West "Word"

Hello East Coasters!

I am, of course, finally blogging from the Western state of California. The weather is currently 60 degrees, and I even turned my heat on this morning, lol. This COLD weather will take some getting used to, but it's overall nice. I can actually breathe which is one perk. I can't wait to start a new running routine next week. My dad is still here until Saturday, so I'm enjoying every minute I have with him before he heads back home. The moving company was supposed to be here this past Saturday, August 7th and still have not shown up. I called yesterday, and they said to expect them on Wednesday.... but they still have not called about a time (supposed to be 24 hour notice). Ugh!!! On a brighter note, the apartment people are painting an accent wall in my living room to match my decorations (woo-hoo) & putting a screen around my patio fence so tiny little Arnie can't fit through (bigger woo-hoo)! They are super nice. I have 2 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms... so plenty of space for visitors, HINT HINT!!!! :)

To sum up the cross-country road trip: BREATHTAKING, PHENOMENAL, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!! I have always known how blessed I am to live the life I've been given, but WOW have I underestimated the beauty there still is to experience in this life. I honestly don't know how much more I could begin to appreciate what I've been given & the opportunity that is set out in front of me.... but I honestly keep finding more & more possibilities. I say it every single day: I am blessed beyond measure.

Dad & I started our journey by attending our 2nd annual family reunion in Newark, OH. I was lucky enough to have Jason at my side the entire weekend and dreaded the thought of saying goodbye to him and the rest of the family. I hate goodbyes.... even though it was more of a "see ya later" deal. The reunion was a blast, and everyone seemed to have a great time. Last year, we spent more time catching up and getting to know one another since it was distant family that lost touch after many years. This year, we knew almost everyone, with exception of a few, so we spent more time playing & entertaining one another. Fortunately everyone truly fell in love with Jason, and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed the family as well. What's not to love though!?!? ;) I met his parents the day before we left, and they are genuinely great people -just like him. I am lucky that he is so understanding and supportive to try and make this relationship work with such distance between us. So far, it's been okay. I'm learning to become more of a phone person. I can't wait to get internet in my apartment, however!

My cousin Michaela came in for the summer (Jeanetta's granddaughter), so I took her back to Colorado with me. She lives in Colorado Springs, but her mom met us in Denver when we got there. We drove from the reunion Sunday night through Ohio, Indiana, & Illinois & arrived in St. Louis, Missouri early Monday morning. We got to go up in the Gateway Arch & site see around town a bit. We then continued on through Kansas (I never care to step foot in that state again), finally reaching our next stop in Denver, Colorado. After dropping Michaela off, Dad and I went to my friend (from graduate school) Lynsey & her husband Mike's house. We stayed there two nights. While there, Dad and I visited Red Rocks Amphitheater, Coors Brewery, and Coors Field where we (and Lynsey) saw the Rockies play baseball. I love the state of Colorado! The drive westward through the mountains on I-70 was beautiful. We continued through Utah & Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada! We stayed 2 nights in Vegas & went to the Grand Canyon. Just when I thought I couldn't see anything more amazing than I already have..... BAM!!! Welcome to the Grand Canyon! :) It was quite expensive but worth it. We took a bus tour to view the canyon & paid to go on the Skywalk which has a glass bottom -we could see the bottom of the canyon from 4,000 feet in elevation! WOW! We spent a lot of time sitting on the rocks, breathing, & taking it all in. Beauty. I got to spread my mother's ashes at every stop we made. Her wish was to be spread over East Lynn Lake where she loved to go fishing, but little did she know she would be all over the world thanks to her stubborn yet adventurous baby girl. ;) While in Vegas, we took the monorail and walked to several different hotel/casinos & did quite a bit of site seeing. It was my second trip there but Dad's first. The next day, we continued driving back through Arizona to..... drum roll please..... CALIFORNIA!!!!! Finally! We did a little site seeing in Los Angeles & even found a fabulous lookout point where we could see the Hollywood sign! This was a much closer view than the last time I was there. We then drove on up to Santa Barbara, which is a beautiful area, then to Santa Maria. I was skeptical at first about this town, but I am certain I will love it. It's small enough that I will be driving less than 15 minutes to each job location (so far I have 5 schools), and I'm 20 minutes from the beach. My apartment is super nice, and I live next to a dog park. Arnie is in Heaven! Crazy = Dad and I were in 11 states in 1 week! Coolness! :)











I've yet to get internet at my apartment, so I am having to go to Starbucks (oh shoot, lol) to post. Hopefully I will get that hooked up within the next week-ish. Until then.... I will leave you with some photos which you've probably already seen on Facebook. Life is GOOD. God is GOOD.