Fishing!

So this weekend we went fishing.

Why is that interesting? Because I haven't gone in YEARS and on top of that, this was my first time fishing from a boat, and trolling.

We caught 7 rainbow trout and froze our butts off, but I had a great time. Hooray for icky fish guts.

After 2 years together, the fun still continues.

- E & T

Overdue!

(SO many people at flugtag!)


(Trav and I at Flugtag (flyday, in German) with the pier to the left where the "aircraft" took off)

I realize this post is a bit overdue, as I have been trying to update at least once a week, but I've been rather busy!

After submitting a bunch of resumes and cover letters last week I got one interview, which happened today. I had to take a test and I think it went pretty well, so maybe I will be employed soon! I'm still hoping I will hear back from a couple of other places, but I realize that there are probably 100 other people with the same expectations...

We've been keeping busy and went to Long Beach last weekend to see Redbull Flugtag, a day of people dancing and pushing homemade aircraft off a pier hoping they will fly, plus skydivers, plus a coast guard rescue demonstration. There were an estimated 105,000 people there, so let's just say it was a little crowded. Trav and I had the pleasure of seeing Jessica (my friend from SAS 2007) and two of her sorority sisters from USC, but most everyone else didn't make it because of traffic. It was a fun day, but we both came home with nasty sunburns.

This weekend we will be going to June Lake up by Yosemite for some R&R with Travis' Aunt, Uncle, Cousins, etc. The drive is long (6 hrs!) but I am excited to get out of L.A. and see some mountains!

Not much else to report, so I'll get back to my long list of "To Dos".

love

E & T

Birthdayness

So Tuesday was Travis' birthday, and so most of the week was devoted to meeting up with friends and family to celebrate.

Tuesday I made a cake and we went on a run and then we had our own little celebration at home since he had to work on Wednesday. Thursday we met up for dinner with his cousin Scott, Friday we met up with his cousin Joanna and her boyfriend for dinner, and last night we met up with my sister and her boyfriend and a couple of their friends. Today we'll be heading to his Aunt Janet's house for a BBQ with his cousins. Lots of food and family this week!

We were hoping again for a beach weekend, but the weather is just so temperamental! We thought we could run some errands yesterday since it was shaping up to be a nice warm day, but once we were done and got home the clouds had rolled in and another day was spoiled. Supposedly there will be some heat tomorrow, but most of it is set to dissipate by next weekend. We shall see.

I spent a lot of last week trying to get my ducks in a row for job apps/interviews/whatever and on Monday I plan to do some mass applying and cover letter writing for a bunch of tutoring centers in the area. Next step is facing inevitable rejection. Does it ever get easier?

Off to enjoy a lazy Sunday morning before we head to the BBQ.

Besos

E & T

Official Residents!

I'm finally better! Hooray!

The cold finally kicked the bucket mid-week, just in time for me to invite some friends down for the weekend to see our new place and enjoy Redondo. Trav finished his first week at work and had his first Friday off which was lovely. We decided to start working out again and have gone on a couple of runs along the beach on a path called "the Strand" that runs between a few beach cities (Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo and all the way north to Malibu, I think). It's definitely a shock to the system to be running again, but after a summer of traveling and eating out, we need it!

Friday we headed to the DMV early, and even though we got there at 7:50 and it opened at 8:00, there were about 60 people already lined up around the building. I was prepared to spend the rest of the day there, but we were happily surprised when we both emerged 2 hours later, temporary licenses in-hand, and with Travis' new license plates and stickers. What a difference from the misery that is the Boulder DMV!

Saturday my friends Samantha and Jessica from Semester at Sea (Summer 2007 voyage) came down and we had our yearly reunion. Travis grilled up some sausages and veggies, and after lunch we headed over to the pier to walk around and play at the arcade. We had a couple rousing games of air hockey (YES!) and played some more fun games before we traded in our tokens for a miniature plastic bowling set. We headed back to the apartment where we have the perfect hallway for bowling and played a few frames, which was perfectly ridiculous. After that we all sat down and played some cards, went out to dinner at a neat burger place called "the Corner", and they both headed home late. It was a great day!


(Travis bowling, hehe)



(Sam, Jess and I in Perú, 2007)


(the three of us in Redondo, three years later!)


Today my good friend of 11 years, Maya, came down and we ended up getting lunch and doing some shopping and she fell in love with Redondo...I guess I can't blame her! We really live in the perfect location, people here are friendly, and it's got all the nice qualities of a small town without the stifling sense that we can't escape. We can always drive somewhere out here. I'm also extremely lucky to have friends within driving distance, and soon my sister Aleta and her boyfriend Wes will be nearby as well since he'll be working in Pasadena.

It was a great weekend, and now I have to get my butt in gear and work on some new resumés for different jobs I want to apply for. Trav will be starting to work in a new building that is a couple miles closer to our apartment which is great, but he has to work Friday this week. Oh yeah, and his birthday is on Tuesday, so we will be eating cake and trying to organize a couple little get togethers with some of his family. Should be a good week!

Love,

an official California resident!

More excitement this week as we tried to organize, unpack; a process that never seems to end!

Trav's mom gifted us a BBQ, and the lazy UPS man showed up while I was home alone and didn't want to bring it upstairs. Isn't that his job? Once Trav came home we started assembling it, which of course led to me playing in the giant box it all came in. Once we made a trip to Home Depot, we had a grill, lava rocks, a grill cover, grill scraper, two patio tables and 5 new houseplants, among other things. Grillage and naming of said houseplants followed.

Behold!





After all that excitement on Friday, we got some sweet night tables off of Craigslist, I applied for a job, we saw "Despicable me", and today I spent most of the day in bed since I can't seem to shake this nasty cold I picked up in San Diego. Trav starts work tomorrow and I will continue working on the apartment, hunting for a job, and getting settled.

Beijos from California!

E