Of Corn and Camping & Friends and Family

Ah, summer vacation back home. It came at a truly needed time. The excuse to get away was to two-fold. One – so that I could attend another annual camping-kayaking weekend with my Iowa City friends (plus see everyone who didn’t go), and two – to go home and see family at our yearly whoever-can-make-it this year mini reunion.

I flew into Omaha, but immediately then next day drove out to Iowa City. Oh how good it was! I hadn’t been back to Iowa City since I moved last June. It was even pretty awesome to drive on the interstate for 4 hours to get there, spending only 25 min in anything that looked like a city and being surrounded by green cornfields stretching to all horizons the rest of the time! Oh, there is something utterly fantastic about being in the middle of nowhere!

It felt so good to be back in Iowa City. It was almost as if I had never left. . . except I couldn’t remember lots of street names and was pretty forgetful about how to get to places I used to know well! However, I had NO PROBLEM getting to Oasis for some hummus and falafel. :) Oh, how I have missed this place! Oh how I have missed Iowa City food in general! Post my Oasis fix, I met up with my friends Katya and Dan to head out to the campsite for the 3^rd year of Camping and Kayaking with Iowa City friends! We went to a different camping place this year than we have gone to in years past. The campsite was. . . so Iowa.  Hehe. It was a picnic bench and a fire pit located on a strip of grass in between a gravel road and a field of corn. Forget camping next to trees. Why not corn? Although it was rather strange, we actually had quite a fabulous time! It was a rather quiet campsite, and I think it is more about the company one spends the time with than where one spends the time at.  A total of 8 of us made it out for this years adventure, and we had quite a blast kayaking down the river, telling funny stories around the fire pit, and drinking our French press coffee for breakfast each morning. (can we say, coffee snobs even when camping? I even brought Peets with me.) And again, it was so great to spend some time in the middle of nowhere, with only friends around. Thanks so much Katya, Dan, Christy, Sarah, Erin, Jenni and Josh for a wonderful weekend! (and thanks to everyone who's pictures I borrowed for below!)

 

I hope this gives you the idea at least, of our campsite next to the corn. The picnic bench is kind of small. And of course we couldn't resist the pictures in the corn!

After the camping I had time to catch up with other great friends whom I miss so much! I got to see Jennifer, and the DuBrava’s, Melissa (and we got to go visit Melissa’s parents, her sister Anna, and their adorable new dog!), Becky, Karen, Jean, Huy, and some of my old lab people. 

Here’s a pic (missing Melissa, who is taking the picture) of a great dinner with some fantastic gals that I miss very much!

After all the fun and friends in Iowa City, it was back to Nebraska for me! I spend the first day and a half in Omaha where I got to hang out with Ani and the kids (and see Jacob for a bit) and then spend some time with Sara and Matt and family in their new house! After that it was hanging out with my family! Although we weren’t a big crowd this year, it was so good to see everyone who did come. I think the life of the party this year was my cousin Jenny’s three adorable girls, so full of energy! And so cute! I felt a little old this year as my youngest cousins Faith and Grace (who recently got their drivers’ licenses) drove my brother and I down to see Grandpa. I remember when they were born. . . now they can drive! We did a lot of eating good food, hanging out around my parents’ house, playing games, going to the park with the girls, and visiting Grandpa. I miss home. One night, a number of us found ourselves on the deck as the sun was setting, just enjoying the actually very nice summer weather, with the smell of grass and earth in the air, listening to the sound of the cicadas. It was so peaceful. I appreciate the chance to have gotten a little bit of time just to slow down, and sit and enjoy such a little pleasure in life with people I care deeply about. Something I forget to do when life get so busy and stressful.

I'm so glad I made it home for the mini-reunion this year, it was so great to see everyone! I didn't get too many good pictures this year of us all, so perhaps I just leave you with a picture my cousin Jenny took (as long as its okay with her if she reads this!) of my brother and Grandpa and I. 

Another Family Visit!

I am very behind in updating my blog! I guess it is time to get back to it and get some summer fun posted up on here. At the end of June my parents drove out to San Diego and my brother flew in and we had a good solid week of fun! We did so many things, I’m not even going to be able to get them all on here! Another packed Gordon family vacation  :)  Could we do it any other way?

We decided to check out both the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park. I’ve done the zoo, several times, but I guess I always see things I’ve missed before, so it makes it okay! This time we got to glimpse the newest baby panda out on display with his mom. So CUTE! They also had a new Australian outback exhibit so I got to see some koalas. Pretty cool. Oh! And we saw a giraffe drinking. Probably not the easiest task for these tall guys! But I really enjoyed being able to spend more time than I have before at the Safari Park. They have this area of plains that they take you out in in this tram, and the view is pretty cool. Herds of animals out on this plain with the mountains of Escondido in the background. I like it. So much space! The other cool thing we got to see is the cheetah run. They have a strip of grass that they bring a cheetah out on and get him to chase after a fake rabbit on. That cat was fast! You pretty much have to pick a spot of grass to watch and see him whiz by. Only place in North America to see such things.

