CALIFORNIA!!!!!!! (LA, SB, Big Sur)

Can you tell by the title I'm excited to be back??  I LOVE California in October.  Maybe I just get supremely lucky, but this month is good luck for me.  Cali+Lauren+October = fantastic weather, time and friends! :)

Pier near LA

I also flew standby this time thanks to a friend who is a flight attendant for US Air.  This saved me a ton of money, though did make things slightly difficult on the way out.  I tried to catch a 9:50 nonstop from Charlotte to LA, but it was full, so I flew to Philly then was able to get on a 2:05 to LA.  I arrived in LA at 5:20 p.m. and my bag (which had made it on the original flight) was waiting for me in a little baggage claim room.  This was actually rather nice, since I didn't have to wait for my bags to come out on the turnstile.

My friend Erika (who I met through my life group back in 2009 and who moved out to LA in Aug. of 2010), picked me up from the airport.  We drove straight to a lovely pier with restaurants and a great view of the receding sun.  After taking some photos on the pier, we had dinner at a place with awesome fish tacos.  We ended the evening back at her place in Torrance, Ca. (a suburb of LA), and both went to bed at 10 p.m. (of course my body thought it was 1 a.m.).

Erika and me before our killer hike

The next morning we woke a little before 8 and decided to go hiking at Palos Verdes (which translates to green sticks).  We started at the top of a high hill at Del Cerro Park which is at least several hundred feet in elevation.  Standing at the top with a cool breeze hitting us and looking out at the shimmering water in the distance, we decided to hike to the water.  It couldn't be that bad....right?  Well, the hike down wasn't terrible.  Dusty and dry with little shade, but not bad.  When we made it to the cliffs along the water, we were amazed by the view.  We saw below us a secluded beach with sand and big rocks.  The water was turquoise and cobalt blue.  At the other side of the little cove, there was a cave.  We decided to go exploring, and took a steep trail to the water's edge.  We were the only two people in sight.  We skipped rocks, took photos and really enjoyed watching all the wildlife in the tide-pools.  We saw starfish, crabs, purple and blue sea anemones and more. Then we realized there were two seals on a rock a little way into the water.  We got as close as we could and took photos.  They were so cute - one kept petting the other with his flipper (so he was either saying "I love you" or "get off, this is my rock").  We made it to the cave, which was actually more like an arch, for the water rushed through from the other side and swelled up in a big rush.  It was really cool.

As we made our way back to the other side of the beach, we saw a man splashing water on himself at the water's edge - and he was naked!  Finally, he must have seen us, because he went and put a towel on and sat over by the base of the cliff while we passed.  Haha - welcome to California!

We decided to hike all the way to the sea

The little cove we made it down to.

It was on the way back to our car that we realized we should have parked closer to our destination.  The trek back up was uphill the whole way, and the last half mile was practically straight up.  Add to that 85 degree heat, no moisture in the air, and only one bottle of water (Erika forgot to bring one).  We started rationing the water by the beginning of the hike back, and by the end, we both had dehydration headaches, we didn't have to pee anymore, and we were practically falling over.  We seriously thought the vultures may find our dessicated bodies on the mountainside the next day.  But, at last, we made it - four hours after starting out.  I can't tell you how many miles it was - but I know it was a lot.  Upon attaining the car, we drove straight to the nearest shopping center and got glasses of water at Whole Foods while they made us smoothies.  I gulped about 20 oz. in 2 minutes, then drank a 16 oz. smoothie.  I can't remember anything tasting better.

We were pretty much done for the rest of the day.  We came home, showered, and watched a movie before getting ingredients at the grocery store for dinner and picking up another movie.  We made an amazing black bean, corn, feta dip that Aunt Coleen taught me, and my (now famous) sopapilla cheesecake. Add in some fruit, and that was our dinner. lol

Resting after the first half of the hike.

We got up at 7:30 on Saturday and Erika attempted to drive me to meet up with Eric in Oxnard (partway between LA and Santa Barbara).  However, right when we reached Malibu on Hwy 1, traffic came to a standstill.  A bus of kids told us out the window that there was a 3 car pileup and we should turn around.  So we did, and got on the 405 which also had a lot of traffic, but no accident.  We were then supposed to get off on the 101 heading North/West, but we missed it and ended up on the 5 which heads into the Ca. hills in the east. By the time we realized, it was too far to backtrack, so we took a random state road to cut back over and ended up meeting Eric in Ventura 2 hours later than originally planned.

Down by the water in Palos Verdes.

