How is it Valentines Day?

A really pretty sunset in late January.

So I realize my last post was around New Years and now it's 2 days until Valentines Day.  How is this possible?  In the last couple weeks I feel like my head has been spinning like a cartoon character with sensory overload. I guess it started when I got a phone call Mon Jan 28 from Maria telling me that their family's home in Union County had sold and that the house they were having built in Mecklenburg County wouldn't be ready until the summer.  In the interim, they planned to move into the condo (where I was residing). Originally, Maria said they'd move in when the house closed at the end of March.  I could go back home for a few months and then move back in (with roommates) when their other house was ready. I wasn't thrilled at the prospect, but it wasn't terrible.

Taken from the parking lot of the Cypress Retirement Community.

But the next day Maria called me again and left a voice mail on my machine which I picked up as I drove from a blood drive back to work. The voice mail said that they didn't want to switch Matthew (their son's) school zone in the middle of the semester, so they'd need to move into the condo right away.  Could I have all my stuff packed up and moved by that Sunday?  (Which, by the way, was Super Bowl Sunday - five days away).  I was freaking out, to say the least.  Not only had I put in significant time and money into making the place really nice with pictures and paint and decorations, but I had a very busy week planned and had no idea how I'd pack everything in a matter of a few days (with only a couple of free hours per day).  Not only that, but I really didn't want to move back home for so long.

Jan 12 - top of Crowder's Mountain on a 72 degree day with Tim.

I called mom at work in tears.  She reminded me that at least I had somewhere to go.  While I do appreciate the ability to go home, home is much farther from work than the condo, not to mention how hard it is to move back under your parents' roof after being out on your own. Once I returned, to work, I went and told my boss, JC, all about the situation. She suggested emailing some of the women I work with to see if anyone had a spare room available. I did so and also emailed my friend Kherri from silk class. She's 37 and lives in Ballantyne right near the movie theater and my allergist. I've dog sat for her in the past and she has a nice spare room and bath downstairs. I figured it was worth a shot.

at the top of Crowder's

Within 15 minutes, I had three offers from women at work and Kherri had also agreed to the idea of me moving in. After considering each option (factoring distance from work, cost of rent, living situation), I decided moving in with Kherri and her husband Craig and their two dogs (Cooper and Ginger) would be the best option. She is charging me very little and the room is large and nice.  The house is great and big, the dogs are sweet, and she's slightly closer to my work than the condo was.

Birthday cake for Dad at Grandma's Jan. 12

I told her this was a temporary situation until the summer when I can move back into the condo, but many people have suggested that I not go back given the way I was given so little leave notice the first time.  (Which, interestingly enough, was all for nothing because they still haven't moved in there).  So, come summer I will decide if I want to move back in with roommate and a contract, or if I want to rent a spare room from a lady I work with who lives 4 minutes from work in a great area for people my age.  She'd rent me the room for $500 per month all-inclusive, which is very good.  She's also older, so there wouldn't be any drama in the household. So, I'll have to think about that.  Another consideration is saving up for a house.

A few days later, it snowed in Ballantyne.

Anyway, I didn't get the chance to start packing until Thursday night when my mom and friend Brandon came over and helped me get everything off the walls and out of the cupboards. Friday I went to a First Friday Night Dinner party and was unable to do any packing. Saturday morning I had silk class then tap class, then came back and finished packing (with Mom and Dad's help) most of the rest of my things and brought them over to Kherri's before I had to leave to teach Bible Study class to the little kids at church. My friend Jeff and I went to dinner after church then I came home and watched TV in my now nearly empty condo.

Sunday I went to early service then came home and filled up my car one last time.  I headed to Kherri's and tried to get settled in while she prepared for her Super Bowl party.  I joined the party about 4 p.m. and left at 5:45 to attend another friend's Super Bowl party where Tiffany, Mitch and Jeff all met me.  Tiffany and I used the time talking over wedding details (I'm the maid of honor and the wedding is approaching quite quickly this May!).  The guys, of course, were more interested in the game.

And I played in it for the 2 hours it came down.

