A month in unorganized pictures

I thought I'd post an update before heading home to the Dome this weekend, where I'll get to see at least a couple of you friends I think. August was a busy month for me, which was definitely a good thing because I didn't really have time to get bored. I do feel like I'm still settling in, although I've been here for almost two months already (how did that happen?). But at the same time I'm learning my routine and finding ways to have fun, and making my apartment feel a little more like home with every Target trip.

So I'll focus on my weekends, because what I do during the week probably doesn't sound that exciting. I mean, if you really love data or attorney calls then shoot me an email and I'll give you a play-by-play. But for the rest of you, here are my weekends with plenty of pictures. The pictures are not always related to the paragraphs around them so it's like a game!

My welcome gift for my first day of real work. 

First weekend in August I got to visit one of our favorite rising sophomores, the esteemed Mr. Hagwood himself. He and his family spend a few days in Santa Cruz every summer, so I took a day trip to visit them. I spent the Saturday walking the boardwalk and the pier in Santa Cruz with Austin and his brother Garrett, eating brats, riding an old roller coaster, and watching the Dark Knight Rises. It was lovely meeting his mom and overall an excellent Saturday. It was so nice to see someone familiar (this sentence will reappear later..) and talk about mutual friends (aka all of you). Plus we saw tons of seals hanging out under the pier.

Seal! Challenge: guess which end is the head.

The next weekend, the 11th, I decided to be brave and go to an ND Alumni Club event. We took a Google bus to Napa and visited a winery with ND ties, a winery with a great picnic area for lunch, and another winery just for funsies. I figure if my day starts by making new friends who offer me mimosas on the bus at 9am, then it's a good day. Everyone was super friendly, surprise, and I met a few girls from the class of 2011 so yay maybe I'm making friends.

When Christina visited we enjoyed some gold ole 'Merican beer at an Oakland A's game and watched the Yankees lose to the A's so Christina was happy. The ballpark was strangely shaped.

Also sometime in August I went to an SF Giants game with work.
The Giants' ballpark is beautiful. The score was not. 'Nuff said.

On the 18th of August I abandoned the polished landscapes of wine country for the rugged terrain of the American River to go white water rafting with my company. The water was very cold. Since I was in the front I was constantly reminded of the temperature because I received copious amounts of water in the face every time we went through a rapid. It made me feel alive. And hypothermic. But mostly alive. 

This is a real picture. My dad, brother, and the guys in the family went on a big fishing trip in MI at the end of July. I later learned this was one of their boats. How awesome? Very.

This past Labor Day weekend may have been one of the best weekends yet. Full disclosure, I kind of have to say that since I spent it with one of the fine authors of this blog. Of course, Erik may be too busy getting ready to live in Denver for two months to read this. We'll see. I offered at first to visit him in Sacramento, but after a few plan changes it ended up that he would come down to me on Saturday afternoon. I did a training run, 19 miles, that morning. Then when Erik arrived we walked around my neighborhood, made guacamole, made more pasta than my skillets and Dutch oven could handle, and had some local beer at a brewing company within walking distance of my place. Sunday we went biking/hiking in Big Basin State Park, and saw some fantastic waterfalls. Erik used his new tripod to get some great pictures.

The photographer at work.

Hopefully this overexposed photo will both give you an idea of the amazing waterfalls we saw, and encourage Erik to post his own, better pictures.

Till next time!