Josh sees all things San Diego

Well, kinda...

Josh and I just arrived in St. Louis, MO after he spent a week visited my family and I in Escondido. We had a great time hanging out with family, seeing some sites and celebrating New Years. I shall tell the story with some pictures.

We played some Super Munchkin with Sasha after eating Alberto's. Super Munchkin is a card game where the goal is to gain 10 levels by fighting monsters and making sure everyone else loses their fights. It's good times. Sasha had a tendency to try and sneak a peek at Josh's cards.

I showed Josh the Pacific Ocean at Oceanside Harbor and he chased the seagulls, after a little prompting from me... : )

I took Josh to eat his first In-N-Out burger. He liked it.

We hung out with Christian and Alicia one night and were very bored so we decided to go to Vons and buy some sparkling apple cider. We then decided to go take a picture of us drinking it on a planter in from of Calvary Chapel. It was cold and pretty much awesome.

Happy New Year! We had a party at my house and just ate and talked and played a little Ruckus. Megan, Nate, Kayla and Nick were able to join us and we had a good time.

We even got to walk the dogs so Josh could see the trails behind our house. Sasha took Sammy and I took Bailey. We left Bubba at home...

I love DollarTree... We went to the dollar store and I got 5 gift bags and tissue for $2.18. Good times. Sasha bought a white board and drew a pretty picture of me and for me while on our way to the mall.

While at the mall I tried on dresses for Kimi's wedding and Ring Dance. Sasha meade me try on this one...

And Josh thought it was pretty hilarious. Don't worry, I didn't buy it.

I did get this one for Kimi's wedding though. I love it soooo much and will be trying to make up some excuses to wear it a few more times.

We had a good time goofing off at the mall.

Star Trek Experience! Mommy, Daddy and I took Josh to Balboa and decided to check out the Star Trek Experience at the Air and Space Museum. It was awesome and completely nerdified. Needless to say, Mommy and I were pretty excited.

We walked around Sea Port Village and all its many stores. Before that we were a little hungry so we went to The Pier Cafe which sits right on the shore. The scallops were delicious and apparently we had a visitor who thought so too. A seagull sat outside our window almost the entire time we were eating. I wanted to feed him but it would have been a little difficult.

After church on Sunday, where Josh was able to meet bunches of people, we took another trip to In-N-Out with Meagan and Sasha. This is what happens when Sasha gets hold of my camera.

On Monday Josh and I boarded a plane for St. Louis, Missouri and here we are. Tomorrow we will set out on our 15-ish hour drive back to Richmond. We will be taking two days because we have to be back in the early evening on Sunday so hopefully that helps with the fatigue that comes with sitting for that long.

Picture story of the trip to Missouri to come soon!

Bowling

I don't get to do it enough but I really do love bowling. Thursday night I went bowling for about four hours with Josh, some of our freshman friends from school and our friends Brittany and Patrick. It was amazing amounts of fun. I bowled a 118 for the first game and it just went downhill after that but it was still good times.

And we took some good photos...
Brittany did a lot of jumping

=D

Patrick and Brittany, it's a little hard when Patrick is a lot taller

His hat didn't exactly fit over my hair...

Patrick got two strikes with the backwards granny roll. It was quite impressive.

Full Moon

I'm sure whether or not it was a full moons last night but it sure is getting close. We had a beautiful sunset that I was able to get some good pictures of.

Fall Break...

...was awesome.

I was able to relax and not do any work. I did exactly what should be done during a breeak: nothing.

Well, nothing work related.

Friday night Josh took me to Kabuto, a very nice habachi-style Japanese restaurant where they cook your food in the middle of a giant table that you just happen to be sitting at. It was delicious and a fun time. When we got back we learned that some of our friends were going to the Richmond Folk Festival so we decided to go. We got there about an hour and a half before closing but just in time to see Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine playing the harmonica with one of the blue grass bands. He was pretty good and so was the band. We listened to a little Philadelphia soul and then some reggae before heading back to the bus that took us back to free parking.

Saturday was the Richmond vs. James Madison University (JMU) game and it was amazing! We lost, but we lost to the top play of the day, according to ESPN. We were winning with a few minutes left to go when JMU tied it 31 to 31. Then in the last five seconds JMU returned the punt to score the winning touchdown. It was so not cool but such an amazing play. And of course UR and JMU are rivals so that made it even more fun. Especially since, even though it was fall break and so many people were gone, the Richmond section was full and we were so loud. It was great.

After the game Josh, Brian and I went to Moe's for some "Mexican" (it'e the closest I can get to San Diego Mexican here) and then rented some movies from Blockbuster. We watched 21, a very good movie about math genious' from MIT who count cards in Black Jack in Las Vegas on the weekends to make some extra money. It is very interesting and I did not mind seeing it again. The first time I saw it was on the airplane coming home from Namibia.