Eric (who I met originally on the Utah trip July '11) and I set off immediately (he had a full day of sightseeing planned).  We went Rinton Beach first and sat on some big rocks and just enjoyed the lovely day.  Next we  stopped by the beach in Summerland, picked up lunch and drove about 45 minutes to the top of the highest peak around - La Cumbre Peak (4,000 ft elevation). We ate our lunches up there and watched a ton of hand gliders all around.  One flew right over us, and we could hear him whistling. It was about this time that I decided I really needed to use the bathroom - of which the closest was at least 30 min away. Luckily, it was a very secluded area with lots of large boulders - so I had to pee behind a rock.  Probably my second time ever that I had to pee outside.  It totally grossed me out, but at least I could enjoy the view better after that.

The seals we saw.

Partway down the mountains, we stopped at some ruins from a huge lodge that used to sit on the edge of this mountain in the late 1800s.  I have no idea how horse and buggies made it up there, but they did.  Now it's known as Knapp's Castle and it's ruins are really pretty with fantastic views of the Santa Ynez Mountains and Lake Cachuma that serves as Santa Barbara's water supply.  One part of the wall that is still standing was quite wide and I walked along it and Eric got some pictures that look really terrifying/cool.  It looks like, if I fell, I'd kill myself.  But really I'd probably just break an arm.  However, I was careful and crawled whenever I got a little spooked.  Eric wouldn't stand at all - he just crawled and sat. lol  

The "cave"

From there we drove back down into Santa Barbara and went to the UCSB college campus.  It was really pretty, and as Eric pointed out, not a lot of homework gets done with the beach literally in front of the dorms and nature/hiking so nearby.  We watched people skin board, surf, paddle board and swim.  It was a gorgeous evening and we got some great shots of the sunset from a huge rock that jutted into the water.

With Eric at the top of a very high mountain near SB.

Knapp's Castle

Eric at Knapp's

right by the UCSB campus

Finally we went back to Eric's parents' house and I took a much needed shower.  His mom made us a yummy stir-fry dinner with tofu (I pretended it was chicken) and then we went through our pictures from the day. I showed his mother a bunch of the photos we'd taken that day, and some from home.  She's very sweet and really enjoyed seeing my pictures.  Then Eric got his guitar and he started playing song and I sang along for about two hours.  His mom said she enjoyed it so much and that we sounded really good.  I'm not sure we'd be a very successful band, but it was fun. lol

Sunset from UCSB

The next day we started the drive up Hwy 1 toward Monterrey.  We stopped at a bunch of different overlooks and cool places - the views were to die for.  One of our first stops was at Morro Rock (located in Morro Bay) where a huge rock comes up out of the water.  It's like a mini Gibraltar.  Standing on the breakers next to Morro Rock, you could watch the waves come in and often get unexpectedly splashed (as I did).  

At another vista point stop, this squirrel came right up to us, and we realized it must be used to getting fed.  We pulled some nuts out of the car and got some great photos of Eric and me feeding him.  Another stop gave us a view of a huge beach covered in elephant seals.  At Ragged Point, we ate subway lunches and looked out over a stunning vista.  Basically, everywhere we stopped was breathtaking. One of our favorite spots was McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. There was a waterfall off the cliff hitting the beach right by a cove with waves of turquoise rushing in.  It's really indescribable.  We also stopped and saw elephant seals (hundreds of them) on this one spot of coastline where they all gather.

watching the sun set in the Pacific

We finally made it to Monterrey in a sea of clouds (it had been pretty clear all day) around 7 p.m.  We'd originally planned to camp, but Eric was getting over a cold and it was cold/wet in Monterrey, so we stayed at a cheap hotel.  I'm quite glad, because it was way colder out than I was anticipating. We ate dinner on Cannery Row (a famous street in Monterrey) at a place called Buccaneers and listened as the restaurant erupted in cheers when the SF Giants won the World Series. This morning, we finished the drive to Berkeley where we met  Lieselotte and Mike for lunch at an outdoor cafe.  After making introductions and chatting for about an hour, Lies went back to her work in the lab and Eric drove Mike and me back to Mike's place.  When Lies gets off, Mike will drive me to her house.

Elephant seals, Ragged Point, Julia Burns State Park

McWay Falls

Right now, we're in a coffee shop while he works on some stuff and I do this blog.  It's hard to find time to keep up with my blog when I'm having such a great time living. :)

Good Times are Here

It's been a really good week!!  First off, I got a job!  I was officially offered the position at Community Blood Center of the Carolinas on Oct. 15.  I went in to fill out the paper work and get my drug test (which I passed - shocker, I know ;)).  Anyway, they agreed to let me still keep my Cali trip plans, so I will start Nov. 6. 