Every night the following week I got home late due to my commitment and work stuff.  I felt so exhausted and like there was a lot weighing on my shoulders because my new room wasn't done and it was stressing me out. Then on Friday, I left straight from work and picked up Jeff and we went to Tiff's house in Catawba and all jumped into her car and the four of us (Tiff, Mitch, Jeff and me) along with three dogs (Tiffany's two and Jeff's one) drove up to Tiffany's family's mountain house. We spent the weekend there in order to drive to Sugar Mountain on Saturday to go skiing.  I wasn't as good a skier as I remember being in high school - or maybe I just have more fear now - but either way, the easy slopes were the only ones I could do without falling.  Tiff, Mitch and Jeff were snowboarding on the black diamond slopes.  Whenever I tried intermediate courses, I ended up on my butt a good bit of the time. I still enjoyed myself for the most part, but it was a lot of money spent on something that I didn't enjoy as much as I would have liked.  However, the others all had a really great time, which I'm happy about.

The rest of the weekend we spent playing games and hanging out.  I returned to Kherri's house about 8 p.m. Sunday evening with the knowledge that I still had a lot to do.

Mitch, Tiff, Jeff & Lauren - Sugar Mountain.

On Monday after work I stopped by Wal-Mart and got groceries and random other things I needed for my room.  Mom and Dad came over and brought home-made soup for dinner then helped me put together a piece of IKEA furniture I'd picked up on my lunch break the week before.  Then Dad went to work and Mom helped me hang pictures on the walls.  I now finally feel more settled and my room looks very nice. 

For Valentine's Day, I'm going to give blood for the second time! Woohoo!  What's better than a gift of love that saves up to three lives? :)

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013!  It is here – guess the Mayans were officially wrong. 

A lot has happened in a short amount of time, per usual. I did give blood for the first time Dec. 20.  Jeff came and donated with me so I wasn’t all alone, and it was his first time too.  I don’t think he was quite as nervous as I was though. Lol  First they have to prick your finger and test your iron, and I was a little worried because people get rejected for their low iron levels all the time.  According to the doctor, normal is between 12-15, but we require a 12.5 to donate.  Mine was 15!!  The phlebotomist was very impressed, especially since I’m a girl.  My blood pressure was also great, but my heart rate was slightly elevated since I was nervous. J

Then they put me in this comfy reclining chair and put a blanket on me because I was so cold.  Jeff laughed and said that didn’t surprise him, because I’m “always cold.”  I told him it’s only when I’m somewhere that keeps the temperature  at 65 degrees (like where you give blood and Jeff’s house!).  Anyway, they got a look at my veins and said I had “great veins” – probably because I drink so much water – and the woman who stuck me was very good. However, it was a little weird feeling at first and I got kind of scared and started feeling all hot and flushed, and my hands got tingly, so they elevated my chair so my feet were up and put an ice pack on my neck.  I calmed down after a couple minutes and all was good.  I filled the bag (one pint) in about five minutes.  It was all pretty easy, and I think I’ll be less worried next time. 

I also didn’t feel lightheaded afterward, even though I’m only 2 lbs over the weight limit. Jeff was proud of me and we sat and ate snacks at the recovery table talking about it.

I got off early that day and Jeff came with me to SouthPark Mall where I had to do some Christmas shopping and returns.  He was a great companion to have, because my bags started getting heavy and I couldn’t hold them with my left hand (cause I hurt my arm), so Jeff carried all my bags.  I, in turn, helped him pick out some gifts for his sisters.

Tim and I were supposed to see the Hobbit that night, but he got very sick and couldn’t make it. 

On Christmas Eve I worked and then met Mom, Dad and Grandma at church.  Then Mom, Dad, Brett and I went to dinner at Outback. On Christmas morning, I got up at 9:15 and made breakfast and started blaring Amy Grant Christmas music (because no one else was awake).  Finally, they straggled down and after eating, we opened gifts.