Sunday I went to church with Josh to Derbyshire Baptist Church. I had never been to a Baptist church before and it ran the exact same way as all the Mehtodist churches I've been to, except for the fact that they had an orchestra and a huge choir. The music was excellent and made me miss being in a full choir. After church we went to D-Hall for brunch and then to Josh's apartment to watch the second movie we rented, The Forbidden Kingdom. It's a modern Kung Fu movie with Jackie Chan AND Jet Li. Jackie Chan + Jet Li = amazingness. It was a cheesy Kung Fu movie, as it should be, but it had amazing fight scenes and good graphics. After the movie we went out on the Westhampton Green, laid down a blanket and read until dinner. That night we intended to see Hancock at The Byrd theatre downtown but apparently that was last weeks movie so we went back to Josh's apartment with a bunch of his friends and watched Top Gun. Oddly enough, I had never seen it. It was good for a Tom Cruise movie, especially the music. Welcome to the Danger Zone...

Monday morning I headed back to Charles City to hang out with Grandmama for a few days. We were both lazy lumps on Monday, taking a nap, reading. So for the evening we decided to do something productive and go out to dinner. We realized the Blue Heron is closed on Mondays so we went to Williamsburg and went to Ruby Tuesday. My petite sirloin and parmesan fries were delicious and the double chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream made my night. But then we topped it all off with a trip to Target where I may nor may not have purchased two sweaters.

Tuesday I did a whole lot of nothing. I did organize and scan some clips for my journalism internship resumes and then just watched a little TV. When Grandmama got home from work I made some barbeque chicken and she made potatoes and cabbage. After dinner Curry came over and we watched The Forbidden Kingdom. He loved it and learned some sweet new moves. I think he and I are going to have to start watching Jackie Chan movies together on the weekends.

And today it was back to work/school/everything. Today is Josh's and my six month anniversary so we will be celebrating with a nice dinner.

Right now I'm taking care of the baby.

You know you're jealous.

Growing Up

My little girl is growing up...

From the first day I saw her...

To now.


She still drives me crazy with her puppy energy but then I look at all the pictures and I snuggle with her while we take a nap and it's all OK. I guess this is just a little glimpse into what it's like to be a parent. That is, if your child is a 50 pound dog that can't talk...

First Week of School

It's only the first week and I am tired... But it's been a good busy week.

I started classes on Monday with Photojournalism at 7 p.m. That is going to be a fun class with a medium amount of work which is always nice. And I have an excuse to buy a really nice camera!

Tuesday I had Copy Editing at 9:45 a.m. We already had homework to turn in and were given a bunch more for Thursday and the next Tuesday. That is going to be my hardest class with the most work. Yet it is going to make me a better writer and have a skill that is in high demand in the journalism world so I guess I'm OK with the work load. After Copy Editing I had Rhetoric and Public Address. Basically its a speech class. I'm a little nervous about it but the professor seems very good at what he does and I want to be able to become a better speaker so there ya go.

Wednesday I didn't have any classes but it was time to get back to work at The Collegian. We put out our first issue of the year that night and it turned out pretty well. It only took until 3 a.m. so we're off to a good start. And now we have Martin to help us out. Martin is Emily, our Features editor, new Miniature Schnauzer and he is adorable! Whenever I need a break, Martin is there to keep me company.

I wrote an article for this weeks issue which you can see here.

Thursday I had Copy Editing and Rhetoric again and then the practicum for Rhetoric. I had to give a surprise speech, as did all the other students, and we we're definitely nervous but it went well. We got some good pointer from out TA for our first speech that we have to give on Tuesday in class. Thursday night we had our first CSF event of the year, Coldstone! What better way to get people to come to your group then free food and ice cream?

After Coldstone I attended the Democratic National Convention Viewing Party and watched Obama's acceptance speech, asked a few people what they thought and then wrote an article for The Collegian online. The new website is awesome, very well done.

And now it's Friday. No classes today either, which is awesome. But a lot of homework to get done for Monday and Tuesday.

And of course throughout the week I've been doing homework, hanging out with friends and Josh. You know, trying to have a social life. And it's been storming and raining all week. All in all it's been a good week and I'm glad things are going again.

I need a nap.

The New Apartment

It's official! I am moved into a new apartment in Richmond, roughly 10 minutes from school. It is a nice place with a large living room, a kitchen, two bedrooms and a full bath. I'll be living there during the week and back in Charles City with my Grandmama on the weekends. This will definitely cut down on my commuting time and gas costs. Now I'll have more time to do my homework! Yeah!... :\

So far I have bedroom furniture and we have a coffee table and a few dorm chairs in the living room. Tomorrow we're bringing over a couch that Grandmama is letting us take from her house.

This should be pretty sweet.

The Beach House

I do love vacation and the beach so having them both at the same time is pretty sweet.