This past weekend I went to the mountains for a girls retreat with some of the girls from my bible study. I was a little let down right before the weekend started, for I'd planned this way in advance so everyone could come, and we had about 15 people say they'd be there - and then, they all ended up dropping out, excuse after excuse, until there were only four of us left who actually made it up to Jonas Ridge. However, as soon as we got up there, I forgot about my letdown and was taken away by the unbelievable beauty.  It was a peak weekend for the leaves, and wow.  So gorgeous. 

Katie and I went up first on Friday afternoon.  I showed her around the mountain and we did a little impromptu photo shoot playing with the settings on my new camera.  (Which, by the way, I absolutely love).  Then we visited with the Keiths for a little while before heading back to the house.  We tried to catch the sunset, but the clouds were too low to see it well.

We came back and played around with the photos on the computer and made tuna for dinner.  Ti and Christina arrived about 9:20 and Christina and I taught Ti and Katie how to play Spades.

On Saturday, I made pancakes for breakfast and then we went to Upper and Lower Falls. We hiked to Lower and then hiked over the boulders to get to Upper (my usual route). The water was higher than usual though, so we had a bit of an interesting time and a little bush-whacking to get up there.  Christina wanted to take jumping pictures (inspired by all of mine), so we went a little crazy with the jumping pics. lol

By the time we got back to the house, we were all sore and tired.  We took showers and changed and got all pretty to go out and do an official photo shoot with my camera and tripod. I directed the shoot and I think the photos turned out really great.  It was a lot of fun being able to direct the shots and be in them.

The sunset that night was absolutely gorgeous. 

We finished our game of spades, made lasagna for dinner and then watched "Wild Hearts Can't be Broken" - one of my favorite old Disney movies.

Christina and Ti went to bed about 10:30, but Katie and I went out to look at the stars - and I saw two shooting stars. It was very cold, but it was nice, lying in the yard and watching the clouds move to reveal the heavens.

The next morning I made biscuits (from a bag) and oatmeal (which I kinda burned), but anyway, I was the first one up (amazingly), so that's just the way it was.  The biscuits were good. :)

We went to Linville Falls after that, but it was really crowded.  Pretty, but nothing super special.  Christina and Ti left after lunch and Katie and I got some stuff done until 5 when we left and headed straight for a clothing exchange. 

It wasn't as good as the last clothing exchange, but we each found some good stuff.  Overall, it was a very full weekend.  Now, I'm trying to get a bunch of stuff done before I leave for Cali on Thursday.  So excited!!!

Ti and Me

Me, Christina, Ti, Katie

me

Ups and Downs

My new place is finally almost done!  The rooms are all painted, my furniture is all put together, and there is food in the pantry.  This has taken quite a load off my mind, for the last week was quite hectic!

This past weekend I went to another "First Friday" (of the month) dinner party hosted this time by a friend who also lives in Ballantyne.  There were about 15 people present, and all the food was great.  One girl made homemade cinnamon pita chips - she cut up tortillas into triangles, lightly buttered, then put cinnamon sugar on top and baked them.  YUM! And Brian, the host, cooked amazing burgers. Overall, it was a good night - especially when we got in a great discussion about good new book series like The Hunger Games and Divergent. Is it sad that I get such a thrill over talking about literature? haha

On my way home I stopped by Wal Mart to pick up some picture frames, and when I finally got back to the house at 11:15 p.m., Nicole had about 8 girls spending the night, including three on an air mattress that completely filled the hall.  I said, "Umm, how am I supposed to get to the bathroom?"  They told me to just climb over them. haha


Luckily by the time I got up to go to silks on Sat morning, the ones in the hall were gone.  (Apparently the mattress had deflated in the night, so they ended up on the couch). 

After silks, I had lunch with Mom and Dad (and picked up a few more things), then spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa before going to teach my little girls' Bible study class.  When I got home, I did some more stuff around the house, and had my first night there completely alone.  It was a little lonely, but nice and quiet - and I like quiet.

On Sunday I had church then went to lunch with a group to McAllisters.  Afterward, I went to the YMCA - as I hadn't gotten to go to the gym in about a week due to the move.  I was feeling really good after running, stretching and ab work.  So I decided to work on my walking handstand. It was going pretty well until I kicked off too hard and my legs went over my head and my arms buckled and my face hit the floor followed by my body. I let out an involuntary "umph" and when I picked myself up, three different men in the exercise room were looking at me.  One said "Are you okay?" and I said, "Yeah, it happens" and pretended like I wasn't really hurting.  One of the others said, "Man, that hurt me just looking at it."  *sighs*  Why do I always fall on my head in public?  So embarrassing. 

