Beauty of Nature

Just an example of the breathtaking landscape we experienced along the way ... I don't even remember what state we were in.

Statistics

Well, we're back in Wisconsin after a 4-day drive halfway across America. Here's some of the highlights ...

**Number of blowout tires during the trip: TWO
**Number of field mice that rubbed against my leg while waiting in an Iowa cornfield for the Penske people to come change our 2nd blowout: ONE
**Hours wasted waiting during tire changes: FIVE
**Amount of money we spent on gas between the Penske and my Taurus: $981.83
**Number of rainbows we saw while driving through the rain in the desert (yes, that's right ... rain in the desert): SIX
**Number of radio stations throughout most of Utah: ONE

Good times ... :)

But seriously, I was very grateful we made it home in one piece and got to experience such amazing beauty across the U.S. Now we have to take care of "moving stuff" (DMV, cell phone # change, etc). And fortunately, I have 3 different interviews to prepare for -- one on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It's good to be home!!! Oh ... and my neice is adorable!

Computers

Our computer will be down for the next several days, as we are loading up our stuff and heading out. It's sad how dependent I've become on computers for news, entertainment, communication, and lots of random stuff (job search, yellow pages, online dictionary ...) Well, I don't know why it's sad exactly, just ... weird. I wonder how our lives would be different without computers. What on earth would I fill all that time with? Probably reading and writing (by hand), and I'd probably be in better shape. I'd actually call my friends to talk instead of dropping them an email.

Anyway, I don't have enough time to really think about life without present technology. I've gotta finish some last minute packing and get a good night's sleep before "loading day" begins ...

And since I won't be blogging for a little while, I want to say an official "I love you and miss you dad," as tomorrow is the 1-year mark of his death. I think of you everyday!

http://www.harvestcommunity.org/royce.asp (the date is wrong on this link, it's really the 19th)

Direction ... maybe

Today was a glimpse of a map in the middle of several wrong turns. That didn't sound as profound as I'd intended, but I just thought I'd use a metaphor instead of going the direct route. Without going into it, let me just say that the other day I was going to post a blog entry that simply said "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" ... as in ... stressed out, fed up, etc. And today, a more appropriate post would be, "ahhh ..... :)" ... as in ... breath of relief, things are going to be OK, life is good.

Kinda vague, but it's actually hard to put into words what's really going on in my head right now, so an "ah" or 2 will have to do.

Reflections

We're packing up all our stuff ... again ... and it just feels weird to me. Sometimes I feel like life is just a series of transitions, though I'm not sure when that feeling started. When I was a kid, I was fortunate enough to live in a loving, Christian home where everything was pretty stable. I lived in the same house from age 2 to 22 (minus a year away at college), and my parents had very few changes in employment. I know Jason had a similar upbringing, as did a lot of my friends. But then suddenly, something happened. Adulthood maybe? Or maybe an entire generational shift? I'm not sure if what I'm experiencing is just a result of growing up, or if it's a result of a cultural change on a grander scale. Maybe my generation is just shifty and restless. Maybe as a whole, we demand "more" to capture our attention and keep us on our toes. Maybe we're too picky, too unsatisfied, too immature. But if that's the case, why is it that I look back at that stability I had as a child so fondly? I wonder if my parents experienced just as much transitional chaos as I sometimes feel I do, but they just dealt with it well and hid it from our innocent child-eyes. Or maybe they worked through the majority of their uncertainties before us kids were born, and they found that stability before starting a family.

I think it's unfortunate that I've waited so long to really look at "life issues" in a different light, in a way that makes me actually appreciate my parents and their relationship with each other and with their family in a totally new light, in a way that makes me want to go back in time and ask my dad all the questions I wasn't mature enough to put into words in the past or to even care much about. If I had known I'd be struggling with certain issues and stresses, I'd like to think I would have taken my uncertainties to a man who lived through the gamut and still managed to keep it all together. A man more loving and sincere than I could ever be. He put appearances aside and focused on what was important. I was never quite able to appreciate that about him the way that I should have. I guess I'm just missing him a lot right now. At this time last year, I was by his side in a hospital room, watching him deteriorate before my eyes. At the time, I didn't think I'd be able to handle him dying. I never ever thought something like that would happen to me so young (nobody ever "expects" tragedy). But it's true that God doesn't give us more than we can handle. As much as I want my dad back, it was simply amazing how at peace I was about his death when it actually happened. God was definitely at work.