 

 We continued our touristy activities by touring the Midway, a retired air craft carrier that is in dock in San Diego. Pretty huge! I would never want to spend long amounts of time on something like that. The ship is huge, but rather cramped quarters inside for all the personnel. I have great respect for all those willing to do so. We also went to the Museum of Man in Balboa Park. There are so many museums there, and with the exception of the botanical garden area, I’ve hadn’t made it to any before this. We also drove up Mt. Soledad to see the views, did some hiking at Torrey Pines State Park, went to Cabrillo National Monument, Little Italy Farmers Market, and visited La Jolla Shores beach for a sunset. And of course, who could forget that we went to Peet’s coffee, EVERY DAY! A most important San Diego spot.

 Torrey Pines hike down to the beach and views of the Pacific from the top! (above)

 Sunset at La Jolla Shores Beach

  It was also fun as mom and dad celebrated their 37^th wedding anniversary while the family was there – congrats! We celebrated with dinner in Little Italy and dessert from Extraordinary Desserts. What else?

It was a great trip. I was so glad to have them all come again. There’s nothing like family.     

In Review

A year ago today, I left Iowa for California. Becky took the day off work, and we went for breakfast at the Bluebird Diner. She helped me make all my last minute preparations, pack up my car, and strap my bike on back. We cried.

I picked up Christy, my travel buddy, and we set out across the country. I still have great memories from our trip, getting to see Erin P in Des Moines, my family, and my friend Cari and her family as we traveled west. Touring the Kearney Arch, Boulder Colorado, seeing Mike the Headless Chicken, Hoover Dam, Zion National Park, and looking for geocaches along the way. The beauty of Colorado and Utah. The feeling of strangeness upon entering California and realizing that it wasn't just vacation and I wasn't going home. That this was the end of the trip for me. It felt so foreign. I felt homeless - so in between places. No longer belonging in Iowa, but not yet belonging in California.

The last year hasn't exactly been an easy one for me. I think the hardest part is that I found it to be a very lonely place for quite some time, even though I had a couple of people that I already knew here (for whom I am very thankful). I know it takes time to build new relationships, but it was so much harder to leave behind all the friendships I had built in Nebraska and Iowa  than I thought it would be. I felt so lonely having to suddenly do most of life by myself when I had such a great group of people that I did all of life with for years. I didn't realize how extremely blessed I was by those friendships until I left. And I'm so thankful for the blessings those friends have continued to be by how many have worked to keep in contact and who have come to visit! It just felt like I spent months explaining to strangers (and everywhere I went, there were only strangers) who I was. Although it was okay at first, it became rather exhausting. I think it took until March for me to feel like myself again in general. It also seems to have taken me some time to get the hang of being a postdoc. If I've even found it yet! But it's getting better.  

I did get used to San Diego and the bigness of the city and the number of people more quickly than I initially anticipated. Although I'm still not so sure about parking lots sometimes! It doesn't feel as big and packed in here as in other larger cities. That has helped. I certainly have gotten used to the weather, and love that there are things blooming here year round! 

Things have not all been sad and lonely though! I have now established more friendships that I'm so grateful for. I've found a church home where I have been able to get involved and find some great supportive people. I've had the opportunity to do a lot of fun things in the area, which I've posted about over the last year, and some things I haven't managed to get on the blog too! And even when things are lonely and hard, I know that God has been with me all the way, increasing my trust in Him. And that He has been so good to give me all the good things I have here to be thankful for!

I don't feel homeless anymore. I now feel like I belong. And I'm excited to see what the next year brings. 

Rollercoasters!!!!

Well, I've been waiting for this since I didn't really ride any rollercoasters at Universal Studios earlier this year. :)  A trip to Six Flags Magic Mountain!!

I found out quite by accident that my friends at church, Juan and Juliana, really like rollercoasters too. Thus, we decided a trip was in order to Six Flags to ride some!

It's north of Los Angeles, so we had quite a drive to get there. But it was well worth the trip. We had originally hoped to arrive at the park when it opened to see if we could beat the rush and get a few short lines, but it didn't work out so well!  That place was so packed by the time we arrived! And the lines - Oh my. One of the lines we waited in was 2 hours long! I know this probably seems like nothing to anyone who has ever been to Disney World, Universal, other Six Flags, or Cedar Point. But I'm used to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City (years ago)! I can only imagine lines getting that long (maybe) on the two water rides in the middle of the summer.  So for me, it was a bit crazy.  At least all the lines weren't 2 hours long!