Finally I slunk away and looked at my throbbing forehead in the bathroom mirror.  Blood pricks were making an appearance in my rug burn, which was a nice arch across the left side of my forehead. Now it's nice and tender, still red, and looks like someone's been slapping me around.  The top of my nose is also bruised, but no one can tell except me when I touch it.  That'll teach me to practice walking on my hands on a hard rubber floor.  Grass only from now on.

But good news - I have a second interview at Community Blood Center of the Carolinas tomorrow!  I figured they'd gone with someone else since I hadn't heard from them in so long, but apparently it was just taking a while to schedule the second interview and they called me yesterday afternoon. So, fingers crossed that if it's the right place for me to be, I'll get the job - and that they'll also be understanding about my San Fran trip.


Then last night, I picked up Nicole from her dad's house and when we returned, I opened the garage and started backing in when all of a sudden, something smacked my car!  I then realized that the garage (which is lower and much quieter than mine at home) was not up all the way and hit my car as I backed in.  As soon as I got the rest of the way in, I jumped out to look at the back of my poor CRV.  There were vertical scratches on the top of the back and a HOLE! in the middle.  I was like "how in the world did the garage door puncture a hole in my car??"  Then I realized the hole was not a puncture, but a pre-cut hole, and must have been covered by something else that the door ripped off.  I started looking around and found pieces of black plastic on the roof of my car.  But I still had no idea what the thing that covered the hole was.


I was pretty upset about it, but Nicole and I trudged into the house to start working on her homework.  She took a shower first and asked me to brush her hair while she worked on math.  She got hair extensions a couple months ago to make her hair about five inches longer, but that also means she gets really bad knots.  As I worked on her hair, I realized that she had a terrible knot so bad it was pretty much a dreadlock.  I worked and worked on it, sprayed it with detangler spray, conditioned it - all to no avail. She was really freaking out and didn't want to go to school with a huge dreadlock in the back of her hair, but I told her to just put it up and at the end of the day she had a hair appointment to get the extensions removed anyway. I hope they can figure out a way to get the knot out without cutting her hair off.


Today I went to Harris Teeter to buy duct tape to cover the hole on my car, then I drove to the chiropractor only to realize they are closed on Tuesday mornings (guess my appt was for Thursday morning and I forgot?), then I went to AAA where I paid for a new membership as mine had expired, got an oil change, inspection and asked them what the heck that hole was from.

They said the hole was where the garage door ripped off the rear windshield fluid sprayer.  Honda would have to replace it.  My guess: it's just gonna live with duct tape on it, cause I'm not paying an arm and a leg for Honda to fix it.

Something to look forward to, other than my interview tomorrow, is the housewarming party I'm having at the new place on Saturday. Super excited! :)  Pics of the new place soon. 

Nonstop Parties

 Life has been crazy since Labor Day weekend!

Friends on the back porch of my old house at the monthly dinner.

For starters, I hosted a huge dinner at my place...with a few interesting twists.  For starters, we all ended up outside under the canopy, but as it got darker, and the lights were on, these GIGANTIC wasp/bee creatures decided to creep out from the top of the canopy where they apparently live.  One doesn't think about bees existing in the night, so maybe they were confused because of the lights, but either way, these creatures looked fierce!  For a while everyone tried to ignore them, and for their part, they generally stayed up in the rafters.  Then they started getting a little more adventurous - and guess who were the first guests to bolt inside?  The guys.  I found this all quite amusing...until one got into the house.  The pandemonium to follow should be on America's Funniest Home Videos - picture half the group cowering and screaming, and a few guys who were trying to show off their manliness attempting to kill the vicious creature.  The problem was that it was far too large for your average fly swatter, and if it was squished on the wall, it would probably leave a very large stain.  Somehow, they managed to kill the thing, to great applause.

At that point, everyone was inside...but all the chairs were outside and no one wanted to brave the bees, so guess who ended up bringing in about 16 chairs?  Yup, that would be me.  How do I always end up with these types of jobs?  I was the official roach/bee/ant killer of my dorm in college (even though I was the only one allergic to venom).  I guess once you get a reputation for "bravery," you get stuck being brave even when you don't want to. lol

Christina, Vanessa and me at V's bday.

We also had a cat wander into our party when we were outside, and it was very friendly and had a flea collar on, so it must have been someone's pet.  Everyone ended up holding it and then when we went inside, it just sat on the back porch, waiting for us.  It was so friendly and sad just sitting out there alone, so finally one of the guys brought it in, but everyone took turns holding it so it didn't run around.  Finally, as people started leaving, someone put it outside in the front yard, but when the last two friends left at 1 a.m., it was still out there.  I looked for it the next morning, but it was gone, so hopefully it found its way home.

Ladies in blue at Angela's going away party.

My best friend in Charlotte, Vanessa, also had her 27th birthday that weekend.  It was nice to celebrate with her over dinner with a few other of her friends.

