Anza Borrego

On Saturday, June 5th Ted and I went to Anza Borrego desert - about 2 1/2 hours from San Diego. We got up at 5:15 am to get to the desert early because the temperatures were expected to reach 110 degrees by mid-day. At ~7 am it was already in the upper 80's.

This picture is from the drive in - I was overcome by the beauty around me.

There were literally NO other people on the road. I decided this was the perfect mid-highway photo-op.

Ted joined me!

Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear :).

There were tons of HUGE statues throughout the desert. We took a couple of shots of some of them. The elephants were one of my favorites! They appear to be a favorite of the birds too.

Just to show you how big they are.

Ted getting friendly with an elephant.

A grazing horse.

Break it up.

A shot of the two of us. Hard to get when we are alone!

The eagle has landed.

There was a random flea market in the middle of the desert. One of the vendors was selling medical supplies. It was sort of creepy!

Here are some deals going down.

Creepy or not, I bought myself a handy-dandy reflex hammer for $3.

Entering the state park the temps were in the low-90s. We were advised to have at least 2L of water with each of us. I guess you lose water pretty quickly in the desert.

One of many photo-ops/much needed breaks. Me and my new found friend the cactus. There were plenty of these. Notice we aren't very close friends. Personal space is critical in this friendship.

The Palm Oasis at the end of our hike. There are only palm trees where there is a source of water. Here there was a natural spring bubbling up from the aquifers below. This meant we could turn around and head back - we were excited about that.

Me and the palm trees.

Ted photographing the palm trees.

We love the palm trees.

Climbing up one of the rocks to rest and relax.

Ahh...

On our way back we spotted these two beauties. They are both long-horned sheep (I think that is the technical name :) ). We were able to get incredibly close - the photo doesn't do it justice.

It was as if they were posing for us.

A mid-air jump!

Post-hike sitting at the visitor's center. EXHAUSTED and hot. But still reeling from the excitement of being so close to nature. We felt incredibly lucky to have encountered the desert animals. All in all we saw several native creatures including: rabbits, several types of little rodents (again the technical name), and sheep. The native creatures we managed not to see: rattle snakes, scorpions, mountain lions, foxes, and tarantula (plural tarantulae??). Like I said, we felt lucky.

As we drove out (through the mountains) we snapped this shot of the area we had hiked in. Absolutely beautiful!!

This video is one I snapped while watching the two female sheep walk away. All of a sudden a GIANT male sheep popped up in the corner of my screen (hence my noticeable shock on the video). He was clearly there to protect his ladies. I am glad he didn't charge us. I was a LITTLE nervous. He was much closer than the video shows. It was cool and humbling at the same time.

Ahh, my arch nemesis, we meet again.

San Diego is one of the hillier places I have ever been. I have encountered the hill to beat all hills... Princess View Drive. What a sweet name for such a brutal hill. I tried to take some photos during my run to exhibit her magnitude - but I fear that my photos will not do her justice. I like that I am referring to the hill as if it has a personality. I suppose it could represent any obstacle I choose it to. For me, it is just fun to think that she and I have a competition going. So far, I am kicking her behind...

This is close to the base of Princess View (PV)... it is hard to see but she is a long, steep climb. It took about 7-8 minutes to get up her. I want to believe that Pandora (the online radio station that streams to my i-Phone) also has a persona, and she was on my side in this epic battle. I believe this because she played the songs "Baby got back" (by Sir Mix-A-Lot)and "Sexy back" (by Justin Timberlake) as I took on PV. Pandora was cheering me (and my sore behind) on as I took the climb.

About halfway up...

Near the top, looking back down...

Back home, gloating :)

Princess View=0, Mariah=2

I suppose it is good to set goals for yourself, even if you are on vacation and without any major responsibilities. I enjoyed taking on my nemesis once again. Until next time PV.

June gloom.

This is what the locals call the haze that comes in from the ocean and covers the city during the mornings. I call it silly - there is nothing gloomy about San Diego. The sun ALWAYS comes out by noon and the days are sunny and breezy and beautiful.

I have been here 3 full days so far and it has been a lot of fun. For the first 2 days Ted and Molly's friend was here from Detroit. She played bball in college and shares the same birthday as me (July 5th). Needless to say, we hit it off!

On Sunday we went to the Hillcrest Farmer's Market...

We ate all kinds of good food at the market and we took some home to enjoy for dinner that night and the following night.

Sunday night we enjoyed delicious and fresh foods from our shopping trip that day:

Here are some oranges that were picked right off of the tree at Ted's friends house in Carlsbad (just up the coast from San Diego). Citrus fruits abound here!

Here is the spread for some of the food we had for dinner

I filled my plate to the brim!

Ted was the grill master. Though we didn't have meat, we did have grilled ears of corn.

And bread and wine...

Dinner was a success!

The next morning (Memorial Day) we got up and went to breakfast at The Mission, probably one of the best breakfast places in the area. I have been here every time that I have come to visit and I am NEVER disappointed. This day was the busiest I have ever seen the restaurant. We waited ~30 minutes to be seated.

Following breakfast we spent the day together just enjoying the nice weather and each other's company. Ted and Molly's friend from Carlsbad came in for dinner and we had a delicious spread (again). I didn't post pictures of this meal only because I feel as though this blog post is already pretty food-centric!