Mom and Dad framed my diploma for me, which was nice since I have no graduation pictures, no gown and no ring. Lol However, the frame they got didn’t fit the two mats they bought, so they’re going to have to re-do it.  They also got me a memory foam mattress topper, some tights/socks, a book I really wanted (and just finished) and a few other odds and ends. I got them a Words with Friends Board Game and pictures of Brett and me (I got him to come over and do a photo shoot with me one day using my tripod).  Mom was so excited about the pictures, she could scarcely contain herself.  She’s been wanting photos of us together where Brett is smiling and has his eyes open for ages.

That afternoon we went to the Cypress to have lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Bob and Cheryl. The food was delicious, but too much!  It was very nice going back to the Grandma and Grandpa’s place and not having to wash dishes though.  Once back there, we opened more gifts and just enjoyed each other’s company for most of the day.

The Thursday after Christmas my friend Erika from L.A. came into town from Raleigh on the train.  The night before my friend Kherri had helped me pick up mom’s van from the house (Mom, Dad and Brett had already left for Tallahassee) and drop it off at my work.  So when I picked Erika up from the train station, I had two cars so I could loan her one.  She ran a few errands, had lunch with a friend, then went back to my house and started dinner while I worked.  I had to work a blood drive at the Hickory movie theater that evening.  It was so cold with a wind chill of about 35 degrees.  I had a scarf, a long coat, high boots, and gloves, but it didn’t make a difference.  My fingers and toes all went numb and I was jumping around trying to keep warm.

A few hours after I got home that evening, I started coughing.  By the next day, I was really feeling sick, but I had to go back to Hickory to do a blood drive inside the mall this time.  I was supposed to leave there at 4:30, but by 3:30, my developer sent me home as I had a fever and could barely stay on my feet.

On the way home, my car’s engine light came on – which had never happened before. I called AAA and arranged to bring the car by on my way home and Erika would come get me.  I told them I needed an oil change and to figure out what that light was on for. 

That night, Erika and I went to dinner with Kathy (my life group leader), her sister-in-law Jackie and Christina (one of the girls in my life group).  Erika used to be in the group, so she was happy to see them. I was feeling poorly, but I drank a ton of water which I think brought my fever down. Afterward we came back to my place and talked for a couple hours.

On Saturday morning, the AAA people called me and gave me some bad news – my catalytic converter had gone bad, and since they have platinum on them, they are very expensive. I also needed several fluid flushes and a new serpentine belt. Total estimate was $1600. Oh joy.  I called Dad and had him call the AAA place and discuss it with them, then he called Honda to get their estimate – which was $2,000 for JUST the catalytic converter. So, we figured AAA was the way to go. But it wasn’t going to be ready until Monday, so after that, Erika and I just used the van.

In the afternoon we met Christina for lunch at a Mediterranean place, then saw Les Miserables.  I’d seen the musical live three times, but it never made me cry like the movie did.  Good grief.  Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crow and Eddie Redmayne were awesome.

From there, we went to church and then came back to my place for a relaxing final evening before Erika flew back to L.A.

I was really sick on Sunday and did nothing all day long.  Monday, I called in sick to work.  By the afternoon I was feeling somewhat better, and my friend Taylor helped me move the sofa he’d been borrowing into my office and pick up my car from AAA.  Mom and Dad came over later to hang pictures for me.  Lieselotte was supposed to come in that day and go to a NYE party with me, but she couldn’t end up making it.  I took a nap after Mom and Dad left and tried to rally for my party which I was determined to go to.  I took some cold medicine and by gosh, I went!  I’ve gone the last two or three years, so I wasn’t about to mar my good attendance streak.

I ended up having a really nice time and it was good to see all my friends.  I danced (but not too aggressively) until the cement floor and high heels made my knees hurt, then I left about 1:30 a.m.  I was glad I’d gone.  I rested the whole next day and today I’m back at work.  I feel pretty good – my eyeballs sort of hurt when I move them too fast, and my cough is still lingering, but overall, much better.

Is it Really Christmas Time?

With my friend Jamie at Second String Santa - annual X-mas Party.

The term "time flies" has never had such meaning as it does now.  Working full-time and trying to maintain my social, spiritual, physical and emotional health is like juggling flaming torches while walking a tight rope over the Grand Canyon.  I can't help but think, how in the world do women with kids do it??  Good grief. 