The next day I had a silk performance at the new studio located in Matthews. The studio is huge which is nice and I was so excited because I had so many family and friends come to watch: Mom, Dad, Uncle Bob, Cheryl, Nicole, Maria, and Nicole's Grandma, Angela, Ben, Lesley, Chastity and her friend Mary.  They all said my performance was the most graceful to watch and that I made it look effortless. :)  That made me so happy, because when I was practicing for it, I felt like it was so hard and I was grimacing and breathing hard most of the time.  But I tend to do well with an audience, and it was my best run through of the routine to date.

Friends and family at my silk show (Mom took the photo).

My friend Angela had a going away party recently as well.  She is moving to France to be an au pair for about a year.  In honor of her, everyone at the party dressed in her favorite color - cobalt blue.  We all brought food and it was a great party, which ended in tango dancing through the living room (I met Angela years ago at a tango class). I will miss her, but I'm so excited for her opportunity!

I went to another party for two friends who are moving out of their apartment.  I made several new friends at the party, and my friend Jamie came with me.  Jamie and I have been friends for 10 years - I met her freshman year of HS in debate class - but I hardly ever get to see her because she's a night shift nurse.  So, I was so happy she could come along.

Colleen, me, Jamie and Jess at Brent and Drew's moving out party.

The next day I went to church and afterward, several of us went to lunch and then to Festival in the Park - which is a bunch of vendors and such in Freedom Park.  It was nice just walking around and seeing all the artisan's.  A beautiful day too - sunny with a cool breeze.

I've also been to two birthday dinners for friends and joined Tiffany and her family at a festival in Denver, NC called Denver Days.  We went on the Ferris wheel which made me happy, even though it was pretty small.

Festival in the park with friends.

Apart from parties ad nauseam, I've also been networking like crazy in the hopes of getting a "real" job by March when I turn 26 and loose my health insurance from my parents. I've met the CEO of the YMCA, the head PR person for the Y, had an interview with Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (but haven't heard back yet), met with some people I did a story on a while back who work for Bank of America, and basically, have just told everyone I know that I'm looking for a job.  Many people I interview say "Oh, send me your resume - I will pass it on to so and so."  

Tiff, me and her nephew Max on the Farris wheel.

Hopefully I can get a job in November or December.  I hope to go to California Oct. 25-Nov. 5.  I plan to fly standby thanks to my friend who works for US Air.  I'll fly into L.A. and stay with my friend Erika for a couple days, then head up to Santa Barbara with my friend Eric, and he'll drive me up to San Fran where I'll stay with Lieselotte and visit with Mike and my cousin Erin. I'm so excited to be going back - it was such a lovely time of year last year when I went about the same time. And this time I'll get to see Lieselotte and Eric along with the others that I saw last trip.

At Elizabeth Anne's bday dinner with friends from Life Group.

And another BIG change in my life - I just moved out of my parents house and into my own place in Ballantyne.  It's a condo owned by the people I babysit/tutor for and they are letting me live her in exchange for tutoring, picking up from school and generally helping out when possible.  It's a beautiful place, a great location and a sweet deal. :)  I've spent the last 4 days moving stuff, building furniture, painting my room, picking out paint colors for the whole house, being there for painters/contractors and trying to get my stories written at the same time.  My whole body hurts, my legs are covered in bruises and I've barely slept thanks to the constant things going through my head; but tonight, I'm almost done with everything, the furniture is complete, I have one picture hung, and tomorrow I should be able to finish everything satisfactorily.

I'm so lucky to have so many friends - in so many ways.  But especially the last two days.  I had Taylor come over yesterday for 5.5 hours to help build three large pieces of my furniture, and my friend Brian came by this evening to complete the other two pieces.

At my silk aerial performance.

Tomorrow night is another monthly dinner (at Brian's house as it were) and I'm excited to see everyone without a million things weighing on my mind.  My friend Brandon is back in Charlotte having been in Iowa and then Colorado for over a year, so he's coming too and it's just going to be a great mix of tons of my friends from a lot of different social circles. I love those kind of parties. :)

This is incredibly long, so I'm going to stop now.  Guess I shouldn't wait a month between posts. Oops.

Hilton Head for Labor Day

For Labor Day weekend, Tiffany, her fiance Mitch and I all went down and stayed with my mom's friend Linda on Hilton Head Island, SC.

Mitch, me, Tiff at HHI

We arrived about midnight Friday night, after a 4.5 hour drive that went by miraculously fast. It was so good having travel buddies - I so often drive alone. 

Linda's house was beautiful and there was enough space in the living room for a blowup mattress for Tiff and Mitch, and a big couch for me.  The next day we took a bike ride to the grocery store to pick up some things, then headed down to the beach with Linda and her boyfriend Jeff. 

