SAYING GOODBYE

So, provided all goes as planned over the next week or so, (that being, that I ACTUALLY find a job in San Diego) I will be leaving San Francisco and Stanford after I return from my vacation in Ontario. It's been 6 months that have been busy, challenging, but most importantly, filled with adventures and memories that will last a lifetime.

Shelly and Kara, two other travelers from Florida, are also heading home in the next couple of weeks, so we threw a party to say goodbye to all the people we've come to call friends in this area of the country.

We have officially been sent off in style.

Bad, bad style.

We ended up at this sketchy, cruddy, hole-in-the-wall karaoke bar in a remote part of Mountain View. Yes....I said karaoke.....lol....when did I turn into a Japanese tourist? Just kidding, of course. But, as the story usually goes, the more we drank, the better we all thought we could sing. We tortured the patrons of the bar. But had a fantastic time doing so!

These two pictures are actually from the bbq Brianna had at her place earlier in the week. Plenty of good food and fun gossip -a great way to spend a Sat night.

THE SKETCHY BAR

Hmmmm....perhaps Erik would like to talk about this?

Look at that facial expression! Obviously, Ron is totally into his new career: country karaoke sensation

Muscle-Woman

FAMILY'S VISIT

I just realized it's been over a month since I posted anything on here. Wow, talk about being busy and not even realizing it.

Okay....perhaps I wasn't all that busy except for the week my family was here...

....perhaps I just didn't do anything exciting enough to bother sharing with anyone :)

I guess once you've lived some place for 6 months, even somewhere as exciting and diverse as San Francisco, you start to settle into real life and stop running around doing all the touristy things every chance you have off.

Good thing I'm moving to San Diego in Sept (FINGERS CROSSED BECAUSE I'M STILL WAITING TO HEAR ABOUT A JOB!!), because the touristy crap is what I love best!

Anyway, the girls arrived on a Wed night and stayed until the following Tues night. We did a good mix of tourist sites and beaches and just lounging by my pool. Before they came, I told them to pack warmer clothes than they'd wear in Ontario, since Norther California isn't as hot and DEFINITELY isn't as humid as back East.

Figures they'd arrive in the middle of the bloody heat wave.

Here are some of the pictures from when my Mom, Ally and Danielle came for there visit. More to follow once Danielle is able to send them to me.

One of the beaches south of the city off the I-280. It's a big, pretty place, but it's totally open ocean and is pretty rough for swimming. The surfers were out in force though.

At Golden Gate on their first day here. We were a little delayed due to an unexpected side-trip to Stanford ED, but the problem was solved quickly and we were soon on our way. The fog was rolling in by the time we got there, but it just made for more interesting pictures.

Danielle and Ally loved this bench. Do you recognize the monkeys and the phrase they are portraying?

Palm Drive, on the Stanford campus. Palm trees don't grow naturally this far north, but the school has done a great job transplanting them and now there are so many scattered throughout the campus, you'd never know they weren't natural.