On the plus side, my body is adapting to less sleep, so I'm getting by with between 7 and 8 hours a night, instead of my previous 9.  My feet are also adapting to standing for long intervals and all the standing is helping keep the weight off even though I don't have time to work out every day anymore.

With friends at Second String Santa

My typical day is this: drive anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to get to a blood drive or a high school pre-recruitment.  Then I spend the next several hours either saying "Would you like to donate blood today? You can help save three lives?" then answering any questions of those who actually stop to acknowledge me; OR, "Any of you still need to sign up for the blood drive next week?  You get out of class, get a t-shirt and free Subway!"  Needless to say, the students are much more eager to give.

Dinner at my new place with friends for the first weekend of Dec.

Today was quite interesting.  I was at CMC hosptial in Concord today and originally the developer, Adam, (he booked the drive) was supposed to be there with me the whole time. But he had a drive that was going badly so shortly after my arrival, he left.  I was standing with a table full of CBCC (Community Blood Center of the Carolinas) goodies, and catching people as they entered and exited the cafeteria to remind them about the blood drive which was taking place downstairs.  Then, some CMC worker bee rolls a popcorn cart up next to me and says "Here's your popcorn machine."  I was like, "Umm, my popcorn machine?"  She said, "Yes, didn't Adam tell you? We give out popcorn to get people over here. Where is he?"  I informed her that he'd left me there alone and she looked disturbed and proceeded to show me how to work the contraption.  I then spent the next 3 hours trying to slice open the bags of popcorn seed/buttery good with a box knife (and not get sliced myself), feeding it into the burning hot metal cooker (without getting burned), pop open the flattened popcorn boxes and fill them with the buttery mess without getting dirty.  Not to mention hand them out, tell people about the blood drive, and try to keep random passers-by from stealing all the pens, notepads, water bottles and so forth that were supposed to be for people after they donated. It was NOT a one-woman job. 

Over 40 friends went caroling at an old-folks home.

However, I got pretty good at it, and after a while, the woman who'd brought me the cart came back and said, "Wow, you're doing really great!"  Sheesh.  Who thought I'd be getting movie concessions training at my job??

At the entrance of McAddenville

This month has been a difficult one for my blood drives.  During this month where we celebrate the greatest gift of all, many people are incredibly self-centered and utterly unconcerned for those in need. No drive has been as terrible as the one I had last night at the YMCA in Ballantyne.  In an area that is flooded with wealth and stay-at-home moms, these people could not take 30 minutes from their schedule to save lives.  Their days are strategically planned out - nails, hair, gym, dry-cleaners, Christmas shopping - there simply isn't time!  But if we had a gala in which they needed to donate $200 a piece, I bet we'd have a swarm.  *sighs*  So, I may not get my bonus for meeting my quota this month, but I'm trying to pull out all the stops and get my friends out en masse. And, I believe I will donate for the first time Thursday when my friend Jeff comes to donate as well.  I can donate at the center while on the clock, so I figure it's about time I suck it up and do it.  Here's to praying I don't pass out or something. 

with my friend Lesley in McAddenville

It doesn't seem real that Christmas is 6 days away.  I've never not had a Christmas break before.  This year, I'll only have off Christmas day and New Years Day.  However, I do have some happy visits coming.  The day after Christmas (when my family goes down to Tallahassee to see Grandma Bailey), my friend Erika from LA will be coming in town and staying with me until the 30th.  Then Lieselotte (who will be in Raleigh for a couple weeks over her Christmas break), will come on the 31st and we will attend a NYE party together and spend New Years Day together.  I have such lovely friends - whatever would I do without them?