Grandmama, Charlotte, Leslie, Curry, Josh and I started driving down to Oak Island, North Carolina on Tuesday. We were having a pleasant drive but weren't exactly sure where we were, thank you Map Quest (not!). When we reached Wilson, NC Grandmama smelled burning rubber and realized she didn't have much control over the van so she pulled over. Josh, Curry and I were following in Josh's car so we pulled over behind her and got out. That's when Josh spotted the black smoke coming out of the van's front driver side wheel. So we called the fire department and about 10 minutes later there were two fire trucks there and a bunch of firemen with their water squirter to put out the not-so-flaming flames.

About half an hour later a tow truck came and picked up the van and we followed it the Dodge dealer in Wilson. They told us it was the caliper and that they would need to keep it for a few days. So we rented a newer version of Grandmama's van and headed for the beach house!

We got their just fine but a lot later than we intended. The rest of the week we spent on the beach sunbathing, swimming, reading, watching movies and various other vacation-y type things. Grandmama's sister and her husband, Aunt Winn and Uncle Eddy, were already there.

Josh stayed until Thursday morning and drove back to Richmond to get back to his house sitting job. While he was there we all watched "The Princess Bride" he bought just before coming. When he left Curry kept it and watched it three more times until Uncle Eddy told him he wasn't allowed to watch it any more. I think it's time to buy him his own copy and get the kid into some fencing lessons. His new goal is to be just like Wesley which won't be too hard, except for the fact, as Curry pointed out, that Wesley had blond hair.

We also took a trip to Surf Cinema and watched "Mamma Mia!" and it was awesome. It had all the right elements: comedy, romance, drama and lots and lots of singing and colors. Good times.

The day after that we took a trip to the Leaky Tiki where we had homemade ice cream and sang a little karaoke. The girls and I made Curry get up with us once and sing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". Poor kid...

It was a great relaxing trip and I wish we could have stayed longer but it was time to get back to the real world. I definitely look forward to going again.

See the rest of the pictures here.

Pictures!

Here are the links for some of my pictures that I've posted on Facebook. More to come soon!

Namibia Part 1
Namibia Part 2
Namibia Part 3
Etosha

Home Again

I've made it back to the U.S.A.! I flew into Newark on Monday and got back to Grandmama's at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. The flight went a lot faster than the way there since we didn't have a 12 hour layover.

I have so many pictures and video and everything to share and am working on getting that all together for everyone. It shouldn't take too long but please still be patient with me.

It is so great to be home and where everything is familiar again but I do miss Namibia and all the people I was able to make friendships with.

Crafts

I have found a new favorite craft!

These are called Cuddly Pom Kits that with a little hot glue and time turn into cute little animals. They are relatively quick, less than $2 and good times.

Here's the first one: Shaggy Dog

Then there was the cute Panda

And then the also cute Monkey

Tomorrow I am definitely going to go back to Michael's and get the rest. I believe there were sharks and fish and maybe a frog... We'll see!

Kimiko

It has been awesome having Kimi here these past few days.

Sunday we went to Six Flags and had a good time. Of course the first thing we rode was Goliath, then Scream, then Batman, then Riddler, then Viper and then Scream one more time just because we could.

Photo courtesy of Kimi because I forgot my memory card for my camera...

Yesterday we rode the new Sprinter train to Oceanside. It was quite an adventure seeing that we had no idea where we were when we got off the train. So we just followed the Coast Highway until we saw a sign that said "Coastal Access". Yeah! Until we walk and find out that part of the path is closed because of construction... So we walk up a dirt path. Then we see a sign that says "Railroad property. No trespassing." Oops... There isn't any other way so we cross over the railroad tracks and Look! it's the ocean.

We walk down the beach to the pier so that I actually have some idea where we are. We walk down the pier and then back down and get some lunch and eat on the beach. About half an hour later we walk back to the train station and head back home.

And now, in about half an hour, we will leave for the airport and Kimi will go back home.

I'm going to miss her but I'm glad we had this time to see each other again and I can't wait for the next time.

And Matt, we miss you and wish you could have come! Next time for sure.

Kimi and Nacho Fires

Kimi is here! I picked her up at the airport this morning at 7:30am (ugh) and we have had a nice relaxing day since.

Except...

For when I almost caught the kitchen on fire...

Kimi and I were making curry for old times sake. As I lit the burner to cook the rice.

Poof!

The wrapper inside of the styrofoam that contained the nachos caught fire. The only thing I could think of to do was blow out the flames which worked pretty well. When that wasn't enough I poured the rice water on the box and blew out the rest.

There were ashes everywhere and it smelled but the kitchen was not on fire!

And the moral of the story is...

When you're making curry, always keep water handy in case your nachos catch fire.

I love the beach

Sunday I was finaly able to make it to the beach! It was a beautiful day, the water was warm and there were all kinds of sea creatures to admire.

There is definitely a plus to living in Southern California.

More pictures here.

Africa Update:

Everything is turned in! Now I am waiting to get fina clearance from AIM and I can book my trip to New York. I am so excited!

Delilah...

is huge!

She went from this

to this

in just 10 weeks. How crazy is that?