“I've got nothing to do today but smile.”

Another month, another bunch of photos and fun memories to add to the collection! Work has gotten a little better over the past month. I'm doing more of my own scheduling and (kinda) figuring out the way around Salinas a little bit more.. Most days it feels like I'm living out of my car, but I guess that's just what home health does to you; I've got myself a mobile office. Even though it's boring and/or stressful some days, there are some really great cooks in Salinas - last week I enjoyed some fresh produce and homemade tamales, platanos, and a burrito from some generous patients! 

Besides work, I've spent most of my time at the climbing gym, going to trivia on Cannery Row every Wednesday night, and hanging out with Kevin when we get the chance! 

Amy (another PT traveler friend I met in Loma Linda) and I went to Point Lobos for a gorgeous walk followed by a delicious meal on Cannery Row. 

The hike itself was easy (flat), but a must-see for anyone in Monterey because there are tons of beautiful views, the irreplaceable smell of the ocean, and lots of animals to see! 

Red moss on this tree...
lots of amazing plants and
flowers along the trail!

Don't let my t-shirt fool you... it was WINDY and CHILLY! 

A few of Carmel from the other side of the park

Sea lions! A lot of moms with their babies
and a few still pregnant!

We rounded out an awesome weekend with a trip to San Francisco for the Giants game on Sunday. 

It was so great to finally get my first baseball game of the season, even if it was the wrong black-and-orange team :-) 

The O's have inconveniently traveled to California every time I am UNable to get to a game - sad! I have one more shot in August (when the O's travel here to play the Giants), so here's hoping I'll finally get a chance to get to an O's game this season! 

The following weekend I headed back down to LA for food, fun, new friends, and a trip to Disneyland. We had a great time, and I bought an annual pass so I can have lots more magical days this year! Sadly, though, Space Mountain (the only ride better in DisneyLAND v. WORLD) was closed.. so sad!

Sea otter mama and baby!

And fiiiiiiiinally, Kevin got to come visit ME up in Monterey for the past two weekends! The best part was that he worked in San Jose all week, so got to see each other a lot and see some new cities too! We took the advice of MANY and went out for sushi at "the best place in town" (which really was pretty delicious), saw Iron Man 3 (liked it), visited the Monterey Aquarium (fun, but I wasn't as impressed as I expected to be!), and ate some more amazing meals, including one at Hi-Lo Barbeque in San Fran where Kevin's friend works, which was GREAT!! 

View on the way to Six Flags... at the top of the hill in
San Francisco about to descend the mountain of city streets!

After dinner one evening, while walking down the pier, we heard lots of noise coming from under the boards... We looked under and sure enough, there were twenty or so sea lions just barking away! A little further down the pier we saw these little guys swimming around and munching on some crabs! 

First few of the Golden Gate Bridge!
Foggy on both trips over it!

This weekend we decided to go to Six Flags, so we spent Friday night in San Francisco. We stayed at Hotel Tomo, a boutique hotel in Japantown, which was a pretty interesting place! While we were there, we got a chance to hang out with Kate and Eric, two of the best people I know!! It felt good to hang out with some other Marylanders and reminisce a little about Baltimore and PT school and catch up :-) Thanks for meeting us out and introducing us to yet another great California restaurant, guys!

We spent Saturday at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, which is basically a combo of roller coasters and zoo/animal park. It was a gorgeous day: sunny and warm (the park is inland of the bay so it isn't cold like San Fran, yay!). And, to finish out the day, I tried In-and-Out for the first time... I can't say I'm as crazy about it as everyone else in California, but it was good for fast food :-)

Here's wishing for a happy Sunday/Mother's Day for all!