Handstand on the beach!

It was a really spectacular day and we mostly just lounged in the shade of their giant beach tent. Finally, as it really started heating up, Tiff, Mitch and I decided to hit the water.  Tiffany and I were a little wary because HHI is known for its marine life and Linda's son, Nic, had just told us about being stung by a stingray.  Mitch was telling Tiffany and I not to be silly, that we'd be fine, then all of a sudden he goes "ahh, I was just stung by a jelly fish" and starts swimming away.  We thought he was joking to try and scare us, but when he confirmed that he was serious, Tiff and I were back on the beach in about 3 seconds. lol  We didn't go back in the water that day, and Mitch had four lines across the top of his foot where the jelly fish tentacles had wrapped around it.

After 5 p.m., dogs are allowed on the beach, and Linda went to get her dog, Bailey, and it made friends with some other local dogs.  Well then, one of the other dogs runs up right by my chair and lifts his leg, and by the time I realize what he's doing, it's a little too late.  I jumped up, but he still got a little pee on me.  Tiffany thought it was hysterical (and it kind of was - I mean really, who gets peed on by a dog?).  I braved the ocean again to rinse off. 

Linda and Jeff

sunset by the Boat House Restaurant

As it approached dinner time, Tiff, Mitch and I went back to the house (about a five minute walk from the beach) and got ready to go out to dinner.  We went to a place called The Boat House, recommended by Linda and Jeff.  The wait was 90 minutes, so we put down our names (Linda & Jeff planned to meet us there), and enjoyed the lovely evening and the sunset.  There was a long dock and we walked to the end and watched the last rays of sunlight fade from the sky, making the water orangy as it went. 

The food was delicious - I had fish tacos which were YUM!  From there we all went to a place called The Triangle where there are several clubs and bars, very close to where Linda lives. Linda and Jeff wanted to hear a band play, but they were running really late and as we waited for them to come on, I was getting really frustrated.  They were going to perform on an outdoor stage, so we got seats outdoors, but then everyone was smoking around us and it was really bothering me, then it got more crowded, and people were pushing up against us, and then some drunk lady stumbled and grabbed my shoulder as she went past and I was just DONE.  I left the four of them there and returned to the house. 

Tiff and Mitch on the pier.

After showering and getting in my PJs, Linda's roommate, Brian (who is also 25), got home and hung out with me for a little bit until the others returned.  When they got back, they convinced me to change and we all went for a walk on the beach looking for sea turtles.  We didn't find any, but I did find a hula-hooper with a light up hula-hoop which I got to try.  That was fun. 

Mitch and Tiff in the kayak.

The three of us on the dolphin cruise.

On Sunday we slept in late and then headed to a section of inter-coastal nearby where they rent kayaks.  Brian was able to use his connections and get us free kayaks for two hours! We couldn't believe our luck.  I had my own and Tiff and Mitch shared.  We saw a ton of jumping fish, some interesting birds, and a lot of beautiful houses and trees.  It was hot, but it was good exercise and I really enjoyed it.  After returning to the house to shower/change, we made a move toward Sea Pines (an exclusive area of HHI) where our dolphin cruise left from. (Tiff had gotten us groupons for a dolphin cruise before we left).  Tiff and I were worried about getting seasick, but we both did fine.  (Probably because we were mostly in a bay).  We saw a ton of dolphins, though none actually jumped out of the water or anything.  Basically, the boat we were on followed the shrimp boats and the dolphins were always behind the shrimp boats.  It was hot initially, but the last half hour was really lovely as the sun started to go down and the breeze picked up.  From there, the three of us headed to the Salty Dog Cafe (a world famous restaurant) where we got a snack and some Salty Dog paraphernalia.Then we went to a beach in Sea Pines and walked the beach in the falling dusk.

following a shrimp boat to see dolphins

We ended our evening at a delicious pizza restaurant before heading back to the house.

On Monday, we spent a few hours at the beach and Tiff and I borrowed Linda's neighbor's surf boards to try and surf (as the waves were bigger).  Unfortunately, they weren't quite big enough to surf, and we ended up using them more like boogie boards (though we put in a valiant effort in standing on the boards). We didn't get stung by anything, which was great, and we definitely got some good exercise! 

At last, though we didn't want the weekend to end, we went back to the house and got ready to leave.  We thanked Linda and Jeff, who had been fantastic hosts, and left about 4 p.m.   It was a really lovely weekend!

