It's not a successful climb unless you enjoy the journey.

Last weekend:

View from the top of the mountain where we camped at Blue Jay Campground, overlooking Lake Elsinore. (the only picture I took all weekend :-)

This weekend, I took the much-needed opportunity to relax at home (after working on Saturday, that is). I went on a solo hike this morning at Pinnacles National Park, recently changed to national park status from national monument status earlier this year, making it the nation's youngest national park! I hiked from one side of the park to the other (there are two entrances, east and west, that aren't connected by any roads) on a big loop, enjoyed the volcanic rock creations for which the park is named, and explored the Balconies Cave. 

Admittedly, I did spend the first mile or so hoping I wouldn't get pounced on by a mountain lion, but it was otherwise a very relaxing (but still sweaty and moderately strenuous) hike. 

About 5 miles in, I was steadily walking along behind an older man, in awe over a) how skinny his legs were, and b) how QUICKLY he could walk! I was actually trotting down the hill at times to prevent falling down, and I still wasn't gaining any ground on him! I did end up finally catching up to him at a crossroads in the trail, and we shared some nice conversation for the last 3.5 miles of the hike. 

The fun part doesn't come later; NOW is the fun part.

After three more weeks, I've got hundreds more pictures and some fun new memories. 

I spent Memorial Day weekend in SoCal (yep, I'm racking up many miles on my little Mazda!) My roommate made the drive with me, as her boyfriend was visiting LA the same weekend! It was kinda nice to spend those hours chatting with someone instead of trying to find a Pandora station to entertain me for five hours!

On Sunday, a small group of us trekked out to Joshua Tree National Park for some outdoor rock climbing. It was mine and Kevin's first time top roping on real rock and not slippery little fake rocks at our respective climbing gyms! Thankfully, we had some experienced friends with us, and it was a BLAST!! I will not deny that I was not excited to look down the first time I made it up the wall, but after that first time, I felt much less nervous :-) Overall, it was an awesome experience, and I can't wait to do it again soon!

SInce I had a weekend to travel in the opposite direction and check out some new sights the following weekend, Megan and I headed to Yosemite! What an amazing place! It was absolutely gorgeous. We hiked up the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls, which was quite the workout, but definitely worth it for the awe-inspiring views! The mist from the falls was both refreshing and COLD at the same time. Thankfully, we were smarties about our hike, but one hiker was not so lucky when he took a walk into the river above the waterfall and sadly was swept away. Coincidentally, this tragic accident was witnessed by a couple of our friends who were also in Yosemite that weekend (we didn't know until we both posted pictures from our respective trips..) 

We met some really nice people while camping, which worked out for us since we weren't able to reserve a second night's stay at our site because everything was booked! The campers next to us let us move our tent a few feet over onto their site, and we shared a fire that night and got to know them a little bit (2 from Italy, 1 from France, 1 from San Fran, all there for a weekend of climbing!) One more campsite over, there was a big family there for a week, celebrating a birthday and 

enjoying each other's company. They were STOCKED with enough wood and kindle to give some to us (thanks!) and also offered us lots of food and drink too! In return, Megan offered them some fantastic occupational therapy advice regarding a tendonitis issue ;-)

The next weekend brought me back to San Diego, one of my favorite places in California :-) Thanks, Beth, for letting Kevin and I stay in your awesome new house! We definitely missed hanging out with Mike, since he was out to sea, but it was really great to spend some time with B again! Color me Rad was a super fun 5k, though it was actually only 2.5 miles so... more like a 4.02k. After an awesome nap, a failed trip to REI (the garage sale was the NEXT day, whoops!), and a yummo smoothie, Ali arrived for a ~12 hour visit (YAY!!!) and we all headed out to dinner and downtown to hang out for a late-in-the-week night out (Kevin's birthday week celebration!) 

Amazing weekend to see some Maryland faces (even though one of them is a transplant like me!) and of course, always a fun time with the beau. 

Bring on the next weekend of fun! 

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate”

If I could only use one word to describe Monterey, it would be "beautiful." (If I could use two, I would also use the word, "windy.") There's no denying that California's central coast has a lot to offer outdoors. I've come to think that maybe I don't find Monterey to be a boring place because of the place itself (because honestly, I've been able to find thing to do to occupy myself with and really enjoy myself doing them!), but because of the lack of people I interact with here. 

Thankfully, I've got a great roommate to spend time with though, and another traveling therapist (who also came from Loma Linda!) in nearby San Jose that I was finally able to hook up with this weekend to start enjoying some adventures with!

Natalia (roommate) and I saw 42 on Friday night. It. Was. Awesome. It was not only a great movie, but it really reminded me of how much I love baseball, and of how badly I want to go to a game at Camden Yards! It was also the only movie I've been to where it was absolutely quiet before, during, and after the entire movie - I feel that had a lot to do with the fact that Natalia and I were the youngest movie-goers in the theatre. All the young people appeared to be in the ridiculous line for Star Trek. 

Old barn marking the start of the hike

Saturday, I woke up early to head down to Big Sur for a seven-mile hike. Trail reviews describe the hike as "steep, but doable for anyone with in at least moderate health." California seems to have a different idea that Maryland of what a "moderate" fitness level entails, but it was a great workout, and worth the screaming quads I now have today, for the sweeping views at the top. I chose to hike up the steeper side of the mountain so that I would finish the loop in the shaded sequoia grove at the end of the hike.. turned out to be a good choice, because I can't imagine trying to scramble down that steep hill in the heat! Though there were signs of snake and big animals, I didn't see any. I did see a bunny and a lot of bugs and lizards though! 

Westward view from the top

Next stop... sequoia grove down in the canyon

Headed out of the canyon back toward the bay!

