Land of Rattlesnakes

The heat has us shying away from hiking these days but this is a hike we took back in March.  It's beautiful but according to another hiker, there were rattlers around.  Glad I didn't see/hear any. I wish I had some pictures of Daniel but as you can see he has mad photography skills.  Glad things have settled down for me and I can blog again!

Bump and Grind

Just a few pictures from when Daniel and I hiked the Bump and Grind trail on Wednesday.  It only took a few hours and we started and ended behind Target haha.

Bonus:  Daniel took this picture from the roof of a building and I think it's awesome.

Best of 2012!

I'm grateful I have the chance tonight to reflect on 2012.  It will always be an infamous year in everyone's memory with all the hype about the end of the world.  But it didn't end, by our hands or mother nature's, so it's time to ramp up for 2013.  But not before taking a moment to reminisce.

March - Go Cavs!  This was epic.  And although Daniel's bro's team didn't win the last game, watching them win night after night and climb to the finals was more than amazing.  Hopefully they'll get a chance at it again.

June - Graduation and my mom coming to Portland.  First, graduating is the real deal folks.  Whatever you can do to get to that moment, do it.  After I graduated, circumstances led me back to the same job that I had during college and a friend of mine said to me, "So this is what a Math degree gets you huh?"  But that person doesn't understand the pride that I feel from passing Advanced Multivariate Calculus or the feeling in my soul when I turned in my VERY LAST FINAL.  I'm free!!  My degree will always serve me and I am stoked to pay back every penny that I borrowed to get my education.

My mom took this photo.  It is so rad.  There was too much traffic leading up to the Rose Garden Arena so I got out of the car and walked.


My mom came to Portland!  It was like a staycation for me and we had such a great time.  I got to show her so many of the things that I had grown to love in Oregon and she was so enthusiastic to see it all.  One of my favorite things is that she helped me pick out an iron and we had a walk through my neighborhood.  I can't wait until you come to Palm Desert Mom!

August:  A Kahn family trip to Maine for Daniel's cousin's wedding.  The hotel that we stayed at was not even a mile from George Bush Sr.'s home.  That was honestly the best vacation that I have been on.   We all had such a good time and I would love to go back there someday.

September:  Marrying my man.  I could get all gushy on this part but I'll try to restrain myself!  I love everything about being married.  I love having the same last name because it reminds me that we belong to each other.  I love putting a home together and dreaming about the future.  I truly feel that I married my soul mate.  That September day was the most beautiful day of my whole life and I will remember it forever.

November: Becoming Californians.  I do not highly recommend trying to graduate, get married, and move out-of-state in the same year, but somehow we were up for the challenge.  We love it here.  It has a new set of challenges, but it seems to be a place where we can grow both professionally, personally and as a couple.  It is surprising chilly right now, but from what I hear, I'll be begging for this weather come July.  Hopefully a trip to Utah is in the works when it is 115 degrees this summer.

Here are some pictures that I've taken with my phone since we've been here:

But Anyway...

Here are pics of our new apartment.  Like I said, I'm a little less than enthusiastic today, but here they are.  As soon as our new furniture is delivered I'll post pics of the furnished version. :)

Blossoming in the Desert

Thanksgiving was a few days ago, but I'm feeling a little leftover gratitude so I thought I would share it.  The opportunities abound for me in the desert and are bringing me closer and closer to spending every day with math.  I know that sounds like a nightmare for some, but I can't imagine spending my time any other way.  

I have been agonizing over the thought of having to spend a little time in the service industry, but I'm really hoping that I can find the income that I need through the school districts.  This week I'm going to find out more about what I need to do to get a job substituting or something else in the schools.  I'm hoping that my days spent in hotels and restaurants are over.  It's been a long time waiting on people.

I know this picture is lame, but it seems like when I see the really good views of the valley, I am driving and can't take a picture.  So this is the view from our balcony.  Daniel has the day off Monday so hopefully we can do some more sightseeing and I'll post some more pictures!

This Desert Life

This is attempt 3 on this blog post so I'm going to write very little and hope that the pics load...been having a rough time with internet connection.  But this is our temporary home!  Already having a tough time with housekeeping trying to get in to clean every day and the lack of our own stuff.  It's hard to cook when I'm lacking my cooking tools and we run out of dishes so quickly and have to run the dishwasher way too often.  Hopefully we'll be in our new place soon!