Day Off!

This is what Marley and I did all day on our holiday off.

Jessica and Julia - In response to my last post, you shared kind words with me and reminded me to rely on The Lord. Thank you for that. I need to remember to lean on Him because He is and always will be my Father. He will always be there to take care of me. Whenever I am feeling lonely, all I need to do is talk to Him and know that I am not alone. I feel sometimes that I take Him for granted and don't praise Him like I should. He has given me so much. Just looking around me, I have everything I need and have the kind of job I've been working towards. It's time I give Him the thanks He deserves and make Him a bigger part of my life. Thank you again, ladies, for reminding me of that.

On another note, Sunday was my 10k that I've been training for. It was in San Francisco along the Embarcadero. Even though I didn't make the time I was striving for, I still had a good time and felt accomplished. None of my friends ended up making it out to watch me, but I met some friendly people in the race. It's nice to meet people who share my crazy love for running.

After the race I was going to meet some friends to play volleyball at the Presidio, but when I arrived, no one was there. I found out later it was cancelled because of not enough people, but that message was sent to my work email, so I found out Monday. Oh well. I ended up touring the Presidio a bit. The Presidio used to be a military base and is now a National Park in San Francisco. There are historical buildings and sites to see within. People live there too, I know a girl who lives in a townhome in the presidio.

On my way home, I decided to stop at Treasure Island again to get some daytime pictures of the great view. These turned out much better as you can see.

I Don't Wanna Grow Up

So, lately I've been having little signs of an identity crisis. I don't know if it's cuz I'm so far from my close friends and family or because I'm finally working a permanent job and supporting myself on my own or because I belong to a whole new state now. Maybe it's all of the above.

It started a few weeks ago when I received my California drivers license in the mail. I was really excited at first because I had been waiting for it to arrive since I went to the DMV and passed the test. I took it out of the envelope and was excited to see my new picture. I no longer had my dorky 16-year-old picture to look at. But as I looked at it some more, I noticed how different things seemed. The license was lighter and more flexible than my Oregon license. It has a yellow tint to it. Then I noticed the number. I've gotten so used to my Oregon drivers license number, it's engrained in my head. Now I am E322*&^%$& something something... how am I supposed to remember that? It made me feel like I'm a whole different person, like I'm leaving behind the person I know myself to be. I know it's really not that big a deal, but at the time it got me really sad.

Then this morning I was lounging in my apartment watching TV, the same TV I used to watch at my parents house just a few months ago. (My parents were nice enough to give me this TV and entertainment center). But it reminded me of being back home, in the comfortable and safe environment of my parents' house. Sometimes I wish I could just stay young forever and keep living at home. It's nice to know that someone is taking care of me.

But I know I can't do that. It's time for me to grow up and live a life of my own. But it's hard to do alone. Good thing I have Marley. ;) I kid, but actually my kitty is my companion at home and she does make me feel a little less lonely.

Anyway, things actually are going pretty good down here. I feel I've made a couple close friends and I like the people I work with. They're a fun group. Also, the weather has been nice. It's been a little colder. But when i say cold, I mean like 60's, not 40's like Klamath Falls. However, I'm not very impressed by the colors of fall down here.

Here is a view at my apartment complex. This was one of the few days it's actually rained since I moved here. There's a little bit of fall color, but I remember the falls in Oregon being much more vibrant. Oh well, atleast it's not freezing cold.

Today I took my LSIT (Land Surveyor-In-Training exam) at the COW Palace in Daly City. I've been studying for this exam for the past 3 months or so. It's an exam every Land Surveyor takes who is working to eventually get their license. It's an 8-hour exam consisting of 170 problems that cover everything I learned in college while studying geomatics. It was a long day! And now I just have to wait 13 weeks to get the results! But atleast now I don't have to study anymore.

On my way home, I toured a little of San Francisco and found this awesome view. As you can see, my camera is not the best at taking night shots of cities. I tried a bunch of settings and this was the best I could get... but trust me, it was breathtaking!

This is Santa Cruz, where I participated in the PSEA beach volleyball tournament. The tournament lasted all day and during our break, we rode the roller coaster on the boardwalk. We had a blast, but I was so sore the next day!

This is on one of the trails around Mt Diablo. It's a great place to go running or hiking, and it's beautiful when the sun is setting and you can look over the whole city. Unfortunately, there are also some critters to beware of, as I personally found out. Both in one day, I saw a rattlesnake and a tarantula up there. Needless to say...I haven't been back yet. I'm afraid to go by myself.

Just Me

Well, hi! Now that I'm living in the Bay area away from my family and friends, my sister convinced me to start a blog. I agreed it would be a good idea so the people I care about can stay informed on what I'm up to.

So, in case you've been out of the loop, this is what I've been up to. In June, I graduated from OIT with a bachelor's in Geomatics and a minor in GIS. Soon after, I accepted a position with Pacific Gas & Electric in Concord, CA. August 11th was my first day. So far, I really like it down here. I enjoy my job and have already made friends through work and through volleyball. Yes, I'm playing volleyball again. There was a beach volleyball tournament through my work in Santa Cruz and I joined the team. Since then, I've played more beach volleyball in Santa Cruz and also joined an indoor rec league. It feels great to play again.

Also, I adopted a kitten! Her name is Marley and she is definitely a handful. It's nice to have a roommate, though ;) She keeps me entertained and on my toes.

I'll try to keep this updated and add pictures once I figure this whole blog thing out. Thanks for stopping by! =)