Saturday night, I drove up to San Jose to spend the evening with Megan, another friend from Loma Linda who happens to have come north like me after finishing up there. We went into downtown San Jose and walked around to a few different bars before heading back toward Castro Street, a little strip of stores/bars/restaurants just a mile or two from her apartment. The Sharks won, so hockey fans were out in full force and in good spirits. We were part of a rare minority in regular clothes, not sporting turquoise and black hockey jerseys. 

Weird picture, but big tree! 

I spent another SUPER lazy Sunday relaxing, prepping for another week in the car (aka my office). The highlights of Sunday do include 1) Skype-ing into the May family birthday celebration, and 2) Leeloo (the kitty) bringing us home a furry gift from her outdoor playtime. With much time, a shoebox, a small audience of children offering to "go get my dad to help you," and a small struggle from all involved, we managed to get the little gopher away from the apartment and into the safety of a far-away bush, where he will hopefully stay out of Leeloo's paws! 

“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! 

I've got my toes in the water, toes in the sand...

Monterey Bay

It has been a BUSY month! I've moved twice and started my new contract doing home health in Salinas. I'm currently living in Monterey, sharing an apartment with a girl whose boyfriend is going to be working out of the state/country for about a year. She's got an adorable kitty too, which so far hasn't given me too many sniffles… The hardest part is not picking her up and playing with her because she's so cute!! So far, I've just been orienting with other therapists (mostly other travelers) and just getting used to the computer system and the hours of documentation that come with doing home health. It's nice to spend the day outside and moving from place to place, but I'm mostly just excited about exploring Monterey and San Francisco (only a 1h/30-40m drive!) :-) I will get my own patients on Thursday. 

Kevin, our instructor for the day!

Before I left the (hot, dry, smoggy) Inland Empire, I got to spend some great times with friends and boyfriend. I finally squeezed in a surf lesson! Jeff and I both made it up onto our boards a few times! The water was chilly but bearable once I was focused more on standing up than being cold! 

Pre-sub ball picture on the balcony...
downtown San Diego behind us!

Kevin took me to his Navy Sub Ball (so fun!) and we spent the weekend in San Diego. There was a science and engineering expo downtown that we found while we were walking around, which was pretty cool too. Lots of demo's and vendors and interesting stuff to get people into science. 

Shamu(s)!!!

Soaked after riding Journey to Atlantis...
Yep, it was chilly and that's why we were
wearing jeans! (Even chillier now!)

The next weekend, I decided I to enjoy my time off before starting my job in Monterey hanging out in SoCal, cramming in some more time with everyone I know down there! Thanks again to Beth and Mike for their overwhelmingly generous welcome in their guest room!! Kevin and I met up with Jeff, Hillary, and Nardos on Friday night in Malibu for some dinner and drinks. Wish it had been a little warmer and a little more light out to check out the sights of that beautiful area, but it was still great to see everyone! We hit SeaWorld on Saturday morning then met up with Beth and Mike, who grilled out for us before we played Trivial Pursuit for the night. Sunday was mostly spent in the car, driving back to the IE from San Diego then me driving up to Monterey to move into my first rental for the week.. I spent about 4 days in temporary vacation rental before I could move into my room in Monterey - a short 3 minute bike ride to Starbucks and only another 3 minutes from there to the beach! Where I am living now is a little further to the beach (7-8 minutes by bike), but we're in the "sunbelt" part of Monterey, which apparently gets less fog than other parts!

Lifelong best friends

All in all, SoCal was an amazing time!! I had a great three months there and anticipate returning to Southern California before too long. (besides as a pit stop on the way to a Utah wedding for the weekend, which is what I did the weekend after I left!! Another fun time with my man!)

Sun setting over Key West...

And last, but not at ALL least... this past weekend, I spent a wonderful, relaxing 5 day GFW with my very best friends in Key West, FL. We ran, we swam, we stand-up-paddleboarded, we parasailed, we ate, we laughed, we mini-vanned, we sang, we danced, and unfortunately, many of us burned... (thankfully I am a sunscreen master and am minimally red ;-) I definitely needed the time with people I love so much, and I'm so thankful I got to see them all! I'm already looking forward to my trip home to Maryland in July!

Rockabilly weekend

A mix between punk rock and country rock, "rockabilly" music is a genre I hadn't even HEARD of until this weekend... but when the new roommate invited me to a show in Anaheim, I figured I might as well go check it out since I didn't have anything else going on! We had a really fun night, and it was an interesting show - not my new favorite kind of music, but it was enjoyable! The rockabilly culture is retro - greaser guys and pin-up girls.. lots of hairspray in that bar last night. 

Despite not getting much sleep after the drive home from Anaheim, I still made it to Joshua Tree National Park today to use my new National Park Annual Pass! It was a perfect day for a few desert hikes... sunny and warm, but not unbearably hot. There were a lot of people out, but none of the trails were very crowded, which made for a peaceful and quiet day in the beautiful high desert of southern California.

Hike 1: Fortynine Palms Oasis... the only hike today with any elevation change (and even then, very little). You can hear birds chirping before you round the last hill, then you're met with the beautiful sight of trees and a little shade! I was lucky enough to enjoy the oasis by myself for 20 minutes before some more hikers caught up to me!

Can you see the snow-capped mountains in the distance? Really cool to see them behind the desert and miles of Joshua trees!

Hike 2: Wall Street Mill... used during the gold-mining days. Lots of old cars and equipment to look at along the trail too!

 Hike 3: Barker Dam... The dam was built to help with a water source for the cattle being used in the area. Sadly, there was not even a drop of water in sight today, but you can see on the rocks that the water did get pretty high at one point!