ripped up the nasty old carpet (although we found remnants of even nastier stuff underneath...think rusty orange shag), took out the tack strips and baseboards, scraped off the glue, put down the plastic liner and foam pad, and then went to work on laying down the flooring. I will say that the project, although very time and energy consuming, was not too difficult. We ended up finishing around 9 pm on Friday night, leaving a little time to pack for the trip. Would I want to do it again any time soon? Not a chance. But here's a major pat on the back to my mom and I! Here are some pictures of the before, during and after...
Saturday morning we woke up much earlier than I ever care to and headed off to Hawaii. Jeff and I got to ride on the new Hawaiian Airlines airbus. We got the bulkhead row, which had so much leg room, I could straighten my legs out in front of me without touching the wall. Sweet. You also got your own screens with games and movies, and there were screens that continuously cycled through with updates on our whereabouts, the outside temperature, how much longer we had to go, etc. That was entertaining enough for us! Oh yes, and neon pink, purple, and blue lights glowing above the overhead compartments. We got to the Big Island around 1 pm and were definitely ready for a week of relaxation.
On Sunday, we took a drive around the island with multiple stops along the way. First stop...Tex's for some malasadas! They're a Big Island must! YUM!
Next stop, Akaka Falls, the biggest waterfall on the island. It was so lush and tropical in there, and we know why. We started to get rained on during our hike! We were on the wet side of the island after all...
After a stop for lunch, we headed into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We walked through the lava tube, looked down at some of the craters and steam vents, and stretched our legs out a little after being in the car for so long. A part of Crater Rim Drive is closed because the sulfur levels are too high, so we couldn't do the whole loop. And in order to see the lava during the day, there's an 11 mile hike roundtrip. No thanks! Still very neat to think about how active the earth is underneath us!
Our final stop on our trip around the island, was the black sand beach. Okay, there are lots of black sand beaches on the Big Island, but this is more sand-like instead of chunks. There were even 2 turtles resting there. Don't worry, no sand was stolen, even though Derek really wanted to. No ticking off Pele and the tiki gods!
On Tuesday, I babysat Grady while everyone else went sport-fishing. It was great getting to hang out with my little nephew, and he took extra long naps for his Aunt! We had lots of fun finding the geckos, reading books, taking walks, and of course I used some PT techniques to help him learn how to get on and off the couch safely by himself. I can't help myself...it's a disease!
Wednesday night was the luau. Grady wasn't too fond of the dancers and noises...they were a bit too intimidating! But the rest of us had a good time!
Thursday and Friday were spent relaxing, shopping, walking around downtown Kailua-Kona, and kayaking at Captain Cook. Saturday we had to leave the house we rented. Melissa and Derek went surfing in the morning. Then we all smooshed into the van with all our gear, had lunch and headed to the airport. Jeff and I spent an extra night up along the Kohala Coast at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. It was gorgeous, and had a white sand beach...my favorite! It is rated the best swimming beach in all of Hawaii. And the place we stayed was amazing. 5-star service all around...almost a little creepy when they know your name everywhere you go. Jeff took me out to Roy's for our last night. I can still taste the lava cake! And on Sunday, Jeff and I flew home. We got the airbus and bulkhead again...what luck!
And here are just some other random shots...
Thanks Mike and Becky for an amazing trip! It was so nice to get away and relax!
Since being back on the mainland, I've been at my ortho review at school. We've been meeting every day to discuss topics and practice our skills. Not that bad, just very tiring. I haven't felt this exhausted in a while. Today was the last day, and I shouldn't have to go back to class until our board review course in October. Woohoo! For this weekend, I'm planning on resting up, finally unpacking, organizing, and getting ready for a busy July. Happy 4th of July everyone!
So before we left for Hawaii I had mentioned about a little project we were going to be working on. We Masons don't believe in packing days ahead of time, because where's the challenge in that?! Starting on Thursday, my mom and I laid down new flooring in the dining room and living room. We ripped up the nasty old carpet (although we found remnants of even nastier stuff underneath...think rusty orange shag), took out the tack strips and baseboards, scraped off the glue, put down the plastic liner and foam pad, and then went to work on laying down the flooring. I will say that the project, although very time and energy consuming, was not too difficult. We ended up finishing around 9 pm on Friday night, leaving a little time to pack for the trip. Would I want to do it again any time soon? Not a chance. But here's a major pat on the back to my mom and I! Here are some pictures of the before, during and after...