Tiff and Mitch on the beach.

walking the beach

Florida July 2012

 

Ft. Desoto

Our first night in St. Petersburg, Michael, Grandma, Dad and I all walked to the central downtown area full of different restaurants and bars. We had dinner at an Irish pub that Michael really liked, and all our food was quite good. Afterward we got gelato and sat outside talking as we watched people (several of them drunk already) walk by.  Michael said St. Pete is known for having a fair number of drunks walking around at any given time.

We went back to our hotel afterward and chatted for a while, then Michael and I went back to his place a few blocks away.  (I decided to sleep on his couch so Grandma had more room in the double bed at the hotel).  Unfortunately, Michael inhabits the attic of these people's house, and the only AC is a window unit in his room.  He left the door open to try and get the air wafting into the living room, but it wasn't overly successful and I was quite hot all night.

The next morning, Dad and Grandma picked me up from Michael's (he was at work) and we went to get breakfast, then went to Ft. De Soto State Park.  The beach there was voted at one point as "America's Best" and it really is lovely.  I'd been there once before with Patrick in May of 2011, so it had been just about a year.  We enjoyed the perfect water and white sand, then walked around the old fort and the pier.  On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a Barns and Noble where, unable to help myself, I bought two books.  (Even though I'd just gotten a book at the Goodwill Bookstore in Tallahassee).

with Michael outside the restaurant

I was really excited about one in particular: The Sisterhood Everlasting.  This is the continuation (10 years later) from one of my favorite series, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  Those books made such an impact on me as a college student.  I felt like the characters were right where I was in every sense.  They "got" me at that phase of my life - empathized with me as I did with them.  They were truly like friends.  Those books inspired me to start my own book (still not quite finished).  So this book, written so much later, when the girls are all 29 (close to my age), was very exciting for me to pick up.  More about that later...

So that evening, after relaxing from the beach, Michael came over and we all drove to Fourth Street Shrimp Store where we had delicious seafood.  Thereafter, we played cards in the lobby of our hotel until it was time for Michael to leave.  I decided to try and share the bed with grandma that night in the cool air conditioned room.

with Dad at the Shrimp Store

When I walked Michael out, we started talking about my future job prospects and how I should go about looking for a job.  There is just so much I could do, it is very overwhelming for me to decide what direction to focus my energies into.  But chatting with him about it did make me feel better and he had some good tips.

On Friday, Dad, Grandma and I had a yummy breakfast at this cool bakery/restaurant and then drove home.  It was a nice drive back and a beautiful day.  We picked up Lily from her mom's house on the way and she came over until we met her mom, Dad and some family friends out to dinner at T.G.I. Fridays.

sunset over St. Pete

On Saturday, I spent a good chunk of the day hanging out with my cousin Brian (Michael's brother who lives in Tally).  I helped him go shopping for a bunch of stuff he needed and it was good catching up with him (though every conversation we have, I lose a little more faith in the male race).

Sunday, Gma, Dad, U. Andy, Lily and I all went to Wakulla Springs.  The water was as cold as ever, but the day was lovely and I enjoyed reading my Sisterhood book on the "beach." I also started to realize how moody teenage girls can be (namely, my cousin Lily), who sulked every time her father so much as looked at her, and has perfected the scowl to an art.

with cousin Lily at TGI Fridays

On Monday morning, Dad and I left about 9:30.  He drove while I finished the Sisterhood book, which I'd started only the day before. It was that good. In this book, the girls were all at points in their lives that I feel like either I or my friends are in.  It was about discovering yourself as an adult, figuring out how to maintain and change old friendships into adult friendships, dealing with loss and love and jobs and lack of jobs - it was just so perfect in so many ways. Though, like its predecessors, it did make me cry.  Bittersweet tears of recognizing the loss of the past, the struggle of the present, and the hope of the future.

in the water at Wakulla Springs - SO cold

I finished my book around 12:30, and then Dad and I stopped for lunch.  I offered to drive for a while, and after only 30 minutes, I got stuck in a speed trap and pulled over.  The speed limit had been 55, so I was going 61.  Then it had apparently dropped to 45, but I missed the sign, and then didn't start slowing down until I saw a sign for 35 mph.  At that same point, the cop saw me and turned his lights on.  Luckily, when he clocked me I was still in the 45 mph zone, but still, 61 in a 45 is not good.  He dropped it to 59 and insisted that it would not affect my license or insurance, but he's obviously an idiot, because any ticket affects your insurance.  I found out the next day that it's $175 ticket, which is just great.  Dad drove the rest of the way home, as I was all teary after being pulled over.  As we drove off, we saw someone else pulled over right where the first cop had seen us from.  Georgia, I am not happy with you.