I also have funny stories from last weeks blood drives.  1) While at Chase High School in Forest City, NC (in the middle of nowhere), a high-schooler asked if he could take me to lunch.  He then proceeded to tell me I didn't look a day over 21.  I said, "Even if I was 21, I'd still be far too old for you."  It was quite amusing though.  2) I was working a blood drive sponsored by The Meat House in Ballantyne.  While standing in front of the store and directing people to the blood mobile, an employee kept coming out to cook meat on a grill.  Finally, he asked if I was waiting for someone.  I told him no, I was telling people about the blood drive.  It was a rather slow day, so whenever he came out, we chatted about various things - mostly about what I did for my job.  At the end, I went inside the store to buy a sandwich for lunch.  The manager said it was on the house and then said, "Tim, come help this lady with her order!"  But Tim must have been outside again, because a different guy helped me instead.  Then the manager said, "Hey, write Tim's number on there in case she has any questions."  That is when I realized that Tim must have said something about me inside the store and all the employees were in on this.  Finally, while my sandwich was being made, Tim came out and gave me a "tour" of the store.  Finally he said, "What are you doing tonight? Do you want to get a glass of wine or something?" I was totally flustered and said, "Umm, I have a family dinner tonight."  He said, "Well, I really came out here to give you this (and handed me his name and number on a sheet of paper).  Give me a call sometime if you want to hang out." 

Josh, Renee, Bethany, me and Bill at a Christmas party

I was a little shell-shocked because of his audacity - most guys my age are such chickens it's unbelievable.  Anyhow, I texted him later and said I could probably get together after dinner.  We met up at Fox and Hound that evening and I found out he is also 25.  We had a lot to talk about - he's been to most of the countries I've been to, loves nature and travel, reading and good movies.  Two hours later, the time had flown and I said, "Oh it's late! I have to get to bed."  He walked me to my car and asked if I wanted to go see the Hobbit with him on Thursday.  I said yes.  So, let's hope I don't react to giving blood too poorly that day. lol 

with friends at Tyber Creek Christmas party

I've also been attending nonstop parties. It's been a lot of fun, but rather exhausting - and not good for my waistline!  This past weekend my dearest Bethany who just returned from the World Race came with me to a Christmas party.  It was the first time I'd seen her since her return, and oh how happy I was to have her back!  It was like no time had passed, yet she seemed somewhat different - older, wiser.  I suppose that happens when you go to 11 third-world countries in a year.  Another party I attended was a Christmas tea party for my life group.  We all dressed up in antique hats and gloves given to Whitney by her grandmother, and spoke in British accents all night.  I kept mine up pretty much the entire 2.5 hours.  It was so much fun!  I wish I could get away with that on a daily basis! :)

with some of my life group ladies at the tea party

I also went with a bunch of friends to McAddenville - which is a little town outside of Charlotte requiring each house to decorate for Christmas.  We parked at a nearby gas station and walked through the town to avoid the crazy traffic.  It was fun, but not quite as magical as Disney at Christmas (which I much need to see again - it's been since I was a child that I saw Disney at Christmas, but I do remember it being one of the most magical sights ever). 

I also went to a huge Christmas party with over 600 people called Second String Santa where you bring a gift and $20 to be donated to the Salvation Army to help with children's Christmas presents. A large group of about 40 people mostly from my church organized a caroling event at a nursing home where we entertained the residents for nearly an hour with a variety of Christmas carols.

trying to help "Lady Katie" with her corset

There seems to be so very much to tell - but I will stop now.  Must get to bed!  However, I will try to be better about updating this more regularly so it's not a novel each and every time. 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Working Girl

"Friendsgiving" - a bunch of us got together for food and fun

Working life is treating me well thus far!  I quite enjoy my job, though I can see already that driving is going to get old really fast.  I drive to blood drives almost every day, usually far away from my home and/or office.  Think Hickory, Gastonia, Lincolnton, Mint Hill, etc.  However, I get paid for both my drive time and .55 cents a mile, so not too bad. I just need to load up on books on CD. 

My job consists of going to blood drives at schools, businesses, YMCAs, churches etc. and informing people about the blood drive and asking them/convincing them to donate. I have a goal of blood units for each drive, and I try to get at least that many units.  In my first three or four recruitments, I exceeded goal, but the last three were difficult with the holidays upon us and people being in a rush.  I’m hoping to do really well the weekend after Thanksgiving since people will be out and about, and hopefully feeling benevolent. J

Mitch, Tiffany, me and Jeff at Friendsgiving

When in the office, I create lawn signs for the drives, ship them out, make sure other promotional materials are ready way ahead of time and do other random things to help the developers (those who schedule the drives with the sponsors).