Saturday morning we woke up much earlier than I ever care to and headed off to Hawaii. Jeff and I got to ride on the new Hawaiian Airlines airbus. We got the bulkhead row, which had so much leg room, I could straighten my legs out in front of me without touching the wall. Sweet. You also got your own screens with games and movies, and there were screens that continuously cycled through with updates on our whereabouts, the outside temperature, how much longer we had to go, etc. That was entertaining enough for us! Oh yes, and neon pink, purple, and blue lights glowing above the overhead compartments. We got to the Big Island around 1 pm and were definitely ready for a week of relaxation.
On Sunday, we took a drive around the island with multiple stops along the way. First stop...Tex's for some malasadas! They're a Big Island must! YUM!
Next stop, Akaka Falls, the biggest waterfall on the island. It was so lush and tropical in there, and we know why. We started to get rained on during our hike! We were on the wet side of the island after all...
After a stop for lunch, we headed into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We walked through the lava tube, looked down at some of the craters and steam vents, and stretched our legs out a little after being in the car for so long. A part of Crater Rim Drive is closed because the sulfur levels are too high, so we couldn't do the whole loop. And in order to see the lava during the day, there's an 11 mile hike roundtrip. No thanks! Still very neat to think about how active the earth is underneath us!
Our final stop on our trip around the island, was the black sand beach. Okay, there are lots of black sand beaches on the Big Island, but this is more sand-like instead of chunks. There were even 2 turtles resting there. Don't worry, no sand was stolen, even though Derek really wanted to. No ticking off Pele and the tiki gods!
On Tuesday, I babysat Grady while everyone else went sport-fishing. It was great getting to hang out with my little nephew, and he took extra long naps for his Aunt! We had lots of fun finding the geckos, reading books, taking walks, and of course I used some PT techniques to help him learn how to get on and off the couch safely by himself. I can't help myself...it's a disease!
Wednesday night was the luau. Grady wasn't too fond of the dancers and noises...they were a bit too intimidating! But the rest of us had a good time!
Thursday and Friday were spent relaxing, shopping, walking around downtown Kailua-Kona, and kayaking at Captain Cook. Saturday we had to leave the house we rented. Melissa and Derek went surfing in the morning. Then we all smooshed into the van with all our gear, had lunch and headed to the airport. Jeff and I spent an extra night up along the Kohala Coast at the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel. It was gorgeous, and had a white sand beach...my favorite! It is rated the best swimming beach in all of Hawaii. And the place we stayed was amazing. 5-star service all around...almost a little creepy when they know your name everywhere you go. Jeff took me out to Roy's for our last night. I can still taste the lava cake! And on Sunday, Jeff and I flew home. We got the airbus and bulkhead again...what luck!
And here are just some other random shots...
Thanks Mike and Becky for an amazing trip! It was so nice to get away and relax!
Since being back on the mainland, I've been at my ortho review at school. We've been meeting every day to discuss topics and practice our skills. Not that bad, just very tiring. I haven't felt this exhausted in a while. Today was the last day, and I shouldn't have to go back to class until our board review course in October. Woohoo! For this weekend, I'm planning on resting up, finally unpacking, organizing, and getting ready for a busy July. Happy 4th of July everyone!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
School's Out For The Summer!
Today I took my last final of PT school. Hooray! Meaning, I am officially finished with the classroom portion of my education. Double hooray! And, since my residency doesn't start until the middle of September, drumroll please...I GET A SUMMER BREAK! For the first time in 3 years, I get to have time off during the summer. Triple hooray!
So what's on board for this summer? Well...lots of things! We (Jeff and I) will be leaving at the buttcrack of dawn on Saturday to join his family in Hawaii on the Big Island for 8 days of gloriousness. I've already promised my class, and a couple professors, to have drinks for them. Keep those lava flows coming! And I'm pretty sure a couple of them are squeezing into my suitcase too. Then I'll be heading up to SLO for a while, attempting to find an apartment or house for Jeff and I to move into at the end of August. And then in August I'll be going on the trip of a lifetime...3 weeks in Botswana (and a little of South Africa and Zimbabwe). I'll do a whole separate post on this, but it's pretty much the most amazing graduation present EVER! And those are only the big things planned...
