I'm pumping out a major update. I'll get some writing in here for things I don't have pictures for, but don't worry, you'll get your photo fix!
I finished up my first year of teaching at the end of May. It was a very eye-opening/stressful/fun/awful experience and I decided, "Hey, why not try it again?" And so (to the administration's relief) I signed on for another year. Everyone told me the first year is the hardest, and now that I'm in my second, I'm glad I stuck with it. I'm not sure if I'll stay on board here for another year, or move on. I'm still just going year to year. I was thinking it would be kind of neat though to see my first classes graduate (I had only freshmen last year)... so that's something in my head.
In June my parents and Ellen came to visit, which was awesome. I don't have those photos on this computer so you'll just have to trust me that we had a good time. I took them to the Pacific Ocean for the first time (Santa Monica) and we did a couple trips to educational (yes, I actually enjoy that stuff now) places like the Hearst Castle on the coast and the Getty Center in LA. I think they were kind of shocked at how hot it gets here, but hopefully they realize now what I mean by a "dry heat."
In July I was super busy traveling. For the 4th I went up to Huntington Lake with some friends and we rented boats and a cabin for the weekend. The only downfall of the trip was when I accidentally fell between the boat and the dock and got this HUGE bruise on my right thigh. About two days after this trip I came back to PA for about a week to take my parents to see Billy Joel in Hershey and to enjoy Arts Fest in State College with college buddies. My leg hurt SO MUCH on the plane ride and just sitting, walking, standing... It hurt to even wear pants. You can sort of see it in the picture of me playing Rock Band... EW!
When I returned from PA, my friend Tom came out and we took a week long road trip covering the coast from Laguna Beach to San Francisco. We stayed at places where I knew people and we also camped in a tent in Monterey (that's where Pebble Beach is, if you're a golf fan). We drove north on Route 1, which has very winding roads and cliffs at times but it was definitely worth it. I'll have to make another blog just for those pictures because they were absolutely breathtaking.
In San Franciso, we did a LOT of touristy things. Some I had done before, like Chinatown, and others I had not, such as walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. Again... amazing. Here's one of my photos from the bridge (sorry it's small, I don't have the original file on this computer).
After Tom left I decided to amp up my search for a dog. As you may or may not know, I have been wanting a dog my entire life, but I didn't want to rush into anything that needed a committment like that. Yes, dad, you taught me to be level-headed and not compulsive (thank you). Anywho, I traveled to Lancaster (no Amish there!) on a whim and fell in love with the most pitiful thing. I had seen a lot of dogs in many shelters around here, but he fit everything I was looking for. I went back the next day to adopt and finish the paperwork and it was all official Aug. 14th. He was in a sorry state with feces and urine caked in to his matted, dreadlocked fur. I took him to the vet the next day for a checkup and complete shave, and he looked like a brand new dog. I named him Marley and he's been a great addition to my life. FYI - He's not named "Marley" because of the book "Marley & Me" (also a movie coming out at Christmas). And now the pictures....in chronological order!
And since I'm on the topic of new things... in September I started seeing this guy, Andrew, who I met back in April. He's still working toward a computer science degree but he's also in the Army Reserves and has a part time job as a mechanic. Here's some photos of us and some friends at a grape stomp back in October...
Well I hope this is a good enough update for my mother... because I'm tired! Hopefully I can get my coast roadtrip pictures up in a blog for you all to check out. I really do want to share, I just get so caught up with other things!! Hope everyone is well. Sorry for my lack of updates...
- Carol
This was Marley's first camping adventure and he was very excited.
We brought starter logs for the campfire, but it was fun to hike around and collect wood to keep the fire going. Here's Andrew chopping wood with his machete.
"A remnant of a Giant Sequoia that lumbermen cut all the way through in 1881, yet the tree still remains standing on its stump." How crazy is this?? I unsuccesfully tried to push the tree off. Next time... maybe...
In an attempt to show the true size of these trees, I had Andrew stand at the base of one while I walked as far backwards as possible. He's at the base of the left tree.
This sequoia was right on our site. 
Marley found a golf ball, picked it up, dug a hole, buried his ball, covered it up with his snout, and walked away. I know it's instinct, but I never saw him do this before!! After a couple minutes I said, "Marley, where's your ball?" He went to the spot and did the whole process over again! So cool! :)
There was a pond where people could fish if they had a license to do so. We didn't, so we just walked around it! 
It was a really fun weekend and I hope to go camping more this summer. It's really nice to get out of the 100+ degree heat!
The day after the wedding, I rented a car and Andrew and I drove down to surprise my mom in Allentown. I say "surprise" because it was a Monday and she wasn't expecting us until Tuesday! On Tuesday we went wine tasting with my dad and it was a lot of fun! We ended up going to 3 wineries and even sent two bottles back to California. 
Unfortunately for me, I was getting sick and my immune system pretty much gave up on me on Wednesday. I had horrible pressure in my head, aches and pains everywhere, and a fever. On top of my pains, it began raining as we finished wine tasting and continued the rest of our visit. I felt horrible about all of these things because I only visit about twice a year AND it was Andrew's first time on the east coast! 