Yesterday I worked 10.5 hours, but Friday I won’t have to work until 3, so that’s good.  The hours are fairly flexible (other than when I have to be at drives), which enables doctors’ appointments and things of that nature.  

Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to work out every day anymore, but when on the job, I’m almost always on my feet either standing or walking.  I also eat less than I would at home because I stay busy and don’t think about it as much.  I’m hoping that will balance out my lack of gym time and I won’t gain weight! J  I also bought five new pairs of really comfortable shoes because I realized that standing 5 hours at a time is not possible in most of the dressy shoes I own.  Over $500 later, I now have shoes that are both cute and comfortable, and should last me a long, long time.

I’m still doing the Charity Column for the newspaper once a week, and tutoring once a week.  I also have Bible study once a week and silk either once or twice a week (depending on what I can fit in).  Tonight will be the first time I get to go to silk class since I left for California. I’m really excited, but I know I’m going to be dying up there – it’s so exhausting if you’ve missed time and try to return to the swing of things.

Last weekend I got baptized which was really nice.  I’d never been baptized before, so it’s something that was on my list.  Nothing like getting in a big tub of water fully clothed in front of 50 of your friends, family and strangers. Haha  I was really glad to do it though and was happy that Pastor David was the one baptizing the night I was there.

I also met someone at a charity event called the Red Hot Turkey Bash.  His name is Jeff and this other woman I’d started talking to at the event met us both and introduced us to one another.  If things continue to go well, I know she will take personal credit for it. Haha  Jeff is 31 and 6’4” – almost a full foot taller than me.  But that’s okay, because I carry myself like I’m 5’8”.  J

Mom and Dad are driving to Alabama to see Brett for Thanksgiving, so I’m doing Turkey Day with Maria, Nicole and their family.  It’ll be the first Thanksgiving without family, but they pretty much feel like family, so it won’t be much different.

California Continued

Seeing Mike for the first time since last year.

Reuniting with Lieselotte.

Lunch with Mike, Eric, me and Lies in Berkeley.

Lies and me at Halloween.

View of the Golden Gate from Coit Tower.

With Jaja in Coit Tower.

On Pier 39 with Alcatraz behind me.

I can't believe I haven't written in so long when so much has happened.  Berkeley and San Fran were amazing.  I hung out with Mike a few times while Lies was in class, and the three of us hung out one night and had a really great time. We went to Indian Rock to see the sunset from Berkeley overlooking SF - the same place I went with Mike last year.  He hadn't been back since then, and Lies had never been.  We had a really great time and Lies was blown away by how beautiful it was. She said she plans to go back with friends and bring a picnic. After that, we ate dinner at a Peruvian place called Brasa and it was delicious.  There was a long mirror in the restaurant that had mustaches painted on it and we took pictures in the mirror, looking like we were wearing the mustaches.  It was really funny and we laughed and laughed. From there we went back to Lies' place and played Klaverjassen (the Dutch card game Lies' family taught me a year or so ago).  We played a three-handed version which isn't quite as fun as the four-handed one, but we still really enjoyed it.  Mike laughed at the scores after we played 9 rounds and I was killing both of them.  He said it was interesting how the woman working on her PhD had the lowest score, the guy working on his MBA had the middle score, and the woman with a BA was kicking butt. ;) 

With Lies on her front steps.

I also went into SF one day and spent the day with a CouchSurfer named Jaja.  She was from the Phillipines but has been living in the US since 2010.  She spoke excellent English - I couldn't believe it. We walked a long way that day.  We walked from the Powell St. Bart stop all the way to Coit Tower, went to the top and had great views of the city (though the bridge was pretty much shrouded in clouds), and then walked all the way to Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 39.  I bought a couple gifts and then we walked back through Little Italy and China Town before I went back to Berkeley to meet Lies after she got out of lab.  That night, we had dinner at Jupiter's pizza and it was delicious.  We sat outside but a little fire and even though it was rather cool, we had a great time.