It was bittersweet today saying goodbye to everyone. Now, I am not completely free of the grad school claws. Those of us doing an orthopedic residency must go back for a review week starting on the 29th. I have a bunch of readings I'm supposed to do before then, but at this moment, I'm not even thinking about it. Besides, who wants to lug a 10 pound book to Hawaii?! Maybe I'll photocopy a few sections to lighten the load.
Last weekend I babysat for the family I stayed with in Tustin. I was so excited to see my little buddy Ethan, and what was even more exciting was that he remembered me and got super excited when he saw me. It almost made me cry. He took my hand and proceeded to show me everything around the house, in case I had forgotten already, and then everything in the backyard. I spent the night because they didn't get back until 1 in the morning. The next day they had a brunch with a bunch of their PT friends, many of whom have been my CI, TA's, or otherwise present around school. It was actually pretty neat having them all in one place. Then with the major bucks I made, I headed to South Coast Plaza and did a little shopping for Hawaii. Ah, money! On Sunday, we attended 2 different graduation parties and had an early Father's Day celebration since I'll be in Hawaii.
Well, my to-do list only seems to be getting longer. I haven't even started packing, although I've thought about it several times. And there's a big project going on tomorrow, which hopefully I'll be able to sneak in a post about before we leave. If not, I'll post it when we get back. Until next time, I'm going to enjoy this little moment of freedom and satisfaction. Congrats APU DPT Class of 2010...we are literally almost done!
So what's on board for this summer? Well...lots of things! We (Jeff and I) will be leaving at the buttcrack of dawn on Saturday to join his family in Hawaii on the Big Island for 8 days of gloriousness. I've already promised my class, and a couple professors, to have drinks for them. Keep those lava flows coming! And I'm pretty sure a couple of them are squeezing into my suitcase too. Then I'll be heading up to SLO for a while, attempting to find an apartment or house for Jeff and I to move into at the end of August. And then in August I'll be going on the trip of a lifetime...3 weeks in Botswana (and a little of South Africa and Zimbabwe). I'll do a whole separate post on this, but it's pretty much the most amazing graduation present EVER! And those are only the big things planned...
It was bittersweet today saying goodbye to everyone. Now, I am not completely free of the grad school claws. Those of us doing an orthopedic residency must go back for a review week starting on the 29th. I have a bunch of readings I'm supposed to do before then, but at this moment, I'm not even thinking about it. Besides, who wants to lug a 10 pound book to Hawaii?! Maybe I'll photocopy a few sections to lighten the load.
Last weekend I babysat for the family I stayed with in Tustin. I was so excited to see my little buddy Ethan, and what was even more exciting was that he remembered me and got super excited when he saw me. It almost made me cry. He took my hand and proceeded to show me everything around the house, in case I had forgotten already, and then everything in the backyard. I spent the night because they didn't get back until 1 in the morning. The next day they had a brunch with a bunch of their PT friends, many of whom have been my CI, TA's, or otherwise present around school. It was actually pretty neat having them all in one place. Then with the major bucks I made, I headed to South Coast Plaza and did a little shopping for Hawaii. Ah, money! On Sunday, we attended 2 different graduation parties and had an early Father's Day celebration since I'll be in Hawaii.
Well, my to-do list only seems to be getting longer. I haven't even started packing, although I've thought about it several times. And there's a big project going on tomorrow, which hopefully I'll be able to sneak in a post about before we leave. If not, I'll post it when we get back. Until next time, I'm going to enjoy this little moment of freedom and satisfaction. Congrats APU DPT Class of 2010...we are literally almost done!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Oops...It's June!
My apologies for the large gap in posts. I would do something interesting, but not have time to post about it, then forget. I think it's about time I update this darn thing now that about a month has gone by! I'm going to jump to where things started getting interesting again since my birthday so this doesn't get too long.