More than anything, the trip thus far has been very relaxing. I have spent much of my time trying to seduce the cats of the household. I have been able to pet Sarah and Hannah pretty regularly but I am still working on Leah.

Hannah...

Sarah...

Leah...

West Coast style.

Today began my California adventure. I arrived in San Diego around 7:30pm PST. It is actually colder here than it is in Missouri which is strange. I was almost cold when I stepped outside. I am too exhausted to write much tonight but I hope to write a lot about my travels over the next month and a half.

Here is a general breakdown of the trip:
-San Diego with family
-Nick will join me on June 15th
-LA for the Jay Leno show
-Coastal trip through Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Monterey, San Luis Obispo
-US Open in Pebble Beach
-San Francisco for a week (Napa, Muirwoods, Giants game, etc)
-Flight to Portland
-Half marathon in Portland
-Seattle for Mariner's game and exploring

I am so excited to begin this adventure! More to come!

46.

Today I went back to one of my favorite childhood parks - McKay Park here in Jefferson City. While I was walking around the pond a lady approached me on the trail. She had what looked to be an antennae sticking out of her head. I couldn't tell what it was from afar - I thought maybe it was a portable radio or something. As she got closer I realized it was actually a long brown feather that she had stuck straight up out of her ponytail. "Fourty-six!" she said excitedly to me. "Happy birthday?" I thought to myself, wondering if she were just excited about her birthday. "Fourty-six geese in the park!" She was so excited about the geese - an animal that I have always found to be sort of scary, especially when they swarm a park like this one. I have scary memories about them hissing and chasing me when I would run around the park. I have always equated the geese in McKay Park with scenarios similar to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." It was fun to see her so excited about the geese. As I continued to circle I looked at the geese with new eyes. They really are beautiful animals - and goslings are ADORABLE. I captured a couple of pictures...

I have run in this park for years. I remember this being a place for conditioning runs during Winter training for Spring soccer season. I also used to fish here with a dear family friend that I called PawPaw. He taught me my love for watching sports on tv and also was the first person who really took an interest in showing me how to fish.

It is also the site of one of the better hills for sledding during snow days.

My uncle Ted and I used to come to the basketball courts at the bottom of the hill to play one-on-one when I was in high school.

In our work of physical activity research, we call smaller parks like this "pocket parks" because they don't take up a lot of space. I love this pocket park - it brings back fond memories, and has allowed me to create some new ones today with the nice lady, her feather, and the 46 geese.

Friday = Fun Day

Today I woke up early and drove to Jefferson City, MO to take my mom to Columbia, MO for a doctor's appointment. The appointment went well and she and I had a good drive up and back together. In Columbia we had lunch at Hy-Vee - they have a GREAT salad bar. It was fun to pick out toppings and eat off of one another's plates :). When we were sufficiently stuffed we rolled ourselves back to the car.

At home we both went into slight food comas and decided a nice relaxing afternoon was in order. While she napped, I did some work. But it was very nice to do work in the company of my two favorite gals in the world - mom and Riley, her puppy dog. Early evening she and I made a trip to Target for this season's sunscreen and other needed items.

It may sound somewhat uneventful, but it was a really fun day - it is nice to have a fun time with mom and to enjoy/appreciate the small things. Here are a few things I captured photos of while enjoying the day.

This man had a love for MJ that even I couldn't match. He was decked head-to-toe in Jordan gear and he was rocking it proudly.

You have to love my mom's sense of humor. I saw this card above the sink in the kitchen. All day long when we were going somewhere she would ask if I was taking her to "funky town." I literally laughed out loud every time. It never gets old.

Today was graduation for Jefferson City High School. It was a beautiful night and the YMCA is right next to the stadium. I found out later they were graduating 610 seniors. Fewer than the number I graduated with, but still a long wait for the parents, students and fans. I can't believe it has been 9 years since I celebrated my high school graduation. It really flies by. It is hard to see the graduation going on in this picture, but it was a moment I had to catch. I must admit that I sat for awhile and listened from the hill to the sound of names and cheers. I guess the cheesy t-shirts we wore in high school weren't that far off "Jay Pride is Forever." :)

Parting truly is sweet sorrow.

Today my office held a going away party for me. While I will still be around for a few more weeks, many of my coworkers (including my mentor) will be going out of town so this was the best day to have it. As a surprise, my coworkers and friends created a scrapbook of notes from each person for me. It was such a meaningful gift and it brought me to tears. I too wrote something for each of them - my thoughts about the time I have shared with them, memories I had. It was a way for us all to show our appreciation for the time we have had together. I want to share some of the quotes that were given to me as part of my scrapbook. I think I will post them in my office next year to keep me going when things seem unachieveable.

"If you are going to be passionate about something, be passionate about learning. If you're going to fight something, fight for those in need. If you're going to question something, question authority. If you're going to lose something, lose your inhibitions. If you're going to gain something, gain respect and confidence. And if you're going to hate something, hate the false idea that you are not capable of your dreams"
-Daniel Golston

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail"

"There are two ways to live your life - one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle"
-Albert Einstein

"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito"

"This is what you shall do; Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body"
-Walt Whitman

There were other quotes and incredibly thoughtful words. It is fortunate to find people along your life's path that love you like family does. That have your back and your best interest in their hearts at all times. I have found that with my colleagues and friends in St. Louis and for that I am eternally grateful.