We feel like we made out pretty good though. During our day at Six Flags we rode six rollercoasters. And they were pretty good ones too!  Terrifying and awesome, at the same time. There were a number more that we didn't even get a chance to ride at all, so I'm pretty sure I will have to go back!

Here are some pics Juliana took of the three of us at the park (waiting in that 2 hour line!) and a really great rollercoaster-scape as we left that evening.

In other news, I saw my first jellyfish outside of the zoo a couple weekends ago in the bay. I think it was dead, as it was just kind of floating near the shore, but it still looked pretty cool! And I gave my first attempt at trying to make some structure out of sand. I think its a little unfair to anyone who has actually built a castle out of sand to say that I tried to build a castle. It was more like one turret of what could have been a castle. Gotta start somewhere, right?  

The March "march" of friends

Haha! Punny. :)  Okay, maybe I'm the only one laughing at the title, but that's okay. I call it this because I had the great pleasure of hosting or seeing several friends in close sequence this last month here in San Diego!! It was quite delightful! I think I'm still running on residual friend-visit happiness. So that has been the highlight that I thought I should share!

First, an unexpected visit from my friend Jen who was visiting with her parents. It was a total surprise to have them in SD, and such a wonderful blessing!  I got to hang out with them for a while, and it was so good to catch up with Jen about our lives and all that has happened since we last saw one another and encourage one another. I don't have a picture for this one, but it was a fantastic start to March!

The visit did give me the opportunity for the first time to drive myself across the Coronado Bridge, which I've been a bit apprehensive about. Its a little tall. :) And long. But it was just fine. Just pick the middle lane, and stare straight ahead!

Just a few days after this surprise visit, the second friend arrived (a planned visit!), my friend Jennifer! Yay! We have known each other since the early days of my starting graduate school, and Jennifer starting medical school at the same time. What a blessing it has been to be friends all these years, and to have her come and visit on her not-so-frequent time off.

Jennifer is a self proclaimed Food Tourist. I totally love this. So am I. I just never thought to call it something so neat. So she came with a number of food goals in mind. We thus traveled about seeking fish tacos, tapas and sangria, Italian food from Little Italy, seafood, Thai food, and of course dessert from Extraordinary Desserts. I like finding new restaurants, and we found a couple places which I think call for a revisit! Additionally, Jennifer likes projects. Which means I benefited from a cleaner, more organized apartment by her visit! How awesome is that! You know your friends are good friends when they will help you clean and re-organize. It also meant a trip to Ikea. :) 

We didn't just eat though. We also visited the Cabrillo National Monument at Point Loma. We went climbing around on the rocks where my brother and Dad and myself did some investigating back during their visit in October, but Jennifer and I found if we climbed down far enough, we could get to these tide pools which were really cool! Some of the tide pools were like having a mini aquarium cut out of the rock. Little fish, and crabs, and sea plants (yes, that is the scientific term for them, haha) all in this water-filled crevice in a rock. We had quite a good adventure there. We also spent some time on Coronado Island and its beach, Imperial Beach. We found a cute little coffee shop there with a back porch that had a painted wall by which we enjoyed our coffee. It had such neat character. I really enjoy discovering little places like this! I'm glad I got to discover it with such a good friend!

And then, five days later, Becky and Karen arrived for a visit! Becky and Karen are also both friends with Tomomi, my friend here in San Diego that I stayed with when I first arrived. We all know each other from church in Iowa, so it was rather nice to all hang out together. Becky stayed with me, and Karen with Tomomi, and we got together to explore Old Town and the San Diego Zoo, and Little Italy. Of course Old Town means sampling the Mexican cuisine, and Little Italy the Italian. Always more eating! Here we are in Old Town.

Additionally, we just spent some time together and my apartment or Tomomi's condo, cooking for each other and chatting, ect. Becky and I found a sushi place, which marks my first eating of sushi in the 9 months I've been on the west coast. How terribly sad! Since we used to eat it all the time in Iowa! Sadly the weather wasn't super fantastic, so there weren't any great sunny beach days, although Tomomi did take Karen and Becky to explore the cove and the bay.

It was so good to have my old roomie come and visit. I miss having her around so much! While there are things that are nice about living alone, there are also many great things about being able to live with a good friend, and I really miss those things. It was so good to be able to stay up late and have all the conversations like we used to! Just catching up on our lives. And talking theology. And Dr. Who. :)

Well, now I suppose I have some time to wait before I get more visitors. Thanks to everyone who has come. It has been so great to have you all! Being here has made me realize how absolutely blessed I was by friends in Iowa. First, that I had so many dear friends who I did all of life with. I think I had to try to be alone, I didn't have to try to put much effort into being around great people! And second, that our friendships were so dear that so many have made the effort to come here and see me. So blessed! 