We had our last Sports Day at school. Our shirts turned out pretty cool. It was pretty hot that day...perfect for the water balloon attack on the 1st years! We had the traditional taco man come and make fresh tacos and played old school games like dodgeball, steal the bacon and capture the flag. It was weird to think that this was our last one, and how it really didn't feel like that long ago that we were the 1st years. Scary where the time goes!
That same weekend I headed up to SLO to hang out with Jeff. We went to Farmer's Market and ate some yummy pulled pork sandwiches from Mo's. We also decided to buy a book of all the trails on the Central Coast to help foster the newly found desire we have to hike more. For our first hike we decided to head out to Montana de Oro. My grandparents had always found it criminal that I had not been out there since I lived in such proximity for so long. And now I know why. Despite it being absolutely freezing cold and windy, it was beautiful! We hiked along the bluffs and tried not to get blown over the edge. We want to go back again, hopefully when it's warmer out!
This past weekend (Memorial Day) I headed up to Walnut Creek to visit my best friend, and co-maid of honor, Ashley. We haven't seen each other in quite some time since she started earning her master's and teaching credential. And I hadn't seen her parents since we graduated from Cal Poly. Yikes! Needless to say, the visit was long overdue! On Friday night we ate at this amazing place called The Counter where you build your own gourmet burger. It was delicious! And I just looked at their website and found out there's one in Westlake! SCORE!
On Saturday night we went to the Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum concert. We got lawn seats so the tickets were insanely cheap. The concert was absolutely amazing, minus some crazy drunk people falling over stuff.
On Sunday Ashley and I got to show our domestic sides and prepare quite the feast for a bbq for the history department staff at her step-dad's school. For appetizers we made deviled eggs, capreze, hummus with pita chips, roasted almonds and peanuts, and fruit platter. We made pulled pork sandwiches with spicy coleslaw and a greenbean/red potato salad for dinner. For dessert was pear and blueberry cobbler. Everything was super yummy, and the weather was perfect for bbqing! It was great hostessing with you Ash!
So now I'm back at home in T.O. and am gearing up for the last few weeks of school. 2 more weeks of classes and then finals! Then we're off to Hawaii! Can't wait!
We had our last Sports Day at school. Our shirts turned out pretty cool. It was pretty hot that day...perfect for the water balloon attack on the 1st years! We had the traditional taco man come and make fresh tacos and played old school games like dodgeball, steal the bacon and capture the flag. It was weird to think that this was our last one, and how it really didn't feel like that long ago that we were the 1st years. Scary where the time goes!
That same weekend I headed up to SLO to hang out with Jeff. We went to Farmer's Market and ate some yummy pulled pork sandwiches from Mo's. We also decided to buy a book of all the trails on the Central Coast to help foster the newly found desire we have to hike more. For our first hike we decided to head out to Montana de Oro. My grandparents had always found it criminal that I had not been out there since I lived in such proximity for so long. And now I know why. Despite it being absolutely freezing cold and windy, it was beautiful! We hiked along the bluffs and tried not to get blown over the edge. We want to go back again, hopefully when it's warmer out!
This past weekend (Memorial Day) I headed up to Walnut Creek to visit my best friend, and co-maid of honor, Ashley. We haven't seen each other in quite some time since she started earning her master's and teaching credential. And I hadn't seen her parents since we graduated from Cal Poly. Yikes! Needless to say, the visit was long overdue! On Friday night we ate at this amazing place called The Counter where you build your own gourmet burger. It was delicious! And I just looked at their website and found out there's one in Westlake! SCORE!
On Saturday night we went to the Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum concert. We got lawn seats so the tickets were insanely cheap. The concert was absolutely amazing, minus some crazy drunk people falling over stuff.
On Sunday Ashley and I got to show our domestic sides and prepare quite the feast for a bbq for the history department staff at her step-dad's school. For appetizers we made deviled eggs, capreze, hummus with pita chips, roasted almonds and peanuts, and fruit platter. We made pulled pork sandwiches with spicy coleslaw and a greenbean/red potato salad for dinner. For dessert was pear and blueberry cobbler. Everything was super yummy, and the weather was perfect for bbqing! It was great hostessing with you Ash!
So now I'm back at home in T.O. and am gearing up for the last few weeks of school. 2 more weeks of classes and then finals! Then we're off to Hawaii! Can't wait!
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