Fortunately, I still have my mom as a resource and I talk to her all the time. I love that woman! But sometimes I just wish I'd tapped more into all that my dad had to offer ...

Pictures

It's high time I posted some pictures on my blog, so here I go. Above is Santa Monica Pier and a shot of Rodeo Drive, and below is my favorite picture of my neice :)

A Weekend With Kim

My friend Kim arrived at LAX on Friday morning for a fun weekend visit. After picking her up, we went right to Santa Monica, where we window shopped and ate at the 3rd Street Promenade Mall. Then we walked a couple of blocks down to the ocean front, where we saw the biggest beach we'd ever seen. We wanted to dip our toes in the water, so we began walking towards the ocean ... and a few minutes later, we felt like we weren't any closer than when we'd begun, that's how big it was! We finally made it, and then made our way to the Santa Monica Pier/Boardwalk, where there were rides, games, restaurants, charicaturists (sp?), and shops. It was such a beautiful sight!

After that, we drove down Santa Monica Boulevard all the way to Beverly Hills. Luckily for us, we stumbled upon Rodeo Drive. Practically every car we saw was out of our price range! It was amazing to see the super expensive shops in Beverly Hills. From Tiffany's to Louis Vuitton (where we saw a $355 belt), we were a bit overwhelmed. But we didn't see anyone famous, so we were bummed. We drove around trying to find their houses, but no luck. After that, we drove to Hollywood to see the Walk of Fame and the Hollywood sign, but we didn't get out and walk around -- by that time, we were starting to tire out!

On Saturday, we hung out with some of my friends and then attempted to lay out at Pismo Beach, but it was really cold and overcast! So we came home and relaxed, which included a dip in the hot tub. Then on Sunday, we went wine tasting. Not so much me, since I can't stand the taste of wine, but Jason and Kim wound up getting plenty of wine in their stomachs and even some free wine glasses as a memento of their experience at each winery -- 4 in total. Cambria, Fess Parker, Firestone (yes, the same one as Andrew "The Bachelor" Firestone), and Rideau. We also passed a couple wineries that were featured in the movie Sideways. Talk about a beautiful area! The views were breathtaking, but unfortunately I don't think a photograph can do it justice.

On the way back to Santa Maria, we took 2 detours -- one to check out the gated entrance to MJ's Neverland Ranch. You couldn't really see anything, but it was cool just to say we were there. The other detour was to Main Street Beach in Guadalupe, about 15 minutes west of us. Apparently, parts of The Ten Commandments and G.I. Jane were filmed there (among other movies), and I guess Johnny Depp will be coming in October to shoot some scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean 3 there. Such a cool experience overall. I'm glad Kim could come out so we could both see these sights! I can't believe that Jason and I will be leaving California for good in 2 weeks!!!!

Roller Coaster

My post title is actually referring to the "emotional" kind ... lately I've been up and down!! But my friend Kim is visiting me for Labor Day weekend, so I am very excited for that. I'm picking her up in L.A. and then we'll probably hit Hollywood Boulevard and/or Beverly Hills and/or Third Street Promenade. Depends on traffic I suppose, and how long we want to stay in L.A. Then we'll head back to Santa Maria for the weekend, hit the beach and who knows what else. It'll be a quick trip, but I'm glad she's able to come! Then it's only a matter of a few weeks before I'm back "home." I'm actually listening to a country song right now on I-Tunes called "You can't go home again (Flies on the butter)" ... it's very nestalgic and it makes me think of my dad. We're going to be packing up our Penske truck on the 1-year anniversay of his death. It's weird to think that last year at this time we were just arriving in California and my dad was still alive. So much has changed since then. Sometimes I feel like a different person than I was back then, but I know things will get back to semi-normal when I'm back in Wisconsin. I have a lot of things on my mind right now, I feel like I'm always preoccupied with something. It's unsettling. I pray it passes.