Fun in February

Well, as promised, I tried to have more fun in February. I think it went pretty well!

First off, I joined two of my fellow post-docs at work, Connie and Audrey, on a trip to Los Angeles to visit Universal Studios - Hollywood. Now, this is the first time I have ever visited an amusement park that is connected to movie studios. Yes, this does mean I have never been to Disneyland. Happily. :)

I didn't really know what to expect. I'm used to the good old fashioned rollercoaster-containing sort of amusement parks, so I was pretty excited about doing some screaming on stomach dropping hills, or going upside down and such.  Alas, I was mistaken. There were only even 7 rides or something.
A number of the rides were well done, like the new Transformers ride and The Mummy ride. But they weren't the rollercoasters I expected. A lot more wearing of 3-D glasses and watching screens! Jurassic Park, however, was a water ride and didn't have screens, and it had big motorized dinosaurs. It was pretty freaky at the end. You totally thought the T-rex would get you before the raft went plunging down the waterfall. And the Transformers 3-D stuff was pretty awesome. I think I was actually convinced a few times that I was moving, even when I wasn't! One of the neat things is that there is a tram that will take you on a tour of the Studios and the backlots where all these sets are located for filming. Like the Europe sets. Or the New York city rows of Brownstone houses. Or the City Hall that some years and a few makeovers ago was used in Back to the Future! Pretty neat stuff, actually. Anyway, now I can say I've been! And of course, I had to be the tourist and get the picture with the Universal globe.

The next weekend I took advantage of the fact that I live next to the ocean and went with a couple gals from church  (Eileen and Esther) on a whale-watching adventure! We did get lucky on our boat and we found two California grey whales, apparently on their southward migration to Mexico. They would come up for air and surface 2 or 3 times quickly and then dive back down  for a longer period of time - like 4-5 minutes. We got to hang around and watch this for a few rounds before we had to head back. It was cool, however we weren't nearly as close as we were in Hawaii. Not the best picture opp, but here is a tail of one of the whales!  We also saw dolphins, and pelicans, and seals, so I'd say it was a pretty good trip. Additionally, when we were coming back the Bay from the Ocean, there was this awesome boat with all the sails and such as you imagined one would have seen, say about the time they were exploring the new world. It just happened to be sailing past Point Loma when we passed it, which is this area of land that separates the Bay from the Ocean (I suggest looking at a map to get the idea!). It is the spot where Juan Cabrillo, an explorer in the 1500's, first set foot on land on the US West Coast. Therefore, the really cool old-looking ship passing Point Loma seemed rather perfect.

January Ups and Downs

I'm sorry for not keeping up on this better! I have so much to catch up on. But I have a few free hours since it was President's Day and I sort of had most of the day off. So here's some catching up.

I did eventually get over my Christmas break sickness, just in time for my January up! Which was my friend Katya from Iowa City visiting San Diego for a math conference. Oh, its nice living in city where your friends travel to for conferences. :)  'Cause it means I get to hang out with them!  Katya stayed with me and commuted down the conference center and we had quite a nice time sharing our evenings and most of a Saturday together. We saw some of the sights of San Diego. Below is a picture of us checking out La Jolla Cove. And I even got to sneak in and see Katya present her research too!  We had such a nice time chatting and learning that we had more in common than we knew!  Including the fact that we have coordinating rain coats! :)  Thanks for coming Katya!

But some of the month was rather down. I know that I just got to see a lot of my friends and family over Christmas, and had one friend had just come to visit. But nonetheless, I was really really missing friends. I think it was mostly because I'd been having some frustrating weeks at work trying to push things forward and feeling like I was getting nowhere. And making mistakes. And in the midst of the frustration, I just needed a close friend's couch to cry on. And that couch (or a varied possibility of a few peoples couches) is 1500 miles away. So I was feeling quite lonely.

But February will be better!  I'm taking some good advice from a friend and trying to get out and have some fun (with people). And trying not to let the frustrations at work get me down. And I can look forward to visitors again in March!  I think I have truly been blessed with the best friends ever.

One of the neat things that I did get to do already in February is to go with a gal at my church to an orphanage in Tijuana with a group of others from San Diego. It certainly helps me put the frustrations of my life in perspective to spend a day with some kids from two years old to teenagers who don't have any family and have it much worse than I do, and who can still smile and have fun playing jump rope. Hopefully I can make it down sometime again. Maybe it will be good motivation to try to brush up on my high school Spanish :).