Memories

It has been a while since I've written, but here I am again.  This time, I'm sitting in a hotel room in St. Petersburg, FL, waiting with Dad and Grandma Bailey for the rain to subside before we head out into the city.  I am also anxiously awaiting the work day to end so I can see my best friend/cousin Michael. We realized last week that we had not seen each other since May of 2011, right after I got laid off from the paper and came down to visit with my friend Patrick.  It doesn't seem like it's been so long though, as frequently as we talk.

With Michael on the St. Peteresburg pier.

Some quick memories of Michael (I'm feeling in a reminiscent mood today with the clouds all gray and the old town of St. Pete out our window):

My first clear memory of Michael was from our trip as a family to Hawaii when I was 7.  Uncle David, Aunt Margie and their four boys were all living Oahu and so we decided to go visit while we had a free place to stay.

I loved Hawaii - it was a magical place full of memories like these:
~coconut tree-climbing men in skirts (I remember the announcer say that he didn't have any underwear on, and Mom tell me that it was a joke)
~ dancers in coconut shell tops
~ colorful fish which I viewed through my first experience with a snorkel
~ my first experience with truly gargantuan waves that knocked the breath out of me several times (I remember Grandma carrying me into them and me saying that they were too big and we'd be knocked over, and alas, we were - she stopped trying to make me go in after that)
~ beautiful sunsets of orange and red over the mangrove trees with the water lapping the shore
~ climbing the dormant volcano, Diamond Head, getting to the top and Mom realizing with dismay that there were no bathrooms or vending machines.  Also on that climb, realizing we were supposed to bring flashlights and thus all 9 of us shared one and mostly climbed the steps in darkness.
~ losing my first two teeth, one of which was in a thift store and when mom asked if we could use the bathroom, the lady said there wasn't one, and my mom said "Well unless you want my daughter to bleed all over your floor, I suggest you find one."  She found one.
~ being really hot at night because Uncle David's AC stopped working and I had to sleep on a top bunk

So anyway, along with all the cool stuff we did in Hawaii, I also got to know my two older cousins Michael and Brian, as well as my two younger cousins, Logan and Mark, a bit better.  Brian, I decided, was a terror.  He chased me around trying to "Indian twist" the skin on my arm or in other ways torture me.  He was about 11, so I guess that was par for the course.  I also didn't have a great sense of humor about it since I was the oldest and had never had an older brother teasing me.  Michael, on the other hand, was quieter, about 12, and my rescuer from his malicious brother. He gave me piggy back rides and showed me cool stuff and talked to me like a grown up.  When I wanted the lyrics to "Whole New World" on my Sing Along Disney VHS, Michael enlisted Brian's help and they kept rewinding the video to try to write down the words (this was before the world of internet in your average home).  Basically, I thought he was the best cousin ever.

Fast forward about five years and their family now lives in Orlando, FL.  We go down to visit and go to Disney.  I am very excited to see Michael for the first time in such a long while, but when we get there, the sullen teenager using the computer is not the boy I remembered.  I'm pretty sure he didn't say one word to me the whole trip, and me, being rather shy at that age, didn't say anything either.  Brian on the other hand drove me around, taught me the words to Ice Ice Baby (which is the only rap song I know the lyrics to to this day) and was generally amusing and pleasant.  The following year, we returned and this time Michael spoke a little, but I daresay, it wasn't a whole lot better.

Fast forward again about 3 years.  It's Thanksgiving and I'm 15.  My family is down in Tallahassee and Michael is attending FSU.  On Thanksgiving day, I have been hanging out with a friend of mine on campus and Michael is assigned to pick me up from there before we head to Grandma's for dinner.  When I got in the car, he gave me a funny look and said, "So, do you like this guy?" (I'd been hanging out with a guy I'd met the previous summer at a pool in Tallahassee).  "No, why?" I said, rather taken aback that this cousin I barely knew would ask me such a strange first question.  "Well, I just thought, you know, when girls dressed nice and wore makeup, then they must like someone."  I gave him a deadpan look and said, "I always look like this."  "Okay," he said.  And off we drove with conversation flowing like it hadn't flowed since Hawaii.

In Michael, I'd found the older brother I never had and a kindred spirit.  And ever since Nov. of 2002, we've been the best of friends. I have three best friends: Michael, Lieselotte and Tiffany.  All are really wonderful and really dear to me in different ways, but there is something comforting with having one of my best friends be real family because then you know, no matter what, you'll never lose them.

That was a long reminiscence I suppose, but I figure, it's good to get these memories down while I still have them clearly in my head.

So anyway, tonight I figure we'll go out to dinner somewhere in downtown St. Pete and tomorrow, if it's not raining, we'll probably go to Ft. Desoto State Park to the beach.  If it is raining, I guess we'll go to some local museums and try to go to the beach on Friday before heading back to Tallahassee.