View from Indian Rock with sunset over the Golden Gate.

For Halloween, Lies and some of her friends and I went into the city.  We went to the Castro district (known for its population of gay people and a lot of really odd characters - including random naked people).  It was definitely a sight to behold.  Despite the drizzle and people everywhere, I did enjoy myself.  Lies' friends who came with us were great, and I'd even met one before in Amsterdam.  They are all very smart (most are in her PhD program), so it was always good conversation.  For example, I learned a good bit about color blindness as well as random anatomy facts.  Four of us left around 1 a.m. and took a taxi back to Berkeley.  Lies and her other two friends didn't end up making it home until 5 a.m., as they'd had to take a bus and it only ran every hour and they couldn't find the stop.  It was a whole big fiasco, and she said next time, she'll just stay in Berkeley for Halloween.  

With Lies on Indian Rock.

Another afternoon I met my cousin Kelly in the city (she was in town for work from Jacksonville, FL) and we went shopping.  I got some great deals at H&M and Marshalls.  Then, when Erin (Kelly's step-sister) got off work in the city, she picked us up and we went to this street that looks like it was transported straight out of Europe.  It's not known very well by tourists.  It has white lights strung across the narrow ally and the restaurants are all on a row on the right with outside seating in the ally.  They are French, Spanish, Italian and maybe a couple others.  Last time I was in town we went to a French restaurant.  This time, we went to the Spanish one and shared a bunch of tapas.  It was so yummy!  From there, Erin drove Kelly and me to the hotel Kelly had gotten, and the three of us chatted for a while until Kelly (who'd gotten up at 4 a.m. the previous two days) was practically asleep at 9:15.  Erin left, and I stayed in the hotel that night with Kelly.  She worke up at 4 a.m. again and left before I work up.  After I did, I got ready and took the BART back to Berkeley to meet up with Lieselotte.  It was a really beautiful day, so we walked to campus and enjoyed how pretty it was.  She had to do some lab work where she had to check on an experiment every hour, so we hung out until about 4 and then hung out with Mike the rest of the evening.

Lies, Mike and me at Indian Rock.

The day I left, I hung out with Lies in the morning - it was a beautiful day and we sat in the front lawn for a while enjoying it.  Then Mike picked me up and we went to church in the afternoon (in which we were practically the only 2 non-Asians in the joint - but it was a good service), then we went to a coffee shop to hang out until he brought me to the BART.  At the coffee shop, I made friends with the people sitting on either side of us, when my giant laptop incited laughter all around when I propped it up next to Mike's tiny little iPad.  Turns out, the girl on one side of us was soon moving to Charlotte for a job at Ernst and Young. So I chatted with her and we became facebook friends.  Then the guy on the other side of us started talking to me about video game addiction, and I told him how I'd written an article on it, so we became facebook friends and I sent him the link to my article.   Meanwhile, poor Mike was trying to get homework done and was probably none too pleased with my social butterfly-ness.  But he didn't complain.  He then drove me to BART and I took it to Millbrae where Erin and Kerri met me on the other end and took me to dinner before bringing me to the airport to catch my red eye.

It was a really fun trip overall, and seemed both long and short simultaneously.  It's always hard to leave a place when you have parts of your heart there, and it seems like I have parts of my heart in so many places now. 

I'm now back in Charlotte and it is the second week of my new job.  I'm a blood drive recruiter - basically go to the drives and get people to donate.  Most of the time, I'm out and about and not stuck behind my desk in the office.  This is good, but also a little exhausting.  I'm hoping once I buy more comfortable shoes, my feet will be a bit happier about the situation. lol  I really enjoy talking to people and knowing that for every person who says "yes," I'm helping in the process of saving lives.  Today I went to CMC main and to the Siskey YMCA recruiting, working 9 hours straight without a lunch break.  Tomorrow, I had to Gaston County for a college campus recruitment.  Thank goodness they reimburse for mileage! 


Well, I'm beyond exhausted so I'm off.  Stay tuned for updates. :)

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. :)