Tuesday, January 29, 2013

New Job

Did I mention I got a new job?  I have been moping around the past two months with "nothing to do." That all changes this week.

I will be working weekends (Fri - Sun) in San Clemente, CA.  I get every 7th Sat-Sun off.  And I get paid more to work on the weekend.  I also have the opportunity to pick up shifts during the week.  This means we will be staying in SoCal for an undefined amount of time.  I will have 3-4 days off during the week to play and explore and every other month or so, I will get 6 days off in a row. I am excited because The Best Man and I will still be able to explore, but will be forced to stay put and save up money to one day buy a home.

One of the things I am most excited about is getting a bigger apartment with our own furniture.  I haven't had my own furniture since leaving Greenville, SC in 2010.  I am excited to get a few nice pieces and a few fixer-uppers.  Something else to be excited about is the weather. It can get cold at night (think 30's), but really it's not that bad while the sun is up.  I can't wait to experience summer here this year!

A special shout out to The Crazy Cat Lady for giving me a stellar reference! You are greatly appreciated!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

By the way

It is currently warm enough for me to bask in the sun in my bathing suit.
I really do love this weather!

Obligatory New Year Post

Well, it's a New Year.

This past year I lived in Texas and California.  On New Years Day we drove from my in laws to my sister's place in NC.  We ate all the "lucky" food she could think of to give us all luck over the course of the year.

We then stopped in Memphis, were amazed by Graceland and underwhelmed by Beale St.

The drive then took us through some boring states to end up in big, 'ol "Everything-is-bigger-in" Texas!

The Best Man and I lived in Fort Worth Texas for about 7 months.  We lived "downtown" and loved walking to restaurants, shops (well, I did anyway), and the local trail system for running and biking.  The two of us got more into running and ran several races (a couple of 5k's, one 10k and two 1/2 marathons).  We made some really good friends with my local co-workers including other travelers.  The Best Man also found some local work and really liked have co-workers (especially local ones) for a change.

Some how we survived the summer in Texas, though it was not a pretty sight!

We then packed it all up at the end of the summer (including my new cowgirl boots!) and made for California.  Along the way we went to Monahands State Park and sand dunes, hiked the highest point in Texas (Guadalupe Peak), explored the caves of Carlsbad Caverns and wondered at the bats, hiked along and under the rim of Bryce Cannyon, hiked Angles Landing and the Narrows in Zion National Park, stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and hiked to the bottom and back up to the top of the Grand Canyon with hundreds of pictures, a few scraps and just as many new friends and one scorpion sting to show for it.

We've been living in California for the past 3 months.  The weather is perfect.  There is so much to see and do.  We have only been down to San Diego a couple of times, however have plans to continue exploring the city and the surrounding area.

Here's to 2013 and more adventures to come!